SSP
Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

When huge masses of salt move underground: lessons from outcrops that go beyond the table salt

November 3, 2020
When huge masses of salt move underground: lessons from outcrops that go beyond the table salt
Aerial view of the El Gordo Anticlinal (foreground) and La Popa Mountain (background). Credit: Ramon Lopez

There is a place in the NE of Mexico where anyone can learn heaps about the dynamics of the ground beneath our feet while enjoying the wonders of the desert. Geologists call the area ‘La Popa Basin’. La Popa means “The Bow”, a name that comes from the shape of one of the mountains in this area, which resembles the front part of a very large boat. This place is a perfect training field for ge ...[Read More]

Drilling on world’s rooftop – the Nam Co-ICDP campaign on the Tibetan Plateau

November 19, 2024
Drilling on world’s rooftop – the Nam Co-ICDP campaign on the Tibetan Plateau

International Scientific Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) campaigns may lead scientists from all over the world to most exciting places that are often of extraordinary beauty and remoteness. All these attributes certainly apply to Lake Nam Co situated at an altitude of 4700 m above sea level on the Tibetan Plateau in the Himalayas. Today this area supplies one third of the humankind with fresh ...[Read More]

Fossilized Tree Trunks: Preservation in Continental and Marine Ancient Outcrops of Baja California

July 24, 2024
Fossilized Tree Trunks: Preservation in Continental and Marine Ancient Outcrops of Baja California

While working on the exceptional, but remote outcrops of Baja California, I have encountered an extraordinary quantity of fossilized tree fragments in Cretaceous deposits. These fossils were preserved in both subaerial, fluvial, and marine environments. Does this mean that preservation of tree trunks is easy? How can wood be preserved for more than 70 million years? What kind of information can we ...[Read More]

A Story of Fertilizer and the Colour Purple

June 7, 2024
A Story of Fertilizer and the Colour Purple
Fig. 2.3. The image is taken from a painting by Robert Bruce Horsfall

Introduction It is sometimes difficult to admit that you are (officially) a nerd, but I have a confession to make. I have collected dinosaurs on stamps for the last thirty years. Over 10,000 of these stamps have been issued across the world, and the vast majority of these issues are in my collection. One question that I am often asked is when the first dinosaur stamp was issued, which turns out to ...[Read More]

The Geology of Wine

January 14, 2024
The Geology of Wine
Striking terra rosa soils overlying limestone at Coonawarra (www.glug.com.au).

I am sure that there are many geologists who take a keen interest in wine, and not just in drinking it. Explaining the vast diversity of quality, flavours and aromas is no simple task, and what fascinates me is the relative role of the geology, and the associated soils, in determining which vineyards are winners and losers. Many factors will influence the character of the wine, generally summarize ...[Read More]