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From Earth to Mars: A Rock’s View with Jan Zalasiewicz

Jan 21, 2026

From Oak Ridge, Tennessee, AMSEcast host Alan Lowe sits down with geologist and paleontologist Dr. Jan Zalasiewicz, chair of the Anthropocene Working Group and author of How to Read a Rock. Their conversation explores how rocks and minerals form and what they reveal about Earth’s history, from the rock cycle and earthquakes to ancient climates recorded in stone. Jan explains how life, human activity, and materials like bricks and concrete have reshaped geology, and how coal, oil, and gas fit into Earth’s carbon cycle. The discussion also looks outward to the Moon and Mars, where rocks offer clues to planetary history and the possibility of past life.

Guest Bio

Dr. Jan Zalasiewicz is a geologist and paleontologist and an emeritus professor of paleobiology at the University of Leicester. He serves as chair of the Anthropocene Working Group, which has played a leading role in advancing the idea of the Anthropocene as a new geologic epoch shaped by humanity’s impact on Earth. A prolific and widely published author, Jan explores how rocks, fossils, and landscapes record the planet’s deep history. His books include The Cosmic Oasis: The Remarkable Story of Earth’s Biosphere, Discarded: How Technofossils Will Be Our Ultimate Legacy, and How to Read a Rock: Our Planet’s Hidden Stories, which is the focus of today’s conversation.
 

Show Notes:

  • (1:34) The difference between a rock and a mineral
  • (2:38) How minerals form rocks
  • (4:51) How limestone and marble are formed
  • (6:33) Identifying faults based on rock strata and surface landscapes
  • (8:51) What rocks say about the structure and atmosphere of ancient Earth
  • (10:43) How materials can survive millennia without changing
  • (12:56) The ways animals and plants can affect the Earth’s geology
  • (15:28) How concrete and bricks are created
  • (18:53) How hydrocarbons are formed
  • (21:47) What we’ve learned about the Moon and Mars from their samples
  • (25:15) What’s next for Jan Zalasiewicz

Links Referenced