Bedrock: Earth's Earliest History

Hi folks,If you’re a long-term listener, you know this show often takes long, multi-week breaks. This break has been much longer than normal, and will likely continue for a few months. What’s going on?Right now, I have one goal on my mind: to find a new, permanent job.My three-year contract at Grand Valley State University will end in April. I knew this going in, and it’s public information, so don’t worry about any dirt being spilled. In the past three months I have applied for dozens of jobs, and that number will double before year’s end.Each application takes time. I also have a full teaching schedule and I’m supervising undergraduate research. In short, there’s simply no time to make the show right now.I don’t know where I’ll be in six months, and that’s honestly a very stressful situation. But things are looking up- I’ve had a few interviews, and jobs are still being posted.When I find a permanent position, hopefully by early 2025, I will let you all know and finally return to Bedrock, both the show and in my own life. In the meantime, thank you as always for your patience and enthusiasm. If you’ve finished the show, you can recommend it to a science-curious friend. You can always drop a line at bedrock.mailbox@gmail.com, it always makes my day.See you next time, whenever that may be.

Hi folks! I've just been invited by my university to join a field trip to Iceland next week, one of the best spots in the world to study geology. This means there will be a slight hiccup in our programming. Episode 38 will drop early next week, while Episode 39 will hopefully drop the first week of August. If I have time and space, I might try some experimental episodes from Iceland itself, field diaries and interviews, but no promises. As always, thanks for your patience and support!

Why are some ancient rocks well-preserved, while others are extremely messed up? Today, we'll take a side quest from our Greenland arc to learn more about metamorphosis, which changes rocks beneath our feet. On the way, we'll transform toast into cookies, take an elevator ride deep into the crust, and meet an ancient rock with a babyface. Extra credit: make some toast, or go looking for butterflies.

What is the oldest *major* slice of rock, one that's relatively well-preserved, one that's fueled a half-century of research? The episode's name kinda gives it away, but stay tuned as we meet the last location of Season 2: a series of rocks near Greenland's capital. Along the way, we'll meet the different groups of people who have settled on this remote island, and a geologist from the other side of the world. I'll also take a brief detour into why I unfortunately can't talk about every single ancient rock out there. Extra Credit: Find a choir to sing in, or play some ping-pong.

How did the Man in the Moon form? What does the Moon's Far Side look like? Today, we'll learn about the most visible remnant of the ancient world- the pattern of dark lunar rocks that stares down on us each night. On the way, we'll hitch a ride with a flying fax machine, play a game with crystals in magma, and learn why bananas are slightly radioactive (and why that doesn't really matter). Extra Credit: Try to send me a fax, or just eat a banana.

When did the Moon's craters form? Can they tell us any stories about the ancient Solar System? Today, we'll learn some early explanations for lunar features, meet a "lunatic asylum" of planetary geologists, and learn how the larger planets might have bullied their smaller neighbors. Extra Credit: Watch Apollo 13, or The Right Stuff.

What are the oldest disputed fossils on Earth? Why are they disputed?Today, we wrap up our tour of Nuvvuagittuq in northern Quebec, 3.8 billion years ago, March 3rd on the Earth Calendar. In 2017, microscopic rusty threads were discovered inside these rocks, thinner than a human hair. Were they bacteria, or something else entirely? Stay tuned to find out! Extra Credit: Learn how to make a chemical garden, or find a piece of chert, flint, jasper, agate, or onyx.Common Descent Interview: https://youtu.be/amQ9rntfKV0?feature=shared

Where does humanity get most of its' iron, and what do these rocks tell us about the ancient Earth? Today, we'll learn about banded iron formations, the backbone of the modern steel industry an important stop in the search for early life and oxygen, and a rock that is impossible to make today. It's rare to find a rock as important to both economics and research. Along the way, we'll take a breath of fresh air, meet orange pond scum in a forest stream, and find a dagger carved from a meteorite. Extra Credit: Find as many steel objects as possible around you, or search for bog iron in a local swamp.

What are Earth's oldest volcanic rocks, and how did they form? Today, we'll explore the seafloor 3.8 billion years ago through dark basalt rocks in Nuvvuagittuq, northern Quebec. Along the way, we'll earn a green belt in geology, rest our heads on volcanic pillows and journey to the deepest spot in the modern ocean.Extra Credit: Try to find dark black basalt in a building or countertop near you.

What's the next step after the oldest rock on Earth? Today, we'll move the story forward 200 million years and 1,000 miles. The time: 3.8 billion years ago... or maybe much older (March 3 on the Earth Calendar). The place: Nuvvuagittuq (noo-voo-ah-git-took), Quebec, Canada, in the lands of the Inuit. In this episode, we'll learn how this seaside outcrop was found and the ongoing debate about its' exact age. Depending on who you talk to, these are either the second-oldest rocks on Earth, or almost as old as the Earth itself.

If the sun was dimmer 4 billion years ago, how did the Earth stay warm? Today, we learn how just a small percent of Earth's atmosphere goes a long way in controlling global climate, both today and in the ancient past. Along the way, we'll visit an imaginary frozen Earth without any sun, a hazy giant moon of Saturn, and learn exactly what the greenhouse effect is.Extra credit: Visit a greenhouse, or find a cleaning product with ammonia.

How has the Sun changed over the past 4 billion years?While the Sun may seem unalterable, it has brightened dramatically over Earth's history, with major implications for our world. Today, we'll meet a team of women who catalogued thousands of stars in the 1800s, play in a galactic ball pit, and puzzle over a cosmic paradox alongside Carl Sagan.Extra Credit: Watch Cosmos (1980)

Is there any place today that resembles the Earth 4 billion years ago?Surprisingly, the answer is yes... ish. Today, we'll learn a secret recipe for continents, one that made the very oldest rocks on Earth and is still making the island of Iceland today.Along the way, we'll freeze a magma chamber solid, meet some politically contentious metals, and cross a real bridge from one tectonic plate to another.

Hi folks,Thanks for your patience- it's been a busy month for me. The next episode will be up on December 4, followed by a more regular schedule for the following weeks. In the meantime, I've updated Episodes 25 and 26, streamlining them to better flow into the next episode.This update also gives a brief explanation for why Bedrock has such large gaps. In short, the podcast is just one part of a busy academic and personal life, and there are times when it has to take a backseat. Your continued support means so much to me, especially during busier times. Thank you once again for listening, telling your friends, and reviewing the show. You'll hear more from me next month!All the best,Dylan

What did the oldest rock look like 4 billion years ago, before it was pressure-cooked?Today, we'll answer that question by melting chocolate chip ice cream, meeting one of granite's less famous cousins, and returning to our old friends: zircon crystals.Extra credit: Eat some ice cream, go on a skiing trip, or both!

How old is the oldest rock, where was it found, and what type of rock is it?To answer that question, we'll journey into Canada's Northwest Territories, deep underground to the breaking point of rocks, and we'll run into a shrimpy friend from Episode 10.

Welcome to Season 2 of Bedrock! This episode introduces Season 2's subject: the Eoarchean (ee-oh-ar-key-an) chapter of Earth's history. The Eoarchean lasted from 4 to 3.6 billion years ago, from February 15 to March 19 on the Earth Calendar. In future episodes, we'll meet Earth's oldest rocks, the Man in the Moon, and a faint young sun. Since this is our first big chapter break, we'll also learn how and why geologists split time into these chapters, including one of Canada's greatest scientists: Sir William E Logan.

Get caught up to speed on Season 1, a time known as The Hadean. The Hadean covers Earth's earliest days from 4.6 to 4 billion years ago, January 1 to Feb 14 on the Earth Calendar. This is a time of many firsts, including the formation of the Earth, Moon, oceans, islands, and perhaps life. Check out previous episodes for more details, like the women who mapped the Earth's inner core (6) and seafloor (11), the largest object to strike our planet (8), and our earliest ancestor (23).

Season 1 Finale. What was the first living thing on Earth, when did it live, and what did it do? Today, we end Season 1 by meeting LUCA, the oldest ancestor for every living thing on Earth today. On the way, we'll tackle how complex life formed in a chaotic universe and why it hasn't formed again, take a trip down life's family tree, and meet a deadly modern microbe- one of the closest relatives of the oldest living thing.Thank you all for listening to Season 1, and stay tuned for Season 2!Extra Credit: Take a look at family photos, or check your canned foods for botulism.

How and where did the first cells form on planet Earth, 4 billion years ago? To answer that question, we investigate why oil and water hate each other, explore the seafloor with the Titanic's discoverer, and take a relaxing dip inside a hot spring.Extra credit: drop some olive oil into water, or make a trip to the closest hot spring in your local area.