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: Precambrian
The Cambrian Explosion, part 2: The softies of Ediacara
For a long time, geologists logically set the dawn of the Cambrian at the first fossils, at the trilobites and their friends, which we met in the first post. But […]
The Cambrian Explosion, part 1: The burghers of Burgess
Burgher: A privileged city citizen in medieval Europe. And now, for something completely different. (Monty Python) First, there was no life. There were layers of sediment rock; sandstone, shale, limestone, […]
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 […]
Ediacarans: The fossils that should not be there
The Ediacara Hills is a hot, dry area in the middle of nowhere in South Australia. A place people go if they must, like for mining for uranium and other […]
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 […]
A visit to Mordor – a.k.a. Hornsund, Svalbard
Tuff – tuff – tuff… MS Origo moves slowly thorugh the water, her engine puffing, almost as taking a pause to think and look around between each stroke. She is […]