Geological Sciences | Science Communication
Welcome to a new series, “Marsday Tuesday!” Tuesday is named after Mars (the Latin name is dies Martis “day of Mars”), so each week on Tuesday, we’ll be sharing some important features, interesting research developments, and factoids on our friendly solar system neighbor, Mars! Let’s start off with a basic Mars breakdown to see how similar/different it… Continue reading Marsday Tuesday
The Earth will never catch up to the moon (let’s hope), but the number of Ordovician craters may soon takeoff. That’s because it’s easier and cheaper than ever to sniff out the shocked minerals that confirm an impact. My work on my impact site, Brussels Hill in Wisconsin, is featured in this article, which is… Continue reading Crater Hunters Find New Clues to Ancient Impact Storm
Located in northwestern Indiana along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes are a fantastic display of aeolian (wind) processes at work. Incredibly tall sand dunes line the shores, and dune fields from former lake highstands extend even further back away. These impressive ‘beach mountains’ originated from glacially transported sediment post-last glacial maximum… Continue reading Geology of the Indiana Dunes
Severity: TBD Cause: Fossil fuel combustion Climate: Rapid climate change, sea level change, ocean acidification, ocean anoxia, ozone destruction Aftermath: ?? Mass extinction aren’t just something of the past; it’s commonly accepted that we’re in one right now. While the Anthropocene isn’t yet an official epoch, there is mounting evidence to suggest that human activity has caused such a… Continue reading Mass Extinction Monday | BONUS – THE ANTHROPOCENE (present day)
[Also formerly known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) and now as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction] Severity: 5th worst Cause: Meteorite impact released CO2 from carbonates Climate: Cold (SO2) then warm (CO2) Aftermath: Mammals arise Even though the End-Cretaceous is the least severe of all the mass extinctions, with 62% of species and 11% of families wiped… Continue reading Mass Extinction Monday | END-CRETACEOUS (65 Ma)
Visited the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum in Marion, Kentucky the other day and found a friend among the quartz!
Severity: 4th worst Cause: Central Atlantic Flood Basalts, meteorite impact (?) Climate: Hot; Pangaea mostly desert Aftermath: Dinosaurs diversify Only 50 My after the End-Permian extinction, 65% of species and 12% of families were wiped out during the End-Triassic extinction. The exact cause of this extinction is still not very well constrained. It could possibly… Continue reading Mass Extinction Monday | END-TRIASSIC (200 Ma)
Severity: 1st worst Cause: Eruption of Siberian Traps Climate: Cold to extremely warm; ocean acidification and anoxia, ozone destruction Aftermath: Permanent ecosystem reorganization; low O2 for >106 years There’s good reason why the End-Permian extinction is referred to as “The Great Dying”; 95% of all species, 53% of all marine families, 84% of marine genera,… Continue reading Mass Extinction Monday | END-PERMIAN (250 Ma) – “The Great Dying”
Severity: 3rd worst Cause: Still unclear, changes in sea level and ocean anoxia (?) Climate: Abrupt cooling Aftermath: Marine filter feeders diversify Rather similar to the End-Ordovician extinction, warm-water marine invertebrates were the hardest hit during the Late Devonian extinction. 22% of known marine families and 57% of marine genera were wiped out during a global cooling event. Gondwana glaciations were… Continue reading Mass Extinction Monday | LATE DEVONIAN (365 Ma)
I thought I’d share my final project from Introductory Geology! I made this back in fall of 2011 when I had no idea I’d be going on to study geology. I was just psyched to be able to use my graphic design skills, and this is still probably my favorite thing I’ve ever made.
Emily Zawacki, Ph.D. 