I am an earthquake guy…and a geologist who loves stories. I’ve spent my career puzzling about the paroxysms of our planet. I was initially drawn to geology by my affection for wild places, especially the mountains. But I also enjoy understanding how things work. As a student at MIT and Stanford I was drawn to geophysics and seismology. I had a great career with the U.S. Geological Survey, but I ended up spending more time staring at a computer screen and going to tedious meetings than is really good for a person’s physical and mental health. You can see some of my scientific publications by clicking here.
In 2007 I bolted from my computer and headed for South America. I saw it as a way to get back to what drew me to geology in the first place. I wanted to get into the field and see how I would do looking at the earth, face to face, rather than through a bunch of instruments. And I was fascinated to learn that the brilliant Charles Darwin began his scientific career as a geologist. I didn’t get the computers and instruments out of my blood completely (as you can see above), but I have seen some amazing places, and met some wonderful people…and learned some amazing stories.
Since 2017 I have been exploring what we know about how and why climate changes, and how we know it, all the way back to the invention of the mercury barometer and Pascal’s “Great Experiment.” More amazing stories that I hope to share soon.
I hope that I can share some of the excitement I feel for learning about the natural processes that shape our planet, and that give our species an occasional surprising jolt. Geologists, Darwin most definitely included, have a slightly different way of viewing humankind’s place here on Earth. I believe that this perspective is more important to our species today than ever before.
