Geology

Teaching Geology To Non-Geologists: Are We Reaching Them?

As I start my 5th semester here at Auburn University, I will again be teaching introductory labs. I would not say I have a passion for teaching, but it is my deepest desire for the students I teach to learn something about their planet and maybe even consi ...

Article - Amanda Reynolds - Aug 19 2009 - 12:30pm

Water In Earth's Mantle May Be Responsible For Unexpected Conductivity

A team of scientists from Oregon State University has created the first global three-dimensional map of electrical conductivity in the Earth's mantle and their model suggests that that enhanced conductivity in certain areas of the mantle may signal t ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 19 2009 - 5:43pm

Security and Science: Rare Minerals and China

This story caught my eye.  "China currently accounts for 93 percent of production of so-called rare earth elements — and more than 99 percent of the output for two of these elements, dysprosium and terbium, vital for a wide range of green energy techn ...

Blog Post - Sina Kashefipour - Sep 4 2009 - 7:55am

Gamburstev And The Alps Underneath The Antarctic

An international team of scientists has not only verified the existence of a mountain range that is suspected to have caused the massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet to form, but also has created a detailed picture of the rugged landscape buried under more tha ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 7 2009 - 11:03pm

Mars- Red Rocks Resulting From Rust Realistic?

Some scientists believe that Mars is red due to rocks being rusted by water that once flooded the planet. That is not the case, say recent laboratory studies which show that red dust may be formed by ongoing grinding of surface rocks and liquid water need ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 20 2009 - 9:01pm

Pluto Redux? Geology Committee Votes On New Consensus Dates For Prehistoric Quaternary Age

Committees and organizations usually start for the right reasons but over time they need to become self-perpetuating. The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has managed to milk entire decades out of deciding the boundary dates for the Quaternar ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 22 2009 - 12:08pm

Building A Realistic Model River In The Lab- Train Set Size

Should you use sand for stream restoration?    Common wisdom said no, because it disrupts salmon spawning, researchers have successfully built and maintained a scale model of a living meandering gravel-bed river in the lab and found that sand is indispensa ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 29 2009 - 1:52pm

Dating Tips For Men And Women (But Mainly For Rocks)

Dating can be a difficult task, a daunting challenge for men and women the world over. It becomes especially difficult when what you're trying to date is extremely ancient. I'm not talking about romantic dates with seniors though, I don't ha ...

Article - Ben Morrish - May 1 2012 - 11:39am

Peak Oil- It's Still Coming, It May Be Delayed Though

If you're a child of the 1970s you remember peak oil- it was a book that claimed by 1992 we were going to reach maximum capacity and then it would gradually become more scarce.   If you're a fan of science fiction, it meant a world where oil was ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 30 2015 - 12:55pm

Geologists Say New Ocean Likely Forming Under Ethiopian Desert

Back in 2005, when a massive 35-mile-long rift broke open in the Ethiopia desert some geologists controversially claimed that a new ocean was forming as two parts of the African continent pulled apart. Currently, scientists from several countries have supp ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 2 2009 - 5:45pm