“The team operating NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has selected a second target rock for drilling and sampling. The rover will set course to the drilling location in coming days.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
The Erosion and Tectonics Project team is working to document “one paradox of geology – that weathering a mountain down can actually make it rise higher.”
Need a new rock hammer, chisel, field bag, hammer holster, field book, hardness set, hand lens, topo map, gold pan or other geological tool? Check out the Geology.com store.
Triboluminescence is a flash of light produced when a material is subjected to friction, impact or breakage. The phenomenon is also known as fractoluminescence and mechanoluminescence. Triboluminescence is common in minerals because about 50% of crystalline materials are thought to exhibit the property.
Salt Domes are mounds or columns of salt that have risen above their parent rock unit because of the salt’s low specific gravity.
They serve as oil and natural gas reservoirs; sources of sulfur; sources of salt; underground storage sites for oil, natural gas and helium; and, disposal sites for hazardous waste.
Pumice is a light-colored, extremely porous, igneous rock that forms during explosive volcanic eruptions. It is used as aggregate in lightweight concrete, as landscaping aggregate and as an abrasive in a variety of industrial and consumer products.
Geologists use the “acid test” to identify carbonate minerals and to detect their presence in rocks. This article describes the acid test and how it can be used.
Botswana has been one of the world’s leaders in the production of gem-quality diamonds but production levels are not sustainable. To diversify their mineral industry the plan is to focus on coal.
One of the most important gold discoveries of the 20th century was made by John Livermore who found rocks that contained recoverable amounts of gold – but the gold particles were too small to see.
“Scientists at MIT have proposed that Mercury may have harbored a large, roiling ocean of magma very early in its history, shortly after its formation about 4.5 billion years ago.” Quoted from the MIT press release.
“NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has relayed new images that confirm it has successfully obtained the first sample ever collected from the interior of a rock on another planet. No rover has ever drilled into a rock beyond Earth and collected a sample from its interior.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
The United States Geological Survey has published: New Vitrinite Reflectance Data for the Wind River Basin, Wyoming. “The purpose of this report is to present new vitrinite reflectance data collected mainly from Cretaceous marine shales in the Wind River Basin to better characterize their thermal maturity and hydrocarbon potential.” Quoted from the USGS publication announcement.
If you have not seen very many sills, then you should visit the Leadville Geology Facebook page. Vince Matthews has posted dozens of photos showing sills in roadcuts, natural outcrops and cross-sections. There’s also a video about how sills form.
The Caltech Engineering and Science magazine has two interesting articles about the career paths of geoscience professionals…. Beyond Rocks about John Eiler and The Molecular Geomicrobiologist about Dianne Newman. Check them out.
“Magma forms far deeper than geologists previously thought. [...] A study simulating pressures in the mantle beneath the ocean floor shows that rocks can melt at depths up to 250 kilometers.” Quoted from the NSF press release.
“The United States has at least 2,400 billion metric tons of possible carbon dioxide (CO2) storage resource in saline formations, oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams, according to a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) publication.”
Quoted from the United States Department of Energy press release.
Petrified Forest National Park is the most famous location in the world for observing petrified wood. It is one of several government and private parks in the United States that feature petrified wood.
The Smithsonian has collected more than 142 million objects. From rocks to rockets, from baseball cards to brontosaurus bones. That puts them in a great position to advise kids who want to start collecting rocks, minerals, fossils or other interesting objects.
“New geochronologic and thermochronologic data from rocks near Hatcher Pass, southwest Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska, record earliest Paleocene erosional and structural exhumation on the flank of the active Cook Inlet forearc basin.” Quoted from the USGS publication announcement.
Archaeologists working near Mossel Bay, South Africa have found small stone tools with an estimated age of 71,000 years. Prior to this, the earliest tools found have an age of about 65,000 years.
Gene LaBerge, age 80, author of Geology of the Lake Superior Region, is working on a project that will document the geologic history of Wisconsin. He is looking for two large specimens of rhyolite and pillow basalt to feature in his collection.
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Homeowners Insurance usually does not cover damage caused by floods, landslides, earthquakes and other geohazards.
Frac Sand is a high-purity silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing to enhance the flow of oil and gas from tight rock units.
Diamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Fluorescent Minerals glow with spectacular colors when illuminated in the dark with an ultraviolet lamp.
Helium is a byproduct of the natural gas industry. Its most important use is in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines.
Canada Diamond Mines: Canada is the third largest producer of gem-quality diamonds in the world.
Utica Shale: New wells in eastern Ohio prove that the Utica Shale will be a major source of natural gas and natural gas liquids.
Spectacular Fossils of the Green River Formation. Some of the world's best-preserved fossil fish from an intermountain lake.
Opals: Gem quality opal is one of the most spectacular gemstones. A single stone can flash with every color of the spectrum.
