The Cambrian Explosion, part 4: Oxygen and hard parts
After the Ediacaran and the small shellies; in the Cambrian, oxygen in the sea finally reached a level where gilled animals could breathe efficiently and grow big. This oxygen was […]
Category Archives: Palaeozoic
The Værlandet conglomerate, Western Norway: Beautiful gift from an ancient Himalaya
Dear blog, It’s been a while. I know. Stuff has happened. That virus, luckily it has only hit my travels, or caused the lack thereof. And something small, but very […]
What geology can teach us about climate change: How CO2 saved the Earth from eternal winter – and nearly boiled it later
Environmental activists sometimes scare us with the prospect of a runaway greenhouse: If we continue to spew out CO2, the Earth may become so hot that it is uninhabitable. Looking […]
What geology can teach us about climate change: How to make an ice age
Climate change is a confusing topic. The environmental movement with Greta Jeanne D’Arc Thunberg in front can give the impression that climate has been nice and stable since times long […]
How to get life onto land in 3 difficult steps
Why did the fish go on land? Because it is evolution’s nature (to fill ecological niches. That’s why lobe-finned fish went on land around 370 million years ago and became […]
Why you could have been a dinosaur. Or just very ugly.
Imagine that you are a dinosaur. No, seriously, imagine that you are a dinosaur. Start with Velociraptor, the sickle claw killer of Jurassic Park. Replace the sickle and claws with […]
Coal, steam and steel: How geology made the industrial revolution
Before the 18th century, everything in the world was organic, artisan and handcrafted, because there was no other way. Weavers made clothes, blacksmiths made tools and nails, farmers went behind […]
One billion years in a few images
Time goes by. In geology, lots of time goes by, and it is easy to loose perspective. If we cram the whole history of the Earth into one year, the […]
Why pebble beaches are the best – and how to make one
We all love a day on the beach! The sun, the salt water, fish playing, sand castles, a good book and ice cream. The soft sand… …the sand, which creeps […]
How to fry and spice rocks, in Porthleven, Cornwall
Porthleven is a cute village by the sea in Cornwall. One of many vibrant fishing villages turned tourist town in summer and (I assume) fairly slumbering in the winter. White […]