An acclaimed international collection of earth science articles and book reviews on palaeontology, geology, minerals and more
Michael C Mackiewicz (USA) Minerals have shaped human societies since ancient times, but the idea of ‘critical minerals’ is fairly recent. As explored in earlier articles in this series, the Top Ten critical minerals, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, the rare‑earth elements, tungsten, vanadium, bismuth and antimony are central to … Read More
Michael Mackiewicz (USA) Gallium is one of those odd minerals that somehow gets people’s attention. Unlike cobalt, lithium or the majority of other critical minerals, you do not find gallium in rich ore bodies that can be mined directly. Instead, it shows up in trace amounts inside common minerals like … Read More
Paul Lyle begins GeoHibernica with a slightly mischievous acknowledgement: the book exists only because the author of GeoBritannica was unable to take on its Irish counterpart himself. It is a revealing admission, and one that immediately invites comparison between the two works. That comparison is instructive, although not always in the ways one might expect.
Michael Mackiewicz (USA) In earlier articles of this series, lithium and cobalt from the list of the Top 10 critical minerals – lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, rare earth elements, tungsten, vanadium, bismuth and antimony – were discussed relative to their value to mineral collectors,advanced technologies and the global economy. … Read More
Mike Leeder’s Geology and the Pioneers of Earth Science is an ambitious and absorbing exploration of the intellectual and personal stories behind the transformation of geology in the twentieth century. Published in September 2024, the book positions itself as an account of how the discipline shifted from a largely descriptive, field-based science into the more synthetic, quantitative and planet-wide framework we now call “earth science”.
Michael Mackiewicz (USA) Minerals have shaped human progress for millennia, but the concept of critical minerals is a modern one. As discussed in earlier articles, the Top 10 critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, rare earth elements, tungsten, vanadium, bismuth and antimony) are essential to advanced technologies, global economy, … Read More
Michael Mackiewicz (USA) Minerals have shaped the direction of human civilisation for thousands of years, from early use of copper and gold in tools and ornaments, to the extraction of iron and tin during the Bronze Age. However, the idea of critical minerals is much more recent. As explained in … Read More
Michael C Mackiewicz (USA) This is the first of several articles on the Top 10 critical minerals. ‘Critical minerals’ is a relatively modern term that will be explained in this article. Minerals that shaped civilizations Minerals have played a central role in human development for thousands of years. From the … Read More
Dr Neil Clark (UK) The last place most people will associate with amber is Scotland. Yet, it is the place where some of the oldest inclusions (from the Carboniferous) in tree resin have been found. Amber is defined differently by different cultures. Its precise origin is unknown, but is fossilised … Read More
Paul D Taylor (UK) and Consuelo Sendino (UK) Barcelona is an extremely popular tourist destination. For many visitors, the idiosyncratic buildings of Antoni Gaudi represent the principal attraction, but the Catalan capitol has its fair share of art galleries and museums too. Among the latter are several geological museums, including … Read More
Gary Paton (UK) There are many types of employment that geology may offer, but one in particular that I would like to describe is the wellsite geologist. I have been employed in this position for approximately four years in the Norwegian Sector of the North Sea. This article aims to … Read More
Wayne Sukow (USA) Found in situ at the Wolverine #2 Mine in Houghton County, MI is a rare and unique Lake Superior agate. Some of those recovered are infused with varying amounts of massive copper, ranging from flecks visible to the unaided eye to solid stretches of native copper. Some … Read More
Steve Koppes (USA) When the solar system was born 4.5 billion years ago, davisite and grossmanite were soon there. These minerals were two of the first solids to form when an interstellar gas cloud collapsed to form the sun. Found in the Allende meteorite (Fig. 1), they now carry the … Read More
Jason Sherburn, (UK) Living near the coast is amazing. Or, at least, that’s how I imagine it to be for budding fossil collectors intent on unlocking the mysteries of the ancient world. However, I live about 50 miles from the coast and, while my own area is not topographically dull, … Read More
Deborah Painter (USA) Why is there a reef in a cavern under a hill in south-central Pennsylvania in the USA? My good friends Richard Hedges and David Hawk and I wanted to know the answer. We had seen various websites which describe an amazing commercial cave with one wall composed … Read More
Vivi Vajda (Sweden) In a valley in the Andes, at 2,500m above sea level, is Bolivia’s third largest city – Cochabamba. The town is beautifully surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks of which the highest is Tunari at 5,088m. For a palaeontologist, the town is an excellent base camp, as it … Read More
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Roy Bullard, who died on the 12th of May 2025 after a long and courageous battle with health issues. Roy was the joint founder and former editor of Deposits magazine, a publication he helped launch with Alister Cruickshanks in 2004. Together, they built a platform that became a valued voice in the geological and palaeontological communities—one that welcomed contributions from professional academics, undergraduate students, and dedicated amateurs alike. Roy retired from Deposits and its parent company UKGE in 2016 due to health reasons, but his legacy and influence have remained ever-present.
Jon Trevelyan (UK) Recently, I spent a few days on my own down at one of my favourite fossil hunting sites – Copt Point and East Wear Bay in Folkestone. As readers probably know, the Gault Clay at Folkestone is a marine sedimentary deposit from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) period, … Read More
Paul Cox (UK) During the 1980s, the secretary of the local branch of my professional association was famous for arranging field trips to places of interest. By and large, these had nothing to do with my profession, but they were nevertheless interesting places. One day, he had arranged a visit … Read More
Elizabeth Devon (UK) ‘I know it’s Monday when a new Earth leaning idea appears’ – quote from a supporter in India. The Earth learning idea was set up for the International Year of Planet Earth with the intention of reaching as many children throughout the world as possible, particularly those … Read More
In recent years, geology has evolved from being primarily concerned with rocks, minerals and the Earth’s physical structure, to integrating fields, such as climatology, meteorology, biology and more. This interdisciplinary approach has become essential for understanding complex Earth systems and this book is part of that trend – a discussion of Earth’s climate and the evolution of life, in the context of geology.
Tony Forsyth (Australia) Located over 1,100km west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia is the city of Broken Hill (Fig. 1). Nicknamed Australia’s “silver city”, with a population of over 20,000 people, it is now a prosperous centre for mining, the arts, tourism and film production. However, my wife … Read More
Mike Viney (USA) Introduction The Front Range of the Colorado Rockies is not a place one would expect to find a residence designed in the style of a European castle. So, for me, it was a delightful surprise to learn about the existence of Cherokee Castle in Sedalia, Colorado (Fig. … Read More
Heather Wilson (New Zealand) I am involved in a rock and mineral club at Dunedin, which is situated about a third of the way up the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Given the possibility of flying from one end of the country to the other in three hours, … Read More
