Utah Unearthed: Singing Arches & Geology Secrets
Episode Synopsis
In this episode we learn geologists’ dirty secret: they lick rocks. More importantly, we learn about Moab’s iconic arches, of which there are thousands in the surrounding desert. In our conversation with Jeff Moore, a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah, and Riley Finnigan, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, we learn how Utah’s rock arches are formed, why they’re examples of perfect engineering through geology, why Delicate Arch is such an improbable thing, and how rock arches sing! It’s geology like you’ve never heard it before!
Delicate Arch is such an improbable thing. It's not long for this world. When you become more comfortable thinking in long periods of time, in geological time, it's one of these features where you just have to think how lucky we are to overlap with this really beautiful landform.
About Utah Unearthed
Season 1 of Utah Unearthed takes you deep into the iconic red-rock terrain of Moab — a mecca for outdoor adventure and a hotspot for ecological curiosity. Each episode, the team interviews a different scientist from a different discipline who will help both hosts and listeners unearth Utah’s incredible natural history. This podcast supports the Museum’s mission to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within it. Learn more about the podcast here.
The hosts of Utah Unearthed include Aidan Bailey, an NHMU school outreach coordinator, Dr. Randy Irmis, NHMU’s curator of paleontology, and Andy Connolly, a former NHMU science communications specialist who now works with the Kansas Geological Survey. The show is produced and edited by Mark Johnston. Series logo by Will Shepherd.
