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1 November 2012
High Magmafication: Geopoetry, Accretionary Wedge #51
I’m cutting it close this time, I know – today is the deadline for Geosphere’s Accretionary Wedge call for posts on Geopoetry. One of my favorite books is a slim little volume called “A Geological Miscellany”. It’s a collection of geology-related letters, stories, poems and prose reaching back all the way to Pliny, and it has some hilarious excerpts. One of my favorites is a poem that’s attributed to the Pick and Hammer Club of the USGS…okay, actually a song…okay, actually a song set to a very ear-wormy tune from 1950 called ‘Music, Music, Music’.
24 May 2011
GeoLOLcats meme
After seeing the recent upswing in geologic LOLcat activity, I couldn’t resist adding a few of my own. My kitties (the old guard and my addition to the family) are helping with some trip planning for an upcoming research stint in Los Alamos, NM. Naturally, this involves trying to prevent me from doing the planning in the first place. Sabrina is especially good at strategic positioning: Another technique is “distraction …
1 April 2011
USGS releases updated volcanic hazards poster
Just a quick post today, as I’m getting ready for a conference trip next week. For those of you who are familiar with the USGS poster “Geologic Hazards at Volcanoes” – a great graphical depiction of the different types of volcanic activity common at volcanoes – you’re in luck, because there’s a new version out today.
Download or view the updated poster for free here: “Geologic Hazards at Volcanoes 2011”
17 November 2010
In the Humorous Vein #15
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these (and until I get over the latest office cold, it will have to take the place of a real post). Ever seen Demotivators? Well, these are a little more geologically oriented. Want to see some more? Just search the blog for “In the Humorous Vein”.
24 August 2010
In the Humorous Vein #14
I’m still getting ready for the semester here, so at the suggestion of A Lifelong Scholar, I’m resurrecting an old series I was working on and giving you a humorous interlude. (This is one of the photos from my travels this summer; can anyone guess where it was taken?)
1 February 2009
In the Humorous Vein #13
Can’t let these die – everyone else has a weekly feature, and I need something to waste time on when I’m supposed to be teaching myself MATLAB. This was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen at the top of a mountain. I have to wonder if anyone ever told the benchmark-installers that they forgot something…
29 January 2009
My next self-indulgence…
…might have to be this t-shirt. “God’s Volcano Project” from BustedTees When I saw the title, I immediately thought, “Obviously they’re talking about the God from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and he’s going to bust out with ‘I TOLD YOU PEOPLE TO QUIT WITH THE PSALMS!’”
19 October 2008
In the Humorous Vein #12
Wow, I’m really overdue for one of these. Since I’ve been talking more about life than geology nowadays: This one’s actually a photo I took at Niagara Falls last weekend. That bird was, no lie, napping. I guess if you’ve got wings, huge waterfalls and precariously positioned rocks don’t bother you all that much.
Jessica Ball is a volcanologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, researching volcanic hydrothermal systems and stability, and doing science communication for the California Volcano Observatory. She previously worked at the Geological Society of America's Washington DC Policy Office, learning about the intersection of Earth science and legislative affairs. Her Mendenhall postdoc and PhD focused on how water affects the stability of volcanoes, and involved both field investigations and numerical modeling applications. Her blogging covers a range of topics, from her experiences in academic geosciences to science outreach and communication to her field and lab work in volcanology.