Cambrian Burgess Shale-type (BST) deposits occur worldwide and offer a remarkable window on the initial Phanerozoic radiation of the Metazoa. However, BST deposits also represent significant deviations from the constraints that govern the typical operation of the fossil record. These deviations remain to be adequately accounted for, hindering interpretations of the paleoecology of their exceptional biotas and the environments in which they lived. more...

Simeulue Island, off the west coast of northern Sumatra, straddles the boundary of the 2004 and 2005 Sunda megathrust ruptures. The 2004 and 2005 earthquakes nucleated northwest and southeast of Simeulue, respectively, and each ruptured bilaterally toward the 100-km-long island. Cumulative uplift was 1.5 m at both the northwest and southeast tips of the island but diminished toward the island’s center, where uplift was 0.5 m or less. Hence, although the 2004 and 2005 uplifts overlapped, there was an uplift deficit, or saddle, on central Simeulue.
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Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations in urban streams and ocean beaches in Santa Barbara, Calif. can exceed water-quality standards for recreational water. During low flow, high FIB concentrations in urban streams were associated with point discharges from storm drains, and concentrations in urban streamflow varied three-fold over the course of a day as a result of small variations in storm drain discharge. Human-specific Bacteroides was present in some sampled storm drains. FIB concentrations were highest in stormflow runoff, although concentrations decreased as successive storms washed FIB from the urban watershed.
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Stromatolites are classically interpreted as “organo-sedimentary structures”, where layers and doming/branching result from microbial mats. As such, they could be considered quintessential ‘astrobiologic’ structures—a stromatolite, as a macroscopic manifestation of microbial processes, would be much easier to image remotely (on Mars, for example) than a microbe. While there is no doubt that some (perhaps most) stromatolites on Earth were formed with biologic influence, recent work has demonstrated that stromatolite-like structures have formed without biologic input. Can we tell the difference? When faced with determining the presence of life elsewhere in our solar system, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”—do stromatolites pass this test?

Gary and Daria Peterson proudly announce the birth of their firstr child, Nikolai Waldemar Peterson.

Born: Thursday, October 6, 2008 at 4:22am, 9 lbs and 8 oz, 22 inches

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Saturday, Nov 8, 2008 4-8pm
Scientists and students of the College of Sciences will display and demonstrate powerful microscopes, telescopes, computers, and other laboratory equipment that offer views of the universe ranging from microscopic parts of a mammalian cell and the rocks of the world around us to images of earth and worlds beyond our own planet.
Public Welcome!
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The circulation of aqueous fluids through the Earth’s crust has profound effects on its geologic evolution, the formation of ore deposits, the migration of hydrocarbons from source to sites of accumulation, and the storage of groundwater resources. Major crustal-scale fault zones and crustal heat distribution both play a major role to determine fluid pathways. Case studies that showcase the interplay between crustal thermal evolution and the permeable zones, such as major crustal shear zones, are presented to demonstrate the importance of fluids on the tectonic evolution of the Earth’s crust and the formation of ore deposits.
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Seismic observations indicate that material velocities at shallow depths decrease over a large area after large earthquakes. The reductions are widespread, and occur at distances of up to several source dimensions. A persistent low-velocity fault zone has also been documented extensively from seismic and geodetic observations, in which the velocity drops further after large earthquakes. Dynamic stresses carried by seismic waves in the near surface or accompanying rupture at depth in the fault zone, are thought to create these velocity reductions by causing material damage.
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Stable oxygen (18O/16O) and hydrogen (2H/1H) isotopes at natural abundance levels are useful tracers for studying water and carbon cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Atmospheric water vapor contains fewer amounts of heavier water isotopes (2H and 18O) relative to the source water. In the case of surface water loss via vegetation (transpiration), this preferential loss of lighter water isotopologues result in enriched 2H and 18O contents in leaf water.
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The Antelope Shale reservoir in Section 1Y, Cymric Field, San Joaquin Valley, California is one of Chevron’s key assets. The reservoir is a Miocene Age member of the Monterey Formation composed of Opal A (amorphous), Opal CT (cristobalite, tridimite) and Quartz phase diatomaceous deep water sediments. The Antelope Shale has an anomalously high average porosity of 58%, high initial oil saturations of up to 60%, and low permeabilities of 3 millidarcys. Development geology skills required 5o process this complex reservoir and involve: obtaining, analyzing, and evaluating open hole well logs; structural mapping and correlation; fracture mapping using development geophysics; and an understanding of the diagenetic process.

Tides progress up the Severn River in SW England as a tidal bore moving faster than 6 m/s. During spring tides, the leading edge of the bore can be up to 2 m high, taking more than an hour to travel from the lower portion of the river to past Gloucester. This is sufficient to attract surfers from around the world. The North Atlantic amphidromic system interacts with the broad continental shelf around the U.K. to produce a complicated field of large tidal ranges. more....

Knut Fladmark hypothesized that as soon as boat technology was developed 40,000 years ago, people probably traveled the oceans. The 40,000-year-ago shoreline is now below 150-160 ft (50 m) of water and an unknown thickness of sediment. So evidence for boat transport by maritime people would be under the today’s oceans. Geological data could provide locations of specific paleoshorelines and general sedimentation rates. Palynological data from cores could provide information about introduction of medicinal and food plants from distant sources. more....

We document the waxing and waning of a ‘proto-Western Pacific Warm Pool’ and Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) based on a study of multi-species planktic foraminiferal isotope ratios and census data spanning the 13.2-5.8 Ma interval at ODP Site 806 in the western equatorial Pacific (WEP). We hypothesize that the presence or absence of a proto-warm pool in the WEP, caused by the progressive tectonic constriction of the Indonesian Seaway and modulated by sea level fluctuations, created El Niño/La Niña-like alternations of hydrographic conditions across the equatorial Pacific during the late Miocene. This hypothesis is supported by the general antithetical relationship observed between carbonate productivity and preservation in the western and eastern equatorial Pacific, a phenomenon caused by these alternating ocean-climate states in the modern ocean. more....