As a very amateur geologist, I’ve been looking forward to catching up with Sonia Nagorski ever since my podcast project started. That’s because she’s a geologist whose work focuses on understanding Earth’s history and what it can tell us about the world we humans are shaping today. Perhaps not surprisingly, she and I share a sense of wonder about the mind-bending qualities of Earth time and the pleasures of connecting to the geology right under our feet.
We talk about her two decades living and teaching in Alaska, the sense of community that comes from life at the edge of wilderness, and her recent move to the University of Colorado Boulder. Along the way, Sonia explains how geology provides essential context for understanding topics that go beyond geology, and why learning to notice and name the landscape around us can deepen both curiosity and responsibility.

Highlights:

Why geology is best understood as history told on Earth’s timescale

What living in Alaska taught her about community, resilience, and connection to place

Simple ways to build curiosity about the geology all around us

The three Amherst classmates she wants me to interview next

You can email her at sonianagorski@gmail.com.

Also, check out the Rockd app to learn about the geology in your neck of the woods.

Big thanks to Deb Thalheimer Long for nominating Sonia.