Latest news with #Mesoproterozoic
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Woo! Science: The Worcester area holds clues to the Earth's distant past
Woo! Science is a column of science news and newsmakers in Worcester and the region. Got a science news idea? Email Margaret Smith at msmith@ So, dig. Literally. Maybe. As we go about our day, on the streets and roads of Worcester, all around us, the hills, the rivers, the valleys and even the earth under the pavement has a story to tell us. But exploration means taking good care, and respecting the land. Rocks, minerals, fossils and findings that took over a billion years to make can be completely messed up in a few minutes by humans running out the cosmic clock. As it happens, Worcester sits neatly in a veritable treasure of time, as far west as New York state, as far north as Maine, and dipping into the lower New England states. Marty Christiansen, collections management specialist at the EcoTarium science and nature museum, said, "Most of the stone under Worcester was born in the Mesoproterozoic Era." Eras are a way scientists classify significant time periods, The Mesoproterozoic Era, part of the Precambrian period, takes us back to a time of some of the earliest known, surviving geologic records. We're talking some 4.6 billion years ago, with the Mesoproterozoic Era going back to about 1.2 billion years. So, the time when Earth was starting to become the lovable planet that we call home. In these parts, Christiansen said, "We don't have many good fossils here, but it is some of the oldest surviving stone on the planet." Christiansen said, "The geology underneath Worcester was shaped by the continent collision that formed the Appalachian Mountain range. It's also a place of former mines for graphite, lead, coal and garnet, known in popular culture as a birthstone for January, and originating in silicate materials with colors ranging from orange to purple, and even colorless forms. And you can find delightful stones, minerals and other amazing things, some very particular to their own region. "In western Massachusetts, obviously, quartz, lots and lots of quartz around here," said Sara Furbush, president of the Worcester Mineral Club. The club hosts expeditions to look for geological wonders in the area, but also to cultivate interest in mineralogy, geology, paleontology, gemology, lapidary, jewelry making, and more. As for Worcester, Furbush said, "There are 31 minerals you can find in the Worcester area." Respect to that. Your basic rock comprises one or more minerals, while minerals are basically the building blocks of rocks, with an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, such as quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, olivine, and calcite. Rocks are classified in three categories, and there are examples of all three throughout the region: igneous rocks, or rocks formed by volcanic activity, such as granite, pumice, and pegmatite, which Furbush said has been found throughout New England, with large crystals within; sedimentary rocks, which can even contain matter from dead plants, animal skeletons, along with sand and dirt, such as shale, and coal, literally a fossil fuel; metamorphic rocks, which start out as one type of rock, and changed through pressure and heat within the Earth, such as slate. One helpful tool for learning is a database created by the Virginia-based Hudson Institute of Mineralology. "You can basically look in any locality, or any town, and it will tell you minerals that have been found in the area," Furbush said. "In Worcester, there has been coal, graphite, silver. Now, whether you are going to find them nowadays or not is a different story." Calcite, fluorite, graphite, garnet and other minerals have turned up in the area, Furbush said. And then there is a rock crystal with a unique look, and story. Chiastolite bears a brown marking resembling a cross. It has been found in Lancaster's George Hill area, as well as in Sterling, Clinton and Boylston. They can appear as little bumps among boulders and rocks. But when a rock or mineral has a compelling look, it can draw many seekers on a quest. "We really know of one place, and that place is getting over dug-out, and overmined," said Furbush. So, how to strike a balance? Furbush said responsible rock and mineral clubs have guidelines and rules, among them: "Don't take everything, but take enough, as you may never return to this location," Furbush said. "You want to leave stuff for other people to find. If you dig holes, you fill it back in."Furbush said, "It's very 'take care of the land,' and whatnot. But people who don't know these things, they go, and it's creating chaos. Boulders that have been smashed to smithereens." As a cautionary tale, Furbush cited the example of the New England Forestry Foundation's Hartnett Manhan Memorial Forest in Easthampton, a town in Western Massachusetts. "It's public land. A river ran through it, and it was great, a great place to bring kids on a hot day." Nearby is the site of a former button factory, and buttons would turn up in the water. "You could find buttons. You could find really cool specimens. But people have been going there, and just destroying the place. There were holes dug everywhere. Trees were knocked down, cut down. The river beds were pushed back. And it got so bad that they closed it, and now it's gone for everyone." Christiansen evoked the traditional Girl Scout principle: "Leave only footprints. Do not disturb the area. Not to disturb the natural position of rocks, but instead, appreciate them without disturbing the area." What's special about the region's character is well worth protecting. "In a lot of New England, the glaciers scraped and passed over. A lot of our lakes were glacially formed." Along the way, glaciers not only carved the character of much of landscape; they picked up and dropped off gifts of the Earth's harvest that would delight humans eons later. Furbush said favorite finds include rodanite, a bright pink rock found in western Massachusetts. "And then you go up to Keene, New Hampshire, and you can find beautiful tourmalines ... go over to Rhode Island, and you are finding amethyst ... so, a very unique area." Christiansen said the area is also home to "glacial erratics," that is, objects and materials that started someplace else, but which were carried great distances by glaciers that had run over the tops of mountains. These include some boulders. "You get a lot of the big ones, that were dropped off with the glacier melt," said Christiansen. Places such as Purgatory Chasm and Millstone Hill, in Worcester's Green Hill Park, bear witness to the work of the glaciers. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Woo! Science: In Worcester area, you're never too old to 'rock'
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Uttar Pradesh's Salkhan Fossil Park makes it to USESCO tentative list: Stunning facts about the park
Good news coming from Uttar Pradesh. Salkhan Fossil Park, also known as Sonbhadra Fossils Park, has recently been added to UNESCO's Tentative List for World Heritage Sites. It's an incredible achievement for Uttar Pradesh which is a step towards international recognition of its geological and paleontological attraction. Situated in Salkhan village in Sonbhadra district, near Robertsganj, the park is spread across 25 hectares in the Kaimur Range. It boasts fossils up to 1.4 billion years old! Here are five stunning facts about Salkhan: Home to Prehistoric Stromatolites and Living Relics of the Mesoproterozoic The park offers an insight into the planet's earliest life forms as it is home to stromatolites which are layered sedimentary structures formed by ancient cyanobacteria or blue-green algae. These are microorganisms that have been photosynthesized. These stromatolites belong to the Mesoproterozoic era (1.6–1.0 billion years ago). These are extremely rare geological formations across the globe. Salkhan is much older than sites like Shark Bay in Australia and Yellowstone the USA. An insight into early life Salkhan is an extremely important site for many reasons as it has shattered the beliefs of scientists and geologists. For years, geologists thought life existed only from around 570 million years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo However, stromatolites discovered at Salkhan are older than that. These fossils are landmarks offering new perspectives about the Earth's earliest biosphere and oceanic ecosystems. Opening of the park Though geological surveys in the region began as early as the 1930s, the site was officially opened as a fossil park in 2002. A major Canadian-led workshop in December 2002 brought 42 scientists from around the globe, including renowned geologist H. J. Hoffman. He called the fossils 'beautiful and clear'. Eco-Tourism hub The Uttar Pradesh government has actively funded the site. The government has approved INR 1.5 crores for visitor amenities. It includes nature trails, security, and interpretive centers. An MoU with Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow has supported scientific documentation, leading to UNESCO Tentative List submission by June 2025. A dossier for final UNESCO candidacy is being prepared by local authorities which will be prepared by 2026. The fossil park is about 12 km from Robertsganj in Sonbhadra district and can be easily reached via SH‑5A. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Herald Sun
28-04-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Buxton Resources clears path to start Royale copper-gold exploration
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. Buxton Resources granted first of three exploration licences covering its Royale porphyry copper-gold project Project sits along the same cratonic margin that hosts several world-class mineral deposits Airborne magnetic and magnetotelluric surveys along with geochemical sampling to start soon Special Report: Buxton Resources has secured the first of three exploration licences covering its intriguing Royale copper-gold project in WA's Paterson region, paving the way for exploration to begin. Royale is a belt-scale opportunity that covers 671km2 (once all licences are awarded) in the Paterson Orogen along the West Australian Craton margin, a region with proven mineral wealth. It is close to Buxton Resources' (ASX:BUX) Shogun nickel project and is linked to key logistics hubs through existing tracks and infrastructure. The company is targeting porphyry-style copper-gold mineralisation based on multiple lines of evidence including recognition of a cluster of geochemically distinctive, felsic, Mesoproterozoic intrusives that trend under transported cover to where a large, coincident gravity low and magnetic high underlies the project tenure. This geophysical feature is interpreted to represent a preserved, fertile pluton which outlines an area of higher prospectivity for copper-gold and molybdenum deposits. Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of Western Australia have also recognised porphyry potential based on evidence indicating a Mesoproterozoic subduction zone extending from the Musgrave Province through to the Royale area along the northern margin of the West Australian Craton. Further evidence is found in multiple ages of felsic intrusive activity, anomalous copper and molybdenum in a 2017 Exploration Incentive Scheme co-funded drill hole RUD0003, and volcanic textures and weak deformation affecting lithology, veining and mineralisation in the same hole. Additionally, weathering to ~100m depth in RUD0003 indicates excellent potential for supergene enrichment processes to improve mining economics. 'Buxton's 100%-owned Royale Project is located along the same cratonic margin that hosts several world-class mineral deposits,' chief executive officer Marty Moloney said. 'At Royale, our target generation has leveraged extensive geological and geophysical data to identify potential for a significant discovery of large-scale copper-gold mineralisation, so it's fantastic news that exploration will soon commence.' Planned exploration BUX plans to carry out airborne magnetic and magnetotelluric surveys to map elevated conductivity related to alteration zones and target-scale structural controls. Other work includes geochemical sampling to identify metal anomalism tied with heavy-mineral concentrate and zircon analysis to identify fertile catchments. This initial exploration will focus on the newly granted E45/6231 licence, which constitutes a prospect-scale target. The company will also progress additional licences E45/6229 and E45/7017 to grant. This article was developed in collaboration with Buxton Resources, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions. Originally published as Buxton Resources clears path to start Royale copper-gold exploration
