Posted on 10/20/2020 9:33:20 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A team of geologists at the University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics believes they have found the lost plate in northern Canada by using existing mantle tomography images—similar to a CT scan of the earth's interior. The findings, published in Geological Society of America Bulletin, could help geologists better predict volcanic hazards as well as mineral and hydrocarbon deposits.
"Volcanoes form at plate boundaries, and the more plates you have, the more volcanoes you have," said Jonny Wu, assistant professor of geology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "Volcanoes also affect climate change. So, when you are trying to model the earth and understand how climate has changed since time, you really want to know how many volcanoes there have been on earth."
Wu and Spencer Fuston, a third-year geology doctoral student, applied a technique developed by the UH Center for Tectonics and Tomography called slab unfolding to reconstruct what tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean looked like during the early Cenozoic Era. The rigid outermost shell of Earth, or lithosphere, is broken into tectonic plates and geologists have always known there were two plates in the Pacific Ocean at that time called Kula and Farallon. But there has been discussion about a potential third plate, Resurrection, having formed a special type of volcanic belt along Alaska and Washington State.
Using 3-D mapping technology, Fuston applied the slab unfolding technique to the mantle tomography images to pull out the subducted plates before unfolding and stretching them to their original shapes.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
W00t!
I don’t have a Patrick to send, so I need to run my errands myself. But that’s OK. Errands get me out of the house!
I think, because I can’t seem to get anyone to help me with this last pile of donations, that I’ll take it with me today, and drop it off at the Catholic thrift store. I just can’t have it cluttering up the entryway, either. It makes it very difficult for me to get the laundry cart out the door and then into the bathroom when I’m done.
The water has to be brought in, first, and the extra boxes I got on Tuesday, but I just can’t handle the clutter. Packing is hard enough without the added clutter of things I can’t get rid of.
I understand. It’s like that here when we’re reorganizing or getting ready for camp.
Plus cats.
Speaking of cats, I miss the birds, especially Gonzo.
Good morning. Happy Wednesday.
Still cold and snowy here, but not much snow accumulation.
w00t!
Good happy Wednesday to you!
Did you have snow last year? I don’t recall because two things happen when you get older.
1. You start to forget things.
2. I don’t recall what the second one is...
Today’s special animal friend, in recognition of the Lenten season, is the Violet-Backed Starling, Cinnyricinclus leucogaster, also known as the plum-colored starling and the amethyst starling. This small (up to 7 inches) bird is common in the savannahs and forest edges of Sub-Saharan Africa. They are found across the continent, but higher densities occur toward the east, where the terrain is neither heavy rainforest nor desert. Common in lowlands, it has been found in Kenya at altitudes up to 6,900 feet.
The female violet-backed starling has medium-brown back feathers with white edging and a white chest barred with brown. She looks very tidy, like junior audit staff in a large bank. The male violet-backed starling has brilliantly purple, iridescent feathers on his head, back, and wings. The color ranges from deep violet through plum to mauve and can be quite dazzling. His underparts are white. In mating displays, the male hovers or stands near the female, singing while showing off his wings.
Violet-backed starlings live in small flocks. They eat fruit, seeds, and arthropods. In some habitats, they are the major vector of the mistletoe plant. In others, they snap insects out of the air like flycatchers. They usually remain in the forest canopy, seldom feeding on the ground. During insect swarming periods, flocks of starlings follow the swarms or termites or locusts.
They build their nests in tree cavities, holes in fence posts, and cavities in river banks, usually within a few yards of the ground. The nests are made of dung, rotted leaves, and other plant material. A pair may stay together and reuse the same nest for several seasons. The female lays two to four eggs, which are pale blue with reddish-brown spots, and incubates them for about two weeks. The male assists in feeding the chicks when they hatch.
Violet-backed starlings are a species of least concern for conservationists, due to their very broad range and adaptability to different habitats. However, their populations are declining in some areas; the level of conservation interest depends upon the country. They can be kept in captivity. Captive individuals are reported to have lived over 25 years, but the average is around 7 (which makes the 32 and 27 reports pretty dubious).
*tagline*
I first read “His underpants are white,” instead of “His underparts are white.” My bad.
That’s exactly what I thought, too!
What a stuning bird!
Great minds! :o]
Isn’t it? You couldn’t imagine that color if you hadn’t seen it.
Well, certainly not on a bird, anyway!
I just called AR. It seems now there are three applications ahead of mine, and what with the snow storms and all, well...
OK. I get it. I’ve applied to all I’m going to apply to so all I can do is wait.
But I’ll keep packing until I’m at a point where I can’t pack any more because it would be “last day” things.
Unnngh. You wouldn’t want to move in the snow, anyway.
Absolutely not! Nor in the midst of an AR summer, either, where you can drink the air!
I just really don’t want another summer here, but it looks like this is where I’ll be!
Remember you like the heat!
I finally connected with the colonoscopy scheduler. Still waiting for the podiatrist’s office to call back.
I love the heat, but I don’t like moving in it. I’ve done it quite often, and it isn’t my idea of fun. It’s always hardest on those who do the actual moving, and there isn’t much to be done to help them, except start very early in the morning and hope we can get done loading or unloading before noon.
Good for you, getting to speak with the colonoscopy scheduler! Perhaps your wait for the podiatrist won’t be too much longer.
I just got back from my errands, but I went to the bank for quarters instead of going to the thrift store, even though I had loaded up the truck. I had gotten a sudden chest pain, and decided I’d wait on the drop off for another day. Nothing else will be done today.
We had snow, but not so much. We’re considerably farther north this year than last.
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