This statue of Junipero Serra, Spanish missionary, Catholic saint and a major participant in the subjugation and genocide of the native California peoples, has been removed and destroyed by Caltrans. Erected with private money on public land in the 1970s, I for one shall not miss it. #sanfrancisco

Reposting this Permian trackway in #Canyonlands NP for #FossilFriday in the hope that somebody knows something about it. ⚒️🧪

A spectacular trackway in the Permian Organ Rock formation of Canyonlands NP. On the Green River, just downstream from The Turk's Head, river-left. I'd guess it's 20-30cm wide, but hard to judge at the distance. Amazing how the slabs are just sitting on display. Anybody know anything about it? 🧪⚒️

The beautiful Point Bonita on the Marin Headlands at the entrance to the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay. Check out the dark basalt cliffs and the pillows in the arch. They almost look like they erupted yesterday. ⚒️🧪 #seascape #photography

For fans of wooden sailing boats the famous Tally Ho arrived in San Francisco today on her way back to the UK from Washington. #sailing #tallyho #sf

Carrauntoohill, highest mountain in #Ireland at just over 1000m. An awesome though strenuous hike, the views from the top on a clear day are more than worth it. #photography #landscapes

Modern AI tools emulate the classic con-man tricks of mentalism, tricking people into believing that they’re far more clever - and sapient - than they actually are. Fantastic piece by @baldurbjarnason.com : softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...

The coast of #Ireland had a vast number of beautiful, unspoiled and almost empty beaches. Here is the spectacular Kilmore Quay in County #Wexford on one of the nicest days of the summer so far. #seascapes #photography

The rocks below the Broch of Gurness in #Orkney are wet and seaweedy today, but 390ma they were a dry lakebed with dessication cracks. Mapped as the Rousay Flagstones, these sediments record many cycles of fluctuating levels in Lake Orcadie during the Devonian. #geology #seascapes

A lovely example of soft sediment deformation in Devonian lake sediments on #Orkney. The vertical bedding is due to Neolithic inhabitants erecting this fine geological example as one of the Stones of Stenness. #geology

A nice "It's all connected!" of the type we like in Earth Sciences. The Barringer Meteorite Crater impact in Arizona might have triggered landslides in Grand Canyon, blocking the Colorado River and forming a rather long and narrow lake for a while. 🧪⚒️ Link: pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/...

John Fleck writes on how the glimmering hopes of an interstate agreement on new allocation rules for the Colorado River, have dimmed. If you care about the fate of Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon, or the Colorado River, then this year is edge-of-your-seat stuff.

In 1847, at the height of the Irish potato famine, the Choctaw donated US$170 to the Irish people, not long after themselves having endured the Trail of Tears. The Irish did not forget, in 2020, they were among the highest per-capita donors to the Navajo and Hopi Nations for COVID relief.

Spectacular noctilucent clouds high over Hudson Bay. I saw them about the same time last year, it seems like they are becoming more common. Tiny ice crystals right at the edge of space. #photography #noctilucent #cloud #weather

This is so sad, the loss of the Lodge on the North Rim to the Dragon Bravo fire. I was there just last September, such a beautiful place. At least there were no injuries or lives lost. But I can't help feeling it will take a long time to recover. The picture below was posted to Reddit. #grandcanyon

Not everyone realizes how active tectonics are in California. Sometimes cities have a hard time just keeping up with changes. 😀 #geology

A gas vent formed by the likely violent reaction of acidic hydrothermal fluid and the early Cambrian Polecat marble, 14ma, that created Lehman Cave in Great Basin NP. I call it the Cookie Monster. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the students of Modesto Junior College. #geology #caves

The imposing Navajo sandstone cliffs of Zion National Park stand over the hardworking white vans that have been our homes for nearly two weeks. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College for a wonderful geology field trip on the Colorado Plateau.

For #FossilFriday, a Jurassic pine tree from the famous Morrison formation at Escalente Petrified Forest State Park, #Utah. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College. #geology

Enigmatic Upheaval Dome in Canyonlands National Park, roots of a Jurassic impact crater or unusual salt dome? I believe the latest research is pointing towards an impact as more likely. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College. #geology #landscapes

The spectacular view of Monument Valley and the incised meanders of the San Juan River from Muley Point, #Utah. On the road with @geotripper.bsky.social and the intrepid students of Modesto Junior College. #geology #photography

On an amazing geology field trip of the Colorado Plateau with @geotripper.bsky.social and the other students of Modesto Junior College. Yesterday some of us hiked down to Cedar Ridge on the South Kiabab trail in Grand Canyon. Awesome!

This made me chuckle this morning...

Along the Colorado River, a very dry spring has shrunk the amount of runoff streaming into reservoirs. The latest forecast shows the river’s flows into Lake Powell will probably be about 46% of average. "It’s going to make things worse." @weatherwest.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

On impulse, I saw this and I'm going.

The sinuous ridgelines of Sunol Wilderness lit by the setting sun. #landscape #photography #california #sunset

Bush Monkey Flower tenaciously reclaiming its place as part of the primary succession on a fire scarred hillside in Sunol Wilderness, #California. The Creek Fire burned this area last July. This spot on the McCorkle trail was one of the hardest hit, but it's recovering. #wildfire #wildflowers

As Spring gives way to Summer in California's oak woodland the last tranche of wildflowers start to appear heralded by Ithuriel's Spear (Triteleia laxa). Amazing numbers on display in Almaden Quicksilver County Park yesterday. #wildflower #nativeplant #California

It's possibly a very low standard, but Michael Healy-Rae is surely in the running for Ireland's dumbest politician. #Ireland #trees #idiots

Geology is indeed cool youtube.com/shorts/jt9Wv...

I wrote something about this, once upon a time…

It's been a great year for #California wildflowers, but at this point I think nature is just showing off. Fabulous Mule's Ears in Sunol Wilderness today. #nativeplants #wildflowers

The rare endemic Santa Clara Valley Dudleya (Dudleya abramsii ssp. Setchellii), getting ready to flower and happy in its serpentine soil. #wildflowers #californianative

For #FridayFold, an outcrop of the Coast Range Ophiolite on the east flank of Mt. Umunhum is in the San Francisco Bay Area. Maybe early Cretaceous greywacke, but this was as close as we got so I'm not sure. This is the view from the Guadalupe Creek overlook on the trail to the summit. #geology

I believe that Conclave is the collective noun for Madrone trees, and if it's not it should be. #photography #tree #nativeplants

I feel there is a lesson here about resilience or resistance in the face of adversity. But mostly I'm reminded of Obi Wan Kenobi's words ... "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine" #photography #metaphor #trees

If you feel you need a little sunshine today, here are some Tidy Tips to brighten your day. On spectacular show right now in Edgewood Park, San Mateo. #photography #wildflowers #California #nativeplants

The fractal interface between a tree and the sky. #photography #landscapes #trees

Strange weather here in the Californian coastal ranges this year, April already and still snow on the ground 😀 Actually the perfectly named White Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba), very pretty. #wildflowers #landscape #photography

The theme of today's hike was yellow 💛 Glorious wildflowers in Joseph Grant Park on a cool and overcast day. #California #photography #wildflowers #nativeplants

The crazy story behind the California Raisin Advisory Board.

Sunset on Mission Peak, SF Bay Area, #California. #photography

The slightly wrapped layers in a block of radiolarian chert that took a trip down the Farallon subduction zone. Near Jackrabbit Lake in the Orestimbre Wilderness, #California. #FridayFold #geology

Something of an Irish in-joke, but absolutely brilliant.

December 1969, California's Asilomar Conference became a pivotal moment in geology, solidifying plate tectonics as the key theory explaining Earth's dynamic movement. California emerged as a vital lab for understanding these groundbreaking concepts, putting it at the heart of a scientific revolution

I just need everyone to watch this and understand I have been laughing about it for 24 hours

The Pulgas Water Temple, San Mateo County, #California. Built at the terminus of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct to celebrate its completion in 1934. Today we might also view it as a memorial to what was lost when Hetch Hetchy valley was flooded. #photography #water