On Saturday, I took my historical geology class on their field trip out to Corridor H, West Virginia. We made a stop at the Mahantango Formation outcrop exposed on the eastbound exit ramp near Baker, and poked around there for fossils. These Devonian-aged siltstones are chock full of invertebrates including rugose corals, crinoids, articulate brachiopods, … Read more
Another one from Samuele Jæger Papeschi: NE verging recumbent F2 folds in Paleozoic phyllites – Filladi di Buti fm., Punta Bianca, N. Apennines, Italy
One of the cool things about my plan for the GEODE grant from NSF is to put GigaPan imaging systems in the hands of people who will take them to cool places. I purchased five loaner GigaPan rigs, and they have gone out in the field with various people, but I think that the images … Read more
There’s a lot of talk about this book lately, since they just made it into what I’m told is a very good movie. I heard the scuttlebutt and watched the preview for the film, and when the protagonist/narrator said “I’m going to have to science the shit out of this,” I knew this was probably … Read more
Anotehr one from Samuele Jæger Papeschi: Recumbent SW verging folds in alternating metalimestones and phyllites in the Metacalcari e Filladi formation, seen at Anisian, Punta Bianca, La Spezia, N. Apennines, Italy
Great news – I have been awarded a great professorship for the next two years. The Chancellor’s Commonwealth Professorship is a great honor and a major investment by the Virginia Community College System in me and my GigaPan project. I get course release time, a summer stipend, and reimbursable expenses of around $7500. I intend … Read more
I’ve been thinking lately about Harpers Ferry, the spot where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland meet, at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River. I’ve noted small outcrops of its overturned beddding here previously, and also described a book I read about the man who made the place infamous: John Brown. I … Read more
My new social media buddy Samuele Jæger Papeschi and I collaborated on some goofy maps in August, but then he noticed my Friday folds, and like the very best human beings anywhere, Samuele offered to pitch in with a few folds of his own. (Other readers are encouraged to do the same!) Today, I’ll feature the first … Read more
My latest audiobook consumed during my commute was the story of Napoleon Bonaparte’s (why do we always call him by his first name?) ill-fated expedition to Egypt in 1798. Napoleon brought with him a corps of “savants,” natural historians, engineers, artists, and musicians, charged with documenting the history and natural history of Egypt, and helping … Read more
Yesterday, I put a photo up here on the blog, and asked you to figure out where the formational contact was in that image. Here’s the image I showed you: It turns out that my plan to have readers upload their copies of the image didn’t work as well as I had planned – apparently … Read more