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Geology LITE: The Lucky 7th… Input On The Next Mass Extinction

February 15, 2012 in Geology with 5 Comments

If I had my way... these critters would be gone!

Scientists say there is another mass extinction coming… quite possibly already underway… or we’re on the brink…

Discussed in a recent press release at the National Science Foundation website, there is evidence that the 6th “mass extinction” has begun.

Climatic and environmental changes can have a dramatic impact on the delicate balance we find in nature… these changes create a variety of challenges, including habitat reduction, competitive overrun, and rampant terminal diseases.

Could we humans be a part of this, or another extinction?

Maybe… possibly… perhaps… consider this:

Since Noah and his family survived the flood… it would not be considered an extinction of humans… a minor technicality since many other species surely perished… Right? Well, maybe the flood was the Big 6th… and we’re actually on the verge of Lucky #7… fyi, the other major extinctions were interpreted from the fossil record…

The Bible says we will disappear from the face of the earth… those who believe… so if we all believe… we’ll all be leaving for a while at the rapture… maybe we could call this an extinction… of sorts…

… or maybe… we’re not even susceptible to extinction… since “extinction” means “the death of the last individual of a species” … well, we do have eternal life, right?

I know, I know… that’s all pretty deep… and this is just LITE…

so back to the subject at hand…

Since we’re at the top of the food chain I was thinkin’ that maybe we could have some sort of input on who goes in the next mass extinction…

If I had my way, there are some critters that just need to go away… can we select the species that would be gone at the Lucky 7th? I know… we’re to love ALL of God’s creation… but if I could pick one critter that we could move along it would be the cockroach. They’re just creepy and icky!

What about you? If we had input, what critter would you like to see disappear at the next mass extinction?

Geology LITE: The Far Side Of The Moon

February 3, 2012 in Geology with 7 Comments

The Far Side. Credit: NASA

Newsflash from yesterday: “NASA Mission Returns First Video From Moon’s Far Side”

Ok, so we’ve seen the far side of the moon before but this was the first video… and the mission has other objectives… we’re going to find out more about the moon’s gravitational field, providing a better understanding of the moon’s composition, interior structure and evolution. Still, the far side of the moon seems shrouded in mystery…

Did you know that, from our perspective, there really is a far side of the moon? That’s correct, we always see the same side of the moon. So, were it not for NASA, we would have no clue what might be on the far side of the moon… Except for those few astronauts who have actually orbited the moon… or walked on the moon…

So I started thinkin’ yesterday… the far side of the moon…

Do you remember the comic strip The Far Side? Gary Larson’s surreal characters that we’re… well.. a little off center. I enjoyed his humor. In fact, the more I think about The Far Side, the more I realize it probably contributed to my off-center point of view. This was a major distraction to me yesterday afternoon… Go ahead, google it and read some of these…

The far side of the moon has also been referred to as the dark side of the moon… and, we all know about the dark side. Yes… it’s dark. But wait, there’s more… remember Yoda? Ahhh, yes, Yoda was deep… but not dark. I love Yoda quotes… “Twisted by the Dark Side young Skywalker has become.” – Yoda

The Far Side Of The Moon…

NASA is spending millions, maybe billions, in an attempt to tell us what the Bible clearly states…

We will be spending hours on Sunday watching the television, not for the sporting event we know as the Super Bowl… but for the commercials…

and Chris is writing yet another LITE post that just may one day end up in a book on your coffee table…

Should we BELIEVE what NASA is saying about the far side of the moon?

Stay tuned: Monday’s post is about my resolution to dive deeper into this word “believe”…

Until then…

Geology LITE: Quicksand!

September 24, 2011 in Geology with 2 Comments

Quicksand… Hollywood folklore or the real monte?

Here’s the scene – You’re walking through the wilderness and happen upon an area that appears to just be an open patch… sandy with no vegetation… it appears to be dry… so why not amble right on through?

Moments later, you’re sinking… sinking… sinking in a pool of sand… QUICKSAND!!! Disappearing without a trace… unless there just happens to be a vine that you can grab hold of… or you have a friend who can pull you out by advancing a tree limb in you direction… or, possibly, man’s best friend can rally up the troops in time to extend a human-chain hand to hoist you to safety.

Quicksand… Is this stuff for real?

The answer is: Absolutely (however, it is slightly sensationalized in TV Land).

Quicksand is really a mix of sand + water. Sand that is supersaturated with water circulating underground, reducing the friction between the sand grains, and creating a mushy mix that can’t support weight. The sand surface can appear to be dry. While pits of quicksand do occur in nature they are typically no more than a few feet thick, so getting stuck in these pits is a real hazard, but not quite the scene depicted in Hollywood. Struggling to get out of the quicksand is considered counterproductive as this effort tends to make one sink in deeper… but only up to a certain point, as your body is less dense than quicksand. So, thankfully, if you do get stuck in quicksand, sinking into oblivion is not going to happen (drowning is still a possibility though!).

How to escape? “Wiggle the legs” … so says National Geographic! (noteworthy: I understand there may be a youtube video providing instruction on the art of Quicksand Escape). Wiggling the legs allow you to slowly and progressively loosen the grip that the quicksand has on them.

Question: Have you ever seen quicksand in nature? Can you recall a movie that depicted someone stuck in quicksand?

Geology LITE: Manmagnetite

August 30, 2011 in Geology with 3 Comments

A new mineral has recently been identified and I thought I would shed the light on this news-breaking discovery…

Manmagnetite (just a thought!)

Mineral Name: Manmagnetite

Crystalline Structure: Strong bonds draw the individual atoms and eves together to form heart-shaped, ring structures (also known as small groups). These bonds are found to be in the image of Jesus and the Father. While there is a definite cohesion within the ring structures, there is also an overwhelming affinity for each atom and eve to interact with all other believers, and to attract and encourage others to climb on board.

Physical Properties: Manmagnetite is extremely soft, having a hardness of zero on the Mohs Hardness Scale. It has a highly reflectivity, metallic luster and is transparent. It will rarely display cleavage, and is cohesive (not easily fractured). Manmagnetite has a relatively low specific gravity, and is highly magnetic. This mineral does not have streak (but may, on occasion, Go Commando ).

Appearance: Comes in all colors, shapes and sizes.

Occurrence: Occurs in any appealing environment of faith… one where atom and eve can be themselves and where they are accepted, loved and encouraged. Mixes frequently with all other minerals to form diverse rock types. Can be found globally.

Do you have a favorite rock type or mineral? Why do you like it?

Geology LITE: A Metamorphic Moment

August 26, 2011 in Geology with 2 Comments

Metamorphism is the process that changes rocks while they remain in a solid form. This change can occur due to extreme heat, pressure or sometimes through chemical means.

A Metamorphic Moment… is there such a thing?

Whenever I think of the change that takes place creating a metamorphic rock, I’m imagining this change is over a pretty long time. Granted, some metamorphic changes actually occur right before our very eyes… and in what we could think of as “real-time” … but for the most part, metamorphism is a slow process.

The process of change in our world is a real puzzle, of sorts… some changes occur very quickly, while others seem to take an eternity. Upon reflection, time itself can be a bit of a “paradigm shift.”

The concept of geologic time is possibly the closest to eternity that we can imagine: if we say, for scientific purposes, our earth is maybe 4.5 billion years old… that seems like an incredibly long time, right?

Taking the next step beyond that milestone… to eternity… to be honest I’m not sure that I can really wrap my arms around that one at this time.

For comparison purposes, let’s agree (right on!) that God actually created the earth 10,000 years ago… a mere blink of the eyes in comparison to eternity… or, for that matter, to the 4.5 billion years mentioned above. Even still, 10,000 years is an incredibly long time for us to consider, compared to the time we each spend individually here on earth.

Change and time…

sometimes change happens quickly and at other times it seems to take an eternity…

and at times it’s all simply a matter of perception.

Maybe God has a purpose in the way change occurs…

some changes that we experience occur throughout our entire lifetime… the first that comes to mind for me is the manner in which I strive to grow in my relationship with Jesus… slowly… surely… and steadily.

others… well… shall we say that they seem to come and go with what seems like a hot second…

we learn from and can appreciate both… however long the Metamorphic Moments that we can think of and may experience actually last…

As Bill Cosby so eloquently stated just yesterday, reflecting on the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C… “This country, really and truly, has gone through a magnificent metamorphosis.”

“The Dream” and memorial of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been built of stone and water, and opens to the public this weekend. It stands to be an enduring glimmer of justice, democracy, hope and love for all to see.

Metamorphic Moments…

savor every one of them…

from instantaneous to eternal…

What’s your take on the concepts of passing time and enduring change… slowly? quickly? Do you feel that God has a reason for some changes to take place in an instant… while others seem to take an eternity?

Geology LITE: Just How Does A Geologist’s Brain Work?

May 21, 2011 in Geology with 0 Comments

What do you see when you look at these mountains?

This road cut photo was taken in New Zealand.

Here’s a glimpse of how a Geologist might interpret the chain of events leading up to this picture:

Deposition of sediment, predominantly sand (just guessing from what we can see in this picture, and without the benefit of examining these rocks). The older rocks are found on the bottom of this sequence. The variation in color would indicate a change in the environment of deposition, maybe from a beach ridge (light tan-colored beds) to a mucky swamp (darker brown colored units). It is interesting to note that the same color change (light tan to dark brown) occurred on several occasions. Some of these variations look to be more gradational, while others are sharp contrasts, which could indicate a period of non-deposition or erosion (a disconformity).
The sediments are turned into rocks through processes called lithification and diagenesis. These sedimentary rocks were most likely made under conditions of low pressure and temperature, without significant alteration to their mineralogy and texture.
The beds were cohesively uplifted to a new and higher elevation. It would appear that erosion occurred at land surface at the time of the uplift.
A “normal fault” occurred, with the hanging wall (on the left) moving downward relative to the footwall. The normal fault is considered one of extensional movement (i.e., the two fault blocks moved away from each other). This faulting could have occurred before, at the same time as, or after the uplifting event.
The road cut was made by man, creating the dramatic and spectacular scenery that Geologist go goo-goo gaa-gaa over.

The Question: What geologic features would enjoy reading more about here at I’m Just Thinkin’? Please leave your comments by clicking here.

The Geology LITE series is a light-hearted view of just about anything related to the earth. You can check out the other posts in this series by clicking here.

Geology LITE: The Series

May 3, 2011 in Geology with 0 Comments

Geology LITE is a post series here at I’m Just Thinkin’. It’s a light-hearted view of just about anything related to the earth. As an Earth Scientist I enjoy learning and sharing about the wonderful creation that God has given us to enjoy during our life here.

Here are the posts to date in the series: