Monday Geology Picture: Aulacephalodon Selfie

20150227_134223 — Aulacephalodon selfie…. because who doesn’t want to pose with this delightful model?

This week’s Monday Geology Picture is an aulacephalodon selfie that I took with the aulacephalodon model that is on display in the Geology Department at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. Try saying that three times fast: aulacephalodon selfie, aulocephalodon selfie, aulacephalodon selfie! Can you say it without stumbling? I certainly can’t!

So, what is an aulacephalodon?

Here’s a description from the information sign next to the sculpture:

Aulacephalodon was a relatively large, plant-eating (herbivorous) dicynodont that lived during the Late Permian [~250 million years ago]. Like most other dicynodonts, Aulacephalodon had a beak for biting, grinding, and cutting plants. The animals also had a pair of prominent tusks, possibly for digging, sexual display, and defence [that’s how the South Africans spell “defense”]. The larger, and therefore older, specimens have distinctive bony knobs on the snout above the nasal openings. This feature is not seen in small juvenile skulls. These “nasal bosses” were either only developed in older animals, or they formed to mark either the male or female of the species. Note the prominent “hole” in the top of the skull – a structure known as the pineal foramen, common to all therapsids (mammal-like reptiles). This hole in the skull housed part of a sense organ which was capbale of sensing light and may have regulated the day/night cycle of the animals. Fossil footprints tell us that Aulacephalodon lived in family groups. This model reconstruction is based on the numerous fossil skulls and skeletal remains of Aulacephalodon that have been found in the Cistecephalus Biozone of the Karoo basin. The stance of the model is based on the footprints preserved in the ancient paleosurface (mudflat) that has been exposed in the “Asante Sana” valley, east of Graaf-Reinet.

Here are a few more pictures of Mr. (or Ms.? I’m not sure how to tell…) Aulacephalodon:

The Aulocephalodon model, from the front. — The aulacephalodon model, from the front.

The aulocephalodon model, from the side. — The aulacephalodon model, from the side.

Another picture of yours truly and the aulocephalodon model. — Another picture of yours truly and the aulacephalodon model.

The aulacephalodon model is fantastic, both for selfies and as a sort of department mascot. I hope that the geology students sometimes dress up the model for holidays and such! I can just imagine this guy (or lady?) dressed up with a scarf and hat in the wintertime!

Monday Geology Picture(s): Granite and Penguins at Boulders Beach, Simonstown

Last week I shared a few pictures from beautiful Boulders Beach just down the road in Simonstown, South Africa. This week I thought I’d share some more pictures of granite – and penguins! – at Boulders Beach. In the close-up shots, note gorgeous the potassium feldspar megacrysts in the granite. Most visitors to the beach focus on the penguins, but the granites are quite spectacular, too! Enjoy!

Boulders Beach #6. Note the megacrysts in this shot.

Boulders Beach #7. There are more megacrysts in this shot.

Boulders Beach #8. A close-up view of the granite, with shoe for scale. — Boulders Beach #8. A close-up view of some of the granite, with shoe for scale.

Monday Geology Picture(s): Boulders Beach, Simonstown, South Africa

Just down the road from where I live there is a fantastic place to observe gigantic granite boulders: Boulders Beach in Simonstown. Actually, you can see granite boulders on many beaches in the greater Cape Town area. These granites are part of the regional Cape Granite Suite and are roughly 550 million years old. However, Boulders Beach is special because it has a particularly good collection of large boulders… and it is also home to a penguin colony! Penguins and geology is a great combination for sightseeing!

Here’s a close-up of the picture above, showing the penguins:

And here’s another view of the spectacular granite boulders:

A field of granite boulders. — A field of granite boulders on the beach.

Monday Geology Picture: Fresh and Fading Footprints, Noordhoek Beach, South Africa

Two generations (at least) of footprints on Noordhoek Beach, South Africa, November 2015.

This past Saturday my husband and I went for a long walk along Noordhoek Beach with some friends. The beach is over 8 km long, and we walked about 2/3 of it… and back! As we walked, I enjoyed the beautiful, panoramic views of the mountains on one side and the sea on the other side. In addition, I periodically found myself enjoying the view at my feet (as geologists often do), admiring the patterns in the sand. I took a few pictures of the sand beneath my feet, and I thought I’d share one for this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” post. The picture above shows two generations of footprints, one fresh and made by my friends moments before and one older and halfway erased by the wind, both on top of some windswept sand patterns. I wonder how long ago the older generation of footprints was made. Were the footprints made a few hours before I snapped my picture? A few days? How long, in general, does it take for footprints to fade from a beach? I imagine that it must depend upon the wind, amongst other things.

International Geological Congress 2016: Come Visit Cape Town!

Website for the 35th International Geological Congress. Go check it out!

I recently registered to attend the International Geological Congress, a big geological conference that is held every four years in different locations around the globe. Next year, the 35th International Geological Congress is being held in Cape Town, South Africa, the beautiful city that I currently call home! The conference is being held August 27th to September 4th 2016, and there are a number of exciting field trips being held before and afterwards. For example, you can ride a train from Cape Town to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, stopping to see all sorts of geological wonders along the way. Or, if you prefer, you can spend a week travelling down the Orange River by canoe, paddling past 2 billion years of geological history. Or, if you’d like to learn a little about the geology that I study for my day job working as an industry geologist for De Beers, you can participate in a diamond field trip in South Africa or in a second diamond field trip up in Namibia. If you can’t attend one of the longer field trips, there are also a number of shorter field trips. For example, you can attend a day field trip to the West Coast Fossil Park, which I featured in this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” post.

I’m very excited to be attending the congress next year, and I hope that some of my local and overseas geological colleagues will consider attending. You can register for the conference any time between now and the day it begins. If you want to present a talk or a poster, the abstracts are due at the end of January. If you happen to be a friend of mine (that is, I know you in person, from graduate school or something like that), I might even be able to provide you with accommodation. Our house is a short drive from the conference venue, and we have two guest rooms and a couple of sofas that could accommodate visitors… and we have a swimming pool in the front yard! First come, first serve… although you have to like cats since we have three! At the very least, my geologist husband and I hope to host a couple of geological parties at our house for friends attending the conference.

Our pool... the perfect venue for post-conference relaxation! — Our pool… the perfect venue for post-conference relaxation!

I’m excited about this conference, for a number of reasons. First, I think it’s wonderful that geologists from all over the world will be coming to Cape Town and that I’ll be able to spend a week listening to all sorts of geological talks. Second, I haven’t attended a scientific conference since I started working in industry. It will good to attend an old fashioned academic conference again… and it sounds as if the International Geological Congress is going to be a good one! Last but not least, I have permission from my superiors to give a talk on some research that I’ve been working on recently. I can’t share the details yet since my abstract needs to go through various approvals first, but I’m looking forward to being able to share a little about some of the research that I carry out as an industry geologist. I’ll be sure to post a link to the abstract once it’s available on-line a few months from now.

And if all that doesn’t convince you to attend the 35th International Geological Congress, below are a few pictures of gorgeous Cape Town. Come and visit!

Gorgeous scenery, including an inselberg!

Cape Town has great rocks... and some of them have adorable penguins living on top of them! — Cape Town has great rocks… and some of them have adorable penguins living on top of them!

More stunning scenery. Just come visit already! — More stunning scenery. Just sign up for the conference already!

Monday Geology Picture: Pleistocene Bones, West Coast Fossil Park, South Africa

Pleistocene dig site at the West Coast Fossil Park, South Africa.

For this week’s “Monday Geology Picture” I’m sharing a picture of some bones from a Pleistocene age fossil site located about an hour’s drive from Cape Town, South Africa. I took this picture last year during a visit to the West Coast Fossil Park. If you ever find yourself in the Cape Town area, I highly recommend a visit to the fossil site. You can tour the dig site, and there’s a great little museum and educational center nearby as well. Later this week, I’ll share some more pictures from the fossil park and will tell you a little more about it. For today, enjoy this preview picture.

Update November 11th, 2015: I realize that I still have gotten around to sharing some more pictures and information. I’m busy working on a post, so stay tuned!

More Pictures of Dinosaur Sculptures Amongst the Cycads in Kirstenbosch Gardens

Kirstenbosch Dinosaur #1. I shared this picture yesterday in my "Monday Geology Picture" post. — Kirstenbosch Dinosaur – Picture #1. I shared this picture yesterday in my “Monday Geology Picture” post. Cycad plants are located in front of the sculpture.

For my “Monday Geology Picture” post yesterday I shared a picture of a dinosaur sculpture that is currently on display at Kirstenbosch Gardens here in Cape Town, South Africa. This sculpture is one of several dinosaur sculptures on display in the gardens. Today, as I promised, I’m sharing a few more pictures of the sculptures. These large metal dinosaurs were installed in the gardens in 2015 to raise awareness about cycads, which are plants that grew in abundance when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Today, however, many cycad species are critically endangered and may soon, like the dinosaurs, become extinct. The beautiful dinosaur sculptures are the work of Zimbabwean artist David Huni.

Walking amongst the dinosaur sculptures, which are reasonably scientifically accurate, in the beautiful gardens is a real treat. If you find yourself in Cape Town, please do go visit the sculptures – you won’t regret it! The sculptures will be on display in the gardens through 2017.

Kistenbosch Dinosaur #2. — Kirstenbosch Dinosaur – Picture #2.

Kirstenbosch Dinosaur #3. — Kirstenbosch Dinosaur – Picture #3.

Kirstenbosch Dinosaur #4. — Kirstenbosch Dinosaur – Picture #4.

Kirstenbosch Dinosaur #5. — Kirstenbosch Dinosaur – Picture #5. You can see a couple of dinosaur sculptures in the background of this image.

Kirstenbosch Dinosaur - Picture #7. — Kirstenbosch Dinosaur – Picture #6.

Those are all of the dinosaur sculpture pictures that I have to share today. I didn’t take pictures of all of the sculptures (there are nine of them), so I’ll try to visit Kirstenbosch Gardens again sometime soon to take some more pictures of these lovely sculptures. The pictures in this post were taken back in May, shortly after the exhibit opened.

Monday Geology Picture: South African Wind Farm

A wind farm near Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa. — A wind farm near Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa.

South Africa is currently facing a significant shortage of electricity. Recently, there have been regular periods of “load shedding” or planned power outages. Basically, there is often not enough power to go around, so the power is purposely turned off on a rotating schedule. In the neighborhood where I live and work in Cape Town, the power is regularly turned off for two hours a day or sometimes for four or more hours per day. As you can imagine, these regular power outages are quite disruptive to work and home life and certainly have a negative impact on the economy.

There is a great need for more power sources here in South Africa. Thus, I was quite pleased when I recently drove past a relatively new wind farm near Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. As the wind turbines spun, I smiled thinking about the power that they are diligently producing. Although wind farms will probably only play a small role in solving South Africa’s energy crisis, every little bit helps. Also, every megawatt of power produced by a wind farm is one less megawatt of power than needs to be produced by “dirtier” carbon emitting power plants, such as coal plants.

Red Conglomerate Hills Near Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Red conglomerate hills with a rock arch.

On Monday I shared a picture of a pretty conglomerate that I recently walked across. Today I thought that I would share a few more pictures of this conglomerate formation and also tell you a little more about it. Although in Monday’s picture the conglomerate looks somewhat dull-colored, the conglomerate formation is actually impressively red in color in many places, so much so that hills made of the conglomerate are known as “the red hills” or “the red stone hills”.

My husband and I hiked amongst the red conglomerate rocks during a recent stay at a wonderful holiday farm known as the Red Stone Hills, named in honor of the local geology, of course! The farm is located a few miles outside of Oudtshoorn, South Africa, a town known for ostrich breeding… so you pass fields of ostriches on your way to the farm! We also stayed at the farm a couple of years ago although I neglected to share pictures of that visit here on Georneys. Around the farm there are several hills of the striking red conglomerate rock. On some of the hills, impressive rock arches have formed. During our previous visit, we hiked up to one of the rock arches and took some pictures. The climb was quite strenuous, however. We only had a few hours for hiking on our recent visit, so we kept mostly to the valleys and observed the rock arches from a distance.

Geologically, the red conglomerates are part of the Buffelskloof Formation. This formation has also been called Enon in the past, so some people still refer to the red rocks as the Enon Conglomerates. The Buffelskloof Formation also contains breccias. The conglomerates and breccias were deposited in a large, land-locked basin in the early Cretaceous. The conglomerates were deposited by rivers and streams while the breccias represent scree deposits. The precise age of the Buffelskloof Formation is not known very well because of poor fossil preservation, most likely due to the sediments being emplaced in an oxidizing environment. Oxidation is also responsible for the reddish color of the rocks. The red color results from oxidation of iron in the matrix of the conglomerate/breccia rocks.

Without further ado, here are some more pictures of the pretty red conglomerates:

The lovely guest cottage where we stayed, nestled at the foot of one of the red conglomerate hills.

Another one of the lovely guest cottages on the farm.

The start to our walk amongst the red conglomerate hills.

Red conglomerate hills in the late afternoon sun. — Red conglomerate hills with intriguing weathering patterns.

Red conglomerate hills in the foreground and distance.

A closer view of the conglomerate texture.

Red conglomerate hills and impressive aloe. — Red conglomerate hills and impressive aloes.

I managed to find my pictures from our last visit to the Red Stone Hills farm, so here are some closer images of one of the impressive rock arches:

Standing in the conglomerate rock arch. For scale, my husband is about 6’2″ tall.

Looking through the arch to more conglomerate hills.

A close-up view of some conglomerate texture near the arch.

One last view of conglomerate texture. — Another view of conglomerate texture.

Conglomerate texture, with husband for scale.

If you ever find yourself near Oudtshoorn, be sure to visit these impressive red conglomerate rocks!

Monday Geology Picture: Conglomerate Near Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Pretty red conglomerate, with my foot for scale. — Pretty conglomerate, with my foot for scale.

A couple of weeks ago I spent part of a weekend staying near Oudtshoorn, South Africa. During a hike, I walked by and, at times, across a beautiful Cretaceous age conglomerate. Here’s one image of the conglomerate, taken when I hiked across it. I’ll share some more pictures in another post.