PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Earth: The Operator's Manual - Professor Richard Alley Part 1 Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Dr. Richard Alley is a renowned glaciologist and paleoclimate scientist. He is also widely regarded as one of the best professors at Penn State University. Below is a list of his impressive credentials:

National Academy of Sciences
Foreign Member of the Royal Society
Evan Pugh University Professorship
Penn State’s top teaching award
Presidential Young Investigator Award
Earth - the Operator’s Manual -
Briefed senators, international legislators, and a sitting US Vice President
Published an unbelievable >310 papers/books/etc

Join us as we discuss climate change, glaciers, and sea level. Much of his current research is on a Western Antarctic glacier called Thwaites Glacier. It's been dubbed the doomsday glacier because of its likely impact on sea level. Alley is a gifted speaker and uses incredible analogies to paint a vivid picture.
Another big part of the discussion is how Carbon is the thermostat control knob for our atmosphere. We hope you enjoy the discussion. We did!
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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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The Worst Year to Be Alive - 536 AD Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
536 AD was not a good year to be to be a human - especially in Eastern Europe. Below are some written descriptions of what it was like:

Michael the Syrian, wrote: "[T]he sun became dark and its darkness lasted for one and a half years [...] Each day it shone for about four hours and still this light was only a feeble shadow [...] the fruits did not ripen and the wine tasted like sour grapes."
A prefect of Italy at the time, wrote: "so we have had a winter without storms, spring without mildness, summer without heat."
A roman politician wrote: “the sun had a buish color, the moon lost its luster and the seasons seem to be jumbled up together.

Global temperatures fell by 2.5 degrees C (5 degrees F) on average. The culprit was an Icelandic volcano that began eruption in early 536 AD. This was punctuated by another eruption in 540, the bubonic plague in 541, and another eruption in 547 to round out one of the worst decades to be alive on Earth. All of these events caused a combined effect that took the planet over a hundred years to recover.
In this episode, we discuss a little about the geology of Icelandic volcanoes and why they are so diverse. However, the main focus is on the process of scientific discovery. We dive into ice core analysis and tree ring data that helped researchers piece together the puzzle.
Join Jesse and Chris as we discuss what might have been the worst year, decade, or century to be a human in modern times.

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Canyonlands National Park Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Canyonlands National Park is the (big) sibling to Arches - the geology is very similar but the view you get on that geology is completely different!
Here we discuss some of the differences, and give a quick rundown of where to go to see some of that spectacular geology.
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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Arches National Park Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Arches are an amazing geologic feature and they occur in very high density in Arches National Park - located in Utah!
In this episode we discuss the regional geology of the area, the Paradox Basin, and then get into some of the detailed processes that form arches throughout the park!
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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Great Rocks, Summer Excursions, and Confusing Minerals Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
After a long break from recording, Chris and Jesse return to our studios to discuss our extremely busy summer. Jesse recaps his trip to Hawaii where he saw some amazing geology. He also talks about teaching field camp in Idaho to some of the Penn State undergrads. His favorite though, was continuing his field research in the Northwest Territories of Canada. He and his PhD student collected over 1,000 pounds of rocks. When asked about his favorite rocks seen this summer, Jesse didn't hesitate - the ancient rocks in Northern Canada. The toothpaste rocks won out over the much younger pahoehoe rocks of Hawaii.
Chris talked about taking 26 high school seniors out West for 3 weeks on the field course that he teaches. They went to the South Dakota Badlands, Black Hills, Devils Tower, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. The floods that ravaged Yellowstone in early June didn't prevent the students from learning about the incredible geology of Yellowstone. Following this, Chris returned to the West with his family to hike and climb. They went to the flatirons of Red Rocks and then on to Long's Peak. The Long's Peak granite was easily his favorite rock of the summer. The rock is interesting because it is a porphyritic granite. The huge phenocrysts are peculiar because they are not randomly oriented. Instead, they are aligned in a preferred direction which is a topic of current research. After leaving Colorado, Chris and family spent the next two weeks banging around in the Tetons.
We wrap up the episode by discussing a couple of mineral pairs that can be confusing to identify in the field. Join us as we have a casual conversation about some incredible geology!
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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Only the Strong Survive - Sand Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Sand comes from chemical and/or physical weathering of rocks, and is critically important to our society!
Most sand formation begins in the soil - soil has water to further break down the pieces. And the location where sand is formed plays a really important role in how useful sand is for concrete and ceramics. Most beach sand and desert sand is too rounded to be used!
As always, send us any questions you may have!
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Rocks and Rules - Putting Things in Order Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Today we talk about the basic Principles of Geology - the basic observations that allow us to put geologic events in a relative order of when they occurred.
The five principles are 1) Superposition, 2) Original Horizontality, 3) Cross-cutting Relationships, 4) Inclusions, and 5) Correlation/Continuity.
Armed with these five rules, you can understand a lot more about the history of the world around you!
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Red River Gorge, Kentucky Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
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Age of the Earth - or, How to Build a Planet Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
The Earth is old...very old. But, the Solar System is older!
We discuss how we know the age of the Earth, what the age of a planet means anyways, and how planets form!
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
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Magma Oceans and Triple Junctions - Listener Questions Part 2! Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Thank you Valeria, Chelsea and Natalia for the excellent questions! Keep them coming!
Today we answer some of your very interesting geoscience questions ranging from how the moon formed to what's going on in Vinicunca Peru!
We talk about the Mendocino Triple Junction, one of the most rapidly rising places on Earth, the magma ocean's that formed the moon, and how sedimentary rocks can get such spectacularly beautiful coloring to them!
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