Kentucky Geological Survey
52 episodes listed below
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Welcome to the Big Blue Rock Pod, produced by the Kentucky Geological Survey, at the University of Kentucky. This podcast is a fun, conversational approach to discussing all things geology and earth processes. We primarily focus on Kentucky. We talk emerging ideas in research, along with classic topics in earth science for all levels of interest.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded look at Mammoth Cave's rock layers, river setting, and the harder question of its geologic age.
Mammoth Cave comes through as a real place, not just a landmark name. The discussion ties it to the rock layers, the sinkhole plain, the Big Clifty sandstone, and the Green River, which keeps the geology easy to picture even when the details get technical.
Unruly talk, odd news, sharp detours.
History, tested patiently against the present.
Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser build single reported stories around one scientific question.
Flora Lichtman interviews scientists, from gut-health researchers to Queen's Brian May.
Steven Novella and a rotating panel dissect weekly science news and debunk pseudoscience claims.
Long interviews with neuroscientists and philosophers on consciousness, decision-making, and whether AI is anything like a brain.
The hosts celebrate their 40th episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod, reflecting on their journey discussing geology topics while introducing their upcoming conversation about geology in art galleries.
The hosts discuss recent geological conferences and research presentations, including landslide susceptibility projects and a new digital dye trace database for Kentucky.
This episode features a conversational discussion about petroleum geology, covering its scientific aspects and practical applications, with hosts from the Kentucky Geological Survey.
The hosts discuss analyzing bad geology movies for scientific accuracy and entertainment value, focusing on films like The Core and Dante's Peak.
This episode discusses how climate change impacts geology and earth science topics, featuring Professor Alice Turkington as a guest expert.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod celebrate their 12th episode of the year by answering listener questions in an Ask Us Anything format, focusing on geology and earth science topics primarily related to Kentucky.
This episode features a casual conversation with the Kentucky State Geologist and KGS Director, Dr.
The host announces a break in June due to vacations and field work, thanks the Kentucky section of the American Institute for Professional Geologists for an award, and previews a return in July.
The hosts discuss their summer activities, including mentoring Potter interns in geological field work involving caves, water, mapping, and GIS in locations like Red River Gorge.
This episode explores the connections between geology and bourbon production in Kentucky, discussing rock types, hydrology, and cultural aspects.
This episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod introduces a discussion on meteorites, highlighting their popularity with the public and understudied nature in geology.
This episode explores archiving practices and publications at the Kentucky Geological Survey, featuring a repeat guest to discuss historical and current approaches to data dissemination in geology.
This episode features an interview with Dr.
This episode introduces the Big Blue Rock Pod's discussion on engineering geology, starting with casual field work anecdotes and administrative updates about the state geologist search.
This episode explores the geology and cultural significance of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park with research geologist Dr.
This episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod features geologist Marty Paris discussing gas chemistry, CO2 sequestration, brine chemistry, water-rock interactions, and hydrocarbon reservoir topics, building on previous episodes about geochemistry and petroleum geology.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod discuss their goals for 2025 in geology research and science communication during their first episode of the year.
This episode discusses the importance and evolution of science communication in geology, particularly at the Kentucky Geological Survey, following up on a previous climate science conversation.
This episode discusses data management, collection, and dissemination practices in geology and earth science research with hosts from the Kentucky Geological Survey.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod answer listener-submitted geology questions, starting with a detailed inquiry about the Findlay arch and Eastern Kentucky fault system.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod discuss their favorite geology-related books in a casual conversation format, offering recommendations for winter reading.
This episode discusses the geological and cultural significance of arches and natural bridges, exploring their formation and value in earth science.
The hosts discuss Kentucky's surface hydrology, focusing on lakes, rivers, and water processes in a geological context.
This episode explores the connections between geology and bourbon production, focusing on rock types, hydrology, and cultural aspects in Kentucky.
This episode introduces geochemistry as an often-overlooked foundational discipline in geology, discussing its importance and connections to other earth science topics.
This episode explores the concept of geologic time with geomorphologist Jason Dortch, discussing its significance in understanding Kentucky's landscape and earth processes.
This episode connects geology to the Winter Olympics through curling stones and analyzes a Norwegian geology disaster movie.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod discuss their upcoming Earth Science Open House event and share updates about their podcast in an unplanned, conversational episode.
This episode explores GIS and spatial data applications in Kentucky, featuring an interview with the state's Geographic Information Officer about tools, services, and data types used by geologists and other practitioners.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod discuss the intersection of science and philosophy, exploring how philosophical questions relate to geological research and scientific practice.
The hosts discuss their recent conference experiences in geology and GIS, and plan to include Halloween-themed geology stories in this October episode.
This episode celebrates the 50th episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod with guest Tricia Spanbauer, an associate professor discussing geology, earth processes, and research related to lakes, diatoms, and DNA.
This episode of The Big Blue Rock Pod features an interview with Ed Woolery, a geology professor specializing in near-surface geophysics, seismic hazards, and earth science research.
This episode features an interview with Doug Curl about his long career at the Kentucky Geological Survey, focusing on digital mapping and his unique professional journey in geology.
The hosts celebrate their 30th episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod, a geology-focused podcast, while encouraging listener ratings and feedback.
This episode introduces the Big Blue Rock Pod, a geology-focused podcast, and discusses an upcoming earth science open house event at the University of Kentucky.
This episode features an interview with Mike McGlue, the director of the Kentucky Geological Survey and state geologist, discussing his first year in the role and geological topics.
The hosts of the Big Blue Rock Pod discuss their summer activities, including conferences, projects, and travel, in a casual news and notes format.
This episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod focuses on hydrogeology and groundwater, featuring a guest to discuss hydrology topics and differentiate between hydrogeology and hydrology.
This episode revisits McConnell Springs, discussing geological features like springs, sinks, and the Big Blue Hole, while also announcing the new director of the Kentucky Geological Survey.
This episode explores the Kentucky Cooperative Extension's role beyond soil testing, discussing interdisciplinary connections between geology and other fields through an interview with soil scientist Brad Lee.
This episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod introduces the hosts and discusses the podcast's focus on geology topics, while acknowledging support from the UK Office of Research Communications and transitioning to in-house editing.
This episode introduces a discussion on landslides with co-hosts and a guest from the Kentucky Geological Survey, focusing on geology and earth processes.
This episode introduces a paleontology-focused discussion called 'The Brachiopodcast,' exploring fossils, geology, and their appeal to broad audiences.
This episode discusses the age of the Earth and foundational geology topics like petrology and tectonics, exploring their importance in understanding Earth's history and processes.
This episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod features hosts discussing their geology podcast's diverse topics, including shale, geology in art and movies, and their work at the Kentucky Geological Survey.
This episode of the Big Blue Rock Pod introduces the topic of earthquakes while sharing experiences from the Geological Society of America meeting and discussing the podcast's focus on Kentucky geology.
This episode explores the geology of Mammoth Cave, focusing on its formation through limestone dissolution by carbonic acid, the factors contributing to its status as the world's longest cave system, and insights from dating techniques and exploration history.
This episode of The Big Blue Rock Pod focuses on southern Appalachian geology, with hosts Matt Crawford, Doug Curl, and Sarah Arpin discussing personal research experiences, including Matt's master's thesis on metamorphic rocks in Virginia.
This episode of The Big Blue Rock Pod introduces glaciers and glacial processes, focusing on their impact on northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati area.
Kentucky has 2,209 documented arches, with Red River Gorge containing more than 150.
Only 21 of 952 science podcasts identified in a 2019 study focused on earth science.