Scientists have mapped one of the most hazardous spots on the globe in unprecedented detail: a 600-mile geologic boundary just off the #PacificNorthwest coast.
Along this fraught stretch, called the #CascadiaSubductionZone, 2 pieces of the #Earth’s crust slide against each other, building up stresses capable of unleashing a catastrophic 9.0-magnitude #earthquake & generating a #tsunami, w/waves as high as 40 feet.
…The entire area, which stretches from Northern #California to #Vancouver Island, is at risk. But the scientists found the geometry of the fault off the coast of #Washington, where the fault is flat & smooth, closer to the surface & extends farther onshore, may be particularly at risk.
…This #FaultZone is hazardous because it’s a “megathrust” #fault. One piece of the #Earth’s crust, a tectonic plate called the Juan de Fuca plate, dives down beneath the North American continental plate.
I know it's not striped but "Tiger" is the first thing that came to mind when I picked up this shore rounded granitic stone. Most likely transported here from the Galway region by glacial activity during the last iceage.
County Clare, Ireland.
#PhD#Geology#mining
For anyone interested in working on historic mines, we just got an EU grant to look at the potential of mine waste as a source of desperately needed 'Green' metals, and the environmental implications of leaving this waste be.
Looking to hire a PhD this year yet, strong petrology and analytical chem background needed, preferably some knowledge of metallurgy. German is a ++ as community outreach is important to us.
Reach out if interested. Advert coming soon..
Près de 12 ans après être arrivé sur Mars, le rover Curiosity continue de nous émerveiller par ses découvertes !
Il a mis au jour de magnifiques cristaux il y a quelques jours en brisant un rocher avec une de ses roues. Ces cristaux pourraient être composés de gypse. 1/4
The History and Mystery of Yemen’s ‘Well of Hell’ - The first-ever expedition to the bottom of a startling desert sinkhole found wonders—but only natural ones, by Sarah Durn October 20, 2021
"...Actually, there was a concern more sinister than reptiles and spirits when Al-Kindi finally reached the bottom: unexploded ordnance. Since 2014, Yemen has been in the midst of a bloody civil war and, Al-Kindi explains, pilots sometimes drop bombs into caves, since people seek shelter inside. “So that got me worried a bit,” he says. “Apart from that, it was a very enjoyable moment.” ...Al-Kindi estimates the sinkhole could be several million years old, but its origin, too, is the subject of local legend. One legend says an ancient king forced jinn to carve the “well” as a place to hide his treasure. In others, the well has always served to contain evil, uncontrollable jinn..."
Le rover Curiosity a brisé une roche en roulant dessus, dévoilant des cristaux clairs et laiteux. La zone étant riche en sulfates, il est très probable que ce soit des cristaux de gypse, parmi les plus beaux que je vois depuis le début de la mission ! 1/3
Plate Tectonics Has a Surprise Silver Lining - Without this restless geologic process, which triggers destructive earthquakes, Earth would not be habitable, by Robin George Andrews May 29, 2024
"...on geologic timescales, plate tectonics ensures that Earth won’t grow so catastrophically hot that its surface becomes unlivable. Without plate tectonics, Earth would turn into Venus. And no planet aspires to be more like Venus.
...And, had it not been for—among other things—our world’s endlessly shifting tectonic plates, Earth could have shared the same grim fate as Venus.
Yes, those tectonic plates buckle and stretch, slip and slide, creating faults that jolt and snap, which generate earthquakes—sometimes devastatingly so. But these tremors are the vital sign of a planet with a beating geologic heart, an orb with a transmogrifying face..."
[I immediately thought of Calvin and Hobbes here, lol.]