Snowball Earth Glacial Products will be a cosmetics brand using hand-harvested Newfoundland mud. - Isabell Winter/UnsplashBRIGUS, N.L. — More than 40 years ago, Paul Conway was in California to do some seismic work. While taking a break, he took a swing by the small city of Calistoga in the Napa Valley, a place known for its hot springs, wineries and mud baths.
Conway latches on to a concept covered in Newfoundland geologist Martha Hickman Hild's book"Geology of Newfoundland" — that pink sediment commonly found in Conception Bay could have resulted from the gradual breaking of Pangea approximately 250 million years ago. He cites a 1999 dermatology study by Gary S. Hahn from the University of California's Department of Pediatrics to highlight the beneficial attributes of strontium. That study found strontium to be a selective inhibitor that can reduce stings, burns, itches and general sensory irritation when applied to skin.