Matthew Kirk
@microbialmatt.bsky.social
Professor of geology at #KState | groundwater, streams, microbes, geochemistry, critical zone science, DEI | #firstgen | he/him
What the well sees when a team of students collects samples :)
October 5, 2025 at 12:49 PM
What the well sees when a team of students collects samples :)
Our first black swallowtail butterfly of summer emerged this morning! Several more on the way soon.
July 22, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Our first black swallowtail butterfly of summer emerged this morning! Several more on the way soon.
Groundwater raining down on the High Plains
June 10, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Groundwater raining down on the High Plains
Groundwater sampling in south-central Kansas this week. Nearly half of the wells we have sampled in this part of the High Plains Aquifer have high nitrate levels.
June 10, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Groundwater sampling in south-central Kansas this week. Nearly half of the wells we have sampled in this part of the High Plains Aquifer have high nitrate levels.
Took a walk down memory lane and visited the woods I played as a kid in central Illinois. It’s a steep little valley cutting through Pennsylvanian cyclothems. Lots of stinky mud and springs. I suspect this place helped set me on my path to become a geoscientist.
May 25, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Took a walk down memory lane and visited the woods I played as a kid in central Illinois. It’s a steep little valley cutting through Pennsylvanian cyclothems. Lots of stinky mud and springs. I suspect this place helped set me on my path to become a geoscientist.
End of semester gift from a couple of students :)
May 15, 2025 at 8:49 PM
End of semester gift from a couple of students :)
The bedrock here in the Flint Hills consists of alternating layers of limestone and mudrock, which leads to lots of little waterfalls and springs dotting the landscape.
May 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The bedrock here in the Flint Hills consists of alternating layers of limestone and mudrock, which leads to lots of little waterfalls and springs dotting the landscape.
The local crappie population was completely unharmed but I did get a nice view this weekend of Permian limestone along Tuttle Creek Reservoir just outside of Manhattan, Kansas.
May 5, 2025 at 6:32 PM
The local crappie population was completely unharmed but I did get a nice view this weekend of Permian limestone along Tuttle Creek Reservoir just outside of Manhattan, Kansas.
Got a chance to look at some nice Cretaceous outcrops in central Kansas with wife and kiddos and we even saw our first local scorpion. Might need to be more careful when flipping over rocks :)
April 28, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Got a chance to look at some nice Cretaceous outcrops in central Kansas with wife and kiddos and we even saw our first local scorpion. Might need to be more careful when flipping over rocks :)
Spent the entire day in the field working with great folks on our woody encroachment research at Konza Prairie in NE Kansas. Great way to celebrate Earth Day!
April 22, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Spent the entire day in the field working with great folks on our woody encroachment research at Konza Prairie in NE Kansas. Great way to celebrate Earth Day!
From Children of Dune published in 1976.
February 16, 2025 at 10:33 PM
From Children of Dune published in 1976.
One last plug for this one Hydro search linked below.
K-State is an R1 university doing big things in #water, with 12 more water-related TT searches ongoing/planned. Its also located in a fun college town and a beautiful spot in Kansas, the Flint Hills. Come work with us!
K-State is an R1 university doing big things in #water, with 12 more water-related TT searches ongoing/planned. Its also located in a fun college town and a beautiful spot in Kansas, the Flint Hills. Come work with us!
December 17, 2024 at 9:50 PM
One last plug for this one Hydro search linked below.
K-State is an R1 university doing big things in #water, with 12 more water-related TT searches ongoing/planned. Its also located in a fun college town and a beautiful spot in Kansas, the Flint Hills. Come work with us!
K-State is an R1 university doing big things in #water, with 12 more water-related TT searches ongoing/planned. Its also located in a fun college town and a beautiful spot in Kansas, the Flint Hills. Come work with us!
And so it begins…
November 16, 2024 at 5:38 PM
And so it begins…
We had the presentation event today for our Groundwater Geopaths project. It was the culmination of another successful year of introducing community college students to geoscience while simultaneously helping private well owners learn about their water quality! Feeling really good about this work.
November 9, 2024 at 1:36 AM
We had the presentation event today for our Groundwater Geopaths project. It was the culmination of another successful year of introducing community college students to geoscience while simultaneously helping private well owners learn about their water quality! Feeling really good about this work.
Monument Rocks in western Kansas. Really cool Cretaceous Niobrara chalk outcrop. Our kiddos had a blast. Well worth the trip!
May 27, 2024 at 1:29 AM
Monument Rocks in western Kansas. Really cool Cretaceous Niobrara chalk outcrop. Our kiddos had a blast. Well worth the trip!
Early signs point to kid #1 being a geologist one day!
April 11, 2024 at 12:10 AM
Early signs point to kid #1 being a geologist one day!
We took the kids on a mini vacation and made a stop in the Hutchinson Kansas post office to see this New Deal art program mural - Threshing in Kansas. Really beautiful. There are 26 sprinkled around the state.
March 14, 2024 at 11:03 PM
We took the kids on a mini vacation and made a stop in the Hutchinson Kansas post office to see this New Deal art program mural - Threshing in Kansas. Really beautiful. There are 26 sprinkled around the state.
Got out to Konza Prairie today to sample some springs. Definitely one of the most fitting ways to start spring break!
March 11, 2024 at 10:29 PM
Got out to Konza Prairie today to sample some springs. Definitely one of the most fitting ways to start spring break!
One of the best choices we made in 2023 was getting a little A Liner pop up camper. Got our kiddos a lot more nature time. Looking forward to more adventures with them in 2024!
January 1, 2024 at 2:09 PM
One of the best choices we made in 2023 was getting a little A Liner pop up camper. Got our kiddos a lot more nature time. Looking forward to more adventures with them in 2024!
Got to dress like a wizard and celebrate some special graduates today! Pretty cool perk of the job!
December 9, 2023 at 9:48 PM
Got to dress like a wizard and celebrate some special graduates today! Pretty cool perk of the job!
Always fun to get field pics from your students. Wish I was with them though!
December 4, 2023 at 9:09 PM
Always fun to get field pics from your students. Wish I was with them though!
Got more yesterday than in all snow storms combined for last winter! Loving it!
November 26, 2023 at 5:47 PM
Got more yesterday than in all snow storms combined for last winter! Loving it!
Getting past and current students together at a conference… so amazing. Really motivates me to keep doing this crazy job :)
November 17, 2023 at 12:04 AM
Getting past and current students together at a conference… so amazing. Really motivates me to keep doing this crazy job :)