The Atlas Obscura Podcast The Atlas Obscura Podcast Presents: The Detour
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Nov 22, 2025 Becky Nessel, a geologist and science communicator from the Hudson Valley, takes listeners on a journey through the Shawangunk Mountains. She shares the unique geology of these mountains, highlighting the rare dwarf pitch pine ecosystem that thrives there. Listeners learn about the region's ancient sandstone and quartz formations, as well as the fascinating wildflowers adapting to thin soils. Becky emphasizes geology's critical role in conservation and biodiversity, inspiring a newfound appreciation for the stories rocks can tell.
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Childhood Garnets Sparked A Geology Career
- Becky remembers finding garnets as a child at the Barton garnet mine, which sparked lifelong curiosity about rocks.
- She kept specimens in egg cartons and later pursued geology academically and professionally.
From Construction To Science Communication
- Becky briefly worked in construction engineering in New York City and disliked it, so she started making geology videos.
- She now translates technical geology into accessible explanations for the public.
Quartz-Built Cliffs Explain The Gunks
- The Gunks are mostly made of quartz-rich sandstone formed from ancient river sediments 420–440 million years ago.
- That quartz purity explains the cliffs' hardness and the landscape's dramatic appearance.