GEO Podcast

Over 70% of the rocky surface of our planet (although most of this is underwater) is made up of oceanic crust.  This crust, along with the upper mantle make up the oceanic tectonic plate material.  Oceanic crust is unique - and this episode explains the features of this type of crust. This is essential listening for students learning about Plate Tectonics! For more GEO Podcasts and Earth science e...

What are metamorphic rocks and how do they form?  What is contact metamorphism?  What is regional metamorphism?  How are they different?  In this episode, I answer these questions and give classic examples of metamorphic rocks and minerals. If you want more information about rocks and minerals, come visit us at www.geoetc.com Support the show

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Chris Spencer from Travelling Geologist and Queens College about how he become involved i geology and why understanding our planet is so important.  Chris is a co-leader on some of the GEOetc Field Experiences..and an amazing human.  Your students will get a lot out of listening to Chris. Interested in joining us on a trip?    Check out our field adventures here. S...

In this episode, I talk about four things a college/university student (or anyone who wants to) can do to get some field experience.  With college/universities not requiring as much fieldwork - many not even running field camps or trips - these four things could help you build up your field experience and get ahead of the pack when applying for a geoscience job. Blog post on what students need to...

In this episode, I talk about the types of evidence we use to understand past climates on Earth.  I talk about isotope evidence, fossils, paleomagnetism, speleothems, ice cores, tree rings, and written records.  This is about the evidence we use, rather than what the evidence shows This is perfect when teaching a climate change unit.   Interested in joining us on a trip?    Check out our field adv...

In this episode, I talk about how volcanoes get different shapes due to the chemistry of the molten rock materials.  We talk about the shield, composite/stratiform and caldera volcanoes...and a little about cinder cones.   We mention silicate chemistry and the effect of water on shapes and eruption style. This is a great primer to volcanoes!   Interested in joining us on a trip?    Check out our f...

In this episode, I talk about the geological and topographic features of transform fault boundaries between two tectonic plates. This is a great summary for students learning about Plate Tectonics. If you want a summary of the theory - you can find a podcast episode that covers the theory here. If you want a booklet covering the theory and evidence, check out this one - its great idea as a class s...

In this episode, I talk about the geological and topographic features of three types of convergent plate boundaries - subduction, collision, and island arcs.  We cover earthquakes, volcanoes, deep ocean trenches, mountain building, and more.  This is a great summary for students learning about Plate Tectonics. If you want a summary of the theory - you can find a podcast episode that covers the the...

In this episode, I talk about the geological and topographic features of divergent plate boundaries, including rift valleys, Mid Ocean Ridges (MORs), normal faults, transform faults, and the ages of rocks moving away from the boundaries.  This is a great summary for students learning about Plate Tectonics. If you want a summary of the theory - you can find a podcast episode that covers the theory...

In less than 12 minutes, I summarize the major pieces of evidence we have for the theory of Plate tectonics.  I cover shape of continents, mountain and ages of rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and mid-ocean ridges, ages of the seafloor, patterns of magnetic anomalies, apparent polar wandering curves and hot spot volcanoes. If you want a summary of the theory - you can find a podcast episode...

In this episode, I talk about the science of Tsunamis - those horrifying waves that spread around the oceans after certain geological events.   What are those events?  How do the waves travel?  How can we warn people?  What if I am on the coast - what should I look for? If you want a classroom activity, have a go at constructing this 3D paper tsunami model .  Just print out, cut, and glue. Interes...

In this episode, I talk about solution  (Limestone/marble) caves and how they form.  What is the chemistry behind their formation and their cave formations like stalactites and stalagmites? In fact, I mention the chemical equation that drives this reaction... click here to see it. Caves are fascinating places, and I hope this makes it easier for you to understand how solution caves form. If you wa...

In this episode, we chat about the Earth's magnetic field and how that is recorded in igneous rocks.  We discuss how this was worked out, how it was used to plot Apparent Polar Wandering Curves, and how we use magnetic stripes recorded in the rocks of the seafloor as evidence for Plate Tectonics.  And quite a bit more... Interested in joining us on a trip?   Visit us at www.geoetc.com Support...

In this episode, I talk about the differences between a mineral occurrence, a mineral deposit, and an ore deposit.  And most of that is about the finances (profit and loss) of mining that resources than about the geology. This is a great primer for teaching students about mineral resources or to understand what these terms mean if you see them on a map. You can always real more about geology topic...

How is oil formed and trapped so we can use it as a resource?  Learn about source rocks, reservoir rocks, trap-rocks and different forms of oil traps. For more information about geology topics, come find us at www.geoetc.com Support the show

How does a geologist work out the sequence of events when looking at outcrop?  How do uniformitarianism, superposition, fossil sequences, and cross-cutting relationships all tie together to work out what came first and what came last?  This episode I talk through the processes for sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and structures like faults, folds, and unconformities. All of that in just...

Erosion is the moving of broken-down rock materials from one place to another and can be caused by the action of gravity, water, wind or ice.  In this session, I talk about each of those factors and examples of how they work. For more information on geoscience, come visit our site at www.geoetc.com Support the show

Often the most misunderstood part of the tri-process weathering-erosion-deposition cycle, weathering is the critical part of how rocks are recycled.   In this episode, I discuss how rocks break down through physical, chemical and biological ways. You can find out more about topics like this on our website www.geoetc.com Support the show

Today we talk about places you can go to start collecting rocks and minerals - and they are all places close to you home.   When starting off you just don't have to go far or to famous places, but you can look in your backyard, front driveway, or local parks.   Gary then explains what he takes into the field when he collects - to bring his treasures home - and how he labels and records inform...

Gold is an amazing metal and has been used by humans for thousands of years.   But do you know the properties of gold and how you can use them to find gold in nature?   Do you know how to tell gold from fools gold?  This episode explains all these things (and a little more). You can find more about gold at www.geoetc.com Support the show

What are earthquakes?  How are they formed? What is causing the shaking?  How do we record them?  What should you do in an Earthquake?    Learn all about Earthquakes in less than 15 mins.   Learn about seismic waves (P, S and surface waves), learn terms like fault, focus, and epicenter.  Understand the term magnitude and how much energy is released. Support the show

The silicate minerals are the building blocks for all the rocks on Earth.    They follow a system of formation and therefore classification - and in this episode, I explain the fundamental building block (silicon tetrahedron) and how that is used to form all the different types of minerals. For more information, see this blog post on the Silicate Minerals . And finally - if you are new to rock and...

There are just so many different roles and specialties in the field of geology.  Many of these jobs have different titles or names, and so in this episode, I go through some of the major ones and outlines (roughly) what those people do in the field of geology. I know I did not cover all of the types of jobs...but this will give you, students and rockhounds a pretty good idea of the variety of role...

In this episode, I talk about the plutonic igneous rock known as granite - why I love it, the minerals it contains and what it tends to look like in the landscape. This is a perfect primer for rockhounds, teachers, and students on how to ID granite. You can find the full episode notes, including images of granite here:    https://geoetc.com/ episode6 / Support the show

In this episode, I outline the simple classification of rocks into the groups igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. You can find the episode notes here:  https://geoetc.com/episode5/ Support the show