Unlucky dinosaurs

Where the Asteroid Struck was the Worst Possible Place

This article discusses the after affects of the asteroid impact 66m years ago, near the Yucatan Peninsula. The dust and soot cloud was the killer. It was previously thought that much of the soot came from forest fires. But the rocks struck were particularly rich in hydrocarbons (and sulphate containing gypsum). Thus the soot was very fine and hydrocarbon rich. The result was "nuclear winter" and acid rain. And the extinction of the dinosaurs and an opportunity for mammals.

Much of this was known before but the authors suggest that if the asteroid had struck elsewhere the results would have been less catastrophic. 

Obligatory dinosaur picture

Geomagnetic spike

What does a 3,000 year old "Geomagnetic Spike" tell us?

Studies of ancient slag heaps show that the magnetic field varied in strength by 100% over a 30 year period. But only in a small area centred on Jordan.

Strength of Earth's magnetic field in 2010 (left) and 1000BCE (right)

This article discusses this and speculates about what was happening in the core and whether it could happen again and the likely consequences. 

Next week 6th to 12th November 2017

NEXT WEEKS EVENTS

6th to 12th November 2017

The following is an extract from Bristol Geology Calendar

More details can be found in the Calendar and on the web sites of the relevant Society or organisation.

All Week (except Monday)

10:00

 Bristol City Museum - Pliosaurus!

WhenSun, 13 August, 10:00 – 17:00

WhereBristol Museum & Art Gallery (map)

DescriptionTravel back in time 150 million years and dive into Bristol’s Jurassic seas. We dare you to come face to face with one very special creature – an eight metre long Pliosaurus called Doris. She’s the ultimate predator and you’ll be awestruck as you touch her skin, listen to her heartbeat and smell her disgusting breath! Then travel forward to the present day to find out more about this amazing beast. See her actual fossil – one of the world’s most complete – and play games to discover more about her life and death. All the family can have fun investigating the science that helped us bring her back to life. Ideal for children aged 3-11 years old. Discovered in Westbury, Wiltshire in 1994, our internationally significant specimen is the world’s only example of a new species of pliosaur – Pliosaurus carpenteri – and will be on public display for the first time. Pliosaurs are so big that it took ten years to prepare all the fossils that were found. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery opening times: Tue-Sun: 10am-5pm Closed Mondays except Bank Holiday Mondays and Mondays during Bristol school holidays: 10am-5pm

  

Monday 6th

Dave Green - The Devonian Period

When

Mon, 6 November, 19:30 – 21:30

Where

Wynstones School, Stroud Road, Whaddon, Gloucester (map)

Description

The Devonian Period 419 to 358 million years ago, this period (whose existence was hotly disputed by Sedgwick and Murchison in the 1820s and 30s) saw the amalgamation of two parts of Britain (but strangely not including Devon!), the emergence of widespread land vegetation, closely followed by insects and terrestrial tetrapods. A major extinction, of disputed origin, wiped out a large proportion of life towards the end of the period. Half the world consisted of a vast ocean (Panthalassa), which, like the modern Pacific, was gradually being destroyed by subduction, in favour of the Rheic and PalaeoTethyian Oceans. Starts Mon 18th September for 10 weeks (not 16th or 23rd Oct), until 4th December Held at Wynstones School, Stroud Road, Whaddon, Gloucester from 7.30-9.30pm on Mondays. Cost £70 (including tea, coffee etc at breaktime!).

Contact Dave Green, Joys Green Farm, Forge Hill, Lydbrook, Glos GL17 9QU Tel 01594 860858

davegeostudies@gmail.com

Tuesday 7th

Wednesday 8th

Thursday 9th

Friday 10th

When

Fri, 10 November, 18:00 – 19:00

Where

Anson Rooms, Students Union, Queens Road, Bristol, United Kingdom (map)

Description

Richmond Lectures: Richard Fortey

***This event is being hosted in collaboration with DinoSoc***

 

Richard Fortey tells of the adventures and misadventures he experienced during his working life at The Natural History Museum, as he travelled the world in search of long-extinct trilobites. His books and television series draw on a long life as a naturalist and palaeontologist.

Book now (free tickets): https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/events/richmond-lectures-richard-fortey/buy_ticket

Saturday 11th

Sunday 12th

Richard Fortey

Richmond Lectures: Richard Fortey

I have been asked to publicise this:

***This event is being hosted in collaboration with DinoSoc***

Anson Room, Students' Union

 

Richard Fortey tells of the adventures and misadventures he experienced during his working life at The Natural History Museum, as he travelled the world in search of long-extinct trilobites. His books and television series draw on a long life as a naturalist and palaeontologist.

Venue/Timing

Venue : Richmond Lectures

Type: Richmond Lectures

Start Date: Friday 10-11-2017 - 18:00

End Date: Friday 10-11-2017 - 19:00

Book now (free tickets): https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/events/richmond-lectures-richard-fortey/buy_ticket

Book Offer

Smith and Murchison - Book Offer

I received this today from John Morton BSc FGS. I am sure some of you will be interested.

I wonder if your any of your readers would be interested in my biographies of William Smith (Strata) and Roderick Murchison (King of Siluria).  I can offer them post free.  I attach fliers describing the books.  

As I am sure you are aware, William Smith, among many other achievements, was the Resident Engineer of the Somersetshire Coal Canal and my book includes details of his house at Tucking Mill and the remains of the canal which can still be visited.

Roderick Murchison has family connections in Bathampton (Memorial in the church)..

Here are the fliers.

-----------------------------------

Festival of Geology

Festival of Geology

I wont be able to go to this but here is the programme

SATURDAY 4TH NOVEMBER PLEASE JOIN US AT THIS CELEBRATION OF GEOLOGY

DISCOVERY ROOM: Full of activities for children including, fossil making, shifting sharks teeth, microfossil activities and dinosaur workshops.

Lectures in the Darwin Lecture Theatre

11.30–12.15     Dr Susannah Maidment:  How to weigh a dinosaur

12.30–1.15       Professor Chris Jackson: Hot Rocks Under Our Feet: What can we learn about Volcanism from X-raying Earth?

2.00–2.15 Presentation to the Winners of the Photographic Competition by the GA President.    Entries on  display all day in the Haldane Room.

I'm sorry I wont be in London to get my Highly Commended award for this photo of Horseshoe Bend, Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah. But if you get the GA Calendar you will see it as the photo for October

2.15–2.00  Professor Iain Stewart:  Hot Rocks: The Fall and Rise of UK Geothermal Energy                                                 

3.15–4.00   Professor Lidunka Vocadlo Core! What a scorcher! Hot and squashed in the centre of the Earth 

A Guided Walk 11.00 - 12.00 The Geology of UCL  around the Bloomsbury Campus - led by Dr Wendy Kirk

SUNDAY 5TH NOVEMBER

Field trips to Riddlesdown Quarry, Building Stones Walk Central London, Route of HS2 Misbourne Valley

Follow this link to book on any of these trips https://geologistsassociation.org.uk/festival.html#walksSATURDAY 4TH NOVEMBER PLEASE JOIN US AT THIS CELEBRATION OF GEOLOGY

Predicting eruptions

Why Predicting Eruptions is Difficult and How to Improve It.

This long article, using Yellowstone as an example, describes current eruption prediction (earthquakes, ground deformation, gas discharge) and suggests better methods involving geophysics, (seismic tomography) and petrology (geospeedometry). And scientific drilling. 

I had never come across the term geospeedometry before and the thought of drilling into a magma chamber gives this retired drilling engineer the willies! So I read the article and it is very interesting. 

Apparently magma drilling "requires cooling the rock in front of the drill bit to quench a narrow cylinder of melt so that it can be further penetrated." What would you use? A liquid which did not vaporise? I will need to research this further.

There is a lot more of interest in the article - well worth reading.

Schematic diagram of the magmatic system beneath Yellowstone caldera (~50 kilometers in diameter). Tomographic studies estimate 5% to 15% melt within the upper silicic magma reservoir. Red dots are earthquake hypocenters. Credit: Modified from Lowenstern and Hurwitz [2008]

Photomicrograph of sanidine from California’s Inyo Domes illustrating sharp growth zones. These zones track different episodes in the evolution of the magma surrounding these crystals as they grew. Credit: N. Matthews and J. Vazquez, USGS