Category: Monday Geology Picture

Monday Geology Picture: Hermanus Beach Rocks

 

Malmesbury sediments by the beach, Hermanus, South Africa.
Malmesbury sediments by the beach, Hermanus, South Africa.

This past weekend my husband and I and some friends visited the little seaside town of Hermanus, which is located about an hour and a half drive from our home in Cape Town, South Africa. Normally, the weather in April in South Africa is starting to become somewhat cold. However, we enjoyed unseasonably warm weather this past weekend. Thus, we spent plenty of time walking along the seashore and even swimming in the sea itself during our visit to Hermanus. The seashore at Hermanus is bordered by beautiful, dark sedimentary rocks of the Malmesbury Group. which you can read more about here. A few of these rocks are shown in the picture above.

Monday Geology Picture(s): A Few More Pictures from Rondevlei

A view of some of Cape Town's mountains, with Rondevlei in the foreground.
A view of some of Cape Town’s mountains, with Rondevlei in the foreground.

For this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” post I thought I would share a few more pictures from my recent visit to Rondevlei Nature Reserve here in the Western Cape of South Africa. I shared one picture last week. As a quick reminder, Rondevlei is a vlei or marsh that is home to the Western Cape’s only population of hippos. When I visited the vlei a little over a week ago, the water level was low, and I saw some very impressive mudcracks and salt accumulations. I didn’t see any hippos, unfortunately– I’ll have to go back to the vlei one evening since the hippos are not active during the day.

Another view of Rondevlei. This picture was taken from one of the observation towers on the nature reserve.
Another view of Rondevlei. This picture was taken from one of the observation towers on the nature reserve.
A picture of the Rondevlei sign... with hippo theme!
A picture of the Rondevlei sign… with hippo theme!
More mudcracks at Rondevlei.
Low water levels at Rondevlei.
Another view of the low water levels at Rondevlei.
Another view of the low water levels at Rondevlei.
A close-up view of some mudcracks and salt accumulations.
A close-up view of some mudcracks and salt accumulations.

Monday Geology Picture: Mudcracks at Rondevlei

 

Mudcracks at Rondevlei.
Mudcracks at Rondevlei.

Yesterday my husband and I visited the Rondevlei Nature Reserve here in the Western Cape of South Africa. Rondevlei is the only place in the Western Cape where hippos live. Hippos lived in the Western Cape historically, but they went extinct in the 1700s. A few hippos were re-introduced to Rondevlei in the 1980s. We didn’t see any hippos during our walk around Rondevlei– apparently hippos are seen in the evening when they’re active. However, we did see some impressive mudcracks since the water level in the vlei or marsh is quite low at the moment. A view of some of the mudcracks is shown above.

Monday Geology Picture(s): Dendrites in the Tile Shop

Pretty dendritic minerals on display in a Cape Town tile shop.
Pretty dendritic minerals on display in a Cape Town tile shop.

First of all, my apologies for missing the “Monday Geology Picture” post last week. I’ve been extremely busy recently with work and also preparing for a much-needed vacation. Actually, I’m on vacation right now, so I’ve set this to auto-post. Never fear, though… when I return in early April I will finish my “Sutherland Sky” series of blog posts. Also, I will be reviving the “Geology Word of the Week”.

For today, I wanted to share a few pictures of some dendritic minerals (probably some sort of manganese-rich mineral) that I observed on some tiles that were on display in a local tile shop here in Cape Town, South Africa. My husband and I were at the tile shop recently looking for some new tiles for our bathroom. We didn’t select these dendrite-decorated tiles, but I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures of them. I think dendritic minerals are just beautiful.

Here’s a closer view of the dendrite-decorated tiles, with my hand for scale:

Another view of the pretty dendritic minerals, with my hand for scale.
Another view of the pretty dendritic minerals, with my hand for scale.

And here’s a wider view showing the tile display:

Dendrite-decorated display tiles.
Dendrite-decorated display tiles.

Monday Geology Picture: Geology Jewelry

A gold mining themed necklace, a present from my good friends Nia and Patrick.
A gold mining themed necklace, a present from my good friends Nia and Patrick.

For this week’s Monday Geology Picture, I thought that I would share a picture of a wonderful geology themed necklace that I received as a 30th birthday present from my good friends Nia and Patrick. This wonderful necklace features a pick and shovel. The shovel has a small gold nugget on it. Considering that I just spent a year and a half working for a gold exploration company, I am delighted by this gold mining themed necklace… made out of real gold! I’ve worn the necklace quite a few times already, and it makes a lovely addition to my small but growing collection of geology themed jewelry.

What geology themed jewelry do you own?

Monday Geology Picture: A Giant Roadside Dinosaur

A giant dinosaur along the road in Cabazon, California. Picture courtesy of my friend Aimee.
A giant dinosaur along the road in Cabazon, California. Picture courtesy of my friend Aimee.

For this week’s Monday Geology Picture I’m featuring another picture from my friend Aimee, who provided last week’s picture as well. This picture shows one of the Cabazon Dinosaurs, giant dinosaur sculptures standing along Interstate 10 in California near Palm Springs. Originally built starting in the 1960s to attract visitors to a roadside cafe, the dinosaurs are now part of an extensive roadside attraction and a museum that, unfortunately, promotes Young Earth Creationism and the denial of evolution.

Thanks for sharing this neat picture, Aimee! It’s a pity that the Cabazon Dinosaurs are now used to promote geological nonsense.

Monday Geology Picture: Jumbo Rocks Campground, Joshua Tree National Park

A picture taken at beautiful Jumbo Rocks campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Picture courtesy of my friend Aimee.
A picture taken at beautiful Jumbo Rocks campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Picture courtesy of my friend Aimee.

This week’s Monday Geology Picture is courtesy of my friend Aimee, who recently visited Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Park in California. This campground is a geoloigst’s– and a rock climber’s– delight. Thanks for sharing such a great picture, Aimee!

Monday Geology Picture: A Geology Bookshelf

Some of the geology books on our bookshelf, circa February 2014.
Some of the geology books on our bookshelf, circa February 2014.

I was doing a quick workout tape in the living room this evening and pondering what I might feature for this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” when my eye wandered over to one shelf of one of our bookshelves. The lowermost shelf of the bookshelf next to our TV has a decidedly geological theme, as you can see in the above picture. My husband and I have many, many geology books… this shelf features just a few of them, ranging from highly technical geological reference books to fun geology-themed popular science books.

What geological books are found on your bookshelves?

Monday Geology Picture(s): More Views of the Shipwreck on Noordhoek Beach, South Africa

Beautiful Noordhoek Beach, February 2014.
Beautiful Noordhoek Beach, February 2014.

A few weeks ago I featured a picture of the S. S. Kakapo shipwreck on Noordhoek Beach in the Cape Town, South Africa, area for my “Monday Geology Picture” post. Yesterday my husband and I took a walk along Noordhoek Beach, which is quite a long beach. Walking from the parking lot at one end of the beach to the shipwreck at the other end of the beach takes about an hour at a leisurely pace. For this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” post I thought I would share a few more pictures of the Noordhoek Beach shipwreck. Enjoy!

The SS Kakapo shipwreck from a distance, February 2014.
The S. S. Kakapo shipwreck from a distance, February 2014. There is also a spectacular cloud in the sky.
Approaching the shipwreck, February 2014.
Approaching the shipwreck, February 2014.
Rusty remains, February 2014.
Rusty remains, February 2014.
More rusted remains, February 2014.
More rusty remains, February 2014.
A close-up view of the rusty remains of the boiler, February 2014.
A close-up view of the rusty remains of the boiler, February 2014.
Another view of the rusty boiler, February 2014.
Another view of the rusty boiler, February 2014.
Ship skeleton on the sand, February 2014.
Ship skeleton on the sand, February 2014.
A rusted pillar in the sand, February 2014.
A rusted ship sculpture in the sand, February 2014.

Monday Geology Picture: Sandstone Cross-bedding in Red Rock Canyon

A view of Red Rock Canyon, circa 2005.
A view of Red Rock Canyon, circa 2006.

This week’s Monday Geology Picture is a pretty shot that was taken several years ago in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is located just outside of Las Vegas. If you ever visit Las Vegas, I highly recommend making a trek out to Red Rocks– it’s a short drive away from the casinos and is a nice escape from the gaudy and glitzy Las Vegas strip. Also, you can see some very impressive sandstone cross-bedding, such as the bedding shown in the picture above.