Sunday, December 20, 2020

Latest Shoot: 650 Feet Below Kansas

 

 
We headed north for our latest shoot, all the way to the Sunflower State.  Kansas welcomed us back but it wasn't its flat plains we were looking for, it was underneath them.  Strataca, the Underground Salt Museum is a part of a still-working mine owned by the Hutchinson Salt Company and they were nice enough to let us come by and get some footage for EveryDay Earth!


 In addition to several tours, the underground museum has tons of exhibits on mining, history and science, all inside the old mine.   It only takes 90 seconds to descend the 650 feet into the mine/museum but hours to take it all in.  It was great to get shots of the walls of the historic tunnels.

There were also plenty of old mining equipment on display as well as tons and tons of empty dynamite boxes.  Apparently "what goes down into the mine, stays in the mine" including artifacts like old food packages, tools and even old footprints from the miners.


As you can probably imagine, the life of a miner was hardly glamorous.  The tours provided a good look into their working life including this seat of honor, left untouched for years.  Again, "what goes down into the mine, stays in the mine."  Due to the nature of the enclosed mine, everything inside it is well-preserved. 

And because of this, lots of old films and stored here as well as famous film costumes and props.  Our favorite was "Dorothy II" from the movie "Twister" but there were plenty of other stuff from movies like "Batman & Robin," "The Matrix, " and others.

Those were great but we were there for the rocks, of course.  We were able to get some great shots that will end up in future Missions of EveryDay Earth, so soon you'll be able to virtually experience Strataca yourself.


Monday, November 2, 2020

Oklahoma Rocks! Online

 All four parts of the Teacher's Edition of our documentary "Oklahoma Rocks!" are now on YouTube and you can stream them for free!  Here's all four in a YouTube Playlist:

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

EveryDay Earth Transmissions #2

The quarantine continues and EveryDay Earth Headquarters is on lockdown! But don't worry, Devin is broadcasting a steady stream of transmissions.   Let's start with some information on coquinas:


Next up is some valuable info on granite.  Pay close attention, there's a lot to learn about this valuable rock:


And finally, here's one about the beautiful and mysterious barite rose rocks of Oklahoma:


Stay tuned for more!  You can get more information on our Facebook and Twitter!


Saturday, April 4, 2020

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!

Friday, February 14, 2020

Latest Shoot: Crater of Diamonds

It was time to head east for our latest couple of shoots.  It's been awhile since we've shot footage in Arkansas.  We covered quartz crystal digging in Mount Ida for "RockHounds: The Movie" and have stopped by the Natural State to get some shots here and there in from time to time.  But now was the chance to "dig in" and get something we've had on our "Want List" for awhile now.

Crater of Diamonds is one of the most popular state parks in Arkansas.  Visitors can dig for actual diamonds and keep what they find.  According to the park, they average about 2 diamond finds per day.  Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

Since many people might not have any diamond mining experience, the park offers demonstrations.  Park Interpreter Waymon Cox not only gave us a great interview, he let us shoot footage of him doing one of the demos.  The process is easy enough that first time visitors should be able to get it fairly quickly and then get on with the business of digging for diamonds.

We also interviewed park regular Dave Rhodes about his experiences digging.  Over four years of digging, he's found 33 diamonds although he said it took him about nine months to find his first one.  He gave us some great tips for digging and took us through the process.

Even though we didn't find any diamonds that day, Dave brought some of the specimens he had found earlier at the park.  So luckily we didn't have to leave without actual diamond footage. 

We got a ton of great shots out there so be on the lookout for it in upcoming EveryDay Earth missions!


Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Latest Shoot: Checking Out Some Rocks at the Library

It takes a lot of footage to make a project like EveryDay Earth.  Like all our projects, the kind of shots we typically need are of rocks.  We get plenty of footage in the field but since there's no such things as "too many rocks," we're always trying to get more.

Luckily our friends at the Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society were kind enough to loan us some of their best specimens to shoot.  A few days before they had just taken down a display at the Metropolitan Library in downtown Oklahoma City so the timing was prefect.

We needed a space to set up and our friends at another library, the Piedmont Library, let us use some of their space (and show off some rocks).  Here's what the setup looks like...


...to get a shot of native sulfur that looks like this:


We spent several hours shooting and had access to some great specimens.  There were even several that were so big we couldn't fit them in the light box.  That didn't stop us from getting footage of them though. 


All in all, it was a very productive day and we'd like to thank everyone who helped out.  Be on the lookout for the great shots we got in EveryDay Earth!

Sunday, January 5, 2020

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!