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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>AGU Blogosphere</title> <atom:link href="http://blogs.agu.org/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>http://blogs.agu.org</link> <description>A Community of Earth and space science blogs</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:25:03 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3</generator> <xhtml:meta xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex" /> <item> <title>A New Image of Our Lonely Speck In The Great Enveloping Cosmic Dark</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/26/a-new-image-of-our-lonely-speck-in-the-great-enveloping-cosmic-dark/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/26/a-new-image-of-our-lonely-speck-in-the-great-enveloping-cosmic-dark/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:25:03 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Dan Satterfield</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://20.13281</guid> <description><![CDATA[  NASA has used the new NPP Satellite to produce a new “Blue Marble” image that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The NPP was launched back in October and I wrote about it then here. The fist Blue Marble image of Earth was taken by the crew of Apollo 17 on the way to the Moon in 1972. I like to show this image to students and ask them to …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_13282" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 501px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/2012bmlrg.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-13282" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="2012bmlrg" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/2012bmlrg.jpg" alt="" width="491" height="491" /></a>You are here. This is a small version of the new NASA "Blue Marble" image.</div>   <div id="attachment_13283" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 280px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/599px-The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-13283 " style="margin: 4px; border: 2px solid black;" title="599px-The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/599px-The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="270" /></a>The Apollo 17 blue marble image from 1972. Can you guess the month it was taken?? Hint-look way south.</div> NASA has used the new NPP Satellite to produce a new “Blue Marble” image that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The NPP was launched back in October and I wrote about it then <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2011/10/28/npp-weatherclimate-satellite-rides-a-delta-two-into-orbit/" target="_blank">here</a>. The fist Blue Marble image of Earth was taken by the crew of Apollo 17 on the way to the Moon <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Marble" target="_blank">in 1972</a>. I like to show this image to students and ask them to tell me what time of year the picture was taken! Many will complain there is o date, but you really do not need one to get within about 4-6 weeks. This new image is made up of a bunch of individual swaths of images as it passed over the Earth at an altitude of 512 miles on 4 January, 2012. The image above is just a low res view, and to get the jaw drooping view you need to download the 17 megabyte image. I am talking 8,000 by 8,000 pixels here, and unless you have a high-speed connection on a newer computer it may be too much for your system. I have put the full image in a directory for you to download here: <a href="http://wildwildweather.com/BLOGPICS/bbmarble.jpg" target="_blank">BLUE MARBLE</a> Oh, and a credit for the title of this post goes to Carl Sagan of course. Images like this always make me think of his Pale Blue Dot. <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D-lgW21hSZw?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D-lgW21hSZw?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/26/a-new-image-of-our-lonely-speck-in-the-great-enveloping-cosmic-dark/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Global Warming is Scary</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/26/global-warming-is-scary/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/26/global-warming-is-scary/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:22:32 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Evelyn Mervine</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[bad geology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[carbon dioxide]]></category> <category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category> <category><![CDATA[National Center for Science Education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://27.1825</guid> <description><![CDATA[When I was visiting my friends in Abu Dhabi a couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at a local mall just before I headed to the airport for my flight home to South Africa. As we were leaving the mall, I bought myself a few children’s books in Arabic. After I finish up my PhD in April, I’m hoping to work through these Arabic children’s books as a way …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1826" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1826" href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/26/global-warming-is-scary/olympus-digital-camera-88/"><img class="size-large wp-image-1826" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/files/2012/01/P1170273-768x1024.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="666" /></a>A scary-looking children's book about global warming. </div> When I was visiting my friends in Abu Dhabi a couple of weeks ago, we had dinner at a local mall just before I headed to the airport for my flight home to South Africa. As we were leaving the mall, I bought myself a few children’s books in Arabic. After I finish up my PhD in April, I’m hoping to work through these Arabic children’s books as a way to help me dust off and improve my Arabic. As I was selecting books in Arabic, my eye caught this very scary book on global warming. I think this book will give children– and possibly also adults– nightmares. But maybe that’s a good thing considering that climate change denialism is rampant throughout the world, especially the United States. Coming from the US, I was actually very impressed that South Africa has frequent government-sponsored ads (billboards, radio ads, TV ads) that try to educate people about climate change, probably largely because of the <a href="http://cop17insouthafrica.wordpress.com/">recent climate change talks in Durban.</a> Climate change is scary, just like the cover of the above children’s book. Having 7 billion humans on the planet emitting tons of CO2 and using up all kinds of other natural resources is scary. Anthropogenic CO2 emissions are affecting Earth’s climate and this is a cause for concern. Period. People are welcome to argue about the details, such as just how much sea level might rise and how badly different cities will be affected. People are welcome to argue about the best ways to combat climate change. People are welcome, even, to argue about if we should do anything at all to combat anthropogenic climate change. I have no problem with productive, intelligent discussions on the matter, and I respect people’s opinions on how much– or little– action we should take to combat anthropogenic climate change. However, I do have a problem if you say anthropogenic climate change doesn’t exist. Anthropogenic climate change is a reality, and denying that anthropogenic climate change exists is just as bad (scientifically) as denying that evolution exists. However, an alarmingly high number of people deny that anthropogenic climate change is real. In fact, the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), an organization that for years has advocated and fought to have the scientific theory of evolution taught in schools in the United States, is now <a href="http://ncse.com/climate">tackling the issue of teaching climate science in schools as well.</a> Bravo, NCSE. I wish you well in your endeavors to educate people about climate science. If you run into trouble making people understand why teaching climate science is important, maybe you can scare them by buying a few million copies of the scary global warming book above. Although perhaps there’s some junk science in there (as far as I know, the Earth isn’t going to catch on fire as a result of climate change…), so maybe it would be best to stick with the <a href="http://ncse.com/climate/climate-change-101">excellent material already on your website.</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/26/global-warming-is-scary/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>The mixed-up quartzites of Cape Agulhas</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/26/the-mixed-up-quartzites-of-cape-agulhas/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/26/the-mixed-up-quartzites-of-cape-agulhas/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:05:34 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[folds]]></category> <category><![CDATA[primary structures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[quartz]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sediment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[south africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[structure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[featured]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6680</guid> <description><![CDATA[Callan and his wife journey to Africa's southernmost point, and find a geological mystery there.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[One thing I was very pleased to do on my winter trip to South Africa was to visit the southernmost point of the African continent. There are various protuberances of land in southern South Africa, each of which is a “cape” with its own proper name. The Cape of Good Hope is probably most famous by virtue of its awesome, mythological-sounding name and its proximity to the urban center of Cape Town, but there are others, too. For instance, Cape Point is only a kilometer or two from the Cape of Good Hope. On the other side of False Bay, there is Cape Hangklip, and beyond that a ways lies the object of today’s post, Cape Agulhas: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6713" title="capemap" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/capemap.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="402" /> Lily and I made a day trip there from Hermanus, to check out the scene and earn ‘geographical extremes’ bragging rights: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6683" title="agulhas02" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas02.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="507" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6685" title="agulhas04" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas04.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="82" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6684" title="agulhas03" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas03.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="745" /> The word “Agulhas” apparently means “needles,” a Portuguese reference to that when it was named in the year 1500, the cape was about where magnetic declination was 0°; in other words, the longitude at which magnetic north and true north were the same. (Since the magnetic pole wanders, however, this appellation is no longer strictly apt.) It’s a pretty enough place, as you can see in the images below, but not nearly so striking as Cape Point or the Cape of Good Hope. It’s a mildly curving coastline, rocky and wavestruck, but it’s not a crisp peninsula or anything like that… <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6687" title="agulhas06" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas06.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6688" title="agulhas07" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas07.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> We waded out to one of the small outcrops of quartzite just offshore: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6689" title="agulhas08" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas08.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> …careful not to slip on the slimy seaweeds growing there: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6690" title="agulhas09" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas09.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="1128" /> And then I noticed something… <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6697" title="agulhas16" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas16.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> Do you see what I see there? I see cross-bedding, and it’s up-side-down! Cross-bedding is formed when layers of sediment are deposited on the leeward side of a ripple or dune that is moving grain by grain in a uni-directional current. <img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.nvcc.edu/home/cbentley/gol_135/sideling_hill/images/cross_bed_formation.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="286" /> Notice how the cross-beds are at an angle to the main beds, and that the cross-beds are concave-up. They are tangential to the main bed at the bottom (meaning they curve gently to be parallel with the main bed) and they are truncated by the main bed at the top (meaning that they stop at an abrupt angle with the bottom of the overlying bed). In other words, cross-beds look different right-side-up than they do up-side-down. They can thus serve as good geopetal indicators: little geologic clues in stratified rocks about “which way was up” when the beds were deposited. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6704" title="agulhasE" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasE.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> Here’s what a right-side-up set of cross-beds looks like, from a few dozen meters away: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6682" title="agulhas01" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas01.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6700" title="agulhasA" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasA.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> This observation piqued my interest, and I spent a pleasant half hour searching around for cross-bedding in different orientations. I found a bunch of examples. Check ‘em out: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6686" title="agulhas05" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas05.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6701" title="agulhasB" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasB.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6693" title="agulhas12" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas12.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="867" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6702" title="agulhasC" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasC.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="869" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6694" title="agulhas13" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas13.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6703" title="agulhasD" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasD.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6696" title="agulhas15" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas15.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6705" title="agulhasF" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasF.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="491" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6698" title="agulhas17" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas17.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6699" title="agulhas18" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas18.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="285" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6681" title="agulhasG" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhasG.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="800" /> So there are a variety of orientations for the cross-bedding that I observed. How to explain this? The solution that unfolds in my mind is that the beds in which the cross-beds are included are themselves in multiple orientations, and in many places overturned. One way to accomplish this is by folding the beds up rather intensely. Like this (sketch drawn on my iPad’s “Whiteboard” app): <img class="size-full wp-image-6721 aligncenter" title="sketch" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/sketch.jpg" alt="" width="554" height="415" /> Sure enough, once I spent a little time looking around, testing my “folded” hypothesis, I found some confirming evidence; a few tight small scale folds: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6691" title="agulhas10" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas10.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6692" title="agulhas11" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas11.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6695" title="agulhas14" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/agulhas14.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> Presumably there were larger-scale folds here too, but they were not readily apparent to the eye. I’m sure a few hours of mapping these outcrops would reveal them, however. These folds (and the flipped-around beds they deform) are part of the Cape Fold Belt, an east-west trending mountain belt that formed along the southern coast of South Africa when South America mashed into it during the amalgamation of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. These quartzite strata are the same geologic unit that holds up the mesa-like form of Table Mountain immediately south of Cape Town, but here they are much more deformed than at Table Mountain. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/26/the-mixed-up-quartzites-of-cape-agulhas/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Accretionary Wedge #42: Countertop Geology</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:04:45 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Evelyn Mervine</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[countertop geology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[granite]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category> <category><![CDATA[south africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[United Arab Emirates]]></category> <category><![CDATA[xenolith]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://27.1813</guid> <description><![CDATA[Ian Saginor of the blog Volcanoclast is hosting this month’s accretionary wedge, and this month’s theme is countertop geology! Here’s the call for posts: Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s “granite”, but you know better. Take a picture, post it on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Do you think you know what it is or …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1814" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1814" href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/olympus-digital-camera-85/"><img class="size-large wp-image-1814" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/files/2012/01/P1170272-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>My friend's front entryway in Abu Dhabi. Can you spot the xenolith?</div> Ian Saginor of the blog <a href="http://volcanoclast.com/">Volcanoclast</a> is hosting this month’s accretionary wedge, and this month’s theme is countertop geology! Here’s the <a href="http://volcanoclast.com/call-for-posts-accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/">call for posts</a>: <blockquote>Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s “granite”, but you know better. Take a picture, post it on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Do you think you know what it is or how it was formed? Feel free to include your own interpretation and I’m sure others will enjoy joining in the discussion. Ron Schott suggested that we expand the entries by including any decorative stone material that has been separated by humans from its source. This includes buildings, statues, etc. There’s a lot of really unusual stuff out there, so make sure to find a good one.</blockquote> I think this is a great topic for an accretionary wedge! Anyone who has spent any amount of time with me knows that I am constantly looking at stone countertops, floors, walls, statues, and pretty much anything else made out of rock. Actually, I just visited by good friend Karima in Abu Dhabi, and she and her husband laughed at how I inspected the walls of all of the buildings we visited. I couldn’t help myself– there is some spectacular building stone to be found in Abu Dhabi. I was particularly impressed with all of the amazing building stones used in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Zayed_Mosque">Sheikh Zayed Mosque</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_Palace_Hotel">Emirates Place Hotel</a>. My friend Karima actually joked that when we visited the Emirates Palace hotel and <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/16/monday-geology-picture-a-gneiss-staircase-in-abu-dhabi/">ate our gold-flaked dessert</a>, I kept looking at the floors and walls rather than enjoying the spectacular ocean and city views. However, I’m actually planning to share pictures of those two buildings in other posts. For this accretionary wedge post, I’m actually going to share some pictures of my friend Karima’s front entryway to her house in Abu Dhabi. Karima and her family live in a lovely two-story house (with a rooftop balcony) in Abu Dhabi. In front of their house, they have lovely slabs of granite decorating their front steps and entryway. They also happen to have a dark-colored <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2011/05/18/geology-word-of-the-week-x-is-for-xenolith/">xenolith</a> just in front of their front door! The xenolith caught my eye as soon as I arrived at their house, and it actually reminded me very much of the dark-colored xenoliths I often observe in the Cape Granite here in Cape Town. Here are some pictures of my friend’s front entryway xenolith: <div id="attachment_1815" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1815" href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/olympus-digital-camera-86/"><img class="size-large wp-image-1815" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/files/2012/01/P1170269-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>Dark-colored xenolith in granite. </div> <div id="attachment_1816" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1816" href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/olympus-digital-camera-87/"><img class="size-large wp-image-1816" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/files/2012/01/P1170270-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>And here's one with my hand for scale.</div> And here’s a picture of a similar looking dark-colored xenolith in the Cape Granite here in South Africa: <div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;"> <dl id="attachment_1817" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 624px;"> <dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1817" href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/o-28/"><img class="size-full wp-image-1817 " title="O" src="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/files/2012/01/Xenolith_MonGeoPicture1.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="461" /></a></dt> <dd class="wp-caption-dd">A similar looking dark-colored xenolith in the Cape Granite here in South Africa.</dd> </dl> </div> You may recognize the above picture as it was <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/23/monday-geology-picture-a-mafic-xenolith-in-the-cape-granite/">this week’s Monday Geology Picture.</a> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Rocks in the kitchen (Accretionary Wedge #42 Entry)</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/2012/01/25/rocks-in-the-kitchen-accretionary-wedge-42-entry/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/2012/01/25/rocks-in-the-kitchen-accretionary-wedge-42-entry/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:51:51 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Jessica Ball</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[accretionary wedge]]></category> <category><![CDATA[building stone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[metamorphic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[mineralogy]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://9.1991</guid> <description><![CDATA[Ian Saginor of Volcanoclast is hosting the next Accretionary Wedge, and it should be a neat one: we're supposed to explore the geology of the indoors - specifically, countertops. Here's the challenge: Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s “granite”, but you know better. Take a picture, post it on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Do you think you know what it is or how it was formed? Feel free to include your own interpretation and I’m sure others will enjoy joining in the discussion. Ron Schott suggested that we expand the entries by including any decorative stone material that has been separated by humans from it’s source. This includes buildings, statues, etc. There’s a lot of really unusual stuff out there, so make sure to find a good one.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Ian Saginor of <a href="http://volcanoclast.com/">Volcanoclast</a> is <a href="http://volcanoclast.com/call-for-posts-accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/">hosting the next Accretionary Wedge</a>, and it should be a neat one: we’re supposed to explore the geology of the indoors – specifically, countertops. Here’s the challenge: <blockquote>Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s “granite”, but you know better. Take a picture, post it on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Do you think you know what it is or how it was formed? Feel free to include your own interpretation and I’m sure others will enjoy joining in the discussion. Ron Schott suggested that we expand the entries by including any decorative stone material that has been separated by humans from it’s source. This includes buildings, statues, etc. There’s a lot of really unusual stuff out there, so make sure to find a good one.</blockquote> I was excited about this, because I have the perfect entry. It’s also the reason that I really don’t want my parents to move out of their current house anytime soon, because then I wouldn’t be able to stare at the kitchen counters. (Thanks to my mother for taking these photos, by the way!) <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1311.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1992" title="IMG_1311" src="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1311-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a> When my parents ordered this they sent me a chunk, and after it made its way around the department at UB, we all agreed that my parents ended up with <a href="http://www.science.smith.edu/geosciences/skarn/aboutskarn.html">skarn</a> rather than granite. But that’s okay, because it’s not your run-of-the-mill granite countertop – it’s much more interesting! In fact, it’s kind of like walking into an exhibit on metamorphic mineral assemblages! My dad was a little concerned at first about the durability (I warned my parents off of succumbing to the lure of marble in the kitchen), but he was reassured to find out that calc-silicate minerals are pretty durable. I was actually really impressed that they picked out something so interesting – my geologic obsession is rubbing off! <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1313.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1994" title="IMG_1313" src="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1313-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a> <a href="http://ron.outcrop.org/blog/?m=20100212">Skarn</a>, in case you’re not familiar with the term, is a calcium-silicate-mineral-rich metamorphic rock usually formed from the contact metamorphism of an igneous intrusion (like granite) with some sort of carbonate. In the case of my parents’ counters, the mineral assemblage includes lots of wollastonite (the white crystals), garnets galore, quartz (some of the gray crystals), and probably some pyroxene (the darker minerals). I spend most of my time staring at the garnets, some of which get pretty big, and which are scattered over all of the slabs. <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1314.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-1995" title="IMG_1314" src="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1314-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a> There are also some pretty big wollastonite crystals here and there (the ones below look like they might almost be a vein of wollastonite, although there’s something else filling in the cracks – maybe calcite). As you can guess, when I visit I spend about as much time in here with my nose pressed against the counter as I do actually cooking. <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1312.jpg"><img class="aligncenter" title="IMG_1312" src="http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/files/2012/01/IMG_1312-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a> The funny side of the story is that my parents knew what they were ordering might not really be granite (since I’d warned them that “dimension stone” purveyors tend to slap that label on everything) – and when they were asked to fill out a customer satisfaction survey, responded along the lines of “the counters look great, but our daughter the geologist said you might want to check your labeling a little better, because this is nowhere close to being granite.” I suppose if you wanted to stretch you might be able to say that it formed near a granite at some point…Unfortunately, we couldn’t dig up the actual quarrying location from the information the purveyors provided, but maybe it came from someplace like a <a href="http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/environment/geology/geologicalprovinces/1">Canadian shield</a> mining district. The dimension stone people never wrote back about the survey, by the way. Either they were too embarrassed at being told by their customers that what they were selling wasn’t granite, or they don’t really care about the surveys (probably the latter). Still, it’s a good thing to remember if you’re buying a stone countertop – don’t trust the salespeople, but keep an eye out, because you might find some pretty cool rocks to install in your house! ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/2012/01/25/rocks-in-the-kitchen-accretionary-wedge-42-entry/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Berlin Falls, South Africa</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/25/berlin-falls-south-africa/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/25/berlin-falls-south-africa/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:31:04 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[south africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[water]]></category> <category><![CDATA[weathering]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6672</guid> <description><![CDATA[Here’s where to find it, if you want to. Can’t say I recommend it – just an overlook, with no opportunities to hike or swim or explore in any more detail than just passively observing gravity exert its pull on water unencumbered by underlying rock.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6673" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels09.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6674" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels08.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="1156" /> <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=-24.844019,30.842362&spn=0.003646,0.00478&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6">Here’s where to find it</a>, if you want to. Can’t say I recommend it – just an overlook, with no opportunities to hike or swim or explore in any more detail than just passively observing gravity exert its pull on water unencumbered by underlying rock. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/25/berlin-falls-south-africa/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Alabama Meteorologist Sets ABC News Straight On Warnings</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/25/alabama-meteorologist-sets-abc-news-straight-on-warnings/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/25/alabama-meteorologist-sets-abc-news-straight-on-warnings/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:40:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Dan Satterfield</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://20.13274</guid> <description><![CDATA[  James Spann is the lead meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama and heard something that disturbed him greatly on the ABC national newscast Monday. The story was on the deadly tornado that struck the Birmingham metro area earlier that morning and Diane Sawyer’s script had the words “struck without warning”. I saw that broadcast myself and cringed, but James Spann did something about it. He contacted ABC …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[  <div id="attachment_13275" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 548px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/406988_10150516184106359_96789666358_9130819_995884029_n.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-13275 " style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="406988_10150516184106359_96789666358_9130819_995884029_n" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/406988_10150516184106359_96789666358_9130819_995884029_n.jpg" alt="" width="538" height="358" /></a>I posted this image of the tornadic storm entering Jefferson County on my Facebook early Monday. Meteorologists all over North Alabama were warning on these storms. ABC News said the storm hit "without warning". Nothing could be further from the truth.</div> James Spann is the lead meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama and heard something that disturbed him greatly on the ABC national newscast Monday. The story was on the deadly tornado that struck the Birmingham metro area earlier that morning and Diane Sawyer’s script had the words “struck without warning”. I saw that broadcast myself and cringed, but James Spann did something about it. He contacted ABC and informed them that the storms did indeed have warning and furthermore those warnings likely kept the death toll MUCH lower. ABC did another story on it today, and interviewed James as well. You can see <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/alabama-tornadoes-survival-lessons-15433740" target="_blank">it here</a>. James also wrote this (reprinted with his permission) on his <a href="http://www.alabamawx.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> about the incident: <div id="attachment_13276" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-24-at-22.10.51.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-13276 " style="margin: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="Screen Shot 2012-01-24 at 22.10.51" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-24-at-22.10.51-300x214.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="214" /></a>James Spann on the air early Monday as a deadly tornado moved through the metro area of Birmingham.</div> *There was no apology, or mention of the botched story yesterday when Diane Sawyer said the pre-dawn tornadoes Monday were a “surprise” with “no warning”. A little odd how you just go from that one day, to a story on how good the warning process was the next day. But, I am not a journalist and maybe that is just the way you do it. Seems strange. I would imagine Diane actually didn’t write that copy, but she will probably think twice about fact checking on lead story intros. *We have learned we can make a difference. The storm on social media was noticed immediately at ABC News, and they responded. Word got out to the masses that the warnings were indeed good early Monday, and you can’t rely on outdoor warning sirens. *A special thanks to everybody who communicated with ABC News through social media, email, or phone calls on our behalf. My frustration is with the situation yesterday is shared by ALL of those hard-working people involved in the warning process. The National Weather Service, the EM community (emergency managers), and broadcast meteorologists. I felt that these people were devalued and insulted yesterday. I agree wholeheartedly with what he wrote. One of my closest friends James Paul Dice works for WBRC, the Fox station in Birmingham, and I worked for James Spann 3 years there, and count him as a good friend. These folks, and the meteorologists at the NWS in Birmingham (and those at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman who issued the watch) do indeed deserve better. ABC News did a very good story today and it was completely accurate. Hopefully, some young producers and journalists out there will remember this in the future. I bet there is a news writer at ABC in New York that will, and kudos to James Spann for calling then out on it.     ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/25/alabama-meteorologist-sets-abc-news-straight-on-warnings/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Paleoproterozoic stromatolites from the Malmani Dolomite (Transvaal Supergroup)</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/24/paleoproterozoic-stromatolites-from-the-malmani-dolomite/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/24/paleoproterozoic-stromatolites-from-the-malmani-dolomite/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:46:45 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[chemistry]]></category> <category><![CDATA[evolution]]></category> <category><![CDATA[limestone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[microbes]]></category> <category><![CDATA[paleoproterozoic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[primary structures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[proterozoic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sediment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[south africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[stromatolites]]></category> <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[weathering]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6649</guid> <description><![CDATA[After our safari, Lily and I were taken up onto the Great Escarpment in northern South Africa. The escarpment is supported by sedimentary strata of the Transvaal Supergroup that overlie the Archean basement rock of the Kaapvaal Craton. The Transvaal strata are Paleoproterozoic in age, somewhere between 2.5 and 2.0 billion years old. They are a mix of siliciclastic sediment and carbonates. Here’s the view from an overlook dubbed “God’s …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[After our safari, Lily and I were taken up onto the Great Escarpment in northern South Africa. The escarpment is supported by sedimentary strata of the Transvaal Supergroup that overlie the Archean basement rock of the Kaapvaal Craton. The Transvaal strata are Paleoproterozoic in age, somewhere between 2.5 and 2.0 billion years old. They are a mix of siliciclastic sediment and carbonates. Here’s the view from an overlook dubbed “God’s Window,” with perspective towards the south along the east-facing escarpment, with Wolkberg Group quartzites gently dipping off to the west and providing the “lip” of the plateau: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6654" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels11.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="296" /> While quartzites (metamorphosed quartz sandstones) are all well and good, I’ll focus on the carbonates in this post. I was excited to be in this area, because I remembered reading <a href="http://all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous/2008/01/sadly-not-sandworms/">an old post on Chris Rowan’s blog Highly Allochthonous about giant stromatolites</a> in the area. So I was on the lookout for stromatolites. One of the paving stones at the overlook featured an array of small (cm-diameter) stromatolites, but the obscene placement of this gorgeous array led to severe degradation from the sandy soles of oblivious tourists: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6653" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels02.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> Then I found a little hand sample that bore crinkly algal laminations in cross-section: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6650" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels05.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> Nice… but not really in the same league as the multi-meter stromatolites of my yearning. We drove by some nice meter-wide examples in a roadcut on the highway, but our driver and guide refused to stop, citing the risk of car-jacking in that particular stretch of road. “Sorry, mate,” he told me, “but I don’t want to be a statistic.” I frowned and sulked. I wanted a damn stromatolite, and I wanted it in situ! Thankfully, I spotted one on the drive up to <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/23/an-ancient-delta-at-the-three-rondawels/">the Three Rondawels</a>, and my driver decreed it safe enough to stop the Kombi. Here it is: a respectable, <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2010/08/19/stromatolitic-pac-man/">if not monstrous</a>, stromatolite, with a blue pen for scale: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6651" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels06.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6652" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels07.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> This beastie is a domed layer in the Malmani Dolomite (should be “Dolostone,” grumble grumble). The carbonate sediment was trapped by formerly-photosynthetic cyanobacterial slime that covered the ocean floor more than two billion years ago, and it added layers upward and outward over time, like a botryoidal mineral’s growth. All the time they were living and growing, these ancient microbes were generating waste oxygen, which they thoughtlessly dumped into the atmosphere. At first, this excess free oxygen bonded with reactive elements like iron (<a href="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/06/friday-fold-the-contorted-bed/">producing banded iron formations</a>), but after a while, it began to build up to higher and higher levels in the atmosphere. A billion and a half years later, it had built up to the point that a whole new suite of organisms could take over. These novel critters were multicellular and heterotrophic, and they thrived in the miasma of cyanobacterial waste gas. These mutants were destined to take over the world. They were animals, and they never would have had a chance without the accumulated waste of billions of stromatolites over billions of years. By reading the excellent book <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/Geological_journeys.html?id=_uDcm-olXE8C">Geological Journeys by Norman and Whitfield</a>, I found out two weeks after my visit to the escarpment that I missed the giant stromatolites by only about ten kilometers. For the reference of any future geotourists, the really big guys (from Chris’s post) are located <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=-25.372491,30.7164&spn=0.058086,0.076475&t=h&z=14&vpsrc=6">at the top of Sudwala Pass</a>. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/24/paleoproterozoic-stromatolites-from-the-malmani-dolomite/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Breaking (with pictures) – very large landslide in Papua New Guinea</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/24/breaking-with-pictures-very-large-landslide-in-papua-new-guinea-with-pictures/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/24/breaking-with-pictures-very-large-landslide-in-papua-new-guinea-with-pictures/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:21:58 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>dr-dave</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[landslide report]]></category> <category><![CDATA[featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Papua New Guinea]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://14.4173</guid> <description><![CDATA[A very large landslide has occurred in Papua New Guinea, in an area in which a LNG pipeline is under construction. 40 people may be missing.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[At 6 am local time this morning (Tuesday) a very large landslide occurred in the Hides and Komo area of Papua New Guinea. This area is currently the focus of an ExxonMobil project to build a LNG pipeline, although at the moment is really unclear as to whether the landslide is linked to this work. However, there are news reports that local people may have been buried, with suggestions that there may be as many as <a href="http://abcasiapacificnews.com/stories/201201/3414810.htm">40 people missing</a>. <a href="http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article299269.ece">It appears that all those involved in the pipeline project are safe</a>. Surprisingly for such a recent event, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-24/fears-for-missing-after-landslide-in-png-highlands/3790914">ABC News has two very high quality images of the landslide</a>. The first of these <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-24/landslide-buries-homes-in-png/3791172">seems to show the source area</a>: <a rel="attachment wp-att-4174" href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/24/breaking-with-pictures-very-large-landslide-in-papua-new-guinea-with-pictures/12_01-png-1/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4174" title="12_01 PNG 1" src="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/files/2012/01/12_01-PNG-1-e1327406589703.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="425" /></a> A couple of things to note. First,, obviously, this is really big. Second, looking at the area to the right side of the head scarp it appears that there has been some slope cutting in this area – indeed there may be a couple of tracks and suchlike. I wonder why? These tracks have been cut off by the margin of the slide, suggesting that the pre-failure morphology had been modified. Second, towards the bottom of the image a road has been buried to a substantial depth. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-24/png-locals-attend-scene-of-landslide/3791176">The other image </a>captures the downslope impact of the event: <a rel="attachment wp-att-4175" href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/24/breaking-with-pictures-very-large-landslide-in-papua-new-guinea-with-pictures/12_01-png-2/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4175" title="12_01 PNG 2" src="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/files/2012/01/12_01-PNG-2-e1327407110148.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426" /></a> The proximity of the houses suggests that there could well have been loss of inhabited areas. Note the water flowing at the top of the image. Unfortunately the images neither support nor refute suggestions that the pipeline works might have played a part in this. I am sure that more information will become available in the next few hours. The apparently dry conditions at the time of failure are quite perplexing. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/24/breaking-with-pictures-very-large-landslide-in-papua-new-guinea-with-pictures/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Graduate School Advice: Part 3 – Staying Sane and Happy</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/2012/01/24/graduat-school-advice-part-3/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/2012/01/24/graduat-school-advice-part-3/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:04:54 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Ryan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[advice]]></category> <category><![CDATA[doubt]]></category> <category><![CDATA[featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[graduate school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[guilt]]></category> <category><![CDATA[impostor syndrome]]></category> <category><![CDATA[PhD comics]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://6.4440</guid> <description><![CDATA[Grad school can be an emotional rollercoaster, and there are a lot of cultural forces at work in academia that don't have grad students' happiness and mental health as a high priority. Still, it is possible to get through graduate school while minimizing the low points, and I think things are generally getting better in the academic culture (though there is always room for improvement). This is a huge topic, so I'm going to focus on several particular sub-topics: Impostor syndrome, doubt, and guilt (a.k.a. work-life balance).]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Grad school can be an emotional rollercoaster, and there are a lot of cultural forces at work in academia that don’t have grad students’ happiness and mental health as a high priority. Still, it is possible to get through graduate school while minimizing the low points, and I think things are generally getting better in the academic culture (though there is always room for improvement). This is a huge topic, so I’m going to focus on several particular sub-topics: the impostor syndrome, doubt, and guilt (a.k.a. work-life balance). <a href="http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2010/100128/full/nj7280-574a.html"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4453" title="nj7280-574a-i1.0" src="http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2012/01/nj7280-574a-i1.0.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="400" /></a> First, let’s talk about the impostor syndrome. Quoth <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome">Wikipedia</a>: <blockquote>The impostor syndrome [...] is a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. [...] Despite external evidence of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. The impostor syndrome, in which competent people find it impossible to believe in their own competence, can be viewed as complementary to the Dunning–Kruger effect, in which incompetent people find it impossible to believe in their own incompetence.</blockquote> Chances are, if you are going into grad school, the above excerpt sounded pretty familiar. The impostor syndrome is pervasive in high-performing people of all stripes, especially academia, where the higher you climb, the more you realize just how much you <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_that_I_know_nothing">don’t know</a>. You come in to grad school knowing very little compared to everyone else in your field, and spend a lot of the time struggling just to build the basic knowledge that will let you contribute to your field. It’s daunting and it is very very easy to think that someone must have made a mistake and that if they really knew the extent of your ignorance they never would have accepted you into grad school/let you pass quals/accepted you as a student/etc. I don’t have any magic cure for the impostor syndrome. I still have it pretty bad. I think the main thing to remember is that everyone started somewhere, and that many of the people in your field have had decades to build their skills and they don’t expect you to have all the same skills immediately. In fact, many of those people would be happy to help if you just ask. I have always been terrible about asking for help, but I found that when I did discuss problems with my adviser or collaborators, they often had helpful suggestions and I ended up feeling much better about things. Regular scheduled meetings with your adviser are a great way to get into the habit of asking when you’re stuck and avoiding feeling down about not making progress. Also, remember that all of your fellow grad students, and likely the post docs and profs, have the impostor syndrome too. Everyone in academia secretly thinks that everyone else is smarter than them. Some are better at hiding it than others, but it is near-universal. Another thing that helps, especially as you get farther along in your studies, is reminding yourself that you really are becoming a world expert in your topic. If you ever find yourself in a funk because you feel like you don’t know enough about your research, stop and ask yourself: How many people in the world know more about this than I do? By the end of grad school, the answer will be: “Not Many” and that’s something to be proud of. Another great way that I have found to boost your self-esteem and combat the impostor syndrome is to do public outreach. If find that it is a great reminder of why I love planetary science, and that I really do know something. Oh, and there’s that whole “promoting science literacy and inspiring new generations of scientists” thing as an added bonus. <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XViCOAu6UC0?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XViCOAu6UC0?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object> <blockquote>“Don’t make fun of grad students, they just made a terrible life choice.”</blockquote> And that leads me to the next point of discussion: doubt. Also known as “what am I doing with my life?” For me, this goes hand-in-hand with the impostor syndrome, especially when coupled with getting sick of my research (which will happen at times, I promise). You end up on a downward spiral where you begin to doubt the whole path that you have set for your life. You start to think of how magical and wonderful life would be if only you had instead done X instead of going to grad school. For me X was some form of writing, typically science writing or speculative fiction writing. I struggled with this even more than impostor syndrome. Impostor syndrome is sort of a constant nagging feeling of inadequacy while, for me, the doubt came in overwhelming waves. I still struggle with this sometimes, but I will tell you what I have found helpful. First, talking about it with someone is very helpful. My wife listened to me complain and question my choices and be a mess of negativity many times, and it really does help. If you don’t have anyone to vent to, then I find that writing my thoughts down works wonders. The process of putting your thoughts in writing can really help organize them and make them more manageable. Another strategy is to think of the good parts of your job. Because really, grad school is an awesome job. Ok, it doesn’t pay well (or at all in some cases…) but you get to study something that you find extremely fascinating, you set your own hours, you get to hang out with other people who are interested in the same stuff, and you get to travel to lots of interesting places. For me, my experiences on geology field trips early in grad school, were a useful touchstone later on. I would think back and say to myself: “You got to go to Hawaii, and Arizona, and Great Sand Dunes, and Montana. To learn about geology! For work! This job is not all bad!” It also helps to remind yourself not to take for granted how cool your work is. (Pro Tip: this is especially effective when your work involves robots on other planets.) And finally, for me one of the best strategies is to just declare mental bankruptcy and either indulge in some escapism or go to sleep. For whatever reason, I usually got really overwhelmed with doubting my career choices in the evening. Diving into a good book or movie is a good way to focus your mind on other things, but the best thing is often to just sleep on it. <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2012/01/phd062508s.gif"> </a><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2012/01/phd100110s.gif"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4455" title="phd100110s" src="http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2012/01/phd100110s.gif" alt="" width="600" height="260" /></a> And finally we come to work/life balance, or as I like to call it: “Living with guilt”. Graduate school does something to you. You will always feel like you should be working. Fun will become inextricably tied up in guilt. You will find yourself starting and ending conversations with “I really should get back to work.” I think a lot of this has to do with having an adviser: one person who oversees everything you do, expects you to be making progress on very challenging research questions, and who seems to have a supernatural ability to be working all the time. My adviser was actually very laid back, and understanding of the need for work-life balance, but that didn’t stop my neurotic grad-student brain from feeling like I was being judged every time I did something other than work. Now, to some extent, this is a beneficial thing. You want to have a strong work ethic so that you get lots of good research done and become a rockstar in your field. If some guilt comes with this work ethic then so be it. But on the other hand, being guilty for doing things like going out to a movie or spending time with your family is not healthy. One way to combat this is to just be super-productive during the day. For me this is a rare occurrence. My wife and I have the following conversation almost daily: <blockquote>Her: How was your day? Me: It was ok, but I didn’t get enough done.</blockquote> But, I find that when I do have an especially productive day, I am much happier and the guilt almost goes away. For me the biggest drain on my productivity is the internet. I am thoroughly addicted to the internet. Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and, worst of all, Google reader. I am well aware of this addiction, and I have found two tools to be useful in fighting it. First, a small application called <a href="http://www.focusboosterapp.com/">FocusBooster</a>. This little timer can run in the corner of your screen and is pre-set to allow you to follow the <a href="http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/">Pomodoro technique</a>. If you haven’t heard of it before, in the Pomodoro technique you work for 25 minutes straight, followed by a 5 minute break. After 4 iterations, you take a longer break. Lather, rinse, repeat. The second tool is a browser plugin. I use Chrome, and the plugin is called <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji">StayFocusd</a>, but there are <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/leechblock/">equivalents </a>out there for other browsers. StayFocused allows you to create a blacklist of sites, and it will keep track of your time spent on those sites. You can set a time limit for the day so that once you go over the limit, you can’t visit them! The other good way to deal with guilt is just push through it. Do fun stuff. Have a life. Believe it or not, your adviser is not working all the time, and they shouldn’t expect you to either. Sure, if a major deadline is coming up then you’re expected to buckle down and do what needs to be done, but most of the time, it isn’t the end of the world if you aren’t working for every waking minute of the day. If you do it right, the positive aspects of actually having a life will outweigh the guilt and you will be happier for it. It also helps to have hobbies. Maybe you like to knit or paint or play music. Maybe you like to write or cook or volunteer. In any case, hobbies are a good way to feel productive, while still taking a break from working. Exercise also qualifies. You will be healthier and happier if you get up and do something active from time to time. But a word of caution, if you are like me and have not done much activity in a long time, don’t just jump up off the couch and go running. I did that and hurt my knee last year, which really put a damper on my decision to be more active. Ease into exercise so you don’t hurt yourself. <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2012/01/phd062508s.gif"><img title="phd062508s" src="http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2012/01/phd062508s.gif" alt="" width="600" height="260" /></a> Everyone has rough patches in grad school, but overall it should be a positive experience. Despite struggling with the stuff discussed above, I was happy most of the time in graduate school. I suspect that the things that I struggled with are pretty common, and I hope that this rather long post is useful for other graduate students trying to stay happy and sane.     ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/2012/01/24/graduat-school-advice-part-3/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Two Dead In Birmingham, Alabama Tornado</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/23/two-dead-in-birmingham-alabama-tornado/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/23/two-dead-in-birmingham-alabama-tornado/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:16:49 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Dan Satterfield</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://20.13266</guid> <description><![CDATA[An EF 3 tornado (winds near 240 km/hr/150 mph) hit Jefferson County Alabama early Monday morning (see previous post). Two are dead, and the damage is quite severe with over 100 injuries. The tornado hit in the middle of the night, when many people were asleep. It was a good bet that there would be a deadly tornado somewhere late Sunday into Monday, because the upper level storm system was …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_13267" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 548px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-23-at-03.18.38.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-13267" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="Screen Shot 2012-01-23 at 03.18.38" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-23-at-03.18.38.jpg" alt="" width="538" height="358" /></a>This is a Doppler velocity image showing winds toward the radar (green) and high winds away from the radar in pink. The strong winds (toward and away) so close together indicate an intense rotation. It was rather close to the NOAA radar site so the beam intercepted the storm at just a few thousand feet off the surface. </div> <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/upaCNTR_500.gif"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-13268" style="margin: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="upaCNTR_500" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/upaCNTR_500.gif" alt="" width="473" height="387" /></a>An EF 3 tornado (winds near 240 km/hr/150 mph) hit Jefferson County Alabama early Monday morning (see previous post). Two are dead, and the damage is quite severe with over 100 injuries. The tornado hit in the middle of the night, when many people were asleep. It was a good bet that there would be a deadly tornado somewhere late Sunday into Monday, because the upper level storm system was very energetic. If you draw a line through the trough, it has a backwards slant. Meterorologists call this a negative tilt trough and this tends to make the wind shear in the atmosphere very favourable for strong tornadoes. Tornados require two main ingredients: wind shear and instability. Most often, a winter time outbreak has low instability and very high wind shear. That was the case in this event, and once agin confirms a forecast rule I was taught 30+ years ago. Always beware of a negative tilt trough.   ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/23/two-dead-in-birmingham-alabama-tornado/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>AGU Video: As their film debuts at Sundance, scientists call for simple, personal tales</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/2012/01/23/as-their-film-debuts-at-sundance-scientists-call-for-simple-personal-tales/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/2012/01/23/as-their-film-debuts-at-sundance-scientists-call-for-simple-personal-tales/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:07:19 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>mcadams</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Climate science communication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Science and art]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Science in plain English]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <category><![CDATA[climate change communication]]></category> <category><![CDATA[climate science]]></category> <category><![CDATA[featured]]></category> <category><![CDATA[plainspoken scientist]]></category> <category><![CDATA[science communication]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://5.899</guid> <description><![CDATA[Photographer and AGU member James Balog urges scientists to “show us the cool stuff” when communicating with non-scientists. Balog, the subject of the documentary film “Chasing Ice,” premiering Jan. 23 at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, stopped by AGU headquarters in Washington, D.C., in early January to talk about the challenges and rewards of being a scientist-communicator.]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DBQtEQIDNcA?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DBQtEQIDNcA?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object> Photographer and AGU member James Balog urges scientists to “show us the cool stuff” when communicating with non-scientists. Balog, the subject of the documentary film “Chasing Ice,” premiering Jan. 23 at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, stopped by AGU headquarters in Washington, D.C., in early January to talk about the challenges and rewards of being a scientist-communicator. Seven years ago, photographer James Balog was struggling to fulfill an assignment for The New Yorker magazine: How to bring the story of climate change to the world. His journey from that first glacier shoot to a five-year project recording glacier change and loss is the subject of “Chasing Ice,” a documentary premiering today at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Convinced there was a story in the ice but unsure of how to capture it for The New Yorker, Balog headed out to photograph a glacier in Iceland, trusting that if he committed himself to telling the story, the creative muses would make it happen–and they did. That story led to another, more involved assignment: National Geographic’s June 2007 cover story on glaciers, “The Big Thaw.” <div id="attachment_932" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 429px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-932" href="http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/2012/01/23/as-their-film-debuts-at-sundance-scientists-call-for-simple-personal-tales/mm7792-melt-zone/"><img class="size-large wp-image-932 " title="James Balog" src="http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/files/2012/01/K_Greenland_090712_7472-600x399.jpg" alt="" width="419" height="278" /></a>James Balog at Ilulissat Isfjord in Disko Bay, Greenland. © 2009 Extreme Ice Survey</div> Moved by what he witnessed in those assignments, Balog founded the <a href="http://www.extremeicesurvey.org/" target="_blank">Extreme Ice Survey (EIS)</a>, a project which uses time-lapse photography in Greenland, Alaska, the Himalayas and elsewhere to bring to audiences of every latitude the story of how glaciers around the world continue to change. “Visual imagery is so powerful,” said EIS team-member and U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist Daniel Fagre. “People don’t even have to have any data to understand what’s going on.” Fagre helps train park interpreters at Glacier National Park in Montana. He and his park crew carry cameras to photo-document much of what they do, making their data visual instead of just numbers. Not every scientist with a story to tell can offer obvious eye candy like EIS does, but any scientist can communicate better in any media by following one rule, said several EIS team members: Keep it simple. “Just get to the point. It’s not to your benefit to overwhelm the audience with information,” said Jason Box of EIS and the Byrd Polar Research Center, and a geography professor at The Ohio State University in Columbus. “You have a limited time with your audience and a limited amount of information you can convey.” Try to “think about [your story] from the point of view of the person who is very unfamiliar with what is going on” — and make it succinct, said Tad Pfeffer, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Being compact and direct is not something scientists may be accustomed to, but practice makes perfect, he noted. Pfeffer, who screened “Chasing Ice” for scientific accuracy, acknowledged that walking the line between simplicity and scientific accuracy is difficult. Journalists, such as documentary filmmakers, and scientists “come at this whole business of communicating from very different perspectives,” he said. Journalists want to find a compelling story while scientists are busy thinking, “Is what we said correct? Are we saying enough? Are we open to misinterpretation or misunderstandings?” Balog urged scientists to go a step further and make their story personal. <div id="attachment_939" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-939" href="http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/2012/01/23/as-their-film-debuts-at-sundance-scientists-call-for-simple-personal-tales/chasing-ice-director-jeff-orlowski-greenland-ice-sheet-june-2009/"><img class="size-medium wp-image-939" title="Jeff Orlowski" src="http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/files/2012/01/O_JOrlowski-Greenland-6-7-09-3774-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a>"Chasing Ice" director Jeff Orlowski at the Greenland Ice Sheet in June 2009. © 2010 James Balog/Extreme Ice Survey</div> “In the science community, guys don’t like to…talk about the dramas they had in the field – the storms, the helicopter crashes or problems, the equipment breakdowns, the headaches about trying to understand what was going on,” Balog said. “But lay people like to hear that stuff. They want to hear what’s under the hood of all this. It brings it alive. It makes it human. It makes it personal.” Balancing the “Chasing Ice” story and its science was “one of the hardest things about making this film,” said director Jeff Orlowski, reflecting on the 5-year odyssey. Although the film is about climate change, it plays a lot like a narrative featuring Balog as the protagonist and science as a supporting character, he said. Even before its premiere, “Chasing Ice” has made a stir at Sundance. Its five screenings sold out over two weeks ago and the film, along with five others, was selected from more than 90 films to be pre-screened by the festival’s volunteer staff. To Balog, Sundance represents “a huge new forum for telling the story of climate change as seen through the glaciers.” It “gives us an amplification and a leverage into new audiences that we didn’t have before. I’m thrilled about it.” By Mary Catherine Adams, AGU Public Information Specialist ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/sciencecommunication/2012/01/23/as-their-film-debuts-at-sundance-scientists-call-for-simple-personal-tales/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>An ancient delta at the Three Rondawels?</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/23/an-ancient-delta-at-the-three-rondawels/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/23/an-ancient-delta-at-the-three-rondawels/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:05:35 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[deltas]]></category> <category><![CDATA[paleoproterozoic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[primary structures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[proterozoic]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sandstone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sediment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[south africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6665</guid> <description><![CDATA[Here’s a look at what you see if you go to the Three Rondawels viewpoint above the Blyde River Nature Reserve in northern South Africa: A lovely scene. The three mega-hoodoos on the left are the eponymous “rondawels” (pronounced ron-da-vulz), which is the Afrikaans word for a round hut. These erosional remnants are more or less cylindrical and of the same dimensional ratio as the huts, so this name seems …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Here’s a look at what you see if you go to the <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=-24.573919,30.797853&spn=0.014616,0.019119&t=h&z=16&vpsrc=6">Three Rondawels viewpoint</a> above the Blyde River Nature Reserve in northern South Africa: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6669" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels04.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> A lovely scene. The three mega-hoodoos on the left are the eponymous “rondawels” (pronounced ron-da-vulz), which is the Afrikaans word for a round hut. These erosional remnants are more or less cylindrical and of the same dimensional ratio as the huts, so this name seems moderately apt. However, something besides the scenery caught my eye… <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6666" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels04anno.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /> If you zoom in to that quartzite cliff-face opposite, you’ll see this: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6667" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels03.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="272" /> That looks to me like an ancient delta’s progradational sequence: the horizontal deeper-water bottomset beds overlain by the foreset beds, gently sloping at the subaqueous angle of repose off to the right (indicating the direction the delta built out towards), and finally topped off by the horizontal shallow-water topset beds. What do you think? <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6668" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/rondavels03anno.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="272" /> <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2011/03/28/a-glacial-delta-complex-in-western-pennsylvania/">Recall that this is the typical form</a> the internal anatomy of a delta takes on: <img class="alignnone" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2011/03/deltas.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="273" /> The strata here are of the Wolkberg Group, a Paleoproterozoic sedimentary sequence. If I’m right about the delta interpretation, then the source of the sediments (upstream for the river feeding the delta) was to the northeast. Nowadays, you can’t go too far to the northeast before you run out of African continent. I’m not sure what the continental configurations were like in the Paleoproterozoic, but I wonder at the source of this sediment. The quartzite composition implies that it would have had plenty of time to mature before deposition, and that implies a mighty long river system, which implies a distant source for the sediment. Where did this sand start off? What mountains shed it into that putative ancient long river? Which continent would this sand call “home”? These are the questions that go through my mind when looking out at the same scene that the tourist next to me might simply call ‘pretty’… It’s a weird thing to look at the world through geology-colored glasses. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/23/an-ancient-delta-at-the-three-rondawels/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Monday Geology Picture: A Dark-Colored Xenolith in the Cape Granite</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/23/monday-geology-picture-a-mafic-xenolith-in-the-cape-granite/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/23/monday-geology-picture-a-mafic-xenolith-in-the-cape-granite/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:12:50 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Evelyn Mervine</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[granite]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Monday Geology Picture]]></category> <category><![CDATA[south africa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[xenolith]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://27.1804</guid> <description><![CDATA[A little dark-colored xenolith (isn’t it adorable?) in Cape Granite, Clifton Beach, Cape Town, South Africa, October 2011. I’m back home in Cape Town, so I thought I’d post a local picture for this week’s Monday Geology Picture. The above picture shows a small, dark-colored xenolith in the Cape Granite, a 550 million year old granite that has megacrysts (very big crystals) of feldspar. This xenolith is most likely a …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;"> <dl id="attachment_1805" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 624px;"> <dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a rel="attachment wp-att-1805" href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/23/monday-geology-picture-a-mafic-xenolith-in-the-cape-granite/o-27/"><img class="size-full wp-image-1805 " title="O" src="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/files/2012/01/Xenolith_MonGeoPicture.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="461" /></a></dt> <dd class="wp-caption-dd">A little dark-colored xenolith (isn’t it adorable?) in Cape Granite, Clifton Beach, Cape Town, South Africa, October 2011.</dd> </dl> I’m back home in Cape Town, so I thought I’d post a local picture for this week’s Monday Geology Picture. The above picture shows a small, dark-colored <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2011/05/18/geology-word-of-the-week-x-is-for-xenolith/">xenolith</a> in the Cape Granite, a 550 million year old granite that has megacrysts (very big crystals) of feldspar. This xenolith is most likely a small piece of the Malmesbury Group, an older group of rocks that consists of alternating grackwacke sandstone and slate that have experienced significant uplift and metamorphism. The above xenolith was observed at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton,_Cape_Town">Clifton Beach</a>, a fancy beach area known for its bright white beaches which result from the weathering of the Cape Granite. Abundant xenoliths, such as the one above, can be observed in the granite boulders at Clifton Beach. I took the above picture when <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2011/10/19/when-relatives-visit-geologists/">we took my husband’s cousin around to look at a few geological sites in the Cape Town area </a>.There is a 5-Rand South African coin for scale in the picture; this coin is slightly smaller than an American quarter. I have a few thesis deadlines looming, so for the next 2-3 months as I prepare for my thesis defense this blog may consist mostly of short picture posts. If time permits, I’ll try to slip in a few geology words and longer posts, but my thesis comes first at the moment. Hopefully the pictures will be enough to tide over my readers as I wrap up this PhD of mine. </div> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/23/monday-geology-picture-a-mafic-xenolith-in-the-cape-granite/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>January Tornado Outbreak Imminent</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/22/january-tornado-outbreak-imminent/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/22/january-tornado-outbreak-imminent/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:19:17 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Dan Satterfield</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://20.13262</guid> <description><![CDATA[A rare significant outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes is looking more likely later today in the region from Little Rock to Memphis, and into West Alabama. The Storm Prediction Center here in Oklahoma has posted a moderate risk. Those are rare in January. The upper level trough is negatively tilted, and this will cause the wind field to be very favourable for roating supercell storms. Negatively tilted troughs always …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[A rare significant outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes is looking more likely later today in the region from Little Rock to Memphis, and into West Alabama. The Storm Prediction Center here in Oklahoma has posted a moderate risk. Those are rare in January. The upper level trough is negatively tilted, and this will cause the wind field to be very favourable for roating supercell storms. Negatively tilted troughs always get my attention. More about the synoptic situation from the SPC here: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html I am driving from Okla. back to Alabama today, and will likely end up in the middle of it or just behind it this evening… ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/22/january-tornado-outbreak-imminent/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Rheology of an overheated waterbottle (with stickers)</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/22/rheology-of-an-overheated-waterbottle-with-stickers/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/22/rheology-of-an-overheated-waterbottle-with-stickers/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:44:51 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[analogies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[gear]]></category> <category><![CDATA[structure]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6723</guid> <description><![CDATA[Last fall, when I was out backpacking in Dolly Sods, we left one of Lily’s water bottles on the dashboard of the locked (and windows-rolled-up) Subaru. When we got back to the car, we found it had experienced heterogeneous solid-state deformation. I took a few photos, so that those of you who are interested in rock deformation could ponder them as analogues for the contrasting styles of deformation we see …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Last fall, when <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2011/05/31/another-weekend-another-batch-of-macro-bugs/">I was out backpacking in Dolly Sods</a>, we left one of Lily’s water bottles on the dashboard of the locked (and windows-rolled-up) Subaru. When we got back to the car, we found it had experienced heterogeneous solid-state deformation. I took a few photos, so that those of you who are interested in rock deformation could ponder them as analogues for the contrasting styles of deformation we see in geologic structures. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6724" title="wauhbauh01" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/wauhbauh01.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="808" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6725" title="wauhbauh02" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/wauhbauh02.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="354" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6726" title="wauhbauh03" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/wauhbauh03.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="336" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6728" title="wauhbauh05" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/wauhbauh05.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6727" title="wauhbauh04" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/wauhbauh04.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="642" /> I find the different responses by the different stickers to be intriguing. The <a href="http://www.gigapansystems.com/">GigaPan</a> sticker is stiff and strong (or had really weak adhesive) and survived relatively unscathed. The self-similarity of the crinkles on the pink <a href="http://www.whitegrass.com/">Whitegrass</a> sticker really catch my eye. I also find it interesting that those wrinkles “start off” orthogonal to the edge of the sticker on its squared edges, and then deviate from perpendicular as they “propagate” towards the center area of the sticker. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_marathon">13.1</a> sticker provides a nice example of differential strain – part of it is essentially undeformed because it’s stuck to the surface of the tough GigaPan sticker, while the other half (stuck to the bottle) is crinkled and shriveled up. This difference has nothing to do with the rheology of the 13.1 sticker, and everything to do with the “luck” of where it finds itself relative to surrounding deformation. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/22/rheology-of-an-overheated-waterbottle-with-stickers/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Turkish blueschist macro-GigaPan</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/21/turkish-blueschist-macro-gigapan/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/21/turkish-blueschist-macro-gigapan/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:39:17 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[gigapan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[metamorphism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[minerals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[turkey]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6707</guid> <description><![CDATA[With my new “macrogigapan” rig from Four Chambers Studio, I produced a single image last week as part of my Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image Collection project (M.A.G.I.C.). I’m still learning the ropes of the machine – I shot about 3 times as many photos as I needed to to make this gigapan. Lessons learned, yet again. Anyhow … Dive in! You can make it full screen by clicking on the ‘GigaPan’ logo …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[With my <a href="http://gigamacro.com/gigapixel-macro-imaging-system/">new “macrogigapan” rig</a> from <a href="http://www.fourchambers.org/">Four Chambers Studio</a>, I produced a single image last week as part of my Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image Collection project (M.A.G.I.C.). I’m still learning the ropes of the machine – I shot about 3 times as many photos as I needed to to make this gigapan. Lessons learned, yet again. Anyhow … Dive in! You can make it full screen by clicking on the ‘GigaPan’ logo in the lower right. Glaucophane-bearing porphyroblastic blueschist from Turkey’s Tavşanlı Zone, total width of sample about 20 cm: [gigapan src="http://gigapan.org/gigapans/97246/options/nosnapshots,hidetitle/iframe/flash.html" height="250" scrolling="no" width="100%"] ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/21/turkish-blueschist-macro-gigapan/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>The ultimate compilation of the best landslide videos</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/21/the-ultimate-compilation-of-the-best-landslide-videos/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/21/the-ultimate-compilation-of-the-best-landslide-videos/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:00:56 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>dr-dave</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[landslide video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[featured]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://14.4166</guid> <description><![CDATA[A compilation of the best landslide videos on the internet]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a rel="attachment wp-att-4170" href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/21/the-ultimate-compilation-of-the-best-landslide-videos/dscf1026/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4170" title="DSCF1026" src="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/files/2012/01/DSCF1026-e1327111071842.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /></a> For a while I have been meaning to put together a compilation of the best landslide videos available on the internet. There is now a large number of these, so this will be a medium term project. However, I thought I’d post the first set, and then add to it through time. Needless to say, I welcome suggestions for videos that I have missed. 1. Drawdown landslides at the Condit Dam <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/11/11/drawdown-landslides-at-the-condit-dam/">See blog post here.</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4LxMHmw3Z-U?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4LxMHmw3Z-U?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   2. Rockfall at the Franz Joseph Glacier <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/10/27/spectacular-rockfall-video-on-the-franz-josef-glacier-a-lucky-escape-for-a-tour-party/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vq8Hwsjf2XM?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vq8Hwsjf2XM?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   3. Cliff collapse in Cornwall <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/10/07/watch-this-surely-the-very-best-ever-cliff-collapse-video/">See blog post here</a> and <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/10/09/more-information-about-the-cornwall-cliff-collapse-video/">update here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZVjr4mii3cE?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZVjr4mii3cE?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   4. A pick-up truck being struck in Taiwan <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/09/27/new-video-a-pick-up-truck-being-hit-by-a-landslide-in-taiwan/">See blog post here</a> [liveleak bcd_1317057879]   5. Landslide in Uttarakhand, India <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/09/25/landslide-videos-from-india-x2-usa-and-china/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oKID3LSOYrk?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oKID3LSOYrk?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   6. Landslide in Garwhal, India <a href="../2011/09/25/landslide-videos-from-india-x2-usa-and-china/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k0zOsdpdopE?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k0zOsdpdopE?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   7. Riverbank failure on the Mohawk River, USA <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/09/22/catching-up-part-2-landslides-in-ny-state-and-germany-the-trial-of-the-italian-seismologists-and-a-video-of-a-landslide-on-the-mohawk-river/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uy2yF-CFhjU?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uy2yF-CFhjU?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   8. Intentionally-triggered rockfalls in Christchurch <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/09/08/videos-of-a-large-rockfall-near-to-christchurch/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h_tZjT850qI?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h_tZjT850qI?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   9. Reconstructing the Po Shan landslide in Hong Kong <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/08/17/hong-kong-slope-safety-two-videos-reconstructing-the-1972-and-1976-landslides/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nvcs80Ty7WE?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nvcs80Ty7WE?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   10. Landslide at Merano in Italy <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/08/09/two-new-landslide-videos-including-an-amazing-pulsing-debris-flow/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jt6h6Y9Fpj4?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jt6h6Y9Fpj4?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   11. Pulsing debris flow in Pakistan <a href="../2011/08/09/two-new-landslide-videos-including-an-amazing-pulsing-debris-flow/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EcYtZlahBNg?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EcYtZlahBNg?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   12. A landslide impacts a road in South Korea <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/29/another-new-video-of-the-south-korea-landslides/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KdeFqRBg_nI?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KdeFqRBg_nI?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   13. Amateur footage of landslides in South Korea <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/28/unbelievable-do-watch-this-amateur-footage-of-the-landslides-in-seoul/">See blog post here</a> [liveleak 447_1311829812]   14. A debris flow in Northern Italy <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/26/a-remarkable-video-showing-the-violence-and-lack-of-warning-associated-with-debris-flows/">See blog post here</a> <a href="http://video.repubblica.it/edizione/milano/brienno-la-frana-in-diretta-sul-lago-di-como/73383?pagefrom=1">Not embedded – see video here</a>   15. Two views of the Dalhousie landslide in India <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/12/two-of-the-best-videos-so-far-why-you-dont-want-to-get-caught-by-a-landslide/">See the first blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vc6ouosXk0Q?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vc6ouosXk0Q?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object> <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/14/another-remarkable-video-of-the-dalhousie-landslide/">See the second blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ba08a4xxlaI?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ba08a4xxlaI?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   16. A lucky escape for an excavator driver in New Zealand <a href="../2011/07/12/two-of-the-best-videos-so-far-why-you-dont-want-to-get-caught-by-a-landslide/">See the blog post here</a> <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/national/53045.html">I can’t embed this one – see the video here</a>   17. A retrogressive landslide in Russia <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/07/08/video-of-n-interesting-landslide-in-russia-caused-by-a-leaking-pipe/">See blog post here</a> Skip forward to the 5 minute 15 second point in the video: <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LxDs7s3Eak8?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LxDs7s3Eak8?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   18. Debris avalanche / Lahar on Mount Rainier <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/06/28/video-of-the-week-debris-avalanche-on-mout-rainier/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fzRhLs5GkYs?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fzRhLs5GkYs?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>   19. Two riverbank collapse videos <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/06/14/two-riverbank-collapse-videos-dont-miss-these/">See blog post here</a> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RUCMa8V7RCU?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RUCMa8V7RCU?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object> <object width="604" height="370"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Syeqkc2ZUrY?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0"></param> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Syeqkc2ZUrY?version=3&rel=0&fs=1&showinfo=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="opaque" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="604" height="370"></embed> </object>     ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2012/01/21/the-ultimate-compilation-of-the-best-landslide-videos/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>La Nina Alone Is A Bad Predictor of Winter Weather</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/20/la-nina-alone-is-a-bad-predictor-of-winter-weather/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/20/la-nina-alone-is-a-bad-predictor-of-winter-weather/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:06:14 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Dan Satterfield</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://20.13199</guid> <description><![CDATA[  I spent last week at probably the most informative weather seminar I’ve ever attended. The Glen Gerberg Weather and Climate Summit was at Breckenridge,Colorado this year and everyday was packed with great material for weather and climate geeks. Dan Leonard of WSI Corp. did an in-depth talk about long-range weather prediction, and the techniques they use to make these forecasts for their clients. You can see all of Dan’s presentation …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[  <div id="attachment_13254" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 570px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/breck1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-13254 " style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="breck1" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/breck1.jpg" alt="" width="560" height="373" /></a>The Glen Gerberg Weather summit was held in Breckenridge, Colorado. Dan's pic.</div> I spent last week at probably the most informative weather seminar I’ve ever attended. The Glen Gerberg Weather and Climate Summit was at Breckenridge,Colorado this year and everyday was packed with great material for weather and climate geeks. Dan Leonard of WSI Corp. did an in-depth talk about long-range weather prediction, and the techniques they use to make these forecasts for their clients. You can see all of Dan’s presentation on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS7VuYKupLs&list=PL61B096B67AD0EE3E&index=9&feature=plcp" target="_blank">video here</a>, but I am going to give you a summary of the gist of it along with a few of his graphics. His entire powerpoint presentation along with many others, and videos from the summit are <a href="http://www.stormcenter.com/wxcs2012/agenda.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Ocean Temperatures Steer The Storms and Cold. You’ve probably heard El Nino or La Nina mentioned when someone talks about the kind of winter weather to expect. There’s no doubt that the warming and cooling of the Pacific equatorial waters have a large impact on winter over North America and Europe (and elsewhere). Rarely, however, does Mother Nature make it so easy to guess her plans, and this is another example of just that. If you average up a bunch of cold water La Nina years you will see a temperature pattern like that below. <div id="attachment_13210" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 536px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-16-at-22.19.51.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-13210 " style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="Screen Shot 2012-01-16 at 22.19.51" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-16-at-22.19.51.jpg" alt="" width="526" height="383" /></a>Average winter temps. during modt. to strong La Nina events- from Dan Leonard WSI Corp. Leonard makes a good case that using this alone to predict winter temps. is likely to be quite inaccurate.</div> Unfortunately, when you look at the individual La Nina or El Nino winters, you see a great deal of variation and this year is a prime example. The reason is that there are other ocean/atmosphere patterns, and sometimes they align so that you get an average La Nina pattern, and other times it can be far different. Take a look at the graphic below (All are from Dan Leonard’s presentation). <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-16-at-22.47.38.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13213" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="Screen Shot 2012-01-16 at 22.47.38" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-16-at-22.47.38.jpg" alt="" width="522" height="384" /></a> The Pacific Decadal Oscillation plays a big role in temperatures over North America. The negative phase has colder than normal water in the Pacific, similar to a La Nina year, but you can actually have a La Nina pattern with a PDO that is in the positive phase. When this happens the La Nina winter weather can be very surprising! The same can be said for El Nino events. The NAO, PDO and I Don’t Know! Besides the PDO we have to ask about ocean temps. in the Atlantic and these seem to have a big impact on what is called the North Atlantic Oscc. (NAO). The NAO is a pressure pattern in the Atlantic and when it is in the negative phase, you can count on big time winter weather over the Eastern USA. It usually brings the same to Western Europe as well, and unlike the last two years, it has been strongly positive this year. <div id="attachment_13247" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 614px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-19-at-20.54.094.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-13247" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; border: 2px solid black;" title="Screen Shot 2012-01-19 at 20.54.09" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-19-at-20.54.094.jpg" alt="" width="604" height="456" /></a>Yet another ocean temperature pattern is important. It's called the Atlantic Multidecadal Osc. (AMO). Warmer than normal waters off of Greenland and colder waters off of the NE Coast of N. America tend to push the NAO into the cold negative phase.</div> Hopefully, you can see that getting an idea of what the winter will be like depends heavily on ocean temps. Not just those in the Equatorial Pacific, but in the Atlantic and globally. A positive AMO, along with a positive PDO, can lead to a very cold winter in the east, even if the El Nino or La Nina pattern argues against it. Still, the good news is that these patterns do give us the ability to make ever better predictions about the kind of winter we will see. Just keep in mind that what the average shows, and what people perceive are sometimes quite different. A big snowstorm (or two) will get the label of a “bad” winter, even if (on the whole) it was milder and drier than normal! <div id="attachment_13250" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/nao.mrf_.obs_.gif"><img class="size-medium wp-image-13250" title="nao.mrf.obs" src="http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/files/2012/01/nao.mrf_.obs_-300x225.gif" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>The NAO pattern is continuing to stay very positive and until it changes, winter will be very weak over the eastern portions of N. America.</div> The TLDR Version If all the acronyms are starting to make you feel like a NASA administrator then relax. The take away point here is that looking at the average winter weather during an El Nino or la Nina event (see the top image in this post) can be very deceiving. It’s only a starting point. We call our planet Earth, but it should be named OCEAN! The waters that cover most of this planet, control everything about our weather and climate. The winter, so far, has been far different from an average La Nina year. Normally it would be frigid in the Northern Plains, and all time record highs were set in December there! Dan Leonard discusses what might have gone wrong in the video I linked above, and hopefully, I’ve made all of those letters make more sense for you non weather geeks out there! One last thing to consider. Climate change has caused the oceans to warm but they have not warmed equally everywhere. The higher latitude seas are warming much more quickly, and I think you can now see how a warming planet could cause a cold hard winter! The dramatic loss of sea ice over the Arctic is likely already having a significant effect and that was the subject of another session. More on that soon! Note: If there are some things in his talk that are greek to you, I would be glad to translate. Just leave me a comment! The last few days have shown signs of a more typical La Nina pattern emerging. La Nina winters tend to bring rare heavy snow to the Pacific Northwest. Seen some pics of Seattle lately!! ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2012/01/20/la-nina-alone-is-a-bad-predictor-of-winter-weather/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Friday fold: one from Romney (West Virginia)</title> <link>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/20/friday-fold-one-from-romney-west-virginia/</link> <comments>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/20/friday-fold-one-from-romney-west-virginia/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:52:20 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Callan</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[folds]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Friday Fold]]></category> <category><![CDATA[geology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[ice]]></category> <category><![CDATA[policies & politics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[shale]]></category> <category><![CDATA[travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[valley and ridge]]></category> <category><![CDATA[west virginia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[words]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://19.6637</guid> <description><![CDATA[Last weekend, my wife and I joined friends for a weekend of cross-country skiing in the wonderful Canaan Valley of West Virginia. On the way back, between the towns of Burlington and Romney, West Virginia, I saw this folded shale on the north side of Route 50: You can click on that panorama to make it a thousand pixels tall, if you want to explore it a bit. There are …]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[Last weekend, my wife and I joined friends for a weekend of cross-country skiing in the wonderful Canaan Valley of West Virginia. On the way back, <a href="http://maps.google.com/?ll=39.316238,-78.846817&spn=0.198945,0.305901&t=h&z=12&vpsrc=6">between the towns of Burlington and Romney</a>, West Virginia, I saw this folded shale on the north side of Route 50: <a href="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/Folds_Romney_WVA.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6640" title="Folds_Romney_WVA_sm" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/Folds_Romney_WVA_sm.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="149" /></a> You can click on that panorama to make it a thousand pixels tall, if you want to explore it a bit. There are some nice groundwater seeps on the far right (east), making icicles in the cold air. … Or we can just zoom in on the central portion, the short steep limb that interrupts otherwise shallowly-east-dipping strata: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6639" title="Folds_Rom_closeup_un" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/Folds_Rom_closeup_un.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="473" /> With bedding annotated: <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6638" title="Folds_Rom_closeup_ann" src="http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/files/2012/01/Folds_Rom_closeup_ann.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="473" /> Happy Friday! May you make a serendipitous geologic discovery of your own this weekend. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I counted up the “Romney for President” signs that I saw in the town of Romney, West Virginia. There were zero. ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.agu.org/mountainbeltway/2012/01/20/friday-fold-one-from-romney-west-virginia/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>