Don't Panic Geocast

Episode 327 - "Delta Tesseract"

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when rivers meet oceans? All kinds of fun sedimentary processes that build deltas. Learn more this week along with a discussion of one ma...

Episode 326 - "The Pinky Raise"

09 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about conglomerates. How do these sedimentary trash cans form and how can we classify them? Fun Paper Friday Turns out it may be di...

Episode 325 - "It turns to mud"

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week Shannon was out in the field taking samples in the area of the Colorado River. This week we find out what she was doing and the history of t...

Episode 324 - "Nanoknots"

26 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about hot spots and Hawaii! Loihi (https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/loihi.html) Emperor Seamount Chain (https://en.wikipedia.org...

Episode 323 - "Bug light for nerds"

19 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What would we be doing in an alternate universe? We explore careers we almost took and how they relate to things we talk about all the time. Fun Paper...

Episode 322 - "TeX Makes it Beautiful"

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

LaTeX is a beautiful way to make documents, especially when they have lots of equations, tables, and more. This week we dive into how you too can talk...

Episode 321 - "Big Peas"

05 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John and Shannon are tired of the wintery mix weather they've been getting, but at least now we understand what makes it! We also introduce the term "...

Episode 320 - "Hunga Tonga"

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Hunga Tonga eruption is one of the largest eruptions observed with modern equipment. This week we'll dig into what happened, how it was observed, ...

Episode 319 - "Ions in Solution"

12 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about chemistry, not something we say often! We chat chemical weathering and exactly what all those ions mean. Fun Paper Friday Lei...

Episode 318 - "Sandstones are Forever"

05 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weathering is what breaks the Earth down so it can be recycled, this week we dive into the mechanical methods of weathering the surface. Fun Paper Fri...

Episode 317 - "Is your tinfoil hat the same as mine?"

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are lots of rumored precursors to earthquakes - everything from dogs acting strange to flashes of light in the sky. This week we take a look at ...

Episode 316 - "A centimeter is good enough"

15 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week we dive into differential GPS and WAAS - how we can tell exactly where we are on the planet. WAAS (https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/head...

Episode 315 - "Tombstones"

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Glaciers are huge, weird, and complex systems. This week we talk about some weird glacial terminology and we jump the frog with this fun paper. Moulin...

Episode 314 - "We Did Pretty Good"

01 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did you do on your 2021 resolutions? What are you going to do in 2022? John More smaller, allowed breaks Focus and completion of tasks Hit the Gym...

Episode 313 - "Starts with Dyson"

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dyson Sphere (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere) Space Mirrors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_mirror_(climate_engineering)) Nuke Mars (...

Episode 312 - "Atmospheric Deodorant"

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week John and Shannon talk about ways we could use engineering to save or destroy the planet. * Stratospheric Injection * Ocean Fertilization * I...

Episode 311 - "You know the answer once you know the answer"

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week learn how to make strat columns based on the magnetic direction of rocks! It's time to learn about magnetostratigraphy. Magnetostratigraphy ...

Episode 310 - "Paul Bunyan's Potty"

27 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Canyonlands National Park is a beautiful and large display of sedimentary processes, impacts, and more. Learn about the features of this park and how ...

Episode 309 - "Assume a Spherical Chicken"

20 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A recent publication tried to determine if strange folded glasses found in the Atacama Desert formed by an extraterrestrial process. Turns out, miner...

Episode 308 - "Clay is kind of a trash can" Cements

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week John and Shannon discuss sedimentary rocks and what holds them together. Cements can be made of many different materials and don't change th...

Episode 307 - "Up, Up, and Away"

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Weather balloons are one of the few ways to really get in-situ atmospheric measurements. John was over in Norman, OK working on a new balloon borne in...

Episode 306 - "8 Degrees is a lot!" PETM

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when the Earth is drastically warmer than it is now? How can it get that way? Join us to learn about the PETM and what it could mean for ...

Episode 305 - "Trovant down by the river"

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trovants are a mysterious rock formation and we try to understand them this week! Science Alert Article (https://www.sciencealert.com/these-strange-bu...

Episode 304 - "Bog Clothes" with Dr. Andy Elwood-Madden

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Andy Elwood-Madden (http://nanogeochem.oucreate.com/) X-Ray Diffraction (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_crystallography) Reynolds Cup (https://ww...

Episode 303 - "But do you need it?"

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Keeping instruments safe in the field in hard. This week John talks about his favorite disguise for instruments and telemetry. Fun Paper Friday Can a ...

Episode 302 - "Geophysics is Batteries"

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Getting power to things in the field is difficult and more complex than you'd think. This week we discuss a few of the many problems you are likely to...

Episode 301 - "Lodestone"

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Magnetism is a mysterious topic and it took a long time for us humans to understand just the basics. This week we look at the history of magnetism! Fu...

Episode 300 - "Rock can also act as a fluid"

04 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

EPISODE 231 - "PRISON TOOLS" DR. MATT HALL (https://www.dontpanicgeocast.com/231) EPISODE 243 - "I WANT FOUR AWESOME SEASONS" (https://www.dontpanicge...

Episode 299 - "Counterfeit Consciousness"

21 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The GEARS workshop is over and we discuss what lessons were learned and how it went. Then we find out how some clever computer scientists found plagia...

Episode 298 - "Little Nerd Arms"

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's hot! Learn about wet bulb temperature and what it means for your heat-stress this summer! It involves a lot of swinging of wet socks! Fun Paper F...

Episode 297 - "Acid Gel" Shell Formation

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How Seashells are Made (https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/reactions/videos/2018/how-seashells-are-made.html) Johnson, Adam B., Nina S. Foge...

Episode 296 - "Explosive Erosion"

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Does the earth change rapidly or slowly? We discuss the competing philosophies and the evolution of.... well, the end of the road for your food! Fun P...

Episode 295 - "Touch the rocks"

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shannon is back from field camp (and another trip) and wants to talk about digital skills. Is field camp even necessary? Fun Paper Friday Fukada, Eiic...

Episode 294 - "enormous catastrophe"

19 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Earthquake shaking is often described on a "felt like" scale known as the Mercalli intensity scale. This episode we delve into the confusing history o...

Episode 293 - "Hot Hot Field Camp" Spontaneous Potential

12 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is spontaneous potential? It's an inexpensive technique to learn even more about the porosity, composition, and permeability of rock and soil. Fu...

Episode 292 - "Magic Math Stick"

29 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This was supposed to be a show on Spontaneous Potential, but we'll get to that next week! We have a potpourri of things to cover and hope you'll enjoy...

Episode 291 - "Haven't you seen Dante's Peak?"

22 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mt. St. Helens was a huge event in 1980. This week, 41 years later, we discuss the events leading up to the eruption and what happened! Fun Paper Fri...

Episode 290 - "COAL!"

15 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about coal - what is it, where did it form, and how do we use it! Fun Paper Friday Can seismometers be used to spy on industrial pr...

Episode 289 - "Soil Teapot"

01 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do geysers work? Learn more this week! Old Faithful (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Faithful) Fun Paper Friday The title says it all in this we...

Episode 288 - "95% Chance of Chert" Mineral Identification

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How do you identify a mineral? We talk about our favorite ways to identify minerals! Fun Paper Friday How does heavy water taste? Will it kill you? Fi...

Episode 287 - "Cartoonist in Word Form" Gary McManus

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Gary McManus joins us to talk about state climatology and extremes in Oklahoma! Gary (https://cig.mesonet.org/staff/gary_mcmanus.html) Mesonet (http:/...

Episode 286 - "Big Sandbox for Adults" Maciej Obryk, Kate Allstadt, Thomas Rapstine

03 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to Dr. Maciej Obryk, Dr. Kate Allstadt, and Dr. Thomas Rapstine for joining us to talk about the USGS experimental flume! * Flume Experiment Vi...

Episode 285 - "We're not going to tell you how to make it" Geology Field Kit

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Field Kit Sokkia Notebook Holster/Backpack Handlens Hammer Belt Pocket Transit Gilson Grain Size Card Acid Bottle Pocket Knife Pencils/Lead Protractor...

Episode 284 - "Dijon or Yellow" Geomajik Box

20 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What's in the box? Geophones Load Cell Resistivity Setup Color Magnetometer Accelerometer Turbidity Sensor Water Velocity Sensor Fun Paper Friday What...

Episode 283 - "There are spectrograms"

07 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about flow regimes in streams, more bedforms, and then wrap it up with a discussion of what crocodiles sound like after breathing he...

Episode 282 - "Antidunes"

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk all about sediment bedforms and everyone's favorite - antidunes! Watch John's Flume Experiments from 11 years ago Froude Number Fu...

Episode 281 - "Bill's over there chewing on his buddy" The Cambrian Explosion

28 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When and why did life diversify? This week we go WAY BACK to the Cambrian and hang out with hungry worms and trilobites to discover what happened. Fun...

Episode 280 - "Red sky in the morning" Weather Proverbs

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we look at the origins and science behind common weather proverbs, discuss the weather forecast rock found in every southern craft fair, and...

Episode 279 - "They forgot how to walk" Teaching Field in a Ballroom

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Shannon is teaching intro to field inside a ballroom and we grapple with what field skills students need in the real world. Fun Paper Friday Cats go ...

Episode 278 - "Millimillidarcy" Permeability

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about permeability - how water flows through rocks! Fun Paper Friday Yam, Kai Chi, et al. "Association of high profile football ma...

Episode 277 - "Water holding the rock" Porosity

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about porosity - or what all of the empty space in a rock is and why it is important. Primary Porosity Secondary Porosity Fracture ...

Episode 276 - Goodbye 2020

02 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we show 2020 out the door with our 2021 resolutions and yearly planning show! John be more decisive and reactive but in a good way less ref...

Episode 275 - "Should we just start with maniacal laughter?"

25 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we update you on the 2020 status and that we'll be back in 2021! Fun Paper Friday We start our first ever two part fun paper! https://phys...

Episode 274 - "Haboobs"

05 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about dust storms or haboobs and why they occur. Haboob Fun Paper Friday What's a monotreme? We take a biology 101 refresher and ...

Episode 273 - "Very special ways to pick people up" Capt. Jeff Grass

28 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Capt. Jeff Grass talks to us about being prepared for natural disasters! Fun Paper Friday Can a can of Coke make solar cells more efficient...

Episode 272 - "Adiabatic Bog"

07 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about how conferences have adapted to covid, why John is building hands on learning tools, and about nutrient exchange in bogs for m...

Episode 271 - "Guess Again Dummy" Ryan May

31 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Dr. Ryan May joins us to talk about life as a scientific software developer and his career path from radars to radiosondes and more! Ryan's...

Episode 270 - "Why God made the evening shift" Steve Piltz

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week National Weather Service Tulsa WFO Meteorologist In Charge Steve Piltz joins us to talk about a career in the weather service and finding un...

Episode 269 - "I thought about something totally different" Playas

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week John and Shannon agree to talk about playas, only to discover that they think about very different things. Fun Paper Friday Man eating deer...

Episode 268 - "A Horta?" Machine Learning

11 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about machine learning - what is it exactly and how can we leverage it as geologists? Will it be as useful as the horta? Fun Paper F...

Episode 267 - "It's digital, you turn it with your hands" Analog Experiments

28 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about analog experiments, what they are, and how you can do them! Geologists' Squeeze Box Squeeze Box Core Tubes Fun Paper Frida...

Episode 266 - "That's why they repaint runways" Earth's Magnetic Field

19 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Earth get its magnetic field? Why do we still have it? Find out that and more this week! Chris Finlay's Research Fun Paper Friday Can ...

Episode 265 - "Cold Air Bulldozer"

13 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about fronts and the warm air conveyor belt! Fun Paper Friday Do you think you have a good sense of direction? Maybe it's the magne...

Episode 264 - "Travel Brochure for Antarctica"

29 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about why we go to Antarctica and what kinds of work happens there each year! Fun Paper Friday What happens if you hold a cat in yo...

Episode 263 - "Hurricanitic" Iowa Derecho

23 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about derechos - what are they and why did one sweep across the upper midwest bringing wide spread distruction? Find out that and ho...

Episode 262 - "My Teddy Bear and Rosary"

15 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we interview Shannon about her career path to becoming a dual degree student and professor in geology! Fun Paper Friday Barnett, Adrian, In...

Episode 261 - "Pele Searches for a Home"

08 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hot spots - what are they? We don't know either! Explore with us on this week's show. J. Tuzo Wilson Pele Searches for a Home Pele Honua Mea Fun Pap...

Episode 260 - "Highly elliptic" Comet NEOWISE

26 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Comet NEOWISE is in the sky - learn all about it and comets in general! Fun Paper Friday The Earth hums with normal modes - learn how scientists are ...

Episode 259 - "Discoveries from the massive funding of the department of defense"

18 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we learn how searching for a downed aircraft may have helped us better understand how plate tectonics work... we think... maybe. It's not an...

Episode 258 - "You need a trained geologist"

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about why we don't believe that a rock ID app is a possibility now or potentially ever. Fun Paper Friday How do you convert human y...

Episode 257 - "And, you know"

04 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about rainbows, light, reflection, refraction, and how it's just like an earthquake! Fun Paper Friday Have you seen products marke...

Episode 256 - "We Don't Know What We're Doing" Episode 0 MST3000

28 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we Mystery Science Theater 3000 our own Episode 0 to celebrate the 8-bit rollover of our show!

Episode 255 - "Reddish Orange" with Stacey Evans

13 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we learn what life is like as a state geologist with Stacey Evans and how fish fart. Fun Paper Friday How do fish fart? Why? Wilson, Ben, ...

Episode 254 - "Continental Condensation Nuclei" Yosemite

07 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we explore the geology of Yosemite and how continents are built! Fun Paper Friday Think dad jokes are bad? Try professor jokes! But do they...

Episode 253 - "Googling Under the Table"

30 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have guest John Leeman? That's right! Shannon wants to know why John took the path he did and how her students can find their own. We're ...

Episode 252 - "People like craters" Upheaval Dome

23 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You'd think we'd know what caused a big hole in the ground, but we don't. Learn why upheaval dome remains a mystery in this week's show! Upheaval Dom...

Episode 251 - "Teaching Field Geology on a Computer"

16 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Shannon walks us through how she's planning to teach students field geology online and talks about the pains of learning to delegate in the ...

Episode 250 - "Pretty Radioactive Down There"

03 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we delve into the hot world of radiometric methods in geophysics. Find out how gamma rays help us find natural resources and why radioactive...

Episode 249 - "Herzprung-Russell"

25 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week up look upward to the stars! Learn about stellar classification and how it is important to a geologist! Glowy Earthquakes Crazy Walls H-R ...

Episode 248 - "Palinspastic"

19 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we get palinspastic! Find out how geologists can "unfold" time and reconstruct what past landscapes looked like from a geologic cross-sectio...

Episode 247 - "Mind Blown"

12 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What's it like to be told you need to teach field geology online? This week we talk about distance learning in higher-ed. Fun Paper Friday What's spe...

Episode 246 - "Zone of suspended water" ABCs Part 2

04 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It's time to finish our ABC's! Also we discuss things of a fecal culinary nature on Fun Paper Friday! N - Neap tide O - Ophiolite P - Placer Deposit Q...

Episode 255 - "Floppy Clay-stone" ABCs Part 1

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we learn the ABC's again! It's time for another geology ABC's series with some great new words to learn. Join us for part one of this two pa...

Episode 244 - "Stress, Strain, What's the Difference?"

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about stress, strain, and how they are different! Fun Paper Friday See how to get data from natural drones and download it via USBe...

Episode 243 - "I want four awesome seasons"

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we interview Dr. Eric Kelsey about winter precipitation and his ventures into open-source hardware! Dr. Kelsey's Plymouth Page Mt. Washing...

Episode 242 - "I'm a taxi driver for my students" Dr. Alison Nugent

15 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week Dr.Alison Nugent joins us to talk about giant cloud condensation nuclei and life as an assistant professor of atmospheric science in Hawaii....

Episode 241 - "This circle is full of paleomagnetists"

08 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow in the follow up to the winter storm that hit the plains this week. Why do these occur? F...

Episode 240 - "Half a Unicorn"

01 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week it's all about aquifers and how they work! Water does not sit in lakes underground, but truth is stranger than fiction. Fun Paper Friday Up...

Episode 239 - "I went to Cheers" and other AMS stories

25 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week John recaps his trip to AMS and Shannon teases a show on her field work! Find AMS talks here TORUS project WX Symbols NCAR Dropsonde Tim's ...

Episode 238 - "Big Long Honkies"

11 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What's that in the sky? A bird? A plane? No, it's a scary looking cloud! Find out what it was this week! Flammagenitus (with great chart at the botto...

Episode 237 - "Just archive it" New Years!

04 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we go over the last year and discuss our plans for 2020 before diving into a discussion on pupil shapes in various animals. Don't miss it! F...

Episode 236 - "Crop circles of geology"

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we finish up talking about deserts with some of our favorite features - dunes, ventifacts, and more! Sailing Stones Ventifact Dunes Fun P...

Episode 235 - "That's how the arches formed"

14 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we stick to a dry subject - deserts! Learn about how rocks weather in a place where there isn't much. Peltier diagram on weathering Desert...

Episode 234 - "That's what they're called"

07 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Deserts - hot and dry right? Wrong! There's so much more to them! Fun Paper Friday Synthetic Uranus? Magnetic Fields? Learn more in this week's fun p...

Episode 233 - "I'm out - I took linear algebra" Stereonets

01 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about the dreaded stereonet and why it's useful and somewhat... odd. Great Stereonet Video Series On Teaching Stereonets Visible Ge...

Episode 232 - "Mostly we went camping"

23 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about how YOU can contribute to science with citizen science efforts and what it takes to make a successful citizen science project....

Episode 231 - "Prison Tools" Dr. Matt Hall

17 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week Matt Hall of Agile Scientific joins John to talk about teaching Python, the ways scientists get around learning programming, and how to help...

Episode 230 - "Fire Triforce" Wildfires

02 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk about fire weather and wildfires! It's a hot topic. We also visit a somewhat Halloween appropriate fun paper from the Journal of Exp...

Episode 229 - "Wooden Dowel Budget" Dr. Jeffrey Wagman

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk to Dr. Jeffrey Wagman about experimental psychology, perception, and what it takes to write a "Fun Paper" worthy paper! Jeff's Webs...

Episode 228 - "The other answer to everything"

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week we wrap up our discussion of how plate tectonics can influence climate, then discuss zebra stripes on a fascinating fun paper Friday! Fun Pa...