The Rock Versus Rocks
Why learning about actual rocks, the Earth, matters more than learning about The Rock, Dwayne Johnson
The Earth is our home. We should take care of it. Many problems we face today are due to us not taking good care of it. This is often due to ignorance. Knowledge can bring a deeper appreciation of Earth. If we know more, we become wiser. Than we may have a better chance to prevent The Sixth Extinction.
By this post, I hope to tell you a bit about the rocks of this Earth. It is in the hope that you will go on to learn more about it. So that we become better together.
This is a risky post, because many people are not drawn to rocks. Except for one rock. Yes, that one. The man himself, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. He was a wrestler and is an actor. If you have not heard of him before, he is very popular. Many people like to quote him.
So to make it interesting, this post will compare that Rock to rocks. And to tell you why rocks are much better. And in hope we can all learn something about them.
The Rock would have seen the irony. After all, on 21 November 2016, The Rock twitted, “The irony if I would’ve studied Geology”.¹
So here we go. With irony.
Age
Born May 2, 1972, The Rock is 47 years old. The Rock is Canadian.
This is a massive coincidence.
Some of the oldest rocks on Earth are in Canada. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt² is in Quebec, Canada. The rocks there are 3 to 4 billion years old.
From the perspective of geological time, we are very young. We have so much potential. The age of the rocks tell us how old Earth is. Our planet’s history is long.
Rock tells us when life on Earth begins. Thinking about rocks, we think in long timescales. Why rocks? Well, because Earth is a rocky planet. A rocky planet so awesome, that there is an actual rock cycle. It is like the cycle of water, but for rocks. The time-span for the rock cycle is much longer as well. From learning about rocks, you can learn so much about the Earth. And how we think about time.
Size
The Rock is about 2 metres tall. He is a large and strong man.
But he is small compared to the biggest of rocks. One of the largest monolith, the Uluru, is shown here.
Types
There is only one The Rock. But Rocks are divided into 3 major types. The 3 major types of rocks are:
- igneous/magmatic
- metamorphic
- sedimentary
Names
- The Rock. As pro-wrestling names goes, it is a great name. He has two degrees from the University of Miami. Unfortunately, not in geology. There were in criminology and physiology.
- Magmatic Rocks (Or Igneous Rocks³). The trick to remember this name is the word magma. Magma is the hot semi-liquid stored beneath the earth’s crust. It comes out as lava during an eruption. Magmatic rocks form when magma cools and solidifies.
- Metamorphic Rocks. These are rocks formed due to changes in pressure and temperature. “Metamorphose” is a fancy word meaning change.
- Sedimentary Rocks. Rocks formed from the settling of pieces of rocks and other minerals.
Career Path
The Rock was a professional wrestler and now an actor and producer. Rocks, like The Rock go through changes as well. They do that via a rock cycle.⁴
You can read about the details of each stage at the link above. What is interesting is that each stage takes about 20 million years.
Looks
This is how The Rock looks like:
He is a good looking man but look at these:
Mountains in Chamonix
Molten rock as lava becoming rock
Pancake Rocks
Collection of Rocks
It is not fair to compare The Rock to geological formations.
But as The Rock says, “The single most powerful thing I can be is to be myself.” And I hope you agree. And who are you? Who do you want to be? Are you someone who know more about the rocks then The Rock?
What can we learn from them?
The Rock. He is often quoted⁵. There are multiple websites teaching you how to be like him⁶. But like most celebrities, the public would forget him in time⁷. For now, celebrities rule. The public know more about the Kardashians than Iain Stewart. Who is Iain Stewart? He is geology’s rock star⁸.
What rocks can teach us is to think long term. Knowing how the Earth works mean thinking in millions of years. We know our actions today have long-lasting outcomes. They determine what the Earth would be like for generations in the future.
Modern society is shallow and superficial. We live in a celebrity obsessed culture. We obsess over billionaires. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy my fair share of TV shows and movies. But I wish I allocate my attention better. I must learn to seek education and inspiration, and less titillation.
The information on rocks in this post is limited. It is what you would learn in your first geology class. It is to provide you an idea what is out there. There are other topics that you can learn. It does not have to be in geology. Many topics can lead you to think deeper and broader. This is but one of them. Sure, it takes some effort. But as The Rock says:
“If something stands between you and your success, MOVE IT! Never be denied.”
Yes, learn well, and rock on.
Footnotes
[FN1] https://twitter.com/therock/status/800369212225163264?lang=en
[FN2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuvvuagittuq_Greenstone_Belt
[FN3] I prefer to use the word “magma” because it is English. The word “igneous” originate from the Latin word “ignis” meaning fire.
[FN4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_cycle
[FN5] https://yourstory.com/2017/05/quotes-by-dwayne-johnson/
[FN7] I have the greatest respect for The Rock. But the fact is, fame is fleeting. Celebrities are forgotten.
[FN8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Stewart_(geologist)
Jack Rusillo is a fan of his geology professor.I think this is what we need, geologists as rock stars: https://medium.com/@jackrussillo/i-bet-i-ve-had-a-better-geology-professor-than-you-a0209dd8d91
PS: Some resources relating to geology are provided below.
Why you should study geology
Where you can learn more about geology online
- Edx Course, Geoscience: the Earth and its Resources (https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:DelftX+GEO101x+3T2019/course/)
- Steven Earle, Physical Geology — 2nd Edition
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/earthpoweroftheplanet/
Good Medium articles related to geology
- https://medium.com/@NautilusMag/why-our-intuition-about-sea-level-rise-is-wrong-5197fa30045d. Also available here: http://nautil.us/issue/33/attraction/why-our-intuition-about-sea_level-rise-is-wrong. There is a frightening quote from this article:
“Gravity has a very strong effect. So what happens when an ice sheet melts is sea level falls in the vicinity of the melting ice sheet. …. If the Greenland ice sheet melts, sea level in most of the Southern Hemisphere will increase about 30 percent more than the global average. So this is no small effect.”
- https://medium.com/@OUFreeLearning/how-old-is-a-mountain-range-f91347d6a030
- https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/earths-rotation-is-slowing-down-but-more-earthquakes-that-s-a-hypothesis-not-a-fact-e17c8e1fa853
- https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/volcanic-ash-isn-t-actually-ash-50fa2106780b
- https://medium.com/the-atlantic/the-anthropocene-is-a-joke-fe452290585 Also available here: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/08/arrogance-anthropocene/595795/. There is a quote from this article which puts things in perspective:
“In other words, geologically and to a first approximation, all of recorded human history is irrelevant: a subliminally fast 5,000-year span that is over almost as soon as you first lift up your heel, crammed entirely into the very end of an otherwise humdrum Pleistocene Ice Age interglacial.”
