Since 2015 I have studied Geology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I now specialize in researching Volcanology, and have a focus on the Rheology of Maunaloa lava flows from the Big Island of Hawai'i. This research consisted of flying to Hawai'i in January of 2020 and bringing several tens of pounds of rock from multiple flows that cover more than a century of geologic time back to Texas. These flows are the 1868, 1887, 1907, & 1984 flows from the Southwest and Northeast sides of Maunaloa.

In my 7 years studying Geology I have had the opportunity to see many parts of the planet and understand them the way many never think about. I would like to share some of these natural wonders here with you, the internet, and hope I can help expand your understanding of the world around us with my relatively brief descriptions.

Built in the early 30's at a cost of $150 Million Dollars, the Hoover dam was the largest concrete structure in the world at its completion and required the use of many new and unproven techniques in construction. The Bureau of Land Reclamation has calculated that if poured all at once, the volume of concrete in the Hoover Dam would take 125 years to cool to surrounding temperatures and would irreparably crack from the thermal changes. The lake impounded by this dam, known as Lake Mead, is the largest reservoir in the US by volume. However, Lake Mead has steadily dropped over the past few decades, as many other reservoirs in the country have.