Rock Geeks

[amaranthineamusement]

... As in the science of geology, not the music, though I like that too

I just really love looking at different outcrops around the world, and I know that minnions are all over.. so I figured I'd combine the two! I also think it'd be fun just to see if there are any other aspiring geologists/actual geologists on here. Feel free to use this thread to post pictures of outcrops, along with pictures of minerals, any discussion of geology, or any questions you might have (because sometimes ya see a weird rock and have no idea how it came to get that way )

Just a little background on me: I'm currently 2 years into a Bachelors of Science in Geology, and my uni is in California so I get to see a lot of fun tectonic stuff!

Also, to start this off, I figured I'd attach some pictures of pretty outcrops I've been at, so below the cut you can see basalt columns and some storm swale formations

Spoiler: show

Basalt columns from the front (they go all swoopy and fun, I love it!)



...Basalt columns from the top



And finally the storm swales, featuring my field notebook for scale. That poor thing has been EVERYWHERE.

So yeah! Please feel free to join in so I'm not lonely. I know you're out there

[Solokov]

If that's not devil's postpile I'll eat my hat.

Was going to go there last summer but the traffic at mammoth was insane when I got up there so I went bouldering on the giant pile of obsidian near glass Creek instead and grabbed some samples of obsidian pummice for my collection instead.

Cannot for the life of me find the sample of snowflake obsidian that's all pumicey though.

Not a geologist, rockhounding is just in my blood with two grandparents that were into it and a sub type of red Jasper sharing my family name.

[Noodles]

Neat rocks! We've also got some cool columnar stuff around here, a whole bunch of the eastern half of Washington is on columnar flood basalt:


(vary in size, but generally on the order of magnitude of 50cm in diameter)

and there's a few really good outcroppings of columnar andesite at Mt Rainier, some of which you can see right from the road:


(about 10-20cm in diameter)

plus just generally it's an Exciting Geology sort of area on account of the volcanoes and stuff. Also, next quarter I'm taking Geology 101 and I'm super hype.

[amaranthineamusement]

Neat rocks! We've also got some cool columnar stuff around here, a whole bunch of the eastern half of Washington is on columnar flood basalt:

and there's a few really good outcroppings of columnar andesite at Mt Rainier, some of which you can see right from the road:

plus just generally it's an Exciting Geology sort of area on account of the volcanoes and stuff. Also, next quarter I'm taking Geology 101 and I'm super hype.

Yeah, go washington! I keep meaning to go up there but I keep getting stopped by those things called "school schedules" and "budget", quite rude tbh. It's so cool that you're taking an intro course, best of luck! And if you like it, you can always switch major

If that's not devil's postpile I'll eat my hat.

Was going to go there last summer but the traffic at mammoth was insane when I got up there so I went bouldering on the giant pile of obsidian near glass Creek instead and grabbed some samples of obsidian pummice for my collection instead.

Your hat stays safe... because yes, that's devil's postpile most dramatic pic of a geological formation I have lying around, it's so photogenic.

I've been to glass creek too! I've got my samples sitting on my desk but I'm too lazy to grab a picture right now, so we'll have to wait on that one Also, rockhounds are rad! I think in some ways geology is way more fun when I'm not having to be graded on it lol

[Róisín]

Geology is always fun!

[refract3d]

Aww man, I love rocks! I just went to a local rock/mineral/fossil/gem show this past weekend, actually.
Unfortunately my college did not offer any geology courses, but I did take geomorphology and I have an entire childhood full of rocks. (Dad was a geology major and used to read me to sleep with Annals of the Former World... I need to read it in full now. Also our house is full of bookshelves that in addition to books are also covered in rocks. Many many rocks.)

I dream of saving up money and time off to go travel to cool geological sites... I get to see road cuts on the way to the mountains (and also mountains) but there's so much more out there! Gonna explore! What are your top sites to visit? :0

[amaranthineamusement]

Aww man, I love rocks! I just went to a local rock/mineral/fossil/gem show this past weekend, actually.
Unfortunately my college did not offer any geology courses, but I did take geomorphology and I have an entire childhood full of rocks. (Dad was a geology major and used to read me to sleep with Annals of the Former World... I need to read it in full now. Also our house is full of bookshelves that in addition to books are also covered in rocks. Many many rocks.)

I dream of saving up money and time off to go travel to cool geological sites... I get to see road cuts on the way to the mountains (and also mountains) but there's so much more out there! Gonna explore! What are your top sites to visit? :0

Oh boy, Annals of the Former World means business. L

 As for gem shows, those are so fun- glad you got to go to one! My top sites... tbh it really depends on where I am at the moment, but as far as entertainment value goes, I think Joshua Tree, the Mt. Shasta Lava tubes, and just any tailings pile in general are my go-tos. Joshua tree has some of the oldest rock in california, lava tubes are just fun, and I love hiking around tailings piles looking for fun minerals.


just read that last sentence and realized how much of a nerd i am

[Róisín]

Makes sense to me. I've done a lot of prospecting and working on mineralogical surveys, worked at mining everything from coal to gold to mineral sands to opals and sapphires, and still think it's fun to go noodling (what Australians call picking over the spoil heaps) if I can get to somewhere like Mintabie or Coober Pedy. I have a mineral collection, mostly souvenirs of places I've worked, and my scrying stone is a rough water-shaped quartz pebble I picked out of a riverbed near Mount Conner. I worked on Des Stroud's desert expedition back in the late 80s, which was frustrating but interesting. Would go out more, but the body is not what it was.

[Gwenno]

Did somebody mention geology...


My bachelor's degree was in geology, and I've since then never been able to look at the world in quite the same way. My geology friends and I still nerd-out at interesting rocks and places whenever the opportunities present themselves, and any non-geologist friends find it hilarious I love seeing the same nerdiness showing here ^_^ also, that everyone has an example of columnar jointing somewhere in their geology photo collection

Here are some quick bits from my degree:

Spoiler:  trying to pick out the coolest thingies from a whole geology degree • show

Spoiler:  rocks • show

Sandstone ripples - Scotland


Worm burrows (ordovician I think?) - Scotland


Columnar jointing - Scotland


HUUUUUUUUGE garnets - Alps (Aosta valley)


Dinosaur footprints! (Hadrosaur) - Alps

Spoiler: geochemistry • show

Bit too much pyrite - Rio Tinto - Spain


Copper - Alps (Dolomites?)

Spoiler: geology baking • show

Dinos


Mesozoic earth cake



Columnar jointing

[Róisín]

Gwenno, excellent photos! I would never have thought of the cakes, though I have done columns in chocolate for a geologist friend's party.

[Noodles]

One other really cool site around here that I was just reminded of is Ape Cave, it's a lava tube from St Helens and it's fairly big in diameter (the only places where you have to even consider the concept of hitting your head are where the ex-ceiling is sitting in a pile on the floor that almost reaches the new roof) and a couple miles long. Generally the St Helens area has a lot of really really neat geology (lahar detritus, anyone?) but that's a particular star.

[Gwenno]

Gwenno, excellent photos! I would never have thought of the cakes, though I have done columns in chocolate for a geologist friend's party.

Hahah, technically I didn't think of the cakes either. When I was in my final year at university, there was a nationwide geology baking competition with prompts such as "hatching dinosaurs", "columnar jointing", and "unconformity" which inspired me to give these a shot. I ended up getting third place, which was pretty cool, and my friends were happy to help me with all the cake afterwards which was even nicer

One other really cool site around here that I was just reminded of is Ape Cave, it's a lava tube from St Helens and it's fairly big in diameter (the only places where you have to even consider the concept of hitting your head are where the ex-ceiling is sitting in a pile on the floor that almost reaches the new roof) and a couple miles long. Generally the St Helens area has a lot of really really neat geology (lahar detritus, anyone?) but that's a particular star.

My parents were actually within the vicinity when Mt St Helens erupted last time! We have a little container filled with volcanic ash back home, and some photos of the eruption so I guess it's little wonder I ended up taking an interest in geology Sadly, I've never been up close in person, but I'd love to see Ape Cave and Mt St Helens for myself one day

[Noodles]

My parents were actually within the vicinity when Mt St Helens erupted last time! We have a little container filled with volcanic ash back home, and some photos of the eruption so I guess it's little wonder I ended up taking an interest in geology Sadly, I've never been up close in person, but I'd love to see Ape Cave and Mt St Helens for myself one day

Well, let me know if you're in the area, both for meetups and for hiking/Things To See recs!

[amaranthineamusement]

Ahhhh, I just got back from a four day field trip in the Mojave to so many cool replies!!

Hahah, technically I didn't think of the cakes either. When I was in my final year at university, there was a nationwide geology baking competition with prompts such as "hatching dinosaurs", "columnar jointing", and "unconformity" which inspired me to give these a shot. I ended up getting third place, which was pretty cool, and my friends were happy to help me with all the cake afterwards which was even nicer

My parents were actually within the vicinity when Mt St Helens erupted last time! We have a little container filled with volcanic ash back home, and some photos of the eruption so I guess it's little wonder I ended up taking an interest in geology Sadly, I've never been up close in person, but I'd love to see Ape Cave and Mt St Helens for myself one day

Oh my gosh, that's so cool! Also congrats on your degree, it's always good to know that someone made it out I also love your photos of formations from scotland, I went there with the department for like a week last may and I still wanna go back- there are so many cool formations! Then again, there are cool formations everywhere... i need more time in my life... ; ;

Gwenno, excellent photos! I would never have thought of the cakes, though I have done columns in chocolate for a geologist friend's party.

Ooooh, columns in chocolate! Did you make a mold for it or did you carve it? :0

One other really cool site around here that I was just reminded of is Ape Cave, it's a lava tube from St Helens and it's fairly big in diameter (the only places where you have to even consider the concept of hitting your head are where the ex-ceiling is sitting in a pile on the floor that almost reaches the new roof) and a couple miles long. Generally the St Helens area has a lot of really really neat geology (lahar detritus, anyone?) but that's a particular star.

St. Helens is super rad, yeah! I keep meaning to head up there to look around but it hasn't happened yet. (silent tears) so many places, so little time...

[Róisín]

I haven't been to Mount St. Helen's since long before it exploded. I did have some rocks from there, brought over here by a friend who had lived in the area. They were strange pretty bits of twisted greenish volcanic glass.

As to the chocolate columns, I carved them because I wanted the symmetrical yet not identical effect of the Giant's Causeway.

And the Mojave ooh! What were you looking at there? The biological crusts are fascinating. Did you get to Kelso or Hole in the Wall? A lot of that country reminds me of Central Australia.