Bearded Geology

While I've been doing some reading and writing for my PhD comps exam, I've tangentially discovered that the term thagomizer  is not in the 783-page Glossary of Geology  (5th edition, revised 2011). I was under the assumption that the term, coined in Gary Larsen's The Far Side comic strip for the spiky bits of a Stegosaurus' tail, has entered mainstream usage. However, it appears that it hasn't quite attained formality in scientific literature, much to my dismay. (image credit: ©Gary Larsen/ Wikimedia ) The Glossary of Geology includes several anatomical names used in paleontology (e.g. orbit, tibia, glabella, and gizzard), but the thagomizer didn't make the cut. Although it has recently become used in the scientific literature ( Costa and Mateus, 2019 ). This got me wondering if there are any terms used for the bony plates that protrude from the Stegosaurus' back. Unfortunately, I have not found any such endearing name for these like the t...

Follow @YearOnEarth to get a sense of the entirety of Earth's geologic history as it is compacted into one year. The story of the Earth will begin soon. 01.01.2020 pic.twitter.com/MgZ64qqCxQ — Earth (@YearOnEarth) December 15, 2019 Last year, I honestly thought about doing this. Glad to see that great minds think alike!😁

As 2019 ends, Forbes just published this article on the top ten false or misleading geological statements that needs to die. They're the kind of thing that gets written in tabloids with volcanoes and earthquakes abound. The article is basically a rant by a geologist - Dr. Robin Andrews (Twitter:  @SquigglyVolcano ) - that deservedly wants an end to sensationalized headlines misrepresenting our field of science. As do we all.

I just ran across this really good Associated Press article titled " AP: At least 1,680 dams across the US pose potential risk ," from last month about dam hazards and recent dam failures. Here's a brief summary: A more than two-year investigation by The Associated Press has found scores of dams nationwide in even worse condition, and in equally dangerous locations. They loom over homes, businesses, highways or entire communities that could face life-threatening floods if the dams don’t hold. A review of federal data and reports obtained under state open records laws identified 1,688 high-hazard dams rated in poor or unsatisfactory condition as of last year in 44 states and Puerto Rico. The actual number is almost certainly higher: Some states declined to provide condition ratings for their dams, claiming exemptions to public record requests. Others simply haven’t rated all their dams due to lack of funding, staffing or authority to do so.  Deaths from dam failures ...

Gemstones are inherently in demand, and as such, there are many who attempt to either create an imitation (simulant) gemstone or create a lab-grown (synthetic) gemstone. Simulant gemstones are those that mimic another, but have different properties and compositions than the imitated gem, such as a red-dyed quartz simulating a ruby (a variety of corundum) ( read more here about simulants ). Whereas, synthetic gemstones are those that have the same chemical composition and properties as the imitated gem ( read more here about synthetics ). Synthetic gemstones are not a new concept; rubies have been known to be synthesized since the late 19th century and emeralds (a variety of beryl) since the 1930s. Undoubtedly many antique jewelry items bear synthetic gems such as ruby and emerald, and as technology and techniques advance, more and more gems are becoming replicated. Real rhodochrosite cabochons (two on the left) and imitated rhodochrosite (two on the right). The banding of the simu...

In 1857, twenty-one years after Arkansas gained statehood, the Arkansas legislature approved funding for the first geological survey of the state. Governor Elias N. Conway commissioned Dr. David Dale Owen to lead the survey beginning in 1857 to 1859 with funds of $4,800 per year, plus a salary of $1,800, and continuing from 1859 to 1860 with $6,000 per year, plus $2,500 salary. Owen was no stranger to government surveys; he also served as the State Geologist of Indiana (1837-1838) and Kentucky (1854-1857), as well as a geologist for the U.S. Government on a survey of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and parts of Illinois and Nebraska (1839-1840, 1847-1850). David Dale Owen (image credit: Smithsonian Archives/ Wikimedia ) Owen commenced the Arkansas survey in Greene County with laboratory and field assistance of William Elderhorst - professor of chemistry and mineralogy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Edward T. Cox - who later would be State Geologist of Indiana, Robert Pete...

Looking through the department's collection for the most difficult rock and mineral samples to put on the lab exam... Happy Finals Week!!

I'm a huge Star Wars nerd. I'm going to say that right now and get it out of the way. I'll undoubtedly be subscribing to the Disney+ streaming service just to watch the new Star Wars live-action TV show, The Mandalorian , which just dropped a new trailer . In the trailer there is are a couple of shots of a new creature on an unspecified world from a galaxy far, far away: I will love him and squeeze him and call him George (© Lucasfilm/Disney) As soon as I saw this angry, furry unicorn pop up on the screen, I got a sudden, strong feeling as if I've seen this creature before. Then, the name Elasmotherium formed in my head. Elasmotherium is an extinct genus and cousin to the modern rhinoceroses that lived during the Pleistocene epoch (appx. 2.6 million years ago to appx. 39,000 years ago). One particular species, Elasmotherium sibericum , is now thought to have been one of the last of the genus that lived until about 39,000 years ago in Eurasia, when mode...

While between rain storms earlier this week, I was able to get out into the field to do some outcrop work near Yellville, Marion County, Arkansas. I visited a roadcut near the US Hwy 412/AR Hwy 125 junction that is made of Lower Ordovician age  dolostone rock with some shale intervals. Interestingly, it has a couple thrust (reverse) faults on display: Thrust fault through carbonate rock (Facing north. Scale: 1.5 m staff with 10 cm intervals) A closer look at the fault in the lower-right corner of the previous image An even closer look at the fault. Lots of fault gouge. Notice the clasts that have rotated. Another thrust fault at the same roadcut (Facing north. Scale: 1.5 m staff) Some weeks ago, I was visiting a roadcut near Cotter, Arkansas  where I left with buckets of samples to analyze. One such sample was a large cobble that I slabbed on the rock saw and found these beautiful normal faults, with a baby graben flanked by two horsts: Faulte...

"geology isn't a real science" ?! "geology is the kardashians of science" ??!!! I.....I don't know what to say. I've never felt so offended. What happened to you Google? You used to be cool.

Recent earthquake (orange dot) on Sept. 12, 2019 (via  USGS ) After a slow start with my research, I'm hoping that things will begin to move along much faster this fall. To help with the momentum, I've scheduled a meeting with my PhD committee, however, the best day to do so is tomorrow - Friday the 13th. Now, I'm not a superstitious person. After all, when has anything bad happened to me on Friday the 13th? I'll take my chances. However, early this morning - at 1:42am for those who are sticklers for precision - I had just woken up as I was rolling over in bed when suddenly an earthquake rumbled through. I heard my window blinds rattle and felt my bed vibrate, which brought me into a state of sleepy confusion unsure if it was an earthquake or just my neighbors on the other side of my wall. It was initially recorded as a 3.7 by the USGS with an epicenter 19 km (11.8 miles) south-southeast of Gassville, Arkansas just east of the Buffalo River in Baxter County. On...

While doing some research for a new blog post, I took a break from writing by taking a trip over to Facebook again , and unfortunately found something else to write about: I've seen this image before and apparently it's making the rounds again. Based on what you see here, with no additional text or context given, is there any way that you can arrive to the same conclusion as the one given? I find that there is an absurd amount of information that is neglected, which prevents me from making any conclusions whatsoever. But firstly, what is this an image of? Photograph of Fort Denison, circa 1880s. (credit: Wikimedia /National Archives of Australia) This is Fort Denison on delightfully named Pinchgut Island in the Sydney Harbour of Australia. Originally built as a prison, and later converted into a fort to protect the harbor, Fort Denison still stands today well within eyesight of the famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was not able to find the...

Various types of micrometeorites (credit: ©  Jon Larsen ) In 1970, a machine was rigged onto a high-altitude atmospheric balloon and sent 21.7 miles (35 km) into the sky over Texas. The machine, lovingly named the Vacuum Monster after a creature in The Beatles' Yellow Submarine  movie, collected microscopic particles as small as two micrometers (microns) in diameter. Some of which were determined to be extraterrestrial, marking this as the first time "space dust", or more precisely, micrometeorites, were collected at altitude. Micrometeorites are a niche area of study within astrogeology (the study of the geology of extraterrestrial bodies), but has recently been expanding as it is now more accessible for researchers. On a large scale, international space agencies have devoted funding for missions to collect material directly from asteroids and comets, such as the ongoing  Hayabusa 2  mission to the asteroid  Ryugu , which has very recently completed its ...

On occasion, my home Internet router will reboot itself for reasons unknown to myself, and during one such instance recently, I was left realizing how much that I rely on the Internet these days and was unable to do much without it. However, since I use the Google Chrome browser, I was able to play the jumping T. rex game while waiting for my router to finish rebooting (press arrow keys on the "No Internet" screen to activate). While trying to beat my high score, I noticed that the dinosaur, some kind of tyrannosaurid (the T. rex family), was jumping over saguaro cacti. This got me wondering about the evolution of cactus plants and when they evolved. Cactus are flowering plants (aka angiosperms) and angiosperms evolved in the late Jurassic Period, and rapidly diversified during the Cretaceous Period. But, did the cactus (particularly saguaro) live at the same time as the dinosaurs? First, when did cacti evolve? Interestingly,“[t]here are no relevant fossil records...