Growing up, I was mildly obsessed with Mount Everest. Even now I marvel at its wonderful geology. Looking at that, who can blame me? My youthful obsession was fuelled by books of British expeditions in the 1970s climbing it by various routes with varying levels of success. The photos were the best; an image by… Continue reading The Geology of Mount Everest
Channel flow – hot rocks, big glaciers and the world’s tallest mountains
Leonardo da Vinci, famed artist and Renaissance “Renaissance Man” made some interesting remarks about Geology. When he looked at rocks in the Alps containing fossil molluscs, it was clear to his trained eye that the fossils were near identical to shells formed by creatures in the sea. That fossils are the remains of ancient creatures… Continue reading Channel flow – hot rocks, big glaciers and the world’s tallest mountains
Geology and life in the English ‘Coal Measures’
The geology of the North of England is where our modern industrial civilisation was born, based on the burning of fossil life. I’ve wanted to write about the fascinating geology I grew up with for a while. I’ve been spurred into action by Accretionary Wedge #46 where Cat asks us to write about “Geology, Life and Civilization”. The… Continue reading Geology and life in the English ‘Coal Measures’
Hot rocks, big rivers and the world’s tallest mountain face
In areas of active mountain-building the middle crust can get hot and weak, like a soft jam/jelly filling in a sandwich. These squishy rocks are hidden from us by the cold rigid upper crust, so we wouldn’t expect to see them reach the surface, would we? Well, what happens if you overfill a sandwich and… Continue reading Hot rocks, big rivers and the world’s tallest mountain face