#geology — Public Fediverse posts

Topographic Regime Controls The Response Of Erosion To Large Earthquakes [New Zealand]
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https://doi.org/10.1130/G54785.1 <-- shared paper
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[as an engineering geologist in a past professional life – and being born, raised and going to university for geology here - this was a super interesting study especially]
H/T @Geological Society of America
🏔️ How can the same earthquake reshape neighboring mountain landscapes in very different ways? The answer may lie in the topography.
New research [link above]… examines how mountain landscapes responded to the great A.D. 1717 Alpine Fault earthquake in New Zealand, revealing that factors including slope steepness, hillslope-to-channel connectivity, and sediment transport capacity can strongly influence the depth and style of post-earthquake erosion.
Researchers compared sediment records from Lake Mapourika and Lake Paringa, two nearby catchments with similar climate, vegetation, geology, and tectonic setting. Using carbon and nitrogen isotopes, molecular biomarkers, and geomorphic analyses, they reconstructed where eroded material came from and how those sources changed following the earthquake.
Despite their similarities, the landscapes responded very differently. In the steeper Mapourika catchment, deep erosion and bedrock landsliding already dominated before the earthquake, so the event dramatically increased sediment delivery without fundamentally changing the style of erosion. At Paringa, however, erosion shifted from predominantly shallow surface soils toward deeper material following the earthquake.
The findings show that pre-existing topography helps determine whether a major earthquake primarily strips away shallow soils or mobilizes deeper soil and bedrock - with implications for sediment transport, landscape evolution, and the movement of organic carbon through tectonically active mountain systems…”
#earthquakes #geomorphology #NewZealand #alpinefault #erosion #massmovement #geology #fault #faulting #tectonics #uplift #engineeringgeology #mountain #elevation #slope #steepness #hillslope #water #hydrology #sediment #riverine #fluvial #vegetation #climate #soils #factors #parameters #hydrogeomorphology #landscape #landcover #topography #geomorphometry #dating #research #carboncycle #timescale #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #lacustrine #landslide #debrisflow #ecology

🦐 NEW: Sand hoppers are centimeter-long #crustaceans that live on #California #beaches, eat washed-up #kelp, and dig a fresh burrow each night.

Researchers at #UCSantaBarbara measured the excavated #sand at #IslaVista Beach by framing plots before high tide and weighing the mounds the next morning. They found up to 50 kg moved per meter of shoreline daily.

👉 https://scitechdaily.com/these-fingernail-sized-animals-are-moving-astonishing-amounts-of-california-beach-sand/

#sandhoppers #amphipods #bioturbation #dunes #erosion #marine #science #ocean #ecology #geology #animals #wildlife #nature

Chip off the old block?
These rocks break in pretty straight lines.

#geology #nature #rocks #socialmedia

John MacCulloch, born OTD in 1773, was the first geologist employed by the government in #Britain; he wrote pioneering texts on #geology and also introduced the world "malaria" into the English language https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/uk/ben-nevis/?s=mb #travel #Scotland

The Richat Structure in Mauritania looks like a 40 km bullseye in the Sahara. It was first taken for an impact crater, but geologists found none of the shocked rock an impact leaves behind. About 100 million years ago, molten rock pushed the layers up into a dome, and erosion has since carved them into rings, with the oldest rock at the centre. Its outer ring is unusually rich in Stone Age tools.

Imagery: Esri, Vantor, Earthstar Geographics

#geography #maps #satellite #geology

#space #moon #geology #exploration

A Buried Volcano on the Moon Hints At An Ancient Lunar Dynamo

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-buried-volcano-on-the-moon-hints-at-an-ancient-lunar-dynamo

Astrobiology is the comprehensive study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.
#Biology #Astronomy #Geology #PlanetaryScience #Chemistry #SpaceScience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/10/cat10062601.html

Today's wonder: Tsingy de Bemaraha, Madagascar — a stone forest of razor-sharp limestone pinnacles rising tens of meters high.

Rain and groundwater dissolved these blades from ~200-million-year-old Late Jurassic marine limestone over millions of years. "Tsingy" means "where one cannot walk barefoot" in Malagasy — and it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. 🪨

Photo: Andy Maloney, public domain via Wikimedia Commons
#geology #earthscience

#RockinTuesday #ColorADay #BlueTue #TidesOutTuesday

Bluffs Trail at Montaña De Oro State Park, California.

#ECK #Hiking #MontañaDeOro #WestCoastKin #LandscapePhotography #Geology

John MacCulloch, born OTD in 1773, was the first geologist employed by the government in #Britain; he wrote pioneering texts on #geology and also introduced the world "malaria" into the English language https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/uk/edinburgh/?s=mb #travel #Scotland

Lava emerging from Mount Vesuvius at night and running towards Resina, 11 May 1771 (1776–9) by Peter Fabris, from Campi Phlegraei.

Source: Wellcome Collection

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/0095faaa-1950-4250-b02b-eb5db4647ee0

#volcanoes #lava #pompeii #fire #nature #geology #naples #italy #etching #painting #drawing #art #publicdomain

Today's wonder: Fly Geyser, Nevada — a geyser born by accident. In 1964, a geothermal test well drilled in the Black Rock Desert blew out, and mineral-rich hot water has gushed ever since. Dissolved calcium carbonate and silica precipitate into ever-growing travertine mounds, while heat-loving algae paint them vivid reds and greens. Nature keeps the fountain running. 📷: Wikimedia Commons / Ken Lund #geology #earthscience

Byssus-like Carbonate of Copper (*Cuprum carbonatum*) (1802–17) by James Sowerby, from British Mineralogy.

Source: Smithsonian Libraries and Archives / Biodiversity Heritage Library

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/8396458c-032d-4083-aea8-a56139db75b3

#minerals #geology #green #patterns #rocks #mineralogy #bookillustration #engraving #art #publicdomain

https://www.europesays.com/ie/722467/ European rover trains for Mars in the desert #Desert #Éire #ExoMars #Exploration #Geology #IE #Ireland #Mars #operations #rover #Science #ScienceTeam #Simulation #Space #Spain

European rover trains for Mars in the desert

Science & Exploration 06/10/2026 50 views 0 likes For eight days, a Mars rover prototype travelled 220 metres…
#Europe #EU #desert #European #exomars #exploration #geology #Mars #operations #rover #science #scienceteam #simulation #Spain
https://www.europesays.com/europe/153223/

Deep in the Mauritanian Sahara sits the Eye of the Sahara — the Richat Structure, a 40-km-wide bullseye of concentric rock rings. Long mistaken for an impact crater, it's actually an eroded dome: 100-million-year-old strata pushed up, then stripped by wind into a giant geologic cross-section. Astronauts use it as a landmark from orbit. Photo: NASA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. #geology #earthscience

300 m beneath Chihuahua, Mexico, the Naica mine hides the Cave of Crystals — home to Earth's largest natural crystals. Translucent gypsum (selenite) beams up to 12 m long and 55 tons grew over ~500,000 years: magma-heated groundwater held at exactly 58°C, where anhydrite dissolves and gypsum slowly crystallizes. At 58°C and ~100% humidity, explorers need cooling suits to enter. #geology #earthscience

FUN FACT: Did you know the Moon has moonquakes? Unlike Earth, the lack of water means these tremors can make the Moon ring like a bell for nearly an hour.

Apollo seismometers captured these unique moonquakes for years, offering a glimpse into lunar geology.

Explore more at https://orbitalradar.com/moon?ref=mastodon

#Moon #Geology #SpaceFunFact