Jackson Springs...

Jackson Springs is a beautiful, quiet park.  We explored some of the rocks that made up the geologic structure, and I noticed that feldspar rocks were especially prevalent.  We also separated the soil by particles by adding water to the compartmentalized sift.

Dirt, Worms, Raised Beds - Community Gardens!

 

Community gardens are used to provide opportunities for resources to help better the lives of the people in the community. Centenary Church houses one such community garden, and problems with the economy make community gardens, like this one, especially important.  This particular community garden features raised beds because of a fear of the lead in the soil being absorbed in the produce.  Fear of lead concentrations in the soil is common in older neighborhoods due to the lead-based paint used in the buildings.  However, all neighborhoods with buildings associated with lead-based paint do not necessarily need to fear lead poisoning from  planting produce in the soil.  Only proper testing of the soil can determine if the lead content in the soil is in concentrations high enough to be harmful.

Mystery of the Megaflood...

 

In the 1920s, geologist J. Harlen Bretz was ostracized after trying to get his fellow geologists to accept his hypothesis for the unusual geologic features of eastern Washington.  Bretz proposed that the deeply pockmarked terrain was not the result of slow weathering, but a catastrophic flood caused by Glacial Lake Missoula that engulfed the area thousands of years before.  Evidence later lends support for Bretz's once ridiculed hypothesis and also indicates that the flood Bretz hypothesized may have been only one of many that repeatedly swept through the area.

Granowhat?

Granodiorite is an intrusive igneous rock that slowly cools deep underground in magma chambers called plutons.  Granodiorite is composed of black biotite, dark-gray hornblende, off-white plagioclase, and translucent gray quartz.  It is a product of melting continental rocks near subduction zones, and can be found on continents around the world near active or past plate boundaries.  For example, granodiorite rocks can be found west of the San Andreas fault near Monterey, Pacifica, and Point Reyes.

A Few Minerals...

                    

     Quartz   

       

       Galena

     

           Amethyst       

     

      Mica

      

   Limestone

       

       Obsidian

Some Map Examples!

Dot Density Map Example

Proportional Symbol Map Example

Chloropleth Map Example

Isarithmic Map Example

My Isarithmic Map Example

Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica

Dunn's River Falls is described by geologists as "a living phenomenon" because it is continuously rebuilt from deposits of calcium carbonate and sodium from the river water.  Dunn's River Falls is also one of the very few waterfalls in the world that empties directly into the sea.

Dunn's River Falls is located in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  I've climbed the waterfalls several times and I enjoy it even more every time I do.  The only negative is that the water can be freezing!