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Maureen/Mo

@rockwmo

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rock on!! 🌋🪨⚒️
passionate about earth science, public education, and inclusivity 🪱
let’s talk rocks

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scenes from the Mt Bromo volcanic complex in Java, Indonesia 🌋

Bromo is named after the Hindu god Brahma, and there are a couple altars on the way up to and on the crater. A tradition started in the 15th century of carrying gifts to the Ganesha at the top and tossing offerings into the crater is continued today. Bromo is a massive volcanic complex; it was amazing to be up close and personal with an active volcano!

volcano tourism in Java is interesting. some of the volcanoes are fairly accessible and there seems to be a big industry around ferrying tourists around the mountains; this is one of the places we saw the most international visitors.

there’s an “ash desert” at the base where people set up food and vendor stalls; one of the pictures shows a guy carrying his meatball stand via motorbike. there’s a ton of tour agencies that take people up to the mountain for sunrise; hundreds of people in the same jeeps of different colors vying for a spot to get essentially the same photo. then they drive you to the ash desert for the trek to the crater. there’s ponies that can be hired to take you to the stairs to the top (we chose to trudge through the ash). the tour is centered around getting photos, but the only information about the volcano, its history and cultural relevance, was from other conversations with locals. I don’t knock our guide for this, we didnt speak enough of his language or him enough of ours to talk about it, and I imagine the majority of people just want to see the mountain. all of that is fine, but it does make me curious about how we can share knowledge and history about earth science cross culturally in casual, non academic contexts. taken in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park by @rockwmo

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2 years ago

I spy with my little eye, a pyroclastic flow on the flank of Mt Merapi 🌋 taken in Yogyakarta Indonesia by @rockwmo

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2 years ago

spent the past few days visiting family and exploring Hornby Island in the northern gulf islands in BC. Hornby was formed by glacial rebound and features various sandstone formations, mudstone, and a large unit of conglomerate. my moms cousin has a nice collection of ammonite and baculite she’s found on the beach near her home; a pterosaur bone, saurodontid fish, fossilized shark teeth, and various mollusk fossils have also been found there.

Hornby is part of the unceded traditional territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, who know it as Ja-dai-ach. by @rockwmo

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3 years ago

some days you win and some days you puke in front of your cohort 🦭 taken in Coos Bay, Oregon by @rockwmo

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3 years ago

exploring elk rock island for my capstone project, trying to think of ways to engage and excite high schoolers about geology 🧐 by @rockwmo

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3 years ago

did you know that the foundational principles of geology inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection? actually, Darwin was a geologist in his own right. he even had a rock collection :)

Darwin read the works of Charles’s Lyell and James Hutton, and brought Lyell’s Principles of Geology on the HMS Beagle.

Darwin made several observations about the landscapes he saw on his journey, which seemed to substantiate some of Lyell’s controversial ideas about the age of the earth. He experienced an earthquake in Chile and saw the uplifted earth, he noted fossils in outcrops above the sea, he thought about the tilting and uplift of mountains in the Andes, and he was particularly curious about coral atolls, which locals described to him as the result of earthquakes and erosion. Much of this contributed to his perspective that the earth was definitely older than conventionally thought, and organisms, like certain landscapes, change gradually over time.

while a lot of what geologists thought at the time had to be updated in consideration of plate tectonics and continental drift, many of the foundational principles are used in some capacity. And Darwin’s ideas about atolls are still supported. 🪸🐠

also: Darwin’s work, while essential to our understanding of the science of evolution, is not without serious misgivings. He is a nuanced figure; while he was an abolitionist and voiced opposition to racial essentialism, he also held limiting beliefs about the role of the sexes and referred to groups of people he saw as “less civilized” in unfavorable terms. I think it’s important to contextualize significant figures/contributors of science history, and to recognize how their views may have impacted their work. by @rockwmo

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3 years ago

visited @adelmanpeonygardens earlier this summer! the willamette valley is uniquely fertile due to the alluvium (soils produced by river deposits) of historic glacial floods (lookin @ u glacial lake Missoula 👀) that washed volcanic & glacial sediments into the valley.
this is a huge reason why we are blessed with so many flower farms & vineyards 🌸🍷🌻
next time you appreciate a beautiful flower or glass of pinot, give some gratitude to the soil 🪱 taken in Adelman Peony Gardens by @rockwmo

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3 years ago

the formation currently known as the Goat Rocks is actually an extinct stratovolcano/composite cone! composite refers to the mixed materials that erupted from and form this volcano; both mafic (less viscous, lower silica content) and felsic (more viscous, higher silica content) magmas have been produced and erupted as lava to create and shape these peaks and the surrounding landscape.

the eruptive history of this area is quite old, starting about 3.2 million years ago and ceasing about 1-0.5 million years ago. this has led to significant weathering of the eruptive products, leading to the various ridges and formations we see today. taken in Packwood Lake, Packwood Wa by @rockwmo

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3 years ago

soil with high clay content excites me! by @rockwmo

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3 years ago