Something that we love to do here at Backyard Geology is lead trips into the field to experience geology live and up close. This week, we visited the banks of the Rio Grande River as it passes through Albuquerque, New Mexico to bring you our very first “vlog” (video blog)! First, we’d like to give…

This week we will talk about two-legged predators that first evolved during the Mesozoic era (248-65Ma). Their distant relative roamed the ancient world with a ruthless hunger for prey and at a terrifying size of 5 – 8 tons1, making it one of the main antagonists in this Hollywood blockbuster. Of course, what else could…

We here at Backyard Geology have been enjoying the geology pun life, so we decided to keep that going with this week’s post about more fabulous metamorphic rocks! In last week’s post, Kristen discussed slate and phyllite; two types of metamorphic rocks that form at lower temperatures and pressures. This week I decided to tackle…

Inspired by last week’s post on the use of granite (and what is called “granite” but not really granite) in countertops, we are going to focus this week’s post on another rock that you may have heard of in the commercial sector: slate (and rocks pretending to be slate). You are likely most familiar with…

Have you ever wandered into a countertop store and checked out the ‘granite’ selection? Well, if you are a geologist you likely have (because shiny, polished rocks!) and I can guarantee that many of the options they have shown as granite aren’t technically granite (some may not even be in the granite family). In this…

Would you like to impress your friends with a really cool sounding geological term? While we here at Backyard Geology make it our mission to convince you that everything about geology is cool and impressive, there really is something special (and just a little random) about a term that translates to “sausage” in French1. That’s…

From giant crystals in a cave to the walls of your home, gypsum is an incredibly common and wondrous mineral. This post will explore the usefulness of gypsum in geology and in your home. What is Gypsum? The word gypsum is derived from the Greek ‘gypsos’ meaning plaster1. Gypsum is a common mineral that belongs…

It’s spring here in the Northern Hemisphere! The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and the pollen is….everywhere. For allergy sufferers, pollen is an ever-present reminder that spring has sprung….and it’s here to make you just a little bit miserable. But, you’re in luck! We here at Backyard Geology have found the cure to…

Every year during the early summer months, parks in the West-Southwest United States, famous for their unique geologic wonders, will be teeming with geology students traipsing around examining rocks and interpreting their history. Why is that you might ask? These students are in Field Camp! This week we have decided to do a slightly different…

Picture this: you’re a young kid at the beach or lake or even just sitting in a sandbox. You’ve already been in and out of the water swimming a million times or you’re bored with just throwing mud pies at your siblings. So, you decide to take your tiny shovel and build the largest pile…