Alison Jean Cole is a lapidary artist and geology enthusiast who has dedicated her life to rockhounding, intarsia stone cutting, and traveling the remote deserts of the Pacific Northwest to better study its geologic history. Alison spends her time between a studio and rock club in Portland, Oregon;  kicking up dust chasing waypoints in her lifted 4runner, leading expeditions and soaking in geothermal hot spots along the way. In this conversation we discuss finding massive tortoise bones from 45 million years ago, theories on the largest impact craters, lapidary arts, flood basalt theory, and how some of the best mysteries of the earth present themselves in the form of rocks and minerals. Alison is sharp, sassy and fun. And she knows a hell of a lot about the geological history of the Northwest. Like the stones she cuts, this conversation is a gem. Enjoy.