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Deep Down In The Abyss: The prehistoric 'Sea Monster' of the Mesozoic era

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Introduction                                                                                                                                                                                              'She sells seashells by the seashore'. This tongue twister was based on Mary Anning, a pioneering palaeontologist and fossil collector (Strauss, 2019). In the early 19th century, she was the first to discover what is now named Ichthyosaurus communis , meaning 'fish-lizard' (Mary-Claire Eylott, n.d). However, this genus was neither a fish nor a lizard. Scientists classify Ichthyosaurus communis  as a marine reptile (Marek, 2015).  Ichthyosaurus communis is a part of the order Ichthyosauria, which sits in the superorder of Ichthyopterygia (Fig.1). Ichthyosauria holds many records: possessing the largest eyes out of all living things ever to have existed (Motani, Rothschild and Wahl, 1999), being the first air breathing tetrapods with a fish-like body (Marek, 2015) and even
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The Geology of Pembrokeshire, Wales

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As part of my second year of MSci Geology at University College London, I gained the opportunity to go on a one week field trip to Pembrokeshire, Wales. Throughout 5 days I visited the scenic coastlines and headlands of southwest Wales to witness ~300 Ma of UK's geological history. I observed the past volcanic activity, two plate tectonic cycles followed by folding and faulting caused by mountain building, seen to be caused across Europe. I unfolded a story that began in the Precambrian and climaxed towards the end of the Carboniferous period. Day 1: 10/04/2022  Location: Broad Haven (SM 8606 1358) Weather: cloudy, cool     Hazards: slippery rocks, rising tide, unstable cliff face Mood: energetic     Broad Haven was only a few minutes walk away from the youth hostel, in which I dwelt for the week. I aimed to accomplish 3 things at this location. To make a quick field sketch, record the lithological descriptions and interpret the geological history. I observed many layers of interbe
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Location: Wales, UK
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First Blog Post: About me and the blog

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Hello everyone. This is my first blog post!!! 😉 A bit about myself My name is Vitalik Ivanov. I am 20 years of age. And I am in my third year of undergraduate geology studies at University College London. I was born and lived most of my life in Ireland, however, from my name you could probably derive that I have Russian ancestors. I am a sports fanatic and I enjoy practicing martial arts, going on skiing trips and playing basketball, wherever I can find a hoop. Aside from sports, I enjoy sharpening my skills in sleight of hand magic. About the blog The subject matter of this blog relates to geology. I started this blog for two reasons. Firstly, I want to keep an account of the field trips I took part in and what I learnt during my fieldwork. Secondly, I want to share my knowledge in geology with people who have a mutual interest in the subject.
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Location: London, UK
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