The hottest Geology Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Science Topics

The Mountain

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 19 implied HN points • 10 Jun 21
🌞 Climate & Environment Environmental Issues Geology Local culture Conservation Indigenous rights
  1. The Puyallup Tribe wants to restore the original name of Mount Rainier to reflect its cultural significance. They translate it as 'the mother of all waters.'
  2. Debates over Mount Rainier's height have occurred in the past, with some arguing it should still be considered the tallest due to its sea level base. This sparked public outrage when it was declared the fourth highest peak.
  3. Climate change may affect the mountain's height over time. Changes in glaciers and erosion could alter its official elevation, so its status as a landmark might keep shifting.

Street Appeal

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 19 implied HN points • 14 May 21
🎭️ Culture Urban Studies Geology Cycling Architecture History
  1. The history of street materials can be fascinating. For example, some roads in Seattle are made of old sandstone from 40 million years ago.
  2. The Giro d'Italia bike race highlights how different types of stone impact performance, like the slippery San Pietrini cobbles in Italy.
  3. Understanding the types of rocks used in construction can help avoid mistakes when building. Rock types like basalt and travertine have unique qualities that are important.

Puget Sound Quiz Answers

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 19 implied HN points • 15 Apr 21
🔬 Science Ecology Biology Conservation Geology Education History
  1. There are many fun facts about Puget Sound, including unique archaeological discoveries and local species that can live for over 200 years.
  2. Names of places in Puget Sound often reflect its history, including Spanish explorations and notable figures like Charles Wilkes.
  3. The impact of human activity on Puget Sound is significant, especially in terms of pollution, which negatively affects local wildlife like salmon and rockfish.

Young and Restless

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 19 implied HN points • 12 Feb 21
🔬 Science Geology Natural History Ecology Environmental Science
  1. Seattle's geology is really active and always changing. This means the ground can shake, and the city’s landscape can shift unexpectedly.
  2. There are ancient clams found in Seattle that were pushed up from underwater due to an earthquake 1,100 years ago. This shows how powerful nature can be.
  3. People in Seattle are starting to realize how connected they are to the land’s history and geology. It's important to stay aware of the potential dangers that come with living in such a dynamic area.

Thomas C. Chamberlin: The Global Carbon Cycle

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 05 May 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Geology Environmental Science Historical Analysis
  1. Thomas C. Chamberlin played a key role in developing the planetesimal hypothesis, which explains how planets formed from solid particles instead of a hot gas cloud. This challenged earlier ideas about how our solar system emerged.
  2. Chamberlin was one of the first to link changes in carbon dioxide levels to climate shifts, suggesting that rising CO2 could lead to warmer temperatures and impact the Earth's ice ages.
  3. Despite his early support for the carbon dioxide theory of climate change, he later changed his mind after conflicting experiments, highlighting the evolving nature of scientific understanding.
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From Noosphere to the Technosphere

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 13 May 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Earth Science Sustainability Geology Biodiversity Environmental Policy
  1. Earth used to be seen as unchanging, but scientists like James Hutton showed that it is always evolving, leading to our modern understanding of geology.
  2. Vladimir Vernadsky introduced the idea of the noosphere, which connects human thought and technology, suggesting we can work together to tackle global problems like climate change.
  3. The technosphere, created by humans, is shaping our planet and needs to be managed better, especially because it struggles with recycling waste and relies heavily on energy.

Week's assorted articles

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Geology History Digital Preservation Cultural heritage
  1. Women have historically hunted in many societies, which challenges the old idea that only men were hunters. This shows that gender roles in ancient communities were likely more flexible than previously thought.
  2. Researchers are studying a lake in Toronto to mark the impact of humans on the Earth, potentially defining a new geological age called the Anthropocene. The layers in the lake tell a story of human activities throughout the years.
  3. Due to rising sea levels, Tuvalu is working on creating a digital version of itself to preserve its culture and history. This could make it the first fully digitized nation in the metaverse.

The Manis Mastodon

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 0 implied HN points • 22 Jul 21
🔬 Science Paleontology Archaeology History Geology Anthropology
  1. The Manis Mastodon is a significant archaeological site where a mastodon was found with a projectile point embedded in its rib, suggesting early human hunting around 13,800 years ago.
  2. Another discovery of bison bones on Orcas Island showed signs of butchering, providing more evidence that ancient humans hunted large animals for food.
  3. Some scientists are skeptical about the human connection to these finds, suggesting that the animals could have died from natural causes or other means, not necessarily human actions.