The Big Blue Rock Pod

Feb 28 2025 39 ep. 49 mins 13
The Big Blue Rock Pod Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Big Blue Rock Pod, produced by the Kentucky Geological Survey, at the University of Kentucky. This podcast is a fun, conversational approach to discussing all things geology and earth processes. We primarily focus on Kentucky. We talk emerging ideas in research, along with classic topics in earth science for all levels of interest.

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Mystery Science Geology 2025: Netflix's La Palma

Feb 28 2025 48 mins  
Matt, Sarah, and Doug breakdown the 2024 television mini-series La Palma! They discuss the plot of the show, geologic character stereotypes, geologic details right and wrong, the geology of the Canary Islands, general geology movie cheesiness, and much more!

Ep. 38: 2025 Goals: Rock solid or shaky ground

Jan 29 2025 32 mins  
Matt gets philosophical about time management and Sarah gets anxious. Doug's just trying to get through the website redo.

Ep. 37: Rock, Paper, Data

Dec 19 2024 54 mins  
Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk about data with KGSers Cheyenne Hohman and Liz Adams. They dig into KGS history and mission, saving data and maps from threats, progress of storage and dissemination, data curation, data management, metadata (ugh!), UKnowledge, and the future of data storage for KGS.

Ep. 36: Dating profile: Earth, 4.567 billion

Nov 22 2024 45 mins  
"I'm a 4.567 billion-year-old planet with a rich history, constantly evolving, and always open to new experiences. You should leave a message if you like cheese and would like to discuss it further..." This month Matt, Sarah, and Doug discuss it further with UK Earth and Environmental Science professor Dave Moecher. Take a listen to their chat about the age of the Earth, the oldest

Ep. 35: Big BOO! Rock Pod

Oct 29 2024 49 mins  
This Halloween, step into Kentucky's spooky side with Matt, Sarah, and Doug as they explore eerie place names, reveal the surprising history of Transylvania, and uncover the haunting tale of Floyd Collins – the legendary cave explorer whose fateful journey into the depths became one of the state's most gripping stories.

Ep. 34: Bourbon and Geology (encore)

Sep 26 2024 49 mins  
September is National Bourbon Heritage Month and it's a celebration of bourbon as America's "Native Spirit". Check out one of our favorite episodes, Bourbon and Geology, where we discuss the link between Kentucky geology and all things bourbon. Fun fact, the episode's guest, Mike McGlue, is now the new Director of the Kentucky Geological Survey and the Kentucky State Geologist.

Ep. 33: Springs, Sinks, and a Big Blue Hole: McConnell Springs Revisited

Aug 28 2024 20 mins  
In case you lost your old CD or iTouch, Matt, Sarah, and Doug bring back to life an OLD KyGeocast that is a guided tour of Lexington’s McConnell Springs. McConnell Springs is a city park near downtown Lexington famous for its exposure of karst features such as springs and caves, but also as the founding site of the city.

Ep. 32: Going with the flow: Tobin on hydro

Jul 19 2024 41 mins  
Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk to KGS geologist Ben Tobin about all things hydrology. They discuss karst hydrogeology, the water cycle, dye tracing, water usage, integrated hydrologic modeling, the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, water data dissemination, student mentoring, climate change, and much more!

Ep. 31: Utah-kin' to me? Matt at AASG

Jun 28 2024 38 mins  
Matt, Sarah, and Doug talk about KGS summer activities including the Potter Internship, an Appalachian Karst Hydrogeology Workshop, and participation in the Association of American State Geologists meeting in Utah. They discuss all things state surveys, the first female state geologist, Utah geology, field trips, Snowbird, seismic base isolators, landslides, and much more!

Ep. 30: Critical minerals are so hot right now

Jun 03 2024 55 mins  
Matt, Sarah, and Doug sit down with KGS carbonate and mineral geologist Gina Lukoczki about carbonate petrology, critical minerals, rare earth elements (REEs), tools to assess REEs, the KY fluorspar district, rotten dikes, renewed interest in KGS core, the KGS Mineral Resources Information Map, and much more!