For more information about Geology check the Wikipedia article here
Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have found a layer of liquefied molten rock in Earth’s mantle that may be acting as a lubricant for the sliding motions of the planet’s tectonic plates. This discovery has very far reaching implications, which can solve some of the long standing geological puzzles, as [...]
Fri, Dec 7, 2012
Geologic maps “Geologic maps are valuable in many ways. They show the areas within which coal, iron, and other useful minerals occur, the limits of the artesian basins, the course of metalliferous veins, and many other things needful to the development of a region.” These words were written by the USGS more than 100 years [...]
Tue, Nov 8, 2011
In these past few decades, the US space program seemed to have significantly overcome the Russian one, with all sort of missions and studies, but more recently, the balance seems to have turned once again, as NASA is undergoing numerous problems, while the Russians are planning an ambitious mission which is aimed at the Mars [...]
Wed, Nov 17, 2010
The geek inside was nagging me for quite a while to make a category like this. So, starting today, every Wednesday I’ll be adding an awesome geological picture, along with some short explanation of what’s happening. Would really like some feedback on this, your opinions are appreciated as always. The picture shows a sandstone formation [...]
Tue, Oct 26, 2010
Amber is not very common, but you can’t say it’s really uncommon either. Bugs in amber – that’s rare, but a huge “stash” such as the one that was found in India – that’s really something out of this world. The bug “collection” that was unearthed seems to suggest that the Indian continent was not [...]
Fri, Sep 24, 2010
Fossil hunters have recently unearthed the fossil remains of a species that can easily claim the title of the horniest dinosaur ever to be found. Kosmoceratops lived some 76 million years ago, in the warm and wet swamps of (what is today) Utah; but what’s really fascinating about him is the fact that he has [...]
Sat, Aug 7, 2010
The idea for this article hit me while I was writing this post about awesome landscapes. I was doing some research, and when I found the amazing things hot water springs can create, it was obvious that this article had to come. Grand Prismatic Spring Measuring about 250×380 feet, and being the largest hot water [...]
Tue, Jul 20, 2010
The Wave, Arizona The Wave is an astonishing sandstone formation that fascinates photographers and attracts numerous hikers every year. It formed in the early Jurassic (190 million years ago) when dinosaurs ruled the Earth and compacted through the years, calcifying in vertical and horizontal layers. The lovely curves we see today are a result of [...]
Fri, Apr 16, 2010
Eyjafjallajökull (how ever you pronounce) is a volcano located in Iceland, covered by a small glacier with the same name. It’s crater has a diameter of about 3-4 kilometers, and it erupted the second time this month, causing a cloud of ash that forced authorities to stop almost all flights above Iceland. The problem, when [...]
Thu, Feb 25, 2010
On the night of July 9, 1958, an earthquake struck Fairweather Fault in the Alaska Panhandle. The result was that about 30.6 million cubic meters of rock were loosened, being thrown from a height of 914 meters down onto the water mass. The impact generated a tsunami that crashed against the shoreline of Gilbert Inlet. [...]
Wed, Feb 24, 2010
There are many things we have yet to find out about Saturn, but the Cassini probe has definitely shed some light on the planet, and will surely do the same in the following years. The most recent flyby showed a significant number of geysers just waiting to pop out from under the surface – even [...]
Mon, Feb 8, 2010
If a gate to hell existed, I bet this is how it would look like. Locals from the town of Darvaz in Uzbekistan were really inspired when they named it this way. When looking at the pictures, you’d be tempted to think this is some sort of a volcano, but it’s not. Geologists are actually [...]
Mon, Jan 4, 2010
Scientists have for the first time determined the actual permeability of the asthenosphere in Earth’s upper mantle, which is basically responsible for how fast the melt rises towards the surface of the earth, and the results were surprising to say the least. Researchers found that it actually moves 25 times faster than previously assumed, which [...]
Sat, Jan 2, 2010
Boy 2009 passed quite quickly, but it didn’t go without a blast, that’s for sure ! I’m gonna show you some really amazing stuff that happened during 2009, most of which you probably have no idea of, and this is the first one from that series. 4th place (honorable mention): Mayon, Philippines It may have [...]
Thu, Nov 12, 2009
Despite the fact that it’s the 2nd most common mineral in the Earth’s continental crust, quartz is a true wonder of nature. Composed of the two most common elements in our planet’s crust (oxygen and silicone), quartz fascinated both scientists and common people since ancient times. At a molecular level, it forms extremely complicated (and [...]
Tue, Nov 3, 2009
In 2005, a huge 35 mile rift broke the Ethiopian desert apart and immediately led to geological claims that a new ocean was appearing there because two parts of the African continent were being pulled apart. However, the claims were quickly dismissed as being too controversial. However, a new study published in the latest issue [...]
Tue, Oct 27, 2009
Dr. Beverly Goodman of the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa was doing some research on the ancient port and shipwrecks of the place, when she stumbled upon information that led her to this conclusion. “There is a likely chance of tsunami waves reaching the shores of Israel. Tsunami [...]
Fri, Jan 23, 2009
It seems the science side and the creationism side are taking things to a whole new level, each bringing out more or relevant arguments or theories; the juiciest picking ground for a while now has been the Bible; what portion of it is true, what happened, how is that relevant, all those things. Today’s topic: [...]
Thu, Nov 20, 2008
Evolution isn’t just for living organisms, as scientists the Carnegie Institution found. They found that more than 3000 of the 4000+ minerals that exist can be linked more or less directly to biological life. This finding could have a crucial importance for scientists that are searching for life on other planets. Robert Hazen and Dominic [...]
Wed, Oct 29, 2008
As a proud student in geophysics, I can tell you that opal is hydrated silicon dioxide mineral with many astounding properties, but it’s also water hydrated. Since water hydrated minerals have been found on Mars we are led to the logic conclusion that when these minerals was formed, there was water on Mars. Opals have [...]
Tue, Apr 15, 2008
I’m not fond of alarmist theories or “bad things are happening, fast” attitude, but… bad things are just going to happen soon in California. The likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%-and such a quake is most likely to occur in the southern [...]
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Thu, Mar 21, 2013
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