Lana’s Nodule of Marcasite
On a recent walk in Dorset, Lana stumbled across an unusually hard and heavier than normal stone and wanted to find out more about it. Sometimes mistakenly thought to be meteorites, Rockwatch Ambassador Mick is confident that Lana has found a nodule of marcasite. Evidently typical to the Child Okeford area of Dorset thanks to its chalk deposition, Lana’s specimen of marcasite is formed of characteristic rounded bumps and if it was...
Katie’s Belemnite Bullet
Often found digging in the gravel at home, Rockwatcher Katie has discovered that her fabulous find is a Belemnite, a bullet-shaped part of an extinct squid that thrived in our ancient seas. Rockwatch Ambassador, Michael, confirms that Katie’s fossil, “is a piece of fairly large Jurassic Belemnite”. So, what’s a Belemnite? Belemnites were an extinct marine animal that looked very like a modern-day squid except that they also had an...
Spacescapes: Postcards from our Solar System
Rockwatchers there’s a free outdoor planetary science exhibition taking place this Saturday 2 October between 12pm-3pm at the Geological Society’s HQ at Burlington House Courtyard, Piccadilly, London. The exhibition, called Spacescapes: Postcards from our Solar System, explores the mysteries of space and why geologists make such great space explorers. Why not pop along and discover some of these mysteries for...
Your Rockstar Competition Entries are In!
Thanks for sending in your wonderful Rockstar competition entries. Many of you have clearly been very busy over the school holidays and once again have impressed us with your knowledge, creativity and imagination. We’re busy judging entries at the moment and will be announcing winners...
Solving the Mystery of Piotr’s Crystal Rock from Herne Bay
Rockwatcher Piotr was intrigued to learn more about the mixed-looking rock he found at Herne Bay East Cliff Beach in Kent, England. Describing the rock itself as ‘unusual’ and the location of the find as a bit of a ‘mystery’, Rockwatch Ambassador, Michael pieces together a number of clues to help identify the rock and its possible origins to help solve the mystery. Michael’s approach to identifying Piortr’s rock is rather like a...
Ancient sea predator had giant head
It’s not every day that scientists are lucky enough to discover a brand new species let alone new genus – or category of living things which share common characteristics. So when they do, there’s understandably a bit of a buzz around the story. Science writer, Rachel Fritts reports that findings of a brand new ancient sea predator have been unveiled with a massive head which would have ruled the bottom of the oceans...