Rock jocks, unite

**Zilal** · 04-12-2008, 10:02 AM

Well, okay, technically I'm a rock chick. I was getting into a geology discussion with Geonerd in another folder so I thought I'd move things over here.

I suppose there are some invertebrate fossils at the petrified forest but nothing marine... there are archosaurs and some early dinosaurs... I don't have a preference. I do like ammonites because they're beautiful, but I haven't much gotten into paleo yet... however, I think there are worse things than to be stuck in the painted desert all summer digging up dinosaurs.

I agree with the appeal of geology combining many sciences. That was one of the reasons why I decided to major in it when I went back to school. I don't have any special feeling for rocks. I just couldn't decide between English, economics, sociology, psychology, communication studies, a foreign language, mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, writing, business, and getting an outdoor guide/kayaking instructor certification. I am interested in pretty much everything. But I want to be outdoors and travel, and hey, so many geologists say they feel like they get paid to have fun. And there are plenty of jobs. I'm not sure why more people don't go into the major.

I didn't appreciate just how many different sub-fields there were. I've had my head stuck in this sedimentology/paleo area since that was what I got roped into, but I went with the structure class on their field trip the other day and I was like, whoa. All this 3D thinking.

Well. Not much direction in this post. If anyone has any thoughts on geology, feel free to join in!

**notoppings** · 04-12-2008, 10:43 AM

I'm not any kind of geologist but I do collect spheres of interesting stone/rocks I have a rather large collection everything from snowflake obsidian to my favorite Biggs picture rock, I've always wondered if this is a true name or is it just a regional name it's a sedimentary stone that comes out of Biggs Oregon whose layers when cut right make some incredible pictures I sure would be interested in knowing that answer. Also if you know any sites or sellers of natural stone spheres I would appreciate that.

**geonerd** · 04-12-2008, 04:57 PM

Sounds like a cool internship, even though there are no marine fossils
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hehehe

yes, there are many facets of geology and it is difficult to specialize until you find that *one thing* that just really pops your pistol. Of course, you still incorporate the other sub-fields in one way or another - that's what makes it great! Do some poking around and see what you like.

Where did you go on your field trip to look at structure? And what classes are you taking right now?

notoppings: you should post a pic of your Biggs rock!!

**HackerX** · 04-12-2008, 05:49 PM

Well, I used to be a fossil nerd and have a bit of a collection around here somewhere

**Zilal** · 04-13-2008, 07:30 AM

Yes, we must see the Biggs rock.

	Originally Posted by geonerd To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Where did you go on your field trip to look at structure? And what classes are you taking right now?

We went to Beavertail park in Rhode Island, here's a picture of the deformed phyllite you can see along the beach:

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We saw many interesting things in the rock, like cross-stratification in the metamorphosed sandstone layers, and some trace fossils and lots of pyrite crystals.

Right now I am taking mineralogy, plus I am doing a couple independent studies... one relates to the field trip we took to Arizona on spring break, and the other is an isotope biogeochemistry thing.

And thank you for the encouragement!

**geonerd** · 04-13-2008, 11:17 AM

Ooohh cool! It's neat you can still see some of the sedimentary structures.

I was in the Guadalupe Mts (TX) last week looking at carbonate slope deposits. I learned alot! If you take a carbonates class, maybe they'll run a field trip there. It's good times.

So what are you doing with isotopes? Sorry for 500 million questions :P

**Zilal** · 04-13-2008, 07:38 PM

I like questions. The isotopes, well. Nitrogen isotopes are used to evaluate trophic structure in modern animals... we expect to see an increase in 15N the higher up the food chain we go. So, there is no reason why we can't evaluate prehistoric animals this way too. Some people have already done it... see
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... so. I am working on methods for extracting nitrogen from fossil teeth.

I suppose I would rather be in the Guadalupe mountains, especially if it involved a nice campfire and some marshmallows, but lab work is nice too.

**geonerd** · 04-14-2008, 12:16 PM

Sweet!!! What age fossils are you looking at? I ask that because there have been a number of similar isotope studies on rocks/fossils of the late Permian...trying to figure out pieces to that mass-extinction puzzle. Don't know if they looked at 15N in vertebrates, though...that would be interesting to find out...

*gets 5000 ideas all at once* errr...

**Zilal** · 04-14-2008, 05:48 PM

Well, I think they plan to look at stuff from all over, but I believe the primary area of interest is around extinctions.

**OneBadMother** · 04-15-2008, 09:54 AM

All right, a geology thread!

I've been collecting rocks ever since five years old. Right now I'm taking geochemistry and stratigraphy. I think I'm much more into the mineralogy and petrology side of geology than the sort of landscape study part, but almost all of it is interesting.

**geonerd** · 04-15-2008, 10:18 AM

Awesome! Glad to see another rock jock on the forum! Where are you studying?

**Zilal** · 04-15-2008, 03:35 PM

Mineralogy and petrology are more immediately attractive to me because of the crystal aspect. I mean, crystals are cool. I mean, they're pretty, they grow in neat shapes, and uh, there are lots of kinds. Well, maybe it can't be put into words.

**OneBadMother** · 04-15-2008, 07:16 PM

	Originally Posted by geonerd To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Awesome! Glad to see another rock jock on the forum! Where are you studying?

I'm studying at Dickinson College for undergrad. Our geology department is very small, but the faculty are awesome.

Yeah, minerals are fascinating. I especially like the unusual ones, that resemble asbestos or fur.

**geonerd** · 04-15-2008, 07:37 PM

Good deal. I did undergrad at Smith College (eh, kinda close/similar!). I'm starting grad at UT Austin in the fall.

**Zilal** · 04-16-2008, 05:24 AM

I've been wondering about the character of departments around the country. I knew nothing when I came to URI, just that the geo department was a little bit more solid than UCONN's, which had been falling apart. I suppose there are 8 faculty, some of which are really memorable characters. I like knowing all the faculty and grad students in the department. I have been pretty pleased with the education.

But the "environmental" movement has hit here as well... a few years ago, following trends in what students were looking for, they changed the department name to "geosciences" and it now incorporates more hydrology and less petrology and mineralogy. This drives me crazy. I came to school to learn about rocks. And besides, when I tell people my major is geosciences, they say, "What's that?" Has this happened at your schools?

**geonerd** · 04-16-2008, 09:04 AM

ok here's the deal. I did not even *think* about majoring in geology at Smith (math major). I took a froo froo geo course there for the hell of it and it was all leftist propaganda crap and very little science.

My interests are the same as yours: I want to learn about the damn ROCKS, not about the environmental implications of this and that, the various "issues" (*gag*) in policy that you can "solve" with very elementary geologic knowledge. Fucking spare me, seriously. If you want to do that, major in "Environmental Science", you know?

So now, I am back in Texas, and I will be attending a school that is dedicated to innovative ideas to progress the *science* of geology. And I am happy.

</rant>

**Zilal** · 04-16-2008, 09:22 AM

Hahaha. That was funny.

I care very much about the environment, I care about conservation, I want people not to put their septic system somewhere it's going to contaminate my well, and all that, I just don't want to spend the rest of my life doing groundwater studies so people can put septic systems in. Sometimes I feel guilty about neglecting an area I happen to think is very important, but hey, some things just don't float a person's boat. And if my classmates are any indication, there will still be people to solve groundwater contamination problems. I would rather be watching a volcano erupt, or something. And I would rather be learning rigorous science over things like policy and how to deal with the rich person who doesn't want to give up their house on the ocean.

**antisocial one** · 04-16-2008, 11:49 AM

Hi there.

I just whant to say this could be very interesting because I am geology student.
I started colecting rocks when I was 4 and all parts of geology are intresting to me.
But in the end I will probably specialize in mineralology and petrology.

I am from one tiny country in Europe.

**geonerd** · 04-16-2008, 12:56 PM

glad to have another geo person here, antisocial one! Which tiny European country are you speaking of?

Zilal, you're totally right. Leave the groundwater stuff to those other people. We'll work on the cool research
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04-12-2008, 10:02 AM	#1
Zilal Member [23%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 949	Well, okay, technically I'm a rock chick. I was getting into a geology discussion with Geonerd in another folder so I thought I'd move things over here. I suppose there are some invertebrate fossils at the petrified forest but nothing marine... there are archosaurs and some early dinosaurs... I don't have a preference. I do like ammonites because they're beautiful, but I haven't much gotten into paleo yet... however, I think there are worse things than to be stuck in the painted desert all summer digging up dinosaurs. I agree with the appeal of geology combining many sciences. That was one of the reasons why I decided to major in it when I went back to school. I don't have any special feeling for rocks. I just couldn't decide between English, economics, sociology, psychology, communication studies, a foreign language, mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, writing, business, and getting an outdoor guide/kayaking instructor certification. I am interested in pretty much everything. But I want to be outdoors and travel, and hey, so many geologists say they feel like they get paid to have fun. And there are plenty of jobs. I'm not sure why more people don't go into the major. I didn't appreciate just how many different sub-fields there were. I've had my head stuck in this sedimentology/paleo area since that was what I got roped into, but I went with the structure class on their field trip the other day and I was like, whoa. All this 3D thinking. Well. Not much direction in this post. If anyone has any thoughts on geology, feel free to join in!
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04-12-2008, 10:43 AM	#2
notoppings Veteran Member [53%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 2,128	I'm not any kind of geologist but I do collect spheres of interesting stone/rocks I have a rather large collection everything from snowflake obsidian to my favorite Biggs picture rock, I've always wondered if this is a true name or is it just a regional name it's a sedimentary stone that comes out of Biggs Oregon whose layers when cut right make some incredible pictures I sure would be interested in knowing that answer. Also if you know any sites or sellers of natural stone spheres I would appreciate that.
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04-12-2008, 04:57 PM	#3
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	Sounds like a cool internship, even though there are no marine fossils To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. hehehe yes, there are many facets of geology and it is difficult to specialize until you find that one thing that just really pops your pistol. Of course, you still incorporate the other sub-fields in one way or another - that's what makes it great! Do some poking around and see what you like. Where did you go on your field trip to look at structure? And what classes are you taking right now? notoppings: you should post a pic of your Biggs rock!!
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04-12-2008, 05:49 PM	#4
HackerX Core Member [166%] MBTI: INTP Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 6,668	Well, I used to be a fossil nerd and have a bit of a collection around here somewhere
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04-13-2008, 11:17 AM	#6
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	Ooohh cool! It's neat you can still see some of the sedimentary structures. I was in the Guadalupe Mts (TX) last week looking at carbonate slope deposits. I learned alot! If you take a carbonates class, maybe they'll run a field trip there. It's good times. So what are you doing with isotopes? Sorry for 500 million questions :P
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04-13-2008, 07:38 PM	#7
Zilal Member [23%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 949	I like questions. The isotopes, well. Nitrogen isotopes are used to evaluate trophic structure in modern animals... we expect to see an increase in 15N the higher up the food chain we go. So, there is no reason why we can't evaluate prehistoric animals this way too. Some people have already done it... see To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ... so. I am working on methods for extracting nitrogen from fossil teeth. I suppose I would rather be in the Guadalupe mountains, especially if it involved a nice campfire and some marshmallows, but lab work is nice too.
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04-14-2008, 12:16 PM	#8
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	Sweet!!! What age fossils are you looking at? I ask that because there have been a number of similar isotope studies on rocks/fossils of the late Permian...trying to figure out pieces to that mass-extinction puzzle. Don't know if they looked at 15N in vertebrates, though...that would be interesting to find out... gets 5000 ideas all at once errr...
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04-14-2008, 05:48 PM	#9
Zilal Member [23%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 949	Well, I think they plan to look at stuff from all over, but I believe the primary area of interest is around extinctions.
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04-15-2008, 09:54 AM	#10
OneBadMother Member [15%] MBTI: INTP Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 639	All right, a geology thread! I've been collecting rocks ever since five years old. Right now I'm taking geochemistry and stratigraphy. I think I'm much more into the mineralogy and petrology side of geology than the sort of landscape study part, but almost all of it is interesting.
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04-15-2008, 10:18 AM	#11
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	Awesome! Glad to see another rock jock on the forum! Where are you studying?
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04-15-2008, 03:35 PM	#12
Zilal Member [23%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 949	Mineralogy and petrology are more immediately attractive to me because of the crystal aspect. I mean, crystals are cool. I mean, they're pretty, they grow in neat shapes, and uh, there are lots of kinds. Well, maybe it can't be put into words.
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04-15-2008, 07:37 PM	#14
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	Good deal. I did undergrad at Smith College (eh, kinda close/similar!). I'm starting grad at UT Austin in the fall.
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04-16-2008, 05:24 AM	#15
Zilal Member [23%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 949	I've been wondering about the character of departments around the country. I knew nothing when I came to URI, just that the geo department was a little bit more solid than UCONN's, which had been falling apart. I suppose there are 8 faculty, some of which are really memorable characters. I like knowing all the faculty and grad students in the department. I have been pretty pleased with the education. But the "environmental" movement has hit here as well... a few years ago, following trends in what students were looking for, they changed the department name to "geosciences" and it now incorporates more hydrology and less petrology and mineralogy. This drives me crazy. I came to school to learn about rocks. And besides, when I tell people my major is geosciences, they say, "What's that?" Has this happened at your schools?
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04-16-2008, 09:04 AM	#16
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	ok here's the deal. I did not even think about majoring in geology at Smith (math major). I took a froo froo geo course there for the hell of it and it was all leftist propaganda crap and very little science. My interests are the same as yours: I want to learn about the damn ROCKS, not about the environmental implications of this and that, the various "issues" (gag) in policy that you can "solve" with very elementary geologic knowledge. Fucking spare me, seriously. If you want to do that, major in "Environmental Science", you know? So now, I am back in Texas, and I will be attending a school that is dedicated to innovative ideas to progress the science of geology. And I am happy. </rant>
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04-16-2008, 09:22 AM	#17
Zilal Member [23%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 949	Hahaha. That was funny. I care very much about the environment, I care about conservation, I want people not to put their septic system somewhere it's going to contaminate my well, and all that, I just don't want to spend the rest of my life doing groundwater studies so people can put septic systems in. Sometimes I feel guilty about neglecting an area I happen to think is very important, but hey, some things just don't float a person's boat. And if my classmates are any indication, there will still be people to solve groundwater contamination problems. I would rather be watching a volcano erupt, or something. And I would rather be learning rigorous science over things like policy and how to deal with the rich person who doesn't want to give up their house on the ocean.
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04-16-2008, 11:49 AM	#18
antisocial one Member [05%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 216	Hi there. I just whant to say this could be very interesting because I am geology student. I started colecting rocks when I was 4 and all parts of geology are intresting to me. But in the end I will probably specialize in mineralology and petrology. I am from one tiny country in Europe.
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04-16-2008, 12:56 PM	#19
geonerd Member [03%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 128	glad to have another geo person here, antisocial one! Which tiny European country are you speaking of? Zilal, you're totally right. Leave the groundwater stuff to those other people. We'll work on the cool research To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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