Geologic Humor...

I've scoured the internet looking for geology humor and it's hard to find... there are some funny Far Sides, but nothing specifically geared towards geology. So I thought I would start creating some, here's my first episode. I have about 50 ideas written down, many of them are far more subtle and 'geologically dorky' than this one. And most of them are less juvenile, but I couldn't help myself... I'll bet we either see some of our students or even ourselves in this episode or future episodes. I'm working on the second episode, not as colorful or as long, but hopefully funny. Comments are welcome, and if you have concepts for a cartoon you'd like to see come to fruition, let me know. Be sure to click the image for a higher resolution version.

Where on (Google) Earth #68?

I found Ron's volcano hiding on Papua New Guinea so I get the honor of posting the next installment of WoGE. In keeping with the recent oblique views, I'm posting what I think is a beautiful oblique landscape (vertical exaggeration = 1.5). Hopefully it will bring hours of viewing pleasure, although I think we're all surprised at how adept folks are at finding our best attempts to 'stump the geologist.' I did select this particular vantage point to provide a few clues and to challenge all at the same time. For first-timers, see Ron's post on how he 'tracks' geology in the wild!

The Schott rule is in effect, meaning that any previous winner has to wait one hour for every WoGE they've identified. Have fun and good luck! (Post Time = 5:00PM EST)

Field Camp Reflections...

In the process of backing up my computer before reformatting and installing Gutsy, I came across a few photos from a field camp I TA'd for in graduate school. We were in the Grouse Creek Mountains (camping at the base of Twin Peaks) in NW Utah. It was a pretty fantastic location, both for camping and geology! Just wanted to share a few of the field photos...

This is a wave-scoured Bonneville age shoreline, just south of the Grouse Creeks. Fantastic polish and terraces cut into the quartzite! It's possible to find these remnant shorelines in Google Earth if you're persistent, I failed to find this exact one though...

I remember the actual day in structural geology when Bill Kid described boudinage. "It's French, for sausage." For some reason this was really funny at the time, but fascinating nevertheless. I have photos of boudinage from all over the place now, excellent indicators of a shear zone in an extensional regime.

A really nice fold in Paleozoic Quartzite of Clark's Basin, this was one of my favorite units during field camp.

Another incredible fold in the Ordovician Pogonip Group (named after Pogonip Ridge in White Pine County, NV). You can see a 'glimmer' of the landscape in the background, truly a wonderful field site.

I don't remember the mountain now, but I remember it was on the way to the local general store, I hope they're still going! Couldn't help myself, an active Utah volcano, it's so rare. :)

Gorgeous stretched pebble conglomerate, I have quite a few samples of this outcrop to illustrate ductile deformation. Always nice to reflect on previous field sites, thought someone might enjoy the images.

Gutsy Gibbon Running!

I had Gutsy up and running a few days ago, but it took a few days to find the time to tweak it so I'm making the most of Compiz... I'm running Kiba-Dock, Screenlets, and making full use of the eye candy. Anyway, attached a few screenshots for your drooling pleasure. :) The trash can is accessible on the Dock and the pot in the lower left corner is my 'widget' plant. No 'geological' desktop yet , I really enjoyed this carton.

Kansas Geology - Off the Beaten Path

I told Ron I'd post a few of my Kansas photos, so there they are! The last time I drove cross country I visited a few 'out of the way' places in Kansas (who says there isn't cool geology there?!). Well, I have to admit I was a little disappointed at Mushroom Rock State Park, for some reason I thought it was going to be bigger with more landforms. However, an excellent example of differential weathering, sandstone concretions, and well-preserved cross bedding in the Dakota Formation. The first image is a nice historical photo circa 1867 that I extracted from Charlton, J., 2001, Views and Reports of the Dakota Sandstone Formation, Mushroom Rock, 1867-2001.


And these are a few of my photos - again, take note of the differences in field apparel... As nostalgic as it looks, I don't see myself dressing up for fieldwork.

My second trip took me to Monument Rocks (a.k.a - Chalk Pyramids)... this was a really cool spot with a fantastic drive up through fields of grazing Angus (well, technically NOT through the field, the road was adjacent to the fields)... These features are remnants of the Niobrara Chalk Formation that formed during the time of the Great Interior Seaway. Some of these monuments are 70-80' high. Charlton and Merriam (2003) offer an interesting look at the changing landscape of this very unique location. Interestingly enough, I couldn't find the true origin of the word Niobrara - the Lexicon of Geologic Names of United States states "Named for exposures along Missouri River near mouth of Niobrara River, Knox, Co., Nebraska." And apparently Niobrara River was name after Fort Niobrara, but no clue as to where that name came from? However, to no one's surprise, Marsh named this formation (1875) ...

I really enjoyed tracking down the articles and historical photos for these two locations, I wish I had the time to explore ALL the facinating outcrops I've visited... Retirement?

Where on (Google) Earth # 64

I finally found one! After 3 attempts to keep up with everyone, I found the Pavlof Volcanoes that Brian posted for WoGE #63. I don't have any intimate knowledge of the location I'm posting here, there is just a LOT of cool geology going on in this image... For some reason my north arrow didn't save with the image, but north IS the top of the image.


The Schott rule is in effect, meaning that any previous winner has to wait one hour for every WoGE they've identified. Have fun and good luck!

EDIT: Posting time is actually October 20, 9:30AM EST. Blogger apparently posted my initial draft time.

Geology Desktop Images...

This is my current desktop - I love the interpretation and exaggeration imposed by the artist (here's another by the same artist). I really like exploring the 'geology' paintings and drawings, I've been toying with the idea of teaching a Geology of Literature and Art course, tons of prep as it's a bit out of my field (i.e. - art appreciation) but very exciting to think about. There are some great sites out there with fantastic desktop opportunities, this is one of my favorites. Just wondering what other geology folks have for their desktop images? I rotate through every few months, sometimes field photos and sometimes painting, and sometimes silly cartoons like this. I guess those are supposed to be mud volcanoes? Explore the BlueBison site, there are some great cartoons on there illustrating karst, fluvial, coastal and eolian geomorphology! :) This is my next desktop (already selected)...


Speaking of desktop opportunities, I'm dual-booting my desktop today (upgraded the laptop tonight) with the latest release of Kubunto. Now if only ESRI would release a linux based ArcGIS!!! :) WINE just doesn't cut it with that beast!

Geological Attire...

I think I could identify a geologist based solely on their typical attire (e.g. - look around at GSA this year)... However, this photo really heralds back to an age when either:

1. Geologists dressed up for field work
2. Field assistants dressed up for field work
3. Geologists explored outcrops before church
4. Geologists invited lawyers to stand in their photos for scale

Either way this is a fantastic photo, both because of the very cool geologic context and the fancy smancy clothes. The image is from the Jesse Early Hyde Lantern Collection at Case Western University. From time to time I think I'll head into the archives and pull out an interesting photo...

Note: the caption on this slide is:
Concretions in Ohio shale, near Columbus

Discovering the 'rock' gene?

Our library just received a copy of Geo Families, a 'geology documentary' - how cool is that!? I haven't watched it yet, probably tomorrow night, but here's the trailer and I'll update this post with a review:

UPDATED 10/29/07:

First, let me state that I enjoyed the movie - a documentary about geologists is a long time coming. I enjoyed the relationships highlighted between these families and the facility they all had with geologic jargon, what a treat! The sense of community, respect, and awe that is instilled in most geologists really shined throughout the movie. There was a real passion displayed by the families that participated in this movie and I think that's typical regardless of discipline. My only complaint is that is that it focuses solely on petroleum/gas geologists. I don't have anything against that discipline, it just perpetuates the myth that 'geologists' seek out and extract resources. A process that is certainly necessary, but not one that fully describes the wide breadth of the science of geology.

Not that I'm offering, but maybe a future documentary could explore the history/evolution of some well-known geologists in their respective fields (Alvarez, Easterbrook, Moores, Atwater, etc. - make your own list) to explore the full spectrum of our field. It would be nice if the general public thought geology involved more than 'looking at rocks' and exploring for oil. :)

Blog Action Day?

I'm usually not a fan of one day attempts at saving the earth... you know, things like the now famous "don't buy gas for a day" chain letters that were floating around for awhile (even though most of the profits are made on the upstream end of production). It also seems like a bad message to send - as if one day of effort can actually alter our consumerism ways, halt climate change, etc, etc. For the non-environmentalist, this may seem like a good idea and their inroad to doing 'their part' for the movement. "Hey I'm an environmentalist too, I didn't buy gas on May 15!"

Or the idea that celebrities should somehow be the voice of what I'm going to call the Environmental Movement 2.0. And I don't mean the movement reinvigorated by the internet (as is the case for Blog Action Day), rather I mean round two at convincing the world that humans aren't almighty beings that have the right to do and take what they wish without regard for the ecological impacts these behaviors might cause. This version of the movement is utilizing technology and modern communications in a fascinating way - but we're still using resources to spread the message. I'm less concerned with blogs, YouTube videos, RSS feeds, etc., informing the folks that want to be informed, I AM concerned that version 2.0 lacks a David Brower and that instead of having a leader, we have intelligent and passionate individuals embracing politicians and celebrities... It's wonderful that many of them want to 'join in the fun' - but they should play for real. I think it's fantastic that Al Gore can afford to purchase carbon offsets for his mansion (resources consumption = energy consumption), but that's not a reality for most of the world. I think we need to re-think this approach for version 2.1.0.0,. I'll even take an unstable beta, anything...



Anyway, I digress... today is apparently bog action day. I didn't know it was blog action day until I received an email informing me that today was so special (thanks Monique Couture). Here's their video as background:

So I read through some of the blogs this morning (e.g. - 50 ways to help the environment), and here's my conclusion: I spent too much time reading online and not enough time enjoying the foliage, the smell of leaves, and the sounds of geese fleeing the north... So here's my suggestion for those of you blogging and reading, go outside and appreciate a little slice of your own backyard!

Sustainability of Higher Education?

Anyone in Higher Ed should be concerned with this graph! I'll come back to this post, but the rate of increase is shocking and if we project into the future, even tenured faculty should be concerned...

Geologic Propaganda?

I recently received a bundle of information from the Petition Project, an organization out of California who's mission is to break the myth of Global Warming. They appear to be trying to accomplish this goal by sending scientists a letter containing a photocopy from an editorial posted in The Wall Street Journal and a printed article published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JAPS). The title of the journal article is: "Environmental Effects of Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide" by Arthur Robinson, Noah Robinson, and Willie Soon (all with the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine). Although I can't find Willie Soon anywhere on the site (I think he's at the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory). Anyway, these are SMART guys, no doubt about it - but I question why their article was published in the JAPS rather than Science or Nature (I'm sure we'd hear things like "those journals are controlled by the liberal-minded academics who believe in global warming). Regardless, JAPS isn't a respected journal (I couldn't find it listed on the Science Citation Impact List!) nor is an editorial in the Wall Street Journal going to counterbalance the IPCC report or NUMEROUS other scientific journal articles published on the topic of climate change (one of the best I've read is Crutzen and Lelieveld, 2001. If you're REALLY interested in seeing my climate change bibliography, just shoot me an email and I'll post a condensed version (too irate right now). But here is a nice summary of the biased reporting associated with the JAPS.

I don't want to dive into the specifics of their argument, other folks are already picking it apart and that kind of critique isn't palatable for the masses (it's like when geneticists start talking about all their gene sites labeled with numbers and letters - yikes). I just want to look at their petition (read it here in full), which states:

"There is no convincing evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate."

Let's assume that statement is true - ok, NOR is there convincing evidence to the contrary! I know that many folks don't adhere to the precautionary principle, but these are DOCTORS, aren't they trained to err on the side of caution? So even if we throw out ALL the data that even remotely suggests the contrary to their thesis, isn't it in our best interest to be a little skeptical and concerned? Again, I don't want to debate the science (I'm just thinking logically here), I'll let the folks over at RealClimate.Org fight the good fight...

"Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth."

HUH? Seriously, these are doctors telling us that there too much of something can't potentially be dangerous or 'unhealthy.' Isn't there mantra, "everything in moderation?" Anyway, the American Academy of Family Physicians has a creed (read it here in full), which states:

"You and your family deserve high quality, affordable health care including treatment, prevention and health promotion... The specialty of family medicine trains me to care for the whole person."

It may be a little hokey, but I read between the lines here and wonder where our physicians turned climate experts have woven the concept of prevention into their beliefs and how they are focusing on the "whole earth" in context of climate change. I mean, do they have access to same supercomputing power that James Lovelock has access to? Are they REALLY experts on this topic? Don't they think an Earth Scientist might check up on a few of these details?

Sarcasm aside, I do wonder what they hoped to achieve. I imagine they will receive scathing criticism from earth scientists around the country and very little support for their cause - they do have an impressive number of folks signing on, however I did a small (n = 15) survey of a few of the names on their website and almost all of them are doctors... huh.

Sorry to rant, I prefer goofy comics and cool geology pics, but I just couldn't help myself. :)

Oh So True...

Volcanism on my mind...

Sorry, one last post... couldn't help myself, this video was just too amazing! Amateur video of an eruption of Villaricca, Chile. Enjoy!

Visit FlashEarth for a fantastic satellite photo!

Eruptions at Sea...

Geologists are always happy when they are able to observe a geologic event, regardless of the magnitude (i.e. - I get excited when I watch sand grains saltating in rivers). However, we always get called out as 'happy' when a volcano erupts or an earthquake ruptures... we're not bad people, we just love our science. :) So when I heard a volcano had erupted off the coast of Yemen of course I was excited (but obviously hoping everyone was safely evacuated).

The island of Jabal al-Tair is to the west of Yemen and apparently began erupting Sunday, September 30. The island lies within a divergent boundary between the African and Arabian Plates. A fantastic example of rift-associated volcanism - an excellent North American corollary is the Rio Grande or the Mississippi River Valley, which is a failed rift. Check out FlashEarth for a close-up, zoom-enabled map of this region.

View Larger Map

Observational Sciences...

Cartoons don't have to be elaborate or created by Pixar to be funny and engaging... The author of this site has an incredible sense of humor - but it's humor that makes you think. I found this one appropriate and meaningful given the current (continued...) debate of science versus religion.


In 1991 Stephen J. Gould published an article titled "Fall in the House of Ussher" in which he defended Ussher's age of the earth because he didn't believe in "the notion that progress in knowledge arises from victory in battle between science and religion, with religion defined as unthinking allegiance to dogma and obedience to authority, and science as objective searching for truth." The two videos below represent the continued debate between 'science and religion' within the field of geology. Both videos illustrate the dogmatic views held by each side (yes, I agree geologists can also be dogmatic) and neither presentation style is conducive to coming to some means of co-existing without sarcasm or muckraking.