BYUI GeoJournal

 Week 03 - Volcanic eruptions  A-L-O-H-A my fellow geologists! When you look at all the photos from your latest vacation or your family member or friend's last adventure do you ever think about a VOLCANO in Hawaii! If you haven't greeted the beautiful atmosphere or took a quick swim in the blue, clear ocean. Let's go for a little field trip! Mauna Loa (mah-oo-nah low-ah) is one of the five volcanoes that surround the islands of Hawaii. It is the largest subaerial volcano in both mass and volume. " Mauna Loa is comprised of the main summit caldera called Moku‘āweoweo and three rift zones to the northeast, northwest, and southwest .  Eruptions of Mauna Loa most often will begin in the summit caldera and then later migrate to a rift zone.  Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843— averaging once every five years. Over a longer period of time, the past 3,000 years, it's estimated to have erupted once every six years. We are currently in the volcano's longest quie...

 Week 2: Is it a Mineral? Diamonds are a girl's best friend   I didn't get a chance to explore my area as I was out of town over the weekend for a family matter. I was staring at my earrings sitting on my computer. I was thinking about diamonds being a mineral. After some research, I found that diamonds are a rare, naturally occurring mineral composed of carbon. Each carbon atom in a diamond is surrounded by four other carbon atoms and connected to them by strong covalent bonds.  This is the structure of a diamond. I found that we see these minerals all the time in the jewelry we wear whether it is a watch, necklace, or earring. Have we gotten to know where it comes from? and how is it created? Especially how we collect them to create such wearable items. I like diamonds simply because it is my birthstone so naturally, I am attracted to shiny things.  ( geology.com  references) This is a diamond in its natural form, before cutting and polishing it. Quartz, corun...