What is that monument made of?
Thursday June 3rd 2021
7:45 pm
Mawson Lecture Theatre
Earth Sciences
University of Adelaide
Michael Vnuk
One of the main rock types used at Stonehenge is called bluestone. Is that the same bluestone used for buildings in Adelaide or even the bluestone used for buildings in Melbourne?
Heroes are often said to be granite-jawed. What rock forms the jaws (and the rest of the heads) of the four presidents carved into Mt Rushmore in the United States?
The Rosetta Stone is variously described as granite, granodiorite and basalt. So, which one is it?
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was partly filmed at Petra (in Jordan), the ancient city that was rediscovered in 1812. A famous poem says that Petra is ‘a rose-red city half as old as time’. What rock gives the city its impressive colour?
The wonders of the internet allow us answer these sorts of questions fairly quickly. This talk will be a brief summary from internet sources of 15 or so famous monuments, that is, buildings, carvings and other constructions from around the world. The talk will be mostly about answering geological questions, particularly ‘What is that monument made of?’
Michael Vnuk started his working career as a geologist. After completing an honours degree in geology at the University of Adelaide, he was a tutor in the Department of Geology at James Cook University in Townsville for three years, where he also studied the Collinsville Coal Measures. He then spent six years as a geologist with Santos in Adelaide and Brisbane working on oil and gas in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins. He moved out of geology in 1988 and worked in the public service and in computer management consulting. Next, a decade-long break from paid work allowed him to pursue a range of interests, such as Scrabble, quizzes, some travel, and editing several newsletters in a voluntary capacity. The newsletters led him to do an editing course, and he rejoined the workforce in 2007 as a freelance editor and proof reader, particularly for exam materials. He lives with his wife and son in a cream-brick house.
If you wish to attend it is essential to arrive early to sign in due to COVID
We hope to be able to Zoom the meeting but at this stage it can’t be guaranteed. If attendance via Zoom is available the link will be emailed to members.
