Did you know that there are big, blob-like anomalies in the deep mantle which are larger than a continent and rise up to hundreds of kilometers from the core-mantle boundary? Today’s post is all about those blobs and what we know and do not know about them. If you want to know more about why …[Read More]
Anybody that has read at least one post of my weekly column, knows I am not shy about giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Or in this case clearly pointing at the problems in the academic world. Alba seems to have taken this one step further and asks: Why is no one in academia …[Read More]
Soaking up the sun and recharging batteries on a peaceful and quiet summer day, or fighting to stay upright during extreme snow storms in the middle of winter, while continuously recording valuable air temperature, pressure, wind-speed and so much more – such is the life of an automatic weather station on the Greenland ice sheet. …[Read More]
Davide Faranda is a physicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). His main interests are devoted to the construction of a statistical mechanical and dynamical systems framework for the study of atmospheric motions. In particular, his works aim at the characterization of the metastable states of the atmospheric circulation with simple mathematical …[Read More]
Tapping into commercial datasets Over the last two years, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of construction related projects across Alberta, both as a palaeontologist and as geologist. They have included pipeline lays and inspections, bridge and highway remediation, building projects, quarrying and dam construction. Each of the projects has offered …[Read More]
Mantle flow and deformation beneath tectonic plates
2022 Ada Lovelace Workshop on Numerical Modelling of Mantle and Lithosphere Dynamics is finally coming! Have you got started packing for travelling to Hungary? I got you something to read about on your way to the workshop. Who is Ada Lovelace? The workshop, previously known as the ‘International Workshops on Mantle and Lithosphere Dynamics’, was …[Read More]
Whether you’re just starting out in academia or have been around the block a few times so speak, setting out a new proposal is daunting. Whether it’s coming up with the research topic or fieldwork idea, figuring out how to get the support you need or submitting it to whoever you need approval from, none …[Read More]
For geochronologists it is all about precision and accuracy. For petrochronologists it is more about precise positioning of those ages to trace back the evolution of a rock. For many, it is not just about getting a crystallisation or metamorphic age, it is about knowing when and at what conditions a given rock experienced certain …[Read More]
Cowie et al. (2005) is an exciting “must-read” for any geologist interested in rift systems. It examines strain accumulation and extension within a rift basin and scrutinizes model predictions with field observations. The authors highlight two sets of models, the first set of models uses brittle deformation to explain extension (e.g., King et al., 1988; …[Read More]
