Tag Archives: Canada

Spocking Canada

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Ron Miksha

The popular Canadian parlor pastime, Spocking the Five, has come under fire from the Bank of Canada.  The fact that Spocking has been going on for years and has become part of our heritage should make the Bank back off. … Continue reading →

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Sit on a continent, go for a ride.

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Of course you know about plate tectonics. Sit on a continent, go for a ride. You were probably told in grade school that continents move with as much speed (and unstoppable determination) as your fingernails are supposed to grow. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Plate Tectonics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Life Well-Lived

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Two years ago this week, one of our greatest scientists quietly passed away. Although among the world’s unheralded heroes, the life of Lawrence Morley deserves our attention. He helped prove plate tectonics, but in a fluke too common in science … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Geology, History, Plate Tectonics, Space, The Book | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ted Cruz, The Science Guy!

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Ron Miksha

Ted Cruz, the science guy! Those are five words that tickle your tongue when spoken together. But it’s true, the senator is now America’s science guy. Senator Ted Cruz (R–TX) is the new chair of the science and space panel, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Exploration, Religion, Space | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

World’s Biggest Fracking Quake?

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Ron Miksha

“Did Alberta Just Break a Fracking Earthquake World Record?” This is the headline in The Tyee, an online independent magazine focused on western Canada, and it seems the paper thinks so. The Tyee’s coverage of a big fracking earthquake in … Continue reading →

Posted in Engineering, Geology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Banana Peel Tectonics

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Ron Miksha

The 24th annual Harvard Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded to courageous trail-blazing scientists who pushed the limits of curiosity and credulity during the past year. Among the winners of the 2014 prestigious momento were a Canadian who won the Neuroscience … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, How Geophysics Works, Plate Tectonics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Okotoks, The Big Rock

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Ron Miksha

A shattered rock as large as a 3-storey house sits in an alfalfa field on the flat Alberta prairie. It is about 30 minutes from my home in Calgary and the rock is more than a little startling, resting out … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Religion | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tuzo

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Ron Miksha

“Tuzo’s dead.” That was the first time I’d ever heard of Tuzo. It was April 1993 and I wondered who – or what – Tuzo was. Now he was dead. I had already completed my University of Saskatchewan geophysics degree … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, History, How Geophysics Works, Plate Tectonics, Science Education | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Canada’s Deceptive Arm

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Well, this is embarrassing. A friend in the States sent me a link to a Washington Post story. Along with the link, he sent a short note: “So much for your Canada Arm.” You see, I had bragged about Canada’s … Continue reading →

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Russia’s Growing Pains

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Ron Miksha

Russia plans to grow. It may do this by annexing 1.2 million square kilometres of Arctic Ocean. That’s a piece of Earth more than twice the current size of the Ukraine. This includes the North Pole. And potentially a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Exploration, Oceans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments