This is a crossed polarized light photomicrograph of an impact spherule; a small mineralisation made when a meteorite hits the Earth and melts the rock at the point of impact, from Barberton Greenstone Belt, in South Africa. These spherules are the only remnants of Early Earth’s meteorite impact history, from between of 3.2 and 3.5 billion years ago. In this photo you can see the K-feldspar ...[Read More]
Imaggeo On Monday: Condensation drop on sulphur
Mineralogy, as a subject, often has a hard time. Despite it’s place at the core of the traditional geological sciences, and its importance in a huge variety of other subjects, mineralogy sometimes has a reputation of being complicated and inaccessible and, well, some people have even called it boring. This is also related to the way that minerals are often hugely misunderstood by non-geoscie ...[Read More]
Imaggeo On Monday: The kidneys of the Planet
In the past, humans considered wetlands as morbid environments where it was difficult, if not impossible, to live. Wetlands, instead, are vital to the health of wildlife and humans, as the Ramsar convention stated in 1971. Wetlands regulate the water flow, buffering droughts as well as floods, and also contribute to the provision of clean water. In addition to water flow regulations and to the pro ...[Read More]
Imaggeo On Monday: The veins of the living planet
Today’s imaggeo on Monday provides us with a space to reflect on the interconnected nature of our planet’s systems. The photographer, Antonello Provenzale, wrote of this image: Earth is a living planet, where the water cycle plays an essential role. A waterfall in the mountains of Valle Pesio, Italy, in a landscape of vegetation and mosses, reminds us of the fluxes and cycles of water ...[Read More]