Geological Musings in the Taconic Mountains...

Field Camp House of Horrors

2008-08-04T18:14:00.005-05:00

This is my submission for last month's Accretionary Wedge hosted by Ron Schott. My posting is late, so hopefully I'll sneak in under the wire - which is related my field camp story...

I was that student that took all my classes backwards. I took structure before mineralogy, field camp before structure, and the capstone historical geology course after taking Intro and a course called mass extinctions. I had two notebooks for each class, the one where I wrote all the class notes and the other is where I listed all the words I had to look up because I had NO clue what they meant. Somehow it all managed to work out, advising aside, and themes and relationships coalesced. I was lucky that most of my fellow classmates were supportive and taught me what they knew and I repaid my debt to other students when I eventually took mineralogy, igmetpet, structure, geochem, etc. I also had some great instructors who weren't going to hold anyone's hand and just pointed me to the raised bar...

My field camp was located on the NY/VT border in Castleton, VT and Whitehall, NY (well that's where most of our mapping was located). If you've ever been to the Taconics, you know that the rocks are pretty straightforward but the structure can be pretty ridiculous. My field partner was John Moss and his field camp experience was truly horrific. He was lucky enough to contract poison ivy in week one, rolled around in his sleeping bag and kept it for the ENTIRE duration. Yikes! John and I also shredded ourselves hiking one particular power line infested with blackberry brambles... they were so amazingly tasty, but we definitely paid for that day in blood. But those are the fun stories...

We managed to map 90% of field area without anyone getting upset or angry, although we were asked numerous times if we were looking for oil or gold and if we found any that we couldn't keep it. Fair enough, but we told them not to hold their breath. However, we met one interesting ol' Vermonter who was adamant that we not traverse his property. He was mean, swore at us, threatened us and was downright un-neighborly. So we did what any two young geologists would do given the predicament of not being able to walk the middle of the field map (yes, it was smack in the middle of our map) - we waited until Sunday morning service and pouring rain and walked his property. We were psyched to collect the data until... we found the reason why he didn't want us on his property. He had two huge fields filled with 50-gallon drums of "something," there were 18-wheeler bodies filled with "stuff," and what looked like huge (12-18 inch) oil pipeline shut off valves, 90's, 45's and t's. John and I also thought, in our infinite 20 year old wisdom, that it would be a good idea to trespass wearing a bright orange gore-tex jacket and a bright yellow rain parka... So we ran. And ran. And ran. We were scared out of our mind, envisioning Mr. Happy firing away at us from across the field. Needless to say, we survived but learned a wonderful life lesson - scattered outcrop isn't worth dying over...

But the real story, for me, of field camp occurred on the day I refer to as "penance." For what I'm not sure, but I paid for all my trespassing sins on August 9th, 1997. It started out with a hot drizzly, humid morning and we were mapping on a farm in Whitehall. There is nothing more enjoyable than field mapping scattered outcrop between cow piles, your compass takes on a wonderful odor after contact with the ground enough times. As we were traversing a sloped wooded area, I slipped on some wet leaves and managed to butt slide all the way to the bottom into a barbed wire fence. Sweet. I tore up my pants and both legs and even a bit of my arm. So I cursed out the leaves, and the rain, and the slope and told John I was done for the day and that we were going to the rope swing. THE rope swing I should say, because it was the most amazing rope swing I had ever experienced in New England. Someone had climbed a towering pine tree at the edge of the Mettowee River in Granville, NY and installed a 3" braided rope. You grabbed the roped and walked away from the river, upslope for ~30-40 feet where you found a tree with a tree stand ~10 feet high. So you climbed the tree stand, jumped out holding onto the rope, enjoyed a few seconds of free fall and then you were whipped down the slope out over the river and you could let go at your leisure (as long as you didn't slam into the opposite bank, which is how someone died a few years ago and so the pine tree was cut down).

However, on this day my hands were either sweaty, I was tired, or just not paying attention and when I jumped out of the tree stand, my hands slid down the rope, giving me a rope burn on both hands (I did hold on though so I didn't fly into the ground). Sweet action #2. So now I'm sliced and diced by the barbwire and have matching blisters the size of half dollars on each hand. Wow, what an awful day you say? It's not over...

Now I'm really in a bad mood, John drives us back to our campground at Bomoseen State Park, and he offers to make dinner. So I wander into the group camping area and my TA Nick Hayman, now at the Institute for Geophysics at the Jackson School, has a friend visiting from Albany. His friend has a chow. I love dogs and had spent the last 3 weeks approaching strange dogs in the process of mapping strangers property. Yet, here I am in "my" campsite, offer my hand to a wagging, tongue-lolling chow and, yup, CHOMP. 10 puncture wounds in my right hand. Sweet action #3. This is the point when it just became funny, and John and I laughed until our sides hurt (not right away though, I was definitely in pain).

I learned a lot of lessons during field camp, many were geology related but most were "life" related. I've heard so many amazing "field camp was awesome" stories over the last 14 years and I had an amazing time teaching field camp in graduate school, but the amazing time I had during my field camp was definitely altered by that one day.

There are also a few stories about a lost rock hammer, riding horses without saddles, feeding bulls gorp, and trying to trick Nick with furnace slag... but I'll save those for another time. Looking forward to reading others stories!!!

p.s. - I need to track down John so he can substantiate this story, I know it sounds crazy!

Future Geologist?

2008-06-23T18:10:00.003-05:00

You have to feel sorry for this poor kid, BUT I imagine this prompted him to ask "why" is that one deeper than the others! It also may have scarred him for life and he'll never explore another mud puddle, sandbox, or swiftly moving river again! But seriously, that's a deep hole with no real evidence explaining why... I've seen potholes like that before, but not puddles! I'm guessing man made (like when I tried to dig to China), but maybe you have some other ideas!

Accretionary Wedge #10: Geology in Art

2008-06-17T13:57:00.006-05:00

Johan Christian Claussen Dahl: Outbreak of the Vesuvius (1826)

Well, depending on your geographic location, you have may have been experiencing similar thunderstorms as those blanketing Vermont - so I've stayed away from the computer until it seemed safe again! We had a great turnout and I'm thrilled to write up this summary.

I think a lot of scientists live with the dogma that they aren't necessarily artistic or creative (i.e. - the whole left versus right brain argument). But geology is a science driven in many cases solely by imagination and creativity, which then leads to an artistic representation or recreation of a time we'll never visit, a place we'll never see with our own eyes, or an organism that was only partially preserved. Not only do I believe our science riddled with aesthetic values, but as your submissions indicate, many geologists also yearn to see our science within 'traditional' art, literature, music, etc.

Within the genre of paintings/sketches, Hypocentre offers an abstract representation of the Law of Cross-Cutting relationships from Glen Tilt painted by John Clerk for James Hutton, David over at Cryology and Co. provides a link to a fascinating sequence of glacial landscapes and a discussion on the climatic inferences one can make from historical paintings, Silver Fox describes a beautiful McLure's Magazine cover meant to illicit and capture the life of early prospecting in Montana, Tuff Cookie posted both paintings and photos while discussing the early expedition into Yellowstone and the significance of Thomas Moran's work in preserving this region (for past and future field camp visits?), Kim offers up a double dose of art with a Chinese painting and poem, one which I think all of us can identify with, EffJot posted a beautiful cross-section, complete with historical context, which is housed in the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Resources - I wish I had the pleasure of walking by that one every day, and Dr. Ralph Harrington writes with exceptional talent describing Sir William Hamilton's "Campi Phlegraei: Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies" and provides a few beautiful examples from this monograph. If I remember correctly, Hamilton is the guy who carried all sorts of materials and objects up Vesuvius to throw into the lava streams just to see "what would happen" - but I might be mistaken. And finally, albeit belatedly, Chris reminds us all that geologic maps are not only informative and fun to make, but art themselves. My undergraduate structure professor once told me that when making your map, if you're confused about the geology in an area to "color it beautifully" to make up for that fact... This was tongue in cheek of course, but a reference to the aesthetics one should consider in mapping!

Within the genre of geologic materials, Andrew asks us to keep an eye out for anthropomorphic features in outcrop - clearly a fan of The Old Man in the Mountain, Coconino explores the link between geology and architecture in Los Angeles - and made me jealous with her choice in countertops, similarly the Lost Geologist gives us an e-walking-tour exploring Berlin's building/carving stone origins - this seems to be a topic that is ripe for exploration in almost any city, perhaps the online geocommunity needs to provide such a service for the world? An online repository of virtual building/carving stone tours?

Within the genre of the written, the read, and the sung - Geotripper revels us with a short rendition of Landslide (anyone else care to "chime" in on their favorite geo-song), Harmonic Tremors describes a fascinating relationship between geologic processes, culture, and Javanese music, goodSchist posts a beautifully chilling Maori legend surrounding Mount Taranaki (and manages to sneak the word Emo into the post) and also provides a link to a recent discussion that might be of interest, and finally Brian posts yet another geo-relevant song - Rift by Phish - which conjures up images of topography and should metaphorically elicit a response from any geologist!

It's a small n I know, but it seems as though geologists are still drawn to the visual - the paintings and sketches that we can interpret through 'scientific' eyes. The paintings of Moran, Cole, Turner, Brueghel, Friedrich, Church, etc., are easily appreciated and interpreted by our well-trained eyes. It was a real treat to see where people took this Wedge and I look forward to future posts on the topic, whether individual or whether we choose to tackle a more specific genre (e.g. - geology in music). Finally, there are some wonderful books out there that provide more information on this alternative perspective of our science: Romantic Rocks, Aesthetic Geology, Bedrock: Writers on the Wonder of Geology, and a new release I just saw in GSAToday is Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape. Thanks, this was a blast and very informative!

Volcano Tour of Italy...

2008-06-11T10:43:00.007-05:00

I wanted to share a few photos from a trip I took in April visiting all of the "major" volcanoes in southern Italy. I took a train from Meran to Milan and then flew EasyJet to Catania, a relatively painless traveling day. Saturday morning I awoke in the 'Sea and Volcano Room' at the Catania City Center B&B to a fabulous view of Etna.

I then took a trip up Etna with Etna Excursions, but by the time we arrived on the mountain, it was windy and snowy, so I didn't get to see much of the volcano. We traveled across various aged lava flows and poked around a little lava tube but it was fairly anticlimactic given the photos I've seen of Etna...

I traveled north to Messina via TrenItalia and caught an UsticaLines ferry to Vulcano. I can tell you that off-season on Vulcano is quiet... It took quite some time to find a room, not because it was crowded, but because so many of the pensions were closed! I headed up the main street, Vicolo Vulcano, and then up a well-worn path to the rim of Vulcano. Luckily I passed a sign that was clearly put there for geologists (I was informed by a National Park Service employee in Hawaii how crazy we all are) warning about the fumerols.

The wind was incredibly strong and blowing the nasty air away from me, otherwise I wouldn't have wandered so close (ok, maybe)... I took a few movies, none of which capture the true nature of standing on the rim of this mellowly belching volcano.

Honestly, with the wind, there was little danger of inhaling much of anything, in fact this was the front of a scirrocco that blew up from Africa, the next day I could see dust veils carried to the west. This fresh sulfur will likely make its way down to Vulcano and sold to tourists throughout the summer, a renewable source of income!

I continued on to Stromboli, the 'jewel' of my trip... You have to summit Stromboli with a guide, as far as I could tell there are only two, but perhaps more during the summer months. I summited with Mario Pruiti, a guide working for MagmaTrek. The hike took about 3.5 hours with a large group, it's probably 2 hours if you could just hike up on your own. The sun started to set as we reached the summit, so we were offered a beautiful sunset and an amazing light show. Mario informed us that this was as active as Stromboli had been in 3 weeks. I've been close to lava before in Hawaii National Park, but that was flowing lava not erupting pyroclastics. Watching the cinder cone develop as debris fell was fascinating... so was listening to and feeling the volcano beneath you. A living and breathing system indeed...

Just a smattering of the photos I took along the way, eventually I'll build a more comprehensive flash gallery of the rest, including a few photos from Pompeii and Vesuvius... I was underwhelmed at Pompeii to be honest, mainly because of the 1000's of people clogging the streets in April, I'm scared to think of what it's like in August!!! If you're planning a trip to any of these volcanoes, shoot me an email and I'll see if I can offer any help to make it run more smoothly!

Seeking Submissions for Accretionary Wedge #10: Aesthetic Geology - Geology in Art

2008-06-05T17:52:00.007-05:00

Kilauea on Oil by Ernst William Christmas, 1816-1818

The joys of a dead laptop in a foreign country! Sorry I've been away so long again, I returned from Italy and I'm now officially requesting submissions for geology in art (e.g. - paintings, poetry, literature, sculpture, buildings, etc). This possibilities are ENDLESS and I'm really excited to see what you've discovered over the years! I'm bummed that I missed out on Wedge #9 - Significant Geologic Events, although I'm wondering if in a group of this many scientists, did anyone ask how we were defining "significant?" Sorry, flashback to graduate school...

The deadline for submission is June 15 (even though it says June 8th on the Accretionary Wedge schedule) and my only request is that we try to dig up as much background as possible on the origin of the work and possible influences on the artist. Please add a link to your submission in the comments section or shoot me an email.

Let the mafic creativity flow!!!

I never thought I'd see the day...

2008-04-02T17:37:00.003-05:00

If only I could convince friends and family that hunting relict permafrost was so exciting and dangerous...

Geologic Dogma...

2008-03-29T15:30:00.011-05:00

Mikhail Lomonosov from here

You would think I wouldn't be surprised at myself, at my shock and awe, of having a seemingly "late-stage" epiphany regarding the dogmatic content and slanted perception of Western geology education... But yesterday I was slapped in the face with yet another example of how little is taught regarding the historical evolution of geology as a science (i.e. - most geology programs). I recently read somewhere (on another geology blog, I've searched for it but I can't find it), someone else pondering how Hutton, Lyell, Smith, and Wegner are mentioned, but not fully explored. We teach Historical Geology, where we might also mention Werner, Steno, Agassiz, Bretz, etc., but we don't teach a course devoted to the History of Geology. Granted, most programs are already strapped to cover the traditional disciplines - I mean, when I took mineralogy it was already optical and physical balled up into one course (I still feel gypped)... OH, and I had to learn about Dana in graduate school on my own? I digress.

My thoughts are driven by a few articles I read in Geo-Alp, a yearly journal published by the University of Innsbruck and the Natural History Museum of South Tyrol in Bozen, Italy. I wish I could read and speak German, however the journal publishes some articles in both English and German, much to my personal frustration (I chose the option of learning Visual Basic, some Action Script, and CSS instead of a foreign language). My first introduction to the idea that geology existed outside the confines of the traditional players occurred while I was a TA for Historical Geology and Stephen Rowland mentioned a name I'd never heard of: Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov. Huh? Wegner wasn't the only person toying with the idea of Continental Drift? Why hadn't anyone mentioned that before? And thus, my interest in the history of geology as a science began. So, as I started, I shouldn't have been surprised to read about Otto Ampferer (1875-1947) or Giovanni Arduino (1714-1795).

Herr Otto also contemplated the modern concepts of Continental Drift and Sea Floor Spreading while mapping the Northern Calcareous Alps. In addition to describing overthrusting and nappes, he envisions something he called aufsteigende Unterströmung - or rising currents that "break through the continental masses and drives them apart" (Krainer and Hauser, 2007). And he penned an article titled "Thoughts About the Geodynamics of the Atlantic Space" in 1941. So Otto was post-Wegner, but he described the possibility of a mechanism that we now generally credit to much later workers. I'd never heard of him... After rummaging around online, I found some references to more recent texts (Şengör, 2003 and Foulgar, 2005), and I have to admit I'm not likely to pick either of these up for pleasure reading.

I had at least heard of Arduino before because I purchased The Origins of Geology in Italy prior to leaving for the semester (still working my way through it). I hadn't read Vaccari's article though, so I hadn't seen Arduino's lithostratigraphic theory, which I'm assuming was influenced by Werner's Vonden äusserlichen Kennzeichen der Fossilien (On the External Characters of Fossils, or of Minerals) in 1774, who was influenced by Johann Gottlob Lehmann (1719-1767). Yet, when I visited the Kansas Geological Survey, they claim Arduino first proposed the idea of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. I wish I had a scanner so I could share a simplified version of Arduino's classificiation, but it's very similar to Werner's. Here's a complicated hard to read one from here:

So I guess the point in my rambling, the question I've been asking myself, is how many Lomonosov's and Ampferer's don't I (we?) know about because of the Western bias in our education system? Were there no Romanian, Chilean, Japanese, etc., geologists that pre-dated the "known suspsects?" I guess we know of lots of these folks, they are showing up in specialized textbooks and special bulletins, but I'm guessing most of us don't have the spare time to explore all the other areas we probably enjoyed as undergraduates, but didn't happen to specialize in (e.g. - I'm really intrigued by ophiolites but I'm probably not going to pick up a special paper on them!). To soothe my intellectual fumbling, I just ordered "Thinking about Earth: A History of Ideas in Geology" - but even 1996 feels outdated. Perhaps a sabbatical project?

Postscript: As I was looking around for information on Otto Ampferer, I stumbled across this image in Şengör,'s book:

There is a high-resolution version here. If you know where I can order a poster of this beautiful piece of artwork let me know. Thanks!

Aesthetic Geology....

2008-03-25T16:06:00.009-05:00

Frederick Edwin Church - The Natural Bridge, Virgina: 1852

I've been mentally developing (and actively collecting material) for a course I'd like to teach titled "Aesthetic Geology" modeled after a this wonderful book (although far to clunky to use as a textbook). I'm a fan of both the literary and graphic representation of geology in a variety of mediums - especially historical photography. Most geologists are familiar with the standard McPhee, Lopez, and Abbey possibilities, etc., but there are many other literary possibilities (e.g. - Muir, Voltaire, Perry, Cook, etc) a plethora of possible paintings to interpret (e.g. - Cole, Church, Durand, etc.) and numerous possibilities with respect to photography... So, when I stumbled across some interesting woodcuts from a Hungarian? mineralogy text and cross sections from a French mineralogy text, I wanted to share. Not only are they "attractive" but the geologic depictions are of course interesting... I'm always amazed at the detail and care taken in early scientific woodcuts/illustrations - in comparison to my geologic and petrologic sketches (regardless of how many hours I spent staring down a scope, my sketches were NEVER artistic!). Enjoy, and if you have a favorite poem or painting, let me know! Another possible Accretionary Wedge?

Accretionary Wedge: Geology in Film

2008-03-17T15:53:00.011-05:00

I relish the thought of being able to fully partake in this particular "wedge" but sadly I don't have all my notes from a course I've taught a few times titled 'Geology in Film.' It's just a 1-credit fun course that looks at the reality of science in Hollywood depictions of geology, geologists, and geologic events (I think this type of course is catching favor these day)... As we all know, the science is pathetic but the entertainment is fantastic!

So here are a few of my favorites per Tuff Cookie's request. Although I thoroughly enjoy the traditional classics (i.e. - Earthquake, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Volcano, Dante's Peak, etc), I'm drawn to the esoteric (or what I believe to be esoteric).

One of the best (I mean worst, I mean best...) films that offer a horrific view into the geology behind volcanic eruptions is "When Time Ran Out (1980)" - even though Paul Newman is in it and provides gloriously awkward dialog. Again, without my notes, what I remember best is a "lava level" diagram depicting subsurface magma levels, traditional Hollywood volcanic eruptions (i.e. - ridiculous explosions), and the view of LAVA (Jello?) from a poorly constructed wood bridge. You would think by the time Hollywood made Volcano/Dante's Peak they would have found someone to differentiate between felsic and mafic eruptions AND create a realistic volcanic eruption (OK, DP wasn't that bad)...

Another older favorite is "The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)" - a tragic story of nuclear weapons and orbital chaos... meaning a Cold War nuclear race between the US and USSSR causes Earth's orbit to shift hurtling us towards the sun. Not classical geology (maybe someone would even argue solely astronomy, but I've used it in class and watch it with glee nevertheless).

Some of my other favorites include At the Earth's Core (1976), Krakatao: East of Java (1969), and When Worlds Collide (1959). The eruption scene in Krakato is unbelievably long and fabulously innacurate! When Worlds Collide (similar to The Day the Earth Caught Fire) is riddled with Cold War references of course appalling geology. I strongly recommend watching them just for the sheer thrill of poor cinematography, dialog, plot, and of course even worse scientific accuracy... I apologize for not being to pull out "all the stops" on this one, but I think I'll repost once I get back to the US and add in my observations. I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone has any new ones I can add to my collection...

My Collection in no particular order:

All of the above, Meteor, Armageddon, Earthquake, Tremors, A View to A Kill, 10.5, Magma: Volcanic Disaster, Twister, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Deep Impact, Asteroid, One Million BC, The Lost Volcano, The Big One, Earthquake in NY, Killer Flood: The Day the Dam Broke, and probably a few more I can't remember right now... It grows each time they put out another bit of ridiculousness...

Brunnenburg Semester Program

2008-03-06T13:29:00.010-05:00

Its been too long, I know that because I just looked at the last post I made last fall AND I received a nice reminder from Ron... Good to know that someone out there actually reads this stuff! I took a "break" as I was preparing for a semester abroad teaching at Brunnenburg Castle in the South Tirol of northern Italy. The castle overlooks the city of Meran near the village of Tirol (a.k.a. - Dorf Tirol).

View Larger Map

It is an amazing intersection of German/Italian and mountain/valley cultures framed by some incredibly geology and influenced by a remarkable history. As I was preparing for a discussion on the regional geology, I realized just HOW intimately linked this region is in the development of the science of geology and the geologic time scale... The Jura Mountains lie to the northwest, and although the link to the Jurassic Period is clear, the evolution of Agassiz's hypotheses regarding continental scale glaciation also blossomed in these mountains! I was lucky enough to find a reprint of his 1840 "Études sur les glaciers, Neuchâtel" - complete with woodcuts and transparent sketches- on Ebay a few years ago. For a really nice interdisciplinary analysis of the quest to understand "ice" - I recommend The Ice Finders, in which Bolles weaves the lives of Agassiz, Kane (one of my favorite explorers), and Lyell into a fascinating story!

Sections from the Jesse Earl Hydge Collection

Lithograph from Etudes sur les glaciers, 1840

Similarly, we are close to a number of localities (e.g. - Tuscany, Florence, Appenine Mountains, etc) visited by Nicholas Steno (1669) - (including many Wunderkammer - or cabinets of wonder or curiosity). One of the most famous is Ole Worm's Wunderkammer depicted below. Most importantly, this is the region that helped shaped his thoughts on superposition/stratigraphy and dogma surrounding the age of the Earth (also where he wrote the Prodromus).

Ole Worm's Wunderkammer.
For an excellent discussion of the relationship between Steno and the Wunderkammer I recommend Rosenburg's 2006 article in Geology.

Brunnenburg also isn't "too far" from Frieberg, Germany where Abraham Gottlob Werner (1787) was trained, taught, developed his concept of Neptunism, that is rocks crystallizing out of early oceans, and his classification scheme for rocks (Primitive, Secondary, Transition, Tertiary, and Volcanic) - which our modern geology time scale still borrows from (e.g. - Tertiary/Quaternary).

Comparison of Hutton and Werner - from here

And one can't live in Italy without thinking of Gubbio... Made famous (geologically) by Alvarez et al. 1980 after publishing: "Extraterrestrial Cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction" after finding high concentrations of Iridium. This was groundbreaking work given the general acceptance of Uniformitarianism and difficulty Gene Shoemaker had in convincing the scientific community that catastrophic impacts played an important role within this accepted philosophy. Almost any 101 geology student can identify the K-T boundary as the point where dinosaurs exist and then cease to exist, but being able to touch that boundary (littered with extraterrestrial material) would be truly amazing... (Hint, hint... hoping to visit).

Field photo in Gubbio from here

There are obviously more geologic links to this region and I'll be posting more frequently now, updating with photos and trip descriptions... Look for an upcoming post on Erdpyramiden, and Mt Etna! Until then, here's a view looking northeast from Tirol towards the Passeital Mountains through a vineyard (the proper way to admire mountains here).

Scientific Method?

2007-11-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

I followed Chris's link to the Blog Readability Test and found that I too had somehow (good lord, read my posts, how is this possible), achieved genius status... and I thought, clearly the algorithm is faulty!

So I decided to test the algorithm through a series of rigorous and scientifically sound methods (e.g. - copy and paste). So here are the results:

1. MoronLife : Elementary School

I wanted to see if I could force the issue so this was not a random choice. It didn't fail to fulfill my expectations.

2. CashAdvance1500: Junior High School

I'm not sure if anyone else saw the extra code added to the blog readability results, but I thought I would test the site they are promoting...

3. Republican National Committee: College (Undergrad)

Then I thought, why not compare similar organizations that everyone is familiar with... I'm not making a political statement, just presenting the hard cold "data" that I collected during my strenuous testing efforts.

4. The Democratic Party: Genius

Maybe that's why they struggled to regain control, the Democrats are speaking over all our heads, and we really don't understand what they're saying?

5. The National Academy of Science: Genius

Well, this was good news...

6. NASA: High School

Not sure if it's good news or not? Does that mean I can be an astronaut?

7. National Public Radio: High School

I think this IS good, they're reaching all their viewers, not just those elite, liberal, lefty, hippies. Wait a a second....

8. C-Span: Unable to check URL

WOW, even computer algorithms are bored by C-Span...

9. FOXNews: High School

I'm seeing a trend in our news that I actually like, presenting information that everyone can access. Kudos for us!

10. BBC: Elementary School
11. CBC: Genius

I wouldn't have guess that, I assumed we would see genius for both of those sources... I have yet to crack the code...

12. Drudge Report: Elementary School

There's good news...

13. Michael Moore: Elementary School

Propaganda does have to be accessible to the masses...

14. Ann Coulter: Genius

Just what she needs, something more to swell her ego!

15. Rosie O'Donnell: High School

I just thought, with all the hoopla she's been garnering over the last few months, maybe she was saying something important...

16. Rush Limbaugh: High School

I think he needs lessons from Michael Moore

17. Apple: College (Undergrad)
18. Microsoft: College (Undergrad)

Didn't Steve Jobs drop out of college, like 6 times? I'm pretty sure Bill didn't graduate... Just ironic, I'm not passing judgment.

19. Yahoo: Junior High School
20. AOL: Junior High School
21. Google: Genius

I'm sure everyone has been to Google... so you KNOW how sparse it is! This one blew my mind, especially since Yahoo and AOL (cluttered, cluttered, cluttered) fall in the Jr. High ranking... I'm confused.

22. Wikipedia: Genius

I guess this is good since this is where everyone turns to for all their information, at least we have the perception that it's a reliable online "genius."

23. NFL.com: Elementary School
24. NHL.com: Elementary School
25. NBA.com: High School
26. USSoccer.com: High School
27. Tennis.com: Junior High School
28. PGA.com: Junior High School

Again, I'm not passing judgment, I LOVE sports. But an interesting trend nevertheless.

Finally, I wanted to see how our geologic societies measure up (for the geologists in the crowd):

1. Geological Society of America: Genius
2. American Geophysical Union: College (undergrad)
3. United States Geological Survey: Genius
4. American Petroleum Institute: College (undergrad)
5. The Geological Society: Genius
6. American Association of Petroleum Geologists: Genius
7. American Institute of Professional Geologists: Genius
8. The American Geological Institute: College (post grad)
9. The Paleontological Society: College (post grad)
10. British Society for Geomorphology: Genius

I'm sure some of your favorite links or societies you're a member are missing... sorry. Looks like we're doing a good job of talking to ourselves though, I guess that's why they exist, professional development, sharing of science, etc., etc. But I agree with Chris, NO ONE else is probably visiting or enjoying those sites. :) However, I'm not as distraught as Chris that my blog was ranked in the genius category, not until they explain how this algorithm works, until then it will just be utter rubbish! I mean the algorithm, not my blog... I think.

Paleontological B.F.F

2007-11-07T18:36:00.001-05:00

I'm currently working on a suite of bumper stickers, mugs, t-shirts, etc., displaying my warped (plastically deformed) sense of geologic humor... I won't be ready to go 'public' for awhile, but I thought I'd post a preview of the fun to come. If you've taken Historical Geology, Sed/Strat, or Paleontology, you've probably heard of Cope and Marsh (if not, Romer (1964) provides a great summary of their relationship). Or you can pick up Bonehunters Revenge, also a fun read. Enjoy!

Yardangs... Of The Mega Persuasion

2007-11-07T17:41:00.001-05:00

I really love landforms and the fact that both similar and varied processes can create a suite of similar landforms (e.g. - diamictons represent a wonderful challenge). I just finished reading Goudie, A.S., 2007, Mega-Yardangs: A Global Analsysis. I couldn't find an online PDF version and I'm pretty sure if I post the PDF I can go to Yardang jail... or I might get a nasty email. Regardless of my law abiding behavior, the article provided some wonderful literary enjoyment (not something typical in a peer-reviewed science journal). I'll probably get harassed for that comment.

Goudie essentially provides a global perspective on the distribution, morhphology, and historical documentation of yardangs. I have a particular interest in understanding where our geologic jargon is derived and his explanation of the origin is that yar- is a Turkestani word that translates to ridge or steep bank, without explaining the -dang. DANG. However, I found a very interesting discussion of this word (believe it or not, people other than geologists find this word intriguing enough to research its origins too). The interpretation on that site suggests -dang (or dan) translates to "fall from a steep cliff" and that the original spelling was jardang. Goudie also provides an Iranian? term to describe these regionally extensive ridge and swale landforms - kaluts and two additional French terms - crêtes and couloirs (Fr. = to slide or flow, to strain). That isn't how I use the word couloir... No wonder our students get frustrated with yargon (I mean jargon).

Goudie also provides some wonderful excerpts from Hedin (1903). I'll only quote part of his quote - "They assumed the shapes of lions in ambush, recumbent dragons, inscrutable sphinxes and sleeping dogs." and Bagnold (1939) described yardangs in Egypt as "mud lions." Although I recognize the importance of well-established terminology and descriptive sciences, you have to admit it would incredible fun to write a peer-reviewed journal article that included prose like that! I may have to add a dragon yardang to my list of potential cartoons.

I'll leave you with a nice historical photo of a possible yardang in China, you should know by now how much I like these kind of photos.

EDIT: Thanks to Chris for posting a working link to a full version of Goudie's article.

Geologic Humor...

2007-10-31T16:05:00.001-05:00

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?

2007-10-31T15:47:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-10-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-10-22T19:29:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-19T23:55:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-10-19T11:50:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-10-17T20:11:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-10-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-10-15T09:05:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-10-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-10-10T16:22:00.001-05:00

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. :)