The past year was seemingly a relentless and endless blur. But, as we in the northern hemisphere are greeted with the summer season, we seem to awaken from the 2020 bewilderment and take our first steps into the post-pandemic world. And what better way to do so than with a makeover of the Bearded Geology…
Naturally Historical Coins from the UK
Just recently, I found out that The Royal Mint of the United Kingdom is releasing three versions of a newly designed 50 pence coin. These coins celebrate the grandmother of paleontology, Mary Anning. Coincidentally, Anning is the focus of a new film, “Ammonite” also (full disclosure: I’ve yet to see the film, but it seems…
The Arkansas Paleozoic Stratigraphy Database is live!
A new project I’ve been working on is now on the blog: the Arkansas Paleozoic Stratigraphy Database. This is a searchable database of the Paleozoic lithostratigraphic nomenclature in Arkansas with some related information. Within this database, you can search for stratigraphic names that not only are currently in use, but names that are now abandoned…
Now on Twitter @BeardedGeology !!!
I’ve made the leap into expanding my social media footprint to Twitter! For blog updates and the occasional stray thought find me @BeardedGeology. An embedded Twitter timeline is temporarily available in the sidebar; just click on the dashed button at the top left corner of the page.
Snowflake Crystal Symmetry or: My Rant on Bedsheet Design
In celebration of winter weather (or disdain of it, your choice), I thought I’d do a brief post on beds, but not the geological kind. This post is mainly in response to a bedsheet set made by Cannon that I own. The following image is a photograph of the snowflake pattern on my bed sheets….
Project: World’s Largest Crystals and Gemstones
Although the pandemic left me at home for much of the year, I haven’t posted much throughout this year. But, I have recently been working on two ongoing projects that I’ve added to the blog and are accessible at the top of the home page via the new “Projects” link. These are the World’s Largest Crystals…
New 3D Crystal System Model Page
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many classes have been forced to adapt to online teaching. I myself am adapting some mineralogy lab materials to online and found that this blog can provide a platform for supplemental material. This includes a new page in the Mineralogy Course Links page: “Bearded Geology’s 3D Crystal System Model” page. This…
“A Guide to Graduate School Admissions in the Geosciences”
A new paper was published in GSA Today co-authored by freshly graduated University of Arkansas alum, David Gates, on the graduate school admission process for those studying geoscience. It’s quite a handy step-by-step guide that I wished I had while I was applying to grad school, since I had no idea what I was doing…
Structural Geology Trip to the Ouachita Mountains
People looking at folds. Faces obscured to protect identities. ¡Mas folding!. Action shot of man pointing at a fold Normal fault in sandstones and shales Recently, I got to join a field trip to the Ouachita Mountains to discuss a spectacular structural event that took place in the Late Paleozoic. The strata of the Ouachita…
Maps Below Our Feet
About four years ago I ran across a website called Macrostrat.org, a website that started from the University of Wisconsin to compile stratigraphic data into a searchable database. While browsing their site, I saw the most beautiful geologic map. Don’t get me wrong, there are great geologic maps that have been published, but this one…