Trucks, Trains, Terns & Tractors; An Ordinary Rock & Its Amazing Value

[@myroncook]

Viewer stevenstart8728 has made me aware of the the Great Artesian Basin of Australia which has a much larger aquifer than the Ogallala! One of the benefits of doing these videos is learning from my viewers. Thank you, Steven.

[@Intervaloverdose]

Hey Myron, really love your work. I'm here to do some matchmaking; it strikes me that a collaboration video or two between you and @GEOGIRL would be a fine thing to see indeed!

[@Fusako8]

If you've seen the movie "Mad Max: Fury Road" that is where Joe gets his water. :)

[@joem8496]

Myron your videos are not only informative and interesting, but they are an example of how to live a life full of wonder, curiosity, and awe! You remind me of what my "natural" state of being is! Thank you!

[@chehystpewpur4754]

australia is very interesting for many reasons

[@OffGridInvestor]

It's strange here. A lot if the country has no underground water source or obly tony pockets, then the drier parts of the country have HUGE aquifers. I lived in a part of Western Australia where 2 overlapped each other but where hundreds of meters apart. Over a quarter mile deep (440 meters) to get to the first one

[@georgefurniss6574]

There is gold here. The gold is the guy with the hat and the whiteboard 😊. These videos absolutely sparkle. Thanks Myron!

[@Siralantoon]

❤

[@chrononaut-_-4823]

This man is the Bob Ross of Geology. A true gem.

[@KevinFournier-xd3ub]

It’s not a complete episode without the famous whiteboard! Thank you Myron.

[@MrYashino]

The white board is out at the field...ig it's technically complete episode

[@willswift94]

No famous tree in this episode

[@bethbartlett5692]

lol

[@johnlord8337]

Myron is a great story teller and shower - and fisherman. He brings in all separate and seemingly disparate items all together, puts the bait on the hook, throws it out, and then hooks and reels in the viewer to the reality of what is the amazing geology of the Wyoming, Rockies, and western Midwest areas.

[@myroncook]

😀

[@danielhutchinson6604]

As the economic wealth of the US Empire erodes, the ability to capitalize on Ma Nature seems to be a little late?

[@johnlord8337]

@@danielhutchinson6604 wrong topic, wrong channel, ... move along, nothing to see here for you ...

[@danielhutchinson6604]

@@johnlord8337 Your critical value seems incompetent? I have been along the Rails and Roads that dollect the fools who fell for the concept of Freeways as some good idea. I will not point out your inability to recognize that feature of American life, because you shall have to discover that on your own. I have seen what happens when an agricultural idea drains an aquifer. I have watched the Valley, Irrigation Folks sell their equipment to Dry land Farmers, and I have seen the effects of rain on Custom Cutters efforts to make a buck. The water is the element that politicians ignore until it is all gone. You may want to take a look around as your head is firmly implaced in the sand? I also understand a bit about the wind that erodes the Geology. But thanks for the free advice.....

[@secretsquirrel6308]

One of my geology orofessors was as captivating. His stories from the field were sometimes hilarious but always supremely interesting. I'll not forget John Bowen.

[@vudu8ball]

These videos make me feel peaceful. The huge expanses of time involved makes the concerns of human life seem so unimportant. We are just like ants going about our lives with little or no appreciation of the bigger picture.

[@myroncook]

agree

[@Knape-vz5ml]

Speak for your self.

[@inyobill]

Well, Dr. Cook, we're pleased you're kind enough to be with us.

[@alanclark639]

Again Myron, for someone used to seeing about ten miles max from the ground here in England ( and most of it covered in plants) it's absolutely amazing to view your magnificent country and even more amazing how far little bits of the Rockies will travel left to their own devices for a few million years.

[@jflossie583]

you would be the ideal guy to take a walk with in the field, so relaxing and informative

[@sao9995]

Myron is the nicest guy! Well done, Myron, you taught me a lot.

[@Chris-ut6eq]

The more of your videos I watch, the more I enjoy them. Love to learn new things and you explain them very well. Thank you for posting this and look forward to your next one!

[@dustman96]

Uncle Myron with another fascinating look into the extraordinary ordinary.

[@xAoDxNoiseComplaint]

I am from far west Nebraska and have been watching your videos for a while now. I was hoping you were going to do something here. There are so many wonderful geological things to see around western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming. I would love to show you some interesting things around here some day!

[@toddfoglia1882]

My folks live in Omaha, I was always curious about w. Nebraska, I’m gonna venture out that way next time I’m in town

[@gregjones2217]

Oh why could I not have heard this lecture when I lived in Laramie? My grandfather was born in a sod house in the sand hills. I always wondered why they were so named. As always, I am deeply grateful for your imparted knowledge. Very well done.

[@myroncook]

Thank you, Greg

[@felipericketts]

That is an awesome story you have told! You know how to get people's interest and open their minds and eyes to what is out there. The story is much grander than any one of us know, or will ever know. Thanks! 🙂

[@LeoDomitrix]

Granite is the "forever stone" for a reason. We use it to build! We don't need it for the gold. It's amazing for itself. IMHO. Our continental crusts have granite, so we're not sunk! And it holds my favorite mineral: Quartz! (Please talk about quartz. Everyone says it's boring but it isn't! I promise!)

[@kaboom4679]

It's far from boring . Besides it's beauty , human evolution is intertwined intimately with quartz , from the first stone tools to the semiconductor , even as a superb substrate to.make the.mirrors for our telescopes and gaze into the infinite depths of our universe .

[@LeoDomitrix]

@@kaboom4679 Precisely! Nobody appreciates quartz enough.

[@polyrhythmia]

We've been taking earth's relief for granite... Could have been a water world.

[@CrackerFL]

Quartz is really nice when it has gold in it!

[@Unit8200-rl8ev]

Gold has little value to me. I don't care about its decorative use nor its rarity. The only thing that makes it valuable is that other people (not me) value it. Different strokes for different folks.

[@nitahill6951]

Myron, you make my day every time you put up a new video! Thank you so much! I wish i had been fortunate enough to have a grandfather or uncle like you when I was a kid.

[@favoriteblueshirt]

Great video, the first time I drove into the Majove desert from Baker, I stopped and stared for an hour at the black tops of mountains poking out of the ancient alluvial deposits. My first geology trip to the USA, and I have to say a sight which bettered the Grand Canyon, I like to be different. Thanks for a great trip down geology memory lane.

[@myroncook]

It hit me in a similar way

[@texaswunderkind]

Thanks for appreciating the subtle beauty and amazing landscape of the Plains. I learned more about my home state of Nebraska than I could have imagined. So many people shoot through on Interstate 80, and all they remember is that it was flat and boring. The state has a quiet beauty, and its soil and water resources must be protected.

[@stevewhalen6973]

Earths mantle is a big oven , continually baking subterranean geology into molecularly altered minerals then often afterwards forcing them up to the surface for us to apply and utilize for many useful needs. Granite is one of those beautiful and useful materials.

[@victoriamccargar1813]

I've been fascinated by the Gangplank since I read about it without having seen so much as a sketch What an amazing feature, a remnant of the Rockies' ancient burial. By the way, boatloads of anorthosite here in SoCal in the San Gabriel Mountains. It's mostly white and you can see miles of it along the Angeles Forest Highway. I've wondered if the planetary collision that created the moon bounced off Burbank.

[@conradnelson5283]

When I saw your promo thumbnail, I knew what it was going to be about. I just did not know how you were going to approach it. It was very interesting. I knew the Rockies had been greatly eroded and spread into the great plains just hadn’t connected it with the fact That those erosional deposits were the Ogallala. Well done once again.

[@oscarmedina1303]

Another wonderful and informative video. Thank you Byron, for sharing your knowledge and helping us take a geological journey.

[@jamminjim]

Tyvm for the education !

[@maxenielsen]

Back in the 70s, when I first started college at Colorado School of Mines. We took field trips nearby, and similar units of clasts are present at the surface there. The older (deeper) you looked, the bigger the clasts. For me it was an exciting discovery - the bigger chunks came from the earlier uplifts. Gradually the chunks get smaller until they’re essentially sands. I love geology even though I ultimately chose electrical engineering as a career. Thanks for this delightful video!

[@josephschwarzkopf3839]

Max: How hot does a huge steel nail have to get to burn out a 6” radius hole through a railroad tie? Graphic example W. berm wall Fire station, Superior, Co. Let’s video that with the fire chief we can invite out to help explain the Paradise/Lahaina connection & scoop Veritas or coordinate with James O’keefe-Veritas for School of Mines! Clay?

[@mikelong9638]

Just another great video Myron! Not only did you bring in the wonderful story that the earth has to tell, but you managed to tie it seamlessly to our lives in the modern era. (My only regret is that I will probably never have the opportunity for fly an airplane over that country.) Thanks much!

[@myroncook]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@richavic4520]

Yours was the best description of the gangplank that I've heard. Don't grow corn in the desert.

[@RobertJl9516]

Thank you Myron for another very good presentation with on the spot examples and graphics to give the viewer an easy to understand geology lesson. Please keep the wonderful geology stories coming as I'm learning a lot and now hooked on your videos. Robert

[@myroncook]

Very welcome

[@jamesmoore5630]

I love railroad history and I drove to "Promontory Point," just to lay over the tracks where the original Golden Spike was driven. I have driven as close to the Transcontinental Railroad as possible from San Francisco to The Mississippi River. I like your video because my degree is in Geology, from The University of Oklahoma Norman.

[@myroncook]

Very cool!

[@corablue5569]

As an East coast lady, I can honestly say I’ve never been more interested in Wyoming and Nebraska in my life! Wow! Thank you 😊. You have a new subscriber in me ❤️

[@myroncook]

thank you!

[@angelofamillionyears4599]

Interesting, about the Ogallala Aquifer. Please post more about it.

[@LTOverland]

I have always been fascinated by geology and have learned so much more watching your videos out in the field, much more than in any classroom, especially the landslide video. Now, when I'm out and about, I can't help but see the landscape from a different perspective. Thank you for making learning fun.

[@myroncook]

Great to hear!

[@What1zTyme]

Really enjoyed your excellent seminar! Learned a lot! Thank you for your scholarship and great effort!

[@connieatkinson4212]

Our Father sure planned ahead. Love his Earth and love your videos! Thank you, Myron, for your time and efforts. Great information!

[@spincube5734]

Another interesting "eye opener" into US geology. Thanks Myron !!

[@myroncook]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@retiredtom1654]

Very interesting information. Your videos offer a picture of our beautiful country... Thanks!

[@henrignu7005]

Thank you for this video, Myron - you put together a continental puzzle that's been millions of years in the making, while you're taking a walk. Makes clear to me why geology is worth learning more about, so I've subscribed just now.

[@myroncook]

Thank you!

[@davidsnyder4362]

Ogallalal, I just live the sound of the word. Thank you, Myron. This video is so educational, it should be used in physical science classes.

[@andiarrohnds5163]

This was both pleasant and interesting to watch.

[@Johnny-dp5mu]

Thanke you for sharing and educating. Much appreciated. Merry Christmas and happy new year 🎉

[@myroncook]

Same to you!

[@calvinallen9508]

Thanks once again, Mr. Cook for an informative and entertaining episode. I always look forward to learning from you!

[@josecarloscassiano1846]

Grand Master Myron, thank you very much for this wonderful geology class!! Through US geology, I learn how to analyze the landscapes and formations of my country, Brazil!! Thank you very much and once again congratulations!!!!

[@myroncook]

You are very welcome

[@rattrap8819]

Thank you so much Dr. Cook. You're a time traveler that brings rocks to life!

[@johnwesner3935]

Myron, thanks for the great videos. My wife and I drove between Ogalalla and Scottsbluff a few years ago. What a wonderful drive especially Chimney Rock. What a momentous drive through history. Thank You

[@myroncook]

Thanks 👍

[@donnavorce8856]

I did enjoy the video! Thank you Myron.

[@jasonshald1912]

Grew up in the Sandhills of Nebraska. One of my favorite places. The wildlife is amazing. You can go from near desert to wetlands in very short distances. A very unique ecosystem. Thanks for the geology lesson.

[@myroncook]

Very cool!

[@davec9244]

Enjoyed YES! very enlightening thank you. good job stay safe ALL

[@virgilgreen3108]

First time here, and yes, i enjoyed it. Furthurmore, i am very much informed in a matter i knew practically little. Thanks much.

[@myroncook]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mistletoe4961]

So this popped up on my stream and I am so glad it did.

[@flyemhard]

this was a great video...thank you, Sir

[@leecarlson9713]

I have been rock climbing on these rocks! We lived in Laramie for three years in 1968-1971, and rock climbing was a cheap, and fun activity for my husband and me, while he was in grad school.

[@leechjim8023]

The equipment can be quite pricey though.

[@leecarlson9713]

@@leechjim8023we didn’t use any equipment , it was just recreational climbing, easy enough for our 3 year old to climb with us occasionally.

[@marklalone3091]

Dr. Cook, thank you so much for the incredible lectures and teachings while on location. Each one is so fascinating and interesting - the amount of time devoted to each episode must be immense and I think all of us appreciate all you're doing. Wish you all the best... and safe travels! Keep rock'n brother!

[@gabigabugabo]

What a sweet guy. The Bob Ross of rocks

[@eileendunn2130]

Agreed! ❤ to Myron Cook!

[@fj9460-lr]

Myron, I am always smarter after one of you videos, I only wish that when I was doing my undergraduate studies in Earth Sciences my professors had used more “ real world” examples of our geological landscapes and how they impact our daily lives, like you do! Thank you so very much for bringing me back into my passion of geology; I’m 73 years old by the way.

[@myroncook]

keep learning!

[@ronaldrey8474]

What a great teacher. I learn so much from your videos because I'm a visual learner & THANK YOU.

[@PatrickKQ4HBD]

What a wonderful storyteller Byron is! I love it. Of course being a Young Earth Creationist, the same land tells a slightly faster story. Same processes, catastrophic timeline. 👍

[@C.Chandler_May]

You're the Bob Ross of Geology. Cheers!

[@sallykirby4907]

Exactly what I have been thinking! He even talks like Bob Ross!❤❤

[@ViceResident]

I grew up right in this area, just a few miles from here. So this hits “home” a bit more than usual. Fantastic video as always 👍

[@cribbsprojects]

Beautiful quality video and sound! Geological content is enhanced by the production team.. one of the best geo channels on YT. Thank you.

[@monicawallace-jn8tl]

Myron, you always amaze me…. Such clarity in your explanations, kindness, positive phrasing. All the while, your pauses give me time to ponder, or absorb the information, before moving on to the next piece of information! Thank you! ☺️

[@myroncook]

You are very welcome

[@RR2BOX46]

This explained a ton of things - I remember going south into central NE (the North/East) side of the sandhills and almost every year the ditches were full of water, even though they had no winter precipitation of note, and it killed almost all of the cotton wood tree groves, circa 2000 give/take (and those were old groves/trees!). That water was clear too, perfection.

[@Billytomtom18]

Hello Myron , watching your video has took me back to my childhood. Around the early 1960’s my Mom and I would travel by train, from Penn Station in NYC to Union Station in CA. What and amazing way to see our beautiful Country. We would take the first leg from NYC to Chicago. Then we would switch over to the Santa Fe line, which had sleeper cars and glass domed cars. We played a lot card games, but I was around 6 years old and well being a kid who was used to running around and playing. So I would usually meet other kids and we would play hide and seek. Of course we would never damage anything or be rude when as asked by a Pullman attendant. They were mostly men back then and I was always taught to respect elders or grown ups. They realized that we were just kids who were not damaging anything, we were just play tag or hide and seek. The diner cars were wonderful. We would have several stops, maybe they were electric diesel engines, not sure, my first trip of the 3 journeys Xcountry was a 3 day fun ride. Stopping off at Flagstaff AZ. Another was Albuquerque NM. I should really check the full route and stops of the Santa Fe line, from Chicago to California. When I was in Southern California me and my cousins were always out riding our bicycles, but my Aunt and Uncle loved to explore. So we would all pile in one of those old wood side station wagons. But sometimes it was just my cousins and my Uncle going out to the Mojave Desert or sometimes family trips to see Mona Lake at the top of the High Sierras, trips to Mexico were fun seeing Bullfights, yes the bull was professionally butchered and sold to the local people. I never hunted for sport, learn to skin and tan rabbits, we all need to respect our animals and Nature, otherwise there will be nothing for our generations ahead !!! Thanks Myron for bringing new information and childhood memories 🙂

[@myroncook]

I really enjoyed your memories! Thanks

[@roncarguy72]

Myron, you are a Golden Nugget on KZbin. It is a joy to watch and learn from your videos. Thank you for your content Sir.

[@myroncook]

Wow, thanks

[@roncarguy72]

@@myroncook On another note, I am from Maine and visit the coast often. I have some amazing photos from a unique rock formation that you might be interested in if you would care to see and interpret them. Perhaps even visit them. Maine has some amazing geology that I never appreciated until I started following and learning from you.

[@W_Grizzified]

Excellent work, thank you!

[@OspreyFlyer]

I traveled up and down the High Plains, Great Plains, and Rockies for many years during the course of my work and been to the areas in your video. Surprised the wind wasn't blowing more, lol. Thanks for another great lesson!

[@kahnfu-zhin8627]

Thank you, Myron. Exceptionally enlightening.

[@myroncook]

Very welcome

[@guloguloguy]

THANKS, MYRON!! I JUST AM AMAZED BY NATURAL ROCK FORMATIONS, AND GEOLOGY!!!!! IMHO: THAT BAND OF SOFT SANDSTONE, ACROSS SOUTHER WYOMING LOOKED LIKE PERFECT HABITAT FOR RATTLESNAKES, AND OTHER SNAKES!!!.... IT'S QUITE INTERESTING!!...

[@reverseuniverse2559]

I got a recommendation commercial on these rocks then this vid comes up 👍

[@gypsy2]

I learn so much from each & every one of Your videos. You are a Great Teacher !! 🤔🤠🤓 Can't thank You enough, Myron. 💜

[@glenncivale6824]

As always, GREAT INFORMATION!

[@gingerphillips765]

Myron, thanks for the tour

[@learaosborne7520]

You're so awesome and I appreciate how you explain everything. I've learned so much from you! Thank you handsome Myron.

[@ProfedeNaturales]

Excellent episode, I still don't miss your videos, thank you for being so generous in sharing knowledge. Greetings from Mendoza, Argentina.🙋‍♀

[@williamparrish673]

Thanks Myron, enlightened as always . The pinkish outcropping you were standing near looked very similar to ones in The Lone Ranger . Yes cemosaby. High o silver and away. Not meaning to diminish your wonderful lesson. Thank you for the hard work and dedication to your viewers. It is greatly appreciated. And I'm sure it's earnings are far below your worth.

[@corysenti4079]

Hello Myron I was flying over this area a couple years ago and was stunned that Nebraska had such an enormous area of lakes that I knew nothing about. At the time I was not looking at it geologically but only as a place that wildlife inhabited. It’s stunning country. I had no idea that what I was seeing was an aquifer. I have heard that the Platte River actually has more water in it because of irrigation due to an increase in springs. In any case this was a real eye opener. Thanks again!

[@chrisloomis1489]

Nature is amazing , we cannot suck that aquifer dry !!

[@WesselsReaper]

I’ve gotta say, these are my favorite videos and channel on KZbin. Love your passion and love for geology sir! Thank you!

[@lindarocco9974]

@MyronCook Thank you for a most interesting episode. Great content, I learned so much. I had no idea there was such a large aquifer beneath eight states! I RoccoMend you and your channel.

[@wrp3621]

The suspence was killing me, I feel better now. Thanks M.C.

[@jharbo1]

Thank you, Dr. Cook, for another beautiful video about our Earth. I really want to go to visit that whole area of southeastern Wyoming and neighboring Nebraska. I am fascinated by the geology. Those stable dunes look like the result of an enormous flood as the drone footage indicated from high above. Sometimes things happen in an instant to change the face of the planet. God bless!

[@johnminer1407]

The dunes in the sand hills are formed, and moved by wind not water. Yes they still move.

[@aubreytycer8708]

Awesome video. Makes my geology degree sing.

[@kayser6800]

I loved this video with you. 💕🕊💕

[@cbhirsch]

Myron, another great episode/lesson. I learned about the Ogallala aquifer in Geology 101 when I was a freshman at UNL but now I have a much better understanding of the system than I ever had before! Thank you!

[@myroncook]

Interesting

[@Romeoleus]

I just found Myron's channel and have been VERY impressed. This episode is fascinating as it goes a long ways explaining the part of the country where my relatives have lived (and still live). The information about the formation of the Ogallala aquifer was particularly interesting. I'm a new long term fan!

[@myroncook]

Welcome aboard!

[@jenb.6440]

This is so fascinating and you explain it so well thank you! We absolutely love your videos and information!!

[@lorenkelley1568]

Thank you Myron. This is the first video of yours that I've seen and I definitely learned something. I live in the Puget Sound area and never really thought of Nebraska as a destination, but now I'd like to visit the Sand Hills and other places you highlighted. It's easy to get interested in geology that's a result of spectacular processes like the floods from Lake Missoula, volcanoes and the like, but slower processes like the formation of these deposits are also important to understand. I'm glad that you pointed out how the Ogallala aquifer is being depleted. Thanks again.

[@Babbajune]

Very enjoyable! I learn something new with every video. ❤❤

[@charlie70605]

I have no idea why this showed up in my KZbin feed as my algorithm is politics, cooking, and music. However, this has been the most educational and entertaining video I have seen lately. I am hooked.

[@myroncook]

awesome!

[@georgewhitehead8185]

America had better get serious about taking care of this wonderful aspect of Nature, called the Oglala Aquaphor, or it will "leave" and all of us will suffer. This video should be shared with as many people as possible, to help them be educated, and get a better grasp of this wonderful part of Nature. Doctor George Whitehead

[@rickbarber7412]

Myron is the kind of teacher that is priceless, if I had a class with him, I might well have become a geologist! Making science interesting.

[@Chris.Davies]

An absolute joy to watch and listen. Now the video matches the narration: buttery smooth, and easy on the eye. Thank you, Myron. I can't wait to see what you've got in store for us in 2024.

[@myroncook]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@talathussain5078]

Sir! What I interpreted from this video is that Ogallala Formation has an igneous provinance, if I am not wrong. In my country Pakistan, there are Formations whose periods are from Oligocene to Miocene, and their Lithology is somewhat Sandstone, Shale ,and Conglomerates. By watching your videos, I am also correlating them with my country's Geology. And having some clear picture that what may have happened here. And I am getting a great deal of help in understanding such phenomena.

[@myroncook]

I'm happy to hear that

[@talathussain5078]

@@myroncook May you have longevity.

[@laskatz3626]

I certainly did enjoy this video. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of the area.

[@greekpapi]

Always a great day when Mr. Cook posts a new video !!!!

[@vinnynorthwest]

Always a great video from Myron! Such interesting geology and he explains things so well. Thank you Myron!

[@myroncook]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@tommunyon2874]

As I recall we drove north from Kansas and picked up Interstate 80 at Grand Island, Nebraska in the summer of 1967, so the stretch from there, east was open then. Maybe I-80 was opened in Wyoming in 1969. I really appreciate the breadth of knowledge possessed by geologists. I got my degree in chemistry, and the elements of the periodic table were enough to learn. One's having to know all the various minerals that are made up of these elements would be a monumental challenge.

[@zacktimmons2886]

The way you used the drone to go backward and show the whole area was one of the best examples of showing people what you’re talking about that I’ve ever seen. Beautifully done Myron

[@myroncook]

Glad you liked it!

[@Chompchompyerded]

Thank you Myron for this wonderful look at this part of the country. I have always wondered about what created the sandhills, and how they were created. You have not only answered that question, but also explained a bit more about the aquafer from which we get our water. I'd have never have guessed this came all the way from Wyoming, and into Laramie. Regarding Ogallala, Nebraska, and N.H.Darton, You're kind of right, but there's a little more to it. The name of the tribe in question is Oglala, not Ogallala. People coming west wanted to know the name of the tribe. The tribe pulled a bit of a prank on them and told them it was Ogallala instead of Oglala. Ogallala means something a little different which isn't really suitable for a family channel like this. In this Lakota dialect, Og-la-la means "scattered people". O-gal-la-la is still talking about scattering, but the "gal" means something entirely different. Don't tell people from the Oglala tribe that their tribe name is "Ogallala" or they will be very upset. Rocks are a story. A fascinating story which has been written over millions of years. It is just a pleasure to hear and watch you reading this story to us, and teaching us how to read it. Every time I watch your videos, I find myself looking up lots of terms and types of rocks, and learning more. For me, learning is the spice of life. The day I stop learning will be the day I am functionally dead. I have a couple of questions. Is that same Ogallala formation the one which formed Chimney Rock, Courthouse Rock, and Jailhouse Rock in western Nebraska? Also, do the agate fossil beds predate this, or was it laid down after? I don't know which is on top there, since all that is exposed is the agate bearing stratum. The fossilized corkscrew burrows of ancient animals there sure are interesting. One other question I have is, the only exposed rock for many miles around where I live is a bit of Pennsylvanian sandstone. Is that earlier or later than the rock laid down which eventually held the Oglala Aquafer? I know that at one time this whole area was a shallow inland sea inhabited by plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and other shallow water critters of the time. I'm guessing that existed before the Laramie mountains. That probably had nothing to do with Ogallala aquafer or the Sandhills. It was just another interesting part of the stratigraphy. In more recent times (a mere 12 million years ago), Nebraska was buried under ash which spread here from volcanoes as far away as Oregon. The carnage was great and we'd sue, but I think the statute of limitations has run out. At any rate, as a result of all that ash being sent here from Oregon, and even sometimes from Yellowstone in Wyoming, we have a really fascinating site in Eastern Nebraska called "Ashfall Fossil Beds". I guess the state has fossils for bookends. They formed for entirely different reasons though. Ashfall is a site where twelve million years ago there was a pond or lake which drew animals in great numbers. When a volcano further west blew its top, the ash fell over Nebraska, suffocating the animals which were at the pond, and killing them all where they stood. The ash settled on them, and buried them whole. There are rhinoceros, camels, cranes, antelope, equines, and other animals from the time all fully articulated and undisturbed, in entire herds, with babies and even pregnant females. It is the only place I know of where you can see a whole assemblage of animals from a single instant of time in prehistory, not to mention of that age. There are other mass deposits of bones, such as the la Brea Tar Pits, and the assemblage at Dinosaur National Monument, but nowhere are the animals completely articulated and right where they stood when the sky darkened, and the ash killed and buried them. No predation on the dead carcasses occurred because all the animals which predated on the herbivores or scavenged the dead were killed too. Ashfall Fossil Beds are part of the Ash Hollow formation, which is capped by the Long Pine formation, and has directly below it the Valentine formation, a formation which runs almost the entire length of the state. It seems that Nebraska gets dumped on by everybody to the west. If you live here in a time when no one is actively dumping on us, it is possible to make a great living from having been dumped on. The aquafer is a great example of this. If you live here when the dumping is ongoing, things can get rather difficult, as the Ashfall Fossil Beds illustrate. Nebraska may not have Dinosaurs, but we're bookended by Agate Fossil Beds in the north western part of the state, and Ashfall in the northeast. In my youth, when I would go kayaking on the many sandy bottomed rivers in the state, I would often find the teeth of mammoth and mastodon in the river, and the bones of bison eroding out of the banks. Usually they were the bones of the bison we know today, but every now and then you'd come across the giant bone of one of the extinct giant long horned bison which were the common species living here when the Paleo-Indians were first here, hunting with spears tipped with masterfully made fluted points and atlatl. None of the bones I found ever showed any signs of having been butchered, and I'm sure far more bison and other target species died of natural causes than were ever taken down by human hunters. The story goes on, rocks and fossils, and often just rocks, but it is all a fascinating glimpse back into time back before H. Sapiens "mastered" (?) the planet. Sometimes I'm not sure whether we mastered the planet, or we just brutalized it. But that's a whole other story.

[@myroncook]

Wow, great information! The Pennsylvanian sandstone is much older. Not sure about the Chimney rock etc.

[@kolbergone]

You were in my backyard, and I missed you. I was talking with my dad while he was visiting while watching your videos. I told him when I'm out driving on the trails of Medicine Bow, I one day hope to run into you. Love your way of sharing life.

[@myroncook]

Oh wow!

[@littledabwilldoya9717]

I’m a Michigan gal, born and bred, and have always had a fascination for our Great Lakes and the rocks and fossils they’ve produced. We have a lot of granite here in the NW lower peninsula, and a lot of dolomite and limestone on the northern side of Lake Michigan on the eastern side, as well as the ‘top of the mitt’ . The last 10 years, I’ve become enamored with the fossils Lakes Michigan and Huron have produced. It blows my mind, to think that millions (billions?) of years ago, these were salt waters, teaming with ocean life!😂

[@katherinesheridan5836]

I love this comment! I too am a born and bred Michigan gal. Turns out my grandson is a big rock lover and collector. I plan on taking him to the Lake Huron shore next summer for some rock hunting.