Geobulletin alpha

Putting dinosaur decline into context 

It is probably safe to say that to many, the idea that dinosaurs were slowly in decline, or that they weren't 'evolving' as fast as they should have been, is an uncomfortable thought.I thought some context will make this idea easier to appreciate.Palaeontologists are generally happy to say that Velociraptor is a very close relative of birds. It is morphologically very similar to birds, and there is even strong evidence that it possessed secondary feathers on its forearms (Turner et al., 2007. [...]

Drake Passage 

After about a day of calm sailing out of the Strait of Magellan, we entered the Drake Passage. Boy, has it been quite a ride! Winds have averaged about 30-40 knots (roughly 35-45 mph), with frequent gusts up to 50 knots! Waves have been around 10 feet. So, while it certainly could be worse, it’s been quite a trip! It takes a lot of effort to walk anywhere on the boat, and anything not secured has been flying around! Last night Uffe flew right out of the chair he was sitting in, and I gave up [...]

Let’s Give Ceratosaurus a Hand 

For a big predator, Ceratosaurus had stubby

Picture of My Hand. Oh, and Some Sun Dogs with an Ice Halo 

I was out at the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon, checking on what migrant birds are still hanging around as we approach spring. I noticed some sun dogs in the western sky, and snapped a shot or two, but the bright sun was causing lens flares that were messing up the shots. It finally occurred to me to put my hand in front of the sun and suddenly I saw something I've

Attenborough and the Boyish Grin 

Mostly thanks to pesky time constraints, I won't go in to too much detail about the BBC's latest dino-docu, Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur. Examining the discovery of what might just be the largest titanosaur (and therefore dinosaur, and therefore land animal) yet, it briskly chronicles the discovery, excavation, analysis, and reconstruction in a way that's made all the more compelling by the lack of sensationalism and CGI bullshit. (OK, there's a little CGI, including a brief clip [...]

Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson 

Because I was impressed with Seveneves, I decided to make my next read another novel by Neal Stephenson.  There are several highly-praised options to choose from, but the one that came to hand first in the library was 1999’s Cryptonomicon. It’s a monster of a tome, clocking in at just over 900 pages, which is a good reason you haven’t seen any book reviews from me in this space over

The Airline Chronicles Briefly Return! Pacific Northwest Sights 

Do you know what I like about flying? I admit that there is much not to like about flying, starting with navigating airports while dragging luggage, standing in security lines, paying $4 for a bottle of water, sitting in airplane seats designed for thin 12-year-olds, and waiting for baggage and rides at crowded airports. On the other hand, when one is at 36,000 feet, at that moment one

Geology of the Salisbury Cathedral Close 

The Wiltshire Geology Group has just produced a new  geological guide for an hour or so self-guided walk round the Salisbury Cathedral Close. It is in a 12 page concertina and laminated form to make it handy and waterproof to carry in the hand. It explores the local geology and how this is reflected in the materials used to construct this exquisite space within the heart of Salisbury.It is priced at just £2 and available from the Cathedral and Museum shops and the Sarum

Catch-Up-Post for End of 2015 

You know how it feels good to clean off your desk and have a fresh start? I've collected a number of articles over the past 6 months that I didn't get a chance to blog about. As we move rapidly towards 2016, I wanted to start with a clean slate.  There are certainly some gems in here! Hopefully you have some time off over the holidays, and maybe you check this list twice with a drink in hand! Update on Settlement Issue at Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Tunnel Project - [...]

Communicate Your Science Video Competition is now open! 

Want to communicate your research to a wider audience and try your hand at video production? Now’s your chance! The competition is open to early career scientists (ECS) who intend to register for the EGU General Assembly. The aim is to produce a video up-to-three-minutes long to share your research with the general public. The winning entry will receive a free registration to the General Assembly in 2017. Your video can include scenes of you out in the field and explaining an outcrop, or at [...]

Is the Second Coming...Coming Because of an Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest? 

No, it's not real, it's a photoshopped hoax after the Indonesia tsunami of 2004 Geotripper stands bravely on the coast of the Pacific Northwest, camera and binoculars in hand, ready to liveblog the end of the world during the apocalyptic earthquake that is going to happen SOON. Well, okay, I'm actually visiting with family, but if anything happens earthquake-wise, I will let you know. I

Lankford’s layerable styles featured Friday at Trunk Show kick-off 

Raw diamonds, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, South Sea pearls, leather and hand cast metals. The luxe boho style of Houston jewelry designer Rebecca Lankford is immediately recognizable to her fans and collectors. Her delicate styles are perfect for layering and stacking. … Continue reading

The Tim Hall sleight of hand 

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The Hartford Pussies - Thunder Lizard 

Anteriormente conocidos como Pity Rally, esta banda de Washington D.C. decidió cambiarse el nombre por The Hartford Pussies, homenajeando a un antiguo videojuego de hockey. El grupo está compuesto por Jordan (voces y guitarra rítmica), Zach (guitarra solista), Will (voces y batería) y Adam (bajo) y han editado un E.P. de cuatro temas con Mother Stamper Records (2012), una maqueta con Tricot Records (2013) y este mismo año su primer álbum de larga duración, llamado "Judy". En este último [...]

Restoring a Brontosaurus 

Growing up in the 80's and 90's was a strange time for a dinosaur fan. On one hand there was a plethora of old books in the library on dinosaurs telling us all about Brontosaurus. On the other, we were getting it beat into our heads that Brontosaurus didn't exist, and it's really Apatosaurus. It was all confusing for those few of us that were actually actively interested in these animals. Today Emanuel Tschopp published a paper resurrecting the genus Brontosaurus as valid. Where does this come [...]

Driving Through the Most Dangerous Plate Boundary in the World: Looking for the "Big One" 

Tomales Bay just might be the most contradictory places in all of California. On the one hand, it is one of the most peaceful and serene places in the state, a largely undeveloped fifteen-mile long bay, protected from the worst of Pacific storms and waves by Inverness Ridge. On the other, it hides the trace of the San Andreas fault, and California's worst earthquake ripped through the bay

Why it's Nice to Teach in California: It's Field Season All Year! 

I'm not sure when or why being in California became a "negative" thing. Sure, we have our urban areas and horrible traffic and air pollution, wildfires, and long droughts. But on the other hand, we have the most diverse set of geological landscapes to be found anywhere on the planet. One can quite seriously work on a tan at the beach, jump in a car and go skiing, and then slide down a sand

Communicate Your Science Video Competition at EGU 2015! 

Want to communicate your research to a wider audience and try your hand at video production? Now’s your chance! Young scientists pre-registered for the EGU General Assembly are invited to take part in the EGU’s Communicate Your Science Video Competition! The aim is to produce a video up-to-three-minutes long to share your research with the general public. The winning entry will receive a free registration to the General Assembly in 2016. Your video can include scenes of you out in the field [...]

What we can learn from the Larsen Ice Shelf 

The Larsen Ice Shelf is a huge piece of ice that sits on the other side of the Antarctic Peninsula from Rothera Station. It is divided into sections, which are named, from north to south (left to right, in the map), the Larsen A, B, and C. Back in 2002, a large piece of the Larsen B broke off into the ocean. The piece that broke off was 1,250 square miles, about the size of Rhode Island! It broke apart and fell into the ocean over a course of about a month. (You can see the satellite images of [...]

Images of Guatemala (7) – Volcano Art 

The dramatic landscapes of Guatemala are an important source of inspiration for some of the creative arts being produced in Guatemala. The images above (from top to bottom) a shop selling paintings aimed at the tourist market, a wall painting as part of a commercial advertisement and my own collection of three hand painted ‘volcano’ tiles. — Each Friday we are publishing an image from Guatemala to promote our ‘100 x 100′ fundraising campaign. We are working with [...]