Review Blog

So today will be my last official entry for the assessment that this blog was created for, but I have to say that I have enjoyed every second of writing this and I would like to continue it or start a new one with a similar theme as I have learnt more about geology and communicating geoscience through doing this than any other way. I would like to hope that you have enjoyed reading it too and it might have triggered something inside you to follow one of the links I attached or find out more about geology for yourself somehow. You might even want to go to university now and study it for yourself? Either way as long as you found it interesting and fun that's all that matters.

Blogging is also a great way to learn about the latest ideas and news around geology and share the information with others too, so if I've enjoyed writing it, and you've enjoyed reading it, why should it end?

In the beginning I said that I aim "to provide regular commentary on academic articles, media reports and  internet posts to communicate geoscience issues to the general public", and I think that this blog has certainly achieved this and even moreso by making it fun too.

The Concept of Time

It goes without saying that the age that a rock can be is potentially a lot older than the average human life span. But just how old is the oldest rock?

The oldest rock found on Earth is a tiny zircon only micrometers in size and is 4.4 billion years old! The Earth is thought to have formed between 4.5 - 4.6 billion years ago so this rock has been around almost since the beginning of our planet.

The early Earth is thought to be a very chaotic landscape, something like this illustration by Steve Munsinger.

Through time there have been mass extinctions and the evolution of life building to the planet we live on today. So here is the geological timescale which all geologists go by when referring to a time period (Click on it to make it bigger).

The exact dates, names and eras of different times are constantly subject to change and can be updated should enough people agree on it.

But I bet you're wondering when life started, what were the big events and what do all of these bits represent? Well instead of writing a long list of when the most important bits of Earth's history was I have found a great youtube song which briefly covers the geological evolution of the Earth, so click the link below to find out more!

Geological Time Song!

Happy reading!

Early Warning System for Earthquakes!

Great news!

In the U.S. an early warning system for earthquakes, tsunamis and floods is being trialled and it has already been effective!

Yes, the system has been used successfully to alert emergency services of flash floods in Southern California.

Much time and effort has been put into (and is still being put into) developing a way that people can get a warning of a natural disaster before it occurs. This as you can imagine is incredibly difficult as predicting events such as earthquakes requires knowledge on a case by case basis.

This system uses GPS technology as well as other sensors which can detect ground movements on a very precise and accurate scale, such as this station photographed below:

Even though the system can only detet tremors moments before the actual quake, the technology can accurately assess the likelihood that the earthquake has of creating a tsunami.

In the case of flash floods, sensors can track in real time the amount of moisture in the air and whether heavy rain is likely or unlikely to occur. From this, the amount of precipitation and water course information, the size and location of flash flooding can be pinpointed.

The warnings and information from this  technology can be distributed using an effective communications method such as smart phones, making the system inexpensive and easily marketed around the world.

So there is hope yet! Technologies are developing and its great to believe that one day, devastating natural disasters will be able to occur with minimal loss of life in the future.

For more information heres the original news article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25467873

Happy reading!

The Chaparrastique volcano erupts!

First things first...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So what geological happenings have occurred over the festive season? Well this story caught my eye…

• The Chaparrastique volcano in eastern El Salvador has erupted!

Volcanoes can go off as and when they choose and this one has been looking quite restless for a while now. The volcano began spewing hot ash and smoke into the air but no-one has been hurt and anyone living within a 3km radius (shown below) of the volcano has been evacuated and moved to temporary shelters to minimise the risk. In this part of the world though there are more than 20 volcanoes in close proximity, so an impending volcano eruption is truely old news.

This volcano is a stratovolcano built up by many layers of lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. This volcano and the many others lie on the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ which is a very large area of subducting tectonic plate. The region contains the most active volcanoes on Earth which are capable of great explosive eruptions. 

You can read more on this story here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25545555