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Catastrophe and Design
Interpretive panels exploring the fossil record, geologic processes, and design in nature, designed to accompany specimens in small exhibits or displays
Machine Learning Predicts Mantle Endmembers from Basalt Trace Element Geochemistry
Isotopes from the decay of various radioactive atoms are used to define different crust and mantle sources for magma generation. This GRI-funded paper looks at how trace elements may less expensively also help define those reservoirs.
Episodic Continental Arc Magmatism: Investigating Links Between Compositional Variation and Flare-ups in the Peruvian Arc
The second part of a research project funded by the GRI on magmatism of the Peruvian Andes has been published in a special issue of the Journal of South American Earth Sciences, "The magmatism of South and Central America through time. A tribute to Prof. Carlos W. Rapela”. The paper contributes to the long-standing geological question of what mechanisms drive magmatism in continental volcanic arcs. Variations in magma chemistry over time in the Peruvian Andes are linked to changes in magma production and interpreted to be mainly controlled by mantle processes, migration of the volcanic arc, and differences in the underlying rocks.
Submarine Planation of Carbonate Substrate on the Laurentian Continental Shelf (Upper Cambrian, Notch Peak Formation, Utah)
New research partly funded by GRI has been published in the journal “Sedimentary Geology." The study documents an extensive, planar erosional surface developed under subaqueous conditions on a carbonate substrate. Mechanical wear by sedimentary particles agitated by energetic water movement effectively “sandpapered” an early-lithified seafloor. This upper Cambrian example from Utah, USA, is representative of similar surfaces formed in lower Paleozoic epicontinental seas.
Four Contributions at EAVP 2026
Research funded by the Geoscience Research Institute was presented at the 23rd conference of the European Association of Vertebrate Paleontology, held in Vilnius, Lithuania – June 29 - July 5, 2026.
Episodic Continental Arc Magmatism: Tempos of the Peruvian Arc
Research funded by the GRI shows the Peruvian Andes record growth of the continental crust as being episodic in nature rather than steady-state, characterized by periods of intense magmatism or "flare-ups" as demonstrated by U-Pb zircon ages. New techniques and data have allowed the volume of new continental crust generated here to be calculated. The open-access paper is part of a special issue of the Journal of South American Earth Sciences
Exploring the Universe through the Dual Lens of Scripture and Science
Book review by Jim Gibson
Pathway vs. Thermodynamics: The Actual Problem in Abiogenesis
The spontaneous organization of nonliving matter into a living organism is more than a problem of energy or thermodynamics. It requires a highly specific sequence of assembly. Thus, the central challenge for abiogenesis lies in the scarcity of plausible pathways capable of producing the complex, highly specific organization required for life, rather than in thermodynamic restrictions alone.
Biology, Scripture, and Completeness
What is an organism? Dr. David Nelsen starts with this seemingly simple question and takes us into a deeper reflection on the structure of creation, what it means to be a living organism, and our unique role as humans within creation.