Oxygen - is Sunshine Needed?

Geologists used to think that free oxygen is the result of life, cholesterol and sunshine. But THIS ARTICLE suggests that we will have to change our ideas. The article is based on THIS ACADEMIC PAPER in Nature Geoscience.

The authors discovered an increase of oxygen concentration with depth while studying metallic nodules on the bed of the Pacific. These nodules contain "interesting" (i.e profitable) metallic elements and there is pressure to mine them.

The authors were commisioned to studt the impact that mining would have on the seafloor ecosystem. Part of their study was to look at oxygen levels. They expected to find a decline with depth. They discovered the opposite and that the oxygen was coming from the nodules.

The mechanism of oxgen production is thought to be electrolysis of seawater caused by potential difference between metal ions within the nodules.

This newly discovered source of oxygen may lead to a rethink of biological evolution and the oxygenation of the Earth!

What it does to the prospects of deep sea mining promises to be interesting.

So-called polymetallic nodules are potato-size lumps of oxides of iron and manganese that also contain precious metals like cobalt and rare earth elements. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration)

What is the Younger Dryas?

I stumbled upon THIS ARTICLE and was impressed by its clarity in describing the Younger Dryas. I knew that the Younger Dryas existed but I must have missed the lecture when it was defined. And I was vaguely aware that there was some controversies associated with it.

The Skeptoid web site specialises in debunking the fake science which proliferates on the internet and is well worth supporting - and you get clear descriptions of the Younger Dryas!

 Heart of Wales Geopark Opening

On 27th July the "Heart of Wales Geopark will open. The details are contained in the poster which you can read below or download HERE.

  Down to Earth Extra July 2024

The July 2024 edition of Down to Earth Extra has been published. You can download it HERE or you can read it below.

The Best Preserved Trilobites 

The New Scientist magazine has THIS ARTICLE which is based on the discovery of some remarkably well preserved Cambrian trilobites in Morocco. The original article can be found HERE. Full access is behind a pay wall but you can download a PDF, from the same page, which contains a huge amount of detail, including maps, illustrations and references.

The trilobites were preserved through rapid ash burial in a pyroclastic flow entering a shallow marine environment.

This fossil shows the digestive system (blue), the hypostome (green), the labrum (red) and selected appendages

Arnaud Mazurier/University of Poitiers

The finest details of its exterior and interior have been preserved. The illustration below gives you some idea of the level of detail.

 Tour de France Geology

Some of you may be aware that the Tour de France starts today - Saturday 29th June. One of the joys of following it is looking at the scenery, especially the views from the hovering helicopters. And often the geology is intriguing. A correspondent brought THIS WEBSITE to my attention. This will be giving a geological perspective to each stage.

Just to be contrary, this year the Tour starts in Florence, Italy and the web site talks about the tectonics of the Appenines. THE ARTICLE for today is written by someone who knows what she is talking about and she gives references for further reading. 

Each day of the Tour has a different geological topic and a different author. I hope they will all be so informative.

Tectonic units of the Northern Apennines with indicated buried faults (Figure from Conti et al., 2020). The course of stage 1 in yellow.

 Is Geological Research Becoming Less Interesting?

Over the last while I have been floundering to find things to put in the blog. There has still been a lot of local geological happenings which I am always pleased to highlight, but there has been a dearth of other stuff.

I thought this was just me not looking hard enough but then I came across THIS ARTICLE from a man who has been the source of many of the articles I have published. And he says the same! Why this should be so, neither he or I can think of a good reason. Let us hope it is just a passing phase.

I hope he (and I) find some interesting articles soon. If you came across something notable, let me know and it will appear here.