PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Grand Teton National Park: A geological story Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Check out this photo of Grand Teton National Park to visualize what we discuss in this Episode!
https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/tetonfall.htm
Join us this episode as we take you through a tour of the geoscience history of Grand Teton National Park and discuss why the Grand Tetons are such an amazing place to explore geoscience questions.
Grand Teton National Park is a totally dynamic place, where there are two competing forces. First, tectonic uplift works to build the mountains up to high elevations while weathering and erosion works to knock these mountains back down to sea level. These competing forces make for a very active and restless mountain range.
We discuss the full range of the geologic history of the Grand Teton National Park, which spans from very ancient metamorphic gneisses that are 2.7 billion years old, to glacial features forming beautiful U-shaped valleys and cirques. In between there are many dramatic events, including a large mafic dike, very clearly exposed on the face of Mount Moran, that intruded 800 million years ago when North America began to split away from Australia and Asia.
The reason that the Grand Tetons are so spectacular is a massive normal fault, which is a location where rocks are actively being broken during seismic disasters. These seismic disasters have moved the Tetons up for the past 15 million years, while dropping the valley floor lower and lower. Jackson Hole will keep sinking with each future fault movement!
We also talk about some of the hikes in and around the Tetons that can gain you access to some of the features and events we discuss. Below is a list of some examples:
1- hike up Cascade Canyon and then the North Fork to Lake Solitude to visit a cirque, tarn, and some of the gneiss
2- hike up Cascade Canyon and then the South Fork to Schoolroom Glacier
3- hike up to Amphitheater Lake to a spectacular cirque, tarn, and horn
4- on the West side of the Tetons - in Idaho, hike into Alaska Basin to see the vast accumulation of sedimentary rocks
5- hike up Death Canyon where you can see the gneiss and the lighter colored halos around garnets and magnetite.
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On the app you can get tons of free content, exclusive images, and access to our Geology of National Parks series.
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Diamonds: Earth's Deepest Gem Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
In this episode we cover a range of topics centered around diamonds. Where do they come from? Why are they valued? How are they formed? Why do diamonds sparkle so much?
Diamonds are a huge industry, and an economically important resource for many countries. We cover the basics of diamond formation, what causes them to sparkle so much, and why they are scientifically so interesting!
It all comes down to density and hardness. Diamonds are formed deep within the Earth where carbon is put under great pressure. The extreme pressure required for diamond formation is what makes them so hard, which in turn makes them sparkle more than most gems. The extreme pressures are also difficult and expensive to replicate in the lab, so making diamonds synthetically is a pretty extreme task. However, there are ways around this, including putting graphite into a small room with a bomb and blowing it up! This is one method to make small micro diamonds for industrial uses like in polishing equipment or in saw blades.
Reach out if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions! We are @planetgeocast on Twitter and Instagram and planetgeocast@gmail.com; we love to hear your feedback and we have already had some awesome suggestions from listeners. Keep them coming!
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
Twitter: @planetgeocast
Facebook: @planetgeocast
Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
Website: https://planetgeocast.buzzsprout.com/

Hard Water and What Makes the Ocean Salty Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
This week we tackle a big question: why is the ocean so salty? Spoiler alert: it's because of the hard water you may have running through your house!
In this episode we cover three major questions: 1) Why is the ocean salty? 2) Why do rivers keep flowing all the time? and 3) What is hard water? Guess what...they are all related!
Hard water is water that is "hard" to make a lather with. This is caused by dissolved ions in the groundwater. Those ions get there because groundwater interacts with rocks under... wait for it... the ground! This groundwater feeds rivers, which then flow into lakes and ultimately the oceans. The ocean water then evaporates, leaves behind the salty stuff from dissolved rocks, forms clouds and rain, and starts the whole process over again. Except, the salty ions are left behind in the ocean and accumulate over time.
Hard water is extremely important to pay attention to because it can severely damage industrial equipment as well as cost you thousands of dollars in home repairs if you don't get it taken care of it. Here is a link to a United States Geological Survey article that outlines hard water, where it is found, and what it can cause. Check out that picture of the clogged pipe!
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/hardness-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
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Covid19: it's not ALL bad Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
In this episode we discuss what happened to our planet during the lockdowns due to Covid in the Spring of 2020.
TL;DR The Earth quieted down and we produced less CO2
We highlight a few interesting articles that have been published recently and discuss the way that scientists measure Earth movement using seismometers! We can even detect touchdowns during football games with seismometers, and when everyone was forced to stay at home during lockdowns the Earth became much quieter. Also, air pollution was reduced and we talk about what that might mean going forward.
Here are links to the articles we mentioned. Specifically, this Nature commentary outlines the reduction in seismic noise curing Covid Lockdowns
Read this article on the reduction in seismic noise: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00965-x
which has been updated in a more recent article since we recorded this episode!
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/07/22/science.abd2438

Here are the two articles discussing CO2 reductions and air pollution decreases during the Covid lockdowns
Read this article on the CO2 emissions related to the lockdown
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0797-x

And this short blurb on other pollutants
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511124444.htm

Thanks for listening and, as usual, please reach to us if you have any questions or suggestions, and leave us a rating/review if you enjoyed the show!
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
Twitter: @planetgeocast
Facebook: @planetgeocast
Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
Website: https://planetgeocast.buzzsprout.com/

Yellowstone National Park Aug 29, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of the amazing Geology of Yellowstone National Park, with visuals! Available now at - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com

In this episode we get into one of our favorite places to study and teach the geosciences, Yellowstone National Park! Yellowstone was the United State's first National Park, and arguably the first park of its kind in the world, but there is so much more! We discuss some of the interesting biology and geology going on in Yellowstone National Park, including cutthroat trout, how elk affect beavers, and the super volcano that created the landforms we see today! Morale of the story, we love Yellowstone National Park, and if you haven't been there, check it out someday soon!
If you are intrigued about our discussion of the Snake River Plain and want to know more, please check out this excellent webpage created by Paul Link at Idaho State University.
Also, if you have the time, check out Craters of the Moon National Park next time you are in Idaho; it completes the story of Yellowstone's volcanic history!
All in all, Yellowstone National Park is one of the premier geologic features on the planet! Join the PlanetGeo discussion by contacting us at our website or reaching out via email!

What is a Tectonic Plate? Aug 27, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
“Plate tectonics makes this planet awesome, flat out.”
In this episode we take a dive into the fundamental process that makes Earth unique, plate tectonics. We discuss what a tectonic plate is and what our planet would look like without plate tectonics, which would be pretty boring! Also, because of plate tectonics we are always moving relative to the center of the Earth. Listeners in North America are moving very slowly (think of the rate your fingernails grow) away from listeners in Europe and they are both moving away from those in Australia.
Check this link out for a map of the various tectonic plates on Earth at the moment!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics#/media/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
Twitter: @planetgeocast
Facebook: @planetgeocast
Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
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Geoscience is Important. Period. Aug 22, 2020

Show notes

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO!
Available here: geo.campcourses.com
Welcome to the first episode of PlanetGeo! Here we get introductions out of the way and discuss what excites us about the geosciences.
We are Chris Bolhuis, an award-winning High School Teacher in Hudsonville, Michigan. Over his 20-ish year career, Chris has taught Earth Science, Geology, and Astronomy, as well as field courses in the Geosciences. Chris won the National Earth Science Teacher of the Year award in 2014 and can usually be found sitting on his front porch admiring his substantial rock collection.
Jesse is a Geoscience Professor at Penn State University, and a former student of Chris’s. Jesse took 9th Grade Earth Science, 11th Grade Geology, and went on a several field courses taught by Chris while he was in high school, which led to his passion for the Geosciences. Since that time, Jesse obtained his PhD in Geochemistry from the University of Alberta, worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at a research institute in Washington DC for several years, and recently started at Penn State as an Assistant Professor.
Join us as we explore the Geosciences together. In this podcast we will do everything from exploring the basics, highlighting societally relevant topics, digging into the economics of the geosciences, and interviewing prominent scientists and industry leaders. We aim to cover a lot, so keep up!
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Instagram: @planetgeocast
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Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com
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