Structural geologist Marcia Bjornerud was raised by free-thinking parents who instilled in her a love of books and nature. She’s published many professional papers (read mainly by experts in the field) and two popular books that, in the opinion of this podcast, ought to be read by every inhabitant of our planet: “Reading the Rocks” (2005) and “Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Change the World.” (2018). The first is an awe-inspiring, sometimes amusing and always relatable way of understanding the Earth itself. The second shows us a way to live on the Earth that respects how remarkable this planet is.
Acquiring a better grasp of our planet’s long history is what Marcia describes as “timefulness.” The concept of timefulness pushes back against the narrow perspectives and super-short time frames in which our modern societies generally operate. We each tend to think of our everyday life as singular, without precedent. Yet our lives are built upon a long history of processes set in motion billions of years ago. If we can exercise some self-control, life on Earth can roll comfortably on for another billion.
“Thinking like a geologist is about expanding our time frame, not seeing ourselves as the center of the cosmos, learning patience, understanding what lasts and what doesn’t.”
– Dr. Marcia Bjornerud is Professor of Geosciences and Environmental Studies at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She conducts structural geology field research in Norway, New Zealand, arctic Canada, Italy and the Lake Superior region.
How to Find Out More
Read Marcia’s books. Order them from your favorite local bookstore, or from ours. The 57 th Street Bookstore and the Seminary Co-Op shops in Chicago are independent booksellers that serve readers locally and worldwide. You can find the two of them together online here.
You can also find some of Marcia’s talks on YouTube.
In the podcast, Marcia talks about the Surtsey volcano. This could be the exact same film Marcia describes having seen in grammar school.
Marcia Bjornerud in front of what she calls her dream house in the Italian Apennines, not far from the famed Carrara Marble quarries. In fall of 2016, she taught a semester-long field course in the Marche region and returned to the United States around the time of the 2016 Presidential election. That election and its outcome was a major catalyst for her to write the book “Timefulness.”
