I live a pretty sheltered life. The geoblogosphere has been welcoming for women, at least that I’ve seen: I never worry about my competence being questioned because I’ve got lady bits, I don’t see women pushed to the margins, I don’t have to worry about running up against unexpected sexism. Even when talk strays from rocks to other things, I haven’t seen bad behavior. It probably exists somewhere – any diverse gathering of people collected around a common theme is bound to include a few not-so-desirables. But the part of the geoblogosphere I hang out in has been a very safe space, a fantastic community, and people have been just as outstanding in meatspace as they are online.
Month: July 2012
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A Geologic Riddle: Well-Rounded
Right. I’m not ready with the big Quartzville riddle, so here’s a small one from Marys Peak instead. Hopefully, you all will enjoy it as much as the last one.
I’m a well-rounded rock.
I’m something of a chameleon. At a glance, I look like something I’m not. And I’m heavier than I look.
I sparkle now: once, I glowed.
I give road cuts an almost pillowy appearance, but you wouldn’t want to rest your head on me.
You just can’t assume anything about me.
What am I, and how did I form?
Learning from Lockwood
Pacific Northwest geobloggers and other folk interested in geology have a tremendous resource in Lockwood. He gives his knowledge freely, he’s always up for an adventure, and he knows all the awesome spots in Oregon. One of the best days of my life was the day he became my friend.
I talk about him a lot. You’ve seen his picture, you’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to go field tripping with him, but images and text can only convey so much. So I recorded a snippet on our last outing, whilst we were up on Marys Peak. This will give you a sense of the firehose of geological information you’ll be drinking from if you ever get out in the field with him.
Update on Quitting, and Why I've Been Scarce
So, this was supposed to be the Big Weekend, where Chantix kicked in and I became a quitter. I should have remembered my body’s reaction to drugs: “So?” It shrugged off the half-milligram like it was nothing. When the dose upped to one milligram a few days later, still meh. And the urge to smoke was strong as ever – stronger, in some ways, because I know I’ll be giving it up soon, and damn it, I’ll miss it.
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Macrobug Miscellaney
You know, I meant to have something substantial and meaty up for you today. I even had some research done. Then, silly me, I decided to delve a bit deeper, and now I’m several books deep and busy yelling at one of them, “You mean the Farallon Plate, you nimrod! Not the Juan de Fuca! The Juan de Fuca Plate didn’t even exist then! Look, you’ve even got the Farallon Bloody Plate in your diagrams, for fuck’s sake!” Of course, in order to be able to yell this, I first had to go back and make sure I was actually right about when the Juan de Fuca Plate came into existence. This took some doing.
Our Next Installment of "Prelude to a Catastrophe" Finally Up at Rosetta Stones!
Urgh. I meant to have this out last week, but I was a bad blogger and didn’t finish researching it before I left for Oregon. Then I got back from Oregon and found myself distracted by shiny things. The cat nobly stepped in this week and forced me to spend several nights pulling together the research for our next few installments. There’s nothing quite like a homicidal felid purring quietly on your legs to keep you focused, eh?
So here we have the story o’ the Bulge. Or at least the parts of it I understand. It’s complicated, at times it involved surveying equipment, and I might have gotten the details about which bits of Seattle are equivalent in size, but it should be broadly correct. Enjoy!
USGS Photograph taken on May 4, 1980, by C.Dan Miller. Image courtesy USGS.
Also enjoy these two photos that didn’t make it in to the main post. You can get a sense of how chaotic and cracked the bulge was from the first. And I’m just entertained by the second: these are serious scientists doing serious work in a dangerous area, but it still looks almost comical with the wind blowing one dude’s hair all over and the other posed rather melodramatically. Judging from the other photos I’ve seen of scientists taking geodetic measurements, that’s just how this particular piece of equipment forces you to stand. But still, it’s a lighthearted-looking moment, and I likes it.
Unidentified Flying Dinosaur: Nature Red in Beak and Talon
****WARNING: This UFD may be upsetting to some viewers. This is red, raw nature. Look, a bird’s gotta eat, and when you haven’t got hands, it gets messy. This is a prime example of why I laugh every time someone tells me we should emulate Nature.****
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Mystery Flora: Purple Mountain Majestie
Note to readers: if you’re anywhere near Corvallis in July, get thee to Marys Peak and prepare to spend several hours blissing out over the flowers. Ye gods. No wonder it got designated a scenic botanical area. If it wasn’t for all the fabulous geology, I would have spent my entire time up there chasing wildflowers and butterflies. I very nearly didn’t come down.
Looking back on it, I’m tempted to go back. If you succumb to temptation, here’s roughly where you need to go. Drive up Marys Peak Rd. until you come to a meadow. Pull over and indulge. But don’t linger there all day – there’s another meadow at the top.
This particular meadow is full of some of the strangest flowers I’ve ever seen.
The River Falls Over a Hydrothermal Heart
There aren’t many times when you can be in medias res and at the beginning simultaneously, but this is one. It’s the middle of the Quartzville field trip; it’s where the story of Quartzville’s modest mineral wealth begins. A place like this should have a name of suitable grandeur. Visually, it’s rather stunning.
So why the hell did people name it Yellowbottom?
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Dreaming on Chantix. Plus, Answers to Reader Questions, Including Some Nifty Geology.
Yeah, I meant to have waterfalls ready for ye, and then I fell asleep. I’m not sure if massive sleeping will be a side effect of Chantix or if it’s just a result of finally having time off after a strenuous trip to Oregon. I can tell you, after my first dose of Chantix, that sleeping is far more interesting than it used to be.