Komatite
Title: Komatite
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry. Everything else is probably mine.
Warnings: Science!
Summary: "It is komatite."
Author's Notes: Just a random oneshot written during my geology class, that's all...
Kirk looked around himself at the alien world he had beamed down to.
"Interesting," murmured Spock beside him, already scanning the local rocks with his tricorder.
"What is, Mr. Spock?" Kirk inquired, looking at the barren world around him with the eyes of a starship captain.
"The rock we are standing on, Captain," the half-Vulcan explained, not even looking up from his tricorder as he spoke. "It is komatite."
"Komatite?" Kirk asked, unfamillar with the name.
"Komatite is an ultramafic extrusive igneous rock," Spock lectured, as though he was teaching a class on geology at the Academy.
"Spock, I'm not a geologist," the captain reminded his first officer.
The half-Vulcan nodded in acknowledgment.
"Komatite is an igneous rock," Spock clarified. "It comes from magma that cools on the surface."
"Hence extrusive," Kirk figured.
"Correct."
"Ultramafic?" Kirk prompted. "What does that mean?"
"A rock that is ultramafic contains high amounts of magnesium and iron," Spock explained. "It also tends to be very dense and dark in color."
Kirk's communicator chirped.
"Kirk here," he answered it.
"Jim, it's McCoy."
"What is it, Bones?" Kirk asked, wondering why the doctor was calling him.
"There's a volcano about to erupt nearby," the doctor explained. "Scotty says that y'all should return to the ship as soon as possible, while the levels of volcanic gases in the atmosphere remains relatively low."
"What danger does this volcano potentially pose to the away team if we remain on the planet, Bones?"
"Fatal," McCoy bluntly replied.
"Start beaming up the members of the away team closest to the volcano and work your way outwards," Kirk ordered, confident that McCoy would relay his orders to the Transporter room.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry. Everything else is probably mine.
Warnings: Science!
Summary: "It is komatite."
Author's Notes: Just a random oneshot written during my geology class, that's all...
Kirk looked around himself at the alien world he had beamed down to.
"Interesting," murmured Spock beside him, already scanning the local rocks with his tricorder.
"What is, Mr. Spock?" Kirk inquired, looking at the barren world around him with the eyes of a starship captain.
"The rock we are standing on, Captain," the half-Vulcan explained, not even looking up from his tricorder as he spoke. "It is komatite."
"Komatite?" Kirk asked, unfamillar with the name.
"Komatite is an ultramafic extrusive igneous rock," Spock lectured, as though he was teaching a class on geology at the Academy.
"Spock, I'm not a geologist," the captain reminded his first officer.
The half-Vulcan nodded in acknowledgment.
"Komatite is an igneous rock," Spock clarified. "It comes from magma that cools on the surface."
"Hence extrusive," Kirk figured.
"Correct."
"Ultramafic?" Kirk prompted. "What does that mean?"
"A rock that is ultramafic contains high amounts of magnesium and iron," Spock explained. "It also tends to be very dense and dark in color."
Kirk's communicator chirped.
"Kirk here," he answered it.
"Jim, it's McCoy."
"What is it, Bones?" Kirk asked, wondering why the doctor was calling him.
"There's a volcano about to erupt nearby," the doctor explained. "Scotty says that y'all should return to the ship as soon as possible, while the levels of volcanic gases in the atmosphere remains relatively low."
"What danger does this volcano potentially pose to the away team if we remain on the planet, Bones?"
"Fatal," McCoy bluntly replied.
"Start beaming up the members of the away team closest to the volcano and work your way outwards," Kirk ordered, confident that McCoy would relay his orders to the Transporter room.