Geology On The Rocks

Episode 46! Welcome to Season 5 of Geology on the Rocks! We have special guest Geoarcheologis Dr. David Rachal in this episode to discuss all things balls. Through his research, Dave uses his balls of choice, Ruppia cirrhosa (Ruppia) seeds, to better constrain megafauna footprints in southern New Mexico along the ancient shorelines of the Paleolake Otero. He draws on both geological and archaeological data to support his research. His work infers a dynamic shoreline rather than the current models, which assume a more static landscape. The study suggests that this newer model could have broader implications for understanding human-megafauna interactions. So take a seat, cozy up with your favorite drink, and listen in as Dave offers a firsthand perspective on his amazing work. As always, between the bars of our main discussion, we present to you another mineral minute and close things out with a new That Freaking Rocks. Until next time, remember to be cool, stay tuned, and keep it on the rocks! Find Dr. Rachal’s work here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666033421000034 Cite his work, too!! (APA 7th edition citations below) Rachal, D. M., Mead, J. I., Dello-Russo, R., & Cuba, M. T. (2022). Deep-water delivery model of Ruppia seeds to a nearshore/terrestrial setting and its chronological implications for Late Pleistocene footprints, Tularosa Basin, New Mexico. Geoarcheology, 37(6), 923–933.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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!

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!

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!