EveryDay Earth in the Classroom

 

We had the chance to demonstrate EveryDay Earth in a 6th grade classroom recently and it was a hit!  Later, we were able to talk to the teacher, Ms. Cook, about here experiences with using EveryDay Earth.  Here's a quick video about it:

This Week in Earth Science 08/08/21

Latest Shoot: Metamorphic Mayhem

 We were in need of metamorphic rock footage for EveryDay Earth so it was time to head back to Colorado.  That's a bit of a drive for us, but still the closest source, so we loaded up the camera equipment and road snacks, topped off on gas and off we went.

 But nothing worth finding is found easily and, of course, every road trip needs a few unrelated stops just for fun, so we decided to check out the Great Sand Dunes while we were out there.  It had been years since we were last here but the dunes were still just and grand and sandy as we remembered.

Check out the ominous storm clouds behind Devin.  We were lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) to witness a rain storm pop up at the dunes.  With tons of wind accompanying the storm, we got to see the movement of sediment firsthand.  

It was a pretty severe storm but, thankfully, it was also short.  Tourists who were exploring the tops of the dunes gave us weird looks as they ran past us for shelter while we stayed put trying to get footage.  We got some good shots but between the wind, water and sand, we'll probably need to take the camera back in to the shop.

We were eventually able to find several roadside stops where metamorphic rocks were plentiful.  We wanted to make sure to get plenty of shots of the "mushiness" (for lack of a better term) that the rocks endured during the extreme amounts of heat and pressure inflicted on them.  It helps to be surrounded by the picturesque Colorado landscape while working.  These rocks were great but we always want more.

As you can probably guess, the small town of Marble, CO is named after the rock that is abundantly found in the area.  While driving around, you can see tons of the stuff along the road in big chunks, on display at the local museum, and as ornate sculptures at the many marble stores in town.  At one of them, we were tipped of that the local quarry, the Yule Marble Quarry, was open to the public that day so we had to take a look.

This mine is famous for its marble which has been used all across the country including in the Lincoln Monument and the Tomb of the Unkowns.  No mining was happening that day so we could get a nice look at the the mine and could see where chunks of marble were literally being sawed off the walls.  It was a pretty productive shoot so far but our luck was about to run out.

Mudslides in Glenwood Canyon had shut down I-70 and cut off our route to Denver so we had to take the long way.  And the "long way" involved a convoluted detour across several country dirt roads which were not necessarily created with this high level of traffic in mind.  Multiple stops were involved when two lane traffic wasn't possible but, on the bright side, we got to see a part of the country side we wouldn't have.  It was an interesting experience to say the least.

All things considered, it was a pretty eventful shoot.  There's never a dull moment we you're on the road and the best you can hope for is to come back with some decent footage.  You can look forward to seeing more of this part of the country in upcoming Missions of EveryDay Earth!

This Week in Earth Science 03/21/21

Devin takes a look at some of the earth science news fo the past week

EveryDay Earth Transmissions #1

Just like everyone else, we're in lockdown these days due to the global pandemic.  But don't worry, while Devin is quarantined at EveryDay Earth Headquarters he can still get messages out.  We plan to provide daily (or semi-daily) updated about rocks, minerals, fossils, science or just about anything else.  The first transmission is about petrified wood:

Up next we have some information about Chemical Sedimentary Rocks:

Stay tuned for more updates and don't forget to stay home yourself.  We'll bring the science to you!

EveryDay Earth Clips

We have a few new clips from EveryDay Earth available. If you haven't checked out EveryDay Earth yet, it's a free interactive video curriculum supplement for teachers.  You can follow Devin and the EveryDay Earth Corps on adventures and choose which data gets collected in different locations along the adventure.

Throughout the lessons, STEM concepts are explored in short videos that students can click on as they progress.  Here's a quick overview of precipitation:

A variety of locations are featured in EveryDay Earth.  So far we've shot marshes, plains, canyons and a variety of bodies fo water.  We try to explore the scientific background of each location.  Here's a quick clip about the Gloss Mountains in northwest Oklahoma:

If you haven't checked out EveryDay Earth yet then head to the website and sign up for free.  The first two Missions are ready and the third one will be available later this year!

Price's Falls in the Oklahoma Arbuckles

Here's a quick look at Price's Fall at the Falls Creek Baptist Center in Davis, Oklahoma:

Honey Creek at Turner Falls Park

In this new video Devin takes a quick look at Honey Creek and how its relationship to Turner Falls in Davis, Oklahoma:

Old River Control Structure

 
Here's some video we shot awhile back at the Old River Control Structure floodgate system in Louisiana:

Latest Shoot: New Orleans

Production on EveryDay Earth continues to keep us busy.  With "Mission 1" pretty much completed (barring peer review and any revisions we might need,) we've moved our focus to "Mission 2."  That means it's time to get back out in the field and shoot some footage.  Since Mission 2 continues with the Water Cycle we headed out to the New Orleans area.

Although technically, we shot very little in the actual city.  We spent a lot of time driving around Louisiana to get to the good stuff.  Our first destination was the Old River Control structures in the eastern central part of the state, along the Mississippi border.  It helps control the mighty Mississippi River.

We had actually filmed there before years ago when we tagged along on an OU field trip.  That footage eventually found its way into an old GeoAmerica segment about the Mississippi Delta.  Of course, those were the SD days.  Now that we're HD/4K fancy-pants big shots, we frequently find ourselves re-shooting locations we've visited before.  But that's not a bad thing since we've been at this a while and people, places and things tend to change over time.

We weren't able to use our new favorite toy, the drone, here because the Army Corps of Engineers doesn't allow drones at this facility but they were still very helpful and welcoming and we're happy to thank them once again for allowing us access.

It's worth mentioning that one of the main draws of the area is the food.  And we tried to get as much of it as we could.  The first New Orleans dish?  Etouffee!  We found a cool gas station/restaurant in a little out of the way town between somewhere and somewhere else.  

The main reason we traveled to the area was to get shots of the Louisiana Barrier Islands.  We chartered a boat with local guide Richie Blink of Delta Discovery Tours who was a great resource.  Unlike some of the showier guides around, Blink has spent years studying the science of the area and really helped us get the shots we needed.

Once we got out there we finally got the drone in the air. We toured the islands for several hours and got tons of great footage!  It's an important story to tell and we're glad to include it in EveryDay Earth.  The islands are covered in various shells, especially oyster shells...which gave us a craving...

Since we're usually so far inland it's hard to find fresh seafood so being near the Gulf was a great excuse to destroy a tray of oysters.  We looked over the shells afterward so you could say this also counted as research.  This was pretty much our fuel for shooting geology footage on this trip.  And there was plenty to shoot...

One of the last hings we shot was Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours.  It was a great chance for us to get some wetlands footage and there were plenty of gators, turtles and other critters that we could get shots of in their natural habitat.  Thanks to the tour company for letting us hop aboard.

The overall shoot was exhausting but we ending up getting a lot of great shots and eat a ton of great food.  You can check it all out (except maybe the food) in Mission 2 of EveryDay Earth...coming soon!

Latest Shoot: Oklahoma Aquarium

Production on the first adventure of EveryDay Earth has pretty much finished up but we're already working on the second!  Since the curriculum is Oklahoma based we wanted to involve as many educational Oklahoma attractions as possible.

It's also not just Oklahoma rocks and landforms we want to include, we also want to incorporate Oklahoma wildlife to show to show how so many natural systems are connected.   Thankfully the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks was happy to let us stop by and get some footage.

The main focus of the shoot was the "Aquatic Oklahoma" exhibit which features all kinds of local critters that swim, slither, skitter and float around the lakes and rivers of Oklahoma.  It was a great opportunity to get the kind of close up shots of animals that we would never be able to get in the wild.

While out and about, we couldn't help but get some shots at Eufaula Lake.  Water is the main concept covered in the first Module of Everyday Earth so we've shot quite a few of the lakes, rivers, springs, ponds and waterfalls in the state but it never hurts to have more footage.  Plus water is such a crucial part of natural science, geography and culture that there's always a need for extra footage.

And just like that we got some more wildlife shots.  I'm honestly not sure what kind of birds these are so we'll have to check in with our biologist and ornithologist friends to see if they can weigh in.  It was windy and really cold this weekend so outdoor shooting was kept to a minimum but there was one other shot we needed to get:

Coal Miners Memorial Plaza in MacAlester, OK is dedicated to those that lost their lives in the dangerous job of coal mining.  It's also a great visual reminder of the influence of coal in the area.  It has had a large economic impact in the region as well as a cultural one.

We shot footage of this monument years ago for our documentary "Oklahoma Rocks" but that was back in the Standard Definition days.  Since these days we're working in HD 4K video, the older footage would not work in a current project.  But luckily stuff like this is in the neighborhood and it always helps to check back in on an area to make sure our footage is up to date.

EveryDay Earth Trailer

Here's the trailer for our new project "EveryDay Earth!"  It's an interactive video curriculum supplement that lets students go on adventures, make choices and gather data as they learn about earth science and STEM concepts.  We'll be rolling it out to Oklahoma public schools this year!

Geo-Walk: St. Mary’s Glacier

We recently braved the cold and hiked up the trail to get a look at St. Mary's Glacier near Idaho Springs, Colorado.  Here's a quick video:

Northwest Arkansas Chert Outcrop

We recently got to tag along on a field trip for students and professionals in northwest Arkansas.  We shot some video of geologists taking a look at an outcrop of limestone and chert to learn more about how to find and drill in hard rock to find oil and gas reservoirs.  Check it out:

STEM Education at the Ballpark

Recently Devon Energy and the OKC Dodgers celebrated STEM education by working with local schools and teachers for MVP Day!  Devin was there showing off rock and fossil specimens from the Oklahoma Geological Society.  Here's some video we shot during the event:

Geo-Walk: Dinosaur Ridge

Devin checks out some of the science behind Dinosaur Ridge near Denver in this new video:

The Lunar, the Better

When you think of the small East Texas town of Lufkin you might not immediately think of fossils, dinosaurs and space travel but those are some of the topics covered in the town's little known (at least I had never heard of it) Naranjo Museum.

But among the impressive dinosaur skeletons and archaeological specimens is the museum's most impressive piece...which came from a long distance to its East Texas resting place.

That's right, the world's largest moon rock on display can be found in Lufkin, TX!  It was collected by the Apollo 14 mission and was permanently loaned to the museum by NASA’s Johnson Space Center.  Here's a close look at the 4 billion year old specimen:

The moon is approximately hundreds of thousands of miles away so if you want to see a big piece of it you're probably a lot better off heading to Lufkin.

Daisy Bradford No. 3 Discovery Well

Devin takes a look at the history of the Daisy Bradford No. 3 Discovery Well which brought about the discovery of the East Texas Oil Field and Oil Boom of East Texas:

Remembering Ken Luza

2014 was a great year for us but as we look back on it, it's important to remember those that are no longer with us.  This past summer we lost our friend Dr. Ken Luza from the Oklahoma Geological Survey.  Dr. Luza was kind enough to appear in our documentary "Oklahoma Rocks!" to talk to us about the Meers Fault and to show off the seismograph that monitors it.

Here is the clip from the documentary in which he appears:

This excerpt from the OGS obituary (you can read the full text HERE) may describe him best:

Digging Selenite Crystals in The Oklahoma Salt Plains

A quick look gypsum and digging selenite crystals in the Salt Plains in Oklahoma.  This is a clip from the documentary “Oklahoma Rocks!”