Category Archives: History

Zero Degrees of Kelvin

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Ron Miksha

My book, The Mountain Mystery, is not kind to the great physicist Lord Kelvin. I feel a bit uneasy admitting that in my research on the brilliant fellow, I just could not get comfortable. I wouldn’t have been his friend. … Continue reading →

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Seismic Saves the World

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Remarkable that we haven’t blown the planet to bits with an atomic bomb.  Not yet, anyway. An atmospheric nuclear test ban went in effect August 5, 1963. Exactly 51 years ago today. And almost 20 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki … Continue reading →

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Oblated Spheroids, anyone?

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Who cares if the world is not a perfect ball?  You should, for one. Knowing the exact shape of the Earth keeps satellites in place, keeps your GPS navigator working, and keeps you from the dehumanizing torture of asking someone … Continue reading →

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Earthquake Prophets

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Ron Miksha

South Carolina. Earthquake.  Yes, according to the US Geological Survey, you need to link these two together in your mind. The government has issued a warning to folks in that southeast American state that it’s time to anchor the foundation. … Continue reading →

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Alaska knows something

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Ron Miksha

  Alaska is taking credit for proving plate tectonics.  OK, that’s an exaggeration. 50 years ago, in March 1964, an incredibly powerful 9.2 Magnitude earthquake shook Alaska.  We are being told that “the quake proved a theory that was just … Continue reading →

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SWARM of Magnetism

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Ron Miksha

The popular press has been fretting about the impending demise of our protective magnetic field.  Rightly so. We can expect all sorts of nasties when the field fails. The European Space Agency recently placed a “swarm” of magnetism-sensing satellites in … Continue reading →

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Boring Mountains

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Ron Miksha

You might think that “boring mountains” is an odd title for a blog that promotes the study of mountains.  But today marks the anniversary of the death of an engineer who supervised the first major boring of a mountain anywhere … Continue reading →

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Goddess Pele is stirring

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Ron Miksha

The goddess Pele may be restless again.  It seems that the legendary fire-woman, believed by early Hawaiian islanders to live under the sea and breathe lava into the throats of mountains, may be stirring. According to the ancient legends, the … Continue reading →

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The Death of Heezen

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Ron Miksha

The Des Moines Register described Bruce Heezen as a large man. This, they said, contributed to his early death at age 53, on this day in 1977. But when we look at photographs of Bruce Heezen, he doesn’t appear to … Continue reading →

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Mountains by Destruction

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Gustave-Émile Haug. Now, there’s a name you don’t hear everyday. Unless you specialize in the obscure. But everyone has a birthday, today would have been Haug’s, so let us remember the French geologist for his role in helping to develop … Continue reading →

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