Ripples in Sand

Defense! Woot! Woot!

2011-02-28T16:03:00.002-07:00

Well, I successfully defended my thesis. I would say posting will resume soon - but it won't because I am traveling for the next 6 weeks! Woohoo! I am going to Peru for 2 weeks, Japan for 2 weeks, and then China for 2 weeks. All for pleasure. Then I start working in May. I hope to resume sporadic blog posts then, at the very least, to blog about some of my trip! Have a great couple months everyone! -Melody

A Framework for Science Education

2010-07-16T15:51:00.005-06:00

Came across this draft of "A Framework for Science Education" from The National Academies. I'm still skimming through it on my work breaks, but so far - good stuff! I've always thought our K-12 education system needed some revamping, with more focus on critical thinking skills. So far these recomendations are in line with changes I would like to see made. I'll post an update if I come across something I disagree with and any comments I have for their earth science topic recommendations.
Web page:
Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards

Document:
A Framework for Science Education

They also have a brief survey to take if you are interested in providing feedback.

Oil Spill Cleanup Link

2010-04-29T21:22:00.008-06:00

In searching for an unbiased article on whether burning ocean oil spills is the best solution, I came across this article discussing their cleanup. It does a decent job of discussing burning & some alternatives. I don't think they do a very good job discussing the benefits and problems with bioremediation based on my knowledge of land based bioremediation. But, they do cover nutrient limited reactions an important problem in many bioremediation strategies.

It's from an interesting source as well - The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited. Besides oil spill cleanup consultation it looks like they also compile data on all oceanic oil spills. I like seeing diagrams like this - oil spills decreasing over time!

Quantities of oil spilt over 7 tonnes between 1970 - 2009

I am still on a quest for a good article discussing the pros and cons of burning oils spills and the alternatives. Anyone have a better article?

Couple of links

2010-04-26T10:28:00.003-06:00

Just a couple of links I found interesting...

An FAQ about oil spills:

http://www.livescience.com/environment/oil-spill-faq-100423.html

Lightening/Charging in Sandstorms - too big or too little won't charge:

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/sandstorm-lightning-100413.html

The Nature Physics article is behind a paywall, but here's the link for those of you with access

http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/nphys1631.pdf

And if you aren't looking at all the Eyjafjallajokull shenanigans going on, what have you been doing?

http://daveslandslideblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/extraordinary-video-of-jokulhlaup-in.html

http://outsidetheinterzone.blogspot.com/2010/04/jaw-dropping-volcano-video-of-day.html

http://outsidetheinterzone.blogspot.com/2010/04/surprise-extra-sunday-funnies.html

I could just keep posting links... You get the idea.

Update - I forgot one. AGI's Geoscience Currents:

I am familiar with many parts of AGI's web site, but this was new to me. AGI's Geoscience Currents are webinars, links, and discussions on "quick snapshots of data released by AGI on the status of the geoscience workforce." Check it out.

http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/currents.html

Geologic Heroes: Avalanche Forecasters!

2010-04-16T14:10:00.005-06:00

I recently changed decided to change the topic of this post after reading that there was another snow avalanche fatality in MT this week. I’d like to thank my local geologic hero – the Avalanche Forecaster.

During ski season I rely heavily on the experience and field reports that our local Avalanche Center puts out. They describe the locations they visit, the past, present, and future weather, current snow conditions, the stability of the snowpack as they and others have observed, and the presence of natural and human triggered avalanches. Not only do their reports give me a head up on good (or bad!) skiing over the years it has given me a healthy respect for avalanches & backcountry skiing (or snowmobiling).

I know how to evaluate the snow pack and slope stability from taking classes and working with snow scientists in our department. But the Avalanche Forecasters tireless work paves the way for me to pre-plan what angle slopes I MIGHT be able to ski, what aspects I MIGHT be able to ski, and what days I should just stay home! Without their evaluation of the snowpack on a day to day basis, I would be less prepared for what slopes were wind-loaded the week(s) before and what layers I should be expecting in the snowpack.

I don’t mean to make their work seem like they just make my life easier and improve my success at getting to ski the backcountry. They do. But, they do so much more. They have helped me to understand the human factor in all of this. I may have worked my butt off to get someplace to ski, but if I see the signs of instability, it means I should go home or ski on lower angled slopes. We all feel the drive to ski bigger and better slopes, but because of their daily reports I have learned there is a time and place for everything.

This year our snow pack has been particularly unstable, with twice the number of avalanche occurrences as last year. We have had some close calls here in MT and unfortunately a few losses as well. These forecasters work tirelessly to educate the public on what the snow pack is like in our area, how to evaluate the snowpack on slopes you are considering skiing, and when you should suppress your desires to ski that sweet, sweet line and retreat to safer terrain; leaving that line for another day in safer conditions.

I have provided a sampling of some of their work in the links below. This 10 minute YouTube video provides a brief intro into avalanche safety and the job that they have to do – trying to mitigate the human factor. This was of particular concern when a ski resort opened it’s boundaries for easy backcountry access (a National Forest Service policy).

Stay Alive! From the Avalanche Guys

This other video describes a huge avalanche on some very popular terrain that slid – fortunately without incident. But, if it had happened minutes earlier or later there would have been fatal consequences. This town hall meeting tries to show the public the danger they were in and the rescue work that goes into such an event. They try to get you to reconsider skiing that terrain in such conditions. Maybe you were willing to accept the risk. They are ok with that. They are just trying to educate the public about the risk they were putting (and continue to put) themselves in. Worth a look and a listen if you have the time.

Saddle Peak Avalanche Q & A Part 1 (10 minutes)

Saddle Peak Avalanche Q & A Part 2 (66 minutes)

For more information on Avalanche Forecasting see http://www.avalanche.org/ and my local forecasters: http://www.mtavalanche.com/ including their YouTube video archives.

Writing recommendations... Advice?

2010-03-02T14:16:00.004-07:00

It looks like some of us may be getting together to write a recommendation for the AWG Outstanding Teacher Award. Many of us have not written recommendations before and I was wondering if the geoblogosphere had some advice. Namely some examples or PDF's on how to write a GREAT recommendation. This colleague is well deserving of the award and we want to give her the best possible chance of winning. I'll do some digging myself and post what I find. I have an article on the subtleties of language chosen to describe someone that make a big difference on how someone perceives the recommendation.

Also, if anyone has submitted a recommendation for a similar prestigious award, what was your experience with the process?

JournalFire - An Online Journal Club?

2010-03-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

While at school I started a geology journal club where we would get together once a week and discuss a short article. This is good practice for communicating an argument and defending that position. The one thing I learned early, is that you should pick a controversial paper to discuss - so you HAVE something to discuss. It's a really boring meeting when everyone sits around saying "yeah, good article" or "I agree with everything." Even with beer involved it's hard to generate discussion from a really good paper.

I bring up Journal Clubs because I came across a link to this product JournalFire. It is an online forum for posting what you are reading, what you think of it, and provides an opportunity for others to comment back and forth. An online journal club. I would still prefer the personal interaction that comes from a journal club meeting, but for those long distance colleagues that want to have that same sort of communication this looks like a great resource. Has anyone used this?

Not fallen off the face of the Earth...

2010-03-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

I have not fallen off the face of the Earth, but my motivation to blog has not been pushed for a while now. I have always known that I enjoy reading a whole lot more than writing, so I am not surprised at my lack of posting. I started this blog so that I could participate in an interesting and growing community. (I also wanted to communicate science to the public - see later paragraph) Upon seeing how Callan Bentley reflected on his own blogging, it got me thinking again about mine.

In my quiescence I have been following the geoblogosphere, I just haven't been contributing more than the occasional comment on a post. But, I think that geoblogging is a worthwhile endeavor for me. It is great practice for improving my writing skills, developing a broader peer network, and passing on information I think others may find interesting.

I have realized that my blog really isn't about communicating much science to the public, even though I thoroughly enjoy such interactions. Instead, I think I will leave such communication to the volunteer activities I do (lectures, after-school programs, activities/demonstrations). I enjoy communicating science much more when I directly interact with people than just trying to write a summary. (And I hope my participants enjoy it more as well!)

My blog has been more of an outlet to share things I find interesting to my peers. I have made very few posts on critiques of peer-reviewed papers or summarizing topics for the general audience. It takes me a long time to compose a written post on what I think about an article. I have no problem discussing the merits or lack thereof of articles amongst peers, but to write something about another person's work, to put permanence to such criticism by posting it, and to write it in a politically correct manner does not come easily to me. The posts I have tried to put together on topics I am thoroughly familiar with (ex. ripples, dunes, etc.) also take me a long time to write and in some cases have been done more eloquently by others. If not more eloquently, they can at least get the same information from other web pages (ex. wikipedia) on a much more recognized web resource. It just seems like a waste of time to reinvent the wheel.

I consider myself to be on the lazy end of the blogger scale. Short sweet posts highlighting things I find interesting or that I think others may find useful. And I think I will stick with that format. I hope to resume a more regular blogging schedule (in between more point counting - eyes go cross-eyed), but if you don't hear from me, know that I am reading post and enjoying my small part of the geoblogosphere.

Auditory Pleasure - Les Mis

2009-04-16T00:13:00.000-06:00

Well, if you haven't seen the video of Susan Boyle singing, give it a listen. (Embedding disabled) I love Les Miserables and her voice singing "I dreamed a dream" is absolutely beautiful. Inspirational for me. Carrying on with writing and studying now... Postings will resume in May.

Ted Talk...

2009-03-16T16:25:00.000-06:00

Callan's post on the TED talks reminded me that I wanted to post a TED talk I thought was very interesting. Despite living in the Rocky Mnt Region, I do on occassion scuba dive. I only have my open water certification, but I was enthralled with the development of this new technology to go deeper with minimal risk of oxygen/nitrogen toxicity.
Now, the development of this new technology opened up a whole new level of the ocean for exploration. Go check out Richard Pile's TED talk. Well worth the 17 minutes.

10 Things every geology major should know...

2009-03-16T03:52:00.000-06:00

Callan at NOVA Geoblog has started a new meme. “What are ten things that every geology major ought to know about? The only restriction is you're not allowed to list anything that has already been listed by a previous geoblogger. You don't have to list everything, just ten important things.”

Mel’s Ten Things a Geology Major Should Know
1. Evolution.
2. Evidence for plate tectonics.
3. That fossils (and trace fossils) can provide more information about the rocks they reside in - depositional environment, chronology and correlation, water temperature, stratigraphic up, relative rate of deposition, water depth, etc.
4. And vice versa, the rocks can tell you a lot about the fossils that are contained within them - geography, taphonomy, chronology and correlation, etc.
5. The relationship between sediment production --> sediment transport --> sediment deposition.
6. How to identify minerals.
7. Differentiation and fractionation and how they apply to the planet, the solar system, and isotopes.
8. How aquifers work (or don’t work if we drain them too quickly).
9. Where our energy supply comes from. All facets from petroleum products, to solar radiation, to conductive metals extraction, etc. (These are also useful for seeking gainful employment as a geologist.)
10. Pedogenesis. How it takes thousands of years of chemical reactions and transport to generate the soils we use for agriculture. (And how we should be taking better care of them.)

I know, seds and paleo heavy. I am expecting the rest of the geoblogosphere will round things out a bit… I can definitely see where my paleo and chemistry backgrounds have influenced this list. And towards the end, I got a little soap-boxy. Everyone should know these last couple, not just geologists. But, I don’t think we can limit the list to just 10. If we were, then it should be composed of things like “critical thinking” and “the scientific method” and all encompassing subjects like “plate tectonics.” If it were really only limited to 10, we should be thinking about goals as per Kim and SERC tutorial. I did find a good "subjects to know in geology" study guide here, but it's a wee bit longer than 10. So, what is on your list?

Callan Bentley’s Ten Things a Geology Major Should Know
1. The relationship between cooling rate and crystal size in igneous rocks.
2. The fact that rocks can flow, given sufficient temperature and pressure [and low strain rate, for the purists out there].
3. The idea that sedimentary rocks reflect specific depositional settings. By studying modern depositional settings and the sediments they contain, we can interpret ancient sedimentary rocks in light of the conditions under which they accumulated.
4. The fact that the chemical stability of molecular configurations (minerals) changes with different temperatures and pressures (metamorphism).
5. Large Igneous Provinces, and their potential role in tectonics and expressing mantle plumes.
6. Elastic rebound theory for the origin of earthquakes.
7. The notion of partial melting, and its relationship to Bowen's Reaction Series.
8. An understanding of the carbon cycle, and an understanding of the atmospheric physics that facilitate global warming.
9. The role that rivers play in shaping the landscape: nickpoints, terraces, quarrying, abrasion, drilling of potholes, etc.
10. The Earth is 4.6 billion years old, which is extremely old in comparison to human life -- and the reasons we think it's so old [Pb isotopes, etc.].

The generation of giant dunes explained

2009-03-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ever climbed up a 200+ ft dune (I know some of you have from your memes ...) and wondered how it formed?
Well, a new paper in Nature explains the controls on giant dune size. Andreotti et al. (2009) use a combination of field measurements and aerodynamic calculations to provide evidence that giant dunes are built of smaller dunes and their terminal height is controlled by an atmospheric boundary layer.
They show that large dunes grow by the amalgamation of superimposed dunes. Dune growth stops (assuming it's not the result of climatic change) by interaction with an inversion layer. Once the dune has grown large enough, it begins interacting with the inversion layer which confines airflow to move around the dunes rather than over them. The height of this inversion layer correlates to the variation in annual temperature. The greater the variation in annual temperature the higher the altitude of the inversion layer and the taller the giant dunes can grow. Continental dunes with larger annual temperature changes grow larger than coastal dunes which have smaller annual temperature changes moderated by their proximity to the ocean.

There is also a short piece on Ralph Bagnold and his seminal book "Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes." And in case you missed it in the Carnival of the Arid #1, Through the Sandglass' Michael Welland describes the fascinating life of Ralph Bagnold.

Cool stuff!

Bozeman Building Explosion and Fire

2009-03-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for your concern. If you haven't heard, a natural gas explosion and fire occured in downtown Bozeman this morning. Initially, no one was reported missing or injured because most if the downtown businesses were closed. However, the local officials are now reporting up to five people missing (one is officially missing, 5 are unaccounted for as of yet). For more information, our local paper is making regular updates. I'd like to extend my deepest symapthies to all the people and businesses affected by this tragedy and I appreciate the hard work of the firefighters and emergency personel.

Update: One person is officially missing and was reported to be in the building at the time. For anyone needing aid Red Cross has set up a relocation center at Grace Bible Church at 19th Street or people can call 1-800-ARC-MONT for more information.

Snow and Ice Job Postings

2009-02-27T14:23:00.001-07:00

A friend passed this list along to me and I thought others might like to know what snow and ice research positions are available. Good luck for anyone applying.

Accretionary Wedge - Where would I go... the desert of course!

2009-02-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

For the Accretionary Wedge Carnival, we were challenged to make a list of what we felt were the top 100 places to visit for geologists. Well, I’m going to deviate from that a bit. Instead of recommending exact places to visit, as geologists, I think we should be listing features to visit and possible locations where those features can be observed. The point of seeing an example (or several examples) of a feature is to broaden our perspective and make us better geologists.

My contribution to the Carnival this month is to list the deserts of the world and those I have visited. Any one of which would be a fantastic addition to the 100 places to visit. Now, we could get bogged down in terminology defining what is or is not a desert (I have my opinion <200 mm of rainfall/yr, others have theirs), but I prefer to keep it more general.

Why deserts? Well, it may be a little selfish because I study deserts, but it is also a cool place to see some neat geology (and ecology).

Here are the world deserts alphabetical by continent. Extra details can be found at Principal Deserts of the World. (They have a nice table, but didn't want to infringe on any copyright)

Africa:
Kalahari - Any chance to visit sub-Saharan Africa should include a visit here.
Namib - My favorite desert. This region has been a desert for almost 70 million years. It also contains some of the tallest dunes and hosts diamond mines along the southern coast. I have heard they used to find the diamonds by their reflection in the moonlight. And did anyone else notice the desert scenes in "The Cell" are the Namib desert? Others may have "Shawshank Redemption," I have "The Cell."
Sahara – actually composed of multiple ergs (sand seas). In searching for Where on GoogleEarth challenges, I have often wandered over to Libya. I think Libya has some of the coolest aerial exposures of geology on the planet. Check it out some time or argue for a better location.

Antarctic - In case you didn't already know, this counts as a polar desert.

Arctic - Polar desert.

Eurasia:
Arabian
Thar
Kara-Kum - I haven't studied this desert much and it looks like it's wiki page could use some work. If only there were more hours in a day.
Kyzyl-Kum
Iranian
Taklamakan
Gobi – Actaully, not very sandy. But I would love to visit especially after seeing the Mongolian culture in "Long Way Round."

Australia:
Gibson
Great Sandy
Great Victoria
Simpson and Sturt Stony

North America:
Mojave - The only North American desert I have not visited. Bummer, I know.
Sonoran - The Sonoroan Desert is absolutely beautiful and has some of the greatest ecological diversity I have ever seen in a desert.
Chihuahuan - I've driven through much of the Chihuahuan Desert, but never made it into Mexico.
Great Basin - Been through here too, but have not made it to Great Basin National Park.
Colorado Plateau - Yeah, doing field work in this region isn't too shabby.

South America:
Atacama
Patagonian - "I'm being followed by a rain shadow, rain shadow-rain shadow..."

Specifically, I think everyone should visit a desert with active dunes. Dune fields are excellent places to think about and witness how fluid moves particles. Unless you are watching flume experiments or underwater cameras, it can be difficult to see how water moves particles around. (Smaller particles, there is plenty of video showing debris flows pushing boulders around.) In the desert landscape you can also see how changing wind directions and speeds influence the topography on many scales. If you are so inclined, running along the dune face may produce avalanche deposits and sometimes they sing!

Currently, Nick Lancaster is working on compiling an atlas of Quaternary dune fields. There are hundreds of dune fields (especially if you start counting coastal dune fields) so I will just list out the dune fields I have visited.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area - My first dune field visit. Often windy and when the wind really gets whipping, the ankle biting gets intense.
Bruneau Dunes State Park – two really massive dunes that have converged leaving a circular sand free void in the center. Climbing down into the sand free zone is really cool and a little eerie. The GoogleEarth image (I have the kmz but have forgotten how to post it) has very nice resolution, but it doesn’t portray the creepiness factor. The circular floor is a different color (pink gravel), completely calm and quiet except for the occasional grain avalanching of the walls, and often contains a few small carcasses and insects. I don’t spook easily, but this is easily one of the weirdest places I have been.
St. Anthony Sand Dunes - Really beautiful in the winter with eolian snow and sand features mixing. Too bad there is a lot of ORV traffic, especially if they post a wilderness study area sign, grrr.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes Very few camping spots. Try hitting up the undeveloped campsite if it’s full. The pink color is not the only cool part about these dunes.
White Sands National Park What can I say, beautiful and pristine white gypsum sand dunes as far as the eye can see. I’ll post some photos below.

And no, I still have not made it to Great Sand Dunes National Park. It's next on my list!

Heavily bioturbated dune at White Sands National Monument

Interdune

Microbes living in the moist sediment below the interdune surface.

Surfs up!

Landslide Laboratory Video

2009-02-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

While working on a post for the Accretionary Wedge and Carnival of the Arid, I came across this video. It is a 5 minute piece on a landslide laboratory in Oregon.
In the video Mark Reid, Dick Iverson, and Rick Lahusen describe their experiements. I thought is was pretty neat so am passing it along. Enjoy.
It looks like the USGS Landslide Hazards Program runs this outdoor laboratory. A summary of their research and publications are located here.

Picture Travelog - Uncompaghre Uplift

2009-02-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

The post at Arizona Geology about uranium mine tailings cleanup reminded me of a trip I took down to southern Utah. On my traverse around the region (looking at the top of the Navajo Sandstone) I drove through the Uncompaghre Uplift in Colorado (Moab, UT Rt 191 along the Las Salle Mnts to Rt 46 to Paradox, CO to Rt 141 to Grand Junction, CO).
The small little valley in this steep walled canyon was so beautiful that my first thoughts were "I could retire here." Now, I'm a little young to be thinking about retirement, but it struck a cord in me.

What reminded me about this trip was the mention of the nearby Uranium mine. I witnessed the operations from the roadway for a bit before continuing onwards. Unfortunately, I did not grab any pictures. Along the way, I also stopped at a geologic/historic stop and I am glad I did. There I saw this display and evidence for a hanging flume from placer gold mining.

The display reads:
"In need of water to work its Dolores Canyon gold claims, the Montrose Placer Mining Company built a thirteen-mile canal and flume to deliver water from the San Miguel River. The last five miles of the flume clung to the wall of the canyon itself, running along the cliff face below you."

(See it along the wall?)

"Constructed between 1888 and 1891, the four-foot-deep, five-foot-four-inch-wide "hanging flume" carried 23,640,000 gallons of water in a twenty four hour period. Its construction dazzled mining pros with its sheer ingenuity. The placer claim, unfortunately, dazzled no one; after three years of indifferent yields the company folded, abandoning the flume to the ravages of weather and time. Now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this engineering marvel symbolizes the twists of fate so often encountered in the pursuit of Rocky Mountain gold."

Display Picture Captions:
"What is left of this section of the flume can be seen today from the River Road.-Jerald Reid Collection from Main Street Photo"

"This work will show how easy it is, when backed up by enterprising capital, to bring water from and to points which were always thought to be inaccessible. -Engineering and Mining Journal, Jan 1890"

"Hydraulic mining operation similar to that used by the Montrose Placer Mining Company. This method separated flake and flour gold from the dirt and gravel running across the sluice boxes. -Colorado Historical Society"

Even though I was there to ogle the sandstones, I was pretty impressed with the construction feat. All the rappelling that would have been done to build this for five miles... They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Looking through my pictures for this trip, I've got a lot of pretty good ones. I'll try and post them as blog posts. Perhaps I can trigger some memory recall for others. If it's anything like the fondness I have for this trip, then as Martha Stewart says "It's a good thing."

Super Cool! - Paper water bottles

2009-02-17T14:57:00.001-07:00

I just saw this on one of the cooking blogs I frequent. Paper water bottles. Recyclable and made from sustainable materials. Not only is it a water bottle but, it can be conveniently sold as tear apart six packs and cases with minimal outer packaging.
I was a little concerned that their utility might be lost since they are not resealable, but they do have a sanitary top (not sure if it's leakproof) for the bottle and they have thought about how to reduce litter while maintaining necessary sanitation.
At first, I was hoping this would replace all the soda cans manufactured, but I doubt this paper product can withstand carbonated water pressures. But, I would love to get all the milk I drink (2 gallons a week) in paper bottles. Individual juice boxes, bottled water (if you must buy the stuff), and it could even replace yogurt and sour cream containers. Too cool. Companies, you have a waiting consumer.

WoGE revived and Name that Landslide created

2009-01-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to see Where on GoogleEarth (WoGE) has been revived. I like playing, I just don't always have the time. Well, Ron Schott has won it after it's 3 month lull. Keep an eye out at Ron Schott’s Geology Home Companion Blog for WoGE #156.

Also introduced today Name that Landslide on Dave's Landslide Blog. It has already been "won" but I look forward to more posts.
Have a good weekend everyone!

Journal RSS Feeds...

2009-01-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Chris over at Highly Allochthonous was asking what journals have RSS feeds. I just recently updated my Geoscience Journal Blogroll in GoogleReader (but not on the blog). I don't have a lot of time to make them hyperlinks, but hopefully you will find them helpful.
PS I haven't "cleaned out" the list yet. I usually subscribe to a blog for a couple months, see if I really like reading it and then keep it if I do like it. And geoblogosphere, have no fear, none of YOU have been deleted. You are all just too interesting! But anyway, back to my point. I may not stay subscibed to all these journals. Many of them are still in my trial run period.

Basin Research
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118541711
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=un&jc=bre&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Biogeosciences
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/04_rss.xml

Earth and Planetary Science Letters
http://rss.sciencedirect.com/getMessage?registrationId=GEBDGFBDHKBEOECFIEBKGJDDHIBIKIGEPWDLJKFEJB

Earth Surface
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/jf_rss.xml

Facies
http://www.springerlink.com/content/110833/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Geoarchaeology
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/36011

Geobiology
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118516664
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=0&mi=mkk5t&ai=1o1&jc=gbi&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/gc_rss.xml

Geofluids
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118498826

Geological Journal
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/1903

Geology
http://geology.gsapubs.org/rss/current.xml
(old feed http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-toc-rss&issn=0091-7613)

Geology Today
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118533000
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=u0&jc=gto&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/gl_rss.xml

GeoScience e-Journals
http://www.univ-brest.fr/geosciences/e-journals/geosciences.xml

Geosphere
http://geosphere.gsapubs.org/rss/current.xml
(old feed http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-toc-rss&issn=1553-040X)

Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118529494
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=7q0f4&jc=ggr&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Ground Water
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118538742
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=ifs&jc=gwat&type=etoc&feed=rss)

GSA Bulletin Current Issue
http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/rss/current.xml
(old feed http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-toc-rss&issn=0016-7606)

GSA Today
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-toc-rss&issn=1052-5173
!But keep an eye out, this one will be changing to gsapubs soon!

Hydrogeology Journal
http://www.springerlink.com/content/102028/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

International Journal of Earth Sciences
http://www.springerlink.com/content/103695/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Journal of Earth System Science
http://www.springerlink.com/content/120420/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Journal of Geophysical Research, Solid Earth
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/jb_rss.xml

Journal of Petroleum Geology
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/117977017
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=osc&jc=jpg&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Journal of Petrology
http://petrology.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

Landslides
http://www.springerlink.com/content/110832/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Mathematical Geosciences (was Mathematical Geology)
http://www.springerlink.com/content/121014/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Moscow University Geology Bulletin
http://www.springerlink.com/content/120678/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Natural Hazards
http://www.springerlink.com/content/102967/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Nature
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue/rss/

Nature Geoscience
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/current_issue/rss/

Palaeontology
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118531917
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=2gc&jc=pala&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Paleoceanography
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/pa_rss.xml

Physical Properties of Rocks
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/51_rss.xml

Science
http://www.sciencemag.org/rss/current.xml

Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences
http://www.springerlink.com/content/119800/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

ScienceDirect Earth Sciences
http://rss.sciencedirect.com/getMessage?registrationId=FDIBFEIBGJICNDJCHDIIFIJHGIJKGIJKIVKJIILJGK

Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum Geology
http://basintectonics.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Sedimentary Geology
http://rss.sciencedirect.com/getMessage?registrationId=IGDAIHDAJMDBQGEBKGDHILEJIPFHJKFJNYFILOJDIE

Sedimentology
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/rss/journal/118503415
(old feed http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFeed?ui=iqwmn&mi=c5q79&ai=sv&jc=sed&type=etoc&feed=rss)

Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation
http://www.springerlink.com/content/119901/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Swiss Journal of Geosciences
http://www.springerlink.com/content/120520/?sortorder=asc&export=rss

Tectonics
http://www.agu.org/pubs/rss/tc_rss.xml

Wiley: All New Geography & Earth Science Titles
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/feed/RSS_WILEY2_GEOSCIENCE.xml

And now I have added a couple of the topical RSS feeds from ScienceDirect that Chris at Highly Allochthonous listed. Thanks Chris. If anyone sees any errors or has other suggestions, pass them along.

After seeing how many feeds have changed addresses, I wish there were a way to change the feed's address so I could save my starred/shared settings from the old feed in GoggleReader. Right now I am just keeping the old feed in my list as a deadlink so I can save those settings. And, if anyone knows a better way to export a folder RSS feed list to some usable format, I am all ears. Cutting and pasting was a pain.

Geologists' 100 things meme

2009-01-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

Just ran through the list myself. A couple may be considered "cheating" because if I saw the same feature in a different location, I counted it, but I made notes on where I saw the feature. I'm at 48/100 sensu lato, 45/100 sensu stricto.

1. See an erupting volcano – Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Pu`u `O`o Crater lava tubes.
2. See a glacier – Mt. Baker, Mt Rainier, etc.
3. See an active geyser such as those in Yellowstone, New Zealand or the type locality of Iceland – Yellowstone National Park
4. Visit the Cretaceous/Tertiary (KT) Boundary – Hell Creek Outcrops (Bug Creek and Makoshika state Park)
5. Observe (from a safe distance) a river whose discharge is above bankful stage – Small stream in the center of Bozeman. It was interesting when the wate reached the narrower culvert.
6. Explore a limestone cave - Lewis and Clark Caverns, Carlsbad Caverns, a couple in NY
7. Tour an open pit mine - Berkeley Pit & Luzenac Mine, MT
8. Explore a subsurface mine - I think it was the Sunshine Silver Mine, Coeur d'Alene Area, ID
9. See an ophiolite, such as the ophiolite complex in Oman or the Troodos complex on the Island Cyprus (if on a budget, try the Coast Ranges or Klamath Mountains of California). I have driven the coast of California, but I can’t say that I have seen a whole ophiolite complex.
10. An anorthosite complex, such as those in Labrador, the Adirondacks, and Niger (there's some anorthosite in southern California too).
11. A slot canyon - The Narrows in Zion National Park, Bishop Canyon near the San Rafael Swell UT, and Big Horn Canyon, UT.
12. Varves.
13. An exfoliation dome, such as those in the Sierra Nevada.
14. A layered igneous intrusion, such as the Stillwater complex in Montana or the Skaergaard Complex in Eastern Greenland. – Only core from Stillwater, MT15. Coastlines along the leading and trailing edge of a tectonic plate
16. A ginkgo tree
17. Living and fossilized stromatolites – Belt Supergroup Rocks, Northwest MT18. A field of glacial erratics – Too many places to count
19. A caldera – Yellowstone Caldera & manyo f its past calderas
20. A sand dune more than 200 feet high – Bruneau Sand Dunes, ID
21. A fjord
22. A recently formed fault scarp – Does 1959 count? Cabin Creek Scarp at Quake Lake, MT.
23. A megabreccia – I’ve seen some really large clasts in breccias and conglomerates, but I don’t think they count as megabreccias in this case.
24. An actively accreting river delta
25. A natural bridge – Yellowstone National Park and Arches National Park
26. A large sinkhole Florida, lots of them there. Could also count collapsed lava tubes… I’ve seen lots of those in ID and HI.
27. A glacial outwash plain – I’m guessing this has to be an active glacial outwash plain?
28. A sea stack – I know I have seen them, but I can’t remember where, so I won’t count it.
29. A house-sized glacial erratic
30. An underground lake or river - A cave in NY and a disappearing river in FL.
31. The continental divide
32. Fluorescent and phosphorescent minerals – Butte Mineral Museum, MT
33. Petrified trees – Yellowstone again.
34. Lava tubes – Lots near Idaho Falls.
35. The Grand Canyon. All the way down. And back.
36. Meteor Crater, Arizona, also known as the Barringer Crater, to see an impact crater on a scale that is comprehensible – Saw it on the horizon.
37. The Great Barrier Reef, northeastern Australia, to see the largest coral reef in the world.
38. The Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada, to see the highest tides in the world (up to 16m) (this seems redundant with #21 fjord…)
39. The Waterpocket Fold, Utah, to see well exposed folds on a massive scale. I’m going to count this one because I have seen the San Rafael swell in UT.
40. The Banded Iron Formation, Michigan, to better appreciate the air you breathe.
41. The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania,
42. Lake Baikal, Siberia, to see the deepest lake in the world (1,620 m) with 20 percent of the Earth's fresh water.
43. Ayers Rock (known now by the Aboriginal name of Uluru), Australia. This inselberg of nearly vertical Precambrian strata is about 2.5 kilometers long and more than 350 meters high
44. Devil's Tower, northeastern Wyoming, to see a classic example of columnar jointing
45. The Alps.
46. Telescope Peak, in Death Valley National Park. From this spectacular summit you can look down onto the floor of Death Valley - 11,330 feet below.
47. The Li River, China, to see the fantastic tower karst that appears in much Chinese art. ---It’s on this years to-do list…
48. The Dalmation Coast of Croatia, to see the original Karst.
49. The Gorge of Bhagirathi, one of the sacred headwaters of the Ganges, in the Indian Himalayas, where the river flows from an ice tunnel beneath the Gangatori Glacier into a deep gorge.
50. The Goosenecks of the San Juan River, Utah, an impressive series of entrenched meanders.
51. Shiprock, New Mexico, to see a large volcanic neck. I have seen other volcanic necks with radiating dikes.
52. Land's End, Cornwall, Great Britain, for fractured granites that have feldspar crystals bigger than your fist.
53. Tierra del Fuego, Chile and Argentina, to see the Straights of Magellan and the southernmost tip of South America.
54. Mount St. Helens, Washington, to see the results of recent explosive volcanism.
55. The Giant's Causeway and the Antrim Plateau, Northern Ireland, to see polygonally fractured basaltic flows. Have seen several polygonally fractured basaltic flows near and in the Yellowstone area.
56. The Great Rift Valley in Africa.
57. The Matterhorn, along the Swiss/Italian border, to see the classic "horn".
58. The Carolina Bays, along the Carolinian and Georgian coastal plain
59. The Mima Mounds near Olympia, Washington
60. Siccar Point, Berwickshire, Scotland, where James Hutton (the "father" of modern geology) observed the classic unconformity
61. The moving rocks of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley
62. Yosemite Valley
63. Landscape Arch (or Delicate Arch) in Utah – I think there are much cooler things to see in Arches National Park… Just a personal opinion.
64. The Burgess Shale in British Columbia
65. The Channeled Scablands of central Washington
66. Bryce Canyon
67. Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone
68. Monument Valley
69. The San Andreas fault
70. The dinosaur footprints in La Rioja, Spain
71. The volcanic landscapes of the Canary Islands
72. The Pyrennees Mountains
73. The Lime Caves at Karamea on the West Coast of New Zealand
74. Denali (an orogeny in progress)
75. A catastrophic mass wasting event
76. The giant crossbeds visible at Zion National Park
77. The black sand beaches in Hawaii (or the green sand-olivine beaches)
78. Barton Springs in Texas
79. Hells Canyon in Idaho
80. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado
81. The Tunguska Impact site in Siberia
82. Feel an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 5.0 - So close, 4.6!
83. Find dinosaur footprints in situ - Seen not found…
84. Find a trilobite (or a dinosaur bone or any other fossil)
85. Find gold, however small the flake
86. Find a meteorite fragment
87. Experience a volcanic ashfall
88. Experience a sandstorm
89. See a tsunami
90. Witness a total solar eclipse
91. Witness a tornado firsthand
92. Witness a meteor storm, a term used to describe a particularly intense (1000+ per minute) meteor shower. Nope, just several meteor showers. Not up to storm level yet.
93. View Saturn and its moons through a respectable telescope.
94. See the Aurora borealis, otherwise known as the northern lights.
95. View a great naked-eye comet, an opportunity which occurs only a few times per century
96. See a lunar eclipse
97. View a distant galaxy through a large telescope
98. Experience a hurricane – In fact I have been through 5, the eye of 3 of them.
99. See noctilucent clouds
100. See the green flash – I’ve tried, but have not seen it.

Trees/Animals in the Field Meme

2008-11-09T15:39:00.001-07:00

I know, it's been a while since you have heard from me. I got married (woohoo!), moved to Houston for an internship (big oil), and am writing up some thesis stuff. I feel like I am working two jobs, sometimes three when my previous job calls me for advice! So, my presence from the geoblogosphere has been absent. I have been keeping up with everyone elses' posts though! We have matured into a wonderful community and it is getting hard to keep up with all the great posts.

Here are a few quick posts.

Tree Meme
I can't remember which blog brought this up (I did a search and it didn't come up, so sorry for not giving credit). An alternate origination of some dropstones were a tree washing out to the ocean and the root system still entangled rocks. As the wood rots, the rocks drop into the sediment below. It reminded me of this picture.

My picture of a tree's roots holding onto rocks is from the beach around Vancouver. While most of these rocks were probably placed their by beach-combers like ourselves, I can easily see how trees could transport rocks out to the deeper ocean sediments.

Animals (Domesticated or Not) in the Field Meme
Huge Bees! (2 inch wingspan)

Huge Owl!
(Yes, it's blurry, but it was so big I had to put the picture up. Standing this owl was almost 3 feet tall, sage brush for scale.)

Huge Dog!

And the best field assistant... Sorry other field assistants, she is the cutest and has been with me the longes :-)

Connections

2008-08-25T09:16:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post since I am in frenzied-writing mode and in family-is-in-town-for-MY-wedding mode...

Hypotheses post of a Venn diagram reminded me of another image I use in lecture to try and demonstrate connections. I give a lecture on using SEM and XRD in paleontology to a paleo techniques class every other year. I frequently use this diagram in the lecture to demonstrate some of the connections between geology and paleontology.

Unfortunately, because of time, I have to skim over the diagram and can't really get the students to sink their teeth into how much all of this is really connected. I've thought about rearranging the lecture to follow one connection to another and to keep it going, but it just doesn't work well with the topic I am asked to teach. But, I also know that these students will take an entire class on Taphonomy so they will develop the connections between geology and paleontology much more in that class.

If anyone wants to see the SEM and XRD in paleo PTT, just let me know and I will pass it along.

Rocks and Minerals Blog

2008-08-12T19:22:00.001-06:00

I came across the Rocks and Minerals blog the other day, but I have no idea who runs the site. There were also some other sites linked to it (listed below). They look like dictionaries or encyclopedias being developed. I might offer to help add defintions if it is a serious effort, but I don't know who owns the sites or if it is affiliated with an institution. Anyone else have any info about these blogs?
Linked to this blog were the following related sites:
Geologic Terms Index
Paleogeology

Catching up on my Science and Nature

2008-07-02T17:22:00.000-06:00

In my RSS reader I have a bunch of feeds from journals. Some work wonderfully, while others are even poor substitutes for the e-mailed table of contents. (Come on, who only wants their RSS feed to have the Online Early Articles, but NOT the table of contents!) I tend to read the smaller geo blogs and their postings in the morning over breakfast, but the journal blogs get left on a weekly basis till I have a chunk of time to cath up with them.

Today while cathing up on my Science feeds, I noticed a few technical comments and replies that I enjoyed and since they are not blocked by the paywall at AAS I thought some of you might enjoy them as well.

The first is on whether a channel system on Mars is draped with ice or lava. Without having read the original article, this comment and reply summarized their positions and rebuttals well. The way a good comment and reply should be.

Comment on "Athabasca Valles, Mars: A Lava-Draped Channel System"

Response to Comment on "Athabasca Valles, Mars: A Lava-Draped Channel System"

The second is on mechanics of plate tectonics in the past. But are their proposed changes to the mechanics correct/possible?

Comment on "Intermittent Plate Tectonics?"

Response to Comment on "Intermittent Plate Tectonics?"

My contribution to Earth Day

2008-04-22T09:11:00.000-06:00

I'm not actually going to do any event for Earth Day. There are some neighborhood cleanups going on, but I am so swamped I don't have the time to spare. Instead, I want to talk about the things I am actively trying to do everyday to help save the environment.

1) Reusable grocery bags. Seriously, this is the easiest one for everyone to participate in. It does take some initial investment in the bags (unless you also have a wonderful mother who sews) but once you start using them, there is no going back to plastic. I bought mine at Resusable Bags.com. I love this set because it can hold a fully loaded grocery cart. If you have trouble remembering to bring them, when you write out your grocery list, write "bring bags" on the top of the list. Soon you won't need to write it down to remember.

2) Biking to work. It's easy for me to complete this one because I only live a mile from work in a small town. But I bike everyday, all year round (even in several feet of snow). I understand this isn't for everyone, but it's a small source of pride for me knowing I am not driving a car in those circumstances.

3) Buying local and organic. I can't always afford to follow this one, but when the price is within reason (my budget) I chose local and/or organic. Since we have such a short growing season here, it is hard to buy local fruits and veggies year-round. There is an orchard nearby we frequent towards the end of the summer and I have a small garden and we freeze as much as we can to last into the winter. Once you have had a garden fresh tomato, you'll never go back to the grocery store ones again. We also try to minimize the processed food we buy.

4) Lights, TV, LED's off. When I leave the room I try to make sure I turn off the lights. (Thank you Mythbusters for showing me that it pays to turn off the lights even if it's only going to be for a second. I never used to care this much.) I can't shut down my laptop at night because I have it set up to backup all my files, but I try to make sure all the other appliances and power strips are turned off. Every little bit helps.

5) Picking up my dog's poop. Yes, when you can see your watershed and you know how many dogs there are in this small town, picking up after your dog makes a difference. Plus it can really ruin a popular trail when people don't. And if my dog hasn't gone to the bathroom, I will pick up after someone else. I will use the plastic bags I receive from non-grocery stores when I forget to bring the reusable bags.

6) Recycle. Duh.

7) Showering less. I enjoy a warm bath or good long shower as much as the next girl, but I realize it's a luxury. So, if I don't think I need to shower, I just wash up with a washcloth. It works out to about every other day for me. Hopefully my friends and coworkers haven't noticed the difference ;-)

Hmmm, I know there are more things that we do to try and reduce our footprint on the world, but I am forgetting them at the moment. So, what do you do to reduce your impact? What do you think I/we/the world should be doing?

Update - Thanks to ReBecca for this link on 50 ways to help the planet.

Climate Debate Articles

2008-04-14T22:40:00.000-06:00

I don't have a lot of time to write a post, but I thought people might want to know about this. A journal called GeoJournal (I didn't know this one existed) has published 6 articles debating the science and effectiveness of "An Inconvenient Truth". One intro, 2 "pro," 2 "con," and one summary article. The articles are behind a firewall, but let me know if you want the articles and I can PDF them to you. Enjoy!

I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll show you the CO2 map for the US

2008-04-07T20:22:00.000-06:00

I saw this article about the Vulcan system on the ScienceDaily news feed and thought I might share it. Normally, I don't listen to a lot of the "general news" about climate stuff coming out. I know I am better off reading the journal papers directly to remove the "Oh My We're All Gonna Die" sensationalism. But, this headline caught my eye and after reading the article, I am impressed with the article summary and the project.
Actually it wasn't so much the headline that caught my eye as it was the first line of the article- "A new, high- resolution, interactive map of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has found that the emissions aren't all where we thought." That did catch my eye. I wondered what could be so different from what I already know about the sources of CO2 (point sources like power plants, moving things like cars, weathering of limestone, etc). This map didn't change my mind as to where I expected the most CO2 (population centers), but it was really cool to see where the CO2 blows off (and up) and the changes observed in low CO2 areas. I also have to admit, I hadn't thought about the diurnal nature of CO2 emissions, but it makes complete sense. Now for the stipulations... This map does not seem to be made from measured CO2 concetrations in the atmosphere, but from other gases monitored by the EPA; CO2 is then modeled from that data (please correct me if I misinterpreted their PPT slides). On a map this size (with this much data) there are probably errors, but I doubt they affect the major trends we see. Also be aware this data is from 2002 (How much more damage have we done since?). Older data isn't bad, it's just nice to know all the facts. Check out the animation if you're short on time.

Brian's Crinoid

2008-03-28T09:16:00.000-06:00

Well, since this is a popular petroleum industry field trip location I am not surprised multiple images of this crinoid are floating around out there. So here's my version of the Lake Valley Formation "curled crinoid" photo.

My first Spammer...

2008-03-26T16:01:00.000-06:00

Well, I just received my first comment SPAM. I'm not sure whether I should be grateful because maybe, just maybe, it means I am getting some decent traffic (which I am, thank you!). Or if it was just a coincidence they found my page and decided to SPAM me. In any case, I hope you are all enjoying the content.

(I tried to think of a way to make a geology joke about the spammer, but the closest I got was "Don't TREAD on me... Lame. I know.)

In any case, you can find the articles I have "starred" in my shared GoogleReader home page. It's not a geology post, but enjoy perusing the high quality posts of others!

Rough Draft of Landslide Activity

2008-03-24T18:54:00.000-06:00

Wow! The landslide activity went great on Saturday. The kids liked it, they were interactive, and they could identify landslides and hazards areas when they were done. The powerpoint is finished, but for a more detailed explaination I wrote up a description of the activity. It's in really rough shape, just a brain dump, but I will update it as time premits. The activity went so well, I want to get a formal write-up of the activity done for teachers. There is a lot of ways this activity could be modifed for different age levels and group sizes. I have placed all the relevant files in this folder for anyone who is interested. Let me know if you have tried a similar activity or if you try this activity - how did it go?
As I develop this, I might try and make some assessment tests for this activity and practice it on some local schools in town. I want to make sure it really is a good learning activity, not just fun playing in the mud!
(Yes, the activity went so well I am still glowing about it)

Hat tip to Brian for introducing me to GeoMapApp.

Updated Blogroll

2008-03-14T13:27:00.000-06:00

I have updated my blogroll to reflect my GoogleReader subscriptions. If you're not on there, let me know and I will add you. The links in the blogroll may lead to the RSS feed rather than the web page, but that's all I had time for while updating. Back to writing!

Landside Activity...

2008-03-13T21:14:00.000-06:00

I am designing an activity for a group of 8th grade girls on landslides. I am going to have them generate a couple of landslides with different substrates (wet/dry, different grain sizes, different cohesion). I'm going to try a few different materials this weekend to 'field test' the activity and make sure it will work. If anyone has some advice or experience, I'd appreciate any tips.

The Plan:
Introduction on 'Women in Geology'
Rita Colwell
Mary Kraus
Kitty Milliken
Michele L. W. Tuttle
(I could go on forever. What successful female geologists would you recommend?)

Introduction on 'Landslides'
What they are (generally)
Driving forces (interactive - have them make educated guesses on why they occur)
Different types (chart - relate to features the have seen)
Generate their own landslides (different materials, mud, sand, pebbles, sandstone, then wet vs. dry then collect all the data from each group - I just hope the materials work as expected)
Identifying Landslides (show them a bathymetric map of Hawaii, identifying areas of landslide hazards, huge landslides, small landslides, and implications for development)

That should fill up an hour to an hour and a half. If their is time, I will fill it with opportunities for women in geology. It's a hot field to get a job right now!

Do you have any suggestions? I'll write up a more detailed activity as I work out the kinks. Here are some resources I've been using in the mean time.

Landslide Hazard Manual
DLESE
USGS
Map of Hawaiian Islands
USGS Bathymetry of Hawaiian Islands
Oahu Field Trip
Oahu Topography

The Great Warming - and I missed it

2008-03-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

We were reading about framing science in our discussion group and I came across a link for a movie called The Great Warming. Apparently it's been out in theaters since Nov 2007. How did I not hear about this?
Granted, I live in a small town so it's not likely that it would be screened here, but I figured I would have heard something about it from the great-omnipotent-geo-paleo-blogosphere (see updated Blogroll). The reason I think I should have heard something about this movie is that there are several interviews from church leaders and screenings specifically designed for churches and I read some pretty ~~rabid~~ vocal atheistic science blogs. Normally they would be up in arms about such a video. Mixing science and religion? But, it seems like the producers have "framed" the movie for different audiences. This is also evident in their DVD sales where you can buy 4 different versions of the movie (National Wildlife Federation version, Church/Synagogue version, Faith version, and Extended version).
I have not seen the movie so I cannot comment on the quality of the science presented and I am not willing to pay $29.99 to see it. Has anyone else seen this movie? Is it everything the reviews say it is?

Just for reference this is loosely based on the book "Storm Warning - Gambling with the climate of our Planet" by Lydia Dotto, then as a 3-part documentary in Canada in 2004, then a 1 hr PBS special on the movie called "Global Warming: The Signs and the Science" and has since turned into a movie.

Mt St. Helen's Video

2008-03-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Nobel Intent who posted a link to the time lapse photo of the Mt St. Helen's eruption over the past few years (2004-2007). I loved seeing how the lava dome affected the glaciers. Just thought I would pass it on as well if you haven't seen it yet.
Time Lapse Video of Mt. St. Helen's Eruption
Looks like you need Windows Media Player to play it...
If you can't get the link to work, try directly at DEM showing dome growth and look under the header September 2004 - July 2007 DEM showing dome growth.

More on Death Defying Feats

2008-03-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, since Geotripper and Highly Allochthonous already brought up what will a geologist do for fun I thought this would be a good time to post a link my sister sent me recently. (If you are afraid of falling from great heights, don't even click the link.)
A little background: My sister lives in Okinawa Japan and she is going to take a 3 week trip through northern China (if they finally get a decent ticketing agent who doesn't mess things up). Before she and her husband leave, my fiancee and I want to visit. Since the plane ticket is often the most expensive part of the trip, we are also considering making it an extended vacation and visiting China (maybe even Tibet) with them. Things are still in the preliminary stages, but hopefully it all works out. In planning for this trip, she sent me a link of a hike in China. She knows I love rocks, hiking, and rock climbing and she thought this would be right up my alley. Well, it is, in a scary sh**-your-pants sort of way.
I loved the personal account provided at the bottom of the page (if short on time, just skip down and look at their pictures). While I would be scared at times, I would love to do something like this. I am not worried that I wouldn't be able to do it, it's only a couple of hours, there are handholds and you can purchase a harness for $5, but I know that I would have moments of puckering. Now, I wouldn't be as stupid as some tourists described, I'd at least have proper footware, gloves, harness, etc. And most of the hikes are just stairs, up and up and up. After reading this account by someone who is more along my risk tolerance level, I know I would have fun doing this. The scenery, the rocks, and the hike itself are worth the risk to me. How about you?
(Some commenters on the web pages above have questioned the percieved risk, but in places it is fatal if you fall. So I'm still considering it a risky endeavor.)

Journey to the center of the Earth

2008-02-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I might be making my submission to the Accretionary Wedge a bit early. I just received an e-mail from Earth Science Week (AGI) and they are advertising for a movie called 'Journey to the Center of the Earth - 3D.' It is a remake of the Jules Verne classic starring Brandon Frasier. While the book may be good for entertainment purposes, I'm not sure this movie will have much relation to geoscience education (i.e. reality). AGI says they will be developing a booklet of geoscience information and activities and will use the movie to explore “science fiction and science fact.” If the booklet is done well this could be a great learning opportunity, assuming the booklet is widely distributed and people read it. The skeptic in me says most people going to see the movie will not read the pamphlet, but the optimist hopes they will. I have not been impressed with the Earth Science Toolkit they sell for Earth Science Week (all flash, no activities - the web site is infinitely more helpful), but hopefully this pamphlet will address specific points about what the center of the Earth is actually like. Maybe they can even try and correct the geologic misconception that the mantle is liquid. I guess we'll have to wait and see when the movie and pamphlet comes out mid-July.

Things that made me go hmmmm?

2008-02-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I was inspired by Geotripper on my flight from Bozeman, MT to Seattle, WA to take a few pictures. The skies were clear, the sun was up, and I was awake. As I stared out the window I realized my camera was in our carry-on and it would be the perfect opportunity to test my aerial photography skills. Besides features that I easily recognized, there were a few features that made me go "hmmmm." It only took me a minute or two to figure out what was going on by looking at the surrounding topography.

First, I managed to get a nice picture of the Montana Fold and Thrust belt. Just off to the left is one of the last thrusts to propogate out into the foreland basin.

Second, we came across what looked like rolling fog (it was first thing in the morning so fog was possibe). But, knowing the elevation and the season it had too be clouds. The elevation of the mountins was so high, it was neat to watch the clouds move around the mountains and down the valley.

Third, I saw all these meandering lines in the forest. I guessed they were logging roads and sure enough they led to clear cut swaths but in others places there was selective logging. It was amazing how much logging was going on in this area.

So even without a GPS on the plane I was able to figure out where I was and spot some interesting details from the plane. It was the most fun I've had on an 8AM flight. (I am not a morning person!)

And, just to make everyone jealous, I am in Vancouver skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb. Here's a picture of one of the cornices we dropped before tearing it up in the bowl. This is our friend Brodie who came all the way from Peru. Woohoo! Ok, off to the pub! Hope everyone else is having fun too.

Evolution for Guiness

2008-02-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

As a scientist and prodigous beer drinker, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pass this video along. Hat tip to Laelaps.

Testing for misconceptions in the classroom

2008-01-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

I came across this web site when trying to pick a geologic misconception to discuss. It was interesting and I thought I would point it out. It is a 73 question test designed to assess student learning in Earth Science classes. The questions have been carefully designed and modified after many student and teacher interviews.

What specifically brought this to my attention is one of the sample questions they provided. The students had to have a misconception of how geology worked in order to get the sample question wrong.
Sample GCI Question #2. The following maps show the position of the Earth's continents and oceans. The o's on each map mark the locations where volcanic eruptions occur on land. Which map do you think most closely represents the places where these volcanoes are typically observed?
A surprising number of students chose the equator/tropics “because it’s warmer there.” This demonstrates that some students often have misconceptions about how geology works. However, I wonder if this portion of students are those that don’t pay attention in class and don’t do their homework? Any rudimentary discussion on plate tectonics covers the Ring of Fire (which was one of the choices) and so they should be able to answer this question. If these are legitimate “studying” students, why are they getting this question wrong?

Assessment tests like this can be useful in finding out what concepts students are not understanding (especially if they are observed in a large portion of the class) and help make us better instructors. But when would you apply this test? The 73 question set is designed for you to make into a 15 question test. I think I would try this test during the middle of the class to see if there are any concepts I need to clear up before continuing. I don’t think it would replace my normal exams with this test because I don’t agree with a bunch of the questions on the test. It may be because I am over-thinking some of them. For example:

3. If the single continent in #73 did exist, how could scientists estimate the time needed for the single continent to break apart and form the arrangement of continents we see today?

(A) Scientists do not yet have a valid method for estimating the time needed to break continents apart.
(B) Through comparison of fossils found in rocks
(C) Through analysis of carbon in rock
(D) Through analysis of uranium and lead in rock
(E) Through comparison of different layers found in rocks

I am guessing the correct answer is (B) fossils and they are using examples like Lystrosaurus that are found in South America and Africa. However, the rifting phase also generates a lot of igneous rock so U/Pb dating is also possible. While (E) is a little more ambiguous and doesn’t give us time (without fossil or isotope data), it’s exactly what geologists do. We compare layers of rocks and we can compare those in South America and Africa and find similarities that tell us they used to be together.

They designed this multiple-choice test to have answers that are ambiguous along with the correct answer. I find those tests particularly difficult because you can over-think them. You can usually think of a reason to include another answer (especially frustrating if it’s choose all that apply), but you don’t have any way to explain your choices. I think that’s what demonstrates real knowledge, having to explain why you chose those answers. I understand they chose multiple-choice for ease of grading, but I think tests where students have to demonstrate their knowledge are better (but much more time consuming to grade).

Where on Google Earth #74

2007-11-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

Since I found Ron's Star Dunes here is the next Where on Google Earth Challenge #74.

We've been a little desert heavy in WoGE, but I just couldn't help myself. Let's just say I was inspired by March of the Penguins... No, it's not Antarctica. If the person who solves this can't explain, I'll be sure to post about it. I've been a little light on posts lately anyway.

Again, the Schott Rule is in effect. Good luck everyone. Remember to try and explain something about the geology and/or how you found it.

(I am not sure how to create a .kmz file for the last WOGE #73, but if I figure it out I will add the file.)

Judgement Day...

2007-11-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a Judgement Day party for PBS's release of Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial. We had a potluck meal before the show, plenty of beer during, and then a lively discussion afterwards.
But, now everyone can watch it online. Just go here and it is broken up into twelve chapters.
Oh, and if you haven't read the Judge Jones' decision, it is worthwhile.

Best invention?

2007-11-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Time Magazine has listed what they think are the best inventions of the year. In particular, this one bothered me. The idea is to inject the microbe Bacillus pasteurii, urea, and calcium into the ground in order to precipitate calcite. But, they want to use this technique to solidify sandy soil for earthquake hazard mitigation by turning sandy soil into sandstone.
I just don't see this as a reasonable hazard mitigation strategy. Why not better buildings? Better zoning? What do you think?

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1677329_1678027_1677996,00.html

How and why I became a geologist...

2007-09-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

For my contribution (and after reading Laelaps' struggles) I decided to post on how and why I became a geologist… It’s a long and convoluted path with many lessons learned, so bear with me.

          Truth be told, as I kid, I really wanted to be a paleontologist. [I also wanted to be a fashion designer at one point, but thankfully that didn’t happen. My wardrobe consists of jeans and t-shirts, not exactly trend setting.] In my quest as a 7 year old to become a paleontologist I read all the kids dinosaur books and I could pronounce all those long scientific names. I remember reading Zoobook’s (remember those?) and doing all my science reports on “strange” animals like snails. In high school I took all the science classes offered and when it came to discussing my career plans with my parents, I still proclaimed, “I want to be a paleontologist!” Well, after some practical talks about the number of PAID paleontologists I started to consider other options. I decided that what I really liked was science and that’s what I wanted to be doing. I really liked my biology and chemistry classes, so I decided to go into biochemistry. It seems really juvenile now, to just smack the name of my two favorite classes together, but it worked…
          It worked until I figured out what biochemistry was in my third year of undergraduate college. Proteins, protein pathways, protein chemistry, and what proteins were in which microbes/organisms. To study for exams I was mostly memorizing proteins! Where were the “strange” organisms I was so interested in? Where was the fieldwork? What the heck was I doing here? So, in my third year I had figured out that I did not want to be a biochemist. Again, I wanted to be a paleontologist.
          I went to an expensive school, and it did not offer a paleontology program (it was mostly an engineering school). Before I started panicking about how much more money it was going to cost me to switch majors or schools, I spoke with an ESCI professor who I had taken a couple of classes with. He suggested that if I took a bunch of Earth Science classes that I would be set up to go to graduate school for paleontology (diverse backgrounds are a very good thing these days). And that is precisely what I did.
          For many reasons, my interest in paleontology slowly switched to sedimentology (a sub-discipline of geology). I became more interested in the rocks that held the fossils than what the fossil was eating for breakfast. Whenever we discussed a process that formed sedimentary rocks I would think, “Of course that’s how it would work.” Sedimentary geology just made sense to me and I wanted to know more about it. So I switched to our fledgling PhD program and decided to study deserts. The work I do now incorporates my interest in science (testing hypotheses), doing fieldwork, thinking about chemistry (but not being stuck in a lab doing chemistry), and I still get to think about paleontology a lot.
          But my story about becoming a geologist doesn’t end there. My mother was in town on vacation recently and she brought up a childhood event that I didn’t remember. As a child, we had a long dirt driveway with lots of different kinds of rocks. So on my way to school or waiting at the bus stop at the top of my driveway, I remember looking at them. Well my mom told me the story about how one day my teacher called her up and said “You have to make her stop.” My mother inquired about what needed to stop. The teacher replied “You have to stop letting Melody bring rocks into school. She fills her pockets and bag with them. There are just too many!”
          Now, I don’t remember any of this, but as a geologist I feel reassured that even in my childhood, I liked rocks. I remember having a few geology books on how to identify rocks, but looking up names among all those pictures was boring. And it IS boring identifying rocks that way! (This brings up a side note about how we teach undergrad geology, but I’ll save that for another post.) What isn’t boring is thinking about the processes that needed to occur to form that kind of rock. Volcanoes erupting, mountains building, rivers flooding. That is what is really interesting to me about geology, all the different processes that occur to make rocks. Some processes aren’t as exiting as glowing red lava flowing and creating jets of steam when it hits the ocean, but I enjoy them nonetheless. Sed Rocks Rule!
          Maybe my life would have been smoother if there were some cool kids geology books out there or if my high school had taught Earth Sciences. But, that is my past (it made me what I am today!) and I can only work to change the future. I have found out several states do teach Earth Sciences in high school, but my state is not one of them. Maybe one day I will get back there and work to change all that. The basics of Earth Sciences are important to teach to our kids! In the mean time I am trying to work on some kids activities for Earth Science Week Oct 14-20th. Anyone have any ideas? I’m hoping to convert a few students to “the dark side”…

MT Education Competitiveness Act

2007-08-22T18:23:00.000-06:00

Senator Max Baucus has introduced an incentive package that will set aside an additional $25 Million dollars for education (Education Competitiveness Act). Some of the funding will be set aside to give full college scholarships to graduating high school students planning to major in math, science, engineering or technology if they agree to teach for 4 years after they graduate. While I think this is a good idea in some regards, I do not think it will have the effect they are hoping for.

The US is trying to increase they’re competitive edge in research and development by encouraging people to become scientists and mathematicians (American Competitiveness Initiative – Bush’s State of the Union). However, Baucus’s Act requires them to teach for four years after they graduate rather than putting them directly into the work force. This will likely improve the teaching quality of math, science, and engineering in MT (yeah!), but it delays their entry into the work force. By delaying, for example, an engineer’s entry into the work force I think this decreases their ability to compete with those engineers who enter the work force immediately. This puts Montana workers at a disadvantage if they make use of the scholarship. There are also other parts of the Act that I whole-heartedly agree with like funding for preschool education (currently Montana has no state-funded preschool) and increased pay for rural teachers. Like I said, I can see a lot of benefit to this bill, but will it have the expected benefit of making Montana workers more competitive? What are your thoughts?

First of many?

2007-08-21T12:19:00.000-06:00

I have been reading some fantastic science blogs lately and decided to try and start my own. I am a PhD candidate studying Sedimentary Geology. I plan to post on geologic topics I find interesting or relevant to my research (deserts).

The purpose of my blog is twofold. 1) To communicate science to the public and 2) To study for my PhD Comps (more on those later). While the second reason may seem selfish, I think it is an efficient use of my time. I get to study topics I am interested in, communicate these ideas to others (which is the best way to learn), and hopefully generate discussion among peers. While some posts will truely be written for the general public, others may require some background in the subject under discussion. I'll try to explain complex concepts as simple as possible and answer questions if there is some confusion.

My first science post will follow this one. I just thought I should get some sort of mission statement out there - to post on geology and study for comps. I think its a good goal for this blog. I'd be interested in what other people think about it.