After a long break from recording, Chris and Jesse return to our studios to discuss our extremely busy summer.  Jesse recaps his trip to Hawaii where he saw some amazing geology.  He also talks about teaching field camp in Idaho to some of the Penn State undergrads.  His favorite though, was continuing his field research in the Northwest Territories of Canada.  He and his PhD student collected over 1,000 pounds of rocks.  When asked about his favorite rocks seen this summer, Jesse didn't hesitate - the ancient rocks in Northern Canada.  The toothpaste rocks won out over the much younger pahoehoe rocks of Hawaii.Chris talked about taking 26 high school seniors out West for 3 weeks on the field course that he teaches.  They went to the South Dakota Badlands, Black Hills, Devils Tower, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park.  The floods that ravaged Yellowstone in early June didn't prevent the students from learning about the incredible geology of Yellowstone.  Following this, Chris returned to the West with his family to hike and climb.  They went to the flatirons of Red Rocks and then on to Long's Peak.  The Long's Peak granite was easily his favorite rock of the summer.  The rock is interesting because it is a porphyritic granite.  The huge phenocrysts are peculiar because they are not randomly oriented.  Instead, they are aligned in a preferred direction which is a topic of current research.  After leaving Colorado, Chris and family spent the next two weeks banging around in the Tetons.We wrap up the episode by discussing a couple of mineral pairs that can be confusing to identify in the field.  Join us as we have a casual conversation about some incredible geology!As always, send us any questions you may have! Like, Subscribe, and leave us a rating! ——————————————————Instagram: @planetgeocastTwitter: @planetgeocastFacebook: @planetgeocastEmail: planetgeocast@gmail.comWebsite: https://planetgeocast.com/