Earth Science

The simple answer is “Yes.” Here’s why: The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement that is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC. The purpose of the agreement is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the…
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Based on radiometric dating of meteorites and lunar samples, our planet Earth is an estimated 4.6 billion years old; however as the big blue marble rounds the great yellow ball, scientists are always trying to find ways to predict how…
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What is more frightening and impressive than a hurricane or typhoon, pin-wheeling across the sea toward landfall? How about two or more cyclonic storms, spinning together under the influence of the Fujiwara Effect! When any two rotating systems come into…
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Tide is defined as a ‘cyclical deformation of one astronomical body caused by the gravitational forces extended by the other’. Although there are many forms of tides demonstrable in the earth’s atmosphere, the periodical changes in the sea level is…
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The Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness was developed in 1812 by a German mineralogist, Frederich Mohs (his name rhymes with “toes”).  His simple, ten-step scale has become a basic testing tool widely used by geologists and geology students for identifying…
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Hornfels are part of a group of metamorphic rocks produced under certain natural forces.  The word hornfels comes from the German meaning “hornstone” because it was associated with the horn-shaped peaks of the Alps. Hornfels are igneous rocks formed by…
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All seas and oceans of the world have tides. There are exceptions; these are inland seas and the European Mediterranean Sea. Tides are created by the gravitational effects of the moon and sun.  Inland seas have nowhere for the water…
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“Fuji alone Left uncovered by The new leaves.”  Kyoto poet-painter Buson wrote those lines about Mount Fuji.  A well-known symbol of Japan, Mount Fuji rises over 12,000 feet in a nearly symmetrical cone, snow-capped, gentle slopes rolling away to the…
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Agate is a variation of Chalcedony, which is a variation of silica that is called cryptocristalline. Cryptocrystalline means that the mineral crystals are so fine that they are only vaguely seen in patterns and fine variations. Chalcedony has the crystals quartz…
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There are several ways to measure the strength of a hurricane, from air pressure to sheer size. Although the term “hurricane” is only used in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans, the intense circular storms which are also called typhoons…
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