Geological Sciences | Science Communication
Despite its Midwestern location in the heart of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Dells is today known as the “Waterpark Capital of the World.” However, its rocks—the actual Dells—first made it a popular Midwest tourist destination back in the 1800s. The Wisconsin Dells—which come from the French word dalles, or narrows—is a 5 mile stretch of gorges… Continue reading The Wisconsin Dells | An Ice Age and modern water park
Imagine that there’s a faucet that’s slowly dripping. If the faucet is left to drip long enough, you’ll notice that it will leave behind deposits from the dissolved minerals in the water. Now, imagine if you left your faucet dripping long enough to create a mineral deposit that was a meter-plus tall. This process is the… Continue reading Speleothems
Located in far northwest Sonora, Mexico, the Pinacate volcanic field comprises a 1,500 km2 area of Pleistocene lava flows with over 400 cinder cones and 8 maars. The volcanoes in the Pinacate are monogenetic—meaning they erupt only once and each have a unique magmatic signature. The field today is part of El Pinacate and Gran… Continue reading Pinacate Volcanic Field
Especially in the news as of late, there has been a lot of talk as to whether politicians “believe” in climate change. Framing the question like this makes it seem as though climate change is in the league of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny—things that require belief for their existence. However, climate change doesn’t… Continue reading Yes, climate change is real—and we’re causing it
Unconformities—erosional or non-depositional gaps—are abound in the geologic record. These erosional surfaces separate a lower, older strata from a younger, upper one (unless the sequence has been overturned). An unconfomity will typically form when an older layer is subject to a period of erosion before the deposition of new sediments. For example, the “Great Unconformity” of… Continue reading Types of unconformities
Hobbits are no longer just fictional residents of Middle-earth, they were real-life inhabitants of Flores, Indonesia. This species of extinct hominin, Homo floresiensis, was first discovered at the cave site of Liang Bua on the island of Flores in 2003-2004. They received their nickname of “the hobbits” due to their small size. The occupation of… Continue reading The real-life hobbits of Flores, Indonesia | Homo floresiensis
Direct measurements for global temperature only date back to about 1850, so how do we figure out what past climates were like? Once we move beyond the limits of direct measurements, we need to use proxies—preserved physical characteristics of past environments. Oxygen isotopes are the most commonly used paleoproxy to reconstruct long records of past… Continue reading Oxygen Isotopes and Paleoclimate
If you’ve ever looked through clear waters at a beach or gentle flowing river to the sand below, you’ve likely seen ripple marks formed by the moving water. The image above actually shows preserved “fossil” ripple marks in the 1.7 billion-year-old Baraboo (Wisconsin) quartzite. These ripple marks were formed when the marine sandstone was initially deposited… Continue reading Ripple Marks
Whenever I have the opportunity, I always try and grab a window seat on airplanes. Because I live in Arizona, I’m lucky enough to regularly fly over the American Southwest, which features some of the most stunning and dramatic landscapes from the air. In the image above—flying near the Chaco Canyon area in New Mexico—you… Continue reading An aerial perspective
Does it ever feel like geologists are speaking a different language? With so many different terms to describe and categorize rocks, learning the lexicon of a geologist can be a bit daunting. To help learn some basic geo lingo, here’s a (far from comprehensive) guide of some of the most important classification and terms geologists… Continue reading Geo Lingo | The Language of Geologists
Emily Zawacki, Ph.D. 