Geobulletin alpha

Its In The Syllabus 

From PhD comics: The tables can very easily be turned on you, the faculty, when a student goes over the syllabus with a tooth comb and then holds you to every dot and comma in it. My friend who is an igneous petrologist and faculty at a local university here in Pune saw the nasty side of the syllabus centered education. As a researcher, my friend is highly enthusiastic about his work

Imaggeo on Mondays: Great glacial folds 

Whether you’re climbing, hiking or caving, it’s hard to ignore the geology around you. For keen climber and environmental geoscientist Ivan Bour, a trip to the French Alps is no exception… I’ve practiced mountain climbing for a dozen years. During my ascents, I seek geomorphological and geological peculiarities. Very often, I associate my profession as

A deeper look at the geology of diamonds 

The geology of diamonds is fascinating in itself, but they also give insights into wider geological processes and history. Up until 1725, diamonds were only known from India. That all changed when Brazilians panning river sediments for gold, instead found diamonds. Recent … Continue reading

Geological Quote of the Week - What is that? 

In this Geological Quote I was reading through a book on chaos theory and geology and I just found this line funny."With the help of a technical device called a return map which we shall not attempt to describe..."i.e., yea, we don't know what it is either.Goodings, D., 1991, Chaos in a time series, in Middleton, G.V., Ed., Nonlinear dynamics, choas and fractals with applications to geological systems,Short Course Notes, V. 9: Toronto, Ontario, Geological Association of Canada, p. 35-46.You can [...]

Mineral potential of the proposed Sonoran Desert Heritage Area 

The Arizona Geological Survey (AZDS) has just published its study of the mineral potential of the Sonoran Desert Heritage Area (see full study here, 25Mb). Establishment of the heritage area, which consists of several detached conservation areas and wilderness areas, would prevent mineral exploration and development on almost one million acres west of Phoenix. A general

GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE OPHIR QUADRANGLE, TOOELE COUNTY, UTAH 

                        by Stefan M. Kirby This map represents the geology of the Ophir quadrangle at 1:24,000 scale. The Ophir quadrangle, in southeastern Tooele County, Utah, includes part of the Oquirrh Mountains and an adjoining part of Rush Valley. Quaternary unconsolidated deposits cover the southwestern

Some facets of the Geology of Diamonds 

Originally published on the Scientific American guest blog. Geoscientists can’t say if diamonds are forever, but they can say that some are already billions of years old. They form in a place we’ll never reach: the deep earth, hundreds of … Continue reading

Weekend procrastination for geonerds 

The lectures are done, and the grading is over: now we can get on with that research stuff that we’ve been moaning that we don’t have enough time for, right? Well… Sadly, the internet has conspired against us, with not … Continue reading

A harder look at the geology of diamonds 

My recent post about diamonds was a rapid romp through some of the most marvellous things earth scientists have discovered about them. In the interests of keeping the casual reader engaged I left out many things. If this left you with … Continue reading

Geology of the National Parks in Pictures - Wupatki 

The next up on my tour of the National Parks in pictures:Wupatki National Monument My standard picture of the front sign.Distant view of the Wupatki pueblo Closer view of the Wupatki PuebloDistant view of the Citadel PuebloCloser, a little more abstract view of the Citadel PuebloVeronica being fancy, unfortunately the background got washed out.You can see the rest of the National Park Pictures at my

The Yangtze Predates the Miocene 

Pre-Miocene birth of the Yangtze River Authors: 1. Hongbo Zheng (a) 2. Peter D. Clift (b) 3. Ping Wang (a) 4. Ryuji Tada (c) 5. Juntao Jia (d) 6. Mengying He (e) 7. Fred Jourdan (f) Affiliations: a. School of Geography Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; b. Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge,

Mayon kills 5 

Mt Mayon is a beautiful volcano.  The only work I’ve done on it was some years ago during my PhD, when I was doing a little analysis on volcano profiles. I was struck by its incredible symmetry.  So I can … Continue reading

First Multituberculate Fossil Found in India 

The first multituberculate mammal from India Authors: 1. Varun Parmar (a) 2. Guntupalli V. R. Prasad (b) 3. Deepak Kumar (a) Affiliations: a. Department of Geology, University of Jammu, Jammu 180006, India b. Department of Geology, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India Abstract: Mesozoic deposits of the former Gondwanaland are depauperate in

yep, it fits 

This is one of my occasional random posts that doesn't have anything to do with the geology or the environment or writing... I've been thinking about getting a Large Object for a while now. About a month ago, I noticed a shabby little storefront with a prominently placed Large Object near my place. I'd been keeping an eye on it ever since. I was running errands yesterday and

How NEPA crushes productivity 

NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act, was signed into law in 1970 by President Richard Nixon with the intent to assess environmental impacts of Federal projects. “In enacting NEPA, Congress recognized that nearly all Federal activities affect the environment in some way and mandated that before Federal agencies make decisions, they must consider the effects

Copper: mining, art, and global competition for resources at ASU Art Museum 

Copper is the theme of a unique program at the ASU Art Museum on May 7 for a lunchtime conversation "at the intersection of geology, sustainability, and art—in the midst of the exhibition, Cu29: Mining for You." Former Colorado State Geologist Vince Matthews will give a presentation on the global competition for mineral resources. "Ongoing demands for mineral resources in the U.S., coupled

MOOCs and geology 

Janet Stemwedel has a new post up regarding the use of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in (replacing) university classes. Would MOOCs work for teaching geology? I doubt it. Geology is an applied science of observation, of going outside and looking at stuff (rocks, soil), and trying to piece together what happened. Often, you need to most of your senses (ok, don't try tasting stuff in

14th May - Engineering Geology / 19th May - Huntley and Hobb's Quarries 

14th May - Western Region GS'Engineering Geology and Geomorphology in the Design, Operation and Rehabilitation of Quarries'Dr Ruth Allington (GWP Consultants) 6.30pm - Refreshments from 6pmThe lecture will focus on the applications of geology and geomorphology in the responsible extraction of the construction materials upon which civil engineering projects depend, highlighting three important differences impacting on professional practice in this area. This is the Glossop lecture, first [...]

V.K Gaur On Earthquake Research, Jaitapur Seismic Risk And Role Of Scientists 

The Hindu carried an interview with Vinod Kumar Gaur, seismologist with the Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation. His work on the seisimic risk at Jaitapur southern Maharashtra where a nuclear power plant has been proposed was criticized by the Indian government and his colleague Roger Bilham denied entry into India on the grounds that he violated the terms of his

Geotalk: Robin Andrews 

This month in Geotalk, we spoke to Robin Andrews, a PhD candidate at the University of Otago, New Zealand, who takes us through the explosive aspects of one of Geology’s most thrilling disciplines – volcanology. First, could you introduce yourself and let us know a little about your work and what drew you to volcanology?