CLADISTICS Ruined My Life

2020: Sequence of Little Blowhole operating. This blowhole was formed from a column dropping out in the Blow Hole Latite, the basal member of the Gerringong Volcanics (late Permian). 

Yuanyang Rice Terraces

This aerial view of the mountains of Yuanyang Couny of the Yunnan province in south China presents a spectacular visual of the rice terraces that cover the landscape. Due to the scarcity of level ground, only about 5% of the land is used for agriculture. However, the Hani people, the predominant ethnic group of the region, have adapted very well.

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I now have some availability for illustration work! 🖌 My focus is Earth sciences, but I also take design and personal commissions. If you are interested, dm or visit my website: cameron-brideoake.com

GUYS, I HIT THE JACKPOT. So my department is in the midst of organizing all the stuff and we’re getting rid of a bunch of rocks that we’ve had lying around in bins and LOOK WHAT I FOUND. It’s a copper ore, specifically a bornite (Cu5FeS4) vein. For reference, bornite is the peacock ore, and it’s even prettier in person than in the pic. I remember collecting little pieces of bornite from rock grab bags when I was a kid, but this piece is HUGE!

Fluorite Rogerley Mine, Frosterley, Weardale, County Durham, United Kingdom

A Highland Coo and her calf wandering down an empty road, Argyll and the Isles, Scotland. Credit: Andy Maclachlan.

Forecasting the Weather 2: Clouds

Hello lighthouse keepers, sailors, fishermen, and even pirates! I recently made a post  about predicting the weather while at sea. I mentioned in the post that clouds can also help predict the weather, but didn’t include them for brevity, but I did say I’d make that post another day. Well, today is that day! Consider this your guide for using clouds to anticipate the storms before they happen. (Pictures correlate with the word above them)

Fair Weather Clouds

Cirrus (see-ruhs) clouds are thin and wispy due to the wind blowing them around the sky. They look like this:

Cirrocumulus (see-ruh-kyoo-myuh-luhs) clouds are thin, patchy, and generally rippled or poofy. They generally come out in the winter. They look like this:

Altocumulus (al-tow-kyoo-myuh-luhs) clouds are rippled, fluffy and layered, the layers ranging from white to greyish. They look like this:

Cumulus (kyoo-myuh-luhs) clouds are what you think of when you think of clouds. They’re big, puffy, and come in lots of different shapes. 

Stratus (stra-tus) clouds are thin and sheet-like, and always white and will generally cover most if not all of the sky. 

Stratocumulus (stra-tow-kyoo-myuh-luhs) congregate in honeycomb-esque shapes, and they are patchy white or gray in color. Though these are fair weather clouds, they can indicate a storm is on its way. 

Rain Clouds

Cirrostratus (see-row-stra-tuhs, sur-row-stra-tuhs) clouds also cover the sky, and can cause the halo-ing effect that was mentioned in part 1 of this post. Rain is probable within the next day. 

Altostratus (al-tow-stra-tuhs) clouds are grey, cover the sky, and mean continuous rain.

Nimbostratus (nim-bow-stra-tuhs) clouds are big, puffy, gray, and thick. They’re often so thick they can obscure the sun. These also indicate continuous rain. 

Cumulonimbus (Kyoo-myu-low-nim-bus) clouds are high, towered, puffy and white. They indicate upcoming thunderstorms and are generally accompanied by other cumulus clouds. 

Sorry for such a long post but the pictures were necessary! Hope this second part is a good supplement to part one! Have fun keeping your eyes on the skys! 

Me, just an unstoppable juggernaut of geology fun facts once I get started: And did you know that Frankenstein and Dracula were written during the year without a summer? A time when Ash from a big volcanic eruption covered much of Europe for the whole summer forcing it into a dark volcanic winter and so the Gothic Mood was influenced by a geological catastrophe at the time. Our art and culture are and have always been heavily influenced by the changes of the shifting rocks beneath our feet and the interplay of how we interact with and react to the world around us is fascinating.

my cat goes by many names

The beautiful Cathedral Cliffs rise above the forest: Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

© riverwindphotography, July, 2019