Brian Romans
@clasticdetritus.bsky.social
Virginia Tech Geosciences professor (vtsedsystems.org) ⏐ sedimentology, (paleo)climate, tectonics, sedimentary basins, subsurface geology, geoeducation ⏐ listening and learning
let's go Virginia
November 4, 2025 at 1:37 PM
let's go Virginia
spent yesterday scouting locations for an upcoming field trip and I'd like to share this very Appalachian outcrop: small and covered in lichen and moss ⚒️
October 29, 2025 at 11:52 AM
spent yesterday scouting locations for an upcoming field trip and I'd like to share this very Appalachian outcrop: small and covered in lichen and moss ⚒️
most of the labs for my Sedimentary Basins course (9 grad students + 4 ugrads) require R for making calculations, building simple models, data analysis, etc. and I'm trying this 'AI disclosure' statement this time –– we also talk about when these tools are most helpful for improving your code (1/2)
October 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
most of the labs for my Sedimentary Basins course (9 grad students + 4 ugrads) require R for making calculations, building simple models, data analysis, etc. and I'm trying this 'AI disclosure' statement this time –– we also talk about when these tools are most helpful for improving your code (1/2)
This summary figure from a 1990 paper by Boulton depicts the local/relative SL change (what I show in blue) as opposite to the global/eustatic change –– that is, a relative rise in SL during maximum ice sheet extent/size at that location when the global condition is lower SL, due to ... 1/3
September 27, 2025 at 3:34 PM
This summary figure from a 1990 paper by Boulton depicts the local/relative SL change (what I show in blue) as opposite to the global/eustatic change –– that is, a relative rise in SL during maximum ice sheet extent/size at that location when the global condition is lower SL, due to ... 1/3
I've started reading @peterbrannen.bsky.social's "The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything" and I'm going old school by underlining and jotting down notes in the margins
here are a couple of excerpts in the section introducing silicate weathering and the carbon cycle ⚒️📚
here are a couple of excerpts in the section introducing silicate weathering and the carbon cycle ⚒️📚
September 21, 2025 at 4:45 PM
I've started reading @peterbrannen.bsky.social's "The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything" and I'm going old school by underlining and jotting down notes in the margins
here are a couple of excerpts in the section introducing silicate weathering and the carbon cycle ⚒️📚
here are a couple of excerpts in the section introducing silicate weathering and the carbon cycle ⚒️📚
a fantastic four days at the IODP Exp400 science meeting at GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland) in Copenhagen –– didn't have much time to explore and sight-see, hope to come back one day
very excited about all the interesting science already coming out of this expedition, lots to do!
very excited about all the interesting science already coming out of this expedition, lots to do!
September 19, 2025 at 8:13 AM
a fantastic four days at the IODP Exp400 science meeting at GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland) in Copenhagen –– didn't have much time to explore and sight-see, hope to come back one day
very excited about all the interesting science already coming out of this expedition, lots to do!
very excited about all the interesting science already coming out of this expedition, lots to do!
in Copenhagen this week for the IODP Exp400 post-cruise science meeting and our hosts at GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland) led a day trip to Stevns Klint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring a K-Pg boundary section ⚒️🧪
September 16, 2025 at 5:21 AM
in Copenhagen this week for the IODP Exp400 post-cruise science meeting and our hosts at GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland) led a day trip to Stevns Klint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring a K-Pg boundary section ⚒️🧪
not a great pic (is a bit grainy, I was zoomed in) but this is later that same day (Sept 13, 2023) when we got to watch the sunset and this iceberg that was hanging around for some days 🧊🌅
September 13, 2025 at 1:20 PM
not a great pic (is a bit grainy, I was zoomed in) but this is later that same day (Sept 13, 2023) when we got to watch the sunset and this iceberg that was hanging around for some days 🧊🌅
headed to Copenhagen for the IODP Exp 400 post-cruise science meeting –– these meetings a couple of years after an expedition and an opportunity to share results and rekindle collaborative ideas –– this photo from exactly 2 years ago, enjoying my morning coffee on the deck of the JR in Baffin Bay
September 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
headed to Copenhagen for the IODP Exp 400 post-cruise science meeting –– these meetings a couple of years after an expedition and an opportunity to share results and rekindle collaborative ideas –– this photo from exactly 2 years ago, enjoying my morning coffee on the deck of the JR in Baffin Bay
picked up my copy of @peterbrannen.bsky.social's new book yesterday (preordered it from our local indie bookstore) –– looking forward to reading it!
August 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
picked up my copy of @peterbrannen.bsky.social's new book yesterday (preordered it from our local indie bookstore) –– looking forward to reading it!
I'm teaching my Sedimentary Basins course this semester (which has 7 grad + 4 undergrad students) –– I typically have a great mix of students with interests including sedimentology, paleobiology, paleoclimate/paleoceanography, tectonics, applied subsurface geoscience, and more
August 25, 2025 at 1:04 PM
I'm teaching my Sedimentary Basins course this semester (which has 7 grad + 4 undergrad students) –– I typically have a great mix of students with interests including sedimentology, paleobiology, paleoclimate/paleoceanography, tectonics, applied subsurface geoscience, and more
I'm trying to encourage moss to grow in-between flagstone in our little backyard –– there are at least two types: one that looks like teeny-tiny ferns and another with oval-shaped leaves –– coverage is still only about ⅓ of the space but it's spreading 🌿
August 17, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I'm trying to encourage moss to grow in-between flagstone in our little backyard –– there are at least two types: one that looks like teeny-tiny ferns and another with oval-shaped leaves –– coverage is still only about ⅓ of the space but it's spreading 🌿
while you continue to struggle, I am still evolving 😅
August 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
while you continue to struggle, I am still evolving 😅
I'm old enough to remember conservatives and the Republican Party in the U.S. opposing the idea of the federal government (much less a single individual in the federal government) unilaterally controlling entire sectors of private enterprise
August 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I'm old enough to remember conservatives and the Republican Party in the U.S. opposing the idea of the federal government (much less a single individual in the federal government) unilaterally controlling entire sectors of private enterprise
a friend saw this bumper sticker and it's my new favorite response to someone asking me to do something I don't want to do (usually just in my head)
August 11, 2025 at 4:47 PM
a friend saw this bumper sticker and it's my new favorite response to someone asking me to do something I don't want to do (usually just in my head)
this is a very cool paper –– and timely, will be a great one to dive into with students in my Sedimentary Basins course this fall pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/...
August 9, 2025 at 7:08 PM
this is a very cool paper –– and timely, will be a great one to dive into with students in my Sedimentary Basins course this fall pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/...
this administration (and all who still support them) will be responsible for the lives lost and overall misery when the next pandemic happens www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/h...
August 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM
this administration (and all who still support them) will be responsible for the lives lost and overall misery when the next pandemic happens www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/h...
I'm teaching an upper-level (grad students + senior ugrads) course this fall that involves a decent amount of learning R (and a little bit of Python) to build simple models and analysis/viz workflows.
I'm making my AI policy straightforward: You are accountable.
I'm making my AI policy straightforward: You are accountable.
August 5, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I'm teaching an upper-level (grad students + senior ugrads) course this fall that involves a decent amount of learning R (and a little bit of Python) to build simple models and analysis/viz workflows.
I'm making my AI policy straightforward: You are accountable.
I'm making my AI policy straightforward: You are accountable.
I've been propagating a pothos plant in my office this summer and decided to plant the cuttings (after they sprouted in just water) in some of the many mugs I have –– assuming they do well, I'll then transplant into a larger pot (this is an experiment, we'll see) 🌱
July 22, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I've been propagating a pothos plant in my office this summer and decided to plant the cuttings (after they sprouted in just water) in some of the many mugs I have –– assuming they do well, I'll then transplant into a larger pot (this is an experiment, we'll see) 🌱
no, it is not 'striking' ... this is *exactly* what they said they would do (if not every little detail, certainly the broader approach) ... it's almost as if the journalist class needs to feign surprise, shock, etc. to maintain the idea they are 'external' to it all www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/u...
July 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
no, it is not 'striking' ... this is *exactly* what they said they would do (if not every little detail, certainly the broader approach) ... it's almost as if the journalist class needs to feign surprise, shock, etc. to maintain the idea they are 'external' to it all www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/u...
hiked to Cascades Falls (in Jefferson Nat'l Forest) this weekend, which is a very nice place to hang out on a hot day
the last two photos show water flowing over ~430 million-year-old ripple marks in sandstone –– I find such juxtapositions across deep time very pleasing ⚒️
the last two photos show water flowing over ~430 million-year-old ripple marks in sandstone –– I find such juxtapositions across deep time very pleasing ⚒️
July 7, 2025 at 1:35 PM
hiked to Cascades Falls (in Jefferson Nat'l Forest) this weekend, which is a very nice place to hang out on a hot day
the last two photos show water flowing over ~430 million-year-old ripple marks in sandstone –– I find such juxtapositions across deep time very pleasing ⚒️
the last two photos show water flowing over ~430 million-year-old ripple marks in sandstone –– I find such juxtapositions across deep time very pleasing ⚒️
this is her legacy ... I really don't care what she's done over her career as an elected official ... this defines her, forever
July 1, 2025 at 7:54 PM
this is her legacy ... I really don't care what she's done over her career as an elected official ... this defines her, forever
this version is from 2013 'Basin Analysis' textbook by Allen & Allen
July 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM
this version is from 2013 'Basin Analysis' textbook by Allen & Allen
our modest elevation (~2,200 ft/670 m) keeps the temps a bit lower and less extreme during these heat waves –– thank you Alleghanian orogeny 🙌
June 25, 2025 at 2:59 PM
our modest elevation (~2,200 ft/670 m) keeps the temps a bit lower and less extreme during these heat waves –– thank you Alleghanian orogeny 🙌
valley, ridge, valley, ridge, valley, etc.
June 21, 2025 at 11:59 AM
valley, ridge, valley, ridge, valley, etc.