The Geology Flannelcast (Chris Seminack, Jesse Thornburg, and Steve Peterson)

This week the boys talk about a meteorite that is older than our solar system, a new official elevation of Mt. Everest, and an announcement about aliens.

The Flannelcasters talk about a new study suggesting that early humans may have hibernated, another study that pushes back the date when early humans arrived in North America, how methane releases in the Arctic Ocean are affected by tides, and salt mines in Louisiana.

The Flannelcasters talk about how the early Earth was so warm while the early sun was colder than today, tsunamis in Israel and Alaska, and early humans controlling fire.

Links:
Chance played a role in determining whether Earth stayed habitable
Croatia Earthquake Video
Evidence for a massive paleo-tsunami at ancient Tel Dor, Israel
1958 Lituya Bay, Alaska earthquake and megatsunami
When Did Archaic Humans Control Fire?

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The Flannelcasters discuss everything you ever wanted to know about rivers - what they are, how they work, what controls their velocity, and the top 10 biggest rivers in the world.

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This is the first of a two part series discussing coal. In Part 1, we talk about how coal forms, how it is mined, and how it is used.

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In part 2 of our coal mini-series, we explain the concept of clean coal, emissions from burning coal, and how byproducts of burning coal can be reused.

Links:
What ‘Clean Coal’ Is — and Isn’t
Everything You Need to Know About Clean Coal
What is clean coal technology?
Synthetic Gypsum

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This is the 3rd and final episode of our coal trilogy. The Flannelcasters talk about coal gas, acid mine drainage, and the town of Centralia.

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The Flannelcasters talk about how glaciers form and geologic features that are caused by glaciers.

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This week the Flannelcasters cover to topic of sandstone - what they are, how they form, and the different types.

Links Mentioned in the Podcast:
Glacier Bursts in India, Leaving More Than 100 Missing in Floods
The Blood Harvest - Each year, half a million horseshoe crabs are captured and bled alive to create an unparalleled biomedical technology.
Death Valley Just Recorded the Hottest Temperature on Earth
Johnstown Flood

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The Flannelcasters talk about the recent winter storm in Texas, it’s effects on the power grid, and how it relates to weather and climate change.

Links:
Texplainer: Why does Texas have its own power grid?
Texas largely relies on natural gas for power. It wasn’t ready for the extreme cold.
No, frozen wind turbines aren’t the main culprit for Texas’ power outages

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Matt Sophy is a geologist working in the geothermal energy field in New Zealand. He talks with the Flannelcasters about the geology of New Zealand.

Links:
New Zealand Geology: An Illustrated Guide
Soil liquefaction

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Mt. Sinabung in Indonesia erupted this week. The Flannelcasters devoted the entire episode to talking about Indonesia’s volcanoes. They also talk about Saudi Arabian oil and the Richter scale.

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The Flannelcasters talk about a possible ocean in early Earth history that covered the globe, newly discovered ways that humans are affecting relative sea-level rise, and how the oldest meteorite ever discovered is pretty unique.

The Flannelcasters talk about the origin of life; how, when, and where life most likely started.

Kelly Blake returns to discuss the role of women in geology.

In this first of two part series, the Flannelcasters cover the geologic history of the Appalachian Mountains from the Grenville to Acadian Orogeny.

This is part two of two in the Appalachian Mountains series. The Flannelcasters cover the Alleghanian Orogeny and the erosion of the Appalachians.

The Flannelcasters talk about Alfred Wegener, the man who proposed the continental drift hypothesis, which eventually paved the way for the theory of plate tectonics.

The Flannelcasters talk about Harry Hess and the origin of the theory of plate tectonics.

The Flannelcasters talk about the snowball Earth hypothesis, where the Earth froze over several times at the end of Precambrian time.

The Flannelcasters talk about Banded Iron Formations. These rocks are super old, no longer are formed on Earth, and record the appearance of abundant oxygen.

The Flannelcasters talk about chert - it's uses, how it's made, and where it forms. Also, they talk about why diatoms are so important to life on Earth.

The Flannelcasters talk about extraterrestrial plutonium in the ocean, Darwin’s Arch in the Galapagos Islands falling down, and ghost forests releasing greenhouse gasses.

This week the Flannelcasters talk about Siletzia and some U.S. Pacific Northwest tectonics.

The Flannelcasters talk about what cause lahars and the dangers associated with these volcanic-related events.

The Flannelcasters revisit the topic of minerals. They talk about their favorite minerals, properties of minerals, and some fun stories about minerals.

The Flannelcasters talk about the three oldest rivers in the US - The New, French Broad, and Susquehanna Rivers. These rivers are also some of the oldest in the world.

The Flannelcasters discuss the Chesapeake Bay impact event , which occurred 35 million years ago.

We tried something new this episode. In Ep. 101, we randomly picked a topic in a geology textbook for our episode theme.

In this episode, the Flannelcasters talk about how metamorphic rocks are formed.

It's time for Listener Questions 6! We take your questions and answer them live on the podcast.

The Flannelcasters talk about the end Permian mass extinction - the worst known mass extinction where 90% of the planet's species died off.

This week, the Flannelcasters talk about the 100-year flood and some other topics related to flooding.

In this week's episode the Flannelcasters talk about clastic sedimentary environments. Then they finish up the episode talking about Mars rovers.

The Flannelcasters talk about the cause of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the resulting damage, and positive changes resulting from the earthquake.

This week the Flannelcasters talk about the Kola Superdeep Borehole - the deepest borehole ever drilled by humans, extended nearly 12 km below the surface of the Earth.

The Great Unconformity in some locations has nearly a billion years of missing time in the rock record. We talk about what it is and new insights on how it formed.

The Flannelcasters talk about the Well of Hell in Yemen, and some other notable sinkholes around the world.

The Flannelcasters talk about the largest underwater volcanic eruption ever recorded, off the coast of Mayotte.

La Palma is a volcano is the Canary Islands that has recently been active.

The Adirondack Mountains are located in northern New York, but their formation is completely unrelated to the nearby Appalachian Mountains.

Happy Halloween everybody! We share some spooky geology stories in this episode.

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is located off the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. It is responsible for the formation of the Cascade Mountains. Geologists believe a magnitude 9.0 earthquake could occur in the near future along this subduction zone.

The Flannelcasters talk about the potential causes of the late Devonian extinction, as well as it’s extent.

Ted Bobik joins us on the Flannelcast to talk about his work on the Eocene-Oligiocene Transition.

The Flannelcasters break down the basics of coastlines in the first installment of a coastal geology miniseries.

In the second installment of the coastal geology miniseries, we talk about how tides work.

The Flannelcasters talk about the history and hazards associated with the group of minerals known as asbestos.

The flying fickle finger of fate has picked this week’s topic - surface water. We cover everything from drainage basins to meanders to base level.

Happy Winter Solstice! The Flannelcasters talk about the history and geology of Stonehenge and how it related to the Winter Solstice.

We’re back from our brief hiatus. This episode is all about our favorites in geology - our favorite field trip, favorite geologist, and even favorite delta, just to name a few.

The Flannelcasters talk about the different types of clay, how it forms, and industrial uses of clay.

This week's episode is about how humans have permanently altered the course of two rivers.

in this episode, we talk about some hazardous minerals that you may want to keep out of your collection

This week, we talk about how super mountains could have led to spikes in evolution, including the Cambrian Life Explosion.

The James Webb Space Telescope just sent back it’s first images. This episode is devoted to the most powerful telescope ever built.

In honor of the Winter Olympics ending last week we decided to devote an episode to the sport that incorporates geology the most... curling.

We talk about a new study that suggests what time of year the Chicxulub Impact hit Earth 66 million years ago.

Lake Nyos is a crater lake in Cameroon with a deadly past. In 1986 it released a huge amount of carbon dioxide, killing 1,746 people.

This week’s episode is a Patreon requested topic - cool stuff along the coastal plain. We talk specifically about interesting features along the US southeast Atlantic coastal plain.

You asked, and we answered in this listener question episode.

We break down those strange and mysterious intraplate volcanoes known as hot spots in this episode.

We cover the highlights of Alaska geology in this episode. Brought to you by a Patreon request.

The Taos Hum is an unexplained phenomena in north-central New Mexico.

It turns out that plate tectonics may be really important for life, especially for cycling nutrients.

We talk all about lakes in this episode… the biggest, the highest, the oldest, the dirtiest.

Alfred Russell Wallace is the most famous scientist that you’ve never heard of. We talk about his work, the Wallace Line, and how he inspired Darwin.

We talk about volcanic hazards and all the different ways you can die from a volcanic eruption.

The Silurian Hypothesis is a thought experiment that discuses what the geologic signature would be if there was a advanced civilization on Earth hundreds millions of years ago.

We talk about a new mineral classification scheme proposed based on how minerals form.

The Gaia Hypothesis proposes that the Earth acts like a living entity as a whole, keeping things like atmospheric and oceanic chemistry regulated.

Everything Mediterranean Sea is the topic of this episode of the Flannelcast. We talk about the formation of this mighty water body and how it dried up for a bit about 5 million years ago.

This week’s episode is a Patreon request. The Long Valley Caldera is located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. We talk about the geologic history of the Sierra Nevada and the relatively recent activity at the Long Valley Caldera.

We go through some of our favorite US National Parks and a little bit of the geology relating to those parks.

You asked for it and we delivered. This is probably the most requested episode we've gotten. We sit down with some popcorn and comment on the blockbuster 1990s film Dante's Peak.

We discuss the geology of Loch Ness, one of the largest lakes, located in the Scottish Highlands. And of course we discuss how the Loch Ness Monster is tied to the geology of the area.

In this spooky, Halloween appropriate podcast, we break down some of the mysterious stories related to the Bermuda Triangle and how geologic phenomena can debunk some of the supernatural theories.

This week’s episode is literally too cool for school. We’re talking about the Laurentide Ice Sheet and ice ages.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of sediment accommodation in depositional environments.

Steve and Chris take Jesse’s Sedimentary Environments exam. See how they fair in this week’s episode.

Mauna Loa starting erupting for the first time since 1984. We talk all about the eruption and the mechanics of Hawaiian volcanoes.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can be found in many people’s homes. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer, behind smoking. Here we discuss where radon comes from and what you can do to remediate it.

Oceans take up 71% of the surface area on Earth. They’re kind of a big deal. Here we talk some facts about the Earth’s oceans and discuss how important they are from influencing climate to housing ecosystems.

This episode talks about a new study regarding the rotation habits of the Earth’s inner core, and how it affects the rest of the planet.

In this episode of the Geology Flannelcast we talk about geologic topics that really scare us. What are we scared of the most? Listen and find out.

This episode is all about the geology behind tsunamis and how they may be the scariest of the natural disasters.

In this episode, we talk all about the who, what when, where, and why of floods.

In this episode, we talk about what is Carbon 14, how it forms, and we we can use it to date things.

In honor of the 4th of July, this episode is about the geology of fireworks.

In this episode, we talk about efforts to drill into mantle rock. It’s one of the holy grails of geology and it doesn’t come easy.

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We talk everything about the moon in the episode - how it formed, what it’s made of, NASA missions, and a ton more random facts.

Doggerland is the area of land that connected the UK to continental Europe during the last ice age. In this episode, we talk about how Doggerland formed, and how it was eventually flooded out.

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) has left an indelible mark on the geologic history of our planet. Spanning millions of years, this colossal volcanic event unfolded approximately 200 million years ago during the Triassic period, forever altering the face of the Earth. CAMP erupted along the rifted margins of the supercontinent Pangaea, stretching from present-day North America through Europe and Africa. This immense outpouring of lava and volcanic activity blanketed vast areas, surpassing any volcanic event witnessed in recent geological times. The geological episode gave rise to an extensive igneous province that covered an astonishing area of more than seven million square kilometers. With powerful volcanic eruptions and the formation of gigantic fissure systems, the CAMP unleashed an unimaginable volume of molten rock, emitting massive volcanic gases and ash into the atmosphere. The impact of CAMP on Earth's biosphere was overwhelming. The sheer magnitude of volcanic activity led to drastic environmental changes, as eruptions spewed ash and gases, potentially causing global climate disruptions. With the release of vast quantities of greenhouse gases, including sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, the global climate may have been influenced, exacerbating the greenhouse effect. Furthermore, CAMP had significant consequences for life on Earth, leading to one of the most severe mass-extinction events in the planet's history, the end-Triassic extinction. This devastating event affected marine and terrestrial ecosystems, wiping out numerous species, including many reptiles and amphibians. It was a crucial turning point, paving the way for fundamental changes in plant and animal evolution. While the causes of CAMP remain somewhat enigmatic, scientists believe that the vast outpouring of magma was likely due to intense activity associated with the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. This massive volcanic phenomenon profoundly shaped the geologic conditions we observe on our planet today. The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province remains a captivating and fascinating subject of study for geologists and paleontologists alike. Its magnitude and impact have shaped our understanding of Earth's complex past, reminding us of the power and intricacies of the planet we call home.

The North Carolina Gold Rush The year was 1799 when Conrad Reed stumbled upon an extraordinary yellow nugget while fishing in Little Meadow Creek, near what is now Charlotte, North Carolina. Little did he know that this chance discovery would set off a chain reaction that would forever alter the course of North Carolina's history. Word spread like wildfire, and it wasn't long before prospectors descended upon the region, igniting the North Carolina gold rush. Soon, intrepid fortune seekers, drawn by the allure of untold riches, flocked to the Tar Heel State in search of their dreams. The gold fever gripped the hearts and minds of countless individuals, from seasoned miners to common folk seeking to change their fortunes. Streams, creeks, and rivers became the lifeblood of the gold rush, each shimmering current hiding the potential for great wealth beneath its surface. As the rush gained momentum, towns sprouted up along the gold-bearing veins of the state. Salisbury, Fayetteville, and Charlotte became bustling hubs, swelling with prospectors, traders, and settlers hoping to share in the wealth extracted from the earth. Mines dotted the landscape, testament to the relentless pursuit of gold. North Carolina's gold reserves, while not as vast as those of California, were no less significant. The region's fertile soil, rich in minerals, concealed gold veins that ran deep beneath the earth's surface. The Piedmont region, with its rolling hills and flowing rivers, proved to be a particularly prosperous area for miners, rewarding their tireless efforts with abundant finds. The North Carolina gold rush may have peaked and faded into history, but its legacy endures. It serves as a reminder of the hidden treasures that lie beneath Earth's surface and the eternal allure of striking it rich.

Here's to a decade of sharing our passion for geology. In this episode you’ll hear about some of the behind the scenes stories of the Geology Flannelcast. Thank you to our dedicated listeners' unwavering support. Our audience inspires and propels us forward. We are appreciative of the opportunity to share our love for Earth's history, processes, and wonders. Here's to many more years of exploring geology together! Thank you for being part of our journey!

The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch marked by the significant impact of human activities on the Earth's geology and ecosystems. In this installment of the Geology Flannelcast, we talk about the conversation that is being has about when to officially start the Anthropocene.

In this installment of the Flannelcast, we’re talking about Jesse’s summer vacation plans to the Grand Canyon. We’re getting Jesse ready for this trip by going through the geologic history of the Grand Canyon.

The Sur Pockmark field is located off the coast of central California near Big Sur. The seafloor is riddled with mysterious circular depressions. A new study may have figured out how they formed.

We talk about a New York Times article which discusses how rising sea level will affect atolls, specifically the island nation of the Maldives.

We Talk about the volcano Novarupta in this episode. Novarupta was the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century and is located along the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.