Plate tectonics is the core unifying concept that has underpinned our understanding of the solid earth for over 50 years. To describe your research as moving “beyond plate tectonics” is quite a claim, but Trond Torsvik and the group he leads have some remarkable science to back it up. By tracking the movement of the earth’s plates… Continue reading Beyond plate tectonics
Category: diamonds
Looking from the sky at diamonds
When a geologist looks at Google Maps images, we usually filter out any human activity. But in the case of mines, that would be a mistake – the holes humans dig can tell us about the geology. What’s this? A big circular hole in the ground and large piles of bluish mine waste. The shadows are… Continue reading Looking from the sky at diamonds
Six amazing facts about what’s under your feet
Just 100s km away from you are right now there is a place where rocks can flow, where once-living matter is turned in jewels, from where deadly plumes once killed nearly all life on earth. We can never visit this place – even though it’s right under you. 1. Human beings will never reach the deep… Continue reading Six amazing facts about what’s under your feet
Story of an atom: diamond
This is the third part of a story told to me by a Carbon atom in my brain. It started with her tale of how she ended up on earth, followed by an inside view of the Carbon cycle. So like I said, I’ve fallen into this pattern of cycling around different places, occasionally going underground… Continue reading Story of an atom: diamond