Geology Bites

Becky Flowers on Deciphering the Thermal History of Rocks


Listen Later

Many processes in geology affect the temperature of rocks.  Erosion is one example — as a surface is eroded, the rocks below get closer to the surface, cooling as they go.  So if we know the temperature history of a rock, we can infer its erosion history.  Becky Flowers has a thermochronology lab in which she determines the cooling history of rocks as recorded in specific crystals they contain, such as zircon and apatite.  She explains how this works, and how she has used her results to unravel histories such as that of the Grand Canyon, the South African plateau, and even of that of the lunar surface.

Becky Flowers is a Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has a thermochronology lab in which she measures the amounts of the different radioactive decay products within crystals to figure out the cooling history of rocks. Knowing how rocks cooled gives us new insights on geological histories and processes of many parts of the Earth, and even of the Moon.

For podcast illustrations, and to learn more about Geology Bites, go to geologybites.com.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Geology BitesBy Oliver Strimpel

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

3 ratings


More shows like Geology Bites

View all
Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,875 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,639 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,948 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

234 Listeners

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

316 Listeners

Pod Save the World by Crooked Media

Pod Save the World

24,499 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,157 Listeners

The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

The Supermassive Podcast

285 Listeners

Geology Bites by Oliver Strimpel

Geology Bites

7 Listeners

PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast by Chris and Jesse

PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast

217 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,405 Listeners

Weird Medieval Guys by Weird Medieval Guys

Weird Medieval Guys

194 Listeners