Tag: geology

  • Farmland Volcanoes

    Farmland Volcanoes

      The mound you see here is Mole Hill in Northern Virginia, a bit over an hour away from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. 48 million years ago it was a volcano. It has obviously worn down quite a bit since then, but the geological processes that gave it birth are still active. The Journal of Geophysical… Read more

  • High School Earth Science Projects on Rocks

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] The common element to all science projects is the scientific method, which is composed of five steps: the research question, the hypothesis, the procedure, your results, and a conclusion. Whether you are examining rocks, studying animals or the behavior of people, these five… Read more

  • Grenville Rocks

    Grenville Rocks

    Just outside Baltimore, there’s a trail in a state park that winds down toward a small river. The river descends through a short rapids, gliding over rock. The rock is unique; it’s over a billion years old. It’s known as the Baltimore gneiss. This is what it looks like: The DC metro area has been… Read more

  • Martian Geology

    Martian Geology

    This image from India’s MOM mission highlights a region with stress fractures – cracks – in Mars’ crust that can run as much as 3 miles deep.  They’re called fossa, sometimes grabens, and they exist on Earth too. Yes, you are riding on a cracked surface. Have a good day. http://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission/breathtaking-pictures-mars-colour-camera-mcc-of-india%E2%80%99s-mars-orbiter Elsewhere on Mars, there’s… Read more

  • A River Runs Through It

    A River Runs Through It

    What you see here is over 300 million years of geological history at Goosenecks State Park in Utah. You’ve seen similar vistas before, such as looking into the Grand Canyon, and there’s a reason for that. At the bottom of these chasms is the San Juan river, and at a glance you might imagine the… Read more