Call for Posts: Accretionary Wedge #42 – Countertop Geology
January 10, 2012 in Accretionary Wedge
Ok, folks. This is my first time hosting the Accretionary Wedge and I plan on making it memorable. One lucky entrant (chosen at random) will receive a special geologic prize pack containing one volcanic bomb, one piece of mantle peridotite, one piece of fresh Pennsylvania anthracite, one rough diamond cube, one vial of ash from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, one vial of ash from the 640 ka eruption of Yellowstone collected myself in southern Utah, a piece of garnet amphibolite from the Barton garnet mine where the amphiboles actually steak the show from the garnets, and whatever else I decide to throw in there. All you have to do is post a wedge entry on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Either way, you’re automatically entered.
Felsic rock and mafic inclusion with disequilibrium reaction rims.
AW #42 Call for Entries: Countertop Geology
Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s “granite”, but you know better. Take a picture, post it on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Do you think you know what it is or how it was formed? Feel free to include your own interpretation and I’m sure others will enjoy joining in the discussion. Ron Schott suggested that we expand the entries by including any decorative stone material that has been separated by humans from it’s source. This includes buildings, statues, etc. There’s a lot of really unusual stuff out there, so make sure to find a good one. The deadline will be the end of January, but I’ll be posting entries as they come in.
A few months ago, I took a picture (above) of a countertop in a New Jersey restaurant and posted it to Twitter (@volcanoclast). I spend a lot of time examining countertops, stone walls, stone statues, and pretty much any object made of stone and I love that the material has been transported from Who-Knows-Where and is completely detached from any in situ clues to its provenance. You could be in the NJTransit area of New York’s Penn Station and staring at pink fossiliferous Italian limestone that has no business being there (really, it’s beautiful).
With the proliferation of stone countertops, this topic is open to anyone with a curious mind and thing for rocks. That’s what makes this such a great topic for the Accretionary Wedge. Even people who have no idea what they’re looking at, still know a beautiful rock when they see one. If you’ve never participated in an Accretionary Wedge before, this is your chance.
Anyone can enter, so professors, get your students involved! Let’s make this this biggest Accretionary Wedge ever!
I’ve got a great countertop in mind for my entry, so stay tuned…
Deadline? This sounds like fun, an I don’t think prizes have been offered for any previous AW’s… and you’ve chosen some definitely drool-worthy specimans!
Is there a size limit? Mine are all smaller than a counter-top.. how many entries per person? I REALLY want to win that prize pack!
No size limit for entries as long as they’re decorative and completely detached from their origin. One entry per person for the prize pack, although I’m sure we’d all appreciate as many stones as you’d like to share with us.
I’m in!
http://gioscience.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop.html
Even if I don’t win, I’d be psyched if someone could tell me what the deal is with my counters.
Eh…. how can I post a photo?
All you have to do is e-mail the picture to me and I’ll post it for you along with any commentary you provide. My e-mail is ian[at]volcanoclast.com
Thanks!
My contribution: http://www.sandatlas.org/2012/01/houses-built-from-diamonds-and-impact-breccia/
[...] story is my contribution to the Accretionary Wedge #42. Tweet(function() { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; [...]
Mine is now up: http://all-geo.org/metageologist/2012/01/granite-and-green-shoes-aw-42/
Very sadly, not as lovely as I thought when I first saw them.
Beautiful black … basalt? Some sort of quartz veins?
The sad part? No, it’s not stone. I wish it was. It’s a heat-resistant thick plastic, made to make the wooden bench tops look like granite ones.
(But I had to add it
Sorry – pics didn’t come out. http://flic.kr/p/a76rb2 and http://flic.kr/p/a79joN
Here’s my entry. http://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/2012/01/25/rocks-in-the-kitchen-accretionary-wedge-42-entry/
I’m intensely jealous that my parents get to look at these counters all the time, and I’m stuck with cheap peeling laminate. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford nicer housing…
I’m also salivating over that prize pack you’ve put together. Can’t wait to find out who wins it!
Here’s my entry: http://blogs.agu.org/georneys/2012/01/25/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/
Here’s my entry — a curious little house at a very famous site:
http://plantsandrocks.blogspot.com/2012/01/little-bone-house-on-prairie.html
[...] more details and more contribution on Countertop Geology. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; [...]
Here’s my entry Rocky Eggs
[...] follow a common theme. Ian Saginor is hosting AW #42 at his volcanoclast blog with the theme of Countertop Geology. For my first ever Wedge, Ian has tasked everyone [...]
I intend to play–I know the perfect stone to contribute–it is a floor, not a countertop, but it is close enough. However, it is in Sweden, and I am in Scotland, so I won’t be able to go get a photo till I get back, which is the first weekend in February, so I will be late. You have been warned…
[...] Volcanoclast hosts this month’s Accretionary Wedge on countertop geology. Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s “granite”, but you know better. Take a picture, post it on your own blog or send it to me and I’ll post it for you. Do you think you know what it is or how it was formed? [...]
Here is my contribution: http://geotripper.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop.html Thanks for hosting!
Here’s mine. Its got me thinking about redecorating again. Thanks. http://annsmusingsongeologyotherthings.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop.html
Here is mine! http://offtheshelfedge.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology-palacio-de-carlos-v-conglomerate/
[...] Saginor over at Volcanoclast is hosting this month’s accretionary wedge on the topic of countertop geology. As with many [...]
Again not really a countertop but anyway … http://hypocentral.com/blog/2012/01/30/accretionary-wedge-42-countertop-geology/
here’s my contribution: http://earth-likeplanet.blogspot.com/2012/01/accretionary-wedge-42-counter-top.html
[...] OH – Volcanoclast is hosting the latest Accretionary Wedge, and since I have exactly 2 hours left until the end of January, I thought I’d post a [...]
Here’s a contribution from the Wooster Geologists: http://woostergeologists.scotblogs.wooster.edu/2012/01/31/woosters-most-beautiful-building-stones/
Giving this a shot – trying w/Google+, this should be a public album that everyone can read… https://plus.google.com/photos/101790145269736769112/albums/5704005877582633873
Heads up everyone:
Alaska Cleveland Volcano Alert
New status is Orange
A new Lava dome is building in the summit crater.
It was 130 feet in Diameter as of January 30, 2012.
On February 1, 2012 the AVO/USGS issued a Volcanic Activity Notice on the Cleveland Volcano raising the status from YELLOW to ORANGE.
A ORANGE status indicates that the Cleveland Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions [ash-plume height specified, if possible].
Complete details are available at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (avo.alaska.edu)
[...] stone and the use of stone in non-natural situations, it was a pleasure to read about Ian’s Accretionary Wedge #42. He asks “Have you seen a great countertop out there? Sure, everyone says it’s [...]
As a self-described stone-geek and someone who has written extensively on building stone, I think this is a great topic. Sorry to get my entry in a day late.
http://geologywriter.com/blog/stories-in-stone-blog/accretionary-wedge-beautiful-countertops/
Cheers,
David Williams
Ok, so I was much later than I warned I would be: http://a-life-long-scholar.blogspot.com/2012/03/not-late-at-all-measuring-with-geologic.html
[...] I departed Lake Superior State University. It is also my entry (a little late) for the January 2012 Accretionary Wedge #42 geoblog carnival “Countertop Geology.” Geologic Coffee Table Launch Full Screen [...]
I finally got around to GigaPanning my entry for AW#42: http://ron.outcrop.org/blog/?p=1514
[...] I departed Lake Superior State University. It is also my entry (a little late) for the January 2012 Accretionary Wedge #42 geoblog carnival “Countertop [...]
[...] am grateful that the topic of this month’s Accretionary Wedge was expanded from just countertops to include any sort of decorative rock, because I grew up in a [...]
[...] story is my contribution to the Accretionary Wedge #42. Suevite from Aumühle quarry which is also located inside the crater. Blue is glassy impact melt. [...]
I’m the editor of http://www.CountertopResource.com, and I just want to say kudos! I love the idea of people thinking more about the origins of their countertop materials (or stone in general). It is great seeing all of the responses, also. Thanks for your innovation!