PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast

Join us as we discuss the science behind the greenhouse effect and how it all works. This is a re-release of a much earlier episode.  As we take a SHORT break, we decided to release a theme of episodes surrounding Energy and Climate.  They are in the news often right now, especially with the COP26 conference.  This past fall, we have rising energy costs, wild fires, devastating hurricanes, etc.  E...

Please leave us a review and rating!  Follow us on all the social medias we are @planetgeocast —————————————————— Website: https://planetgeocast.com Instagram: @planetgeocast Twitter: @planetgeocast Facebook: @planetgeocast Email: planetgeocast@gmail.com 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...

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO ! Available here: geo.campcourses.com Today, we talk about the geology of Yosemite National Park.  Specifically, we dive into 4 different aspects: 1- What's the story behind all this granite? 2- Why do these mountains look the way they do?  Glaciers 3- What are all the cracks in the granite about? 4- Rockfall! The fo...

Astronomers can detect other planets orbiting around stars in the sky.  But, can those planets see us?  That's the question, and Dr. Jackie Faherty has answers!  This conversation is based on a paper that Dr. Faherty coauthored recently, found here .    We interviewed Dr. Jackie Faherty about it!  You can follow Dr. Faherty on Twitter and visit her website to learn more! Please leave us a rev...

Have you heard of Manhattan-Henge ?  It's a totally cool phenomenon that occurs in The Big Apple every spring and summer. We interviewed Dr. Jackie Faherty about it!  You can follow Dr. Faherty on Twitter and visit her website to learn more! Please leave us a review and rating!  Follow us on all the social medias we are @planetgeocast —————————————————— Website: https://planetgeocast.com Inst...

In this episode, we discuss the categories - or different types of volcanoes in the world.  We begin by discussing how the traditional categories, as found in most textbooks, are not adequate.  There are too many exceptions to the rules.  So we begin by discussing the typical 3 - Shield, stratovolcanoes, and cinder cones.  Then, we expand the categories to include rhyolite caldera complexes (often...

In this GeoShort, we discuss Mount St. Helens, one of Chris' favorite volcanoes and probably the reason he got into geoscience!   This is the Scientific American article , written by Steve Olson , about Mount St. Helens that serves as the backbone for much of our discussion. Mount St. Helens is a famous volcano in Washington State that erupted in 1980.  Scientists have been studying Mount St....

Today we are talking about all things Venus!  Our host - Professor Martha Gilmore of Wesleyan University -  is a world expert on Earth's Toxic Twin planet, Venus.  Venus is the second planet from the sun and the target for newly announced NASA Missions in the coming decade!  Venus has a super thick atmosphere that is dominated by CO2, it may or may not have continents, and studying Venus may...

Well, we got to interview yet another amazing geoscientist - Professor Martha Gilmore of Wesleyan University !  Professor Gilmore is a world expert on Venus , the second planet from the sun and the target for newly announced NASA Missions in the coming decade!   In this preview to the full interview with Dr. Gilmore, we discuss how she collects data on the composition of Venus - despite the atmosp...

Learn all the basics of geology in our new conversational textbook - campGEO ! Available here: geo.campcourses.com Today we get to talk about something really relevant to our everyday lives, and the future - Geothermal Energy! Geothermal Energy is a term that means a few different things , but it all relies on the Earth being somewhat hot.  So, before we dive into the question of what Geothermal E...

There are so many misconceptions out there!  In this Geoshort episode, Jesse interviews Chris about common Geoscience misconceptions that students have regarding our planet.  Jesse is pulling the questions from a list of over 500 misconceptions ( link here ).   Chris has not been given any clues to the questions he's being asked and nothing was discussed prior to recording - join us for a fun...

This week is a really special one!  We had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gabriela Farfan , the Coralyn W. Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum , the United States National Museum. Dr. Farfan is a world expert on gems and minerals, and we cover a lot! Everything from a personal look at how Dr. Farfan got into geology and minerals, the future of min...

This week is a really special one!  We had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gabriela Farfan , the Coralyn W. Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum , the United States National Museum. Dr. Farfan is a world expert on gems and minerals, and the full interview (out next week) covers everything minerals!  In this GeoShort, Dr. Farfan tells us some amazing...

Curious about how Geoscience goes into the future?  Have you ever wondered what causes tsunamis? Ever thought about what it's like to be a minority in the Geosciences?  Professor Chris Jackson has something for everyone! Join us for one of the most interesting discussions we have had on PlanetGEO! Professor Jackson is an incredible communicator, scientist, and steward of Geoscience.  Follow h...

This week we have an amazing guest!  Professor Chris Jackson joins us for a short discussion on Sustainable Geoscience, what it means to him, and where he sees the future of Geoscience going. Professor Jackson is an incredible communicator and has so many insightful thoughts that they wouldn't all fit into one single episode.  So, join us next week for the full interview and until then enjoy...

Join us for a free-ranging conversation on how Geoscience Research happens (in one lab group at least)!  Today we talk about a mass spectrometer design project that Jesse is working on, how scientists typically need to fix and modify their own instruments to get them working perfectly, and touch on how scientific inquiry can be better taught to students! We also describe the basics of a mass spect...

This is a GeoShort followup discussion based on our previous Episode on the origins of continents and Bowen's reaction series!  While Bowen's reaction series explains many things — like why is Hawaii different from Yellowstone ? — it makes some very interesting predictions! Chris wonders, does the distillation of continents during Bowen's Reaction Series mean that continents are alw...

In this episode, we discuss a fundamental principle in geology: Bowen's Reaction Series.  This concept is taught in every introductory geology class as it provides answers to important questions such as why continents exist on Earth.   Bowens Reaction explains the relationship between certain minerals and the temperatures in which they form.  He found that some minerals are commonly found tog...

For some background listen to our previous episode on hard water and why oceans are salty! Join us on this GeoShort as we discuss the Great Salt Lake , which is going through a period of very, VERY low water levels .   The average depth of the Great Salt Lake in Utah is now only 2.4 inches, or 5 cm!  This low water level is mostly caused by the drought in the SouthWestern US, and impacts communiti...

Today we talk about Geysers!  And Hot Springs , Mudpots, and Fumaroles! These are extraordinary features that give any landscape a pretty dramatic look.  They are also very prevalent in Yellowstone National Park , and we give some key examples from that area. Hydrothermal features are really important to understand and monitor.  So important that the United State Congress passed a law requiring al...

Our GeoShort today focuses on Spherical Weathering, where normal rocks are turned into round shapes by chemical erosion. Many rocks have cracks in them, called joints, and these joints often break the rocks up into little cubes or rectangular prisms.  Cubes and prisms have a high surface area relative to their volume, and the corners especially. So fluids that have weak acid in them preferentially...

We liked talking about dams so much we did it again!  Join our discussion on streams, how the normally operate, and how dams disrupt the way that streams function. We highlight a few things in this episode, including a recent Eos article on sediment accumulation behind dams - expertly written by Tullos et al., the Paonia Reservoir where sediment accumulation has filled in the reservoir in record t...

What type of rock has really big minerals and lots of uncommon elements?  It's a pegmatite!  Pegmatites contain lots of important elements and minerals , both for our economy and for mineral collectors .  Join us for a tour of pegmatites.  We give quick low-down on how pegmatites form.  They contain really large mineral grains, which usually implies that they cooled slowly.  But, pegmatites f...

Have you ever watched the movie 300 or heard of the Spartans making a stand against the Persian Empire ?  It's an amazing story right...but it has some amazing geology behind it too.   Geology has influenced historical events in momentous ways, and here on PlanetGeo we are going to start highlighting these ways.  This incredible story of the Hot Gates is just the first part of that series.  I...

We had such a great conversation with Dr. Andrew Calvert , Scientist-in-Charge of the California Volcano Observatory , that we decided to run it back one more time.  Mount Shasta is clearly a favorite of Dr. Calvert's, and is  famous location for hiking, climbing, and skiing.  However, it is not a National Park despite the best efforts of the famous John Muir , and is not a true tourist desti...