Aurora Borealis

BBC Weather guide to the Northern lights

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26678181

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: FIRST LIFE

BBC 4 SATURDAY 22ND MARCH  1900

'DAVID ATTENBOROUGH FIRST LIFE'

ALL ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF LIFE ON EARTH

PART 1 (OF 2) 

Well worth watching for Y13 or to see evidence of Plate Tectonics and Evolution

Also available on Youtube!

A clip about stromatolites can be found:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bkrq1

50 Shades of Grey

Prof Iain Stewart gives a lecture to the British Science association about why geoscience is not about fifty shades of grey rock.

From L'Aquila Earthquake to fracking, plates to dinosaurs

 he discusses how the general public engage with geology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC1rFfbQX84

Did life begin inside a volcano?

Previously, some scientists have proposed that living organisms may have been transported to Earth by meteorites

But there is increasing support for the theory that life emerged on Earth in places like hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor

The findings could help scientists understand whether it is possible for life to have emerged in similar environments on other worlds

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2579333/Did-life-Earth-begin-inside-volcano.html#ixzz2w19Qy29K 

A similar story appeared a couple of years ago. Read about it here.

Mineral hints at bright blue rocks deep in the Earth

Minerals preserved in diamond have revealed hints of the bright blue rocks that exist deep within the Earth.

They also provide the first direct evidence that there may be as much water trapped in those rocks as there is in all the oceans.

The diamond, from central-west Brazil, contains minerals that formed as deep as 600km down and that have significant amounts of water trapped within them.

The study suggests water may be stored deep in the interiors of many rocky planets.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

It looks like it's been to hell and back, which it has”

Prof Graham PearsonUniversity of Alberta, Canada

Diamonds, brought to the Earth's surface in violent eruptions of deep volcanic rocks called kimberlites, provide a tantalising window into the deep Earth. 

They noticed that it contained a mineral, ringwoodite, that is only thought to form between 410km and 660km beneath the Earth's surface, showing just how deep some diamonds originate.

While ringwoodite has previously been found in meteorites, this is the first time a terrestrial ringwoodite has been seen. But more extraordinarily, the researchers found that the mineral contains about 1% water.

While this sounds like very little, because ringwoodite makes up almost all of this immense portion of the deep Earth, it adds up to a huge amount of deep water.

More information here.

Fossil Wonderlands

FOSSIL WONDERLANDS: BBC 4 9PM TUESDAY 

FIRST PROGRAMME IN A NEW SERIES

Professor Richard Fortey journeys high in the Rocky Mountains to explore a 520-million-year-old fossilised seabed containing bizarre and experimental lifeforms that have revolutionised our understanding about the beginnings of complex life. Among the amazing finds he uncovers are marine creatures with five eyes and a proboscis; filter-feeders shaped like tulips; worm-like scavengers covered in spikes but with no identifiable head or anus; and a metre-long predator resembling a giant 

Top of the Rocks!

Geological top ten singles (Flash)
1) Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
2) Rocks - Primal Scream
3) It's only rock n' roll - The Rolling Stones
4) Young volcanoes - Fall out boy
5) Earthquake - DJ Fresh vs Dipplo
6) Earthquake - Labrinth ft Tinie Tempah
7) Tsunami - DVBBS & BORGEOUS
7) Rockin' all over the world - Status Quo
8) The Core - Eric Clapton
9) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and the comets
10) Rock City - Kings of Leon







Geological top ten singles (Mr R)
1 Tsunami - Manic Street Preachers
2 Desert Rose - Sting
3 I am a rock - Simon and Garfunkel
4 Walk the dinosaur - Was not Was
5 Question of Time - Depeche Mode
6 Rocky Mountain High - John Denver
7 Diamonds are forever - Shirley Bassey
8 It's nobody's fault but mine - Led Zeppelin*
9 Continental drift - Rolling Stones*
10 No more Mr Gneiss Guy - Alice Cooper*

* Googled!

Any more suggestions?!

The Floods that Foiled New Year

The Floods that Foiled New Year: 

Caught On Camera 

promises to feature experts explaining the science behind the storms and outline how well the ensuing political debate around flood prevention and clean-up is serving those affected. The special also features amateur footage shot by British residents during the storms.

9pm Thursday 6th March (Channel 4 )

Iceland......what's happening today?

Click on the link and then look at Reykjanes peninsula and Myrdalsjokull to see the current seismicity in the SW of Iceland.

Good northern lights viewing this week I hear from our guide!

Check out the weather conditions too!

http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/