Learning Geology

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/xDLEUTWCZdc Geological Data and the Future of Agriculture In our modern world, change is everywhere. The ongoing COVID pandemic has altered life for the vast majority of global citizens, for starters. Thanks in large part to human activities and behavior, climate change is rampant, and its effects can be seen across multiple disciplines. The geological im…

Image Source: pixabay.com Water. It’s probably one of the simplest things in our day-to-day lives. Yet it is also one of the most important. The human body is nearly 70% water and without it, we wouldn’t last very long. Of all the water on Earth, only about 3% is drinkable fresh water, and of that only about 1.2% is accessible for human consumption. Some of the accessible water that we depend upo…

Photo by Arnie Watkins from Pexels For some, gardening is a simple pleasure that they put minimal effort into. For others, it is a much more involved hobby that brings them joy and satisfaction. However, whichever end of the spectrum you may fall on, there is more to successful gardening than meets the eye. While minimal effort might produce some immediate satisfactory results, it is not sustaina…

Image Source: 1 - Pexels 2- Pexels 3 - Pexels It is unfortunate that geology has such a dry reputation. We know that it’s more than just studying rocks and minerals. It’s about exploring the rich history of our planet’s formation and evolution, using the landscape as artifacts that have recorded the stories of every subtle tectonic shift, and each extinction event. Yes, there is work and fine dil…

Image Source: pixabay.com Looking out over a field of crops, it can be hard to determine exactly what is growing if you don’t have prior experience. It could be a variety of different types of wheat, legumes, corn, or so on. It may come as somewhat of a surprise given decades of federal regulations, but the crop growing out in the field you’re gazing upon could also be hemp. Hemp products have ma…

Image Source: Pexels When people start looking for land to build a house, the first things that often come to mind are property value and beauty. Unfortunately, it can feel like geologists often get overlooked in this part of the process. While a realtor’s job is to sell a piece of property by making it as appealing as possible, it’s irresponsible for anyone in the housing market to ignore geolog…

Human activity has fundamentally altered the natural world in countless ways. Geologists and environmental scientists alike are consistently looking at the various aspects of our environment that are suffering under humanity’s watch. And although issues such as climate change and air pollution tend to get the bulk of media coverage in regards to environmentalism, we shouldn’t overlook similar top…

Image Source: Pixabay There are over 4,000 naturally-occurring minerals in the world. Many of them are a part of your everyday life, and you probably don’t give them much thought. Some of the most common minerals that can make life go on as normal each day include copper, iron ore, silver, cobalt, and lithium. Without minerals, life as we know it would be completely different, and we wouldn’t hav…

Complex river systems are the foundation of much of what we have to enjoy here on this planet. They support wildlife populations, provide soil nutrients, and so much more. Humans have had a profound impact on river systems, however, changes in current practices and increased focus on restoring rivers to their natural status can make a major difference in our lives. Image Source: pixabay.com Think…

Image: Unsplash In these uncertain times, Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are all the rage among job seekers looking for stable and timeless careers. In fact, employment in science and engineering occupations was expected to grow by 18.7% between 2010 and 2020, across all STEM fields. While jobs in the physical sciences aren’t growing as rapidly as computer and mat…

Gemmology, also known as the science of gemstones, is the study of precious gemstones. It mainly focuses on identifying gemstones, confirming its authenticity, evaluating the quality, determining the origin, and disclosing the treatment used for the gemstone. A major part of it requires distinguishing between natural gemstones and synthetic counterparts and imitations. Earlier it was difficult to…

From burning firewood to using electricity from renewable sources, the home energy landscape has drastically changed over the last 150 years. This article and infographic explore the history of energy use and what the sustainable future may look like. We no longer have to gather firewood for our wood-burning stoves to keep us warm at night, but there are a variety of energy sources used in each h…

What is a Delta? A delta is an accumulation of sediments at the mouth of a river that may consist of a network of distributary channels, wetlands, bars, tidal flats, natural levees and beaches that typically shift from on location to another. Delta shape is dependent of dominant current conditions where the mouth of the river: tide-, sea wave-, and storm-dominated. Lena River Delta, Siberia. Fact…

Earthquakes rip through our cities, with seismic waves that tear down our buildings and take away lives in the process. Just two years ago, in September of 2017, a 7.1 earthquake thundered throughout Mexico City and killed nearly 230 people. The main cause of damage isn’t from the earthquake but from the collapsing structures. Historical and pre-earthquake safe buildings are not equipped to shiel…

About author: Alex Graham is an undergraduate student at University of Newcastle, Australia. He is interested in Geology as a whole but his major interests include fluvial processes, karst systems and ocean science. During his visit to New Zealand, he has obeserved the glow worms in Waitomo Caves and spelunking in Nikau Caves. Speleothems, more commonly known as stalactites or stalagmites, consis…

Following are the best videos of 2017. Some of the videos are part of our Live Virtual Field Tours project and Video Lecture Series while some videos were reposted by us. 1. Live from Kamokuna Ocean Entry, Big Island of Hawaii 2. Live from Tucson Gem Show, Tucson, Arizona 3. The landslide of Maierato, Vibo Valentia, Calabria, Italy 4. A double terminated Quartz being pulled from a pocket in the A…

· A sedimentary basin is an area in which sediments have accumulated during a particular time period at a significantly greater rate and to a significantly greater thickness than surrounding areas. · A low area on the Earth’s surface relative to surroundings e.g. deep ocean basin (5-10 km deep), intramontane basin (2-3 km a.s.l.) · Basins may be small (kms2) or large (106+ km2) · Basins may be si…

a'a —a lava rock with a ropey, frothy surface texture formed as a cooling crust on a fluid lava flow. ablation —the removal of snow and ice by melting or evaporation, typically from a glacier or ice field. abrasion —the process of wearing down or rubbing away by means of friction, typically by wind-blown dust or sand. absolute dating —general term applied to a range of techniques that provide est…

It is probably going to be boring what you are going to read, but if you are a geologist, please continue reading. What started as a simple fun trip with some friends to Lofoten Islands in northern Norway, just became a unique geological experience. This, because I think that, as a geologist, it is completely impossible to separate fun from my profession while traveling. It's just amazing to mix …