After an unexpected hiatus, hosts Jane and Ellen return with a down and dirty episode about soil. Jane reveals her childhood experiences with a DIY mud spa before digging into the agricultural and geological definitions for soil. They discuss the four main components of soil: inorganics, organics, water, and air or gas. They talk about how to identify soil texture and soil structure. They also discuss soil profile and soil horizons (which are similar to cake layers, but less delicious). They...

Hosts Jane and Ellen finish each other’s… sandwiches in this “Frozen” episode about glaciers. Glaciers are a body of moving ice that has been formed on land by the compaction and recrystallization of snow. They take forms like valley, ice sheet, or outlet, because, really, who’s going to tell them not to. Learn why glaciers are more likely to form at the equator than at 30 degrees latitude north and south, and find out how glacial budget has its pluses and minuses. Let it go and enjoy this...

We’re devoting this episode to the season’s most dreaded stocking stuffer, coal. Travel back in time to the Paleozoic era, where coal starts as rotten plants. Add heat, pressure, and time, and quick as a wink from old Saint Nick - you’ve got coal! And like Santa’s naughty or nice list, learn how coal is graded into four types: lignite, sub bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite. Return to the present, where coal provides 38.5% of the world’s electrical power, and glimpse at the future of...

What’s big and deadly, and travels faster than a jet plane? It’s a tsunami. Hosts Jane and Ellen explain how ocean waves become tsunamis. They talk about the basic properties of waves, and the differences between tidal waves and tsunamis. They also talk about some famous tsunamis. (Spoiler alert - don’t expect a happy ending.) Sources: Introduction to Oceanology by Paul Webb, offered online by Roger Williams...

Jane interrupts our scheduled discussion of tsunamis to take us on a Magic Schoolbus-like field trip to Missouri’s Elephant Rocks State Park. Along the way we learn a bit about Missouri’s history, and culture (mort importantly the three Bs of St. Louis: Beer, Blues, and Barbeque). We also learn cool stuff about the geology of this Gateway to the West state. Granite domes & tors abound! And in the immortal words of Miss Frizzle, “Seatbelts, everyone!” Our sources for this episode...

So you think you’ve got problems… imagine what happens when the earth’s crust is under stress and strain. Learn about the forces that cause earthquakes, and how structural geologists measure them. This episode is guaranteed to give you the shimmy shakes. (Guarantee not legally enforceable, but it’s still pretty cool.) Our main source for this episode is Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (9th ed.), by Tarbuck & Lutgens Music for It’s Sedimentary, My Dear is provided by Solar Sleighs.

In this episode, we learn that some rocks have more than a killer attitude — they’re actually deadly. Lock all the doors and turn down the lights as hosts Jane and Ellen tell spooktacular tales about the many horrible ways rocks can kill you. Whatever you do, don’t listen to this episode…alone! Bwahaha! ☠️ Our sources for this episode are: Killer Clothing Was All the Rage in the 19th Century, by Becky Little for National Geographic Arsenic Pills and Lead Foundation: The history of toxic...

In this episode, we learn about all things volcano: where they’re found, how they’re formed, and even how volcanologists use them for cooking. We also learn that the Tectonic Plate struggle is real, and that volcanoes are some of the evidence. Crank up the A/C and get ready to go with the lava flow in this sizzling episode. Our main source for this episode is Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (9th ed.), by Tarbuck & Lutgens. Music for It’s Sedimentary, My Dear is provided by...

This episode talks about geomorphology, the study of the Earth’s landforms. This includes the physical makeup of the earth’s crust, the movement of the pieces that make up the Earth (plate tectonics), and the origin and evolution of topographic (and bathymetric) features created by physical and chemical processes, and operating at or near the earth’s surface. Our main source for this episode is Process geomorphology (5th ed.), by Ritter, Kochel, & Miller. Music for It’s Sedimentary, My...

We explore the final frontier, starting with the Big Bang Theory, followed by the creation of our solar system, then the humble beginnings of our planet, including a rough encounter with the moon about 4.5 billion years ago, and ending with a discussion of what Earth looked like in its nascent state. Our main source for this episode is Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (9th ed.), by Tarbuck & Lutgens. Music for It’s Sedimentary, My Dear is provided by Solar Sleighs. Follow us on...

Welcome to the world of geology! In our first episode of It’s Sedimentary, My Dear, we introduce ourselves, talk about the different types of rocks and minerals, and tell you our favorites. We think you’ll dig it! Our main sources for this episode are:Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy (1st ed.), by Dyar, Gunter, & TasaEarth: An Introduction to Physical Geology (9th ed.), by Tarbuck & Lutgens Music for It’s Sedimentary, My Dear is provided by Solar Sleighs. Tell us about your favorite...

Are curious about your home — your home planet, that is? Welcome to the podcast that explains it all, It’s Sedimentary, My Dear. Every other week, hosts Jane and Ellen “dig deep” into the secrets buried in the rocks and minerals that make up planet Earth. Whether you want to learn more about geology, geomorphology, and climatology, or just enjoy terrible rock puns, it will be gneiss to have you join us. (See, the bad rock puns are already getting started.) - - - - - - - - - - - - Twitter:...