Category Archives: Geology

Misconceptions – Rivers Flow Passively over the Surface of the Earth

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk a few of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconception: Streams are simply flowing water

Misconception: Rivers do not carve valleys, but only passively flow down them

Misconception: Although rivers can cut down over time, they do not cut to the sidesContinue reading “Misconceptions – Rivers Flow Passively over the Surface of the Earth”

Misconception – Rivers Flow South

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk one of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconception: Rivers flow south – sometimes modified to rivers in northern hemisphere flow south, while those in southern hemisphere flow northContinue reading “Misconception – Rivers Flow South”

Misconception – The Earth’s core is hollow, or that large hollow spaces occur deep within Earth

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk one of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconception: Earth’s core is hollow, or that large hollow spaces occur deep within EarthContinue reading “Misconception – The Earth’s core is hollow, or that large hollow spaces occur deep within Earth”

Mendon Ponds Park – A Preview

This one I’m writing as a preview for my introductory geology students. This week, we’ll be running field trips out to Mendon Ponds Park to look at glacial geology and to practice reading topographic maps. There will also be a bit of rock identification going on too.

Today I took my son and we went on the hike that my students will be taking throughout the week. We had to make sure the trails were clear.

And of course we brought our cameras.Continue reading “Mendon Ponds Park – A Preview”

Misconceptions – Rocks and Minerals

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk some of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconceptions:

A. Rocks (and minerals) grow.

B. Coarse-grained rocks are rough, fine-grained rocks are smooth

C. Coarse-grained sedimentary rocks cooled slowly, coarse-grained igneous rocks formed in areas of high depositional energy, etc.

D. With minerals, the term ‘massive’ texture means that the samples are big.Continue reading “Misconceptions – Rocks and Minerals”

Misconception – The Rock Below Tectonic Plates is Liquid

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota. This post is to debunk two of those misconceptions. There will be others. Find them here.

Misconception: Asthenosphere is liquid and/or the lower mantle is liquidContinue reading “Misconception – The Rock Below Tectonic Plates is Liquid”

Common Misconceptions about Geology

There are many misconceptions about geological concepts. There is a list of these misconceptions here, developed by Kent Kirby of the University of Minnesota.

As I read through the list, I realized that almost all of them are concepts addressed in the first semester of an introductory geology class. Since I teach an introductory geology class, I thought I might go ahead and address these misconceptions. Continue reading “Common Misconceptions about Geology”