G’day!
Welcome to GEOetc. My name is Gary Lewis and I am delighted to share the wonderful world of geoscience with you.
I have been involved in geoscience (or Earth science) since the 1980’s and want to share my passion by running field experiences, developing and sharing teaching resources, delving deeper into the theories or just explaining our planet for everyone to understand.
Whether you are an educator, student, rock hound or just love the great outdoors, I am sure that you will live and learn about it a little more with me.
Join one of our Field Adventures
Want to be informed of our new trip opportunities and updates for any or all our adventures via email? Then join our Field Adventures email list. Click here.
2020
Discover Australia – Geology and landforms. July 2020
Gary Lewis, GEOetc, leads..... Discover Australia 2020 A trip for STEM & Geography Teachers, students, and all geology enthusiasts. Pre-service teachers and College Students are welcome on this trip. 23 July - 2 August 2020 TRIP NOW CLOSED Get on the ...
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The Volcanoes of Italy – July 2020
Gary Lewis, GEOetc and Chris Spencer, TravelingGeologist, lead... The Volcanoes of Italy A trip for Earth Science & Geography Teachers from around the world Teachers, Pre-service teachers, College Students, and their friends are welcome on this trip. July 4-13, 2020 We ...
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2021
Discover Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes – Hawaii Trip January 2021
Gary Lewis, GEOetc, leads..... Discover Hawaii's Active Volcanoes 2021 A trip for educators, students, and geology enthusiasts. Pre-service teachers and College Students are welcome on this trip. 9-16 January 2021 Get on the email interest list for this trip: Please ...
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Discover Iceland – Fire and Ice on a Mid-Ocean Ridge 2021
Discover Iceland - Fire and Ice on a Mid-Ocean Ridge 10 - 16 July 2021 (Dates to be confirmed) TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT - Join our email list for more information. This 7-day (6 night) field trip to Iceland highlights the amazing geology ...
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Earth Science Snippets
Silicate minerals – for non scientists
You can find this podcast on iTunes right here. The silicate minerals are the building blocks for all the rocks ...
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Columnar jointing
One of the most dramatic geological features found around our planet is columnar jointing formed from the cooling of molten ...
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What is the Lithosphere?
Traditionally, when we talk about the layers of our planet we talk about the inner core, outer core, mantle, and ...
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Geoscience jobs – just some of the types of geologist!
You can find this podcast on iTunes right here. There are just so many different roles and specialties in the ...
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All about granite
You can find this podcast on iTunes right here. In this episode, I talk about the rock type granite - ...
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Simple rock classification – igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
You can find this podcast on iTunes right here. In this episode, I outline the simple classification of rocks into ...
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Introduction to Plate tectonics
Learn the basics of the theory of Plate Tectonics in less than 10 minutes! Why do earthquakes and volcanoes ...
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Mineral Color and Streak
In this episode, I talk about mineral color and streak as ways to identify minerals in your collection. The big ...
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Mineral Hardness
In this episode, I talk about mineral hardness and how you can use common materials around your home to create ...
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Why geology?… and how I got into geology
In this episode, I talk about how I became interested in geology and about the four reasons I think geology ...
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Mineral Identification – a guide.
When you just start off exploring the wonders of minerals, working out mineral identification can seem a daunting task. It ...
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Holiday gifts for Geologists & Rockhounds
So you need to buy a holiday gift for the geologist in your life? Are you struggling to find something ...
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So you want to run a field trip? 20 tips and tricks!
So you want to run a field trip? I have been leading field trips for over 30 years, and have ...
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Climate change and understanding science
I have spent a lot of time measuring the weathering rates of marble gravestones. During my studies, I have discovered ...
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Why I don’t start Earth science by teaching rock and mineral identification
For many educators who are not Earth science trained, and many who are, they flounder when trying to work out ...
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Understanding Polar Reversals
Understanding polar reversals helps us to understand an important piece of evidence for Plate Tectonics. When molten rock cools, some ...
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Divergent Plate Boundaries
One of the most amazing places on the Earth's is where two massive tectonic plates are moving apart. Almost 99% ...
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Volcanoes as a STEM teaching tool
Trying to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the classroom can often seem disjointed. Having a STEM teaching ...
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Geologist Field Gear – the six “H” essentials!
What are the essential pieces of field gear for a geologist - or in fact any geology enthusiast? What ...
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Olivine – one of simplest rock-forming minerals
Olivine is one of the simplest silicate minerals that can be found in igneous rocks on our planet. All the ...
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Conference Posters – tips to make an impact
So you have been successful in having your topic selected as one of the conference posters. Good job! Presenting a ...
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Silicates – a simple guide to the Earth’s rock forming minerals
While high school students are taught about chemistry using simple examples of inorganic and organic substances, very few are exposed ...
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Geoscientists need to talk to the public
Too often scientists ignore talking to the public. They would rather spend all their “communication” time and energy talking about ...
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Geological hammer – a beginners guide to buying your “forever hammer”
A geological hammer is often seen as an essential part of any field geologists equipment. Often called rock picks ...
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Cinder Cones – a unique volcanic feature.
Cinder cones are volcanic features that are found at volcanic sites where there has been some form of fountaining activity. Fire Fountains ...
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Evidence for Plate Tectonics
The evidence for Plate Tectonics is very conclusive. It is a very well supported theory, and while scientific debate continues ...
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Boundaries – how the plates interact
The Earth's plates don't just sit there. They move and interact at their boundaries - and that is what makes ...
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Plates – understanding the tectonic jigsaw pieces.
The Earth's rocky outerlayer (the lithosphere) is broken up into around seventeen major pieces that we call tectonic plates. ...
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The Earth’s Crust – a simple way to view it.
The Earth's crust - that outermost rocky layer of our planet - can be daunting to understand. To start ...
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Field Boots – an essential piece of equipment.
If you are a geoscientist you are going to need field boots. Even if you are being a "geoscientist" just ...
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Field Notes – what students need to learn to do.
Taking solid field notes is a skill that many students are not taught. The days of a geologist's life recorded ...
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There’s mica in my toaster!
Mica has been used for many purposes over time and even in my short lifetime I have seen it in ...
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Space Geeks Timeline
Understanding time is something that geoscientists are just great at doing. But we get a little sick of people not understanding ...
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Lava flows – can you outrun a lava flow?
Most people believe that one of the major hazards of volcanoes are lava flows. They are surprised to find ...
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Diamonds are NOT a girl’s best friend
Diamonds are NOT a girl's best friend - or so I tell my wife. And here is why. All minerals ...
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Field trips – they are critical for teachers!
Field trips are critical. Learning Earth science in the field is as important as learning to cook in a kitchen ...
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Spot the cleavage – a characteristic often misunderstood.
Cleavage is an important diagnostic feature of minerals. However it is often misunderstood. And more often mistaken for another mineral ...
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I love a dike – my geology hook.
One of the reasons I fell in love with geology was finding evidence of igneous activity in the form of ...
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Not all that glitters is gold!
Gold - the metal on which many empires have grown (and withered) is a strange metal indeed. In nature it ...
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EarthCache – Let the Earth be your teacher!
An EarthCache is a special place that you can visit using GPS technology to learn more about the geology of ...
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How hard is mineral hardness?
How hard is a mineral? Geoscientists still use mineral hardness as a way to identify an unknown mineral. This ...
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Using a Circular Data Calendar
We are all looking at ways to collect and display data with our students. Most of the time the data ...
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The strange thing about Basalt.
Basalt. It's the fine grained igneous rock that makes up the sea floor and sometimes spews forth from volcanoes on ...
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How long is deep time?
Deep Time is the term used by scientists to describe the vast amount of time that has passed since the ...
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What happened in the Permian?
The Permian period of time started around 299 million years ago when the Earth was in the deep freeze of ...
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Welcome to GEOetc
G'day, Howdy and Hi, My name is Gary Lewis and I am an enthusiastic and passionate geoscientist. I grew up ...
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