Author Archives: gymnosperm

Sorting Rocks

Posted on December 1, 2013 by gymnosperm

Here at the gymnosperm/trunkmonkey research institute we have been spending a lot of time sorting rocks. It is utter drudgery and we would have quit a long time ago had the results not been so intriguing. Basically, we belatedly discovered … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Geological Evolution of the Western United States, Geology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Pacific Triangle

Posted on November 24, 2013 by gymnosperm

The triangle is formed by lines of equal age in the ocean floor derived from bands of alternating magnetism as the earth’s pole flipped. It is one of the great mysteries discussed previously. The ocean floor gets progressively older from all … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Geology, Pacific Triangle, Paleogeography, Plate Tectonics, Seafloor Isochrons | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Dinosaurs Died for our Sins

Posted on November 17, 2013 by gymnosperm

The original sin, secondary, tertiary, quaternary sins. Hurricanes, tornadoes are upon us. Quick! Find a witch to burn. Well, at least he saved the weed eater. Not to minimize the tragedies, just the sensationalism. Nobody wants their house trashed and … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Biology, Climate, Climate Change, History of Life | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Revenge of Gaia (and the Origional Sin)

Posted on November 9, 2013 by gymnosperm

Our brains are layered in the same way sedimentary rocks are. In our lower brains lie the basic functions: breathe, eat and drink, thermoregulate, and reproduce. These are Archean functions we share with all living things. All beautiful, non-predictive analogies can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Biology, Carbon Theology, History, Metaphor, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Follow the Granite

Posted on November 3, 2013 by gymnosperm

Granite is the currency in the construction of continents. Here we will time step through the existing surface expression of granites and related igneous and metamorphic rock in the Western US from the Archean to the present. Sediments are boring. … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Geological Evolution of the Western United States, Geology, History of Life, Paleogeography | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Primacy of Vulcan

Posted on October 27, 2013 by gymnosperm

In the beginning there was a great flash of light, and soon there was the primal proton, Hydrogen, which fused to produce Helium , and so on, within supernovae, to create our pantheon of elements. Honestly, we need to muster … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Biology, Geology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Serpentine and the Primordial Subduction

Posted on October 19, 2013 by gymnosperm

Serpentine is the California State Rock. The effluent of toxic mud volcanos might seem a strange choice for a state rock, but the related higher grade blue and greenschist metamorphism has produced eerily beautiful rocks with sinuous veining from which … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Plate Tectonics, Serpentine | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Yellowstone Hot Spot, Or Not

Posted on October 12, 2013 by gymnosperm

Besides the ocean spreading ridges there are several mysterious “hot spots” evident in seamount chains where volatile components of the mantle emerge at a point as a more or less continuous volcano. The most famous of these is the Hawaiian/Emperor … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Geological Evolution of the Western United States, Geology, Paleogeography, Plate Tectonics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Circumnavigating Mount Whitney

Posted on October 3, 2013 by gymnosperm

In five decades of mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, the wilderness has changed from a wild west dominated by cowboys and pack trains to a highly regulated theme park with lotteries for permits to visit the most desirable locations. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Geography, Geology, Mount Whitney, Wilderness | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Late Cretaceous Orogenic North American Continental Margin

Posted on September 22, 2013 by gymnosperm

A huge problem with geological maps is that their daunting psychedelic maze of colors makes it very difficult to bear down on specific features. We recently discovered a GIS series of State scale maps from USGS  where it is possible to … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Geology, Gravity Anomalies, Paleogeography, Plate Tectonics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment