New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Vojta Hybl, "Rocks: A Guide to the Stones Around Us and the Stories They Tell" (Frances Lincoln, 2026)
Mar 30, 2026
Vojta Hybl, a geologist and science illustrator, introduces his illustrated field guide to over 100 rock types. He talks about rock identification tricks, why people overlook stones, and how art can reconnect us to geology. Short, vivid stories cover igneous diversity, volcaniclastic rocks, sedimentary records, metamorphism, anthropic stones, and glacial ice.
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Umber Comes From Deep Sea Black Smokers
- Umber pigment comes from deep-sea deposits formed by black smokers at mid-ocean ridges, not from ordinary soil.
- Hydrothermal fluids precipitate minerals on the seafloor that later uplift and became artists' umber.
Why Conglomerate Is Called Puddingstone
- Puddingstone is the colloquial name for conglomerate, named for its resemblance to a Christmas pudding with rounded pebbles as 'fruit'.
- If clasts are angular instead of rounded, the rock is breccia, not puddingstone.
Oolite Is Tiny Egglike Carbonate Grains
- Oolite forms in shallow, agitated, carbonate-rich seas where concentric carbonate layers accrete around grains, producing tiny egg-like spheres.
- The name derives from Greek oion meaning egg, and active oolite shores can be painfully abrasive.
