Tag: geology

Mountains

I may be a prairie boy now, but I didn’t start out that way. I was born in Silver City, New Mexico, and as a small child, whenever we went back to New Mexico, I always said we were going to “my mountains.” This time of year, lots of people go to the mountains, even …

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Spas

  Since ancient times, humans have been in hot water–literally. Soaking in hot, mineral-laden water has long been used to ease aches and pains and even touted as a cure for far more serious conditions. The Romans and Greeks built many spas in places where hot springs bubbled to the surface, and in Europe, many …

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Saskatchewan’s ecoregions

I’m in the middle of a tour of 60-some schools with Prairie Opera, and aside from the enjoyment of performing, the best thing about the tour is the opportunity to see so much of Saskatchewan. One thing quickly impresses itself: there’s a lot more to this province than a flat, treeless plain, even if that’s …

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Salt

Okay, it’s pop quiz time. What mineral is used in greater quantities and for more purposes than any other? Give up? I’ll give you a hint: it’s the only mineral we sprinkle on both our roads and our French fries. That’s right: salt. Those innocuous little white crystals in the shaker on your table are …

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Ice ages

I like ice. When I order a drink at the movie theatre, I always ask for “more ice than you think anyone can possibly want.” At home, I drink iced tea. When I finish my drink, I eat the ice. But I prefer that ice keep to its proper place–which is not on the roads, …

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Diamonds (1994)

Once in a while, a columnist has to tackle a particularly hard topic. This week, I tackle the hardest topic of all: diamonds. Diamonds have been much on my mind recently for a variety of reasons, not least because of watching a spate of romantic movies. It is perhaps a sad commentary on the way …

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Lakes

Wherever you go in Canada, you’ll hear the question, “Are you going to the lake this weekend?” That’s more than you can say for some other phrases, like, say, “Confederation” and “cultural identity.” Lakes are, of course, depressions with water in them. Those depressions can be formed in a number of ways, from tectonic and …

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Erosion

As water starts to run this time of year, it takes away more than the memory of winter’s snows: it also carries away a lot of soil, dumping it in the nearest ditch, which carries it to the nearest river, which carries some of it eventually to the sea. Sometimes the water also finds its …

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Fossil fuels

Our modern society is based on “fossil fuels,” which may sound to you like we’re burning dinosaur bones for heat. We aren’t, but we are burning the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago, releasing the solar energy the plants captured through photosynthesis and the animals captured by eating the plants. …

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Antarctica

“So this fingie beaker shows up, first day on the ice. She’s an Antarctic 10, but she’s strictly black tie, no bunny boots, not even diapers. There she is, complaining about the cold while I’m doing the bag drag, listening to all this, and finally I just turn to her and tell her, ‘Hey, it’s …

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Earthquakes

There’s something inherently horrifying about earthquakes. Probably it’s because we are accustomed to thinking of the ground beneath our feet as being, well, “rock-solid.” When that ground gets the shakes, it gives us a pretty good case of them, too. Earthquakes are defined as “a fracture or implosion beneath the surface of the Earth, and …

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