Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology

MinCup: Elevating humble minerals to new heights

Laura Roberts-Artal December 27, 2017

Olivine – the winner of #MinCup 2017. Credit: Hazel Gibson.

Throughout October and November, the world of (Earth science) Twitter was taken by storm: Day after day, Eddie Dempsey (a lecturer at the University of Hull, and @Tectonictweets for those of you more familair with his Twitter handle) pitted minerals against each other, in a knock out style popular contest. The aim? To see which mineral would eventually be crowned the best of 2017. Who knew fiery ( ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Angular unconformity

André Cortesão November 27, 2017

Angular unconformity. Credit: Daniele Penna (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

It is not unusual to observe abrupt contacts between two, seemingly, contiguous rock layers, such as the one featured in today’s featured image. This type of contact is called an unconformity and marks two very distinct times periods, where the rocks formed under very different conditions. Telheiro Beach is located at the western tip of the Algarve; Portugal’s southernmost mainland region and the ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: A spectacular view of moss-covered rocks

Laura Roberts-Artal November 20, 2017

Isle of Skye cliff coast . Credit: Marius Ulm (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Geology has shaped the rugged landscape of the Isle of Skye – the largest island of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides archipelago. From the very old Precambrian rocks (approximately 2.8 billion years old) in the south of the island, through to the mighty glaciers which covered much of Scotland as recently as 14,700 years ago, the modestly-sized island provides a snap-shot through Earth’s dynamic his ...[Read More]

Imaggeo on Mondays: Of ancient winds and sands

Elizaveta Kovaleva November 6, 2017

Movement of ancient sand . Credit: Elizaveta Kovaleva (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Snippets of our planet’s ancient past are frozen in rocks around the world. By studying the information locked in formations across the globe, geoscientist unpick the history of Earth. Though the layers in today’s featured image may seem abstract to the untrained eye, Elizaveta Kovaleva (a researcher at the University of the Free State in South Africa) describes how they reveal the secrets of anci ...[Read More]