Amazing cloud formation

Residents in Somerset were in for a surprise this morning, when they spotted what could easily be mistaken for a UFO in the sky.

The rare atmospheric phenomenon is a strange cloud formation, known as fallstreak, or hole-punch clouds.

These unfamiliar clouds form when temperatures are below freezing, but water droplets in the clouds have yet to freeze due to a lack of ice particles.

When ice particles form quickly, it causes a domino effect as the water droplets connect with the crystals, which get heavier and then start to fall all of a sudden - leaving a large hole in the cloud.

The wispy clouds that form in the center of the hole are the water particles falling.

Passing airplanes are thought to be the reason behind the formation of these clouds, since a drop in pressure caused by their wings or propeller tips cools the air quickly.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3831082/Who-punched-sky-Strange-cloud-formation-leaves-hole-looks-like-UFO-Somerset.html#ixzz4MzGIUyU9
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3831082/Who-punched-sky-Strange-cloud-formation-leaves-hole-looks-like-UFO-Somerset.html#ixzz4MzFzuVRQ
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50 years of Volcanic eruptions & Earthquakes

It is a stunning animation showing exactly how the earth moves.

Researchers at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History have unveiled the E3 map - showing eruptions, earthquakes and emissions. The team behind it say the map is akin to watching the pulse of our planet.

The map tracks every recorded volcanic eruption, earthquake and major sulfur dioxide emission since 1960. 

http://video.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2016/10/12/5959478329016142820/640x360_MP4_5959478329016142820.mp4

We Need a New Definition for “Magma”

Confusion over the meaning of "magma" can generate popular misperceptions, including a nonexistent molten sea underneath Yellowstone National Park. We propose a different definition:

https://eos.org/opinions/we-need-a-new-definition-for-magma

Sea worm fossil gives clues to 'common ancestor'

Fossils of a sea worm that lived on the ocean floor about 500 million years ago are giving new insights into how early creatures evolved.

Tube-like structures once thought to be a type of seaweed were made by a worm that lived a solitary life on the sea bed, say scientists.

Prof Simon Conway Morris, from St John's College, University of Cambridge and a co-researcher on the study, said: "Now we know that they were primitive hemichordates - perhaps the most primitive of all."

"Through them, we can get clues about the anatomy and lifestyle of the last common ancestor that we all share, and this adds further evidence to the hypothesis that the ancestor was a filter-feeder like Oesia."

The specimens, found near Marble Canyon in the Canadian Rockies, are exceptionally well preserved, giving details of the animal's internal anatomy. They rival or are even better than the nearby Burgess Shale.

Equador earthquake

The earthquake in Equador last weekend was perfectly recorded on the school seismometer.

The time gap between p and s waves gave a distance from Wells of 9300km.

Fake rock

The wall of the Junior School playground has had its coping stones replaced. 

Do have a look! The Doulting stone has been replaced with 'fake rock', a mixture of crushed up Doulting Stone + cement poured into a mould to make a cast of the required shape.

Geology Career Pathways

http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/geology-career-pathways