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November 7, 2023
Geology Word of the Week: P is for Pahoehoe
def. Pahoehoe: A type of lava with a smooth or undulating surface. Pahoehoe lava flows often resemble coils of rope and are most commonly found in basalt. Pahoehoe is Hawaiian word that is pronounced “pah-hoy-hoy”. Pahoehoe is a term used to describe a lava flow that has a smooth or undulating surface. Many pahoehoe flows resemble coils of rope or, in some cases, messy piles of rope. Pahoehoe is …
April 29, 2019
Monday Geology Picture: Pillow Basalt Decor
This week I’m sharing a picture of a lovely pillow basalt decorative slab that is part of the decor in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. In this slab, you can see pillow shapes outlined by lovely glass rinds, which formed when the basaltic lava rapidly cooled because it was erupted underwater. I just love this decorative slab — who wouldn’t want …
April 16, 2018
Monday Geology Picture: Another View of Formica Leo Volcanic Crater
Last week I shared a picture of the beautiful and impressive Formica Leo, a volcanic crater located at the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Last week’s picture showed the crater from a distance. You can just barely make out some small people in last week’s picture, to give you some sense of scale. However, I thought I would share a closer view of …
April 9, 2018
Monday Geology Picture: Formica Leo Volcanic Crater
Today I’m sharing a picture of the stunning Formica Leo (foreground), a volcanic crater located at the Piton de la Fournaise volcano on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. My husband and I hiked up this crater when we visited the island for a holiday last year. We also hiked up to the top of the volcanic hill in the distance — crossing over a number of lava flows of …
January 22, 2018
Monday Geology Picture: Pele’s Hair
For this week’s post, here’s a picture showing a lovely example of Pele’s Hair, which is a type of volcanic glass that consists of fibers or thin strands. Although I’ve visited many volcanoes (including a few active ones) over the years, I’ve never seen Pele’s Hair in the field. So, I was quite happy to see this excellent example in the volcano museum on Réunion Island. I visited the museum during …
October 30, 2017
Monday Geology Picture: Pretty Pahoehoe
For this week’s picture, here’s another lovely shot of pahoehoe basalt that I took during a March 2017 vacation to Réunion Island. I previously shared a picture of some Réunion pahoehoe here.
October 2, 2017
Monday Geology Picture: Posing with Pahoehoe
First of all, for this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” enjoy this fantastic picture of me sitting on some pahoehoe lava earlier this year, when I visited Réunion Island back in March. Second of all, let me provide a little explanation about why I have been terribly negligent of this blog over the past few months, despite my best intentions at the beginning of the year. In January I fully intended to read one science …
November 4, 2012
Geology Word of the Week: A is for Amygdale
def. Amygdale (also spelled Amygule): Vesicles, generally in extrusive igneous rocks, that are filled with secondary minerals, most commonly quartz, calcite, chlorite, and zeolite. When a rock contains amygdales, geologists often describe it as an amygdaloidal rock. For example, basalt is often described as amygdaloidal basalt. Here are a few previous, related geology words of the week that may be of interest: V is for Vesicle (and Vug) Z is …
July 30, 2012
Monday Geology Picture(s): A Lava Road Closure on Hawai’i
My friend Arthur recently visited Hawai’i and sent me some wonderful pictures of lava and basalt! My favorite picture is the one above of a former road now almost completely covered by basalt. Arthur informs me that the sign was for Chain of Craters Road, which is now buried under several meters of basalt in places. Here’s the approximate location of the roadsign. Arthur also sent me a few pictures …
January 27, 2011
Geology Word of the Week: M is for Magma
Glowing lava in Hawaii. Image taken from Wikipedia Commons here. def. Magma1. Molten (liquid) rock below the Earth’s surface. Often contains volatiles, crystals, and small fragments of solid rock.2. Not a synonym for lava, which is what you call magma after it has been erupted or extruded onto the Earth’s surface.3. A favorite word of evil scientists, at least in Hollywood movies. When non-geologists (and perhaps some beginner geologists) think …
