Dust off those pans. Shake out that whisk. Break out that…er…rock hammer. It’s time once again for the Great Geobakeoff!
For the past 5 years, the Geological Society of London has hosted a friendly competition with a delicious twist. Scientists from around the world show off their baking prowess with geology-inspired challenges that delight the taste buds and showcase the staggering geologic diversity of Earth, space, and fantastic worlds.
This year’s competition took geobakers from the breathtaking vistas of Mr. Darcy’s Derbyshire to a galaxy far, far away to places a little closer to home. The contest isn’t over, so we’ll be on the lookout for more geologically inspired confections. But in the meantime, check out some of the many geoinspired treats this year that we just want to gobble right up.
On your mark…get set…bake!
Ammonites Could Not Have Tasted This Good
A pyritised ammonite chocolate cake #geobakeoff @geolsoc @iCRAGcentre pic.twitter.com/hr2As1yYp4
— Deirdre Walsh (@deirdreannwalsh) May 1, 2018
Other Cakes Have Nothing to Compare to the Wild and Untamed Beauty of the Frosting Peaks
This year’s #Geobakeoff effort is #StanageEdge in the #PeakDistrict complete with wistful #ElizabethBennet and @geolsoc USB stick . Happy Easter all! pic.twitter.com/IVBlkoVtS1
— Flo Bullough (@flo_dem) April 2, 2018
Can I Have a Thin Section of Polarized, Please?
Minerals in thin section on cake #geobakeoff @geolsoc @iCRAGcentre pic.twitter.com/XVExUyLp0R
— Deirdre Walsh (@deirdreannwalsh) May 2, 2018
Don’t Be Fooled! It’s Really Cake
Sunday night #geobakeoff – I collected gemstones as a kid, and #pyrite was always a favourite! @geolsoc #foolsgold pic.twitter.com/Hka3epxTyk
— Kirsten Lees (@K_J_Lees) April 29, 2018
An InSAR Entry in Progress
The Only Magnet(ite) That’s Safe to Eat
That cake is #magnetite … of course #geobakeoff pic.twitter.com/y6uLAVQhlu
— Elizabeth Laycock (@SHU_LizL) April 21, 2018
Who Ordered Swirls of Lava Sludge—I Mean, Fudge?
Pahoehoe = an excuse to smother large quantities of buttercream onto your chocolate cake #geobakeoff @geolsoc pic.twitter.com/EfqozvpHXo
— Louise Hawkins (@lhawkinsgeomag) April 18, 2018
May the Cake Be with You
Here is my version of Luke Skywalker’s island a.k.a. Skellig Michael with its very own battle scene! #geobakeoff @geolsoc @iCRAGcentre pic.twitter.com/Jm1QrtnW3P
— FaníPap (@pap_fani) May 2, 2018
A Cambrian and Flavor Explosion
Time for #geobakeoff ! @palaeoheda and I present for the Burgess Shale challenge a sample featuring carbonaceous compressions of Opabinia regalis and Anomalocaris canadensis (for anomalocarids see Daly (@cambriancritter) and Edgecombe, 2014) for Opabinia see Budd, 1996 @grahbudd pic.twitter.com/fADw9iAdSu
— Leigh Anne Riedman (@NeoprotFossil) April 17, 2018
It’s Not Every Day That Your Cake Reflects the News
After almost a year’s hiatus of geological cake baking, I present a delicious depiction of the Hawai’i hotspot @geolsoc #platetecstories #hawaii #baking #geobakeoff pic.twitter.com/ZBGBsyi9kb
— Hannah Moss-Davies (@HannahVolcano) April 30, 2018
We’ve Always Wondered What Microfossils Taste Like
Framboidal pyrite infilled Vase-shaped microfossil as a birthday treat at the Porterozoic lab (@SusaPorter). As a comparison, a figure illustrating framboidal pyrite infilled VSMs from Kyrgyzstan, Sweden, Tasmania #geobakeoff #protists pic.twitter.com/9wGaaXemye
— Leigh Anne Riedman (@NeoprotFossil) May 8, 2018
Twinning on a Cookie!
My entry for the #geobakeofff for @geolsoc! Some questionable twinning going on here…@iCRAGcentre pic.twitter.com/3Vy8I94xRD
— Roisin Kyne (@RoisinKyne) May 2, 2018
Man Brings Back Dinosaurs…on Cake!
Surprisingly the toilet was the hardest part to make! @geolsoc #GeoBakeOff #dinosaur #Jurassicpark pic.twitter.com/Xhe444byaM
— Hannah Moss-Davies (@HannahVolcano) April 14, 2015
Hot (Trilobite) Pockets
Trilo-pizza-bites for #geobakeoff pic.twitter.com/nkxlK5MAqf
— Elizabeth Laycock (@SHU_LizL) April 25, 2018
Excavation in Progress!
First geobakeoff of the year is … Burgess shale! #geobakeoff @geolsoc pic.twitter.com/ElwWGnV46C
— Izzy Carter (@carter_izzzy) April 12, 2018
The Texture Here Is Actually Spot On…
Pastry and marshmallow fluff attempt at pahoehoe for #geobakeoff – family says it looks like toxic seaweed! #bakefail @geolsoc pic.twitter.com/miMJCFm5em
— Kirsten Lees (@K_J_Lees) April 3, 2018
When You Can Eat Your Favorite Fossil
#burgessshale #wiwaxia #geobakeoff @geowriter @flo_dem @longrat pic.twitter.com/aNmOFjB1NI
— Alex Booer (@alexbooer) March 30, 2018
Entries are due 13 May. See #Geobakeoff for more!
—Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@AstroKimCartier), Staff Writer; and Mohi Kumar (@scimohi), Scientific Content Editor
Citation:
Cartier, K. M. S.,Kumar, M. (2018), Tasty treats from the 2018 great geobakeoff, Eos, 99, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EO098691. Published on 11 May 2018.
Text © 2018. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
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