Exhibition - Rob Gailey: Photomicrographs Reveal Stories within Rocks

Curated by Elia Haworth

Geologist Rob Gailey photographs extremely thin slices of rocks using a petrographic microscope. Beautiful and complex images reveal groupings of minerals and textures created by geological processes. The rocks, primarily from West Marin and a few extraordinary exotics, tell stories of time spans and powerful physical conditions of pressure and heat not encountered in human experience. This fascinating exhibition–mixing visual images and science is explained within the context of Bay Area geology and provides new perspectives on the world around us, including the rocks under our feet.

Rob Gailey works as a hydrogeologist, evaluating the distribution and movement of groundwater in the earth’s soil and rocks on projects in the western United States, including Bolinas. He earned a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, an MS in Applied Hydrogeology, and an ScB in Geology/Biology. Gailey has been active in West Marin for over 30 years and has a family home in Bolinas.