Geology On The Rocks

Where to even begin?

This week is a very musically inspired episode. From the very start JtG finds old music he wrote as heard in the Intro and is quickly followed up by unnecessary wanking. JtG and BB finally debut the much awaited 'That Freaking Rocks' theme song and JtG embarrasses himself making the intro to the newest of new segments, Mineral Minute.  This week's conversation is pulled by the Moon's gravitational force and covers what causes the tides, how do tides vary during monthly cycles, what types of tidal patterns exist, etc. More than likely it is just Thor drinking from his horn. We examine the Bay of Fundy and the rituals of the Grunion. We harness the energy and discuss the possibility of using tides as a viable source of energy. Millerite is this weeks sponsor in the Mineral Minute. We then turn our attention to tying up loose ends. The question is finally answered whether or not California will fall off into the ocean during the next big one. Probably not. But Amasia is a possibility. Lastly we discuss Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada Batholith. The episode ends with the return of That Freaking Rocks and the debut of the JtG and BB's music baby. The idea is floated of having musical guests join us for future episodes to discuss their music. If you have music or do science, reach out to us and we would love to have you on. You can reach us by email at [email protected] or on our Instagram account geologyontherockspodcast. 

As always, Stay Tuned and Keep It On The Rocks!

While Bryan Baggins and James the Geologist both had busy weeks, that doesn't stop them from talking a little geology. This episode is a journey that begins with the wonderful world of pegmatites. Minerals grow larger than life and while a few things may start off cloudy, at the center, it becomes crystal clear. The trek deflects to the right (in the northern hemisphere, anyways) when the story shifts towards the Coriolis effect. Sadly, the force alone is not enough to cause toilets to flow in a particular direction, but maybe an election can! Go Out And Vote. The ocean current rights the ship as our saga sets sail for the Isle of Rock Hound. Here you will learn where the good places to discover fossils are here in North Texas. Just don't hoard 10,000 fossils. Stay tuned and keep it on the rocks!

What do the rain forests of the amazon, the GDP, urban pressure, agriculture, the great lakes, blood-brain barriers, ozone depletion, carbon sequestration, and the moon all have in common? I guess you will just have to listen to find out. This week we have fun tackling a broad spectrum of questions from our listeners and offer some semblance of a holistic answer; perhaps stepping outside of our comfort zone. Fear not, because we close the episode out with another fantastic segment of TFR and how we navigate the creative processes of writing new music and the benefit of collaborating with others and a special announcement of someone's new single release.

Stay tuned and Keep it on the rocks!

This episode would be described as a magma with low viscosity while maintaining a high silica content because it is explosive compliments to the editing out 21 minutes worth of worth of plosives. 

James the Geologist stumbles out of the gate and Bryan Baggins takes his GIT. The discussion ropes in and out as much as the texture of a pahoehoe lava flow, but is short and to the point like an aa flows. Who knows? Even when things got a bit muddy, it still hits hard like a lahar. The knowledge was hotter than gravity drops nuee ardentes. Your mind will be blown away more than the north flank of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Boom.  Do you like poetry? Do you like Lord of the Rings? Do you like the symphony? 

Do you even volcano? 

Stay tuned and keep it on the rocks.

Dr. Angela Osen, Professor of Geology, helps JtG and BB, the two Geologist on the Rocks, navigate the wondrous world of marine sediments. The journey begins with adventures from the Arlington Archosaur Site and prepping fossils at a museum. In this episode we break down what sediments are; much like weathering did to the sources of lithogenous sediments. Ooids and Manganese nodules battle for weirdest sediment. There were a few twists, such as the demise of the dinosaurs (minus birds) at the K-T boundary, and turns that include why you should always plan for rafting boulders when in a submarine. The conversation closes with another great "That Freaking Rocks" segment and a secret confessions of phantomy musical operas.

Tune in and Keep it on the rocks!

Minerals - This episode winds down the path of gentle musings from JtG and BB who took their geology on the rocks; one more than the other. Can you guess who it is? There is talk about what is a mineral and what a mineral is not - a healing tool. The talk quickly dives deep into the Bowen's Reaction Series. Things get a little in depth while trying to navigate the many different rabbit holes that get brought up. Highlights include Bryan Baggins getting derailed when Marl is casually brought up. Will he ever be able to recover? Also, 1/2 of the 2 questions asked this week will be vaguely answered. However, by this time we will be clearly "on the rocks.'  On 'That Freaking Rocks' we discuss what each of our band's upcoming plans are for the fall as they keep their eye on the 2021 horizon.

We continue our conversation with Dale with stories from FOUND, how he approaches science to answer questions in his research, gives insight on the tools he uses to analyze basalt, and close it out with some THAT FREAKING ROCKS and talk about the music scene in Rapa Nui. 

Have you ever seen the rain?

This week we dive deep into the first unifying theory in Geology - Plate Tectonics. It shows how science evolves and improves upon itself by the continued work and dedication by the people doing the research. Our guest, Dr. Dale Simpson, Jr. exemplifies this fact. He is an American Anthropological Archeologist who has dedicated his life's work researching the ancient interactions of the people of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, by using geology and documenting the movement of basalt from different geologic sources. 

Part 1 is a discussion that introduces Dale, the Idea of Plate Tectonics, Evidence of Continental Drift, A Brief Discussion of Plate Boundaries and some of their Features, How Scientists Use Science To Build Upon What Is Known, How We Can Use Science To Answer Questions and Further Our Knowledge.

Part 2 continues with Dale's story (stay tuned)  

This episode includes an introduction to who we are, James the Geologist and Bryan Baggins, what we do, and how we came to talk about geology. We discuss our lives in the age of Covid-19, our favorite minerals, and how we go about rocking out on stage.