The Alpide Belt is a seismogenic zone extending from the Atlas mountains in Morocco through the Zagros mountains of Iran to the easternmost region of Indonesia. This range of mountains was formed through the collision of Africa, Arabia, India, and Australia with Eurasia. Having covered the Indian portion of this collision previously, I now move […]
Chris Spencer
High in the Himalaya
The Himalaya were formed from the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia. This collision has created the highest mountain chain in the world with Mount Everest reaching 8848 meters (29029 feet) above sea level. In addition to creating the highest mountains in the world, the Indo-Asian collision subducted a large amount of the northern […]
Tyrrhenian Subduction Volcanoes
Imagine with me the most idyllic Mediterranean paradise: sandy beaches, isolated villages, 70º all year long, and gelato (lots of gelato). Now superimpose on this paradise one of the most destructive forces Mother Nature has to offer. For the past 400 thousand years the landmass surrounding the Tyrrhenian sea has been pounded by Plinian volcanic eruptions. […]
Beginnings in Utah
Like most Utah-educated geologists, field trips began along the Wasatch Front and Colorado Plateau. In Utah, we are extremely spoiled with world class geology a stones throw from all of the Earth Science Departments in the state. My geologic interests waxed and waned with the semesters. While studying sedimentology, I wanted to be a petroleum geologist. […]