Tag Archives: geology

Rocks within rocks, and rocks within rocks within rocks

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Ron Miksha

Originally posted on Primate's Progress:
Benalmadena, Costa del Sol, Spain, some 20 miles West of Malaga, and perhaps readers can enlighten me about what I’m seeing: Rocks within rocks within rocks; red sandstone matrix (no stratification or bedding apparent),…

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Charles Darwin, the Geologist

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Ron Miksha

It’s his birthday. It seems Charles Darwin’s legacy is experiencing a renaissance. Sure, some 60% of Americans vilify the man and hope he is roasting in hell. Or undergoing reincarnation as a toad, or is still awaiting release from purgatory. … Continue reading →

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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 →

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How the Earth’s Mystery Mineral Got Its Name

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Ron Miksha

We seldom get to see a sample of the Earth’s most common mineral. It resides within the mantle at extreme heat and pressure not found on the surface. We think that the mineral resides within the mantle – we are … Continue reading →

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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 →

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The Colour Blind Geologist

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Ron Miksha

I grew up on a truck-garden farm where children were paid to pick strawberries and tomatoes. I couldn’t tell red from green; I was forever poor. My siblings – especially my younger sisters – would pick three baskets for each … Continue reading →

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