Learning to See

Now that we've talked a little bit about geology, I'd like to dive in and take a closer look at how a Geologist works. And by that I mean, what does a geologist look for as a scientist? What kind of skills are necessary to be successful? And one of the most important things for a geologist is learning to take all available information possible and really "see" what is going on. I think the following story helps explain what I mean.

Geology Teacher

I still remember that first lab I had for my geology 112 course, Historical Geology. The Professor came into our first lab, and laid rocks of all sorts on the tables throughout the classroom. There were about twenty different specimens, and as soon as he was done, he turn to all of us and made an announcement.

"Ok, here's what we're going to do today. I'm going to try and help you how to "see" as a geologist. And learning this skill requires practice, there's no other way around it. When I say "see," I'm trying to get you to notice everything that's going on, no just the initial appearance. I've laid out some different rocks throughout the room, and your assignment is to tell me how these rocks came to be this way. Tell me this rocks story. Look at the rocks, take a good long look, and make logical guesses as to how the rock came to be the way it is right now. Look at its shape, and size. What is this rock made of? What anomalies are in it? Question everything that you see and see if you can figure out this rock's history. Write down what you think."

He then said "That's your assignment for today. Take all the time you need, and I'll see you next week where we'll discuss your conclusions."

He turned and left the classroom.

I've never had a teacher that left us to our own accord before. And this turned out to be one of the best learning experiences I've ever had.

We went through those rocks. We looked, and poked and prodded. We scratched and sniffed and in one case I tested it for halite by licking one of the rocks. We discussed and speculated and swapped theories and argued and drew up our conclusions. Class was three hours long, and it took most of the time with my two geology buddies trying to figure these things out. Some of the rocks were really cool, and we had no idea how the heck they came into being. Other rocks appeared to be straight up boring. We finished our assignment for the week, and went on our way.

One week later...

"Ok people, pull out your assignments from last week, we're going to go through together and see what you came up with." My teacher broke out the same rocks we had examined last week and started telling us what had really gone down with these things.

The one that I remember in particular was a big 30 lb. grey sandstone-like deal that had a few bits of broken shells in it. This rock definitely went under the "boring"category. We had looked it over, but hadn't spent hordes of time figuring it out.

"Did anyone take a look at the underside of this thing?" My professor heaved the rock to show us the "bottom" of the rock. A strange white circle with two pronged pieces sticking out of the circle formed the bottom of the rock.

We all looked at each other. I didn't even remember seeing the whitish circle with the two split pieces off of it last week. I had taken a cursory glance at it, drawn my conclusions and went to the next rock on the table.

"One of the other professors found this in California and realized what it was. Any guesses?"

A few of the students offered their opinions. None of the suggestions were what he was looking for.

"This looks like a bunch of broken shells in a rock. In reality, this is a the vertebrae of a whale covered in crud."

We were all stunned, and slightly ashamed at the lack of our detective skills. We had assumed that a very rare find was another one of a trillion boring rocks.

Every student in that classroom learned a very important lesson that day. In geology, things are rarely what they seem to be. Mother Nature has a knack for doing what she wants. She makes up her own rules, and even then doesn't follow them. It takes practice to learn to really "see" what is going on in any situation. It was a lesson that none of us would forget.

Towards the end of the semester, the Historical Geology 112 class went on a field trip. Down into the middle of a barren western desert we went. We looked at sand dunes, collected fossils, saw an uplifted reef, and once again, had another "seeing" experience.

There are general principles in geology that mother nature follows for the most part, but one of the formations that our teacher took us to was the complete opposite of one of the basic principles of geology laid down by Nicolas Steno, an early geologic pioneer. How did this happen?

Our teacher gave us a half hour to look at this formation. In that time, we could look, poke, prod, theorize, debate; in short, use any of our detective skills to see what had caused this formation to form.

Geologic Formation, Millard County, Utah

One general rule in Geology is that sedimentary rocks form on top of igneous or metamorphic rocks. As we see in the above picture, this is clearly not the case in this particular formation. So this begs the question, how did this happen? As geologists-in-training, we did our best to explain, using all of the details that we were able to find, to logically explain why this ended up the way it did.

My point in this second story isn't to tell you the answer to this geologic mystery, but to start you thinking about the world in which you live. Scientists generally become scientists because they want to know how things work. There is a method of thinking and action behind their studies known as the Scientific Method. Using this method, geologists "see" everything around them and are better able to explain the world around them. And by slowly sifting through everything that there is to see here in this world of ours, we slowly but surely come to see things as they really are.

Geology Rocks!!

07/02/2012 - When I tell people that I study geology, I quite often get an interesting look and a slightly awkward “ah….ok….cool...” response, or something to that affect. For those brave enough to continue the conversation, the question “why geology?” generally pops up. My response? “Because geology ROCKS!”

Rock Formation Near the Grand Canyon

That, and as I am about as smart as a rock, I figure I can get a degree, right?

That still begs the question, why geology? Shoot, what the heck is geology? It’s not your everyday, run-of-the-mill subject, and you would be surprised how many people don’t get “geology rocks” pun. What a shame.

Just as we humans have written records dating back thousands of years, the earth has left a record of her dealings. Geologists have learned, and are continuing to learn to read the rock record, which gives us a rich 4.56 billion year history of the earth. While not as plain as words on a piece of paper, the history is there; we just need to learn to read through a new set of eyes.

Mendenhall Glacier in Southeast Alaska

The word geology is derived from the Greek term earth (γῆ, gê,) and study (λόγος, logos.) The Japanese accurately have identified the word, which is 地質学 (Chishitsugaku), meaning Ground/Earth (地,) Substance (質,) Study/Science (学.) And while there are certainly plenty of rocks here on this world, the study of the earth encompasses a wide range of subjects. Mining, glaciers, paleontology, volcanoes, earthquakes, hydrology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, plate tectonics; all are a part of this wide, encompassing subject that we call geology. And the way technology is progressing these days, interplanetary geology is just over the horizon.

In other words, in order to have any interest in geology, all you have to do is have an inquisitive mind. Have you never wondered, “What kind of rock is that?” or “How do glaciers form?” My favorite is “Where can I find a dinosaur bone?” Even simply wondering at how the Grand Canyon came into being is enough. Questions like these are what lead those of us whose child-like curiosity hasn’t died yet to search for clues as to how to see things as they really are.

So we’ll take a look together at several different aspects of geology, and not only the rocks. We’ll take a look at how to see things through the eyes of a scientist. Learning how to “see” is one of the most important aspects of being a geologist. Things are not always as they seem to be. So be inquisitive! Take a second look at things! The boring rock you pick up randomly likely has quite a history and is more interesting that you can imagine. 

Volcano in Southern Guatemala