Welcome!

This blog provides commentary on interesting geological events occurring around the world in the context of my own work. This work is, broadly, geological fluid dynamics. The events that I highlight here are those that resonate with my professional life and ideas, and my goal is to interpret them in the context of ideas I've developed in my research. The blog does not represent any particular research agenda. It is written on a personal basis and does not seek to represent the University of Illinois, where I am a professor of geology and physics. Enjoy Geology in Motion! I would be glad to be alerted to geologic events of interest to post here! I hope that this blog can provide current event materials that will make geology come alive.

Banner image is by Ludie Cochrane..

Susan Kieffer can be contacted at s1kieffer at gmail.com


Sunday, June 13, 2010

Thar' She Blows!!

Sand volcanoes are perplexing features.  In researching them this morning, I came across an amazing video--a movie of a sand volcano in the making.  It's on U-tube, little documentation, so I don't know if this is actually a drilled well that is blowing sand out, or if it's natural. (You may need to search around on the linked page to make the video work, but it's an interesting page to explore anyhow!)  The comments posted with it say that this is a "sand injective" or "sand volcano" taking place by the side of the road in Saudi Arabia.  It was taken on a mobile phone and posted on YouTube, original user unknown.  A recommended reference on sand inectites is Hurst, A. and Cartwright, J.A., 2007. "Sand injectites: implications for hydrocarbon exploration and production. AAPG Memoir, Tulsa, 274 p.

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