THESE ARE SOME COOL GEOLOGICAL THINGS

(to the tune of “These are Some of my Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music)

[note – first written and performed at the 1993 USGS Pick and Hammer Show – geophysical end verses added 2017]

Fresh rock in outcrop with virgin exposure,

New Argon dates with very good closure,

Giant calderas with faulting in rings,

These are some cool geological things.

Staurolite crystals with fluid inclusions,

Pink granite plutons and mafic inclusions,

Fossilized dinos with bones in their wings,

These are some cool geological things.

Chorus:

When the Jeep breaks,

Or your back aches,

And you’re feeling sad,

Just think of some cool geological things,

And then it won’t seem so bad…

Petrified wood from the Era Cretaceous,

Matterhorn mountains with cirques carved by glaciers,

Holocene faults marked by lines of hot springs,

These are some cool geological things.

Earthquakes on faults where there’s motion predicted,

Magma eruptions in towns we’ve evicted,

Roof pendants high in the Canyon of Kings,

These are some cool geological things.

Chorus:

When the Jeep breaks,

Or your back aches,

And you’re feeling sad,

Just think of some cool geological things,

And then it won’t seem so bad…

And now some geophysical verses…

Gravity data with topo corrections,

New field equipment that comes with directions,

Sending a signal and getting back pings,

These are some cool geophysical things.

Magnetic field lines that fit with the model,

Seismic receivers with jugs and a bottle,

Satellite views of a planet with rings,

These are some cool geophysical things.

GP Chorus:

When your scans flop,

And the bits stop,

And you’re getting mad,

Just think of some cool geophysical things,

And then it won’t seem so bad…

And now some GSA meeting/publications verses…

GSA meetings with topical sessions

Looking at posters and learning new lessons

Hitting the bookstore and buying up maps

Beer in the hallway until it all wraps

Getting an article published in Geo

Finding a colleague or meeting a hero

Reading a paper – what joy that it brings

These are some cool “geo-ciety” things

GSA Chorus:

When a talk fails

Or the time sails

And you’re really sad

Just think of some cool “geo-ciety” things,

And then it don’t seem so bad…