Tuesday 28 July 2015

The Geological Evolution of the NW USA.

The Geological Evolution of the NW USA.
Leader: Dr Doug Robinson
Saturday 28 May - Sunday June 12th 2016
The trip will occupy 14 nights, flying into Seattle in Washington State and out of Denver in Colorado.
The weather can be expected to be very variable; temperatures should range from low 60s to lows 70s during the day. The western NW USA usually has its driest period during the summer, but the Yellowstone, and Rocky Mt region near Denver are at high altitude and it is not unknown for snow to fall in summer/early autumn.
There are 15 places available
Transport will be using three rental 7-seat vehicles driven by members of the group.
A provisional cost including return flights, twin shared accommodation each night (in Best Western type motels) and rental of vehicles is £2,375 (+/-5%) per person. Additional costs include: travel to/from LHR; all meals; insurance; shared fuel (~£60); shared passes for park entry (~£25). Optional cost for trips e.g. 20 min helicopter tour of Mt St Helens (~£110).
If you are interested, please contact Doug Robinson.

BRLSI - Strawberry Bank Fossils

BRLSI collections  
- remarkable fossils from Strawberry Bank, Ilminster, Somerset...

Lego Geology

Research Geology In Action!
Please help support this project to show other STEM research opportunities!
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"I'm a female research geologist with a love of lego- this is a sample of my career. The scene here shows research geologists discovering minerals in a limestone rock formation and the characterization of the minerals in the laboratory.
The entire project has 213 pieces total.
Field geology: A female and male geologist with a dog (there's always the obligatory geology dog) exploring a crystal cave system complete with stratigraphic layers. Accessory pieces include:  compass/brunton, rock hammer, shovel, and a geology dog.
Petrographic laboratory: Petrographic laboratory: Mineral analysis performed with a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) complete with an electron backscatter detector to distinguish phases and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) to determine elemental composition using
microanalysis software."

Thursday 16 July 2015

Petrological microscopes for sale

Disposal of surplus teaching microscopes: £100 each
The Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford has a number of former teaching Swift polarizing microscopes to dispose of. Each microscope has been regularly serviced, with optics cleaned and aligned and annually electrically tested (expires end of June 2015).
The cost of each microscope is £100 (collection free, shipping extra).
Viewing instruments prior to purchase is recommended.

 Prior-Swift MP81: sliding analyser and betrand lens, 3 objectives (x4, x10, x40), centering screws, instruction booklet. Weight 6kg
Swift MP120 (the last all British made polarising microscope): sliding analyser and betrand lens, 3 objectives (x4, x10, x40), objective centering screws, instruction booklet. Weight 6.5kg
For further information on availability contact:
Owen Green
Geological Facilities Manager
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Oxford
South Parks Road
Oxford, OX1 3AN
Tel: 01865 272071 or email

Pluto








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Tuesday 14 July 2015

Ancient underwater volcanic range may explain why Australia and New Zealand separated

A chance discovery by an Australian scientific vessel searching for lobster larvae has uncovered a range of underwater volcanoes that have remained inactive, and unknown, for an estimated  50 million years.
While scanning the seabed more than 150 miles off the coast of Sydney, scientists found a cluster of volcanoes sitting three miles beneath the ocean’s surface. In all there were four extinct volcanoes, the largest nearly a mile wide and rising some 2,000ft above the sea floor.
The volcanoes, now calderas which form after the eruption when the land around them collapses, may reveal why Australia and New Zealand separated between 40 and 80 million years ago.
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Wednesday 8 July 2015

Moroccan fossils




Spectacular Moroccan fossils 
redefine evolutionary timelines

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Geological Wealth of Wales

Venue            
Atkins, The Hub (Ground Floor), 500 Park Avenue, Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol, BS32 4RZ.
Click here for download