Including Original "Paul H. Letters" Copyright © 1996-2024 Paul V. Heinrich / website © 1996-2024 Dirk Ross - All rights reserved.



Monday 28 January 2013

Oman contributed 16% of world's meteorite finds in 2011

Oman contributed 16% of world's meteorite finds in 2011
MENAFN, Muscat Daily, January 25, 2103
http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093602529/--Oman-contributed-16-of-worlds-meteorite-finds-2011?src=RSS

Note that this article states: 

"''Now, export of any kind of rock is prohibited unless authorised by the relevant authority,'' he said."

and

"Oman's Mining Law, The Mining Law issued by Royal Decree No 27/2003, prohibits the practice of all rock and mineral and exploratory activities and trading in the same without obtaining permission from the Directorate General of Minerals."

Some other older articles.

Experts study meteorites, Oman Observer
Mon, 17 December 2012
http://main.omanobserver.om/node/133724

Oman is major site for meteor discovery (Country was second only to Antarctica in meteor finds until 2007) Emirates 24/7, October 19, 2010
http://www.emirates247.com/news/oman-is-major-site-for-meteor-discovery-2010-10-19-1.306190

Searching for Meteorites in the Deserts of Oman
by Simon Mitton, Live Science, May 18, 2009
http://www.livescience.com/3613-searching-meteorites-deserts-oman.html


Related papers are:

Korotev, R. L., 2012, Lunar meteorites from Oman.
Meteoritics & Planetary Science, vol. 47, no 8,
pp. 1365–1402 (August 2012)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2012.01393.x/abstract


Hofmann, B. A., E. Gnos, A. Al-Kathiri, and A. J. T. Jull,
2006, Meteorite accumulation surfaces in Oman: Main
results of Omani-Swiss meteorite search campaigns,
2001-2006. 4th Swiss Geoscience Meeting, Bern 2006.
http://geoscience-meeting.scnatweb.ch/sgm2006/SGM06_abstracts/08_OS_Min_Pet/Hofmann_Beda_Talk_or_Poster.pdf

Best wishes,
Paul H.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Fishing Without a Fossil

Fishing Without a Fossil

Fishing Without a Fossil (Part 1)
PLoS Blogs (blog)-Jan 18, 2013
http://blogs.plos.org/paleo/2013/01/18/fishing-without-a-fossil-part-1/

Yours,

Paul H.

Scientists Describe a 'New' Type of Volcanic Eruption

Scientists Describe a 'New' Type of Volcanic Eruption

A new type of volcanic eruption, National Oceanography Centre. January 21, 2013,
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=127567&CultureCode=en

Scientists Describe a 'New' Type of Volcanic Eruption, Science Daily,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130121083215.htm

Rotella, M. D., C. J. N. Wilson, S. J. Barker, and I. C. Wright.
Highly vesicular pumice generated by buoyant detachment
of magma in subaqueous volcanism. Nature Geoscience.
Published online 20 January 2013, doi:10.1038/ngeo1709http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo1709.html

Best wishes,

Paul H.

Sunday 20 January 2013

New Geological Map Of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

New Geological Map Of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Geology of Petrified Forest National Park
by Jonathan DuHamel, Tuscon Citizen, Jan. 17, 2013
http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2013/01/17/geology-of-petrified-forest-national-park/

“The Arizona Geological Survey just released a new
geologic map (65Mb) and 18-page report (9Mb) on
Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.”

Martz, J.W., W. G. Parker, L. Skinner, J. J. Raucci, P.
Umhoefer, and R. C. Blakey, 2013, Geologic Map of
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. Arizona
Geological Survey Contributed Map CM-12-A, 1
map sheet, map scale 1:50,000,18 p

PDF file available from Resource ID: CM-12-A at:
http://repository.azgs.az.gov/uri_gin/azgs/dlio/1487

Printed copies can be purchased from the Arizona
Experience Store at http://store.azgs.az.gov/ .

In addition, there is:

VandenDolder, E. M., 1989, Petrified Wood: Legacy
From a Late Triassic Landscape. Arizona Geology.
vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1-3.

PDF file at http://www.azgs.az.gov/arizona_geology/archived_issues/Spring_1989.pdf

Best wishes,

Paul H.

Friday 18 January 2013

Prospector Finds 177 Ounce Gold Nugget (Australia)

Prospector Finds 177 Ounce Gold Nugget (Australia)

Prospector makes $285,000 gold discovery
Northwest Star, January 17, 2013,
http://www.northweststar.com.au/story/1241065/video-prospector-makes-285000-gold-discovery/?cs=2452

Strewth! Lucky Aussie amateur prospector
uncovers huge gold nugget worth £200,000
The Independent, January 17, 2013
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/strewth-lucky-aussie-amateur-prospector-uncovers-huge-gold-nugget-worth-200000-8455724.html

Last Gold Nugget Found in Ballarat Region

500,000 gold nugget found in Ballarat region
by Neelima Choahan, The Courier, January 17, 2013
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/286445/500000-gold-nugget-found-in-ballarat-region/

Best wishes,

Paul H.

Wednesday 16 January 2013

Mars Rover Finds Intriguing New Evidence of Water

Mars Rover Finds Intriguing New Evidence of Water

Curiosity Rover to Drill Mars Rock Once Soaked by
Water by Mike Wall, SPACE.com, January 15, 2013
http://www.space.com/19271-mars-rocks-curiosity-rover-drill.html

Mars Rover Finds Intriguing New Evidence of Water
National Geographic, January 15, 2013
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/130115-curiosity-mars-drill-water-space-science/

Mars Rover Curiosity To Drill Rock Once 'Soaked' In
Water, Huffington Post, January 16, 2013,
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/16/mars-rover-curiosity-to-drill-water-rock_n_2485664.html

Bets wishes,

Paul H.

"Polonnaruwa Meteorite With Evidence Of Life From Outer Space..."

"Polonnaruwa Meteorite With Evidence Of Life From Outer Space..."

On January 13, 2013, Jodie wrote at
http://www.mail-archive.com/meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com/msg110210.html
>We need to be a little careful of the "Journal of Cosmology".
... Text deleted...
>They've gotten whacked for "publishing" these claims before:
> http://news.discovery.com/space/nasa-refutes-alien-discovery-claim-110307.htm
>
>From Bad Astronomy:
> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/07/followup-thoughts-on-the-meteorite-fossils-claim/#.UPNxZ3fSrLc
>
> http://rrresearch.fieldofscience.com/2011/03/is-this-claim-of-bacteria-in-meteorite.html

Bad Astronomy has some comments on this latest piece
of science fantasy.

No, Diatoms Have Not Been Found in a Meteorite
by Phil Plait, January 15, 2013.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/01/15/life_in_a_meteorite_claims_by_n_c_wickramasinghe_of_diatoms_in_a_meteorite.html

Best wishes,

Paul H.

Sunday 13 January 2013

Ten Billion Earths ?

Ten Billion Earths ?

Astronomy Picture of the Day, NASA, January 12, 2013,
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

Announcing 461 New Kepler Planet Candidates, NASA
Kepler News, January 7, 2012,
http://kepler.nasa.gov/news/nasakeplernews/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=244

At Least One in Six Stars Has an Earth-sized Planet,
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Jan. 7, 2012,
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/2013/pr201301.html

Best wishes,

Paul H.

"Some Meteorite Realities" and Other Interesting Meteorite Web Pages

"Some Meteorite Realities" and Other Interesting Meteorite Web Pages

Below are interesting web pages about meteorites
from the Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences Washington University in St. Louis.

Some Meteorite Realities
http://meteorites.wustl.edu/realities.htm

Meteorite or Meteorwrong
Self-Test Check-List
http://meteorites.wustl.edu/check-list.htm

What to Do If You Think That You’ve Found
a Lunar (or Some Other Kind of) Meteorite
http://meteorites.wustl.edu/what_to_do.htm

Best wishes,

Paul H.

Monday 7 January 2013

NASA Considers Capturing an Asteroid

NASA Considers Capturing an Asteroid

NASA Considers Capturing an Asteroid, Setting It
to Orbit the Moon, Wired UK, January 1, 2012
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/nasa-asteroid-capture/

NASA's bizarre plan to drag an asteroid into the
moon's orbit, The Week Magazine, January 1, 2012
http://theweek.com/article/index/238374/nasas-bizarre-plan-to-drag-an-asteroid-into-the-moons-orbit

NASA Wants to Drag an Asteroid Into Orbit Around
the Moon, Smithsonian, January 3, 2012
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/01/nasa-wants-to-drag-an-asteroid-into-orbit-around-the-moon/

Best wishes,

Paul H.

Saturday 5 January 2013

conodonts?

conodonts?

In "conodonts" at:
http://lists.drizzle.com/pipermail/rockhounds_lists.drizzle.com/2013-January/000236.html
J. R. Hodel wrote

>Speaking of conodonts, do I recall some
>research showing that conodonts are perhaps
>or even certainly remnants of a softbodied
>species like those found in the Canadian
>shale beds? Somewhere in the Canadian
>rockies, near Banff maybe? The formation
>name escapes me!

The main places that actual fossilized remains of the soft parts
of the conodont animal were first found are in Carboniferous
strata near Edinburgh, Scotland; Silurian strata in Wisconsin,
and the Soom Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte, Upper Ordovician,
South Africa. There are likely others, which I have not heard
about.

The papers for the Carboniferous conodont body fossil,
which came from the "shrimp band" in the Granton
Sandstones, Lower Oil Shale Group, are:

Briggs, D. E. G., E. N. K. Clarkson, and R. J. Aldridge, 1983,
The conodont animal. Lethaia 16(1):1-14.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1502-3931.1983.tb01993.x/abstract

Aldridge, R. J., D. E. G. Briggs, E. N. K. Clarkson, and M. P. Smith,
1986, The affinities of conodonts - new evidence from the
Carboniferous of Edinburgh, Scotland. Lethaia. 19(4):279-291.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1502-3931.1986.tb00741.x/abstract

Aldridge and opthers concluded:

"The evidence indicates that the conodonts represent a
separate group of jawless craniates."

A paper about the Silurian fossil of the conodont animal is

Smith, M. P., D. E. G. Briggs, and R. J. Aldridge, 1987, A
conodont animal from the Lower Silurian of Wisconsin, U.S.A.,
and the apparatus architecture of panderodontid conodonts.
in R. J. Aldridge, ed., pp. 91-104. Palaeobiology of conodonts
Ellis Horwood, Chichester / The British Micropalaeontological
Society.

The Soom Shale conodont fossil is described in:

Aldridge, R. J. and J. N. Theron, 1993, Conodonts with preserved
soft tissue from a new Ordovician Konservat-Lagerstätte.
Journal of Micropalaeontology. 12:113-117.
http://jm.lyellcollection.org/content/12/1/113.abstract

An alleged conodont animal was reported from the
Burgess Shale. However, paleontologists no longer regard
this identification as being correct. In addition, the soft-bodied
conodont fossil reported from the Bear Gulch Limestone
in Montana turned out to be the fossil of animal that ate
a conodont and had one in its stomach just before it died.

Conodont
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conodont

Conodonts in Vertebrate Evolution
http://www.conodont.info/3A001.htm

Euconodonta
http://tolweb.org/Euconodonta/14832

Best wishes,

Paul H.

UNM studies one of a kind Martian meteorite

UNM studies one of a kind Martian meteorite

UNM studies one of a kind meteorite
Mars Meteorite found in Morroco
KRQE news, Albuquerque, January 4, 2012
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/education/unm-studied-meteorite-one-of-a-kind

Meteorite has highest water content
of any from Mars, scientists say
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN news
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/03/meteorite-has-highest-water-content-of-any-from-mars-scientists-say/?hpt=hp_c3

Happy New Year,

Paul H.

Thursday 3 January 2013

Online PDF Files About Oklahoma's Fossils, Minerals, and Geology

Online PDF Files About Oklahoma's Fossils, Minerals, and Geology

I found a huge source of free, online PDF files of publications about
Oklahoma fossils and geology. it is the Oklahoma Digital Prairie at
http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/ it is a central and searchable
archive of digital files of thousands of Oklahoma state government
publications. It includes publications of the Oklahoma Geological
Survey. To see a sample of what is availabe just search for either
"fossils" or "paleontology".

For example, a person can find 1. "First Occurrence of
Deinonychus antirrhopus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from
the Antlers Formation (Lower Cretaceous: Aptian-Albian)
of Oklahoma" at

http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/stgovpub/id/94597/rec/10

2. "Conodonts and conodont biostratigraphy of the McLish and Tulip
Creek formations (middle Ordovician) of south-central Oklahoma." at

http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/stgovpub/id/94097/rec/1

and 3. "Organic-walled microphytoplankton of the Sylvan Shale
(Richmondian : Upper Ordovician), Arbuckle Mountains,
southern Oklahoma, U.S.A." at

http://digitalprairie.ok.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/stgovpub/id/94759/rec/44

PDF files of Oklahoma Geological Survey publications can
also be found at

http://www.ogs.ou.edu/pubs.php
Bulletins - http://www.ogs.ou.edu/pubsDLBulletins.php
Circulars - http://www.ogs.ou.edu/pubsDLCirculars.php
Guidebooks - http://www.ogs.ou.edu/pubsDLGBs.php

Happy New Year,

Paul H.