By Jack Wilkin. One of the techniques used to examine fossils in the laboratory is photography with the aid of UV light. Ultraviolet light causes minerals in the fossils to fluoresce creating a clearer contrast between the fossil and the surrounding matrix. Ultraviolet photography is a cost-effective laboratory technique that can be readily applied to a wide range of strata types and taxonomic gro ...[Read More]
Architecture and sediments, heritage and future
As geoscientists in Europe, we should consider ourselves to be very lucky to have a rich architectural heritage. The first insights we gain about the geology of an area can be read in beautiful historic buildings. For centuries, construction and architecture have been driven by two constraints: adapt to the local environment, and use locally available materials. Heritage buildings thus represent v ...[Read More]
The hard part of life: the secrets of biomineralization
Biomineralization is a fascinating natural process by which living organisms produce hierarchical mineral structures with diverse functions. The “secrets” of biomineralization are explored by the scientists since decades but there are still open questions regarding its function, the regulating mechanisms and why and when biomineralization started.This process occurs through self-organization of or ...[Read More]
Investigating the climate history of Central Asia in Kashmir/India
As in most arid areas, dust storms are quite common in India. Repeatedly, the wind carries large quantities of dust from the Thar Desert in the south-west into the Asian country, sometimes across long distances. There have also been dust storms in India in the past, making geoarchives of aeolian dust a suitable recorder of the past local climate- and dust history. When the climate was rather warm ...[Read More]