iGeology - BGS iPhone App

The British Geological Survey (BGS) has published a nice new application for iPhone: a geolgical map of Britain called iGeology. It is for free and with the GPS on board the phone you can find out what rock is below your feet.

• Enter a place name or postcode, or locate yourself with your phone's in-built GPS.
• Pinch open to zoom in.
• Tap on the geological map
• What are you standing on? Deposits from an ice age?
• What is the bedrock beneath the superficial deposits?
• Need a more detailed description? Follow the links to the BGS rock name database (Lexicon) and learn about the different rock formations where you are.

The geological data are served though the BGS Web Map Service (WMS)

Identification of Tsunami Deposits in the Geologic Record

Sediments deposited by tsunamis have been studied in the past as records of catastrophic events. The earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean region on Boxing Day 2004 and claimed around 200,000 lives highlighted the need to study the sedimentary record of past tsunamis to help with planning disaster mitigation measures in coastal areas threatened by tsunamis. To help with the description and assessment of paleo-tsunami records the USGS has published an Open-File Report

Peters, Robert, and Jaffe, Bruce E. (2010): Identification of tsunami deposits in the geologic record; developing criteria using recent tsunami deposits. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010-1239, 39 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1239/.

This reminds me that I have not heard for a while about the "Mother of all Tsunamis" triggered by the Chicxulub impact. The field seems to have quieted down after 2008.