Mi(ni)Geo

Carboniferous rocks - Cheverie, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia (by laszlofromhalifax)

Sulphur Crystals on Matrix (by cobalt123)

Sulphur Crystals on Matrix - A superb specimen of yellow sulphur crystals, well-formed and distinct on a matrix with white calcite crystals. This was shot through the glass display case at the Tucson Rock and Gem Show 2012.

Las esferulitas son pequeños cuerpos esféricos que normalmente aparecen en rocas ígneas ricas en vidrio, sobretodo en riolitas ricas en sílice, aunque también aparecen en obsidianas. A menudo cuentan con una estructura radial provocada por el intercrecimiento de cristales de cuarzo y ortoclasa. Se piensa que estas formas ocurren cuando ocurre un crecimiento mineral muy rápido tras la nucleación. (via Un geólogo en apuros)

A Forest of Channels on the South Polar Layered Deposits (by Lunar and Planetary Institute)

The sublimation of seasonal carbon dioxide in the Martian polar regions seems to erode connected channels on the underlying surface, as escaping carbon dioxide gas scours the surface beneath the carbon dioxide ice. Such features are fairly common to the south polar region. However, the channel clusters here are unusually even in their spacing. The carbon dioxide gas-driven erosion will exploit pre-existing weakness in the underlying surface, so it’s possible that these features are following joints or fractures that exist in the layered deposits. The regularity of these features may suggest something about the thickness of ground ice deep below the surface. ASU-IPF-3256

Birds fly in the foreground as a plume of ash and steam rises from Popocatepetl. Credit: AP. (via guardian.co.uk)

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah (by twiga_swala)

Draft, delta building and stratigraphy, Emriver Em4 model. (by Steve Gough)

Here we build a delta, then lower base level so the channel cuts through it. We then used vertical slicing to reveal some very nice stratigraphy. There are four sizes of color coded particles, the material is melamine plastic (density 1.6). You can see Gigapan images of the stratigraphy.

Marcia Bjornerud in “Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth”. (via The Road To Endeavour)

California Desert 44 (by Adolfo Isassi)

The “magic” hour for canyons is not the same as the for open landscapes. It is different for every canyon. If I do not have the advantage of scouting the location beforehand, I use satellite imaging to see form above the canyon orientation relative to the traveling sunlight. Copyright: Adolfo Isassi.

The Grímsvötn crater lake formed during the May 2011 eruption. (via Dave McGarvie)

With advances in the methods of interferometry, subsidence of entire countries can now be mapped. This image shows the average displacement rates over millions of permanent scatterers identified over Italy using data from ESA’s ERS missions (1992–2001). The project was financed by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and carried out by e-GEOS, TRE and Compulab. Credit: Tele-Rilevamento Europa (TRE). (vía ESA)

Icnita Dinosaurio Terópodo “Gigante” (by Paleoymas)

Huella fósil de 69 cm de longitud.

Sage geologic wisdom. (via @Taconic_Musings)

Giant’s Causeway (by fmhsu)

Animation of a rotating globe of Jupiter’s moon Io, with a geologic map superimposed over a global color mosaic. The 47-second animation begins as a global color mosaic image of the moon, then at 24 seconds, it displays the geologic map overlain on the mosaic. (via USGS)

(Source: youtube.com)