What is half-precession? In the first half of the 20th century, the Serbian researcher Milutin Milanković described the periodic changes of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. In recent decades, changes in these Milanković cycles have been shown to have an impact on global climate, and information about this is preserved in geologic records through sedimentological processes. Today we can stud ...[Read More]
A chance to reflect Over the last year, I have been lucky enough to spend more than two months in the field examining a variety of outcrops representing terrestrial, glacial and marine depositional settings. To protect Alberta’s fossil heritage, the law demands that all sites where excavation will be undertaken must be assessed for their paleontological potential. Should it prove likely that signi ...[Read More]
There are not many scientific publications that tackle the issue of subjectivity in geological studies and its impact. In one of them, Baddeley et al. (2004), they state it clearly in some sentences: “the judgements of experts can be biased by their use of heuristics to guide the formation of their opinions” or “accepted or prior opinions of existing experts certainly affect the judgement of other ...[Read More]
This blog summarizes two recent articles about dust in the Paleozoic. Planet Earth is presently undergoing a profound climatic turnover. Improved understanding of both the mechanisms contributing to the present climate change and its consequences for the biosphere, including human society, will not only provide the knowledge required to cope with its effects, but may also shed light on the forces ...[Read More]