Climate Change

https://earthrights.org/what-we-do/climate-justice/?gclid=CjwKCAiAxMLvBRBNEiwAKhr-nIwNzl2LV3OcYJr5bgeYZ0H3FbpN8Gv6NLtkNjFvH5ky9lWV-NupvBoC7u8QAvD_BwE

This article talks about what contributes to climate change and some of the ways we can combat the negative effects of climate change. I, for one, know that Utah has problems with droughts. I wonder to what extent these might be partly because of climate change. Here is a graphic I found that illustrates droughts and how they've increased over the years.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjig4XuuK_mAhXW7Z4KHTDFC0kQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubs.usgs.gov%2Ffs%2Ffs-037-03%2F&psig=AOvVaw0tpE07ddC5cDy-Quh66JdM&ust=1576217217339765 

Anatomy of Mid-Ocean Ridges

Would you agree with my label of the guyot? Or would you consider it a seamount? Why? Thanks for any input you offer!
This boundary is located right between the Arabian Peninsula and North East corner of Africa.

Plate Tectonics in the News

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/10/news-tectonic-plate-split-earthquakes-tsunamis-geology/#close

This article, titled, "Quake split a tectonic plate in two, and geologists are shaken," talks about how an earthquake back in 2017 that took place in Mexico was actually the result of the complete breakage of the tectonic plate that extended 47 miles down. This is virtually unheard of because usually at that depth the plate is hot enough to be more plastic rather than brittle. There are a few theories discussed in the article of why this deep breakage occurred, (i.e. water v.s. dehydration) so feel free to read more on that! But the reason I chose this article was because our reading said that,  "Intense geologic activity occurs at plate boundaries where plates move away from one another, past one another, or toward one another." This article gives a very specific exception to this. A full break in a plate is an intense geologic event that didn't happen at a plate boundary. Sometimes what we think is or isn't possible happens anyway!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiHp9m-65DmAhUNoZ4KHS-PAnIQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2Fscience%2F2018%2F10%2Fmovement-during-2017-earthquake-extended-clean-through-tectonic-plate%2F&psig=AOvVaw2Cku8l9KM4-MkVF3so-f0h&ust=1575165645257804

Earthquakes in My Area

• Post screenshots of your area and it's earth quake history.

There isn't much history of earthquakes in the area I live. I'm in Syracuse, which is about 30 minutes south of Ogden, if that. The closest, most recent earthquake I could find is this one in Coalville. It was a 1.9, so it was relatively small. 

• Write down things you notice. Is there anything surprising or is it totally expected?

I did a larger search of earthquake history, narrowing it down to events of a magnitude 5 or higher. This is what it came up with.

I can't say that these events are surprising because 

• How does this information change the way you feel about your safety where you live?

In general I've always felt that natural disasters aren't a laughing matter. Its a force that we can prepare for, but not prevent. I served in Joplin Missouri while serving my mission, and learned all about the tornado that struck Joplin. Those kinds of events are devastating.
I wouldn't necessarily say that I don't feel safe, but I do respect the power and potential of our planet, the elements, and all the energy contained therein. 

GeoJournal: Sediment Transportation

My husband and I visit Arizona a lot to see his grandparents, so this is a little lake we passed while there. The sediment deposited on the banks are sand and pebbles.

Because the water doesn't move very actively, I think the sediment would be only lightly sorted. I don't think the sediment gets moved around very much. Even so, I would assume the grains to be somewhat rounded. 

This environment is a low-energy environment. The hills break up the wind, and there aren't any waves on the water. Any sedimentary rock would likely be conglomerates, where pebbles are cemented together with sand.

A Fictional Narrative

Chapter 11:
cave 
stalactite (v)
petrified wood
sinkhole
karst topography
geode

Chapter 12:
glacier 
advancing
crevasses
terminus

  Mint: A Narrative

Morgan Miller

Lani was used to the cold, but after four hours of being lost in it, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she was in danger of frostbite. Lani's pup, Mint, had slipped down into a crevasse. Lani was trying to find a shallower entrance into it, but it seemed to extend, deep as ever, across the whole top of the glacier. Poor mint, thought Lani. He was probably colder than she was by now. Lani knew that this was an advancing glacier, and that the terminus, where the crevasses were shallowest, was several miles west. Maybe I should turn around and go check on Mint, Lani thought to herself, maybe I can find a way straight down to him if I just look hard enough. Lani had lived all fourteen of her years in a little village south of the glacier. She'd never even seen the terminus. Maybe it was further than she thought. It made more sense, to her, that she either stay on the glacier surface, above Mint, or go back to the village for help. Lani's village had experienced a lot of strife in the past year; unbeknownst to them until recently, they had settle in an area of karst topography. In the warmer months, the icy ground would thaw a little, and the groundwater would dissolve the limestone below them. They lost six villagers to a horrific sinkhole that collapsed catastrophically last spring. The village was still recovering. They'll be so mad at me for losing Mint, thought Lani. Lani's grandfather had warned her to stop adventuring atop the glacier. Lani didn't listen. She was too fascinated and excited about the danger, especially after having found petrified wood and other fossils in the sinkhole. One time, she'd even found geodes at the base of the glacier. The glacier had torn up the ground and revealed all sorts of treasures that Lani couldn't resist. I guess this was the earth's way of taking something from her for everything she had collected. Mint had always been her buddy. And now the earth was taking Mint away from her. Lani felt a lump growing in her throat. Hot tears were welling in her eyes. She knew that her only option was to ask the mourning village for help. They were the ones who had found Mint's mom in the mountain caves three years ago; she had been killed when an earthquake caused the fall of several stalactites to the cave floor. Mint had his brothers were left without their mother. The village took them in to train them for hunting. Lani had begged for Mint to be her personal pup. Mint was smaller, and useless for hunting. They gave in and allowed her to have Mint. If they could just have a little sympathy now, maybe there would be hope for Mint's return to the village. Just Maybe.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kowtow/3743000670/in/photostream/

Landslide (Current Event)

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/standard.net/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/9/2d/92df2346-7067-5cc3-b167-bece0bbee2bd/5b49b68a5a358.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C674

Riverdale, Utah, is right up the road from where I graduated high school. In 2017, a landslide started and caused the evacuation of several homes. The landslide was active for several months. This picture shows the scene, where mud and debris has fallen down the slope.
https://www.standard.net/news/environment/new-aerial-video-shows-riverdale-landslide-s-alarming-progress/article_84b32243-a94b-59ba-9733-4934abbf2f9e.html
I found a second article stating that one of the landowners is suing the city. Though the landslide has basically ceased, the resident insists that the city is to blame for it. The lawsuit claims that its pipe leaks that are behind the damages. Meanwhile, geologists say that the landslide is due to natural springs.
https://www.standard.net/news/government/riverdale-property-owners-sue-blame-cities-for-landslide-threatening-homes/article_81b2da8d-1e07-54c7-aa86-96dfb937e2dc.html
In our reading this week, we read about landslides and what can cause them. Figure 9.21 gives a perfect diagram of what Riverdale's landslide looks like. Water collects in the soil, and without drains and sufficient vegetation, the water turns the land into a soggy mass.
The articles and reading helped me to ask myself, is this slide one that could have been prevented by the city by placing drains? Is the city to blame? Or was vegetation cleared by residents, thus weakening the soil's hold? What do you think?