Today, NASA announced a new mission, this one to one of Saturn’s many moons, Titan. Titan beckons a visit from humanity so she can tell her tales to us. It is the 2nd largest moon in the solar system; slightly smaller than Jupiter’s Ganymede, but still bigger than Mercury. With a thick atmosphere…
The Research Diaries #1
While researching dolomite, I read this delightful bit in the journal AAPG Bulletin: “Furthermore, the feasibility of this, or a similar system was recently demonstrated (unintentionally) by a male dalmatian who produced uroliths [essentially kidney stones of the bladder] of ordered dolomite in his urinary bladder.” That is a sentence that I never thought I…
Arkansas Commemorative Stones in the Washington Monument
Hidden along the scenic Highway 7 in the community of Marble Falls (formerly called Dogpatch) in Boone County, Arkansas is a small abandoned limestone quarry of monumental proportions (pun intended). Within the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. are three stone blocks that represent Arkansas. These are among 190 other commemorative blocks that were…
Building Stones of Gearhart Hall
Gearhart Hall (photo credit: Robert A.M. Stern Architects) Gearhart Hall has a long history that began with its construction in 1937-1940 and has had many names. Its history described in an application for the National Register of Historic Places is as follows [1]: [Gearhart] Hall was constructed in 1940 as the “Classroom Building”…
Periodic Minerals: Galena
Another periodic mineral post! Since the last one was realgar, an arsenic bearing mineral, I thought I’d continue the theme of toxic minerals with galena. Galena is a very dense lead sulfide mineral (the chemical formula is PbS) and is the primary ore mineral that is mined for lead. Typically associated with zinc…
Recommended Podcasts: The Dollop
If you’re interested in podcasts related to geoscience, check out The Dollop. The Dollop is a history podcast hosted by two comedians where they discuss some odd topic, event, or person from history. Most of the episodes are about 40-70 minutes in length with a few that are longer. A few episodes relate to Earth…
Recommended Podcasts: 99% Invisible
The podcast 99% Invisible delves into the stories of people, places, and objects that people tend to overlook. Many of these unusual topics are related to technology, architecture, history, and artwork, among several other fascinating subjects. It is a high quality, well-produced podcast done in a similar fashion to many NPR segments with each episode…
Dolomite or Dolostone?
Geologists frequently use the term dolomite to describe both the mineral and the carbonate rock that is comprised of that same mineral. However, I find this to be unnecessarily confusing, especially since a clear distinction between calcite and limestone is recognized. So, I’ve dug up some history to the term dolomite. In 1768, Swedish natural…
Periodic Minerals: Realgar
Realgar (red) with quartz and pyrite. I was thinking of periodically posting about some particular mineral, fossil, or rock (particularly when I don’t have a topic to discuss), and I thought that realgar would make for a good mineral to discuss. Realgar is an arsenic sulfide mineral with the best chemical formula I’ve ever seen:…
Odd Stratigraphic Names
The USGS has a great website for searching stratigraphic names and I’ve found some names that are a little different. I’ve listed some of the most interesting ones below. Note that many of these are from the western states, and there’s a reason for that. Names of lithostratigraphic units (groups, formations, members, and beds) must…