The Paleontology of Pound Stones

Dairymaids of 18th century England may have been some of the best unintentional paleontologists.

In a time before standardized measurements, these dairymaids often used “pound stones” to weigh out butter and cream. These pound stones, commonly found in the fields of Oxfordshire, were particularly useful because all were uniform in shape, size and weight. Dairymaids recognized the practical value of a pound stone, but it would be a few years before anyone realized their scientific importance.

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Geology and Nomenclature: Why some names kick ass

I always appreciate a clever name or at least one that is descriptive of the object at hand. A firm favourite is roche moutonnée, a glacial feature which literally translates as ‘rock sheep’ due a pockmarked surface that resembles a particularly ragged sheep’s fleece.

So what other cool names are out there? I’ve compiled a short list of my favourites below but if you know of others feel free to enlighten us in the comments!

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We love volcanoes!

Did you know the name volcano is derived from the island Vulcano?
The island was said to be the forge of the Roman god of fire: Vulcan.
Now there is some kind of a problem and volcanologists sometimes get quite cocky about it, in the English language volcano is written with an “o”. I myself got it wrong in one of my first articles, because in quite a few other languages it’s written like the original with an “u”.

So just to get it right, once and for all:
Vulcanologist: Watching Star Trek
Volcanologist: Watching Volcanoes

-JSD
http://www.dramsch.net/

Picture credit:
Spock: Copyright owned by NBC-Viacom
Volcano: National Parks Service