Geologists like me like to cut and grind thin slices of a rock [1] – thin enough to see through – and look at them in a microscope using polarized light. The polarized light allows us to identify minerals more easily than we can by eye [2]. The thin slice of rock is called a […]
Author: Peter Selkin
Basics of Magnetism 2: The Geodynamo
Here’s the second in a series that explains the basic ideas in paleo-, geo-, and rock magnetism. I’m hoping to separate the real-life mysteries and wonder from the jargon that sometimes makes magnets seem like magic tricks. Have a question about any of these posts? Or about any aspect of paleomagnetism? I’d love to hear it. […]
Basics of Magnetism 1: Compasses
When I tell people that I study the history of Earth’s magnetic field, I get a bit self-conscious – as if I just told someone I specialize in Santa Claus. Geologists call us “paleomagicians” for a reason. You can’t see magnetic fields. You can’t touch them. Unlike most geological stuff, nothing obvious happens if you […]
How to go to sea as a paleomagnetist, part 2
What? You really wanted to know how I got picked to go to sea?You might say it was Facebook.Last spring, the Facebook page for the drillship JOIDES Resolution (“the JR”) posted a call for a paleomagnetist from the US to sail on an expedition to the Bengal Fan. Since that description fits me (and not that […]
How to go to sea as a paleomagnetist
Starting late next month, I’ll be at sea in the middle of the Bay of Bengal as part of IODP Expedition 354. Going to sea for months at a time is something new and exciting for me. I’m going to be blogging here about my experience, starting with preparations for the cruise. I hope that […]
Welcome!
This is the website and blog of the environmental geoscience lab at UW Tacoma, housed in the Science building, room 304. We’ll be posting here about things that go on in the lab, which you can take in a very general way to mean “in the lives of the people who use Science 304.” We’re […]