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[beerwulf]

I thought it was a joke... I didn't realise it was true.

But geologists really do lick rocks.

And I joined in.

Comments

[splodgenoodles]

Did you read my post where I mentioned the stuff 10B told me about pearl divers?

Be grateful.

;)

[beerwulf]

Ha ha, yeah. :)

[jmjoyce]

What, you didn't believe me? :) At least, I think I remember telling you that once. Actually, licking or tasting rocks can be a valuable diagnostic tool. Here's a trick I learned in field camp: If you're trying to distinguish between mudstone or shale and siltstone, bite the rock. You should get rock powder in your mouth. If you feel grit in the powder with your tongue, it's siltstone. If you don't, and you feel a creamy powder, it's mudstone or shale. Also, wetting or licking a rock can bring out features that you might miss on a dry rock.

P.S. How did it taste? :)

[gencolson]

A good field botanist will also bite, crush and snort, lick and grope plants with frightening frequency.
And people say the sciences aren't fun.

I also want to know what it tasted like. ;)

[beerwulf]

Like siltstone.

The science of licking

[balthassar]

As a scientist (geneticist) who worked with mice for 6 years, I can confirm that a lot of groping was happening (although I refrained from the licking). Do carpet layers lick carpet?