At play in the (glacier) fields of the Lord

My interest in geology is running high again.  One cannot drive through the West and feel no such interest.  (I, at least, find the thought inconceivable.)  I strongly endorse this article and all of the reasons given by the author:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/classes/2015/09/geology_class_is_the_best_science_elective.html

I myself never took a course in geology, but I wish I had.  And, now, whenever I visit Hawaii or Yellowstone or wherever, I commonly buy (and use) a simple book on the local geological features and their history.  And, when my wife and I drive long distances, we often have a copy of The Roadside Geology of Utah or The Roadside Geology of Wyoming or The Roadside Geography of Arizona (or some such title) with us.

That’s true again this time.  Thus far, I’ve bought and begun to read two little books on geology, one of them specific to Glacier National Park.  I would be very surprised if I don’t end up buying at least one more, about the Canadian Rockies.

A last note:  If you live in the areas of historically rather dense Mormon population (Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, perhaps western Colorado) — or if you have occasion to visit them — you shouldn’t pass up the chance to see, and to learn about, one of Earth’s most extraordinary concentrations of geologically interesting places.  Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Craters of the Moon, the Grand Tetons, Canyonlands, Arches, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cedar Breaks, Snow Canyon, Lake Powell . . .  the riches are inexhaustible, and often both dramatic and stunningly beautiful.

The same is true of southern Alberta, another area of intense Latter-day Saint settlement.  When you’re in the vicinity of such places as Cardston, Lethbridge, Raymond, and Magrath, you’re within reasonable striking distance of such Canadian national parks as Waterton Lakes, Banff, and Jasper, as well as Glacier National Park on the American side of the border..

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Some miscellaneous science headlines that caught my eye:

“Milky Way melded with smaller galaxy in long-ago cosmic crash”

“Droplets of these simple molecules may have helped kick-start life on Earth: Small blobs that break apart and reform can host protein and RNA”

“Study: Millions should stop using aspirin for heart health”

“The Legacy of the Blob: From California to Alaska, animals born during the infamous Blob are coming of age.”

“How an alien-hunting Russian billionaire is helping crack one of the Universe’s biggest mysteries: For over a decade, astronomers have puzzled over cosmic flashes that emit the energy of 500 million Suns. But now they’re joining forces with alien hunters to finally pin down these distant enigmas”