Funny Photo #5

The Truth about Science and Religion is...

Solar System Myth Busting

How much about our Solar System do you think you know?

It has never ceased to amaze me how little people know about their own planet.  But to be fair, it is a huge planet…it is 24,901 miles around, and weighs in at 5.972 x 10²⁴ or 5,972,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Kg.  (1.31664252 × 10²⁵ lbs).  That is a lot of Earth to learn about.  But today we are going to leave the comfort of our small Planet and venture out into the solar system.  But don’t worry, we won’t go too far in our myth busting adventures.  Today we will focus on tackling just 4 myths.  So without further delay, put on your space suits and let’s go!

Breaking Down the Myths on Weathering and Erosion

Breaking Down the Facts and Myths on Weathering and Erosion 

When I talk to people about Weathering and Erosion I can hear some crazy things.  Some people insist that because they can’t see it, it doesn’t happen.  Others will act as if this is an overnight process, which is also wrong.  The answer lies somewhere in between the two.  So let’s start breaking the barriers and getting this straight.

It’s Time to Get Shakin’

It’s Time to Get Shakin’

Today on Earth Science for Everyone we are going to demystify another set of bad science facts. From the title of this post you can probably guess what the subject matter is about, but for those who didn’t make that connection, its Earthquakes!  Now depending on how much you paid attention in Science class and how many movies you watched, I can guarantee that at least one of these items will be news to you!

Versus: Pumice & Scoria

Choice: A

Choice B

VS

Today on Versus we have Pumice and Scoria...Both of these rocks are considered Vesicular, (meaning they are filled with TONS of tiny holes and tubes) and both are associated with Volcanoes.  So how do we tell them apart?  Well first let me tell you that the Pumice (yes the same kind you scrub on your feet to make them smooth) is indeed Choice A.

Pumice:
Is considered a Felsic rock, meaning that it has a lot of Quartz in it (think sand).  Pumice forms almost like a glass filled with bubbles due to a rapid cooling of rocks ejected from the volcano.  The best way to separate the Pumice from the Scoria is to see if it floats in water.

Scoria:
It is considered a Basaltic rock, meaning that is formed from very little Quartz (remember sand).  Scoria forms from the rapid cooling of molten rocks and the best way to tell it apart from Pumice is that it sinks!

Funny Photo #4

Funny Photo #3

Are Humans the Problem?

How to read a contour map

Almost all of us have seen one of these before.  It's a map with a bunch of squiggly lines on it.  Although some of these maps look like this one over here, there are usually some major roads marked on it, or some landmarks you know.  But what exactly do these maps tell you?  A surprising large amount of information is contained within those squiggles.  So without further ado lets dive into a contour map and learn how to read it.

Versus: ʻAʻā and Pāhoehoe

Choice: A

Choice: B

Versus

Getting the Facts: The Volcano

Almost everybody out here has seen or heard of volcanoes.  Most of our experiences are come from movies, or pictures. Some of us may even remember making volcanoes out of soda bottles and then adding baking soda to the vinegar and hurrah!  But sadly these are not the best examples.  Anyone who has seen the movie 'Dantes Peak' for example may already know just how many misconceptions are out there.  But for those who don't remember your Earth Science classes, here a list of the wrongs and the rights about volcanoes.

Versus: Sleet & Freezing Rain

Choice: A

Choice: B

VERSUS

This week on Versus we are challenging you tell apart Sleet and Freezing Rain.  This is one of those science lovers pet-peeves, where a lot of people aren't even aware of the difference.  Most people can identify rain or snow but ask them if it's sleet or freezing rain and they seem lost.  "There's a difference?" you might hear someone say.  Well yes there is, and do you know which photo is which?

Funny Photo #2

Not quite a Versus topic, so I chose another food related picture instead:

Funny Photo #1

A dig at the Dinosaurs and non-renewable resources:

Versus: Cubic Zirconia & Diamond

Choice: A

Choice: B

VERSUS

Time and Geology

We spend a lot of time in geology talking about time.  Most of us understand time, and there are some great videos out there by a group called minute physics on this very topic.  But my discussion isn't about what you and I consider time, it is about geologic time.  We can all agree that the Earth is old.  Some of us may remember a more specific number, like 4.6 billion years old. But as an Earth Scientist, how do we record 4.6 billion years of information anyway?

The Atmosphere

Our Atmosphere is a wonderful thing.  The atmosphere creates weather, provides us with protection from the sun, and is the reason for the wonderful Northern Lights.  Face it, without an atmosphere life on Earth couldn't exist.  But what exactly is the atmosphere?  And what are all those layers about, it's not like the atmosphere is a giant cake or something!  Well lets just hold off on the cake thing for a little while and focus on the first half of this query.  What is the atmosphere.

Versus - Pyrite & Gold

Choice: B

Choice: A

VERSUS

Meteorite hits Russia - 2/15/2013

A typical meteorite.

By now everyone has certainly heard about the Meteorite that struck Russia.  The news outlets everywhere blew up with the story, and YouTube has seen its share of videos on the topic.  So what really happened over in Russia, how can they prove it, and what does it mean to you and me?

First and foremost the meteorite did not make a single impact.  It in fact broke apart in our atmosphere (about 10 to 15 mi above the surface), scattering its debris across Chelyabinsk Oblast Russia.  The force released by the break up is estimated between 20 and 30 times stronger than the atomic bomb!  The (now named) Chelyabinsk Meteor  is considered the largest known object to have entered the Earth's Atmosphere  in over 100 years.  It is also believed to have caused the most injuries (since recorded history of course!)

Welcome to Earth Science 4 Everyone (ES4E)

Hello everybody and welcome to the newest addition to my blog family.  I have started and stopped other blogs in the past but this one is different...this one is *gasp* educational.  But it is more than that too!  My goal is make everyday people like you, and you...and even you, able to understand the Science all around you.

Everyday we take in thousands of sights and sounds.  All of which call 'Earth' their home.  So what exactly is Earth Science? Earth Science is defined as an "all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet earth."  In other words as an Earth Scientist you study everything from the center of the Earth to the stars in the sky.  So for the more important question, what shall we talk about on this blog?

I don't want you to feel like you are in your high school science class.  I want to bring you historical facts as well as current events.  My goal is to keep this interesting and down to Earth (pun not intended).  So for now lets just sit back and relax, and see what topics will come to mind.