Earth in Human Hands
“What if life isn’t something that happens *on* a planet, but is something that happens *to* a planet? What if the planet itself is alive?” Thus begins one of the many intriguing thought exercises in...
View ArticleAre we alone in the universe?
How did life begin on Earth? Curiously, scientists often search for the answer on other planets or moons in our solar system. After all, if we want to see whether our theories are right, we need to...
View ArticleThe Dino Crater
One of the best tales of all time from geologic history is the story of the meteor impact that killed the dinosaurs. As it turns out, though, there are still many unanswered questions about what...
View ArticleSounds of Space
When we think of space, we typically think of beautiful images taken by powerful telescopes and interplanetary rovers. We think of the rings around Saturn; the giant red spot on Jupiter; or Martian...
View ArticleHidden Water
Most of the changes scientists see on our planet are either visible to the naked eye or directly measurable. But changes to our water systems are among the most difficult to see. In this episode, we...
View ArticleThe Urban Equation
As cities continue to grow, scientists are trying to define the “Urban Equation” – a mathematical expression that defines not just a group of buildings, but a complex network of physical and social...
View ArticleThe geology of Game of Thrones
This is Westeros as it exists in the days of tumult, in the days following the death of King Robert Baratheon, in the shortening days that warn that winter is coming. But this is also the geologic...
View ArticleBuilding the geologic history of Game of Thrones
Ever wonder what Westeros looked like long before the Starks, Baratheons, Lannisters, or Targaryens roamed its surface? How far back can we really imagine the history of the Game of Thrones planet?...
View ArticleWesteros today, and the size of the Game of Thrones planet
From the texts, we know that the kingdoms have persisted for thousands of years, with many kings rising and falling as the tides (though we won’t concern ourselves with kings or kingdoms here). From...
View ArticleThe Earth split Westeros from Essos – 25 Mya
Twenty-five million years ago (Mya), a line of fire and molten rock cut through the planet’s crust – like Wildfire cut through the ships at Blackwater Bay – and separated the previously joined...
View ArticleWhen Dorne boiled – 30-40 Mya
The salt of the Salt Shore, almost certainly an evaporite deposit, suggests that the region south of the Red Mountains, known as Dorne, was once submerged beneath a shallow sea. Some time in the past,...
View ArticleLand of ice – 40 Mya
It was a land of ice indeed. Forty million years ago, a giant ice sheet, likely over a mile thick, covered nearly two-thirds of Westeros, and extended as far south as 40° north latitude, just shy of...
View ArticleThe rise of the Black (Mountains) – 60-80 Mya
Determining the age of the various Westeros mountain ranges is problematic without geochemistry; the wildlings make sample collection difficult. However, we can infer ages based on the current shape,...
View ArticleAs the Moon rose, so did the Lannisters – 80-100 Mya
The rise of the Mountains of the Moon is perhaps the best-documented geologic event on Westeros, and is directly responsible for the tremendous wealth of the House Lannister. Similar to the Black...
View ArticleDiving the tropical reefs of Winterfell – 300 Mya
Long ago, the territory surrounding Winterfell was not prowled by direwolves, but rather by corals, fish, and perhaps the occasional reef shark. While we know that Winterfell’s protective walls are...
View ArticleThe sand ran red – 450 Mya
The scandalous wedding of young Robb Stark to Jeyne Westerling isn’t the only thing to have been stained red in the history of Westeros (spoiler!). The Red Keep, home to the Iron Throne in King’s...
View ArticleThe first mountains – 500 Mya
The Red Orogeny is the earliest piece of Westeros’ geologic history that we can infer with the available data. From our analysis of the Red Keep Sandstone and the Winterfell Limestone, we know that...
View ArticleBONUS: The Iron Islands – 2,000 Mya
On Earth, nearly all iron ore comes from specific rocks called banded iron formations, the vast majority of which originate around 2,000 million years ago (2,400-1,800 Mya to be more precise). At this...
View Article[ESSAY] The crazy history of 3 ridiculous geological theories
Science is constantly reinventing itself, revising past theories and proposing new ideas that hopefully further our understanding of the world. Copernicus proposed the heliocentric solar system,...
View ArticleThe (mad) science of geoengineering
Climate scientist Ken Caldeira begins with a discussion of ocean acidification, a term he helped coin. He follows with the story of how his name became attached to geoengineering, from his own...
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