Geology Today最新文献

Here, I propose that Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on the planet, should be a potential site as a UNESCO Global Geopark. This location is not only associated with numerous majestic waterfalls, karst topography and multiple natural caves and speleothems with global scientific value, but is also of great significance to local people. These features have made this place an important area for geoscience research, as well as an important area for the development of geotourism. Cherrapunji is also the source of the ‘Meghalayan Age’, the most recent age in the geological timescale, defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) in 2018, for the past 4200 years of the Holocene. This article calls on researchers, government officials as well as the local people to take all the necessary steps to make Cherrapunji a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Climate change has been rising to an ever-increasing prominence in the news headlines in recent years, as local and global temperature records are obliterated, and extreme weather events occur with increasing frequency and severity. Preparing for an uncertain future climate represents one of the biggest challenges humans have ever faced. Here, I take you back 62 million years ago (Ma) to a poorly studied short-lived global warming event known as the Latest Danian Event (LDE), which may represent a good analogue for current human-induced climate change. I discuss evidence for changes in temperature and pH of the oceans during the LDE, using novel geochemical proxies on the calcite shells of zooplankton to prove that the LDE was the first global ‘hyperthermal’ event of the Cenozoic. I also delve into the potential forcing mechanisms behind the event, outlining the critical outstanding questions which palaeoclimatologists are yet to answer. Most importantly, I highlight the lessons we can learn from the LDE about our future climate, allowing us to better plan, prepare and adapt.

Ancient cultures have frequently made use of stone surfaces to carve and engrave symbols, letters and messages for others. These petroglyphs usually have a lasting character and are frequently preserved well beyond the survival of the culture that produced the petroglyphs. In this article, we focus on the written and pictorial testimony of the pre-Hispanic era of the island of El Hierro (Canary Islands, Spain), which exploited a series of volcanic rock features to create a written testimony of their presence and their way of life. This specific cultural heritage has been adapted to the specific geological features on the island and the emerging stone masonry skill of the aboriginal culture of the original islanders, creating a unique and lasting record of their ability to use geological elements for cultural development.

Outdoor activities including trekking and hiking are commonly undertaken in mountains and in other environments where bedrock surfaces or bedrock-controlled landforms are present and where users can enjoy the fresh air and the physical landscape. Information boards and leaflets are often used by scientists and environmental managers in these environments to communicate geoscience issues to the general public along hiking and trekking trails. Rock climbing sites are also prime locations where rock surfaces are exposed and where specific user groups interact with the physical landscape. Here, we describe the relationship between rock climbing and the nature of rock outcrops and the opportunity that this affords for more innovative ways of communicating geoscience information to a physically active and engaged public. As such, rock climbing sites can be considered geoheritage sites, where they represent sites of importance for people and communities (cultural heritage) as well as for their geological and educational value (geological heritage). The characteristics of rock climbing sites as geoheritage sites are discussed in this feature, as are the potential threats to the integrity of these sites.

Every year, tens of millions of cycling enthusiasts watch and read about the Tour de France, one of the largest sports events of the year. For hours on end, they wait in anticipation of the climax of the race, and these hours are filled by commentators and journalists with background information about riders, the course, history, cuisine, culture and architecture. Little do they realize that every day the peloton is actually setting out on a beautiful excursion through what is one of the most geologically and geographically diverse regions in the world. The Geo-Sports project provides journalists, readers, and viewers with accessible excursion guides, in written and video format, on websites and social media. In this article, we explain the rationale and background of the project, and we hope you will join us in lifting the veil to expose the beauty of the natural world and its role in our society.

Peridotites are a group within the category of ultramafic rocks. These are usually dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium, poor in silica and lacking feldspars. Earth's mantle, which makes up 83 percent by volume and 67 percent by weight of the planet, consists largely of peridotite, which, although relatively sparse at the surface, therefore, is Earth's most abundant rock type. Unfortunately, the mantle, which lies on average at >7 km under the oceans and >35 km under the continents, is not directly accessible for observation and our information comes largely from seismic studies, inclusions in volcanic rocks and sections of the ocean floor which have been tectonically emplaced into the crust: the ophiolite complexes and abyssal peridotites of the oceans. Such rocks also occur when mafic minerals, such as olivine, pyroxene and spinel, accumulate in magma chambers. An unusual occurrence of ultramafic rocks is the lava called komatiite, representing ultramafic liquids, which are largely restricted to Precambrian environments.

As a result of several factors including overpopulation of the Earth and the ever-expanding search for groundwater resources, land subsidence is slowly becoming a global challenge. In fact, a 2021 study of 41 countries around the globe demonstrated the severity of the problem. However, land subsidence in Iran is accompanied by other issues which further complicate the problem.