Geology On The Rocks

Back in action, the GOTR folks welcome the only one cannoli, the original paisano, Ken Lazara aka kentonics. We talk field oopsies and dive in a bit into Arizona geology and learn about a very aptly named volcano...you'll just have to listen to find out. We also discuss migmatites and how they fool geologists everywhere. Maybe we even discuss some Metallica disdain. Enjoy and Be cool, stay tuned, and keep it ON THE ROCKS.

Episode 47

We dare you to say ‘Ice Aged Ice Sheets’ five times fast. But first, in this episode, the GotR Gang dive into all things Glaciers, brrrr. Glaciers and Glaciation, generally speaking, covers the formation, features, effects, and causes of glaciation events on Earth. Ice sheets and alpine glaciers are described, including their movement and erosional features and landforms. Glacial deposits will be examined, including a discussion of the features created by till and stratified drift. Other effects are worthy of discussion, including crustal subsidence and rebound, sea level changes, alterations to streams and stream valleys, and the formation of proglacial and pluvial lakes. However, there is not enough time in one episode to bring you all the fun facts about glaciers. Remember, if you fall down a crevasse, the good news is you will only fall 50 meters. The bad news is that you will fall 50 meters. Between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another Mineral Minute, then close things out with special guest Joe Guzman of Space Poets to promote his Psychedelic Panther Music Fest during this week’s That Freaking Rocks!

Until next time remember to…

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, & Keep It On The Rocks

Episode 45

A season finale! This episode closes out season 4 with a dang bang! We finally get around to answering some of the questions we have received, such as jobs and career paths in the geosciences, what our favorite geologic structures are, identifying minerals in the field, types of rocks you might encounter in various depositional settings. Carly even shares with us a story about what happens when you give her a geology fact. Between the bars of our main discussion we present another mineral minute sponsored by the hydrated phosphouranlyte mineral, Dewindtite.

Until next season, stay tuned, be cool, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 44!

DANG! What better start to an episode could you ask for as we begin our discussion discussing tornadoes and drunk pigs? Our main topic discusses some of the most common environmental problems we face today. What makes it difficult is the nature of the "problems" have changed: where such problems were once primarily scientific and technocratic in nature, they are now almost exclusively problems of politics. The future of the environment, at home and abroad, appears less certain than ever before even at a time when its potential to bring serious negative consequences for all humanity is more well-known than ever before. Problems that affect large groups and require collective action are recognized as some of the most perplexing political conundrums. Even outside the context of American politics, the environment presents challenges of a unique character. By their nature, environmental problems are ‘big’ problems that likewise affect ‘big’ groups of people and require ‘big’ solutions. Clean air cannot be achieved merely through the regulation of one industry in one part of the country, or through the passion of one highly motivated group or individuals. Between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another mineral minute and before signing off we close things out with another That Freaking Rocks. Sprinkled throughout are tangents that we navigate in this environmental conscious and inclusive episode!

Until next time remember to stay tuned, be cool, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 43

In this episode, GOTR takes the skeletons out of their closets and goes on a deep into all things forensic geologies, the mysterious interface between geology and forensics. While there was no exact date when scientific methods were first introduced to solving murders, there is no doubt geology had an early influence. Uniformitarianism is a concept that establishes a crucial link between geologists and forensic scientists, where the use of clues are used to work out a past sequence of events to determine what happened. We go through how a crime scene might be controlled for, and clues are handled. We then cover the various types of evidence forensic geologists might find helpful while finding tangential paths to travel down. Between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another mineral minute, and on the back half, we close things out with a case full of drugs, government coverups, and murder! So grab your favorite whiskey or drink of your choosing and enjoy!

Whatever you do, remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 42

This delicious episode explores the amazing world of desserts and wine! We sculpt the the auditory landscape by discussing such musings as climatic conditions that create desserts, geographic distribution of the Earth’s desserts, weathering, dunes, and surface morphologies. We do a little talk on each of our favorite deserts and wind are. We navigate how we can use desserts to explore our not so distant past and explore caves, karsts, coprolites, and wall etchings to see how the desserts we see today are not the desserts of the past. Between the bars of our main discussion we present to you another mineral minutes and instead of a that freaking rocks, we talk about dunes! Come join us and get just as lost in the tangents as we do! Some of our favorite characters make an appearance and we introduce to you a few new ones!!

Until next time be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 41

It’s snowing down here in the Lone Star State, and geomorphology is the name of this episode’s game, which is fitting as there is a shift in the landscape here at Geology on the Rocks! Geomorphology, simply put, is just the study of Earth’s landforms and landform evolution. Traditionally, the subject has been studied qualitatively, which is the description of landforms, and quantitatively, which is process-based and aims to describe forces acting on Earth’s surface to produce landforms and landform change. And like every other branch of geology, many sub-disciplines within geomorphology include tectonic, fluvial, storm, aeolian, floodplain, glacial, groundwater, climate, tsunami, and many others. Geomorphologists interpret multiple forms of information from various sources to create a logical and rational argument that is appropriately supported by evidence. 

But, of course, much of that is going to depend upon the experience and training of the person (or team) making the interpretations. Therefore, interpretation can be thought of as indeterminate of really not having a definite end result as many interpretations might be valid. Combinations of attributes, relationships, processes, drivers, legacy effects, and sequences of events can create these contingent circumstances that are a complex sequence of events in response to particular events. We go on to discuss what mental faculties it takes to make a less wrong interpretations, and on the back half, we apply those techniques. As always, between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another mineral minute and close things out with a little friendly competition. Let us know who said it best!

Until next time remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 40

This episode is dedicated to all those who ever thought that banded iron formations were boring and basic as we here at GotR do a deep dive into these really Spiffy BIFs. We discuss such things as what are they? Where do they come from? Is there any geological significance? What do they tell us? Every time we think that we are going to just have a nice, easy topic, the more and more we read about it and reflect on our own assumptions, it turns out to be so dang complicated and could be several different things at the same time. But we do our best to be as thorough as possible while trying not to get lost in the weeds of this seemingly simple topic. Keep in mind that 1. geology and the history of Earth is a rather complex subject matter, and one should always proceed with caution when interpreting the precipitation mechanisms in BIFs. So take a seat, grab your rock hammers, and favorite whiskey with your favorite podcast duo, and come take an adventure into the wonderful world of BIFs with your favorite podcast!

Until next time remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 39

Hold on to your seats because if you love rocks, QAPF diagrams, or simply nerding out, this episode is for you as we take a deep dive into the magnificent world of basalts. Basalts are simply aphanitic extrusive igneous rocks formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lavas rich in magnesium and iron exposed at or near the surface of rocky planets or moons. Nearly 90% of all volcanic rocks on Earth are basalt. From tholeiitic basalts to alkali basalts to mid-ocean ridge basalts to the basalts of Hawaii & Iceland, nothing is off-limits for us. We have fun facts galore, poems, a mineral minute, lots of giggles, and tangents sprinkled throughout. We then talk about Mr. Baggin’s trip to the Hawaiian Islands on the back half, followed by James the Geologist’s trip to the recording studio. Rock Opera may or may not be at 1:17:01, but you will just have to listen for yourself to find out.

Until next time be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 38

It has been a crazy year, to say the least. To start 2022 off with a bang, we present to you a brand spanking new episode that was previously recorded covering the important topic of Acid Mine Drainage. But we first go over how ore deposits are emplaced and the types of ore typically mined. On the back half, we talk primarily about AMD's environmental concerns and the formation of contaminants. So join us as we nerd out with some mineralogy and save the planet one episode at a time.

Until next time remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks.

Episode 37

After a crazy September, we are finally back back! This episode is a follow-up to the Speleology Special, and we dive a bit deeper into the fascinating world of caves. We begin our discussion with the controls of cave temperatures – latitude and altitude, among other variables. Fun fact, the temperatures at lower depths in caves can be regarded as “fossil” temperatures. An example of this is seen in the Pierre St. Martin Cave in France. This cave is measured to have a depth of 1,474 meters, and by doing a little bit of maths, temperatures near the bottom of the cave presumably reflect the average annual temperature of the region as it was nearly 40,000 years ago! Mind. Blown. We then focus on relative humidity, air currents, barometric changes, chimney & reverse-chimney effects that all lead to the blowing cave phenomenon. On the back half, we walk our way through how early cave scientists studied the breath of caves to help better understand the mysteries of the underground abyss. We then have a little discussion about the formation of caves in Texas and marvel at the epic names of the rooms get, using Natural Bridge Caverns as an example. As always, between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another Mineral Minute, sponsored by Tyuyamunite, and we close things out with another That Freaking Rocks.

Until next time, we remind you to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 36

We’re back with another exciting season of Geology on the Rocks! To start off the new season, we present to you all things doom and destruction in this natural disaster episode.  There is no doubt that natural disasters suck. However, sometimes it seems as if nature has a way to seemingly have a system of checks and balances for such destructive events. Or it may seem like pure happenstance, in that they are random and disordered. Humans have offered various sacrifices throughout history to appease the Gods they prayed to as if it were their fault. However, as the age of reason dawned, scientific evidence was substituted for divine intervention. As we see, natural disasters are complex and dynamic and are caused by not just natural forces but sometimes sociological factors, too. We see human greed and corrupt governments absorb food and medical supplies that only exacerbate natural disasters. Topics include Avalanches, Landslides, Liquefaction, Famine, Drought, Earthquakes, Politics, and Plagues. So strap in and enjoy the ride through Earth’s history of natural disasters.

Until next time be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 35

To close out another wonderful season, Season 3, we here at Geology on the Rocks decided to dive deep into all things about the geology of our home state, Texas. While we planned on talking about the specifics of North Texas, it evolved into a broader historical approach. Discussed is the evolution of the Lone Star State from the Precambrian times all the way through to the Cenozoic. The Texas we know and think of today, began as thick sequences of coarse sediment dumped into an ancient sea bordering Laurasia that was eventually buried, squeezed, and heated. Collisions with subsequent mobile belts eventually led to mountains forming, producing metamorphic schists and gneisses along with generating molten magma. The plutons cooled to form the granitic Llano Province around 1.3 to 1.1 billion years ago during the Mesoproterozoic. These Precambrian rocks are seen today in the Llano Uplift in central Texas and in the Franklin Mountains in west Texas. 

Throughout the Phanerozoic Eon, Texas saw a multitude of marine transgressions and regressions that led to most of Texas' history being submerged by shallow, epeiric seas. This undoubtedly led to the vast expanse of limestones and fossil assemblages we see throughout the state. We also see that during the Carboniferous Period Ouchita Mobile Belt is responsible for the distinctive S-shaped feature seen in geologic maps that spans across Texas. The Permian is responsible for a lot of the red bed formations we see up in the panhandle in the Quartermaster formation and the Dockum Group at Caprock Canyon State Park in Palo Duro Canyon. Near-shore evaporation flats produced deposits of bright red shales along with salt and gypsum deposits. As the supercontinent Pangaea began rifting apart, the Gulf of Mexico began opening allowing for sediment accommodation of the weathering of the uplifted Ouchita Mountains to the southeast. Early restriction of the gulf allowed for multiple evaporative phases that is represented by the famous Louann Salt deposits. 

During the Cretaceous, sandy shorelines and mudflats record the majestic presence of dinosaurs, most famously seen in the Paluxy River in Glen Rose. You name it, Texas probably has it, geologically speaking. Between the bars of our main discussion we bring to you another Mineral Minute and close things out with Leaves, Driving Slow Motion’s latest single from their upcoming album. Sit back and enjoy the Geology of Texas in this final episode of the season! We look forward to starting anew sometime in late August.

Until next time, be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

Episode 34

Well, we did it. We went full throttle and geeked out discussing all things Devonian. Have you ever found yourself saying the Devonian was SOOO boring? Nothing was going on besides something about fish and that is about it! 

If this sounds like you, boy do we have an episode for you!

When was the Devonian you ask? The Geologic Period of the Devonian Period is part of the Late Paleozoic Era that follows the Silurian Period and precedes the Carboniferous Period, spanning between about 419.2 million and 358.9 million years ago. The developments of the Earth system during the Early Devonian to Middle Permian interval record the dynamic interplay of its geo-, hydro-, bio-, and atmospheric systems. Most of the Devonian Period was a time of exceptionally high sea-level stand and inferred widespread equable climates, but glaciations occurred immediately before its end in the south polar areas of Gondwana (South America, Central, and South Africa). There is even evidence for contemporaneous mountain glaciers in tropical latitudes (in the Appalachians of eastern North America).

The Early Devonian, really to the Middle Permian, 260 Ma, was an interval of major tectonic, climatic, oceanic, and biotic changes. The collision of Laurasia and Gondwana led to global-scale tectonic activity and the formation of the supercontinent Pangea, and the spread of vascular land plants resulted in a huge increase in organic carbon burial and atmospheric CO2 drawdown.

There was a Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) that commenced with short-lived glaciations at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (FFB) and the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary (DCB) that coincided with two first-order mass extinctions, although many minor biocrises also occurred during this interval.

Most present-day continental areas and shelves were grouped in one hemisphere, creating a giant “Proto-Pacific” or Panthalassa Ocean, whose margins are poorly preserved in allochthonous terrains. Allochthonous just means sediment or rock that originated at a distance from its present position. And, following the tectonic events of the Caledonian Orogeny of Laurasia, many “Old Red Sandstone” terrestrial deposits formed.

Sit back and enjoy as we stumble our way through all the difficult words and the world of the Devonian.

Until next time remember to…

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!!

Episode 33

This is Part 2 of 2 in our two-part series with Dr. Greta Bowling. In this episode, the biologist and geologists square off and stand up to fight for the one true meaning and definition of a mineral.

Leading off the episode is Jason from Coastlands as we pick his musical brainball and talk shop about HoneyBuckets. The latter half the episode picks up where we left on in part one, as we shift our attention to the word Mineral. We found some overlap and discuss how these differ depending on how we approach the subject. A simple definition from each field would be:

To a Geologist – any element or compound that is 1. Naturally Occurring, 2. Generally Inorganic, 3. Solid, with a 4. Crystalline Structure which has 5. A Definite Chemical Composition (with some variation) versus To a Biologist – An inorganic ion or nutrients.

As we focus in, keeping our eye on the ions, we discuss how they come to be through weathering of rock and taken up by the plants. We talk about the functions of Oxygen, Calcium, Sodium, and Iron as minerals in biological systems and the significance as elements in geology.

We close things off with a little Beach Clean Up talk and finally settle on a rough date: the Second Weekend in October!

As always, until next time, remember to….

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!!

Episode 32

This is Part 1 of 2 in our two-part series with Dr. Greta Bowling. In this episode, we dive deep into the timeline of Human Evolution. We first talk about how Darwin’s Morphological Species Concept helped scientists answer the age-old question of do we, as humans, come from apes? In short, humans and apes share a common ancestor in the distant past. Primates first evolved 55 Mya (million years ago), but it was not until around 5.8-5.2 Mya would we see early “proto-humans,” or the Ardipithecus, show up in the fossil record. We talk through the timeline from Sahelanthropus tchadensis to Australopithicus afarensis, to the diets of Paranthropus robustus to the first hominins to migrate out of Africa, Homo ergaster, just to name a few. Fun facts are littered throughout and there is even a poem! Come join us in our adventure through geologic time.

Do you even evolution?

Remember to Be Cool, Stay Tuned (for part 2), and Keep It On the Rocks!

Episode 31

In this week’s episode, we talk about all things caves. The study of caves, or speleology, is the science that brings to light the physical and biological aspects of their environments. Humans and their ancestors have long used caves as dwelling places, burial sites, storehouses, and even burial sites. While caves have been explored for hundreds of years, only recently have we come to realize their origin, how they evolve, and the extent to which they are impacted. Join us in our discussion as we begin our journey into the mysterious underground world of caves.

As always, we present to you the world-famous NewNews, and between the bars of our main discussion, this week’s mineral minute is brought to you by the Hydrous Iron Zirconium Phosphate mineral – Malhmoodite. We Close things out with the new and improved That Freaking Rocks with special musical guest Jason Keisling.

Until next time, let us remind you…

To be cool, Stay tuned, & Keep it on the rocks!

Episode 30

What is better than sitting back and enjoying a great movie? Watching a comically bad movie with geology as its backdrop, that is what! In this episode, we dive deep into two such movies: The Core and Airplane vs. Volcano. While The Core was not nearly as bad as the Airplane vs. Volcano, it was full of crazy geology that just do not add up. And Airplane vs. Volcano was just…. 

On the back half of our main discussion, we discuss the geology of Middle-freaking-Earth. We do suggest looking at a map of Middle-Earth to help keep track of the geologic complexities we present to you - from plate tectonics to economic resources, from glacial erosion to volcanic activity, from orogenies to geomorphology, this magical discussion has a little something for everyone. 

Between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another Mineral Minute brought to you by the zirconium silicate, Jargoon. Try saying that without laughing, we dare you. Try listening to Mineral Minute without laughing, we dare you. The Naked Mole Rat becomes Geology on the Rocks’ official unofficial mascot conveniently named Jargoon, and Baggins discusses the ways of the Lying Lyrebirds during this week's NewNews. And to close things out, Greg from Secret Gardens joins us as our musical guest for That Freaking Rocks.

Lastly we discuss our plans and goals for the upcoming Beach Clean Up Day on the 3rd Saturday in September.

Until next time remember to...

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, & Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 29

This week we discuss space with one of our long time listeners, Kevin. We boldly brave the final frontier and try to wrap our brainballs around how big the cosmos actually is - 93,000,000,000 light years across, one light year being 6 Trillion Miles (or 9.7 Trillion Kilometers). We try to make sense of the multiverse and discuss what would happen if you actually fell into a black hole. Would you get sucked into it or would you fall? Speaking of black holes, we determine that they cannot, in fact, be wormholes. The amount that is enveloped by these monstrosities equals the amount evaporated. We stumble our way through Schrodinger's Equation, whether or not trees make a noise when if fall in the forest, and Einstein's Theory of Relativity, just to name a few. Between the bars, is another Mineral Minute, brought to you by the iron arsenite oxyhydroxysulfate Tooeleite. Sprinkle in a little NewNews at the start, Rob from Here After at the end for a That Freaking Rocks, you have the primordial ingredients for another episode of Geology on the Rocks. What are you thoughts about space? What about the bass?

Until next time remember to:

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 28

Don't take things for granted, or granite, as we do our episode in reverse. We kick things off with a new & improved That Freaking Rocks. transforming the segment into a platform for bands to share with everyone some new music. Joining us for the very first iteration is Jared from Our Transient Lives. The majestic sonic soundscape has a really awesome story behind it; it being a pocket watch and I-IV-III. The music floats us into our main discussion Granite, what Granite is, and what Granite is not. We examine the writings of H. H. Read, Granites and Granites, which sparked the Great Granite Controversy that exposed the Room Problem, but resigned Granites and their identification to be a field problem. Magmatists & Granitizationalists both were intrigued by granites and without Plate Tectonics to help, they were both kind of right. Between the bars of our main discussion we present to you another Mineral Minute.This week's mineral is brought to you by the Copper Oxalate Hydrate, Moolooite. On the back half, we continue the discussion with the catch all phrase "Granite Counter Tops." Don't take it for granite because most of the time it is not. What is even a Quartzite Marble Countertop anyways? We close things out with a little NewNews that includes Nestle Water raping the land, Praying Mantis pheromone back-sacks, and Human-Monkey Embryos.

Until next time, remember to...

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 27

The journey continues as the boys at Geology on the Rocks team up with Mario, from and the Fall In 360 Podcast, to discuss all things Geology and War. Our discussion begins with what defines a continent. Seriously, what defines a continent? Are there 5, 6, 7, or even 8? What we do see is some of the divisions are geopolitical and available resources have been the cause of many conflicts and wars through human history. NaCl, Halite, or Salt has been at the epicenter of many skirmishes throughout human history and is even believed to be the reason we call our annual wages a salary. Texas even had salt wars! Nickel was at the heart of the Continuation War in Finland. But, are humans the biggest commodity? 

Between the bars, we present to you another Mineral Minute brought to you by the paladium bismuthinide, Froodite. On the back half of the episode we discuss a little about physical geology and the battlefield and a lot about various elements and mineral deposits that are used in various equipment and munitions. And, don't forget about the William Peters. In between it all, we discuss military stories from our past. We close things out with war songs in the ever so fun That Freaking Rocks segment.

Be Cool. Stay Tuned. And Keep It On The Rocks!

Season 3 - Episode 26

This was probably the most fantastic episode to date! Ugh.. Plastic. Is. Everywhere. AMD, or Anthropogenic Marine Debris, outnumbered plankton by a ratio of 6:1 a decade ago; imagine what that number looks like today?! It is pervasive and entirely man-made. Joining us for the discussion, is American Geoarcheologist/Anthropologist, Dr. Dale Simpson, to help bring to light the issues of AMD. He discusses how AMD is effecting the oceans and island of Rapa Nui and highlight how his research and initiatives are addressing the issue. We talk top-down and bottom-up strategies, how we can quantify AMD on our beaches, and what we can do to fight back to heal mother nature. It really can be as simple as following the 7R's and 10 Bans. Join us and Dale on the 3rd weekend in September for a Geology on the Rocks Research Project slash Beach Clean Up slash Community Bonding Moment. It's time to heal the broken arm under the bandaid and start building ties with our environment! 

Details will soon follow.

Until then, remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

We turn a quarter-century! Episode Twenty, the season two finale, is all from you, the inquisitive listener with your curious questions. We talk a little Advection Fog in our Triple Junction segment. Question: What do bee larvae, Mars’ Ionosphere, Phosphorus, and Iceland all have in common? NewNews, that’s what. In our main discussion, we first try to iron out the Flat Earth conspiracy and discuss the reason behind the idiocrocy. Hint – it has a lot to do with the fact that the Earth is not flat. We then share some of our funny field stories while geologying and militarying. This leads to talk about a fun little project we got to take part in. Fluoroapatite was this week’s Mineral Minute sponsor. On the back half, we answer the important questions of how we think geology will have changed 100 years from now, and if there was a mission to Mars to become the lead geologist, would we go? That Freaking Rocks finally crowns a winner in the March Madness Battle of the Bands Tournament – Do you agree with the winner?

Thank you again to all of our listeners for allowing us to be played between your earballs, and are looking forward to recording Season 3!

Be Cool. Stay Tuned. And, Keep It On The Rocks.

Where to even begin? 

Dr. Greta Bowling joins the podcast for Episode 24, which is action-packed from start to finish. It is our longest episode to date that you won't want to miss a second of. It is chalk full of knowledges, tangents (Is Ryan Gosling Hot or Not?), poems, corrections, rants, Freudian slips, and flat-out derailments. Some NewNews quick hits: the naked mole rat strikes again seizing the moment, we learn about the weird feeding habits of the cone snail, and the Amazon Rain Forest is no longer a net carbon sink.

The episode begins by diving deep into all things coral reefs. We start our discussion with the geologic setting of coral reefs and then segue into biological realm of reefs. We talk about the diversity of coral environments, some of the more famous reefs, some key characteristics they exhibit, and describe various coral organisms along with their symbiotic pals. Between the bars, we present to you another Mineral Minute that was sponsored by the potassic-magnesio fluoro sodium amphibole, Fluoroarfvedsonite.

We wrap up the back half with talks of natural factors, such as ENSO and predation, and anthropogenic factors, such as overfishing, plastics, acidification, and warming ocean temperatures) endangering fragile ecosystems. There is some debate about Silica versus Carbon regarding coral evolution, HotDog stands are used as a Coral Metaphor, and reefs may create their own sunscreen. Say what?! We close things out with some of our least favorite music genres, and Bryan may or may not lose his cool during this week's That Freaking Rocks.

Some of our favorite words include:

• Quiescence: in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy
• Defervescence: the abatement of a fever as indicated by a decrease in bodily temperature
• Anticlinorium: is a large anticline on which minor folds are superimposed
• Boudinage: a geological term for structures formed by extension, where a rigid, tabular body such as hornfels is stretched and deformed amidst less competent surroundings
• Cellar Door: no meaning in this context
• Heliodor: golden beryl; a variety that receives its yellow color from Fe 3+ ions
• Ineffable: too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words
• Ephemeral: lasting for a very short time
• Cromulent: Used to describe a dubious or made-up word, term, or phrase that is entirely plausible because it makes logical sense within existing language conventions
• Mellifluous: sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding

Remember to Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 23 (S2E8) - This episode segues nicely from last episode's discussion about estuaries and the interface between freshwater and the open  seas. Our main topics dive deep into MarMars and all things Beaches, Lagoons, and Barrier Islands. There is another poem, a few tangents, and we forget how to say our words. We end our talk with a bit or nerdiness and close out the episode with our first round bands chosen. 

Remember to Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 22 (S2E7) 

Better late than never! 

Dr. Angela Osen joins us again to conclude our conversation we started last week. It may have ended a bit abruptly but we decided it would be good to break up the discussion into two parts so here we are. This episode includes talks about the Characteristics of Coastal Waters as it feeds into the larger Estuarine discussion. We then mix things up as we stumble our way through Estuaries. Dr. Osen killed it, JtG and BB not so much. In between the bars is a quick little mineral minute. 

On the back half we talk about the different types of estuaries and how the water mixes in the different environments. Lastly, we bring up some human impacts and environmental concerns estuaries face. It is all stitched together with tangents here and there (Lunar Sleep Cycles, Permo-Triassic Extinction, Geology Bucket Lists, Maths, etc.) and we polish off the episode with another That Freaking Rocks. Enjoy.

Be Cool. Stay Tuned. And Keep It On The Rocks.

Episode 21:
Season 2 - Episode 6

This begins our two part series with Dr. Angela Osen to discuss Coastal Processes and Estuaries. Seas the Day starts off with the Texas Snow Shut Down followed by NewNews. The meat and potatoes of the episode focuses on Coastal Settings, Coastal Processes, Depositional vs. Erosional Coast Lines, and how scientist can use science to do science when monitoring the erosion of the coastal regions. Enjoy the twists and turns with tangents from here and there. And we wrap things up with another Mineral Minute.

Remember to Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 20 is the second part to us closing out the siliclastics. Our discussion here talks about that fancy word - Diagenesis. While we have talked about the deposition of sediments and the corresponding sedimentary rocks, this discussions dives deep into the processes that occur during deposition in subsiding basins regards to the physical and chemical responses in response to pressure and temperatures changes and how the sediments reacts to changes in pore-water composition. We close things out with a battle of the bands (Part 1) in this week's That Freaking Rocks. Who will be our big winner? 

As always, thanks for allowing us to be played between your earballs each week and remember to...

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, And Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 19 is the first part of our final discussion concerning the siliciclastics. We dive deep into conglomerates and shale closing out this chapter in our Sedimentary Basin Journey. We continue with our time honored traditions of Intros and Hellos, New News, Triple Junction, and Mineral Minute. Part two is to come...

Sorry for the delays but weather is a son of a bitch.

Remember To Be Cool, Stay Tuned, And Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 18 begins with the Intros and Hellos and we test out our new segment called 'the Triple Junction.' This is where we get a chance to talk about Fanfare, Feedback and Follow-Ups. New News never disappoints and includes Venomous Primates, Dialects of the Naked Mole Rat, Panda Kinks, and Wombat's Cubed Dooks. 

The main discussion continues along with our broader conversation that we have been having over the past few episodes over sedimentary basins, depsotional environments, and sedimentary facies. For this episode in particular, we focus in on the Composition and Classification of Siliciclastic Sedimentary Rocks in the form of Sandstones. We cover all aspects of the Silly Sandstones from their Framework Mineralogy (primary and accessory minerals), Matrix Composition, Maturity, and then put a face to the name or rather classify the Sandstones as either Arenites or Wackes and describe each in detail. 

Between the bars of our main discussion is another Mineral Minute, sponsored by the fluorororororo mineral, Fluororichterite. Lastly, we close things out discussing some of the most overrated bands in this week's That Freaking Rocks.

Remember To Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

As we come out Covid Protocol, we bring to you another episode of Geology on the Rocks!

This episode continues our discussion of Sedimentary Basins and we dive deep into all things Depositional Environments and Sedimentary Facies.

When we talk about depositional environments, we are referring to a specific type of place in which sediments are deposited and these layers of sediment that accumulate in each of these depositional environments have their own set of distinctive characteristics that provide us very  important clues and information with regard to the geologic history of any given area. A characteristic association of sedimentary rock features linked to a distinct sedimentary environment is what we refer to as a facies. Just like a face has distinguishing characteristics, as do rocks with their facies. Narwhals, comets, meteors, and dinosaurs make their presence known in New News. Fluoroendenite is our guest this week during Mineral Minute. And in That Freaking Rocks we discuss our Band's 2021 Plans. Maybe someone got signed? 

Remember To Be Cool. Stay Tuned. And Keep It On The Rocks!

Episode 16

Kick off the New Year the right way by listening to another Season of Geology on the Rocks! Season 2 will follow Bryan Baggins along with his Provenance Study and will focus on all things Basins. In this episode we will discuss all things basins, what they are, how they form, and how we study them. Between the bars we continue with another Mineral Minute; This week’s mineral is brought to you by the Potassium Magnesium Iron Silicate fluoride mineral, Fluorotetraferriphlogopite. We close things out with a little guitar talk during That Freaking Rocks. 

Remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks!

'Twas a few nights before Xmas and Our Season Finale premieres! Just in time to enjoy to enjoy the show between your Ears! As the holidays approach, your podcast gives to you, one final episode before season two!

 James the Geologist and Bryan Baggins Spiders in Space in New News and talk Christmas goings-ons, while giving a little geologic context behind some of the most well known traditions. A little less known is what causes the seasons. Pssst... It's due to the Earth's tilt and nothing to do with being closer or further away from the sun. In our one horse open sleigh ride conversation, we  talk why people get coal when they have been naughty naugthties and then talk how the coal actually forms to give to the kids. Ever wonder where Santa gets his coal? Maybe its from the little Island of Svabald? Maybe Svablad is home to Kobald? All we know is there is a lot of ice and that leads us straight into mineral minute! Widgiemoothalite takes center stage and is full of chuckles. We pick up with talk about about how Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer can help combat Global Warming and save the planet! The tundra also is a zombie wasteland that can bring back to life things 300 decades old. What? We close things out with a little Christmas Tree sustainability chit-chat. Lastly, to end the season in the right way, we sing to you the 12 Days of Geology, on this segments of That Freaking Rocks!!

Remember to Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!!

Salty Brine and Rock Licker are back at it again. Episode Fourteen is a continuation of last week's discussion and examine two other vital resources used in the making of Lithium-Ion Batteries, Cobalt and Nickel. We kick things off with Stories by James about the mythical creatures that protect the magical mountain treasures by killing miners who dare to take them. However, with the advent of Geology and Geology on the Rocks, we discuss the geologic context of the elements 27 and 28 and potential hazards associated with them. Luckily Beer is no longer made with Cobalt metal. We close our environmental series by highlighting some of the significant issues we may be blind to in the emerging lithium-ion battery industry. What Cobalt and Nickel giveth, they can also taketh, and we should pay attention and do our part to make the world a little better than we found it.

Highlights:

• Intros and Hellos - Mustache Talk
• New News (04:54) - Amplified Cricket Mating Calls, Gem Quality Minerals From Pegmatites Grown In Minutes, Poisonous Rat Fur, and Delicious Scallops With Their 200 Telescoping Eyes
• Mineral Minute (49:00) - Cummingtonite; An Absolute Must Listen
• That Freaking Rocks (1:23:24) - Brayn Raps About Geology

Be Cool, Stay Tuned, and Keep It On The Rocks!

Another episode for everyone's earballs to enjoy!! This week's topic was brought to us by one of our wonderful listeners, jo.z.mae, and she wanted to know about the impacts of lithium ore mining vs. fossil fuels. While there is no denying that we need to look towards renewable energy sources and shy away from fossil fuels, we took the opportunity to discuss all things Lithium and more importantly what the implications for using the end product are; such as lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles. 

From the rain shadow desert flats of the Salar de Atacama to Artisanal Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, policies should be in place to now to account for procurement of the various metals, recycling waste, and improving the current infrastructure to support renewables. Awareness need be addressed regarding environmental and human right concerns that arise from the ever shifting power in geopolitics and world trade markets. 

Sprinkled in between, we talk New News, break down a new mineral in Mineral Minute, reset things in That Freaking Rocks and we even challenge another geology podcast to a debate. Will they answer the call? Only time will tell.

As always, Stay tuned and keep it on the rocks!

Happy Turkey Day from us here at Geology on the Rocks! 

Episode 12 was another fun episode with special guest, Jason Young. Jason runs day to day operations at an engineering firm in DFW and has experience in all things mud and studied paleodebris flows in West Texas. This episode begins with some new news about the first dinosaur bones discovered in Ireland, Genetic Advancements of the Platypus, 6,000 Year Old Arrows, Mars Meteorites, and the December 21st Double Planet. We wrap up loose ends from our last episode,, Dating Relatives Bad; Relative Dating Good, and discuss radiometric/numerical dating. Jason discusses the real differences between engineers and geologists. We try our hand at sizing things but who even really knows? This week's mineral was brought you by Ca4Si2O6(CO3)(OH)2. Jason and Bryan leave James out to dry like a High Pressure system adiabatically warming the air when he talks about air pressure and wind. Tornado Talkin' . Lastly, this week's That Freaking Rocks we each build our own super band and our last guest makes the cut!

Stay Tuned and Keep It On The Rocks!

Bryan Baggins Begins with his adventure to the diamond mines in Arkansas and we try out a new segment, New News. We discuss Calcite Coated Leaf-Cutter Ants, Moon Rock Missions, and did you know there are more trees on planet Earth than there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy? Say?! What?! Conversation this week covers the basic Geologic Principles and Unconformities. Things were cut short after Mineral Minute as we had special guest join us for an extended 'That Freaking Rocks.' Our buddy, Eric Bourassa, is a professional guitarer, a DFW business owner, and is the basser for the local band Patient:0. 

Make Sure You Tune In and Keep It On The Rocks!

Live and in the flesh - James the Geologist and Bryan Baggins decided to celebrate their 10th episode by doing a live but socially distanced recording. The giggling intensifies.  This special episode starts at the Permo-Triassic boundary and begins with the 'Great Dying'. The stage is set by discussing the geology that was occurring  during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Our mineral minute was brought to you by Tugtupite, the reindeer blood mineral from Greenland. Most of the discussion is centered around the evolution of dinosaurs and birds. It ends with another segment of that freaking rocks and we talk about how some people don't get chills while listening to music. 

Stay tuned and Keep It On The Rocks!

Where to even begin?

This week is a very musically inspired episode. From the very start JtG finds old music he wrote as heard in the Intro and is quickly followed up by unnecessary wanking. JtG and BB finally debut the much awaited 'That Freaking Rocks' theme song and JtG embarrasses himself making the intro to the newest of new segments, Mineral Minute.  This week's conversation is pulled by the Moon's gravitational force and covers what causes the tides, how do tides vary during monthly cycles, what types of tidal patterns exist, etc. More than likely it is just Thor drinking from his horn. We examine the Bay of Fundy and the rituals of the Grunion. We harness the energy and discuss the possibility of using tides as a viable source of energy. Millerite is this weeks sponsor in the Mineral Minute. We then turn our attention to tying up loose ends. The question is finally answered whether or not California will fall off into the ocean during the next big one. Probably not. But Amasia is a possibility. Lastly we discuss Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada Batholith. The episode ends with the return of That Freaking Rocks and the debut of the JtG and BB's music baby. The idea is floated of having musical guests join us for future episodes to discuss their music. If you have music or do science, reach out to us and we would love to have you on. You can reach us by email at GeologyOTR@gmail.com or on our Instagram account geologyontherockspodcast. 

As always, Stay Tuned and Keep It On The Rocks!

While Bryan Baggins and James the Geologist both had busy weeks, that doesn't stop them from talking a little geology. This episode is a journey that begins with the wonderful world of pegmatites. Minerals grow larger than life and while a few things may start off cloudy, at the center, it becomes crystal clear. The trek deflects to the right (in the northern hemisphere, anyways) when the story shifts towards the Coriolis effect. Sadly, the force alone is not enough to cause toilets to flow in a particular direction, but maybe an election can! Go Out And Vote. The ocean current rights the ship as our saga sets sail for the Isle of Rock Hound. Here you will learn where the good places to discover fossils are here in North Texas. Just don't hoard 10,000 fossils. Stay tuned and keep it on the rocks!

What do the rain forests of the amazon, the GDP, urban pressure, agriculture, the great lakes, blood-brain barriers, ozone depletion, carbon sequestration, and the moon all have in common? I guess you will just have to listen to find out. This week we have fun tackling a broad spectrum of questions from our listeners and offer some semblance of a holistic answer; perhaps stepping outside of our comfort zone. Fear not, because we close the episode out with another fantastic segment of TFR and how we navigate the creative processes of writing new music and the benefit of collaborating with others and a special announcement of someone's new single release.

Stay tuned and Keep it on the rocks!

This episode would be described as a magma with low viscosity while maintaining a high silica content because it is explosive compliments to the editing out 21 minutes worth of worth of plosives. 

James the Geologist stumbles out of the gate and Bryan Baggins takes his GIT. The discussion ropes in and out as much as the texture of a pahoehoe lava flow, but is short and to the point like an aa flows. Who knows? Even when things got a bit muddy, it still hits hard like a lahar. The knowledge was hotter than gravity drops nuee ardentes. Your mind will be blown away more than the north flank of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Boom.  Do you like poetry? Do you like Lord of the Rings? Do you like the symphony? 

Do you even volcano? 

Stay tuned and keep it on the rocks.

Dr. Angela Osen, Professor of Geology, helps JtG and BB, the two Geologist on the Rocks, navigate the wondrous world of marine sediments. The journey begins with adventures from the Arlington Archosaur Site and prepping fossils at a museum. In this episode we break down what sediments are; much like weathering did to the sources of lithogenous sediments. Ooids and Manganese nodules battle for weirdest sediment. There were a few twists, such as the demise of the dinosaurs (minus birds) at the K-T boundary, and turns that include why you should always plan for rafting boulders when in a submarine. The conversation closes with another great "That Freaking Rocks" segment and a secret confessions of phantomy musical operas.

Tune in and Keep it on the rocks!

Minerals - This episode winds down the path of gentle musings from JtG and BB who took their geology on the rocks; one more than the other. Can you guess who it is? There is talk about what is a mineral and what a mineral is not - a healing tool. The talk quickly dives deep into the Bowen's Reaction Series. Things get a little in depth while trying to navigate the many different rabbit holes that get brought up. Highlights include Bryan Baggins getting derailed when Marl is casually brought up. Will he ever be able to recover? Also, 1/2 of the 2 questions asked this week will be vaguely answered. However, by this time we will be clearly "on the rocks.'  On 'That Freaking Rocks' we discuss what each of our band's upcoming plans are for the fall as they keep their eye on the 2021 horizon.

We continue our conversation with Dale with stories from FOUND, how he approaches science to answer questions in his research, gives insight on the tools he uses to analyze basalt, and close it out with some THAT FREAKING ROCKS and talk about the music scene in Rapa Nui. 

Have you ever seen the rain?

This week we dive deep into the first unifying theory in Geology - Plate Tectonics. It shows how science evolves and improves upon itself by the continued work and dedication by the people doing the research. Our guest, Dr. Dale Simpson, Jr. exemplifies this fact. He is an American Anthropological Archeologist who has dedicated his life's work researching the ancient interactions of the people of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, by using geology and documenting the movement of basalt from different geologic sources. 

Part 1 is a discussion that introduces Dale, the Idea of Plate Tectonics, Evidence of Continental Drift, A Brief Discussion of Plate Boundaries and some of their Features, How Scientists Use Science To Build Upon What Is Known, How We Can Use Science To Answer Questions and Further Our Knowledge.

Part 2 continues with Dale's story (stay tuned)  

This episode includes an introduction to who we are, James the Geologist and Bryan Baggins, what we do, and how we came to talk about geology. We discuss our lives in the age of Covid-19, our favorite minerals, and how we go about rocking out on stage.