⛏ Thomas Hammerich
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thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ Thomas Hammerich
@thammerich.bsky.social
120 followers 130 following 88 posts
⛏ Geologist
🎓 Lecturer / Speaker
🛳 Expedition Leader & Guide
10+ years of exploring the global geology
guiding expedition voyages on land/@sea.
🌱 Seed & plant collector, 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♂️🖖 ☕lover

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thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ It's #FossilFriday 🗺 ⚒

Let's start a series of DIY Paper Fossils!

🌸 How about 'Lilies of the Sea' ?!

🔎 Crinoids, also known as sea lilies, are ancient marine animals related to starfish and sea urchins.

📲 🖨 📄 ✂️

#geology #geoscience #paleontology #fossil #kids #DIY
November 14, 2025 at 8:23 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ #RockyMonday ⚒

Heligoland ‘Fish eyes’: mostly round, dark-coloured concretions of cuprite and/or chalcocite.

🔎 Buntsandstein / Bunter Sandstone (Lower Triassic) 🦕

📷 Rock sample from
📍Heligoland, Schleswig- Holstein, 🇩🇪

#Geology #geoscience #sandstone #sediment #RockArt #rock #Helgoland
Picture of rusty red sandstone sample with "Heligoland fish eye" on the right side: outer part of eye is light greenish coloured sandstone with dark greyish/blackish center. Sample width: 7.5cm / 2.95inch
November 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌺 #FlowerFriday 🌿

The #Phaedranassa tunguraguae is growing another flower stalk, 2nd time this year!

Far ahead of the usual time...just 9 months after the last blossom. What an amazing surprise!

🌱 🌴

#Amaryllidaceae #Ecuador #nature #plants #flowers #gardening #plantlovers
Picture of a Phaedranassa tunguraguae plant inside a brown pot. The Phaedranassa bulb is placed in the middle. On the left side a leaf can be seen going upwards. Middle right side a new flower stalk is growing upwards out of the bulb. Partly opened you can spot the individual flowers in green+red colours in-between.
November 7, 2025 at 3:58 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ Midweek geology ⚒

❓ How do Ammonoids look inside?
-》Let's ✂️ & 👀

👉 Ammonoids lived in the world oceans for ~350 million years from early Devonian until the extinction of the Dinosaurs 66my ago.

🔎 Outside of an #Ammonoids #fossil (left) & one with polished inside (right) 👇
View of an Ammonoids fossil from the outside. The fossil surface shimmers in metallic golden colour from Pyrite coating. Height of fossil: 2cm / ¾inch An Ammonoids fossil cut in half and polished.
November 5, 2025 at 3:51 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
👻 Happy Halloween! 💀

A tupilak is a mystical being created by a shaman from animal and other body parts and brought to life through rituals.

📍 Inuit carving from 🇬🇱 /Sisimiut

#KalaalitNunaat #Greenland #Grønland #HappyHalloween #Halloween
Black+white picture shows a candle inside a gunnysack on the left side and an Inuit bone carving of a tupilak on the right side.
October 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ #RockyMonday ⚒

A few rocky impressions to start the new week!

🔎 Cave sediment / concretion

📏 Width: 8 cm or 3.15 inches

📷 Rock sample from
📍Sardinia, 🇮🇹 Italy

#Geology #geoscience #sediment #concretion #RockArt #rock #soil #carst #carbonate #Sardinia #Italy
Picture of a rock sample. Detail of rock sample, 10x enlarged
October 20, 2025 at 4:08 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌺 #FlowerFriday 🌿

Update!
The #Phaedranassa tunguraguae bulb has spread and developed a bastard branch. A new shoot grows directly at the edge of the pot.

🌱 🌴

#Amaryllidaceae #Ecuador #nature #plants #flowers #gardening #plantlovers
A brown pot with brownish soil and a Phaedranassa tunguraguae bulb in the middle. On top of the bulb two green stems can be seen. At the upper right part of the pot a new green shoot (bastard branch) is growing upwards.
October 10, 2025 at 3:38 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌺 #FlowerFriday 🌵

One of my favourite plants.
It has more arms than an 🐙 but is an epiphytic cactus.

Pink and blue flowers, produces lots of fruits.

✏ Disocactus amazonicus

🌱 🌴

#cactus #epiphyte
#flowers #flowerphotography #plant #nature #FlowersOnFriday
March 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌺 #FlowerFriday 🌿

Finally the #Phaedranassa tunguraguae is in full blossom.

Flowers opened one after the other and always during the night.

🌱 🌴

#Amaryllidaceae #Ecuador #nature #plants #flowers #gardening
Six flowers of Phaedranassa tunguraguae with black background. Five flowers are opened and one still closed. Flower body is reddish-pink with green tops and bases.
February 28, 2025 at 4:17 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌺 #FlowerFriday 🌱 🌴

The #Phaedranassa tunguraguae is growing another flower stalk!

Precise as a ⏱!
3rd time in a row, once a year in ~Jan-Feb.

#Amaryllidaceae #Ecuador #nature #plants #flowers
Picture of Phaedranassa tunguraguae. In the middle between two leaves there is a growing flower stalk.
February 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Learning from past & present disasters is essential! And to do a truthful RCA:

🔥🔥🔥 needs fuel...

Part 2: introduced non-native grasses

www.science.org/content/arti...

#California #LosAngeles
Frontpage of Science article FIERY INVASIONS about the role of invasive grasses on wildfires. Screenshot of Science article text. Parts of the text are highlighted.
January 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Learning from past & present disasters is essential! And to do a truthful RCA:

🔥🔥🔥 needs fuel...

One cause for devastating 🔥's in #California #LosAngeles (also: #Spain #Portugal ) are introduced invasive non-native plants & grasses!

Part 1: Eucalyptus

www.cal-ipc.org/resources/li...
Graphic of the distribution of Eucalyptus globulus in California. Source: CAL IPC Screenshot of CAL IPC text stating the problems that Eucalyptus globulus causes in non-endemic environments. Following text is highlighted: "The fuel complex formed by this debris is extremely flammable, and under severe weather conditions could produce drifting burning material with the potential to ignite numerous spot fires. Because stringy bark is carried away while burning, eucalyptus forests are considered the worst in the world for spreading spot fires. The Oakland hills firestorm was both intense and difficult to control because of the many stands of eucalyptus."
January 10, 2025 at 3:35 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
The show has begun! Thank you nature to be amazing and for surprising me unexpectedly.

#Polarlichter über #Bremen #Deutschland

#Aurora borealis over Northern #Germany
A red flare of Aurora borealis over the night sky. Right side of the sky the moon is visible. Below houses with light shining thru the windows.
May 10, 2024 at 9:33 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ It's Rocky Monday again!

📍📷 Rock samples from Kennecott Mines /Alaska

• Discovered in 1899, five mines operated from 1911 - 1938. The copper minerals include chalcocite, chalcopyrite, bornite, with associated malachite, azurite and cuprite.

⚒
Blue and green rock sample from Kennecott Mines, Alaska. Two further rock samples can be partly seen in the background. Green and blue rock sample from Kennecott Mines, Alaska. Two further rock samples in the background.
March 4, 2024 at 4:31 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ Rocky Monday 🌋

Subantarctic Macquarie Island is the only place on earth where rocks from the earth’s mantle are being actively exposed above sea level.

These unique exposures include pillow basalts & other extrusive rocks.

⚒ Amazing geology & wildlife!
Rock outcrop on Macquarie Island. Greenish grey rocks featuring the typical pillow basalt shapes. Landscape on Macquarie Island with blue signpost and white letters: "Macquarie Island Nature Reserve - World Heritage Area"
February 26, 2024 at 6:20 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
The first flower of Pinguicula is predicting spring time will start soon...

🌱 🌴
A pink Pinguicula sp. flower with yellow center is in the front focus. Green elongated leaves can be seen in the left background. Picture shows a pink Pinguicula flower directly from the side.
February 24, 2024 at 5:16 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌏 Travel Tuesday 🐻‍❄

Travel souvenirs always bring back memories.

Great wildlife & amazing geology at the Russian Arctic National Park.

📍 Бухта Тихая / Tikhaya Bay on Hooker Island, Franz Josef Land, Russia.
Picture shows a stitched patch/logo of the Russian Arctic National Park on Franz-Josef-Island. It's a round patch with white background and two black circles. In-between the circles two black writings in Russian: top writing says Tikhaya Bay, bottom writing are the coordinates N80°19'E52°48'. In the centre is a blue emblem with black narwhale.
February 20, 2024 at 7:27 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Monday update...

First flower of Phaedranassa tunguraguae opened today.

🌱 🌴
Picture shows four green-red flowers of Phaedranassa tunguraguae. Flowers have green top/bottom and red body. Two flowers are pointing downwards, one of them is opened and yellowish pollen can be seen at the tip.
February 19, 2024 at 3:11 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Update...

Flowers of Phaedranassa tunguraguae are growing fast!

🌱
Detail of developing Phaedranassa tunguraguae flowers. You can spot two big green-red flowers on the top, two small flowers in the middle and one small flower almost entirely hidden on the bottom part.
February 16, 2024 at 1:38 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
My Phaedranassa tunguraguae is growing flowers again. 🤗

👉 Amaryllidaceae, endemic around the slopes of the Tungurahua Volcano, Ecuador.

Grown from seeds, now ~2.5 years old. Last (first) blossom was Jan'23, after 1.5 years.

🌱
Photograph of a Phaedranassa tunguraguae flower stalk.
February 14, 2024 at 6:55 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ RockyMonday 🌋

Pāhoehoe lava

🔎 Pāhoehoe lava flows have surfaces that are typically ropy, billowing, hummocky, or smooth.

📷 Rock sample from
📍Masaya Caldera, Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya, Nicaragua.

⚒
Elongated brownish volcanic rock sample with ropy surface textures. A coin is placed as a size reference.
January 22, 2024 at 4:48 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
🌏 TravelThursday 🐊

Remembering my Aussie travels

Three of my fav things down under:
- you can wear a hat in the 🌞
- drink your fav drink
- investigate your fav plant Grass Tree 'Xanthorrhoea'

(while wearing your fav hat 🤠)
Photo of me (from left side) wearing an Akubra hat and drinking a Solo soft drink. In the background there are two Grass Trees (Xanthorrhoea sp.) and the Australian bush.
January 18, 2024 at 9:00 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
Santa is travelling again...

Merry Christmas!

🧪 ⚒ 🦑
Screenshot of Flightradar24.com showing track of Santa's sled flight around the world.
December 24, 2023 at 9:24 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ Rocky Monday

-- Urban Geology --

🔎 Red sandstone (quarried from Head of Holland/north of Kirkwall) & yellow sandstone (believed quarried on Eday/Orkney’s northern isles) revealing 850y's of weathering.

📍📷 St. Magnus Cathedral - Kirkwall - Orkney - Scotland

⚒
Several pictures of St.Magnus Cathedral: above picture shows view onto front entrance. Below three pictures showing details of red & yellow sandstone (architectural) arrangements and long-term weathering features.
December 18, 2023 at 6:40 PM
thammerich.bsky.social
⛏ It's Fossil Friday again! 🗺

🔎 Limestone with abundant bivalve & gastropod fossils

📍📷 (2018) Street bench in front of Osprey Leisure Centre - Castletown - Portland - UK

⚒ 🦑
4 pictures from top to bottom right show increasing details of limestone street bench with abundant fossil content. Limestone has light cream colour. Detail of limestone street bench with gastropod fossils. Human finger for scale.
December 1, 2023 at 9:32 PM