Showing posts with label top 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top 5. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Significant Relationship of Geology and the PB&J Sandwich

It's likely that you have eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But do you understand the significance of the PB&J in the world of GEOLOGY? Probably not....unless of course you are a geologist. Here I present:

The Top Five Greatest Lessons of the PB&J Sandwich to the Field of Geology.

1) SUSTENANCE: Many a grad student has spent long durations of time far far away from civilization searching for that unit-of-pillow-basalt-to-prove-that-ophiloites-extend-further-into-the-pacific-northwest-than-previously-thought. The trouble comes as, what the fuck to eat out there? Luckily the PB&J is light weight, has a good calorie count and maybe most importantly CHEAP. I know as a grad student I had no pay and was frequently deep in the Maine woods looking for more damn schist on an empty belly. PB&J saved me more than once.

2) HYDROGEOLOGY: The main lesson that comes right to mind when talking about a good PB&J is related to hydrogeology and proper construction of the PB&J. Peant Butter acts as a very impervious barrier between 'watery' jelly and porus bread. Any PB&J worth its weight will be constructed in this manner: bread, peanut butter, jelly, peanut butter, bread. Whereby the peanut butter retains the jelly, keeping it from soaking the bread. It's just common sense people. The peanut butter also tends to act as a seal, keeping the jelly in, when the sandwich is bitten into. No Mess.

3) TECTONICS: Many a PB&Js sitting side by side on a flat table have been mashed into one another demonstrating mountain building processes. The jelly can even look like the lava of and erupting volcano. *haha*

4) SEDIMENTARY: The Law of Superposition is no where better illustrated than in the construction of the PB&J. (See #2) Alt Link. Chuncky peanut butter can even stand in as a conglomerate or melange.

5) STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY: Cut a PB&J in half and faulting can be demonstrated, sinistral, dextral, reverse normal. Fold it up, syncline. Fold it down, anticline (pic right-->). Fold it and flip it, recumbent fold. BLAM!
There you have it. This is by no means a definitive list and I encourage you to add your best peanut butter and jelly sandwich stories.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ridin' the MeMe Train

Yeah, memes can be fun. I found this one a good exercise in thinking through some of my favorites. I was tagged by Parenthesis who writes Random Blurbings.

The list...name my Ultimate Five:

Book: Fahrenheit 451. Helped teach me to read, read, read and build a large book collection.

Painting: The Giant - N.C. Wyeth. I saw this at an Art Gallery...the size floored me.

Place: Italian Alps.

Relaxiation CD: I was going to say Highway to Hell from AC/DC but how relaxing could that really be? So, Ill go with Johannes Brahms.

Dinner Guests: Socrates. George W. Bush, Osama Bin Laden, Lance Armstrong, Homer.

So there you have it. The train has pulled into the station.




I am electing to not contiune the meme from here. But if a reader feels so compeled, Bring it!