PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast

Latest Episodes:

A Geologist in National Defense - Dr. Stefanie Tompkins - Director of DARPA Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

Today we are extremely honored to get the opportunity to discuss all things geoscience and National Defense with Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, the Director of DARPA! Dr. Tompkins is the first Presidential Appointee we have ever had on our podcast and in this interview she clearly shows why she has achieved such an incredible level of success in her career.
With Dr. Tompkins we discuss the value of geoscience training, the role of research funding, and how varied geoscience careers can become. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

Download the CampGeo app now at this link.
On the app you can get tons of free content, exclusive images, and access to our Geology of National Parks series.
You can also learn the basics of geology at the college level in our FREE CampGeo content series - get learning now!
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Drove the Chevy to the Levee - The Geology of Levees Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Today we talk all about Levees! They are a very important and under-appreciated aspect of our society, infrastructure, and river systems!
Here is a link to the excellent article that we mention in the podcast. Please let us know if you have questions!
Levee Link

New York City is Sinking! Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

Today, Jesse and Chris discuss a headline that's been making a splash lately. There was a paper recently published that looked into why some areas of New York City appear to be sinking. We took this as an opportunity to discuss an important geologic concept - Isostasy or Isostic Adjustment. Our conversation spanned glaciers, mountains, and cities. We hope you enjoy. Below is a link to the published paper. I've also included a link to one of the articles written about the published paper.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022EF003465
https://time.com/6283322/new-york-city-sinking/

Office Hours - Back-to-School and Mass Spectrometers Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Today, Jesse and Chris take on a couple of listener questions. One is regarding a passion for geoscience and would like to know our opinion on returning to school for a trajectory change.
The other question is more for Jesse. It regards recent changes in mass spectrometry so we re-visit this important topic. We hope you enjoy.

Plants and Meanders - How to Read a Geoscience Paper May 25, 2023

Show notes

Here is a link to the paper we discuss in this episode:
In this episode, we talk about meandering streams. Why don't rivers flow in straight paths? As soon as a river flattens out, it begins to meander. It’s these meanders that manage the energy of the water. How? They really do 2 things: 1- they increase the resistance (physics) and 2- they decrease the gradient. Essentially, the river is changing itself to minimize the energy it expends to maintain a state of equilibrium. We also get into some detail. Meanders are not random. They are directly related to the width of the river and also the radius of the meander curvature. It's a really cool aspects to river morphology.
We also talk about things that can start meanders. And finally, we briefly discuss one of geology's more beautiful features - entrenched meanders. We hope you enjoy!

Not All Who Meander Are Lost - Meandering Streams May 18, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we talk about meandering streams. Why don't rivers flow in straight paths? As soon as a river flattens out, it begins to meander. It’s these meanders that manage the energy of the water. How? They really do 2 things: 1- they increase the resistance (physics) and 2- they decrease the gradient. Essentially, the river is changing itself to minimize the energy it expends to maintain a state of equilibrium. We also get into some detail. Meanders are not random. They are directly related to the width of the river and also the radius of the meander curvature. It's a really cool aspects to river morphology.
We also talk about things that can start meanders. And finally, we briefly discuss one of geology's more beautiful features - entrenched meanders. We hope you enjoy!

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The Geology of Oakland - Andrew Alden author of Deep Oakland May 11, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we interview author Andrew Alden. He wrote Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City. This book is a wonderful read and it offers a unique lens in which to view a city. Jesse and Chris both think that this idea should become a series - much like the Roadside Geology series.
Andrew talks about his motivation for the monumental task. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the city of San Francisco and kind of woke him up to the idea. Deep Oakland is an intricate story involving the intersection of geology and humanity. Specifically, geology determined early decisions in the planning of Oakland. Join us in this interesting conversation.

You can purchase Andrew's book Deep Oakland HERE

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Office Hours - Pollution and Slab Pull May 04, 2023

Show notes

Today, we answer some listener questions in what we call "office hours". We each chose a question for the other to answer. We did not know what questions we would be asked so our answers were on the fly. Jesse asks Chris a question from Joyce (his mom) about a new word that she needs to know. Chris chose paleomagnetism. Then, Jesse asked a more serious question regarding the potential for humans to influence the chemistry of magma in the geologic future.
Chris chose a question from Ava regarding the origin of slab pull as a mechanism for plate tectonics. We hope you enjoy!

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Banded Iron Formations - BIFs Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

Join us today as we discuss one of the more important ancient rock formations - Banded Iron Formations or otherwise known as BIF's in the geologic community. Wherever found, they provide us with Iron ore - some of the best on the planet. In this episode, we delve into the geologic story of how these important and beautiful rocks formed. There is some newer research that has altered some earlier thinking on BIF formation. We hope you enjoy.

Barrier Islands Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, we take on the topic of Barrier Islands. This is a very relevant topic because recent storms have devastated some of these Islands. The intersection between geology and humans is always an interesting topic.
Barrier Islands need three things:

Sand supply
Broad sloping coastline
Waves/tides/currents must be strong enough to move sand (high-ish energy)
- Waves must be dominant

In this context we discuss the 3 ways in which they form. Each Island has it's own unique story and all 3 scenarios play a role.
We also discuss the function of Barrier Islands in terms of protecting the mainland and also unique biological habitats.

We hope you enjoy, and as usual please send us any questions you have!

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