Nick Hayman
@stompdearth.bsky.social
State Geologist of Oklahoma, Director of Oklahoma Geological Survey, nominally a structural geologist, phan, podcast listener, wannabe guitarist.
For me, in terms of geology, the on-the-ground view of the tuffs is worth it, but if you're tight on time you could give it a pass.
December 24, 2025 at 10:40 PM
For me, in terms of geology, the on-the-ground view of the tuffs is worth it, but if you're tight on time you could give it a pass.
To play devil's advocate, this core complex example is the kind of thing that reviewers are supposed to catch, but we get worn down and let pass all the time. AI might have more resilience as a check? But yeah, that doesn't negate how it strengthens other lazy trends in bad scholarship.
December 21, 2025 at 1:49 PM
To play devil's advocate, this core complex example is the kind of thing that reviewers are supposed to catch, but we get worn down and let pass all the time. AI might have more resilience as a check? But yeah, that doesn't negate how it strengthens other lazy trends in bad scholarship.
We should wait for data though. A reliable source reports they cleared 20k registrants (I’m not there though… not sure how I feel about that)
December 17, 2025 at 1:17 AM
We should wait for data though. A reliable source reports they cleared 20k registrants (I’m not there though… not sure how I feel about that)
Oh man, that hurts
December 12, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Oh man, that hurts
Yeah, I don't call people names on the internet.
December 12, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Yeah, I don't call people names on the internet.
whose Dick? What part of the anatomy are we dealing with now? I'm just a geologist, not a biologist.
December 12, 2025 at 8:25 PM
whose Dick? What part of the anatomy are we dealing with now? I'm just a geologist, not a biologist.
Actually, Dan, spill some tea. I don't want to work on this review I'm writing and need some inspiration :)
December 12, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Actually, Dan, spill some tea. I don't want to work on this review I'm writing and need some inspiration :)
Somebody should write an Anthony Bourdain type memoir of the trenches of reviewing
December 12, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Somebody should write an Anthony Bourdain type memoir of the trenches of reviewing
People's definition of what "being an asshole" is in reviewing is kinda a moving target. A very famous professor once compared a paper to "an abortion" which I thought was pretty out of line if not funny in a demented way, but on balance the review was pretty helpful. I mean, not for everybody LOL
December 12, 2025 at 6:35 PM
People's definition of what "being an asshole" is in reviewing is kinda a moving target. A very famous professor once compared a paper to "an abortion" which I thought was pretty out of line if not funny in a demented way, but on balance the review was pretty helpful. I mean, not for everybody LOL
It's tough to take criticism in reviews, but you have to: (a) first assume its in good faith and (b) then remember it's one person's opinion... everybody's got one, to your point.
December 12, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It's tough to take criticism in reviews, but you have to: (a) first assume its in good faith and (b) then remember it's one person's opinion... everybody's got one, to your point.
It's not a CM but this paper on graphite is a nice example of the intersection of basic tectonic-y science and economic geology: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A time-space model of graphite mineral systems - Mineralium Deposita
Mineralium Deposita - Increasing demand for graphite in energy storage systems warrants review of graphite ore genesis in a mineral systems framework. Orogenic graphite encompasses the metamorphic...
link.springer.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:42 PM
It's not a CM but this paper on graphite is a nice example of the intersection of basic tectonic-y science and economic geology: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
interesting. The high-yield corporate bond markets have been pasteurized and aggregated to offer retail consumers options. I wonder if a lot of "bad-money" got hidden in there....
December 12, 2025 at 2:36 AM
interesting. The high-yield corporate bond markets have been pasteurized and aggregated to offer retail consumers options. I wonder if a lot of "bad-money" got hidden in there....
The Channel is Back! (or did it ever leave?)
December 9, 2025 at 1:02 PM
The Channel is Back! (or did it ever leave?)
But it’s puzzling because for the last few years there’s a separate list of “strategic elements” for that purpose, different from the CM list.
December 8, 2025 at 10:21 PM
But it’s puzzling because for the last few years there’s a separate list of “strategic elements” for that purpose, different from the CM list.
Right. So the USGS is now required by law to provide a "critical mineral" list based on a combination of economics, trade, and geology. Until recently DOE also produced a separate list, which sometimes didn't completely overlap. But in general "critical mineral" is a formal policy delegation.
December 8, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Right. So the USGS is now required by law to provide a "critical mineral" list based on a combination of economics, trade, and geology. Until recently DOE also produced a separate list, which sometimes didn't completely overlap. But in general "critical mineral" is a formal policy delegation.
I don't know the full etymology, but the USGS definition has been since ~2019 that the US domestic supply chain is below some threshold. Be interesting to see if both in function and historically how tightly tied it is to the current 'green' or 'energy transition' language.
December 8, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I don't know the full etymology, but the USGS definition has been since ~2019 that the US domestic supply chain is below some threshold. Be interesting to see if both in function and historically how tightly tied it is to the current 'green' or 'energy transition' language.
To make things more confusing, there are also "strategic elements" which are defined based on national security needs. Helium is one.
December 8, 2025 at 7:09 PM
To make things more confusing, there are also "strategic elements" which are defined based on national security needs. Helium is one.
So, the designation of CM in some ways is not "scientific" but isn't completely divorced from the strict definitions of a "mineral".
December 8, 2025 at 6:22 PM
So, the designation of CM in some ways is not "scientific" but isn't completely divorced from the strict definitions of a "mineral".
I don't know for sure, but Lithium may have a similar production, where you have a high-concentration Li salt from a brine or evaporite. A mineral as an industrial byproduct. Some CMs naturally occur as single-element minerals, more often in oxides, sulfides, etc....
December 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
I don't know for sure, but Lithium may have a similar production, where you have a high-concentration Li salt from a brine or evaporite. A mineral as an industrial byproduct. Some CMs naturally occur as single-element minerals, more often in oxides, sulfides, etc....
It's not a CM, but Iodine's production from oil-field brines is instructive: www.ou.edu/ogs/research...
Iodine
The University of Oklahoma
www.ou.edu
December 8, 2025 at 6:20 PM
It's not a CM, but Iodine's production from oil-field brines is instructive: www.ou.edu/ogs/research...