The Geology Flannelcast

By Chris Seminack, Jesse Thornburg, and Steve Peterson

What's The Geology Flannelcast about?

Three geologists sit down and tackle the topics that no one else dares to touch.

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LAST EPISODE

#155 - The Oceans

01.12.2023

Oceans take up 71% of the surface area on Earth. They’re kind of a big deal. Here we talk some facts about the Earth’s oceans and discuss how important they are from influencing climate to housing ecosystems.

The Geology Flannelcast episodes:

01.12.2023 #155 - The Oceans Oceans take up 71% of the surface area on Earth. They’re kind of a big deal. Here we talk some facts about the Earth’s oceans and discuss how important they are from influencing climate to housing ecosystems.
01.12.2023 #154 - Radon Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can be found in many people’s homes. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer, behind smoking. Here we discuss where radon comes from and what you can do to remediate ...
12.07.2022 #153 - Mauna Loa Erupts Mauna Loa starting erupting for the first time since 1984. We talk all about the eruption and the mechanics of Hawaiian volcanoes.
11.23.2022 #152 - Exam Time for the Flannelcasters Steve and Chris take Jesse’s Sedimentary Environments exam. See how they fair in this week’s episode.
11.14.2022 #151 - Sediment Accommodation In this episode, we talk about the importance of sediment accommodation in depositional environments.
11.01.2022 #150 - Laurentide Ice Sheet This week’s episode is literally too cool for school. We’re talking about the Laurentide Ice Sheet and ice ages.
10.30.2022 #149 - The Bermuda Triangle In this spooky, Halloween appropriate podcast, we break down some of the mysterious stories related to the Bermuda Triangle and how geologic phenomena can debunk some of the supernatural theories.
09.15.2022 #148 - Loch Ness We discuss the geology of Loch Ness, one of the largest lakes, located in the Scottish Highlands. And of course we discuss how the Loch Ness Monster is tied to the geology of the area.
09.15.2022 #147 - Dante's Peak Commentary You asked for it and we delivered. This is probably the most requested episode we've gotten. We sit down with some popcorn and comment on the blockbuster 1990s film Dante's Peak.
09.01.2022 #146 - Favorite US National Parks We go through some of our favorite US National Parks and a little bit of the geology relating to those parks.
08.25.2022 #145 - Long Valley Caldera This week’s episode is a Patreon request. The Long Valley Caldera is located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. We talk about the geologic history of the Sierra Nevada and the relatively recent activity at the Long Valley Caldera.
07.26.2022 #144 - The Mediterranean Sea Everything Mediterranean Sea is the topic of this episode of the Flannelcast. We talk about the formation of this mighty water body and how it dried up for a bit about 5 million years ago.
07.13.2022 #143 - The Gaia Hypothesis The Gaia Hypothesis proposes that the Earth acts like a living entity as a whole, keeping things like atmospheric and oceanic chemistry regulated.
07.08.2022 #142 - A New Way to Classify Minerals We talk about a new mineral classification scheme proposed based on how minerals form.
06.21.2022 #141 - The Silurian Hypothesis The Silurian Hypothesis is a thought experiment that discuses what the geologic signature would be if there was a advanced civilization on Earth hundreds millions of years ago.
06.18.2022 #140 - Death By Volcano We talk about volcanic hazards and all the different ways you can die from a volcanic eruption.
06.12.2022 #139 - Alfred Russel Wallace and the Wallace Line Alfred Russell Wallace is the most famous scientist that you’ve never heard of. We talk about his work, the Wallace Line, and how he inspired Darwin.
05.25.2022 #138 - Lakes We talk all about lakes in this episode… the biggest, the highest, the oldest, the dirtiest.
05.25.2022 #137 - Does Complex Life Require Tectonics? It turns out that plate tectonics may be really important for life, especially for cycling nutrients.
05.17.2022 #136 - The Taos Hum The Taos Hum is an unexplained phenomena in north-central New Mexico.
05.06.2022 #135 - Alaska We cover the highlights of Alaska geology in this episode. Brought to you by a Patreon request.
04.16.2022 #134 - Hot Spots We break down those strange and mysterious intraplate volcanoes known as hot spots in this episode.
04.16.2022 #133 - Listener Questions 8 You asked, and we answered in this listener question episode.
04.02.2022 #132 - Coastal Plain Fun This week’s episode is a Patreon requested topic - cool stuff along the coastal plain. We talk specifically about interesting features along the US southeast Atlantic coastal plain.
03.19.2022 #131 - Lake Nyos Lake Nyos is a crater lake in Cameroon with a deadly past. In 1986 it released a huge amount of carbon dioxide, killing 1,746 people.
03.08.2022 #130 - Chicxulub Timing We talk about a new study that suggests what time of year the Chicxulub Impact hit Earth 66 million years ago.
03.03.2022 #129 - Curling In honor of the Winter Olympics ending last week we decided to devote an episode to the sport that incorporates geology the most... curling.
02.16.2022 #128 - James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope just sent back it’s first images. This episode is devoted to the most powerful telescope ever built.
02.10.2022 #127 - Super Mountains and Evolution This week, we talk about how super mountains could have led to spikes in evolution, including the Cambrian Life Explosion.
02.02.2022 #126 - Hazardous Minerals: To Lick or Not to Lick the Rocks in this episode, we talk about some hazardous minerals that you may want to keep out of your collection
01.27.2022 #125 - Human Induced River Path Changes This week's episode is about how humans have permanently altered the course of two rivers.
01.25.2022 #124 - Clay The Flannelcasters talk about the different types of clay, how it forms, and industrial uses of clay.
01.12.2022 #123 - Favorites We’re back from our brief hiatus. This episode is all about our favorites in geology - our favorite field trip, favorite geologist, and even favorite delta, just to name a few.
12.23.2021 #122 - Stonehenge and Winter Solstice Happy Winter Solstice! The Flannelcasters talk about the history and geology of Stonehenge and how it related to the Winter Solstice.
12.14.2021 #121 - Surface Water The flying fickle finger of fate has picked this week’s topic - surface water. We cover everything from drainage basins to meanders to base level.
12.14.2021 #120 - Asbestos The Flannelcasters talk about the history and hazards associated with the group of minerals known as asbestos.
11.30.2021 #119 - Tides In the second installment of the coastal geology miniseries, we talk about how tides work.
11.30.2021 #118 - Coastlines The Flannelcasters break down the basics of coastlines in the first installment of a coastal geology miniseries.
11.18.2021 #117 - Eocene-Oligiocene Transition with Ted Bobik Ted Bobik joins us on the Flannelcast to talk about his work on the Eocene-Oligiocene Transition.
11.18.2021 #116 - Late Devonian Extinction The Flannelcasters talk about the potential causes of the late Devonian extinction, as well as it’s extent.
11.07.2021 #115 - Cascadia The Cascadia Subduction Zone is located off the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. It is responsible for the formation of the Cascade Mountains. Geologists believe a magnitude 9.0 earthquake could occur in the near future along this ...
10.26.2021 #114 - Spooky Halloween Stories Happy Halloween everybody! We share some spooky geology stories in this episode.
10.24.2021 #113 - Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains are located in northern New York, but their formation is completely unrelated to the nearby Appalachian Mountains.
10.17.2021 #112 - La Palma La Palma is a volcano is the Canary Islands that has recently been active.
10.11.2021 #111 - Largest Underwater Volcanic Eruption Recorded The Flannelcasters talk about the largest underwater volcanic eruption ever recorded, off the coast of Mayotte.
10.01.2021 #110 - Well of Hell (and Other Sinkholes) The Flannelcasters talk about the Well of Hell in Yemen, and some other notable sinkholes around the world.
09.26.2021 #109 - The Great Unconformity The Great Unconformity in some locations has nearly a billion years of missing time in the rock record. We talk about what it is and new insights on how it formed.
09.20.2021 #108 - Kola Superdeep Borehole This week the Flannelcasters talk about the Kola Superdeep Borehole - the deepest borehole ever drilled by humans, extended nearly 12 km below the surface of the Earth.
09.13.2021 #107 - 1906 San Francisco Earthquake The Flannelcasters talk about the cause of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the resulting damage, and positive changes resulting from the earthquake.
08.29.2021 #106 - Clastic Environments and Mars Rovers In this week's episode the Flannelcasters talk about clastic sedimentary environments. Then they finish up the episode talking about Mars rovers.

Older episodes

The Geology Flannelcast

What's The Geology Flannelcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Geology Flannelcast episodes:

#155 - The Oceans

#154 - Radon

#153 - Mauna Loa Erupts

#152 - Exam Time for the Flannelcasters

#151 - Sediment Accommodation

#150 - Laurentide Ice Sheet

#149 - The Bermuda Triangle

#148 - Loch Ness

#147 - Dante's Peak Commentary

#146 - Favorite US National Parks

#145 - Long Valley Caldera

#144 - The Mediterranean Sea

#143 - The Gaia Hypothesis

#142 - A New Way to Classify Minerals

#141 - The Silurian Hypothesis

#140 - Death By Volcano

#139 - Alfred Russel Wallace and the Wallace Line

#138 - Lakes

#137 - Does Complex Life Require Tectonics?

#136 - The Taos Hum

#135 - Alaska

#134 - Hot Spots

#133 - Listener Questions 8

#132 - Coastal Plain Fun

#131 - Lake Nyos

#130 - Chicxulub Timing

#129 - Curling

#128 - James Webb Space Telescope

#127 - Super Mountains and Evolution

#126 - Hazardous Minerals: To Lick or Not to Lick the Rocks

#125 - Human Induced River Path Changes

#124 - Clay

#123 - Favorites

#122 - Stonehenge and Winter Solstice

#121 - Surface Water

#120 - Asbestos

#119 - Tides

#118 - Coastlines

#117 - Eocene-Oligiocene Transition with Ted Bobik

#116 - Late Devonian Extinction

#115 - Cascadia

#114 - Spooky Halloween Stories

#113 - Adirondack Mountains

#112 - La Palma

#111 - Largest Underwater Volcanic Eruption Recorded

#110 - Well of Hell (and Other Sinkholes)

#109 - The Great Unconformity

#108 - Kola Superdeep Borehole

#107 - 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

#106 - Clastic Environments and Mars Rovers