End-Permian Mass Extinction Reexamined

End-Permian Mass Extinction Reexamined

End-Permian mass extinction was not so massive
By Belinda Smith, Cosmos Magazine
https://cosmosmagazine.com/palaeontology/mass-extinctions-were-not-so-massive-study

US paleontologists states once the dust settled
following the 'great dying' around 250 million
years ago, nearly 20% of species remained – not
4%. Belinda Smith reports.

Paleontologist suggests 'great dying' 252 million
years ago wasn't as bad as thought, October 4, 2016
http://phys.org/news/2016-10-paleontologist-great-dying-million-years.html

The paper is:

Stanley, S. M., 2016, Estimates of the magnitudes
of major marine mass extinctions in earth history.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
US, vol. 113 no. 42 E6325-E6334
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/42/E6325

Yours,


Paul H.

NASA’s Plan to Hunt for Fossils on Mars

NASA’s Plan to Hunt for Fossils on Mars

NASA's Amazing 2020 Mars Mission to Search for
Ancient Fossils --"Unlike Earth, Mars is a Beautifully
Preserved Fossil" The Daily Galaxy, ‎October 19, 2016‎
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2016/10/nasas-amazing-2020-mars-mission-to-search-for-ancient-fossils-unlike-earth-mars-is-a-beautifully-pre.html

NASA’s Bold Plan to Hunt for Fossils on Mars
National Geographic, October 17, 2016
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/alien-fossils-nasa-exploring-mars-2020-space-science/

NASA Plans To Search For Martians: Where Will They
Begin The Hunt? Science World Report, Oct. 18, 2016‎
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/50281/20161018/nasa-plans-search-martians-where-will-begin-hunt.htm

Yours,

Paul H.

Article on Hypothesized Scottish Precambrian Impact Crater

Article on Hypothesized Scottish Precambrian Impact Crater

Massive crater under small Scottish town could be the crash site of the first meteorite to hit the British Isles
Thought to be under the small town of Lairg, northern Scotland, it be one of the 15 largest known craters.
By Press Association and Libby Plummer, Mail Online, September 21, 2016
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3800595/Massive-crater-small-Scottish-town-crash-site-meteorite-hit-British-Isles.html

It is certainly not the "first" meteorite impact in British Isles, as there undoubtedly have been older ones.
Instead, it might be simply the oldest known impact in the British Isles. (Presuming that older impacts certainly have occurred and not be either preserved of found.) Like all news articles, some of the substance of the science has gotten either lost or misinterpreted in translation to lay English.

An interesting observation is that the impact crater lies on a piece of crust composed of  Lewisian Gneiss that was part of Rodina. At the time that impact occurred, Rodina was being rifted apart to form Laurentia (prehistoric North America). This piece of crust ended up as part of the Laurentian continental margin. It was this rifting that created active rift basins, in which the Stoer and Sleat Groups accumulated and the ejecta blanket was buried and preserved. Thus, at the time the impact occurred, it hit within what became
prehistoric North America and only much later ended up on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

A recent abstract is:

Simms, M. J., 2016, A Buried Impact Crater in Scotland. 79th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society (2016) abstract no. 6090.
http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2016/pdf/6090.pdf

An older paper is:

Simms, M. J., 2015, The Stac Fada impact ejecta deposit and the Lairg Gravity Low: evidence for a buried Precambrian impact crater in Scotland? Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association. vol. 126, pp. 742–761

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282570971_The_Stac_Fada_impact_ejecta_deposit_and_the_Lairg_Gravity_Low_Evidence_for_a_buried_Precambrian_impact_crater_in_Scotland

and-
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Simms4/publication/282570971_The_Stac_Fada_impact_ejecta_deposit_and_the_Lairg_Gravity_Low_Evidence_for_a_buried_Precambrian_impact_crater_in_Scotland/links/562918eb08ae518e347c9074.pdf?inViewer=0&pdfJsDownload=0&origin=publication_detail

Yours,

Paul H.

Comet Strike May Have Triggered the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Comet Strike May Have Triggered the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)

Extraterrestrial Impact Preceded Ancient Global Warming Event
By Mary L. Martialay, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, October 13, 2016
http://news.rpi.edu/content/2016/10/13/extraterrestrial-impact-preceded-ancient-global-warming-event

Ancient Meteorite Impact Rained Debris On US East Coast
By Calla Cofield, Space.com Staff Writer | October 13, 2016 05:46pm ET
http://www.space.com/34384-ancient-meteorite-impact-hit-us-east-coast.html

Yours,

Paul H.

Chicxulub Impact Crater Investigation Begins in Earnest

Chicxulub Impact Crater Investigation Begins in Earnest

Chicxulub 'dinosaur crater' investigation begins in earnest
by Jonathan Amos, BBC News, October 11, 2016
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37625348

Yours,

Paul H.

Annual Moon Impacts More Frequent Then Previously Estimated

Annual Moon Impacts More Frequent Then Previously Estimated

The moon has hundreds more craters than we thought
Daily News, October 12, 2016
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2108929-the-moon-has-hundreds-more-craters-than-we-thought/

How old is our Moon? Hundreds of previously unseen
craters could finally unlock its true age: New estimates
suggest 180 craters of at least ten metres in diameter
form each year by Liat Clark, Wired,

A facelift for the Moon every 81,000 years, October 12, 2016
http://phys.org/news/2016-10-facelift-moon-years.html
http://phys.org/news/2016-10-reveals-lunar-surface-features-younger.html

The paper is:

Speyerer, E. J., R. Z. Povilaitis, M. S. Robinson, P. C. Thomas,
And R. V. Wagner, 2016, Quantifying crater production
and regolith overturn on the Moon with temporal imaging.
Nature. Vol. 538, pp. 215–218 (13 October 2016) doi:10.1038/nature19829
http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/nature19829

Yours,

Paul H.

No, the Rock You Found Is Not a Meteorite

No, the Rock You Found Is Not a Meteorite

Scientists: No, the Rock You Found Is Not a Meteorite
Thousands of space rock fans want to verify their meteorwrongs; ‘I don’t chat’ The wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com/articles/scientists-no-the-rock-you-found-is-not-a-meteorite-1473948988

Yours,

Paul H.

Impact Origin of Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) ?

Impact Origin of Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) ?

Glass bits, charcoal hint at 56-million-year-old space rock Impact. Timing coincides with period of rapid warming perhaps sparked by comet, Thomas Summer, Science News.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/glass-bits-charcoal-hint-56-million-year-old-space-rock-impact

Schaller, M.F., and others, 2016, Distal impact ejecta at Paleocene-Eocene boundary sections on the Atlantic Margin. Geological Society of America annual meeting, Denver, September 27, 2016. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7.
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Paper286189.html
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Session40161.html

Fung, M.K., and others, 2016, Widespread wildfires at the Paleocene Eocene boundary: Evidence from abundant charcoal preserved in the thick Marlboro Clay. Geological Society of America annual meeting, Denver, September 27, 2016. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Paper284983.html
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Session40161.html

More papers at:
https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Session40161.html

Yours,

Paul H.

OT: The Geologists Are Coming! And Other Quirky Geoscience Tunes

OT: The Geologists Are Coming! And Other Quirky Geoscience Tunes

The article about geology songs is:
Showstack, Randy, 2016, Amoeba People Sing Quirky Tunes About Geoscience. Eos. Vol. 97,
no. 18, pp. 8-9 https://eos.org/current-issues

and PDF
https://eos.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/15-Sept_magazine.pdf?cbb367

In the same issue, is “New Insights into North America’s Midcontinent Rift” by Seth Stein, Carol Stein, Jonas Kley, Randy Keller, and others and “Bacteria Preserve Record of Earth’s Magnetic Fields” by Elizabeth Deatrick.

A couple of Amoeba People’s songs are:
The Geologists Are Coming!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NU51lJIdrg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCYVhPp7cUs

and

Continental Drift: Alfred Wegener Song by The Amoeba People

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1-cES1Ekto

Other tunes are:

Country Western Geology - Brad Paisley - 5/10/2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF0iC6DXMQ8

Tiktaalik (Your Inner Fish)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9h1tR42QYA

Trilobite Deep time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d9NztifSD4

Yours,

Paul H.

New Allerød–Younger Dryas Boundary Papers

New Allerød–Younger Dryas Boundary Papers

New papers about the Allerød–Younger Dryas boundary are:

Andronikov, A.A., A. Van Hoesel, I. E. Andronikov, and W. Z. Hoek,2016,
Trace Element Distribution and Implications in Sediments Across the The Allerod–Younger Dryas Boundary in the Netherlands and Belgium. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography. Early View (Online
Version of Record published before inclusion in an issue)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geoa.12140/abstract\

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307902489_TRACE_ELEMENT_DISTRIBUTION_AND_IMPLICATIONS_IN_SEDIMENTS_ACROSS_THE_ALLEROD-YOUNGER_DRYAS_BOUNDARY_IN_THE_NETHERLANDS_AND_BELGIUM_TRACE_ELEMENT_DISTRIBUTION_ACROSS_THE_ALLEROD-YOUNGER_DRYAS_BOUNDARY

Jesse Tune, 2016, The Clovis–Cumberland–Dalton Succession: Settling into the Midsouth United States during the Pleistocene to Holocene Transition. PaleoAmerica. Pages 1-13 | Published online: 17 Aug 2016

http://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20555563.2016.1199193

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306255633_The_Clovis-Cumberland-Dalton_Succession_Settling_into_the_Midsouth_United_States_during_the_Pleistocene_to_Holocene_Transition

https://www.academia.edu/27844014/The_Clovis-Cumberland-Dalton_Succession_Settling_into_the_Midsouth_United_States_during_the_Pleistocene-to-Holocene_Transition.pdf

and

Surovell, T. A. J. R. Boyd, C. V. Haynes Jr., and G. W. L. Hodgins, 2016,
On the Dating of the Folsom Complex and its Correlation with the Younger Dryas, the End of Clovis, and Megafaunal Extinction.PaleoAmerica, 2:2, 81-89, DOI: 10.1080/20555563.2016.1174559
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2016.1174559

http://www.uwyo.edu/surovell/pdfs/paleoamerica%202016.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301599342_On_the_Dating_of_the_Folsom_Complex_and_its_Correlation_with_the_Younger_Dryas_the_End_of_Clovis_and_Megafaunal_Extinction

Yours,

Paul H.

How Did That Make It Through Peer Review?

How Did That Make It Through Peer Review?

How Did That Make It Through Peer Review? by Andrew Farke,
Andy Farke, Miscellaneous, Navel Gazing, Paleocommunity PLOS Blogs.
http://blogs.plos.org/paleocomm/2016/02/03/how-did-that-make-it-through-peer-review/

and

Allison, D. B., A. W. Brown, B. J. George, and K. A. Kaiser, 2016,
Reproducibility: A tragedy of errors. Nature, vol. 530, no. 7588,
pp. 27-29.
http://www.nature.com/news/reproducibility-a-tragedy-of-errors-1.19264

Yours,

Paul H.

Some Ancient Mars Lakes Formed Long After Others

Some Ancient Mars Lakes Formed Long After Others

Some ancient Mars lakes formed long after others
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6619
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160915142043.htm

The paper is:

Wilson, S. A., A. D. Howard, J. M. Moore, and J. A. Grant,
2016 A Cold-Wet Mid-Latitude Environment on Mars
during the Hesperian-Amazonian Transition: Evidence
from Northern Arabia Valleys and Paleolakes. Journal
of Geophysical Research: Planets, 2016; DOI: 10.1002/2016JE005052
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016JE005052/abstract

Another article is:

Mars rover views spectacular layered rock formations
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, September 12, 2016
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/mars-rover-views-spectacular-layered-rock-formations
http://thescienceexplorer.com/universe/mars-rover-views-spectacular-layered-rock-formations

Yours,

Paul H.

Geology For Next Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2017

Geology For Next Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2017

For those people going to the February 9-12, 2017, Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, the below, free PDF files, provides information about the geology of the Tucson area.

Spencer, J. E., 2006, Geologist's Guide to the Core Complex Geology Along the Catalina Highway, Tucson Area, Arizona, open file Report 06-01-A. 38 p

http://repository.azgs.az.gov/uri_gin/azgs/dlio/360

http://repository.azgs.az.gov/sites/default/files/dlio/files/nid360/ofr_06-01catalinafieldguide-colorprint.pdf

and there is:

Bezy, J. V., 2016, A Guide to the Geology of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona: The Geology and Life Zones of a Madrean Sky Island. Arizona Geological Survey Down-to-Earth # 22, 83 p.

http://repository.azgs.az.gov/uri_gin/azgs/dlio/1679

http://repository.azgs.az.gov/sites/default/files/dlio/files/nid1679/bezy-santacatalina-22-final.pdf

Yours,

Paul H.

Alaska Has Finally Been Mapped as Precisely as Mars

Alaska Has Finally Been Mapped as Precisely as Mars

Meteorite researchers can make their own and better
topographic maps of their search / study areas in parts
of Alaska using GIS software such as Global Mapper and
GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System)
using newly available digital elevation models (DEMs).

NSF, NGA release first unclassified digital elevation
models of Alaska, National Science foundation
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=189516

University of Minnesota-led project releases 3-D
elevation maps of Alaska for White House Arcti
Initiative. University of Minnesota, Sept. 1, 2016
https://cse.umn.edu/news-release/university-minnesota-led-project-releases-3-d-elevation-maps-alaska-white-house-arctic-initiative/

Alaska Has Finally Been Mapped as Precisely as Mars
New topographic maps made from satellite data will
help the state monitor—and plan for—its eroding
coastlines and melting permafrost by Joel K. Bourne, Jr.
National geographic, September 1, 2016.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/alaska-has-finally-been-mapped-as-precisely-as-mars/

ArcticDEM - http://pgc.umn.edu/arcticdem
ArcticDEM Explorer-
http://arcticdemapp.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/explorer/

Other states have LiDAR and other DEMs from which
custom made topographic and relief maps can be
made using the above software. For example, Louisiana
has complete, downloadable LiDAR DEMs and raw

LiDAR data that can be downloaded and made into
custom maps. Go see http://atlas.lsu.edu and
http://atlas.lsu.edu/rasterdown.htm .

Yours,

Paul H.

Arctic Gives Clues on Worst Mass Extinction of Life

Arctic Gives Clues on Worst Mass Extinction of Life

Arctic gives clues on worst mass extinction of life
University of Tromso (Universitetet i Tromsø - UiT)
August 24, 2016
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160824111100.htm
http://phys.org/news/2016-08-arctic-clues-worst-mass-extinction.html

Grasby, S. E., B. Beauchamp, and J. Knies, 2016, Early Triassic
productivity crises delayed recovery from world’s worst mass
extinction. Geology. vol. 44, no. 9, pp. 779-782 DOI: 10.1130/G38141.1
http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/08/05/G38141.1.abstract
ftp://rock.geosociety.org/pub/reposit/2016/2016263.pdf

An interesting, but unrelated paper is;

Hull, P. M., S. A. F. Darroch, and D. H. Erwin, 2015,
Rarity in mass extinctions and the future of ecosystems.
Nature. vol. 528, pp. 345-351.
http://people.earth.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Hull/Hulletal_nature_15.pdf

Yours,
Paul H.

Paleochannels Suggest Warm, Wet Ancient Mars

Paleochannels Suggest Warm, Wet Ancient Mars

Fossilized rivers suggest warm, wet ancient Mars
University College London, August 23, 2016
http://phys.org/news/2016-08-fossilized-rivers-ancient-mars.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160823135135.htm

The paper is:

Davis, J. M., M. Balme, P. M. Grindrod, R. M. E. Williams and
S. Gupta, 2016, Extensive Noachian fluvial systems in Arabia
Terra: Implications for early Martian climate. Geology.
First published online August 2016, doi: 10.1130/G38247.1
http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/08/23/G38247.1.abstract

Yours,

Paul H

Have Martian Fossils Been Obliterated by Meteorite Impacts ?

Have Martian Fossils Been Obliterated by Meteorite Impacts ?

Have signs of Martian life been obliterated by meteorite
blasts? Daily Mail, August 9, 2016
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3731884/Have-signs-Martian-life-obliterated-meteorite-blasts-Extreme-pressures-impact-wipe-organic-compounds-study-finds.html

Meteors might have wiped out evidence of life on
Mars in the places we’re looking by Josh Hrala
Science Alert, August 12, 2016
http://www.sciencealert.com/impact-craters-are-not-the-best-places-to-look-for-signs-of-life-on-mars-study-finds

Evidence of Martian life could be hard to find in
some meteorite blast sites, Imperial College London
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_8-8-2016-12-31-10
http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2016080815080028.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160808091250.htm

The paper is:

Montgomery, W., G. D. Bromiley, and M. A. Sephton.
2016, The nature of organic records in impact
excavated rocks on Mars. Scientific Reports.
Vol. 6, no. 30947 DOI: 10.1038/srep30947
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep30947

Another recent article about meteorite impacts is:

How Often do Meteorites Hit the Earth?
Space.com by Samantha Mathewson, August 10, 2016
http://www.space.com/33695-thousands-meteorites-litter-earth-unpredictable-collisions.html

Yours,

Paul H.

We Have A Neighbor

We Have A Neighbor

In "We Have A Neighbor," Mrs. Webb wrote:

"Hi,"We have a neighboring planet
only 4 light years away. It's
small, earth-like, in the
habitable zone of its star,
yada-yada.

Everybody's going crazy...

Me too."

The paper is:

Anglada-Escudé, G., P. J. Amado, J. Barnes, and others, 2016, A
terrestrial planet candidate in a temperate orbit around Proxima
Centauri. Nature. vol. 536, pp. 437–440 (25 August 2016) doi:10.1038/nature19106
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v536/n7617/full/nature19106.html

PDF file at
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso1629/eso1629a.pdf

Yours,

Paul H.

New methodology for Estimating Size of Impact Craters

New methodology for Estimating Size of Impact Craters

New methodology provides better size estimates of meteorite
impact craters. University of Western Ontario, August 8, 2016
http://mediarelations.uwo.ca/2016/08/05/new-methodology-provides-better-size-estimates-meteorite-impact-craters/
http://phys.org/news/2016-08-methodology-size-meteorite-impact-craters.html

The paper is:

Osinski, G. R., and L. Ferrière, 2016, Shatter cones: (Mis)understood?
Science Advances. Science Advances. Vol. 2, no. 8, e1600616
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600616
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/8/e1600616

Yours,

Paul H.

Where are all the Large impact Craters on Ceres?

Where are all the Large impact Craters on Ceres?

Where are all the large impact craters on Ceres? July 28, 2016
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/the-case-of-the-missing-ceres-craters
https://www.middaydaily.com/ceres-huge-impact-craters/25755/
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/232532-where-are-all-the-large-impact-craters-on-ceres

The paper is:

Marchi, S., A. I. Ermakov, C. A. Raymond, and many others, 2016
The missing large impact craters on Ceres Nature Communications.
vol. 7, Article number: 12257, doi:10.1038/ncomms12257
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160726/ncomms12257/full/ncomms12257.html

Yours,

Paul H.