Scarlette Hsia
Ph.D. Candidate
CARBONATE SEDIMENTOLOGY
A photo journal with resources, updates, and pictures relating to geology, teaching, or the environment
Embedded Files
Podcast rec: How did changes in teaching literacy nationwide set back an entire generation of Americans?
May 24, 2025
One of my friends sent this podcast Sold a Story to me and I felt compelled to share it. So far I'm on episode 2 and already am hooked.
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Celebrating 10 years of SCUBA diving
May 16, 2025
Today marks my 10th anniversary of diving!! It's going to be a great year for expanding upon some hands-on technical skillsets. Few photos exist from these early days but now I'm grateful for my instructor who documented some of my very first dives in Lake Travis, Austin TX.
Big cacti on campus at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) May 3, 2025
Mexico manages to intrigue me with every visit. This time, to the botanical gardens at the university campus in central Mexico City, I feel humbled by the gargantuan cacti surrounding me. Nearby, relict lava tubes with entrances blowing cool air indicate an underground cave system.
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The haunting history of Xochimilco
May 2, 2025
While the atmosphere on weekends is festive, there is also something eerie about this borough of Mexico City. Opting to skip the loud parts of tourism, instead we went for a sunrise kayak through the channels of the "floating gardens" that wind through layers of tephra ash beds. Between random dolls that disappear and reappear, spooky legends of murder and jealousy, floating melons, and the morning fog, it was a strange encounter to say the least.
Looking for an atlas for sedimentology? March 10, 2025
Recommending these sites for all undergrads looking to learn more about sedimentology and other resources
An easy to read guide to learn/review sedimentology concepts (and more):
The most comprehensive online database for looking at petrographic thin sections of carbonates:
Considering applying to graduate school in STEM? Here are some things you may not have considered March 14, 2024
It's no secret that women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). But did you know the gender of WHO you choose to advise you can also impact your chances of success after graduate school?
Check out this study and form your own opinions.
A plain-language post on Science about the journal article is linked here
Jackson School Graduates: Where are They Now? Where Could You Go? July 6, 2023
If you are pursuing a degree in geoscience, where would you like to go after? Many students at the Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG) begin their studies under the impression that they are going into either academia or industry, but the job market is not so binary. Most students, at one point or another, consider different career paths from what they initially expressed interest or conviction in. In this post, we compiled profiles of notable alumni who have graduated in the last few years.
Through the Looking Glass May 5, 2021
Nature has a way of building formations that are both aesthetic and captivating. Spanning across different scales, dimensions, and times, we can't help but notice similarities in shape, process, and form. Although the mechanisms and drivers for formation are different for different processes, we stumble across similarities and ask ourselves why patterns and self-organizing processes exist so widely.
Microscopic
Microscopic
Here is an image of the benthic foraminifera, Alveolina, in cross section. This sample was taken from offshore India in the Mukta Field
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Macroscopic
Macroscopic
The Milky Way galaxy spans 100,000 light years, and contains up to 400 billion stars. Earth is just one little dot in an expansive system!
Past
Past
Record of past shorelines represented by deposits.
Captured in the Turks and Caicos Islands April 2019
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Present
Present
Standing along the present shoreline facing the sunset.
Captured in the Turks and Caicos Islands March 2021
Diversity in the Reef Feb 9, 2019
Just can't beat the diverse marine ecosystems of Cozumel, Mexico! Just off the western coastline is a plethora of aquatic flora and fauna. Can eel spotting get any easier than this?
Here, off the coast of Cozumel, a free-swimming Green Moray eel follows us across the reef. Diving at around 65-85 feet, we see an abundance of hard and soft corals, sponges, algae, and the entrancing movement of the occasional legless passerby.
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Hamilton Pool January 11, 2019
This collapsed grotto was the *perfect* swimming spot for locals. Back when the water was flowing, and the grotto was open for hiking, you could clamber over to the slabs of fallen limestone and look for Cretaceous fossils for hours.
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Oh, Akumal January 7, 2019
In the Mayan language, "Akumal" translates to the "place of turtles." These turtles presumably nested here during ancient times. Now, this place in Mexico is a world-class free-diving spot with many nooks and crannies to explore amongst your favorite fish friends.
Flight Over Roatán Aug 14, 2018
What a relief it was to have made it to Roatan. Just off the coast of Honduras is a majestic island with topography that would be worthy of being featured in Jurassic Park.
Tonight, I will be stopping overnight at a backpacker's hostel and spend a layover day free-diving in nearby reefs and swimming near dolphins at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences.
PICTURED: These curious and playful "three amigos" swam up to me during a shore swim on the north side of the island.
Snorkeling Between Plate Boundaries June 8, 2018
Hello from the Silfra Fissure, a rift between the North American and Eurasian Plate Boundaries. The water is a balmy 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Although my fingers feel numb to the cold, I'm enamored by the incredible water visibility. Surrounded by basalt columns, I feel miniscule in comparison to the large scale tectonics happening around me!
Hunting for Xenoliths
June 6, 2018
Along the outskirts of Thingvellir National Park, the hunt for xenoliths began on the exposed slopes filled with olivine basalts. Perhaps hiking boots would have been better for this excursion.
My fixation with caves continues November 18, 2017
Between waiting for our sample bottles to collect dripwater and completing our research tasks between a highly efficient team of three, we decided to go look at some cave bacon!! Here I demonstrate (without touching the features) exactly how thick those bacon slices are.
Keep our springs clean! July 6, 2017
John and I were on a mission to recover trash from the patchy areas of Jacob's Well after a particularly rowdy fourth of July. But remember, dive within your limits! Too many divers have gone too far in this intricate cave network.
Little Cayman Island Geologic Mapping May 1, 2017
How to Fillet a Lionfish July 18, 2016
Make sure the lionfish is dead (very important)
Put on gloves as an extra precaution. This can prevent you from getting jabbed by the venomous spines
Snip both the dorsal and lateral spines off carefully using scissors or a side cutter
Remove the scales, skin, and rib bones
Cut down the centerline
Remove the fillet, rinse under cold water, prep for battering or ceviche!
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Bloody Bay Wall July 18, 2016
Today I searched for lionfish (invasive to Little Cayman Island) along the reef wall. John D's research on the crypticness of lionfish meant lionfish ceviche later for his research assistants. Of course we all volunteered to chip in.
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A neat demonstration of Boyle's Law
July 10, 2016
Here, I'm holding an empty sample bottle that was filled with air at the surface and then brought down 80 ft to the bow of a wrecked ship. Can you imagine what this amount of pressure does to the air volume in our bodies??
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Mapping for the National Science Foundation - Cayman Islands edition
June 22, 2016
Armed with tape measures, compasses, and a complete sense of adventure, we (as in me and two of my brave friends Noah and Emma) rappelled down into a cave I had recently found with the help of an island local and began to map out the dimensions of Dangerfield Cave.
Sacred Beaches for turtles and the like
June 14, 2016
The Cayman Islands are home to the green, hawksbill, loggerhead, and leatherback turtles. It was pretty magical to watch baby turtles hatch and race off into the ocean. Some beaches are better off untouched by commercial tourism and development, eh?
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Cave without a Name
April 13, 2016
This one is quite the drive but well worth taking data from. For a full day, we collected samples and soaked in the beautiful scenery. This one has an underground flow network that is very attractive to cave divers.
Aloha from Volcanology Field Camp - Hawaii
August 6, 2015
Chasing active volcanoes has taken a different turn after sightings of Cotopaxi and Chimborazo in Ecuador. This is from the island chain of Hawaii, where Kilauea stands her ground, glows bright at night, and Pele's tears can be found all over the place.
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Longhorn Stream Team tackles the Rio Chama River - New Mexico May 2015
Longhorn Stream Team tackles the Rio Chama, Taos Box and Racecourse in New Mexico.
Five new water quality test sites were recorded along the Rio Chama in May 2015!
Song: Down the Road by C2C
Programs used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Google Earth, Movie Maker, Lightworks Pro, and GoPro Studio
Filmed on GoPro Hero 3+ and Nikon d5300
Filmed, animated and edited by Scarlette Hsia
Water Quality Sampling through Big Bend - Santa Elena Canyon Jan 16, 2015
Scouting Santa Elena Canyon
Jan 15, 2015
Longhorn Stream Team is taking break on the Rio Grande River to take science. We're measuring water quality along 64 miles of the river and adding our parameters to a public database with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
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