The South Mayo Trough: tiny grains record huge events

Sedimentary basins have been described as ‘tape recorders’ that preserve evidence of past events. Some sedimentary basins contain ‘recordings’ of grand tectonic events – plate collisions and mountain building. The information is stored as subtle but compelling patterns in the type of sand grains. Combined with studies of linked metamorphic and igneous rocks, they allow us… Continue reading The South Mayo Trough: tiny grains record huge events

Fracking great science from the British Geological Survey

Fracking is rightly a major political issue. In Britain this is topical as the government has just released a technical report showing that very large volumes of natural gas are locked into rocks beneath northern England. As a tax-payer whose house is heated and food cooked using gas, but who is concerned about CO2 emissions… Continue reading Fracking great science from the British Geological Survey

Mantle support of topography – a swell idea

Why are some bits of the earth higher than others? Finding mountains near plate boundaries is easy to explain – various forms of plate collision cause the crust to thicken and the surface to rise. What about Southern Africa? Reaching a high point of 3473m, most of Southern Africa is a high plateau. It is… Continue reading Mantle support of topography – a swell idea