Imagine being an extraterrestrial geologist in geostationary orbit above the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s. You're the first explorers to reach Earth (underpants-thieving aliens aside), and you haven't got a lot of data on this little blue marble...
"The town and its fluctuating fortunes are a humble reminder that much of human history has been influenced by the vagaries of the geologic processes that shape the land we inhabit, form the minerals from which we construct our civilizations, and produce the riches we covet." -Lon Abbott and Terri Cook, Geology Underfoot in Northern Arizona ...
Dr. David Johnston's always there, on the volcano where he died. He was among the first geologists on the ground when Mount St. Helens woke up in March of 1980.
We knew she was dangerous. People remarked on her beauty: "Surprisingly symmetrical (pdf)," "Fuji-san of America." She was perfect, a flawless volcanic cone cloaked in deep green forests and mantled in brilliant white snow...
Dear Mount St. Helens,Thirty-two years ago, I made you a get-well card. You'd just blown your top that morning, which looked like it must have hurt to my my five year-old eyes.
Had you been walking along the trail at Chesterfield Gorge in New Hampshire last Sunday, you might have come across this scene:That is my dear friend, fellow Geokittehs blogger, Georneys author, and PhD survivor, Dr...
(I figured I'd do a repost by way of introducing you to Geokittehs. Evelyn Mervine and I - okay, mostly Evelyn - have discovered cats make excellent geological models.
Were you afraid I was Meatloaf? We did two out of the three major rock groups, and then a whole week goes by, and perhaps some of you wondered if I decided two outta three ain't bad.
I'm sorry. Very, truly sorry. I know the recent earthquake in Sumatra isn't precisely breaking news, and I really meant to say something about it earlier.
Interviewer: So, how powerful are you? Could you ...say... destroy the Earth? Tick: Destroy the Earth? Egad, I hope not! That's where I keep all my stuff!
We began in fire. Let's quench that fire with a little water. Sedimentary rocks don't always form in water, mind, but many of them do. Sedimentary I'm cheating a little bit...
One hundred years ago, a ship sideswiped an iceberg on its way across the ocean, and the Titanic legend was born. Speaking of legend, James Cameron's film was so sweeping and dramatic that some folks think it must have been entirely fictional...
(This post first appeared on En Tequila Es Verdad. I republish it here for the handful of you who might have missed it there - I'd really like you to get to know Lockwood.
Let's go back to basics for a bit. I've had a challenge thrown in my teeth. Southern Geologist didn't intend it as a challenge, I'm sure, when he* said, "The big picture/history drags people in much more easily than discussing rock types." But I'm a contrary sort of person...
Whidbey Island, Washington is a fantastic place to see glacial deposits while you enjoy some seascapes.You can also see excellent evidence of why it's not a good idea to build on a bluff...
Thank you all for the very warm welcomes and gorgeous enthusiasm! You gave Rosetta Stones a fantastic launch.With introductions out of the way and the furniture pretty much arranged, it's time to get out in the field...
The first thing geology ever said to me was, "Ouch!"I was five years old, and Mount St. Helens was busy erupting all over my teevee. I made it a get well card.
Few places on Earth are so full of geological mayhem as a subduction zone. Life in the interior of a continent in no way prepares you for the chaos you'll encounter when seafloor dives under continent...
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