Huge Dinosaur Footprint Discovered in South America

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcrriVLaxcQ/WVvoLP-ZwOI/AAAAAAAAM1E/P5ukInGFtb8IUMuObJCX-E188sn3cSLkACLcBGAs/s1600/Paleontologist%2BSebastian%2BApesteguia%2Blies%2Bnext%2Bto%2Ba%2Bnewly%2Bdiscovered%2Bdinosaur%2Bfootprint%2Bin%2BBolivia..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="953" height="436" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcrriVLaxcQ/WVvoLP-ZwOI/AAAAAAAAM1E/P5ukInGFtb8IUMuObJCX-E188sn3cSLkACLcBGAs/s640/Paleontologist%2BSebastian%2BApesteguia%2Blies%2Bnext%2Bto%2Ba%2Bnewly%2Bdiscovered%2Bdinosaur%2Bfootprint%2Bin%2BBolivia..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia lies next to a newly discovered dinosaur footprint in Bolivia.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>It is the biggest print from a carnivorous dinosaur to be discovered worldwide.</b></span><br /> <br /> There's a good chance that if flesh-eating dinosaurs were still around today, we wouldn't just have to worry about their sharp teeth.<br /> <br /> Scientists recently uncovered a record-setting footprint in Bolivia. It is the biggest print from a carnivorous dinosaur to be discovered worldwide.<br /> Until now, the largest track from a meat-eating dinosaur measured at 110 centimeters and was discovered in New Mexico, according to paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia.<br /> Grover Marquina, a tour guide, was trekking through the Maragua Crater about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital Sucre when he stumbled upon the fossilized footprint on July . The indentation exceeds 115 centimeters -- nearly 4 feet wide -- Apesteguia told CNN.<br /> <br /> Normally, these types of prints are between 85 to 100 centimeters, he said.<br /> <div style="margin: 0px auto; width: 100%;"> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-slot="3957834894" style="display: block;"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /></div> Apesteguia, a scientist based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, explained that the likely owner of the footprint belonged to a large dinosaur species, possibly a creature that was a part of the Abelisaurus genus.<br /> <br /> Predatory creatures in the Abelisaurus family were two-legged beasts that lived about 70 million years ago. With a powerful jaw, 40-foot stature and stunted arms, the features of these animals rival the better known and infamous Tyrannosaurus rex, or maybe even an oversized raptor called a Megaraptor -- a fierce creature that has been identified in the Patagonia region before.<br /> <br /> Not only does the print set a new record for its size, it also challenges a former belief about the prehistoric creatures that existed in the South America during the Cretaceous period, which is known as the last portion of the "Age of Dinosaurs."<br /> The discovery of this footprint means that gigantic dinosaurs did live through the latter part of the period, something that has been ignored up until now, Apesteguia said.<br /> <br /> Larger dinosaurs were believed to have existed on the continent 100 million years ago, not 70 million years ago, Apesteguia said. For context, scientists believe the apocalyptic asteroid that set in motion the death of the dinosaurs struck Earth about 66 million years ago.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFSpE6zAu1k/WVvppPPSLZI/AAAAAAAAM1I/oHPeKAyhZ4UYPT7uDPwlxn7GY8UV0mWAgCLcBGAs/s1600/Huge%2Bdinosaur%2Bfootprint%2Bdiscovered%2Bin%2BSouth%2BAmerica.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1028" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFSpE6zAu1k/WVvppPPSLZI/AAAAAAAAM1I/oHPeKAyhZ4UYPT7uDPwlxn7GY8UV0mWAgCLcBGAs/s640/Huge%2Bdinosaur%2Bfootprint%2Bdiscovered%2Bin%2BSouth%2BAmerica.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge dinosaur footprint discovered in South America</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> Finding similar dinosaur prints in the region is fairly common, Apesteguia said. Fossilized footprints dating back to the early Cretaceous period have been unearthed across Bolivia, and smaller ones have been spotted in Chile, Brazil and Argentina as well.<br /> <br /> In fact, scientists in January came across a footprint from the same carnivorous species that stretched 104 centimeters.<br /> <br /> But the latest finding is still impressive because it's helping scientists further understand the landscape of our planet and the creatures who lived on it millions of years ago.<br /> <br /> <br /></div>

Huge Dinosaur Footprint Discovered in South America

Paleontologist Sebastian Apesteguia lies next to a newly discovered dinosaur footprint in Bolivia. It is the biggest print from a ...

Read more »

Water trapped inside diamonds gives us a peek at the Earth’s mantle

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0VhyoV8cAM/V53tse97x7I/AAAAAAAAJOk/Z-HG0LikKo0HoWMniC72728xjvvpyqmTgCLcB/s1600/Diamonds%2Bfrom%2BCanada%2Bformed%2Bin%2Bocean%2Bwater%2Bthat%2Bmade%2Bit%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bmantle..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0VhyoV8cAM/V53tse97x7I/AAAAAAAAJOk/Z-HG0LikKo0HoWMniC72728xjvvpyqmTgCLcB/s640/Diamonds%2Bfrom%2BCanada%2Bformed%2Bin%2Bocean%2Bwater%2Bthat%2Bmade%2Bit%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bmantle..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Sulfide inclusion-bearing rough diamonds from the Jwaneng Mine, Botswana. This optical photomicrograph of a rough diamond shows the natural diamond growth surface. Below the surface, at the center, is a brass-colored hexagonal shaped grain of iron sulfide surrounded by an irregular black rim. This rim is caused by internal fracture of the diamond on its ascent to the earth's surface via explosive volcanism. Sulfide grains such as these are removed for sulfur isotopic analysis.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Diamonds from Canada formed in ocean water that made it to the mantle.</span></b><br /> <br /> Diamonds may be valued by the jewelry industry for their exquisite sparkle. But a recent scientific discovery has revealed that diamonds can be of value for the information they hold in addition to their beauty.<br /> <br /> Natural diamonds are formed roughly 90 miles below the Earth’s surface. There are only limited zones in the Earth’s mantle that can produce diamonds due to the high temperatures and pressures required for their formation. Scientists have recently determined that some rapidly formed diamonds provide a snapshot of this extreme environment in which they formed.<br /> <br /> The picture of these conditions comes from fluids trapped during formation, which provides information about the material that infiltrates the Earth’s mantle. These materials are thought to be the cause of abrupt changes in chemical and physical properties that are found at the border of the continental upper mantle and crust.<br /> <div style="width:100%;margin: 0px auto"><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-slot="3957834894" data-ad-format="auto"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /> </div>Once they’re trapped in a diamond, these fluid inclusions are shielded from later alteration, so we can analyze them for hints about the conditions in the Earth’s crust and upper mantle.<br /> <br /> Scientists have recently studied 11 microinclusion-bearing diamonds found in Canada, a large diamond-producer. Analysis of the diamonds revealed fluids carrying isotope signatures of an unexpected origin: Mesozoic sea water. The indications include positive Europium and Strontium anomalies and a distinctive 87Sr/86Sr ratio.<br /> <br /> The elemental composition of the ocean water (particularly the Sr isotopic compositions) and the timing of the diamond formation provide some indication of the region’s history. The authors suggest that the merging of two tectonic plates formed a deep cavity under western North America that filled with ocean water during the Mesozoic Era, which spanned roughly 252 million to 99 million years ago.<br /> <br /> Once the ocean water filled the cavity in the Earth’s mantle, it reacted with the surrounding rocks, diluting the oceanic signatures. These reactions led to the formation of high-Magnesium carbonatitic and silicic melts. As the ocean water traversed mixed peridotite-eclogite regions of the Earth’s outermost shell, interactions with the rock and melting caused other compositional transitions.<br /> <br /> This dynamic environment also fueled the growth of diamonds. These diamonds formed rapidly due to the oxidation gradient between the evolving fluids and the local shell of the earth (the lithosphere). And, conveniently for us, that rapid growth helped trap some of the water and bring it to the surface.<br /> <br /> The analysis of the fluid found in these diamonds provides us with information regarding the site of their origin. This information can be used both to understand historical changes in the Earth and to identify new regions of potential diamond deposits based on similar geological conditions.<br /> <br /> <u><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Nature, 2016. DOI: 10.1038/nature14857</span></i></u></div>

Water trapped inside diamonds gives us a peek at the Earth’s mantle

 Sulfide inclusion-bearing rough diamonds from the Jwaneng Mine, Botswana. This optical photomicrograph of a rough diamond shows the natur...

Read more »

7.7-magnitude quake off Northern Marianas, no tsunami alert

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9iMno0IQBto/V5y_B9tondI/AAAAAAAAJNw/M1q-B27uA04odKeJNGnA9Xq2i7AlS4WrgCLcB/s1600/7.7%2Bquake%2Bhits%2Bnear%2BNorthern%2BMarianas.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9iMno0IQBto/V5y_B9tondI/AAAAAAAAJNw/M1q-B27uA04odKeJNGnA9Xq2i7AlS4WrgCLcB/s400/7.7%2Bquake%2Bhits%2Bnear%2BNorthern%2BMarianas.gif" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> There have been no reports of injuries or significant damage after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Northern Marianas this morning.<br /><br />The earthquake's epicentre was about 30 kilometres south, southeast of the uninhabited island of Agrihan, in the north of the US territory.<br /><br />It struck at a depth of more than 200 kilometres, which the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said was too deep for there to be any risk of a tsunami.<br /><br />RNZ International's correspondent on the main island Saipan, Mark Rabago, said there had so far been no reports of damage from the sparsely populated northern islands, near the epicentre.<br /><br />But he said on Saipan, the early morning quake sent everyone running out into the streets.<br /><br />"All of Saipan I think is awake. It lingered for a while, I think close to a minute," he said. "You wake up and then you ran, ran as fast as you can out of the house to safety, and then you also see frightened and early awoken neighbours with you in the street."<br /> <br /></div>

7.7-magnitude quake off Northern Marianas, no tsunami alert

There have been no reports of injuries or significant damage after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Northern Marianas this morning...

Read more »

Virtual Rocks: A New Spin on Virtual Geology

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTcu7h0avgQ/V5tHzohmMkI/AAAAAAAAJLc/QVfDM3X55jst1NfO9D36geaBBWJYZ_z2gCLcB/s1600/A%2Bnew%2Bspin%2Bon%2Bvirtual%2Bgeology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="394" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JTcu7h0avgQ/V5tHzohmMkI/AAAAAAAAJLc/QVfDM3X55jst1NfO9D36geaBBWJYZ_z2gCLcB/s640/A%2Bnew%2Bspin%2Bon%2Bvirtual%2Bgeology.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August GSA Today cover illustration: COLLADA model of halite lattice (the online version can be rotated; click on the image above) viewed directly in a web browser. Purple–Na+. Green—Cl-. Background image: Salt evaporation ponds south of the Dead Sea. Photo: NASA.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> Over the past decade, the number of virtual field trips created to simulate in-person field excursions has grown, but one aspect of physical fieldwork is not commonly replicated: Virtual explorers do not often return to their desks with collections of virtual rocks. Three-dimensional virtual samples can enhance just about any geoscience activity, from online college courses to remote research collaboration.<br /> <br /> Three-dimensional digital models of geological objects are relatively easy to create and geolocate on virtual globes such as Google Earth and Cesium. Emerging technologies allow the design of realistic virtual rocks with free or inexpensive software, relatively inexpensive 3D scanners and printers, and smartphone cameras linked to point-cloud computing services.<br /> <br /> With interactive 3D digital models of rocks, minerals, fossils, drill core, geo-archaeological objects, and outcrops, designers and users can<br /> <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li>Reveal 3D features hidden inside solid specimens;</li> <li>Archive samples destined for destructive testing;</li> <li>Prepare for field trips and reinforce learning and retention after the fact;</li> <li>Aid peer-review and supplement electronic publications;</li> <li>Give access to geological materials for disabled and other non-traditional students; and</li> <li>Provide access to collections locked away in storage drawers, given that museums and other repositories display only a small fraction of their holdings.</li> </ol> Virtual rocks can also be gradually altered to illustrate geological processes, such as weathering, deformation, and metamorphic mineral growth.<br /> <br /> <u><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The above post is reprinted from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.geosociety.org/news/pr/2016/16-45.htm" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">materials</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>provided by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.geosociety.org/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><b style="border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">Geological Society of America</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span></span></span></i></u></div>

Virtual Rocks: A New Spin on Virtual Geology

August GSA Today cover illustration: COLLADA model of halite lattice (the online version can be rotated; click on the image above) viewed...

Read more »

Coleman Mine the Best Place to Find Quartz Cluster

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kf6tyMTKUA8/V5yqZPvp4HI/AAAAAAAAJNI/PSwO1soFseULXaRZmaplAs_Ud8YTyfWGQCLcB/s1600/This%2Bgiantic%2Bnatural%2Bquartz%2Bcrystal%2Bcluster%2Bwas%2Bmined%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BColeman%2527s%2BQuartz%2BMine%2Bnear%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas..jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kf6tyMTKUA8/V5yqZPvp4HI/AAAAAAAAJNI/PSwO1soFseULXaRZmaplAs_Ud8YTyfWGQCLcB/s640/This%2Bgiantic%2Bnatural%2Bquartz%2Bcrystal%2Bcluster%2Bwas%2Bmined%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BColeman%2527s%2BQuartz%2BMine%2Bnear%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This giantic natural quartz crystal cluster was mined from the Coleman's Quartz Mine near Jessieville, Arkansas.<br /> <br /></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>East Coleman Mine (Ron Coleman Mine; Old Coleman Mine; West Chance; Dierks No. 4; Blocker Lead; Geomex), Jessieville, Garland Co., Arkansas, USA</b></span><br /> <br /> This mine was and is the most productive quartz mine in Arkansas. It has been producing quartz crystals in large quantities since 1943. When it is operating it has produced about 60,000 pounds of quartz crystals a during a good month.<br /> <br /> <b>Mine Your Own Crystals in Arkansas</b><br /> <br /> There are few activities more fun than mining your own gems. At Coleman Mining there are extensive premises boasting a huge mine, a gift shop full of decorative quartz and other minerals, an RV resort and a large digging area for the intrepid visitor. <br /> <div style="margin: 0px auto; width: 100%;"> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="in-article" data-ad-slot="6157425841" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /></div> <b>Access: </b>Located on the road which runs alongside Colemans Rock Shop and driving two miles west of Hwy 7, then turn right on Crystal Ridge Road and driving to the top of the hill to the mine, all roads paved, stopping at the office/rock shop at the top of the hill past the campground, to pay your dig fee.<br /> <table style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "lucida sans unicode", "lucida grande", tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody> <tr><td style="line-height: 1.4em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):</b></span></td><td style="line-height: 1.4em;">34° 39' 42'' North , 93° 6' 10'' West</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-go73za7ODWU/V5ypjyyTQhI/AAAAAAAAJM8/KXywzazQTR4EImAuK4hfDGZ3ydmfLuimwCEw/s1600/Huge%2Bclear%2Bquartz%2Bcluster%2Bmined%2Bat%2Bthe%2BColeman%2BCrystal%2BMine%2Bin%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-go73za7ODWU/V5ypjyyTQhI/AAAAAAAAJM8/KXywzazQTR4EImAuK4hfDGZ3ydmfLuimwCEw/s640/Huge%2Bclear%2Bquartz%2Bcluster%2Bmined%2Bat%2Bthe%2BColeman%2BCrystal%2BMine%2Bin%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge clear quartz cluster mined at the Coleman Crystal Mine in Jessieville, Arkansas. Human for scale at Tucson Gem Show </td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="margin: 0px auto; width: 100%;"> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="in-article" data-ad-slot="6157425841" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bQ0mD-GIe4g/V5yqBQsGFHI/AAAAAAAAJNA/51I58nZHFCgdfoLODN9s1d_P9suOaljygCLcB/s1600/Beautiful%2Bquartz%2Bcrystal%2Bcluster%2Bfound%2Bat%2BRon%2BColeman%2BMining%2Bin%2BArkansas..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="608" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bQ0mD-GIe4g/V5yqBQsGFHI/AAAAAAAAJNA/51I58nZHFCgdfoLODN9s1d_P9suOaljygCLcB/s640/Beautiful%2Bquartz%2Bcrystal%2Bcluster%2Bfound%2Bat%2BRon%2BColeman%2BMining%2Bin%2BArkansas..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful quartz crystal cluster found at Ron Coleman Mining in Arkansas.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <span id="goog_216863986"></span><span id="goog_216863987"></span> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kf6tyMTKUA8/V5yqZPvp4HI/AAAAAAAAJNI/PSwO1soFseULXaRZmaplAs_Ud8YTyfWGQCLcB/s1600/This%2Bgiantic%2Bnatural%2Bquartz%2Bcrystal%2Bcluster%2Bwas%2Bmined%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BColeman%2527s%2BQuartz%2BMine%2Bnear%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kf6tyMTKUA8/V5yqZPvp4HI/AAAAAAAAJNI/PSwO1soFseULXaRZmaplAs_Ud8YTyfWGQCLcB/s640/This%2Bgiantic%2Bnatural%2Bquartz%2Bcrystal%2Bcluster%2Bwas%2Bmined%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BColeman%2527s%2BQuartz%2BMine%2Bnear%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This giantic natural quartz crystal cluster was mined from the Coleman's Quartz Mine near Jessieville, Arkansas.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_WsU0ZnYTc/V5yqtdyuhhI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/StUqEu9OKbUavlb0A7hHS5mqQ7yDOYKagCLcB/s1600/World%2527s%2Blargest%2Bquartz%2Bcrystals%2Bof%2Bits%2Bquality%2Bever%2Bfound.%2BFrom%2Bthe%2BOld%2BColeman%2BMine%2Bin%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas%252C%2BUSA..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_WsU0ZnYTc/V5yqtdyuhhI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/StUqEu9OKbUavlb0A7hHS5mqQ7yDOYKagCLcB/s640/World%2527s%2Blargest%2Bquartz%2Bcrystals%2Bof%2Bits%2Bquality%2Bever%2Bfound.%2BFrom%2Bthe%2BOld%2BColeman%2BMine%2Bin%2BJessieville%252C%2BArkansas%252C%2BUSA..jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World's largest quartz crystals of its quality ever found.<br /> From the Old Coleman Mine in Jessieville, Arkansas, USA. </td></tr> </tbody></table> <i><b>References: </b></i><br /> <a href="http://www.mindat.org/loc-10858.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mindat.org</a><br /> <a href="http://colemanquartz.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Ron Coleman Mining</a><br /> <u>All The photos were shared on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmazingGeologist/?fref=nf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazing Geologist</a> on Facebook  </u></div>

Coleman Mine the Best Place to Find Quartz Cluster

This giantic natural quartz crystal cluster was mined from the Coleman's Quartz Mine near Jessieville, Arkansas. East Coleman Mi...

Read more »

Pavlof Volcano alert level increased amid signs of possible eruption

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnXxtPmgfwU/V5ysz7JPdII/AAAAAAAAJNc/qnoM72zHMlckYAesI9ApMB1PU67tR5xZQCLcB/s1600/In%2Bthis%2Bphoto%2Bprovided%2Bby%2Bthe%2BAlaskan%2BVolcano%2BObservatory%252C%2Bthe%2BPavlof%2Bvolcano%2Berupts%2BThursday%252C%2BMay%2B16%252C%2B2013%252C%2Bas%2Bseen%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Bair%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Bsouthwest%2Bin%2BCold%2BBay%252C%2BAlaska..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fnXxtPmgfwU/V5ysz7JPdII/AAAAAAAAJNc/qnoM72zHMlckYAesI9ApMB1PU67tR5xZQCLcB/s640/In%2Bthis%2Bphoto%2Bprovided%2Bby%2Bthe%2BAlaskan%2BVolcano%2BObservatory%252C%2Bthe%2BPavlof%2Bvolcano%2Berupts%2BThursday%252C%2BMay%2B16%252C%2B2013%252C%2Bas%2Bseen%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Bair%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Bsouthwest%2Bin%2BCold%2BBay%252C%2BAlaska..jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> In this photo provided by the Alaskan Volcano Observatory, the Pavlof volcano erupts Thursday, May 16, 2013, as seen from the air from the southwest in Cold Bay, Alaska.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> The Alaska Peninsula's Pavlof Volcano is once again drawing concern from volcanologists after a major eruption in March.<br /> <br /> Pavlof's alert level was raised Thursday in response to indications it might erupt again.<br /> <br /> A Thursday update from the Alaska Volcano Observatory raised the volcano's aviation color code to orange and its alert level from advisory to watch. The alert level for Pavlof, roughly 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, had been raised from normal in early July after it showed signs of unrest.<br /> <br /> On Thursday, webcam images of the volcano showed "steam de-gassing" from the volcano, with pilot reports and satellite data indicating an ash cloud rising less than 15,000 feet into the sky.<br /> <br /> "Seismicity remains elevated, with periods of volcanic tremor continuing," staff wrote. "Activity is currently at relatively low levels. An increase in eruptive activity is possible and could occur with little or no warning."<br /> <br /> During Pavlof's March eruption, dozens of villages received a dusting of ash, with ash clouds rising as high as 37,000 feet and posing a hazard to Alaska aviation due to ash blown northeast into Alaska's Interior.<br /> <br /> <b><i><u>This article written by Chris Klint</u></i></b></div>

Pavlof Volcano alert level increased amid signs of possible eruption

 In this photo provided by the Alaskan Volcano Observatory, the Pavlof volcano erupts Thursday, May 16, 2013, as seen from the air from t...

Read more »

Earth's mantle appears to have a driving role in plate tectonics

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6sGcU1Hqko/V5tJYegk5CI/AAAAAAAAJLo/aqQteCU-FtAsG33nzh9VGltv4d23-sECgCLcB/s1600/Earth%2527s%2Bmantle%2Bappears%2Bto%2Bhave%2Ba%2Bdriving%2Brole%2Bin%2Bplate%2Btectonics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6sGcU1Hqko/V5tJYegk5CI/AAAAAAAAJLo/aqQteCU-FtAsG33nzh9VGltv4d23-sECgCLcB/s640/Earth%2527s%2Bmantle%2Bappears%2Bto%2Bhave%2Ba%2Bdriving%2Brole%2Bin%2Bplate%2Btectonics.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Earth's mantle appears to have a driving role in plate tectonics</span></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> <i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Deep down below us is a tug of war moving at less than the speed of growing fingernails. Keeping your balance is not a concern, but how the movement happens has been debated among geologists.</span></i><br /> <br /> New findings from under the Pacific Northwest Coast by University of Oregon and University of Washington scientists now suggest a solution to a mystery that surfaced when the theory of plate tectonics arose: Do the plates move the mantle, or does the mantle move the plates.<br /> <br /> The separation of tectonic plates, the researchers proposed in a paper online ahead of print in the journal Nature Geoscience, is not simply dictating the flow of the gooey, lubricating molten material of the mantle. The mantle, they argue, is actually fighting back, flowing in a manner that drives a reorientation of the direction of the plates.<br /> <br /> The new idea is based on seismic imaging of the Endeavor segment of the Juan de Fuca Plate in the Pacific Ocean off Washington and on data from previous research on similar ridges in the mid-Pacific and mid-Atlantic oceans.<br /> <br /> "Comparing seismic measurements of the present mantle flow direction to the recent movements of tectonic plates, we find that the mantle is flowing in a direction that is ahead of recent changes in plate motion," said UO doctoral student Brandon P. VanderBeek, the paper's lead author. "This contradicts the traditional view that plates move the mantle."<br /> <div style="width:100%;margin: 0px auto"><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-slot="3957834894" data-ad-format="auto"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /> </div>While the new conclusion is based on a fraction of such sites under the world's oceans, a consistent pattern was present, VanderBeek said. At the three sites, the mantle's flow is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise rather than in the directions of the separating plates. The mantle's flow, the researchers concluded, may be responsible for past and possibly current changes in plate motion.<br /> <br /> The research -- funded through National Science Foundation grants to the two institutions -- also explored how the supply of magma varies under mid-ocean ridge volcanoes. The researchers conducted a seismic experiment to see how seismic waves moved through the shallow mantle below the Endeavor segment.<br /> <br /> They found that the middle of the volcanic segment, where the seafloor is shallowest and the inferred volcanic activity greatest, the underlying mantle magma reservoir is relatively small. The ends, however, are much deeper with larger volumes of mantle magma pooling below them because there are no easy routes for it to travel through the material above it.<br /> <br /> Traditional thinking had said there would be less magma under the deep ends of such segments, known as discontinuities.<br /> <br /> "We found the opposite," VanderBeek said. "The biggest volumes of magma that we believe we have found are located beneath the deepest portions of the ridges, at the segment ends. Under the shallow centers, there is much less melt, about half as much, at this particular ridge that we investigated.<br /> <br /> "Our idea is that the ultimate control on where you have magma beneath these mountain ranges is where you can and cannot take it out," he said. "At the ends, we think, the plate rips apart much more diffusely, so you are not creating pathways for magma to move, build mountains and allow for an eruption."<br /> <br /> <u><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The above post is reprinted from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-07/uoo-ema072816.php" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">materials</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>provided by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.uoregon.edu/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><b style="border-radius: 0px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">University of Oregon</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span></span></i></u></div>

Earth's mantle appears to have a driving role in plate tectonics

Earth's mantle appears to have a driving role in plate tectonics Deep down below us is a tug of war moving at less than the speed of...

Read more »

Plastic 'Continents': Is There a Way Out?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JBtY9UyhChA/V5tAn6h2-uI/AAAAAAAAJLI/fITyEoMa3s4Gftimbe_uN69kZP3ADdUogCLcB/s1600/8%2BMillion%2BTons%2Bof%2Bplastic%2Bis%2Bdumped%2Bat%2Bsea%2Beach%2Byear.%2BBecoming%2B5%2Bmassive%2Bgyres%2Bthat%2Bpollute%2Bthe%2Boceans%2Bfor%2Bdecades%2B%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JBtY9UyhChA/V5tAn6h2-uI/AAAAAAAAJLI/fITyEoMa3s4Gftimbe_uN69kZP3ADdUogCLcB/s640/8%2BMillion%2BTons%2Bof%2Bplastic%2Bis%2Bdumped%2Bat%2Bsea%2Beach%2Byear.%2BBecoming%2B5%2Bmassive%2Bgyres%2Bthat%2Bpollute%2Bthe%2Boceans%2Bfor%2Bdecades%2B%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">8 Million Tons of plastic is dumped at sea each year. Becoming 5 massive gyres that pollute the oceans for decades !</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Plastic "continents" are not static. Based on the oceanic circulation modelling work conducted in the Pacific, the IRD and CNRS researchers have recently shown that there are exit currents for these areas of the sea where these piles of waste build up. This means that they are not caught in a never-ending whirlpool in the middle of the ocean, as had been previously thought. Although inappropriate given the actual estimated concentrations, this term highlights the awareness of the impact of human activity on the oceans.</span></i><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>A huge waste vortex in each ocean</b></span><br /> <br /> Due to the winds on the surface of the oceans and the rotation of Earth (via the Coriolis force), huge vortexes, called "oceanic gyres," are formed in each of the five major basins: North and South Pacific, North and South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean. These huge whirlpools slowly gather in their wake all the plastic objects and waste floating on the surface of the water, accumulating year after year.<br /> <div style="margin: 0px auto; width: 100%;"> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-format="fluid" data-ad-layout="in-article" data-ad-slot="6157425841" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /></div> This pollution is now recognized as a global problem, representing a threat to marine biodiversity. In particular, this surface drift acts as a means of transport for the viruses and bacteria that the spread across the oceans.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>"Exit doors"exist</b></span><br /> <br /> Nevertheless, these plastic "continents," as they incorrectly christened, are not, in fact, static. The IRD and CNRS researchers have recently revealed the existence of "exit doors" leading away from these large surface current convergence zones. The scientists started by studying the oceanic circulation in the Pacific modelled with a much finer spatial resolution than that of the models generally used for this type of study (those typically used for climate research). They simulated the trajectories of several million particles, with currents defined on networks of 1/32° to 1/4° (meaning a range from a few kilometres to thirty or forty kilometres).<br /> <br /> The results obtained highlight currents, several hundred kilometres wide, which escape from the heart of the subtropical gyre and head eastwards instead. In addition to these currents there are physical processes such as the effects of the wind and waves, not taken into account in the models, which can also alter the trajectory and the transit time of the particles and waste.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Bound for South American coastlines</b></span><br /> <br /> In the Pacific, the waste may not necessarily be trapped in the centre of the oceanic gyre and may be removed in the direction of the American coasts. Furthermore, these results are backed up by the work of the IRD's Chilean partners. They have observed an increase in the amount of waste collected on their coastlines.<br /> <br /> More detailed observations, modelling and analyses are required to gain a better understanding of the ocean surface currents that regulate the slow routing of plastic waste on the surface of the seas and, in the medium-term, implement strategies for collecting and recycling all of this waste.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <i><u><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The above post is reprinted from <a href="http://en.ird.fr/the-media-centre/scientific-newssheets/495-plastic-continents-is-there-a-way-out" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">materials</a> provided by <a href="https://en.ird.fr/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)</a>.</span></u></i></div>

Plastic 'Continents': Is There a Way Out?

8 Million Tons of plastic is dumped at sea each year. Becoming 5 massive gyres that pollute the oceans for decades ! Plastic "con...

Read more »

New Zealand wren DNA analysis reshapes geological theory

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CNhRmgl0zg/V5noqDSuvqI/AAAAAAAAJJ4/zP885oH0YmI1UMqMlp7ImtX9IdNC_8VeQCLcB/s1600/New%2BZealand%2Bwren%2BDNA%2Banalysis%2Breshapes%2Bgeological%2Btheory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7CNhRmgl0zg/V5noqDSuvqI/AAAAAAAAJJ4/zP885oH0YmI1UMqMlp7ImtX9IdNC_8VeQCLcB/s640/New%2BZealand%2Bwren%2BDNA%2Banalysis%2Breshapes%2Bgeological%2Btheory.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lyall's wren: an extinct acanthisittid wren, infamously reported as having been both discovered and exterminated by a lighthouse-keeper's cat.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>A DNA analysis of living and extinct species of mysterious New Zealand wrens may change theories around the country's geological and evolutionary past.</i></span><br /> <br /> A University of Adelaide study into New Zealand's acanthisittid wrens has provided compelling evidence that, contrary to some suggestions, New Zealand was not completely submerged under the ocean around 21 to 25 million years ago.<br /> <br /> The acanthisittid wrens are a group of tiny, largely flightless, birds found nowhere else in the world. They are called wrens because of their similarity in appearance and behaviour to "true wrens," but they don't belong to the same family.<br /> <br /> "Of the seven species living before humans arrived in New Zealand, only two now remain, the rock wren and the rifleman," says lead author Dr Kieren Mitchell, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the University's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD). "Consequently, little is known about their evolution."<br /> <br /> Published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution and led by ACAD, the researchers analysed DNA from three of the extinct species along with the two living species.<br /> <br /> The research was in collaboration with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Canterbury Museum and the New Zealand Department of Conservation.<br /> <br /> "Most surprisingly, we found that some of the wren species were only distantly related to each other, potentially sharing a common ancestor over 25 million years ago," Dr Mitchell says.<br /> <br /> "Previously, researchers have suggested that New Zealand was completely submerged 21 to 25 million years ago, which implies that all of New Zealand's unique plants and animals must have immigrated and diversified more recently than that time.<br /> <br /> "This theory is consistent, for instance, with what is known about the moa, where the different species all shared a common ancestor much more recently than 21 million years ago.<br /> <br /> "But the ancient divergences we found among the wrens suggest that they have been resident in New Zealand for more than 25 million years, and possibly as long as 50 million years (when New Zealand became disconnected from the rest of Gondwana).<br /> <br /> "As the wrens were largely very poor fliers, or even flightless, some land must have remained throughout that period.<br /> <br /> "This has important consequences for our understanding of the evolution of New Zealand's unique ecosystems."<br /> <br /> <u><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The above post is reprinted from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news86522.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">materials</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>provided by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><b style="border-radius: 0px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">University of Adelaide</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></i></u></div>

New Zealand wren DNA analysis reshapes geological theory

Lyall's wren: an extinct acanthisittid wren, infamously reported as having been both discovered and exterminated by a lighthouse-keep...

Read more »

Lava From Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Oozes Into Ocean (Photos)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G3LiTRYR-OU/V5n7XfsmoRI/AAAAAAAAJKU/WxuAqiJDVucAp-h-JpJtYYacclB9oM-hQCLcB/s1600/Lava%2BFrom%2BHawaii%2527s%2BKilauea%2BVolcano%2BOozes%2BInto%2BOcean%2BFor%2BFirst%2BTime%2BSince%2B2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G3LiTRYR-OU/V5n7XfsmoRI/AAAAAAAAJKU/WxuAqiJDVucAp-h-JpJtYYacclB9oM-hQCLcB/s640/Lava%2BFrom%2BHawaii%2527s%2BKilauea%2BVolcano%2BOozes%2BInto%2BOcean%2BFor%2BFirst%2BTime%2BSince%2B2013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at this photo, you can almost feel the heat. (credit:Lava Ocean Tours)</td></tr> </tbody></table>Lava from an ongoing Kilauea eruption entered the ocean early Tuesday, creating photo opportunities for those brave enough to get close.<br /> <br /> The United State Geographical Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the lava flow extending southeast of Pu'u O'o toward the coastal plain on Kilauea's south flank reached the ocean about 1:12 a.m. local time.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zDXNJ4SmWqY/V5n72FQEy1I/AAAAAAAAJKY/scNZI0F-2fQUdoiSKpiQ-p3aeTgimpjhgCLcB/s1600/A%2Btour%2Bboat%2Bgets%2Bup%2Bclose%2Band%2Bpersonal%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Blava%2Bflowing%2Binto%2Bthe%2Bocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zDXNJ4SmWqY/V5n72FQEy1I/AAAAAAAAJKY/scNZI0F-2fQUdoiSKpiQ-p3aeTgimpjhgCLcB/s640/A%2Btour%2Bboat%2Bgets%2Bup%2Bclose%2Band%2Bpersonal%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Blava%2Bflowing%2Binto%2Bthe%2Bocean.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A tour boat gets up close and personal with the lava flowing into the ocean. (credit:Lava Ocean Tours)</span></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> The flow started May 24 and it's the first time it has traveled south down Kilauea and across the coastal plain since 2013.<br /> <br /> USGS officials are warning those venturing out to view the spectacular display to use caution:<br /> <div style="width:100%;margin: 0px auto"><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-slot="3957834894" data-ad-format="auto"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /> </div>"There are additional significant hazards besides walking on uneven surfaces and around unstable, extremely steep sea cliffs," wrote the USGS in an update. "Venturing too close to an ocean entry exposes you to flying debris created by the explosive interaction between lava and water."<br /> <br /> They warned that the new land created by the lava flow is unstable because it is "built on unconsolidated lava fragments and sand. This loose material can easily be eroded away by surf causing the new land to become unsupported and slide into the sea."<br /> <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZW1uqHmOE2w/V5n8SmJF80I/AAAAAAAAJKc/mb6sxg0SEq0xRhE-bpM9V4_fn6LxBkrZACLcB/s1600/Steam%2Brises%2Bas%2Bthe%2Blava%2Bcomes%2Binto%2Bcontact%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Bwater.%2B%2528Lava%2BOcean%2BTours%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZW1uqHmOE2w/V5n8SmJF80I/AAAAAAAAJKc/mb6sxg0SEq0xRhE-bpM9V4_fn6LxBkrZACLcB/s640/Steam%2Brises%2Bas%2Bthe%2Blava%2Bcomes%2Binto%2Bcontact%2Bwith%2Bthe%2Bwater.%2B%2528Lava%2BOcean%2BTours%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Steam rises as the lava comes into contact with the water. (credit:Lava Ocean Tours)</span></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> In addition, visitors should be careful to avoid the acidic plume that rises when the lava comes into contact with the water as the fine volcanic particles in the steam can irritate the skin, eyes and lungs."<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CiDp3zKZt6U/V5n8rdY5WWI/AAAAAAAAJKk/Egao6b8JbqwxB1FDZFacr1s8-BL0SEQmQCLcB/s1600/Lava%2Boozes%2Binto%2Bthe%2Bocean%2Bfrom%2BHawaii%2527s%2BKilauea%2BVolcano.%2B%2528Lava%2BOcean%2BTours%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CiDp3zKZt6U/V5n8rdY5WWI/AAAAAAAAJKk/Egao6b8JbqwxB1FDZFacr1s8-BL0SEQmQCLcB/s640/Lava%2Boozes%2Binto%2Bthe%2Bocean%2Bfrom%2BHawaii%2527s%2BKilauea%2BVolcano.%2B%2528Lava%2BOcean%2BTours%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lava oozes into the ocean from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano. (credit:Lava Ocean Tours)</td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> <b><u><i>Weather.com</i></u></b></div>

Lava From Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Oozes Into Ocean (Photos)

Looking at this photo, you can almost feel the heat. (credit:Lava Ocean Tours) Lava from an ongoing Kilauea eruption entered the ocean ea...

Read more »

Keep a lid on it: Geologists probe geological carbon storage

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c0mh08lopI4/V5nsH66PgqI/AAAAAAAAJKE/_I5KleUyFvIPx6eogl7fOeb9Kr9Eb5_kQCLcB/s1600/Keep%2Ba%2Blid%2Bon%2Bit%2BGeologists%2Bprobe%2Bgeological%2Bcarbon%2Bstorage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c0mh08lopI4/V5nsH66PgqI/AAAAAAAAJKE/_I5KleUyFvIPx6eogl7fOeb9Kr9Eb5_kQCLcB/s640/Keep%2Ba%2Blid%2Bon%2Bit%2BGeologists%2Bprobe%2Bgeological%2Bcarbon%2Bstorage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u><i>An outcrop of the Carmel Formation near Interstate-70 in the San Rafael Swell in southeastern Utah, USA. Utah State University geologists, with collaborators from Cambridge University, Shell Global Solutions, Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and German's Jülich Center for Neutron Science, probed the Carmel caprock to assess the feasibility of effective carbon capture and storage (CCS) in underground reservoirs. Credit: Elizabeth Petrie, Western State Colorado University, USA.</i></u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br />Effective carbon capture and storage or "CCS" in underground reservoirs is one possible way to meet ambitious climate change targets demanded by countries and international partnerships around the world. But are current technologies up to the task of securely and safely corralling buoyant carbon dioxide (CO2) for at least 10,000 years – the minimum time period required of most agreements?<br /> <br />Across the globe, several pilot projects exist for CCS , the process by which CO2 emissions are collected and injected into underground reservoirs, but upscaling and demonstrating the process will work over the long term is a topic of active research.<br /> <br />"Nature may provide some answers," says Utah State University geologist Jim Evans, who, along USU alum Elizabeth Petrie, currently of Western State Colorado University, students and colleagues, participated in an international research project, led by England's Cambridge University and Shell Global Solutions, aimed at assessing geological formations able to effectively contain carbon dioxide emissions.<br /> <br />The team published findings in the edition of Nature Communications. The USU researchers' participation in the study, funded by Royal Dutch Shell, was also supported by a U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences Grant.<br /> <br />"Storing carbon dioxide underground is a challenge because CO2 is less dense than water, exerts upward pressure, corrodes surrounding rocks and escapes," says Evans, a professor in USU's Department of Geology. "Yet, natural carbon dioxide sequestration occurs and, with the study, we set out to discover the characteristics of areas where secure storage is possible." <br /><br /> For several years, the team's research has focused on an area of southeastern Utah, where Evans says a natural laboratory exists to study the long-term interactions between CO2, water and rocks. Located near a fault, the site's natural and human-caused CO2 emissions can be studied from a minute to 400,000-year timescales. The current paper examines the result of a scientific drill hole in the area's Carmel Formation, a sandstone caprock about five miles south of Green River, Utah.<br /> <br />"The Carmel caprock features sandstone and fine siltstones overlying an aquifer naturally charged with carbon dioxide," Evans says. "Our collaborators from Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Germany's Jülich Center for Neutron Science analyzed reservoir fluids from the drill hole, along with continuous drill core, using neutron scattering to determine the variations in the chemistry of the rocks."<br /> <br />Evans and Petrie helped to design the coordinate the drilling and students from USU participated in the coring and water sampling.<br /> <br />"Water samples were obtained from depth, and this sampling was tricky," Evans says.<br />Shell's Niko Kampman, the paper's lead author, used a device lowered in the drilling hole to capture the water and dissolved CO2 and keep it at pressure until samples could be analyzed in laboratories in Europe.<br /> <br />"Coring and sampling rocks and fluids, while a natural pressure is pushing everything upwards into the hole, is very challenging," Evans says. "But the team was ultimately successful."<br /> <br />The team then used computer modeling of the chemistry measured in the water, gas and rock to determine the naturally altered caprock's effectiveness in trapping carbon dioxide. They found it provided a barrier-forming zone in which minerals dissolve, react with carbon dioxide and precipitate and clog pores.<br /> <br />"These geochemical reactions occur at the nanopore level and create a very tight seal and, at the study site, retained carbon dioxide much longer than expected," Evans says. "Our findings reveal important insights about the feasibility of storing carbon. Our work suggests that in natural systems, the CO2 may move very slowly in rocks and that effective seals are possible in some CCS scenarios."<br /> <br /> <i><u>The team published findings in the edition of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NCOMMS12268" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nature Communications</a>.  </u></i></div>

Keep a lid on it: Geologists probe geological carbon storage

An outcrop of the Carmel Formation near Interstate-70 in the San Rafael Swell in southeastern Utah, USA. Utah State University geologists...

Read more »

Distant volcanic eruptions foster saguaro cacti baby booms

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bsGovYrbSHs/V5irUQ2cfeI/AAAAAAAAJJc/nt1ce9Du9d894yEIAN7cHX4m6AC2OwFvgCLcB/s1600/Distant%2Bvolcanic%2Beruptions%2Bfoster%2Bsaguaro%2Bcacti%2Bbaby%2Bbooms%2B1%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bsGovYrbSHs/V5irUQ2cfeI/AAAAAAAAJJc/nt1ce9Du9d894yEIAN7cHX4m6AC2OwFvgCLcB/s640/Distant%2Bvolcanic%2Beruptions%2Bfoster%2Bsaguaro%2Bcacti%2Bbaby%2Bbooms%2B1%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One hundred and thirty years ago, the volcano Krakatoa erupted in what is now Indonesia, unleashing a cataclysm locally and years of cool temperatures and rain globally. On the far side of the world, a bumper crop of saguaro cacti were getting their start in life in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>One hundred and thirty years ago, the volcano Krakatoa erupted in what is now Indonesia, unleashing a cataclysm locally and years of cool temperatures and rain globally. On the far side of the world, a bumper crop of saguaro cacti were getting their start in life in Arizona's Sonoran Desert. Many of the large exemplars of the famous cacti standing spiny and tall with arms akimbo in the Southwest today started their lives in the shadow of the 1883 eruption.</i></span><br /> <br /> Biogeographer Taly Drezner believes that distant volcanic paroxysms and the emergence of bountiful saguaro age-mate cohorts are connected. Volcanic climate perturbations that delivered disastrously cold and stormy weather to much of the Northern Hemisphere generated a combination of conditions in the Sonoran Desert that were just right for the delicate young cacti. Drezner will present her research on the first known example of regional population effects on a species from volcanic eruptions in distant parts of the world on 9 August 2016 at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, gathering this year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<br /> <br /> "The saguaro is key to the survival of many species. Almost every animal in the Sonoran uses them in some way, as a nest site, or food, or a cool refuge," said Drezner, a professor at York University in Ontario, who studies among other things, how heat and aridity shape the community of life in the desert. Temperatures can easily exceed 40 C (104 F) every day for weeks in summer, when saguaro seedlings have just germinated.<br /> <br /> A keystone species of the Sonoran ecosystem and charismatic cultural emblem of the arid southwestern United States, the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is sturdy in maturity but delicate in the early years of its life. Though mature individuals can top 12 meters (40 feet), new cacti grow only a few millimeters in the first year. Tiny young saguaros are susceptible to heat and cold, vulnerable to drying out or freezing in the extremes of their desert environment. For a critical two to three years, until they grow large enough to withstand cold and drought, they demand cool summers, mild winters, and sufficient rain: a combination of weather conditions at the outer edge of normal for the Sonoran in every dimension. A summer may be relatively cool, but too dry. A winter wet, but too cold. In most years, all the baby saguaros die.<br /> <br /> In the year after Krakatoa, summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere fell 1.2?C below average. The eruption violently disgorged tons of ash and sulfur dioxide gas into the stratosphere. Dust particles and sulfuric acid droplets rode winds through the upper atmosphere, conspiring in a haze that reflected sunshine and lowered global temperatures. Though not as disruptive as the "year without a summer" that followed the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, Krakatoa's influence was seen and felt around the globe in vivid sunsets and stormy weather. Southern California experienced a "water year" of record rainfall. Sulfate aerosols in particular can hang out in the atmosphere for years, and Krakatoa released an unusual abundance of sulfur. Typical temperature and weather patterns did not recover for years. For the saguaro, the perturbations appear to have amounted to a collection of "just right" conditions for new growth.<br /> <br /> "I started noticing that these saguaro age cohorts followed notable volcanic eruptions," said Drezner. "I knew that volcanoes drive milder summers and winters, and typically more rainfall for an extended period -- two to three years after the event, which is a perfect window of time for the saguaro to get established and have a chance to survive."<br /> <br /> To investigate her hunch, Drezner went to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge near Yuma, Arizona, where limited water pushes the physiological limits of the saguaro, to sample the age structure of the local cacti. Rainfall at Kofa is a third of other locations in the Sonoran. Cacti do not have rings, like trees, that make age simple to gauge. Drezner estimated the ages of 250 cacti based on meticulous calculations of local growth rates using a model she pioneered. She added data from 30 locations in the Northern Sonoran Desert and compared the generational cohorts of the cacti to climate datasets for the region and the annual Weighted Historical Dust Veil Index, an indicator of volcanism.<br /> <br /> Saguaro boom years tracked the peaks in the dust index, particularly in the marginal environment at Kofa. High volcanic dust levels also correlated with warmer, wetter, local winters, and more rain in late spring.<br /> <br /> "The saguaro are protected because they are a beloved symbol and icon of the desert," Drezner said. They are not currently threatened, but the unpredictable nature of their reproduction makes some conservators nervous about how the giants will respond to a changing climate. "That a volcano elsewhere on the continent, or even the other side of the world, can so profoundly influence a local population underscores interconnectedness of ecosystems and our global climate."<br /> <br /> <i><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The above post is reprinted from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.esa.org/esa/distant-volcanic-eruptions-foster-saguaro-cacti-baby-booms/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">materials</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>provided by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.esa.org/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><b style="border-radius: 0px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">Ecological Society of America</b></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span></span></u></i></div>

Distant volcanic eruptions foster saguaro cacti baby booms

One hundred and thirty years ago, the volcano Krakatoa erupted in what is now Indonesia, unleashing a cataclysm locally and years of cool...

Read more »

A new perfection found in diamonds created by an asteroid

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Us68VKgQUdY/V5ivUq4VBcI/AAAAAAAAJJo/eTOLo3z0XGQG9b-_gm5Nj8aMnnW2pchrACLcB/s1600/A%2Bnew%2Bperfection%2Bfound%2Bin%2Bdiamonds%2Bcreated%2Bby%2Ban%2Basteroid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Us68VKgQUdY/V5ivUq4VBcI/AAAAAAAAJJo/eTOLo3z0XGQG9b-_gm5Nj8aMnnW2pchrACLcB/s640/A%2Bnew%2Bperfection%2Bfound%2Bin%2Bdiamonds%2Bcreated%2Bby%2Ban%2Basteroid.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> A new perfection found in diamonds created by an asteroid</span></td></tr> </tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> A new perfection found in diamonds created by an asteroid in Siberian crater 35 million years ago</span></b></li> <li><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Popigai reserves are enough to keep the planet in diamonds for 3,000 years.</span></b></li> </ul><br /> New research indicates special qualities which makes these diamonds unique in the world, according to a new announcement by scientists in Novosibirsk. <br /> <br /> 'We and Japanese colleagues have arrived at very interesting conclusions,' said Nikolai Pokhilenko, director of the Sobolev Geology and Mineralogy Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reported Interfax.<br /> <br /> Their 'high abrasiveness' is 50% to 60% superior to natural or synthetic diamonds, he said. <br /> <br /> The impact diamonds from the crater also have exclusive polishing characteristics. 'It is possible to make ideally smooth surfaces. Even nano-size crystals of a regular diamond scratch surfaces, but these diamonds polish so well that you won't see any scratches even with an electronic microscope,' he revealed. <br /> <br /> This bodes well for potential applications in high-precision optical systems in satellites, jewellery and other industries, new composite materials, borers and cutting tools, Pokhilenko said. Further studies of the impact diamonds from the vast site - with reserves 10 times bigger than the world's known diamonds - will continue in cooperation with the Kyiv Institute of Super-Solid Materials, Alrosa's subsidiary Almazy Anabara and De Beers' synthetic diamond subsidiary Element Six, and Baker Hughes.<br /> <div style="width:100%;margin: 0px auto"><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-slot="3957834894" data-ad-format="auto"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /> </div>'We will collect samples of impact rock from the discharge area: large pieces, up to 1.5 centimetres, spewed from the crater after the impact,' Pokhilenko told Interfax. He estimated the world market capacity for the new type of diamond raw materials at approximately 3 billion carats.<br /> <br /> 'The scope of diamond use in industries is growing rapidly in contrast to rare earths, the consumption of which is growing 10-15% per annum,' he said.<br /> <br /> 'The output of synthetic diamonds has reached 14 billion carats and the new materials (impact diamonds) have their own niche and will eventually force out synthetic diamonds because they are more efficient.'<br /> <br /> The precious stones were created by the impact of a space projectile crashed into the Earth 35million years ago, leaving the 100km wide crater.<br /> <br /> 'The first results of research were sufficient to talk about a possible overturn of the entire world market of diamonds', said the scientist a year ago. <br /> <br /> The crater is located above the Arctic Circle northeast of the most northern Russian city of Norilsk. The nearest stepping off point is the outpost of Khatanga from where it is accessible by helicopter. The Popigai crater is an icon to paleontologists and geologists. But for decades the region was 'off limits' due to diamond mines constructed by Stalin's gulag prisoners. Designated a Geopark by UNESCO, it was created by either an 8 km (5.0 mile) diameter chondrite asteroid, or a 5 km (3.1 mile) diameter stony asteroid, say experts. <br /> <br /> Graphite in the ground was instantly transformed into diamonds over a vast territory. Several scientific expeditions to the crater in the 1990s furthered understanding of its origins and potential wealth.  Originally, the crater was believed to be volcanic.<br /> <br /> <u><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Siberian Times</b></span></i></u></div>

A new perfection found in diamonds created by an asteroid

 A new perfection found in diamonds created by an asteroid  A new perfection found in diamonds created by an asteroid in Siberian crater ...

Read more »

Magma build-up may put Salvadoran capital at risk

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgQqZbYpoXM/V5dbAUJbcRI/AAAAAAAAJJI/_rhszcnWIeofOa0Gs9-NaqkgPalX6HmNgCLcB/s1600/Ilopango_caldera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NgQqZbYpoXM/V5dbAUJbcRI/AAAAAAAAJJI/_rhszcnWIeofOa0Gs9-NaqkgPalX6HmNgCLcB/s640/Ilopango_caldera.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The collapsed caldera of Ilopango is now a large lake. But the volcanic system is still active, and new research suggests tectonic stresses beneath the volcano may be fueling a new accumulation of magma. Photo by Lee Siebert/Smithsonian Institution</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <br /> <i>The build-up of magma six kilometres below El Salvador's Ilopango caldera means the capital city of San Salvador may be at risk from future eruptions, University of Bristol researchers have found.</i><br /><br />A caldera is a large cauldron-like volcanic depression or crater, formed by the collapse of an emptied magma chamber. The depression often originates from very big explosive eruptions. In Guatemala and El Salvador, caldera volcanoes straddle tectonic fault zones along the Central American Volcanic Arc (CAVA). The CAVA is 1,500 kilometres long, stretching from Guatemala to Panama.<br /><br />The team, from the Volcanology research group at Bristol's School of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources in El Salvador, studied the density distribution beneath the Ilopango caldera and the role tectonic stresses -- caused by the movement of tectonic plates along fault lines -- have on the build-up of magma at depth. Their study is published in the journal Nature Communications.<br /><br />The Ilopango caldera is an eight km by 11 kilometre volcanic collapse structure of the El Salvador Fault Zone. The collapsed caldera was the result of at least five large eruptions over the past 80,000 years.<br /><br />The last of these occurred about 1,500 years ago and produced enough volcanic ash to form a 15 centimetre thick layer across the entire UK. This catastrophic eruption destroyed practically everything within a 100 kilometre radius, including a well-developed native Mayan population, and significantly disturbed the Mayan populations as far as 200 kilometres away.<br /><br />The most recent eruptions occurred in 1879-1880 and were on a much smaller scale than the previous one.<br /><br />Project leader and co-author Dr Joachim Gottsmann said: "Most earthquakes take place along the edges of tectonic plates, where many volcanoes are also located. There is therefore a link between the breaking of rocks, which causes faults and earthquakes and the movement of magma from depth to the surface, to feed a volcanic eruption. The link between large tectonic fault zones and volcanism is, however, not very well understood."<br /><br />Existing studies show that magma accumulation before a large caldera-forming eruption, as well as the caldera collapse itself, may be controlled by fault structures.<br /><br />"However, it is unclear to what extent regional tectonic stresses influence magma accumulation between large caldera-forming eruptions.," co-author Professor Katharine Cashman said.<br /><br />Lead author Jennifer Saxby, whose research towards a MSc in Volcanology contributed to the study, said: "Addressing this question is important not only for understanding controls on the development of magmatic systems, but also for forecasting probable locations of future eruptive activity from caldera-forming volcanoes."<br /><br />The team discovered that the current tectonic stress field promotes the accumulation of magma and hydrothermal fluids at shallow (< 6km) depth beneath Ilopango. The magma contains a considerable amount of gas, which indicates the system is charged to possibly feed the next eruption.<br /><br />Dr Gottsmann said: "Our results indicate that localised extension along the fault zone controls the accumulation, ascent and eruption of magma at Ilopango. This fault-controlled magma accumulation and movement limits potential vent locations for future eruptions at the caldera in its central, western and northern part -- an area that now forms part of the metropolitan area of San Salvador, which is home to 2 million people. As a consequence, there is a significant level of risk to San Salvador from future eruptions of Ilopango."<br /> <br /> <i><u><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The above post is reprinted from<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/july/san-salvador.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">materials</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>provided by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 0px ! important; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4c7a9f; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank"><strong style="border-radius: 0px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">University of Bristol</strong></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span></span></u></i></div>

Magma build-up may put Salvadoran capital at risk

The collapsed caldera of Ilopango is now a large lake. But the volcanic system is still active, and new research suggests tectonic stress...

Read more »

Mount Sakurajima erupts 5,000 meter high ash in Japan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KLlB_AzBsdE/V5dU7J5nI-I/AAAAAAAAJI4/qeiqqdu14s8lsI7Wcdrvhf_s6WPJnNTNwCLcB/s1600/Volcano%2Bin%2BKyushu%2Berupts%2Bwith%2B5000-meter%2Bplume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KLlB_AzBsdE/V5dU7J5nI-I/AAAAAAAAJI4/qeiqqdu14s8lsI7Wcdrvhf_s6WPJnNTNwCLcB/s640/Volcano%2Bin%2BKyushu%2Berupts%2Bwith%2B5000-meter%2Bplume.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Sakurajima erupts 5,000 meter high ash in Japan</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br />Mouth Sakurajima located in Japan erupted 5,000-metre high column of ash on Tuesday. The incident took place at 12:02 am at the mountain’s Showa crater. As of now, no casualties were reported and the volcano hasn’t done any major damage.<br /><br />It is the first time in the last three years that the volcano has erupted so much ash. Previously back in 2013, an active volcano in southern Kyushu ejected smoke that high, said Kagoshima Meteorological Office in a report. The report further added that it is the 47th eruption in Japan this year.<br /><br />Volcano is still erupting and no major change has been recorded in the rate of ash spewed by the volcano. Seeing this, the JMA has issued a 3 level alert and asked people to stay away from the volcano, which is located about 50 km from the nuclear plant in Sendai, reactivated last year after a shutdown of nuclear power in Japan post an accident at the Fukushima power plant in 2011 owing to an earthquake and tsunami.<br /> <br /> <br /></div>

Mount Sakurajima erupts 5,000 meter high ash in Japan

Mount Sakurajima erupts 5,000 meter high ash in Japan Mouth Sakurajima located in Japan erupted 5,000-metre high column of ash on Tuesd...

Read more »

Tsunami fears as huge earthquake rocks southern Australia

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IDtqbL6ez8Q/V5X-uaRLbwI/AAAAAAAAJIo/7Dbd5EKVbiMbY591R7FsAoAKPFzHPEJNACLcB/s1600/Tsunami%2Bfears%2Bas%2Bhuge%2Bearthquake%2Brocks%2Bsouthern%2BAustralia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IDtqbL6ez8Q/V5X-uaRLbwI/AAAAAAAAJIo/7Dbd5EKVbiMbY591R7FsAoAKPFzHPEJNACLcB/s640/Tsunami%2Bfears%2Bas%2Bhuge%2Bearthquake%2Brocks%2Bsouthern%2BAustralia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> The US Geological Survey put the quake at 6.1, with a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) USGS </span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br />  A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has struck near Australia, according to Geoscience Australia. <br /><br />It is the third major earthquake to hit Australia this summer.<br /><br />In May, a 6.2 quake hit the country's northern territory. <br /><br />It was previously reported that the earthquake was "potentially tsunamigenic," meaning it could cause a tsunami. However, that information has since been retracted.<br /><br />The US Geological Survey (USGS) has put the quake at a 5.9, with a depth of 10km (6.2 miles).<br /><br />The quake struck at 8:58am GMT, 1704.1km (1058.8 miles) off the coast of Queenstown, Australia. <br /><br />It comes less than three weeks after a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the southeast of Western Australia. It was the state's biggest quake in almost 30 years.<br /><br />More than 30 earthquakes have been reported near the mining town of Norseman, Western Australia, over the past month. Norseman is located 720km (447 miles) from Perth.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>RT</b></i></span></span></div>

Tsunami fears as huge earthquake rocks southern Australia

 The US Geological Survey put the quake at 6.1, with a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) USGS  A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has struck near ...

Read more »

New ‘giant thief’ dinosaur found in Argentina

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2iZyymQnyM/V5Szf3E9lTI/AAAAAAAAJHk/R-uOZasfGToR6JR8H0-gn2S84rOOh87PACLcB/s1600/New%2B%25E2%2580%2598giant%2Bthief%25E2%2580%2599%2Bdinosaur%2Bfound%2Bin%2BArgentina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2iZyymQnyM/V5Szf3E9lTI/AAAAAAAAJHk/R-uOZasfGToR6JR8H0-gn2S84rOOh87PACLcB/s640/New%2B%25E2%2580%2598giant%2Bthief%25E2%2580%2599%2Bdinosaur%2Bfound%2Bin%2BArgentina.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Murusraptor Barrosaensis is shown in an artist's rendering. Supplied.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Scientists said the creature, called Murusraptor barrosaensis, lived about 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.</span></i><br /> <br /> Fossils of a carnivorous dinosaur unearthed in Argentina are shedding new light on an intriguing group of predators that apparently were just as happy to slash victims to death with sickle-shaped hand claws as to chomp them into an early grave.<br /> <br /> Scientists said on Wednesday the creature, called Murusraptor barrosaensis, lived about 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, measured about 21 feet (6.5 metres) long and was a pursuit hunter more lightly built than some other predatory dinosaurs.<br /> <br /> Murusraptor was a member of a group of meat-eaters called megaraptors, meaning “giant thieves,” that prowled Patagonia, although fossils of relatives have been discovered in Australia and Japan.<br /> <br /> “Most of the different species known from this clade are based on rather fragmentary specimens. The Murusraptor specimen preserved the complete posterior half of the skull, several vertebrae and pelvis bones, unveiling unknown areas of the skeleton of this group,” said paleontologist Rodolfo Coria of Argentina’s Universidad Nacional de Rţo Negro.<br /> <div style="margin: 0px auto; width: 100%;"> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-slot="3957834894" style="display: block;"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /></div> “The braincase is complete, and is the only known among megaraptors,” Mr. Coria added. “It brings a unique opportunity to search for characteristics of neurological development in these dinosaurs.”<br /> <br /> Megaraptors were medium-sized predators compared to some of Argentina’s giant Cretaceous meat-eaters, like the roughly 41-foot-long (12.5 metres) Giganotosaurus, and likely hunted in a different way. Giganotosaurus, which lived about 17 million years before Murusraptor, had a massively built skull and large teeth for killing prey, along with puny arms that would have done little good in hunting.<br /> <br /> Other scientists last week announced the discovery of fossils of another Argentine carnivorous dinosaur, called Gualicho, a bit larger than Murusraptor that had feeble arms, akin in size to a human child's.<br /> <br /> In contrast, megaraptors possessed strong arms that wielded sickle-like claws that could inflict fatal wounds on prey, along with a more lightly built skull and jaws studded with smaller teeth. They also had air-filled, bird-like bones.<br /> <br /> But that certainly did not mean an encounter with Murusraptor in prehistoric Patagonia would end well.<br /> <br /> “A person might say, ‘Oh my god, a megaraptor!’ And then he would die,” Mr. Coria added.<br /> <br /> Murusraptor means “thief from the wall,” because its fossils were collected from the wall of a creek in Argentina’s Neuquen Province.<br /> <br /> <u><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The research was published in the journal PLOS ONE.</span></i></u></div>

New ‘giant thief’ dinosaur found in Argentina

Murusraptor Barrosaensis is shown in an artist's rendering. Supplied. Scientists said the creature, called Murusraptor barrosaensi...

Read more »

Did oil kill the Dinosaurs?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PbglaCVveL8/V5S3IAp4qsI/AAAAAAAAJHw/fNGA77WBEHUNFrVAVwHne3WHcvZzDGuJgCLcB/s1600/Did%2BOil%2BKill%2BThe%2BDinosaurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PbglaCVveL8/V5S3IAp4qsI/AAAAAAAAJHw/fNGA77WBEHUNFrVAVwHne3WHcvZzDGuJgCLcB/s640/Did%2BOil%2BKill%2BThe%2BDinosaurs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A catastrophic asteroid strike was the main reason for dinosaur extinction, but had biodiversity not already declined they may have survived. </i><u><i><br /> </i></u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Dinosaur extinction mystery solved? Asteroid hit oil field causing smoke that filled Earth's atmosphere</i></span></b><br /> <br /> The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs might have done so by setting giant reserves of crude oil alight, shooting soot around the globe and turning vast regions of the Earth into deserts, according to a new analysis.<br /> <br /> The authors of the hypothesis say it would also explain a key mystery left by previous theories: why the dinosaur’s amphibious cousins – the crocodilians – survived the mass extinction.<br /> <br /> The leading theory for what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs was a huge asteroid that hit the Earth in present-day Mexico 66m years ago. But exactly how that triggered the mass extinction was unclear. Current thinking is that it did it by sending dust around the world, blocking out the sun, or by polluting the atmosphere with sulphates, causing harsh acid rain.<br /> <br /> More recently, researchers have suggested those initial effects were then multiplied by rapid climate changes around the globe.<br /> <br /> But if those things happened on such a large scale, it is hard to explain how anything survived at all. Crocodilans were large, and unable to take cover easily like small reptiles, mammals and birds. Without fur or feathers – and being cold-blooded – they would have been susceptible to changes in temperature.<br /> <br /> The new theory put forward by Kunio Kaiho, from Tohoku University in Japan, and colleagues is that the asteroid hit a large oil reserve, setting it alight and shooting soot into the stratosphere. From there it spread around the globe, blocking light.<br /> <br /> Their modelling of that scenario shows it would have created an abrupt change in the climate, cooling the globe and decreasing the amount of rain. They found the soot layer would have lasted for between two and five years, depending how much soot was ejected, and conditions would have returned to normal after about 10 years.<br /> <div style="margin: 0px auto; width: 100%;"> <script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-slot="3957834894" style="display: block;"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /></div> They also found that the climate changes were different at different distances from the equator. Further from the equator, extreme cooling and drying would have caused the extinction of both dinosaurs and crocodilians.<br /> <br /> But the model found that closer to the equator there was drought but more mild cooling. The drought would have left land-based dinosaurs without a food source, as most plants temporarily died. But the riverine crocodiles could have continued to eat aquatic animals, most of which survived, since they don’t rely as much on land-based plants. And closer to the equator, the more mild cooling wouldn’t have been lethal to crocodiles.<br /> <br /> The analysis is supported by evidence in the layers of the earth that were deposited shortly after the asteroid hit, where soot remnants have been found. The researchers found the soot both near the impact zone as well as on the other side of the world in Spain, suggesting a period when it covered the globe.<br /> <br /> Paul Wignall from the University of Leeds in the UK, who wasn’t involved in the study, said it was a “sophisticated analysis”.<br /> <br /> “Early attempts at modelling this extinction produced scenarios that were so cataclysmic – years of total darkness – that it was hard to see how any life could have survived,” he said.<br /> <br /> “This is a much more nuanced attempt to model the conditions after impact.”<br /> <br /> Wignall said he was left wondering where the soot came from, since the rocks near the impact site don’t appear to be carbon-rich.<br /> <br /> The authors said the asteroid would have burned the oil reserves that were there, leaving none to see today. But nearby oil reserves that were formed millions of years before the impact, were “indirect evidence” that there could have been an oil reserve where the asteroid hit.<br /> <br /> Stephen Brusatte from Edinburgh University said: “What this study does show, very convincingly, is that throwing a lot of soot into the atmosphere can cause very rapid climate change, on the order of a few years.”<br /> <br /> Brusatte said soot might have caused the extinction on its own, but he was not convinced that it did.<br /> <br /> “Whenever a six-mile-wide asteroid hits your planet with the force of over a billion nuclear bombs, that’s a bad day. The asteroid also caused a heat pulse that would have fried the land immediately, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves. All of this together with soot would have been a hideous cocktail, and I’m not sure if any one of these things was more important than any other.”<br /> <i><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The above post is reprinted from <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep28427" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">materials</a> provided by <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep28427" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the journal Scientific Reports.</a></span></u></i></div>

Did oil kill the Dinosaurs?

A catastrophic asteroid strike was the main reason for dinosaur extinction, but had biodiversity not already declined they may have survi...

Read more »

Mozambique reports unquantified diamond discovery

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gahWtmyNJTc/V5Svmvif6gI/AAAAAAAAJHY/cZpMcFxpzGAa44oNHTMja8ZdFdMRt83DACLcB/s1600/Mozambique%2Breports%2Bunquantified%2Bdiamond%2Bdiscovery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gahWtmyNJTc/V5Svmvif6gI/AAAAAAAAJHY/cZpMcFxpzGAa44oNHTMja8ZdFdMRt83DACLcB/s640/Mozambique%2Breports%2Bunquantified%2Bdiamond%2Bdiscovery.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mozambique reports unquantified diamond discovery</span></td></tr> </tbody></table><br /> <i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> In Mozambique, the National Director of Mines last week confirmed that diamonds had been discovered in the Massangena district of the Gaza province. Talking to the Maputo newspaper Notícias, he refused to say how many diamonds had so far been found, but stated that exploration and prospecting activities by both local and international companies were continuing.</span></i><br /> <br /> “What I will say is that Mozambique is a country rich in almost all types of mineral resources, including diamonds, but, unfortunately, we have not had the good fortune to make a thorough study and start exploration yet,” said National Director Elias Daude. “There are, however, companies doing research in Massangena and this has resulted in the discovery of diamonds.”<br /> <br />  He would not reveal how many companies are currently exploring for diamonds in Mozambique. But research by the newspaper established that, in 2011, 21 companies and six individuals had been awarded 40 diamond exploration licences. Although there have been reports that diamond exploration has been undertaken in the provinces of Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Niassa, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia, Daude told the paper that almost all the companies hunting for diamonds were focused on Gaza. (The Save River valley is considered to be prospective for diamonds and the river forms the northern border of Gaza and Inhambane, as well as the southern border of Manica and Sofala.)<br /> <br /> He emphasised the necessity for Mozambique to comply with the Kimberley Process (KP) in order to allow it to export diamonds. “Experts from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy are spearheading the process, so that diamonds can be exported legally,” he pointed out.<br /> <div style="width:100%;margin: 0px auto"><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br /> <!-- insidepost --><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1021498709184325" data-ad-slot="3957834894" data-ad-format="auto"></ins><br /> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /> </div>Just a day after Daude’s interview was published, a committee from the KP arrived in Mozambique to review the country’s progress in meeting its requirements. The Maputo government has approved a number of measures to support its application to join the KP. These include the creation of a supervising agency, the Kimberley Process Management Unit, and a decree which regulates diamond, precious metal and gem sales. These measures will come into effect on November 20.<br /> <br /> The KP is an initiative involving governments, companies and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to prevent rebel movements using diamonds to fund their insurrections against legitimate governments. It was agreed at an international meeting in Kimberley in May 2000 and supported by a United Nations General Assembly resolution the following December. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was set up in November 2002 and came into force in 2003.<br /> <br /> Currently, 80 states plus the European Union (which, with its member States, counts as a single participant) are members of the KPCS, along with the World Diamond Council (which represents the diamond industry worldwide) and a number of NGOs. The KPCS also includes a number of official observers, who actively monitor the scheme’s effectiveness. These are the African Diamond Producers Association, the Civil Society Coalition, the Diamond Development Initiative and the World Diamond Council. Mozambique is one of seven KPCS candidate member countries. The others are Burkina Faso, Chile, Gabon, Kenya, Mauritania and Zambia.<br /> <br /> The KPCS has seven committees and working groups. These are the Committee on Participation and Chairmanship, the Committee on Rules and Procedures, the KPCS Review Committee, the Working Group on Artisanal and Alluvial Production, the Working Group of Diamond Experts, the Working Group on Monitoring and the Working Group on Statistics.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.miningweekly.com/article/mozambique-reports-diamonds-found-but-not-how-many-2016-07-22" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mining Weekly</a></i></b></span></div>

Mozambique reports unquantified diamond discovery

Mozambique reports unquantified diamond discovery  In Mozambique, the National Director of Mines last week confirmed that diamonds had b...

Read more »

Strata sediments in Salta, Argentina

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4g_0ua1HfoA/V5Ntag6I5LI/AAAAAAAAJGg/dB4gON7ZSe4XRzB12D20F1UEe0eD20fogCLcB/s1600/stratified%2Bsediments%2Bin%2BSalta%2B%2528Argentina%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4g_0ua1HfoA/V5Ntag6I5LI/AAAAAAAAJGg/dB4gON7ZSe4XRzB12D20F1UEe0eD20fogCLcB/s640/stratified%2Bsediments%2Bin%2BSalta%2B%2528Argentina%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> Stratified sediments in Salta (Argentina)<br /> <br /> Each layer is generally one of a number of parallel layers that lie one upon another, laid down by natural processes. They may extend over hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of the Earth's surface. Strata are typically seen as bands of different colored or differently structured material exposed in cliffs, road cuts, quarries, and river banks. Individual bands may vary in thickness from a few millimeters to a kilometer or more. Each band represents a specific mode of deposition: river silt, beach sand, coal swamp, sand dune, lava bed, etc.<br /> <i><b><br /></b></i> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGVNk9bwwAw/V5NvJGA9XBI/AAAAAAAAJGs/qRLSICk3xk0K9Dpcxxtck6p-aRwf8-zDACLcB/s1600/stratified%2Bsediments%2Bin%2BSalta%2B%2528Argentina%2529%2B2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGVNk9bwwAw/V5NvJGA9XBI/AAAAAAAAJGs/qRLSICk3xk0K9Dpcxxtck6p-aRwf8-zDACLcB/s640/stratified%2Bsediments%2Bin%2BSalta%2B%2528Argentina%2529%2B2c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5bIVmSaS3p8/V5NvLaduZrI/AAAAAAAAJGw/zHMWnOdDazkoE7c6CaMSt4EYYucYyqKXQCLcB/s1600/stratified%2Bsediments%2Bin%2BSalta%2B%2528Argentina%2529%2B41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5bIVmSaS3p8/V5NvLaduZrI/AAAAAAAAJGw/zHMWnOdDazkoE7c6CaMSt4EYYucYyqKXQCLcB/s640/stratified%2Bsediments%2Bin%2BSalta%2B%2528Argentina%2529%2B41.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <i><b><br /></b></i> <i><b>Photos: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/travelwayoflife/6164341373/in/photostream/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Travel way of life</a></b></i><br /></div>

Strata sediments in Salta, Argentina

Stratified sediments in Salta (Argentina) Each layer is generally one of a number of parallel layers that lie one upon another, laid...

Read more »