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.

Don’t miss a thing!   Join our email list.

Earth Science over a virtual coffee

Come join other Earth science teachers in an informal chat over a virtual coffee/tea/drink as we support each other and share ideas during this crazy period of the COVID-19.

SESSIONS ARE EVERY FRIDAY EVENING (USA time).
But we love to chat to anyone around the globe!

Click here for more information and to join the community

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.

2021

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 TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT - Join our email list for more information. This 7-day (6 night) field trip to Iceland highlights the amazing geology of this Mid-Ocean Ridge ...
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2022

Discover Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes – January 2022

Gary Lewis, GEOetc, leads..... Discover Hawaii's Active Volcanoes 16-22 January 2022 Trips for STEM & Geography Educators, geology enthusiasts and friends. Pre-service teachers and College Students are welcome on this trip. Get on the email interest list for this trip:  ...
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Geocache on Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes – January 2022

Geoaware, (Gary Lewis of GEOetc), leads..... Geocache on Hawaii's Active Volcanoes 2022 A trip for geocachers from around the globe. The trip is open for people 18 years and older. 23-29 January 2022 Get on the email interest list for ...
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Discover Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes – Educators July 2022

Gary Lewis, GEOetc, leads..... Discover Hawaii's Active Volcanoes 3-9 July 2022 Trips for STEM & Geography Educators and friends. Pre-service teachers and College Students are welcome on this trip. Get on the email interest list for this trip:  Please note ...
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Geology of the United Kingdom – 2022

Geology of the United Kingdom The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, England and the NW Highlands Geopark, Scotland 18-28 July 2022 The trip is now full - see below for being on the waiting list This eleven-day (10 night) field ...
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Discover Iceland – Fire and Ice on a Mid-Ocean Ridge 2022

Discover Iceland - Fire and Ice on a Mid-Ocean Ridge 7-13 August 2022 TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT - Join our email list for more information. This 7-day (6 night) field trip to Iceland highlights the amazing geology of this Mid-Ocean Ridge country.  We ...
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Earth Science Snippets

Lava Risk – map interpretation

Have your students read data from a USGS lava risk map and interpret the most dangerous locations and where they ...
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Lava won’t kill you but these six things could!

Often the misconception people have is that lava is the most deadly thing about an erupting volcano!   But this is ...
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Plate Tectonic Cycles

Plate Tectonic cycles have been happening on Earth as we know it today - with all its features - for ...
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Weathering – looking for evidence (Listen to Podcast then an activity)

This is an activity where students listen to a 10-minute podcast on Weathering (Podcast is here) and then use what ...
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Mineral and Rock Collection cards

I use mineral and rock collection cards with all my samples - even ones that are still sitting in plastic ...
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Milankovitch cycles – the Earth in space and climate.

In the 1920's a Serbian geophysicist and astronomer called Milutin Milankovitch suggested that long term variations in how the Earth ...
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Earth Science over a Virtual Coffee

We are currently dealing with changes in the way we communicate with each and our students due to the COVID-19 ...
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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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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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Gifts for Geologists & Rockhounds

So you need to buy a for the geologist in your life?   Are you struggling to find something that will ...
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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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Iceland 2019 Photos

Just some of the photos from our 2019 Iceland trips. Come join us in Iceland 2021 More details here ...
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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

Many educators who are not Earth science trained, and many who are, flounder when trying to work out the best ...
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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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