It’s Geoscience for Everyone Day! Today, we focus on encouraging everyone, including minorities, people of all gender orientations, and those with a range of abilities to study geosciences! Over the past few years, multiple publications and scientific websites have examined the issue of physical accessibility in the geoscience profession. Multiple disciplines under the geoscience umbrella ..read more

Why are geologic maps important? The answer cannot be stated any better than the following:  “The first geology map was prepared to solve practical problems involving the distribution of different types of rocks at and near the Earth’s surface, and that is still the reason geologic maps are made today.  Uses of geology maps first ..read more

To celebrate, we are highlighting one of the more rare fossils in the state! This ammonoid fossil measures about three inches across and is beautifully preserved in Pennsylvanian aged sandstone in northwest Arkansas. Ammonoids are coiled cephalopods that have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous Period but are present in the Mississippian and ..read more

Earth Science Week 2023 Today we are observing landslides using LiDAR technology! Landslides are common in north central Arkansas in Newton, Madison, Washington, and Crawford Counties. They can be identified using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data that is processed to create digital slope models within ESRI ArcGIS mapping software. On the above digital slope ..read more

Happy Minerals Day! To celebrate, we are highlighting smithsonite. Smithsonite is a zinc carbonate mineral associated with sphalerite-bearing deposits in north Arkansas and sphalerite-bearing quartz veins in the Ouachita Mountains. The photo above illustrates its yellow color from cadmium and its botryoidal shape or habit. It can also form rhombohedral crystals (see additional photo). Smithsonite ..read more

Why are geologic maps important? The answer cannot be stated any better than the following:  “The first geology map was prepared to solve practical problems involving the distribution of different types of rocks at and near the Earth’s surface, and that is still the reason geologic maps are made today.  Uses of geology maps first ..read more

Happy Geoscience for Everyone Day! Earth Sciences matter to everyone!  As residents of this incredible planet, ALL of us are affected by any number of earth systems in our everyday lives, from the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.  We should all get involved to understand how it all works! Therefore, it is important that we ..read more

Happy National Fossil Day! To celebrate, we’d like to tell you a little about one of the many varieties of fossils preserved in the rocks of Arkansas. One of the most recognizable and perhaps popular invertebrate fossils anywhere is the trilobite. The photograph above shows the external mold of the middle (thorax) and tail (pygidium ..read more

Wavellite – Al3(PO4)2(OH,F)3 . 5H2O, Crystal System: Orthorhombic, Hardness: 3.25-4 Arkansas is well known to collectors as a wonderful place to hunt for mineral specimens. One of the most desirable is the mineral wavellite. Wavellite is found in many locations along the central portion of the state from Polk County to Pulaski County and as ..read more

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to eat lunch down by the Arkansas River several times a week, and, as I am always curious about the world around me, I’ve taken to collecting various interesting pebbles lying around on the riverbank. Mostly, I’m picking up well-rounded, fine- to very-coarse-sized quartzitic pebbles (≈1/4” to 2.5”). Some are ..read more