Curiosity keeps chugging away across the floor of Gale Crater.  A few weeks ago we talked to a rock  (My Interview with a Martian: A Story of Origins) that it met as it is working its way to the base of Mt. Sharp.  I had mentioned that the trip has been a tad boring compared... Continue Reading →
Inverted valleys formed from lava "rivers" and ancient stream beds are one of many unusual geological phenomena found in Utah. Â The rocks speak in Utah and they speak very clearly because they readily reveal so many clues about their origins since they are so visible to us. Â Some of the most powerful testimonies of... Continue Reading →
How does a hill get a flat top? Â The picture below is a Google Maps satellite image of St. George Utah. To the left you can see an airport. This airport is on top of a long hill whose top is well over 100 feet above the city below. Â The airport was built here because... Continue Reading →
Everything has an origin.* Some stories of origins are relatively simple (eg. Niagara Falls)  while others are much more complex (eg. the Grand Canyon).  The study of origins is the study and reconstruction of past events. We have eyewitness accounts of some events from the past but mostly we use circumstantial evidence left behind as... Continue Reading →
There is a strange circular scar on the earth found amongst the meandering incised canyons of southeastern Utah. Â Called upheaval dome because it was originally thought to be the result of the slowing rising of a massive salt dome from below, this highly eroded structure has long been an oddity among the many spectacular sandstone... Continue Reading →
What museum can you go to where  you can see real dinosaur bones, you don't pay any fees, you can touch all the exhibits and there are no security cameras watching your every move (at least I don't think there are:-)?  The answer is The Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail near Moab, Utah.  This outdoor "museum"... Continue Reading →
Yep, dinosaurs are known by more than just their bones.  I have been reading quite a few research papers about dinosaurs as I prepare to write a long set of posts about Dr. Schweitzer and the significance of soft-tissue preservation in dinosaur bones. During this reading I got distracted by a discussion about dinosaur coprolites... Continue Reading →
Around Moab UT you can run down sand dunes and you can hike on rocks that were sand dunes in the past. Â You can take a face-plant on one, as my son did, and not get hurt but you better be very careful not to fall on the other. Â I recently spent a... Continue Reading →
Family vacation with the Duffs always includes some geological sights. Â In 2007 we visited Prince Edward Island and had a wonderful time but the there just wasn't enough geology there to satisfy my curiosity so I took us on a 2 hour detour in Nova Scotia. Â After a lot of "are we there yets" and... Continue Reading →
Large depressions, layers of rocks, precipitated minerals in rock cracks, erratic rocks strewn about, mountains inside of craters: these are just a few examples of the diversity of landscapes on Mars that the Curiosity rover has discovered and been investigating the past six months. Â The mountain at the center of the crater that Curiosity... Continue Reading →
What happened to huge dinosaur eggs that were either abandoned or broke prematurely? Â You might think that this is a question that is impossible to answer, but dinosaur eggs have been discovered with intriguing evidence of scavenging of various forms. Â I recently came across a report from 2011 that I thought was especially interesting... Continue Reading →
Fossilized bones of dinosaurs, whales and mammoths get all of the attention but trace fossils provide important evidence for interpreting when and how organisms lived on Earth in the past. Trace fossils are not the fossilized remains of organisms themselves but rather are evidence of the past presence of organisms. Â The most recognizable trace fossils... Continue Reading →
Previously we explored some meteorites that have been found on Earth that are very likely from Mars (Finding Mars on Earth).  Only a small percentage of the meteorites found on Earth are from Mars with a few more (over 100) originating from the moon.  The remainder presumably come from the far reaches of the... Continue Reading →
The data flowing from Mars has been impressive the past two weeks. Each day brings hundreds of new images many of which contain scenes like no others ever sent back to Earth before.  I have followed the travels of previous rovers and looked at 10s of thousands of pictures they have beamed back over... Continue Reading →
This is part of series of posts on the Sea Salt Chronometer. Other posts in this series are: The Salty Sea and the Age of the Earth: Confirmation Bias The Salty Sea Part II: A Young Earth Salt Chronometer? The Salty Sea Part III: Are the Oceans Getting Saltier Over Time? The Salty sea Part... Continue Reading →
Naturalis Historia 