Category: Academics
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Endings and Beginnings
William & Mary’s class of 2015 has graduated. On Sunday morning the Geology department held its graduation reception, and the mood was suitably festive as our latest cohort of seniors took possession of their diplomas. As I noted in earlier posts, part of what makes a bachelor of science degree in Geology from William &…
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Over the Hills and Far Away: The Earth Structure & Dynamics Field Trip 2015
The Earth Structure & Dynamics class field trip is a springtime ritual; last weekend we headed over the hills and far away. At our apogee, we were 233 km west-northwest of campus in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. With 43 of us packed into four vans, this was the largest Earth Structure & Dynamics field trip yet.…
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Going Low, W&M’s Keck Lab Measures Its Lowest Temperature Ever
The eastern half of the United States is gripped by intense cold, and William & Mary’s campus is wrapped in snow and ice. Earlier today, the Keck Environmental Field Laboratory registered its lowest temperature ever as the thermometer bottomed out at -16.9˚ C (1.5˚ F). The Keck Lab’s weather station has been operating since 2003,…
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Field Methods 2014: Wrapping It Up
The last day of classes at William & Mary is traditionally a celebratory affair, and on the last day of class this fall we wrapped up the Field Methods course with a rowdy poster session where the results from our three field projects were presented. As I noted earlier this semester, Geology 311- Field Methods…
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Wadi Bani Ghafir at Sidaq Gorge – Water versus Rock in Oman
In January I had the good fortune of visiting Oman to explore the country’s magnificent geology. November 18th is Oman’s National Day and in this post I’d like to celebrate an Omani drainage basin: Wadi Bani Ghafir is a watershed in the mountainous terrain of northern Oman that heads about ~10 km (6 mi.) south…
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Field Methods 2014: Put Your Hiney in the Piney
When many of my academic colleagues (both at W&M and further afield) learn that I write a blog it is commonly followed by an amused grin and a question along the line of “why besmirch yourself with a blog?” In the academy, peer-reviewed publications, primarily in academic journals and books, are the coin of the…
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The Department that Floats Together…
The latest addition of the Geology departmental field trip rolled out of Williamsburg last Friday and then floated down the James River on Saturday. The weather in the Mid-Atlantic region was iffy. A stalled frontal system bolstered an on-shore flow of moist air, but a spot of rain here and there did not deter the…
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SNOMI – The Summer Nighttime Outdoor Misery Index
During the summer academic geologists commonly spend time in the field doing research; it’s one of the great things about studying the Earth. I’m fortunate to work on projects from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to the deserts of Oman, and at many of our field sites we camp while conducting research. This summer, with the…
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Senior Research Saturday 2014
The year-long senior research project is an important piece in the William & Mary Geology major. All W&M Geology majors complete an intensive independent project and in the process create new knowledge about the earth and the environment. The project culminates in a thesis and a professional-style presentation. For the past three years we’ve turned…
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50 Hours in the Field: the Earth Structure & Dynamics Field Trip 2014
The 2014 Earth Structure & Dynamics class field trip left Williamsburg at 1 p.m. last Friday bound for the Blue Ridge Mountains and points beyond. We would not return to campus until 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, some 50 hours after our departure. The field trip is a spring tradition that’s been enjoyed by students…
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Ivy Creek, the Old Stomping Ground
This post begins what I plan to be a recurring series on drainage basins and watersheds. For earth scientists interested in landscapes and surface hydrology: drainage basins are a fundamental component of these natural systems. A drainage basin consists of all the terrain that contributes water to a particular stream or river. For instance, rain…
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Going Global
Last week the William & Mary Geology department played host to a group of international geoscientists that descended upon Williamsburg from Japan and Oman. They were at William & Mary to attend the 3rd Critchfield Conference which focused on the Indian Ocean Basin: Navigating the 21st Century Marine Silk Road. Prior to their conference duties,…
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Where & When?
Here is the opening question from the last problem set in my Earth’s Environmental Systems course (GEOL 110). I thought my clues were amply generous. The photograph is of Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Russia. Google Earth is a great tool for checking out this scene and determining the latitude and longitude (59.9˚ N, 30.3˚…
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Water Gaps- worth a voyage across the Atlantic
Water gaps are intriguing and iconic landforms that have long drawn humans to them. We are all familiar with streams and rivers flowing in valleys; a water gap is dramatically different- it’s a place where a river cuts though a ridge or mountain range. Thomas Jefferson discusses the Potomac River water gap in his Notes…
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A Field Day
It is a rare weekday when I can slip away from the College. Yesterday with my colleague Brent Owens and research fellow John Hollis we played hooky and went to the field. Three weeks from now Brent and I will be leading a field trip for the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting: Traversing suspect…
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The Third Time is the Charm?
My Geology 110 course, Earth’s Environmental Systems, is a big class. 195 students are enrolled and we meet for 50 minutes at 9 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. A big part of my job is to keep these 195 students engaged during our class meetings. This semester I am using LectureTools, a web-based software…
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Down the James in Three Days
The James River’s basin spans much of Virginia. Its headwaters start amongst the high ridges of the Allegheny Mountains, and the river system covers some 700 kilometers (~400 miles) before debouching into the Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads. The river crosses four of Virginia’s five geologic provinces and exposes a wide array of rocks. Outcrops…
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Westward Ho!
It’s just a day after commencement and I have landed in Arizona to await the arrival of 26 students enrolled in Geology 310: Regional Field Geology. The semester may be over, but the fun is not. Over the next three weeks we will traipse across the landscape of northern Arizona and Utah. We’ll study the…