Geobulletin alpha

April 27, 2015 

National Geothermal Data System AtlasU.S. Geoscience Information Network Graffiti in YouTube Videos Used to Track Cave Water Table HistoryBBC Yellowstone Magma DiscoveryNational Science Foundation Half of US Fracking Service Firms Will DisappearShale Energy Insider Cutting Rubellite (Tourmaline) and Morganite (Beryl) in China Gemological Institute of America Geothermal Climate Control for Frick Park Environmental CenterPittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tourmaline lemonade 

crystallographic sector zoning is a phenomenon that causes all sorts of headaches for geochemists and petrologists.  Basically, as different crystallographic faces grow in a medium (e.g. magma), they have different selectivities for different elements.  If you want to measure how much of a particular element a growing crystal scavenges from its surrounding, and you don’t measure all

Tourmaline, in Hair Dryers? 

I don't use hair dryers, just my fingers, so I've missed out on the latest development in the technology: ionic dryers that employ tourmaline. Dryers that add negative ions to their output are said to help prevent static and associated frizziness. This makes sense to me, and Julyne Derrick, my colleague the Beauty Guide, testifies to its truth. She ranks ionic dryers among her top choices. But what about the tourmaline? That makes sense to me too, because tourmaline is well known for its [...]

Tourmaline, in Hair Dryers? 

I don't use hair dryers, just my fingers, so I've missed out on the latest development in the technology: ionic dryers that employ tourmaline. Dryers that add negative ions to their output are said to help prevent static and associated frizziness. This makes sense to me, and Julyne Derrick, my colleague the Beauty Guide, testifies to its truth. She ranks ionic dryers among her top choices. But what about the tourmaline? That makes sense to me too, because tourmaline is well known for its [...]

Nicest reply to critical comment ever... 

is from Shao-Yong Jiang, Geochemical Journal 40, 639-641, 2006. (.pdf link)From his conclusion:Erroneous data with extremely low δ11B values were obtained during analysis of tourmaline from Lavicky granite and Altay pegmatite using an acid digestion technique and TIMS measurements. We thank Marschall and Ludwig for pointing out these problems.I've read a few comment-and-replies in my time, and