The Big Blue Rock Pod

This month The Big Blue Rock Pod digs up a previous episode where Matt, Sarah, and Doug discuss haunted pump jacks, suffering cows, the dark history of the Nada Tunnel, and a creepy story from a special guest about their experience with a time vortex during field work.

It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the sudden passing of Dr. William (Bill) Haneberg, former Kentucky state geologist and director of the 13th Kentucky Geological Survey (2016–2023).

Bill brought together experts from multiple academic disciplines to address complex geological problems. He placed a strong emphasis on engaging societal stakeholders and translating scientific information about hazards and risks into knowledge that could be understood and used by the people and communities who needed it.

We are deeply grateful for the time Bill spent at KGS serving the Commonwealth of Kentucky and advancing our mission-driven science. In his honor, we are re-releasing the August 2022 episode, which featured Bill as our guest. In this episode, Matt, Sarah, Doug, and Bill discuss the future of the KGS and geological surveys.

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with UK Art Museum Curator Rachel Hooper and KGS Public Resources Coordinator Cheyenne Hohman. They discuss a brand-new exhibit at the UK Art Museum called the “Museum of Natural History and Artificial Curiosities.” They get into the origin of the exhibit, UK president John Bowman, scientific collections, The Henry Clay Estate, items on display, hair balls, shark jaws, and much more!

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with KGS geologist Bailee Hodlka. They discuss Quaternary limnology, lakes in the Sierra Nevada, aquatic ecology, ostrocodes, environmental geology, tools for investigating stratigraphy of lakes, Lake Metropolis, and much more!

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with KGS geologist Chuck Tayor. They discuss karst hydrogeology, karst vs. other aquifer types, tools for groundwater monitoring, the KGS groundwater monitoring network, Burgin, KY., protecting groundwater resources, our favorite karst terrains, and much more!

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with Earth and Environmental Sciences Department Senior Lecturer Summer Brown. They discuss earth science education, teaching, how scientists connect to stakeholders, natural hazard anxiety, the NSF EPSCoR-funded project CLIMBS and the Enviropods Program, the future of earth science education, and much more!

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with world-renowned applied energy researcher Jim Hower. They discuss the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research, coal petrology, coal research, the Fire Clay coal, sampling coal, sampling coal-fired power plants, fly ash, rare earth elements, and the future of applied energy research.

Matt, Sarah, and Doug speak with former KGS Director and State Geologist Jim Cobb. They talk about James Hutton, New Harmony, Indiana, the job of a State Geologist, the 12th Geological Survey at KGS, digital data dissemination, the legend of Dr. Paul Potter, loving our jobs, and much more!

Jam packed show! Fresh of the Winter Olympics, Matt, Sarah, and Doug discuss the geology of curling stones. Next, back by popular demand (not really), they break down another Norwegian geology disaster film and discuss the 2015 film The Wave. They discuss rockslide-induced tsunamis, challenges of modeling unstable slopes and potential tsunamis, fjords, rockslope monitoring, geologists who are hoarders, and much more!

Please hit the Like and Subscribe buttons to stay up to date on future episodes, and to help us grow this series. And, please offer feedback and suggestions for future guests!

50th Episode! Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk to UK Earth & Environmental Sciences Professor Trisha Spanbauer. The discuss lakes, paleolimnology, lake sediment as proxies for global environmental change, ancient environmental DNA, biodiversity, ecological and molecular evolution, Lake Titicaca, promise of a.e.DNA sequencing, algae and art, and much more!

Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk with UK Earth & Environmental Sciences Professor Ed Woolery. The discuss near surface geophysics, shear wave propagation, imaging technique limitations, blind faults, applied geophysics, department chair duties, Ed’s geophysics heroes and much more!

Matt and Sarah talk with KGS geologist and BBRP co-host Doug Curl. They talk about Doug’s unique and fascinating career arc as a geologist, geoinformatics, GIS, geologic maps, compact discs, metadata (everyone’s favorite!), online geologic map services, and much more.

Matt, Sarah, and Doug recap their participation in conferences but most importantly lean into Halloween! They discuss haunted pump jacks, suffering cows, the dark history of the Nada Tunnel, and a creepy story from a special guest about their experience with a time vortex during field work.

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk with KGS geologist Cortland Eble. They discuss all things coal geology with a world-renowned palynologist, one of few people in the world who grinds up coal and glues in back together! They discuss coal formation, macerals, coke, coal spores and pollen, coal quality and quantity, coal from the Titanic, and much more!

Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk with KGS Director and Ky State Geologist Mike McGlue. They discuss what geologists do, trends in earth science, converging disciplines, exciting research at KGS, and emphasize the application of geology to build resilience for the Commonwealth. Listen up!

Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk about conferences they attended this summer, along with a little travel in between. They discuss the National Speleological Society Convention, Niagara Falls, Jim Thorpe, Archbald Pothole State Park, the Kansas Geological Survey (the other KGS) Field Conference, geology of New York City, The Natural Hazards Center Workshop, geologic hazards, disaster resilience, effective data dissemination, the geology of Iceland and much more!

Geologic time is a fundamental concept at the core of all geology and earth sciences. Since it's the foundation for everything else, we thought it was worth listening to twice. Enjoy this reissued episode of "Geologic Time" from September 2022 (episode 10) with Matt, Sarah, and Doug and special guest KGS geologist and geomorphologist (now SP&M Lab lead) Jason Dortch.

Matt, Doug, and Sarah talk with KGS Geologist Alex Washburn to discuss shales, rare-earth element, critical minerals, calcite, geochronology, petroleum geology, and environmental geology. Also, Doug spills his water.

Sarah, Matt, and Doug talk with KGS Public Resources Curator Cheyenne Hohman about KGS archiving, data dissemination over time, weird publications, maps, science and political winds, which Survey was most productive, and much more!

And check out our oldest publication (to date - from 1794!) in the KGS catalog here: https://kgs.uky.edu/kygeode/services/pubs/pub.htm?id=4385 "Map of the State of Kentucky with the Adjoining Territories"

You can search the entire KGS publication catalog here:https://kgs.uky.edu/kygeode/services/pubs/

Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk to UK Art Museum Curator, Rachel Hooper. In this special episode, they go on-site to the museum and discuss with Rachel the materials and subjects that connect art and geology: landscapes, photography, painting (with volcanic materials!) a Mt. Vesuvius eruption, ceramics, clay mineralogy, marble, lithography, and much more.

View referenced art pieces below:

Thomas Melville Chapin, Will in Growth, 1993, Colorado yule marble. Collection of the UK Art Museum, gift of Dr. John W. Hankla.

Follower of Pierre Jacques Volaire, Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, late 18th – early 19th century, oil on canvas. Collection of the UK Art Museum, gift of Drs. Jim and Bonnie Tanner.

Iranian, Storage Jar, late 14th-15th century, ceramic with thin quartz-frit layer, decorated in cobalt blue and alkaline glaze. Collection of the UK Art Museum, gift of Mrs. Alice Heeramaneck.

Sonia Delaunay-Terk, Composition, circa 1972, color lithograph on paper. Collection of the UK Art Museum, gift of Carol Williams in honor of Thomas M. Williams, Jr. (B.A., 1955; M.A., 1963).