Regolith and Quarternary Sedimentology: questions to infer paleogeomorphology and paleoclimate

This image was taken along Las Huertas creek, near the village of Placitas.  Note the lack of developed soil horizons: the top layers appear to be unconsolidated colluvial debris.   Perhaps the sandstone layers below the Juniper roots are paleo-sand dunes?  What then might the different colors indicate?

This image and the following were taken along La Jencia creek, deeply incised into Pleistecene and Holocene sediments in the San Lorenzo Spring quandrangle west of Socorro, NM.    The layers exposed along the creek channel show darker clay and/or organic-enriched layers that may have formed from swamps and/or backwaters along paleochannels.

Screenshot of the Quandrangle geological map, with a red dot on La Jencia creek showing the location of the photos.

This exposure reveals an unconformity in the left-center that may be due to in-filling of a paleo channel?  Does this images show an actual unconformity, with deposition, then erosion, then deposition? Or was there continuous deposition? Why is there banding of light and dark material in such regular layers?  How were these layers laid down?  Does the fact that they were deposited indicate an aggrading landscape, perhaps controlled by climate-influenced sediment supply??

This photos shows a close-up of a tiny (5-foot long) layer of darker clay, clearly deposited in a concavity.  Note the coarser sediment deposited below it and the finer sediment above.  How old are these layers?  How do geologists infer the direction of paleoflow?  Why aren't there fossils?

Surface geology maps of the area offer confusing clues to interpreting these buried layers.  The geological map for the quandrangle to the North of San Lorenzo Springs (the Silver Creek quandrangle) shows paleochannel flows on the surface, as well as relictual dunes from some point in the Quarternary.  Why are the paleochannel flows going every which way?  Was this whole valley a closed basin, and if so, would that explain the aggradation, independent of sediment supply?  Why is this stream downcutting so rapidly today?  What are the implications for the future?

Need for closure OR Indecisive

I had thought that disagreement over Evolutionary Theory or Global Warming could be reinterpreted as an opportunity to engage other curious minds. As science becomes more egalitarian and open, more and more interested, educated citizens will join the debate. If science can learn with them (collaborative, constructivist model of knowledge), rather than teach toward them (defiency model of education in which learners need to be filled up with knowledge) we could realize a great opportunity.

However, not all arguers are open to persuasion. In complex, competing-message environments today some people pick their opinions first. Kruglanski has described a personality scale of closure/openess in decision-making. (Kruglanski, 1993)


Experiment
He asked:

Which phrases do you agree with?

I find that a well ordered life with regular hours suits my temperament.
I feel uncomfortable when I don't understand the reason why an event occurred in my life.
I don't like to go into a situation without knowing what I can expect from it.
When I am confused about an important issue, I feel very upset.
I usually make important decisions quickly and confidently
I don't like to be with people who are capable of unexpected actions.
I dislike it when a person's statement could mean many different things
I'd rather know bad news than stay in a state of uncertainty.

OR

When I go shopping, I have difficulty deciding exactly what it is that I want.
I tend to put off making important decisions until the last possible moment
I would describe myself as indecisive.
My personal space is usually messy and disorganized
I tend to struggle with most decisions


Kruglanski, A. W., Webster, D. M., & Klem, A. (1993). Motivated resistance and openness to persuasion in the presence or absence of prior information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65 (5), 861-876

Why are there two tides every day?

Screenshot from http://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/sea/2009-01-04

Econ. Questions

Is gov't the only way to control externalities, or will the market correct its own inefficiencies? One solution would be MORE private ownership, so that the owner of the wild geese would have a vested interest in making sure pollution from the local coal plant didn't mutate their ugly ducklings, or whatever.

Do copyrights and patents prove that the free market system is irrevocably flawed? How does biology deal with the costs of mimicry? There is ample evidence that innovation is not greater in countries with better intellectual property rights. Does this show that these incentives aren't significant, and hence necessary? "The intellectual property issues, when it comes to copying drugs, involve an irreconciliable clash between rule and act utilitarianism."[Marginal Revolution]

What does GDP or even utility/happiness/welfare have to do with what we really want to maximize?

Are defense and health both public goods that shouldn't be relegated to the private sector. CF. The voluntary city.

Good Econ Reads:
Marginal Revolution Blog
Reason Magazine
Freakonomics Blog
Overcoming Bias Blog