I grew up in the Helderberg Mountains of upstate NY surrounded by Devonian limestone filled with trilobites, tentaculites, coral, and brachiopod fossils. These critters provided inspiration to become a paleontologist when I was 7 years old but I changed my mind a few times about what I 'wanted to be' during college. I eventually completed a BS in geology at the University of Albany, focusing on the geochemistry of surface waters, then an MS in geochemistry of soils and Ph.D. in glacial and periglacial geomorphology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have worked for the USGS, the Canadian Geological Survey, the Vermont Geological Survey, and I am currently an Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Green Mountain College in rural Vermont.
There has been a lot of talk on the ship about clay minerals the last few days, specifically smectites and illite. Smectite is a confusing term because it is similar to saying "I'm on a boat" instead of "I'm on the JOIDES Resolution!" Smectites are a generalized group of hydrated clay minerals and illite is a specific clay mineral. Hydrated clay mine
If you've ever wondered how folks keep everything 'together' on a rocking ship then you'll enjoy this slideshow.
I recently started exploring the world of Twitter and quickly discovered how rapidly information can be shared via short tweets from the JOIDES. This is especially pertinent given the connectivity provided on the ship, which addresses one of the questions Ron Schott asked via the geotwittersphere. This connectivity is provid
In early April of 1778 Cook was navigating the HMS Resolution through the same strait we will be traveling through tomorrow as we depart for the CORK site. In addition to mapping the outlets while in pursuit of the Northwest Passage, Cook was also seeking timber to create a new mizzenmast and
This is a pre-travel posting that will hopefully help frame the way I think about the experience of spending two weeks on the JOIDES Resolution learning and developing instructional materials with a group of people with seemingly similar passions.
