Glaciers are spectacular phenomenons of nature. The physics they are based on is surprising, while the geological role they have is essential. In this article, we discuss these facts, as well as their retreats and their dangers.
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The study of the earth; geology, meteorology, oceanography, geography,...
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Like archaeologists sifting through the dust of ancient civilizations, scientists with the ESA Planck mission today showed a map of the oldest light in the Delete the scoop?
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Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have found a layer of liquefied molten rock in Earth's mantle that may be acting as a lubricant for the sliding motions of the planet's massive tectonic plates. Delete the scoop?
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The melting of carbon-rich permafrost may come sooner, and be more widespread, than experts thought. Delete the scoop?
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In the distant past paleo-climatologists have long believed that volcanic activity was a major cause of global warming. Delete the scoop?
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Photographer: Jim Grant Summary Author: Jim Grant; Dave Lynch; Dave's Web site The photo above shows a green flash as observed from Sunset Cliffs, San Diego, California on October 24, 2012. Though I’ve seen the Sun flash green on dozens... Delete the scoop?
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Few people have seen as many volcanoes as the astronauts that inhabit the International Space Station. 
Bonnie Bracey Sutton's comment,
March 19, 11:28 AM
Few people have seen as many volcanoes as the astronauts that inhabit the International Space Station. Not only does their imaging of the Earth's surface capture volcanism action, but it can provide remote sensing information on volcanoes that geologists cannot visit with any regularity. In honor of the thousands of volcano images that have been taken from the ISS, I present a gallery of some of the best shots I found, including some volcanoes that most people don't even know exist!
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A small asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere early Friday, February 15, 2013 over Chelyabinsk, Russia at about 9:20 am local Russian time. Initial esti Delete the scoop?
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2012 ranks among the ten hottest years on record; all ten years have occurred since 1998. 
Philip Verghese 'Ariel's curator insight,
January 26, 4:04 AM
OMG!!! If we go like this what will be our fate after few years.....!!!!! Delete the scoop?
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Deep-rooted environmental concerns persist over shale oilAsahi ShimbunIt has long been known that seams of shale contain oil and gas. Via Catherine Russell Delete the scoop?
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The plume from the November 20, 2012 eruption of Tongariro in New Zealand, as seen from Emerald Lakes. Image: Brad Scott, courtesy of GeoNet NZ. Delete the scoop?
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Big Island Video NewsVIDEO: Kilauea Volcano lava lake reaches highest levelBig Island Video NewsHAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Hawaii: Kilauea Volcano has been putting on quite a show lately… as the lava lake within the Halemaumau Crater has... Via Catherine Russell Delete the scoop?
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Northern lights over the Jökulsárlón glacial lake in Iceland on September 19, 2012. Credit: Jean-Luc Dauvergne Iceland is a land of stark beauty and extremes in both weather and landscape. Delete the scoop?
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The updated HeyWhatsThat Map site allows you not only to play with different artificial sea levels, but also to add contour levels and even land cover if you want.
The above image shows the Grand Canyon area with red set at 1630m asl, orange at 1730m, yelllow at 1830, and blue contour lines at 200m intervals. Really brings out the startling erosional features of the area. Via YEC Geo Delete the scoop?
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Olivier Rieppel and Jim Holstein tell the tale of the giant Lizard Eating Sovereign of the Sea (named Jim!). Touted as the T-Rex of the Sea, the Triassic sea... Delete the scoop?
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Dating technique pins down massive eruptions that may have triggered mass extinction. Delete the scoop?
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Cement manufacturing is a major source of greenhouse gases. But cutting emissions means mastering one of the most complex materials known. 
YEC Geo's curator insight,
February 23, 9:45 AM
If I had to do it over again, I would supplement my geology curriculum with courses in hydrodynamics and concrete technology. After all, diagenesis is essentially the process of cementation.
This article is a fascinating look into some as-yet-unplumbed mysteries of cement, with inferences for diagenesis.
Example:
"... cement powder is mixed with water to form a paste, the consistency of which depends on its intended use — in a bridge piling, say, or a pavement. Most often, the paste is mixed with sand, gravel or larger stones to form concrete. The concrete slurry is then trucked to the construction site and poured into a mould, where it cures in a process that begins quickly but can take months to complete.
'One of the miracles, and the subject of intense research,' says Jennings, “is that the mix stays fluid for the first few hours, after which a furious set of simultaneous chemical reactions starts to produce the products that lead to the hardening process.'
Most important to the final material are the hydration reactions that turn the water and powdered clinker into artificial stone: a matrix of calcium silicate hydrate (CaO–SiO2–H2O, or C–S–H). 'All construction on this planet relies on this liquid-to-stone transition,” says Roland Pellenq, a physical chemist at the CSHub.' "
The immediate takeaway from here is that cementation, or sedimentary diagenesis, as it's known in geology, takes hours to months--not years. The implication is that, if the present really is the key to the past, then most, if not all, cemented sedimentary layers formed in less than a year's time.
Derived from that is the implication that syndepositional deformation, such as unmetamorphosed folds, occurred in that time span as well.
As I said before, fascinating stuff.
Image credit: sdwhaven.deviantart.com Delete the scoop?
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Photographer: Marco Restivo; Marco's Web site Summary Authors: Marco Restivo; Jim Foster Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, Italy, has long been one of Europe's most active volcanoes -- eruptions have been observed here for approximately 3,500... Delete the scoop?
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Explosion rivalled nuclear blast, but rock was still too small for advance-warning networks to spot. Delete the scoop?
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NBCNews.com Via Catherine Russell Delete the scoop?
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Canada's last asbestos mine, now winding down its operations, may have a new celestial calling — as a stand-in for planet Mars. Delete the scoop?
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UK and US teams to drill into ancient subglacial lakes. Delete the scoop?
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Inside the Field Museum there are several laboratories where scientists do their research projects. Visit the Paleontolgy lab where vertebrate fossil preparator Akiko Shinya works on fossils. You may also get to see a very good looking Psittacosaur! Delete the scoop?
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"Sometimes when I sit down a look at the volcano news that my Google News filter finds for me, I come across something that makes me shiver. This isn’t because it is a portent of doom or a tale of misery, but rather because how badly the reporter missed the point. One particularly tricky subject seems to be discerning the results of models from the observation" Delete the scoop?
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