Who wants volcanic bombs from Italy? You do, of course.

March 9, 2012 in Fieldwork

One of the most interesting things about of having a blog is receiving e-mail from distant corners of the globe. Sometimes, they bear gifts.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by an Italian volcanic bomb enthusiast who wanted to send me volcanic bombs from Etna in exchange for bombs I collected elsewhere. Sort of a volcanic bomb pen pal situation. It was an unusual request, but how do you say no to that?

After some e-mailing back and forth, being careful to always type “volcanic” in front of the word “bomb”, I packaged up some samples from Cerro Chopo in Costa Rica and Cerro Negro in Nicaragua and sent them off to Italy (they’re still en route). In exchange, I received a package that made my day, week, and probably month.

Behold!

Aerodynamic volcanic bomb from 1646 eruption.

Another VERY aerodynamic bomb suggesting that it flew through the air while still molten.

Probably part of a Strombolian eruption, with lots of "spatter".

So, on an otherwise normal Tuesday, I received a package from Italy containing these spectacular samples (and about a dozen others) wrapped in Italian newspaper from my new volcano friend across the Atlantic. Needless to say, all other Tuesdays will be a big letdown.

More importantly, he seemed to be eager to find other volcanologists willing to participate in his international volcanic bomb exchange. If you’re interested and have something good to send him, let me know and I can put you in touch. Remember that he’s ONLY interested in volcanic bombs, not other volcanic material. You gotta love that kind of dedication.

Tags: Etna, Italy, volcanic bomb
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Want to help design the next Estwing hammer?

March 6, 2012 in Opinion

Awhile ago, I wrote a post about Estwing hammers and the geologists who love them, which inspired some commentators to reminisce about their first Estwing. Last week I was contacted by an Estwing employee who appreciated these sentiments and wanted to know if I had any suggestions for new products or ways of improving existing ones.

Did I ever.

Ever since I’ve been a geologist, I’ve been breaking sledgehammers. A few years ago in Nicaragua, our field day ended abruptly when an unnamed colleague of mine broke our second and final sledgehammer. I’ve long dreamed of a large sledgehammer with a metal handle designed not to “ring”, which would cause some serious pain after a few days of work. I suggested this to my new friend at Estwing and he actually brought it to the engineers there. Alas, they were concerned about the added weight of the handle and nixed it, but the point is that they listened and want to hear more.

This Estwing employee also asked me if I had any other ideas, so I thought I’d harness the power of the entire Estwing-loving universe out there.

Do you have any ideas for new Estwing products or ways to improve existing ones?

Let’s get creative here. How bout a hammer that has a rock pick on one side and a chisel point on the other? Do you want bigger hammers? Smaller hammers? Other geo-tools? Leave your ideas in the comments and I’ll send the link to the folks at Estwing. They may not go for your idea, but you never know.

And if you want to give a shout out for my full-sized-metal-handled sledge, I’d appreciate it.

Tags: Estwing, Hammers
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MORE helicoptering over Iceland!

February 27, 2012 in Fieldwork

I got such a great response from my earlier post of photos taken from a helicopter in Iceland, that I decided to go for round 2 (I certainly have enough left). Enjoy.

: I was so excited, I took about 25 pictures, before we left the ground.

Reykjavik neighborhood featureing the very common white buildings with colored roofs.

I can't get over the color of that water.

Pretty sure that's a normal fault scarp.

This is most likely a piece of a failed rift that has been weathered. The extension looks too old to be active.

Those white dots in the upper left are gigantic hay bales wrapped in plastic.

That water is cold, but oh so inviting.

I just love this photo. I've always felt that nothing ruins a great photo like scale. The geologist is fighting the artist.

Meandering river makes me wish I had a kayak. Next time...

Our pilot, Snurrin, who is absolutely positively and in all other ways, The Man.

Now that's a good camera. Way to stop a helicopter rotar in its tracks.

A great example of disequilibrium in response to base level change. That river never saw it coming and is not happy. Also a great way to spot active rifting. The white dots to the right are HUGE bags of rocks that look like they were helicoptered in. Why? Beats me.

Reverse angle from previous photo.

Reykjavik's famed Church of Hallgrimur under construction with some major league scafolding.

Perlan (The Pearl), one of Reykjavik's most recognizable landmarks. Five large hot water tanks, restaurant, shops, and museum. Very strange.

That’s all for now.

Tags: glacier, helicopter, Iceland, Reykjavik, rift, The Pearl
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A Heart of Stone for Valentine’s Day and a spectacular mantle xenolith

February 14, 2012 in Fieldwork

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Xenolith from Cerro Mercedes, Costa Rica. Photo by Fara Lindsay.

Tags: cerro mercedes, heart of stone, mantle, xenolith
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The Super Foolproof Volcanoclast Guide to Identifying Almost Every Mystery Rock Wthout Ever Actually Looking at it

February 10, 2012 in Post

One of my absolute favorite parts about teaching geology is when people bring me mystery rocks/minerals to identify. Not only do I love rocks, but this shows me that others care about what I do, even if they don’t have a lot of experience with geology. Sometimes these are students from my classes, but occasionally other faculty members or even people from the community will stop by looking for answers. I have noticed, as perhaps many of you have as well, that MOST of these rocks are fairly common. Ok, I guess “most” of anything is by definition “common”, but that’s beside the point. I’m just saying that these found specimens are rarely Archaean komatiites or hunks of primitive mantle. To save time, I’ve developed a foolproof system that promises to help you to identify virtually all of these mystery rocks/minerals without ever actually looking at them.

The Super Foolproof Volcanoclast Guide to Identifying Almost Every Mystery Rock/Mineral Without Ever Actually Looking at them.

Step 1: Tell them it’s quartz. I don’t care what it looks like or where they found it. Tell them it’s quartz and you will be right 95%* of the time. Is it white? Quartz. Is it light gray? Quartz. Is it milky colored? Quartz. Do they think it’s a diamond? Quartz. We could probably stop right here and call this the It’s-Always-Quartz-No-Matter-What-Guide.

Step 2: If they think it’s a meteorite, it’s slag (byproduct of iron smelting). Again, you don’t have to look at it to be 98% sure. There’s a reason most meteorites are found in Antarctica and not in a pile of other rocks. In northeastern PA, where I work, I get at least one piece of slag a year and people are SOOOOOOO disappointed when I give them the bad news. Next time, I’m telling them it’s Kryptonite. Once in a lifetime it might actually be a meteorite, in which case you simply tell them it’s slag and that you’d be happy to dispose of it for them.

Step 3: If they think it’s gold, it’s pyrite (obviously). Now this seems like a no brainer seeing as pyrite is also known as fools gold, but you’d be surprised how often people fight you on this. If they don’t believe you, suggest they try to bite it in half, then watch in horror as they actually try to do it. PLEASE DON’T EVER BITE ANY ROCK OR MINERAL ESPECIALLY IF YOU THINK IT’S GOLD. IT ISN’T. IT WILL BREAK YOUR TEETH!!!

Step 4: They say they found a gray rock in a river. In this case, give them a detailed explanation of the importance of texture in identifying rocks and how rivers tend to wear away this helpful information, so there really are a number of things it could be and it’s a little difficult to say for sure without doing more testing, but if they really want to know, you could borrow the rock and get back to them and with any luck, they stopped listening several minutes ago or even fell asleep at which point you can make your escape. The key is to never EVER admit that you don’t know what it is under any circumstances. Its a good lesson for the kids.

Step 5: They say they found a fossil. This one is easy. Pterodactyl. Always Pterodactyl. If they aren’t buying it, just say it’s a plant fragment, which, let’s face it, 99.9% of all fossils are.

Step 6: It’s got a bunch of different “stuff” in it. Now, you geologists out there are screaming “it’s conglomerate!” and maybe it is, but it’s just as likely to be a broken piece of urbanite (that’s concrete for those who didn’t get my clever joke). Concrete is often mistaken for conglomerate and for good reason. They’re both made of poorly sorted sediment, cemented together into solid pieces that are resistant to weathering. Its still fun to watch students debate the depositional environment of a piece of concrete, mostly because that used to be me.

Step 7: They think it’s amber. It’s not. It’s glass. Now this one, I have a little experience with. I got a a call from someone claiming to have “found” a 30 pound piece of amber, which would make it perhaps the largest piece of amber ever “found”. I asked where they “found” it and they answered “New Jersey”, otherwise known as the “Amber Capital of the World”. This person clearly needed to be let down easy, so I agreed to take a look at what turned out to be a giant hunk of broken glass. I tried to get more info on its provenance, but they were cagey on the details. Sometimes, it’s best not to pry.

So, there you have it. A foolproof guide to identifying virtually any mystery rock someone might throw at you (The mystery is being thrown, not the rock). If you do happen to have an Archaen komatiite, stop on by and let’s take a look. Just don’t be surprised if I say it’s quartz.

* I plan on making up these percentages for the duration of the post, so please don’t try adding them up. They will not add up to 100%. I promise.

Tags: guide, minerals, rocks
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And the winner of the super terrific Accretionary Wedge #42 geologic prize pack is…

February 1, 2012 in Fieldwork

Maitri’s entry was chosen at random from all of the Accretionary Wedge #42 entries and will receive the prize pack consisting of a volcanic bomb, a piece of mantle peridotite, ash from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, ash from the 640 ka eruption of Yellowstone, a rough diamond cube, a piece of Pennsylvania anthracite, and a spectacular piece of garnet amphiboolite. Congratulations! Also, thank you to all who sent in entries, which are all listed below. This was a lot of fun and we all got to see some very interesting geology right under our coffee makers and blenders. My own entry will be posted soon.

Accretionary Wedge #42 Entries

http://gioscience.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop.html

http://earthscienceguy.posterous.com/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology-deco

http://www.sandatlas.org/2012/01/houses-built-from-diamonds-and-impact-breccia/

http://bnselim.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/accretionary-wedge-42-rocky-eggs/

http://earth-likeplanet.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-counter-top.html

http://all-geo.org/metageologist/2012/01/granite-and-green-shoes-aw-42/

http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/2012/01/25/rocks-in-the-kitchen-accretionary-wedge-42-entry/

http://earth-likeplanet.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-counter-top.html

http://hypocentral.com/blog/2012/01/30/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/

http://geotripper.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop.html

http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/

http://offtheshelfedge.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology-palacio-de-carlos-v-conglomerate/

http://plantsandrocks.blogspot.com/2012/01/little-bone-house-on-prairie.html

http://vatul.net/blog/index.php/6547

http://annsmusingsongeologyotherthings.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67507070@N00/5976170129/

http://poikiloblastic.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology-of-two-marbles/

http://bnselim.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/accretionary-wedge-42-rocky-eggs/

I also posted some entries here and here.

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“Fair Use” is defined by the law, not by publishers

January 26, 2012 in Opinion

A discussion thread has recently opened up in response to short article by Simon Wellings of metageologist who wrote about how various publishers allow (or forbid) you to use their copyrighted material in a news story or blog post. Brian Romans added to this discussion a few days later and the Geological Society of America sent out a tweet reminding everyone of their policy regarding reprinting of copyrighted material.

While I think the GSA policy is fair in the sense that they permit you to use enough of the copyrighted material to write a decent news story or blog post, an important point has been lost entirely: “Fair Use” is defined by the law, not by publishers.

It’s nice that the GSA permits the use of a “single figure, a brief paragraph, or a single table from a GSA publication” without permission, however that’s not their decision to make. U.S. copyright Law is codified in Title 17 of the United States Code and the doctrine of “fair use” is described in section 107 of the Copyright Law. The government even provides this useful summary of “fair use”. Reprinted here (with attribution, of course) is the relevant section.

“Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
The nature of the copyrighted work
The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.” (emphasis mine)

So there you have it. The use of a single figure for teaching might be considered “fair”, while the production of that same figure on a t-shirt sold for profit may be deemed by the court to violate the publishers copyright. However, nowhere in the above definition does it say that “fair use” is dependent on the policy of the content owner. If the GSA or any other publisher wants to define “fair use” as one figure or ten, they are welcome to, however it’s ultimately up to the courts to decide whether a specific use is “fair” or not.

Tags: copyright law, fair use
9 Comments »

Accretionary Wedge #42…or Why I’ve Loved Rocks Since Before I Could Walk

January 25, 2012 in Accretionary Wedge

This Accretionary Wedge entry comes from Viva and is exactly what I was hoping for. What a great story. Thanks! Remember, you only have until the end of the month to get your entry in if you want to be entered for the special geologic prize pack.

This is a love story about an end table.

It sits in my maternal Grandma’s living room in Colorado, and it has since before I was born. I learned to walk by pulling myself up on it, and cruising round and round and looking at the ‘pretties’. As I got older, I would spend hours examining it, and trying to figure out where the rocks came from and how they were formed.

5 years ago while cleaning out my Paternal Grandma’s basement in Oregon I found an almost exact twin buried in the back room!

Larger versions and close-ups of slices uploaded here, as well as my ‘runner up’ items - http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v201/brennatidwell/Accretionary%20Wedge%2042/

The table was in pretty rough shape when I found it.. moved about the country several times, and exposed to the weather. I refinished the legs (original 60′s blond wood. yuk) none of them match now, as they are all different woods. (stamped JAPAN on the ends). The top has some condition issues, as you can see in the close-ups, scratches and bubbles where the ‘plastic’? has separated from some areas, but it’s still solid.

Now when my 5 yr old grandson comes over, this is his favorite place to play.

These tables were created by Leonard Rhodeman near Amherst Colorado sometime in the 60′s. He was a farmer and this was his hobby, so near as we can figure there should be no more than 20-30 in existence. He would ‘go up to the mountains’ and collect the rocks, bring them home and slice them up. Everyone around there usually headed ‘up the mountains’ by way of Ft. Collins on the way up to Poudre Canyon in the front range of the Rockies. (I’m hoping someone can tell me if they could be from the Rockies). I’m also hoping someone knows something of the process used to make the table. I want to have the surface buffed out to remove the scratches, but not until I know it won’t ruin it.

So, this marvelous decorative piece is my entry for Accretionary Wedge #42.

Runners up were..

This horrid 70′s? lamp that I just LOVE.

and this 8” tall Alabaster Goblet. Label states ‘hand carved in Italy’ but is a lovely yellow color that might come from Egypt. Most gorgeous when it has a candle burning inside.

Thanks for letting me show off my treasures! I would love to win the prize pack to add to the Family rock collection, but I’ve had so much fun putting together this little post that I’m a winner already!

Viva

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Wednesday Word – Naphtha

January 25, 2012 in Wednesday Word

Last week I introduced the Wednesday Word feature to volcanoclast and began with perhaps the longest word in the English language. Every week, I’ll dig through my Glossary of Geology for a good geo-word. Welcome to week 2.

Naphtha: (naph’-tha) An archaic term for liquid petroleum. It is now used to designate those hydrocarbons of the lowest boiling point (under 250 degrees C) that are liquid at standard conditions, but easily vaporize and become inflammable. They are used as cleaners and solvents. (Glossary of Geology)

Can I just take a moment to quote Dr. Nick Riviera? “Inflammable means flammable? What a country!”

This word goes back a long way and, according to our good friend Wikipedia, is “naft” in arabic and “neft” in Hebrew, both meaning petroleum (Probably no connection to NAFTA, but I’ll double-check). The Second Book of the Macabees uses “naphtha” to refer to a miraculous flammable liquid. Naphthalene and Napalm also derive from Naphtha. Naphthas are middle distillates derived from oil refining and are both volatile and flammable (and inflammable!).

Tune in next week. Got a suggestion for the Wednesday Word? Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget your Accretionary Wedge #42 entry and the special geologic prize pack! Only 6 days left.

Tags: naphtha, Wednesday Word
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If it’s real, then it’s spectacular – Accretionary Wedge 42 Entry

January 21, 2012 in Accretionary Wedge

This Accretionary Wedge entry if from Bob Chesson who said “The conglomerate (meta sediment) is called green marinacci (sp?)which I believe is from South Africa. Not sure if the name is a ‘trade’ name or the actual formation name. but is definitely cool.” Obviously, this looks like a conglomerate, but I’m a little suspicious that it may be an engineered stone made up of loose cobbles, artificially cemented together, but I would need to take a closer look. What do the rest of you think? Either way, it’s a beautiful stone. Thanks for sending it in, Bob. For the rest of you, make sure to get your entries in by the end of the month to be entered to win the special geologic prize pack.

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