If you have been keeping up to date with our social media posts you may have seen a new face on the team: George the Geologist! Dr. George is very enthusiastic about geology and knows a lot of things about all kinds of rocks and loves sharing his knowledge.

George was born in the town of Rockley, NSW, to proud parents Jasper and Ruby. As a child, George’s favourite pastimes were bushwalking, colouring in, and logic puzzles. George went on to study at Rockingham University where he majored in Earth CSI (more commonly known as Geology). George’s favourite food is fruit salad with rockmelon, and his favourite treat is a chocolate slice made from marshmallows, coconut, peanuts, and cherries.

George joined the Discovery team earlier this year as part of our new geology show Rocking Through Time. When visiting schools, George brings along secret surprise that he saves for special occasions: his Time Machine! With classes of students in tow, he travels back in time with his good friend Sandy Stone to see firsthand how and why different rocks form. Surely there is no better way to learn about the history of the Earth than to go back and see it happen? Just remember to watch out for dinosaurs, George…

In addition to Rocking Through Time, George recently branched out into documentary film making. Since the New England region contains such spectacular rock formations and landscapes he has been out and about to shed light on some of the rocky curiosities that you may have encountered. George’s love of rocks is electric and contagious (in a good way). We often find George so immersed in whatever rock he is looking at that he forgets that the camera is even there!

George has visited a range of local rocks to reveal the history of this part of Australia. He always takes the time to point out the small details that reveal the big story hidden in the rocks.
So far he has visited:

• The 20 Million year old Armidale beds, which formed in an ancient river system
• Modern rivers and how they create and deposit sediment
• The 30 Million year old basalt volcanoes that covered New England in rivers of hot lava coming from the mantle
• The 250 million year old granite formations that crop out all over New England region, and the cool shapes they make

And shown us:

• How geologists find out how old a rock is with Radiometric dating (and Lego?)
• How groundwater can create some crazy contorted layers
• What to look for in an igneous rock to tell how it formed

There are so many more cool things around the New England that George is very excited to show you, so keep an eye out for upcoming videos about rocks from near and far! The New England region preserves rocks going back over 400 Million Years, so George certainly won’t run out of cool things to show us any time soon.

Some people have pointed out that George bears a striking similarity to one of the other Discovery team members and have gone so far as to suggest that George may not actually be a real person! However, as this photo clearly shows, George is very real and thrilled to be part of the Discovery team.

George is looking forward to bringing you more stories about the geological history of Armidale and the New England, so keep an eye out for all his future videos.