Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Mica Fish...observations on a global scale

I was zipping around on the earth today...Google earth that is, when I came across this part of the world near the Mendocino Triple Junction.

Then using my trained geologist eye and a little computer magic overlayed the following:


Could this be a 'mica fish' on a global, crustal scale? So I quickly searched for a good photographic example of a mica fish, and found this:


Sure look similar. For the non-geologists reading the post, a mica fish is a micro-scale tectonic indicator of relative motion. Typically composed of Muscovite or biotite within a, usually, finer-grained matrix. They form in deformation zones, like faults -and their shape is a result of..well think if it like aerodynamics. The mica fish is like a Toyota Prius. All laid back, letting the world go by it.

Just thought that was pretty cool. The shape is right. The shear sense is right. Could the mica fish analogy scale up so large?

I should just be given a PhD right now.

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