Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

That's no moon! Oh wait, yeah it is

In case you couldn't stay up for last night's Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse, here's some morning-after time-lapse love courtesy of William Castleman from the University of Florida:

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Possum Story

Ever have one of those days where you find a possum and don't know what to do with it? We did. Here's the story:

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Red Menace

There's a new type of be in town...a Red Bee!

No, not the wildly unpopular comic book character (who most certainly did NOT make the cut for our Best Geology Themed Comic Book Characters list).

We're talking about a new wave of bright red bees spotted in New York. Their new crimson makeover comes from drinking too much maraschino cherry juice. Sound too weird to be true?

Check out the news story:

Bug lovers may be all abuzz about these new red bees but nothing beats the classic color scheme. Awhile back Devin checked out the bees and other bugs at the former Science Place (now known as the the Museum of Nature & Science) and now you can too:

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Civil War Fashion

This one is for the ladies!



We shot this a few years ago during a reenactment at the Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site in Tupelo, MS.

(Don't worry, we got plenty of cool battle footage too.)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Rock Food Table

Yesterday we posted pictures from the 2010 Dallas Gem & Mineral Show. The show had the world famous Rock Food Table on display. Here are some pictures:


Bill & Lois Pattillo tour the country with the table and are happy to answer any and all questions.


And, yes, these are all rocks. No real food.




If the table seems familiar it might be because we included it in our documentary "Rockhounds: The Movie." Here's a clip from the film:



Thanks again to Bill & Lois!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Dallas Gem & Mineral Show Pictures

The Dallas Gem & Mineral Show was this weekend and, of course, we had to visit. Here are some pictures:











For more information check out the DGMS website:

http://www.dallasgemandmineral.org/

Monday, November 15, 2010

Where the Wild Things Are Manufactured

What? They make robot dinosaurs in the DFW metroplex and I didn't know?!? How did that one get past me?


Anyhoo, here's a look behind the curtain:



I can definitely recognize a few from the "Dinosaurs Alive!" exhibit we sat at the Heard.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Knap Time

Here's another video we shot at the Houston Gem & Mineral Show:



Bud Trammell from the Slab House demonstrates knapping and shows off some of his homemade tools.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Earthquake vs. Railroad Tracks

"Your puny railroad tracks are no match for my big, honkin' earthquake!"
- Mother Nature, 2010


Dave Petley at the Landslide Blog has posted pictures of some earthquake aftermath in New Zealand. One of the wackier pictures involves railroad tracks that are now officially Wibbly Wobbly™ in their post-earthquake form. Check out the link for pics or this link for other pics.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Giant German Sink Hole

ITN provides video from the German town where a giant, car swallowing sink hole recently opened up:

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Dinosaur Skull Found in Church

It's good to finally see a nice, church-goin' dinosaur.

Discovery News is reporting that a dinosaur skull was found embedded in marble at the Cathedral of St. Ambrose in Vigevano near Milan.

Click HERE to read the story.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Museum of Rocks & Minerals Stalked by Moss Man?

Was the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals almost burgled by a Moss Man? And what the heck is a Moss Man, anyway?

Well it may be a particular ghoul who looks a little something like this:

Picture Courtesy of BakersfieldNow.com

Here's the full story from the Today Show:



Halloween hi-jinks or monster mineral mash & grab? You be the judge.

More information on the story is available from the Washington Post and check out the website for the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. It looks like a great museum with some very interesting specimens. But when you plan your visit leave your Halloween costume at home.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Crazy Tornado Footage

Here is some wild tornado footage courtesy of CNN:



This was recorded in Rice, TX during the recent storms.

Monday, October 25, 2010

New Dinos in Town!

Nothing gets us more excited than robot dinosaurs of various types! So we definitely hope to visit the new "Dinosaurs Unearthed" exhibit at the Museum of Science & Nature that recently opened. The museum was kind enough to post a short video of the dinosaurs being unloaded:



And here is the official trailer for the traveling exhibit which should give you a good idea of what it's all about:



Yea! Robot dinosaurs!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Top 5 Geology Themed Comic Book Characters

You've got your super strength, your super speed and the ability of flight. These plain vanilla super powers are the building blocks for many a comic book character. Things get a little spicier when you get into your "niche" type powers: fire powers, ice powers, the ability to talk to fish and so on.

But it takes a certain breed of hero to slap on the spandex and fight the good fight using gold old fashioned dirt. So here's our tribute to some of the more "grounded" four colored characters:

#5. Geo-Force
Alter Ego: Prince Brion Markov
Geo-Powers: Gravity Manipulation, Geokinesis, Lava Blasts
Publisher: DC Comics
First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #200 - July, 1983
Best Known For: Being the brother of a more popular character, outdoing super-bad guy Deathstroke at his own manipulative game (DC Universe Last Will and Testament)
Geo-Force (not to be confused with Geoforce, the asset tracking and management company) is the brother of the character "Terra" from the Teen Titans (more on her later) and a member of the royal family of the fictional country Markovia. He gets his powers from the earth which include the ability to move rocks and dirt and channel lava blasts at his enemies.

Whenever he needs a quick power boost he simply buries himself alive. Not the best powers for the claustrophobic.

#4. Sand/Sandman
Alter Ego: Sanderson Hawkins
Geo-Powers: Silicate Based Shape Shifting, Geokinesis, Earth Affinity
Publisher: DC Comics
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #89 - December 1941
Best Known For: Being a sidekick who was transformed into a monster and then got better

Sandy the Golden Boy was originally the kid sidekick of the original Sandman (who had no geology powers, just the ability to see the future in his nightmares). One of those wacky experiments that are frequently performed by superheros went horribly wrong and turned him into a silicon-based monster. Long story short, he went to sleep for a while and was then cured but still retained the power to turn into sand and move the earth similar to Geo-Force.

He also retains his mentor's precognitive nightmares so if you are up to no good in the middle of the night the Sandman will see...and he's gonna come get ya!

#3. The (other) Sandman
Alter Ego: William Baker a.k.a. Flint Marko
Geo-Powers: Silicate Based Shape Shifting
Publisher: Marvel Comics
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #4 - September 1963
Best Known For: Being played by the guy from "Wings" in one of the Spider-Man movies

Every list needs a villain and this villain share's some of the same powers as DC's Sandman with one difference being that he can increase his mass by scooping up and random dirt that might be handy.

He shows up from time to time to steal jewels and whatnot and just generally be a nuisance.

#2. Terra
Alter Ego: Tara Markov
Geo-Powers: Geokinesis
Publisher: DC Comics
First Appearance: New Teen Titans #19 - May, 1982
Best Known For: Being a beloved character turned surprise traitor in one of the most popular comic stories of the 80's

Terra, the half-sister to Geo-Force, joined the Teen Titans in the early 80's when the title was one of the best selling comics on the shelves. She used her earth-controlling powers to fight evil alongside the rest of the team for a while but it was all a ruse. It turns out she was a spy working for their arch enemy Deathstroke.

The character died shortly after her deception was revealed and several other characters have used the name "Terra" but none have been as popular as the original.

#1. Cave Carson
Alter Ego: Calvin Carson
Geo-Powers: Ph.D. in Geology
Publisher: DC Comics
First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #31 - August-September 1960
Best Known For: Being the most famous, if not the only, geologist in comics


Cave Carson doesn't need super powers. This spelunking adventurer is armed only with an extensive knowledge of geology and leads a team of scientist against baddies like Mole Men, Lava Creatures and other threats that come from beneath.

Despite not having super powers Cave has teamed up with DC Comics' greatest super heroes like Superman and the Justice Society.

I guess a little knowledge can be a powerful thing.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A Quick Trip Inside an Active Volcano

Here's some video from the Today Show about a guy who loves to visit the inside of active volcanoes.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

A Breakfeast 65 Million Years in the Making

If you are anything like us then you'd probably love to have a dinosaur bone shaped pancake for breakfast.

Here is the site for the guy who made it.


Friday, September 24, 2010

The Case of the Giant Emerald

The ownership of a HUGE 840 pound emerald that was dug up in Brazil in 2001 is being decided today in a Los Angeles courtroom.

Click HERE to read the news story.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Building Big Tex

"Big Tex" is going up in Dallas this morning in preparation for the State Fair. Here is a short segment we shot (for "North Texas Explorer") of the process a few years ago.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

In the News

Here are some links to some recent interesting news stories:

First, Chilean paleontologists have found the fossilized remains of what they believe to be a bird that has the longest wingspan on record.
Click HERE to read the story.

Also, the first complete topographic map of the moon and its craters has revealed details of billions of years of bombardment by asteroids, and the early history of our solar system.
Click HERE to read the story.

And recently there was some rare meteorological activity in the Brooklyn area of New York resulting in tornadoes. That's interesting enough but during the "tornado fever" Time Magazine's blog mistakenly posted a photo from 1976 (which they got from Twitter).
Click HERE to read the story.

We all get excited about freaky weather so I guess we can cut them some slack. Below is some amateur video footage that shows how quickly the weather rolled in:

Thursday, September 2, 2010

New Improved "Beefy" Raptor?

The BBC is reporting the discovery of fossils of a new type of dinosaur that is being described as a "beefy" version of a Velociraptor.

Read the news story HERE.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Huge Emerald Found

A large emerald was unearthed recently at a North Carolina farm.

Click HERE to read the news story.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Kansas Underground Salt Museum Celebrates Anniversary

This summer the Kansas Underground Salt Museum is celebrating its three year anniversary. You can read the story and museum review at Roadside America.
We've never shot at that location but it sounds interesting and I'd love to go someday.

You can get more information from the museum's website:

http://www.undergroundmuseum.org

Friday, July 30, 2010

SloMo Lightning

Found this on YouTube:

Multiple tower upward lightning flash captured at 9,000 images per second in Rapid City, SD on 6/16/10. A preceding downward positive ground flash triggers upward leaders from seven towers, three of which are visible in the video.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Explorer Adventures: Upper Limits Rock Climbing Gym

Wayne's latest adventure takes him to the Upper Limits Rock Climbing Gym in St. Louis, MO.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

The Million Dollar Museum at White's City, NM

Here is a fun video we shot awhile back when we were producing the Permian Reef episode of GeoAmerica.

Unfortunately the Million Dollar Museum closed down a few years ago and its entire contents were auctioned off. No word yet on who purchased the mummified alien body.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Time For Walkies

It's important to always remember to take your dinosaur out for a walk or he will get cranky.

Thursday, February 11, 2010