Geobulletin alpha

Letter to Borys 

Here's my letter to my Liberal MP.  I know he'll get it to Justin right away. me to Borys.Wrzesnewskyj 10:43 AM Hi Borys, I'm a retired guy, and former expert on earthquakes.  I do my own blog and have about 32,000 readers around the world on google+.  Not really that much, but one thing I have been doing is developing better earthquake equipment that is super cheap and can be made by anyone.

Mystery object found on the Bath GS Manor Farm trip 

The object above was found at Borrow Pit, Manor Farm, Aust - a Triassic mystery.  An expert's opinion is as follows:-"My interpretation of this is that it lacks the symmetry and detail to be a fossil animal in its own right, though algal activity may have played a part in producing the lumps on the surface.  It has a slightly laminated appearance and I believe it to be a sedimentary accretion.  Whether it has a nucleus of any kind could only be resolved by sectioning and [...]

Nepal Earthquakes – Latest Reading 

Whilst geologists are often trained in the technical aspects of natural hazards, our courses are often devoid of information on what causes disasters, how we can better avoid them and effective disaster management. Recent events in Nepal highlight that hazard does not simply equal disaster, but that we must understand what drives exposure and vulnerability to be so high in certain parts of the world. Some of the latest reports and articles from the tragic events in Nepal may help us as [...]

Where To Get Some Good Science on The Nepal Quake 

I thought I would put together a few links to some good early science reporting on the Nepal Quake. First up is Dave Petley’s Landslide Blog here on the AGU Blogosphere. Dave has some good basic facts on the quake. The Washington Post has a good piece that quotes Geologist Roger Bilham who is an expert on quakes in this region, and he says that this was a severe quake

No gold without microbes 

     Many people love jewelry and other items made of gold. They have inconspicuous microbes to thank for this: Three billion years ago they held the noble metal in the Earth’s crust. This is the opinion at least of an expert from the University of Würzburg. All the Earth’s gold deposits should actually be in the Earth’s core – buried deep out of mankind’s reach. After all, this

Welcome to the Open Glossary 

At the London satellite event for Open Con earlier this year, myself and Ross Mounce were chastised after our talk on ‘Open Data’ by one of the attendees. Apparently, some of the terminology was too complex, or specialist, for the subject, and some of the talk was unable to be followed unless you were already an expert in the issue. Now obviously this is something that, as members of the ‘open community’, we do not want. As we progress to setting the default to open, I [...]

Spinocyrtia elburzensis brachiopod from Morocco 

I've only recently become proficient enough to recognize Spinocyrtia brachiopods apart from Mediospirifers when collecting the middle Devonian in New York. When I saw the fossils below for the first time, though, I knew they looked familiar. They are Spinocyrtia elburzensis from Jebel Oufatene near Alnif in Morocco and they come from middle Devonian aged rocks (Emsian stage). They have a very striking resemblance to S. granulosa which is found in the Givetian stage rocks of New York.I posted [...]

What happens when a Canadian Goose goes on a tropical vacation? 

Can you imagine a four foot long goose? That's what happens when a Canadian Goose decides to take a tropical vacation and chooses to stick around. I've been developing another blog over the last few months as an outlet for my new hobby, bird photography (Geotripper's California Birds). I'm not an expert (yet), nor a hard-case birder (yet), but my friends and coworkers have come to recognize

How can we weigh a cloud? 

CGS air quality expert Dr Jim McQuaid has been filming a BBC two-part documentary Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies. The documentary follows a team of scientists as they explore the earth’s atmosphere, travelling in an airship. The expedition … Continue reading

Expert on Fracking and Drilling-Induced Seismicity to Speak in Salt Lake City 

kcsg.com The hot topics of fracking and drilling-induced seismicity will be the focus of a keynote speech by Distinguished Lecturer Donald Clarke. Gas field fracking is the fracturing of deeply buried rocks under extremely high pressures to enhance oil and gas flow toward wells. Drilling-induced seismicity is the triggering of earthquakes through oil and gas

Mining-Influenced Water Treatment and Coal Ash 

Here is a new document from the US EPA on treating mine-affected waters.  Free to download at this link and worth so doing. The document is titled:  Reference Guide to Treatment Technologies for Mining-Influenced Water (EPA 505-F-12-001). I read it and found it pretty comprehensive, although I am no expert in the topic.  Still, there

GeoEd: I’m a geoscientist, get me back in there! 

There are a lot of ways to learn new things, but little beats putting your questions to the expert and finding out the latest science, straight from the source, which is why we’re running an event to do just that – I’m a Geoscientist, Get me out of here! James Hickey, a volcanologist from the University

May 18th - Jurassic Coast at Beer and Beer Head - PLEASE BOOK NOW! 

Geology in the West Country Field Trips Sunday May 18th - Field trip to the  Jurassic Coast at Beer and Beer Head Professor Malcolm Hart of Plymouth UniversityPLEASE BOOK NOW! – AVAILABILITY LIMITEDWe plan to travel by coach. It promises to be a great day out for yourself and friends to enjoy this stretch of coast, enjoy the sea air and do some geology with an expert on this area or simply come to enjoy the coast - the choice will be yours!Book now with advance payment in order to [...]

David Gregory at Meet The Press Stops The Ridiculous 

I wasn’t the only one who was very critical of NBC’s Meet The Press program last Sunday, but there was a bright spot. David Gregory stopped his guest cold when she started making totally incorrect statements about climate science. No, not Dr. Heidi Cullen (who is an expert), but the other guest (a politician) who knows nothing about the subject (except perhaps that it’s inconvenient to her political world-view). This

Rearing Mining Children; Advice for Parents. 

I am no expert in the rearing of children.  Like most mining folk, I have been a parent to children.  And now I am grandfather to eight by birth/blood and another four by marriage to make for twelve. I have spent the past few weeks visiting the kids and the grandkids.  They are no better

Wood fossil 

I was lucky enough to examine this large specimen of fossil wood that I was told came from the hills of San Leandro. People have told me about and showed me pieces of fossil wood from the East Bay hills before. I’m no expert on the subject, and I haven’t done a lot of fossil

Find out if you’re a Fabergénius here: This time with answers 

Are you an expert in enameling? An authority on artistry? Find out the answers to our quiz below and then learn more with a visit to our Fabergé: A Brilliant Vision exhibit! 1. What “surprise” was inside the Nobel Egg … Continue reading

A very large engineered slope failure in Malaysia - Bukit Setiawangsa 

An engineered slope reported to be 43 meters (141 ft) high that was stabilized by what appears to be tie-back anchors experienced a massive failure at the end of 2012. Dr. Dave Petley of the Landslide Blog made a few observations regarding the possible failure modes and also pointed out in a subsequent post some comments by a supposed 'expert'. But it seems virtually impossible to me to determine what caused this failure until more information comes out. [Source: The Landslide Blog. Image: The [...]

A foray into teaching – and a request for advice! 

This semester, as part of an attempt to keep myself funded through the end of my PhD (always an uphill battle), I'm going to be teaching a smallish section of our introductory environmental science course. And the main topic is...deep breath...climate change! Not being an expert on climate change, this has me perusing background information to get ready for the content, but also looking at techniques for teaching controversial environmental topics. And I'm looking for

Male depression and machine guns from vending machines 

So, another shooting, each time using more powerful weapons with machine-gun speeds.  I can only say that I am sorry, but, like earthquakes, you can expect much worse in the future. I am an expert in male depression, since I have it.  :).  It is totally curable with a few simple pills, but hardly anybody takes them.  Hollywood makes it manly to 'fight' the depression with booze and vengeance.