Celebrate Geologic Map Day!

Today is Geologic Map Day, part of Earth Science Week here in the United States.  According to the American Geosciences Institute, this day "promote(s) awareness of geologic mapping and its vital importance to society."

So, what is a geologic map?  A geologic map tells you all about the rocks beneath your feet - what type of  rocks and where their strata (or layers) occur, along with where you can find underground caves, faults, and other geologic features.  A builder might use a geologic map to determine where it is safest to build a new structure.  An environmentalist can use a geologic map to guess how pollution might travel underground.  And a city planner might use an environmental map to determine where to sink a new well.  

Want to check out a geologic map for where you live?  If you're in the U.S., you can visit the Association of American State Geologists and click on the map for your state  Additional Geologic Map Day Resources are available at AGI's Earth Science Week website. 

Hugs to all of my geologist friends!  You rock!  ;-)
 

Family Fun at the Rock & Mineral Show

A couple of months ago, I took the boys (and Princess, but she was in the stroller and didn't see much) to their first rock and mineral show. Actually, it was my first, as well. I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it just be a big room with row after row of rock samples? To my family, as novices, would they all look the same? Would there be other folks in attendance like us, curious newbies, or would the room be filled with seasoned, dusty rockhounds?

I was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming the show was to children. My boys had a great time. Yes, there were collections of rocks and minerals on display. But there was a wonderful variety. Most displays contained just enough documentation to be informative without overwhelming the viewer. There was even a "please touch" table, which Kerm and Little Brother greatly enjoyed.


One exhibiter collected little bottles of sand. They were all different shades - pink, black, beige, tan - and they were labeled with locations from all over the world. Another person collected "dangerous" rocks, minerals containing substances like lead or arsenic that can be harmful to humans.

In the back, there was a makeshift room covered with tarps. The boys loved seeing the fluorescent rocks displayed there.


Fluorescent rocks appear to glow in the dark, but they actually glow under shortwave or long wave ultraviolet light. The Tozour Family's Fluorescent Rocks shows a similar display of fluorescent minerals, with photos of what the rocks look like under normal (white) light and what they look like under ultraviolet (black) light.

(I am tempted to buy a black light bulb to see if any of our rocks fluoresce under long wave UV. Fun side note: you can also see old dog or cat urine stains using black light.)

There was a special hands-on display where kids could "mine" for minerals. The boys were each given a card with small pictures of different minerals and they dug through the sand until each found a specimen. The boys then compared their samples to the pictures on the card and identified which minerals they had uncovered. I thought this was a clever way to introduce kids to rock collecting and the process of identifying minerals by using a key.

Kerm mines for minerals

Of course, we also went upstairs and visited the vendor room, where you could buy mineral samples on just about every budget. We picked out a few of the cheaper specimens for purchase, and I pointed out to Kerm and Little Brother that I frequently couldn't tell the $6 rocks from the $600 rocks, so they'd better stay close and not touch anything.

All in all, it was great visit, and a nice introduction to mineralogy, geology, and paleontology (did I mention the nice fellow giving away fossilized shark vertebrae?). The rock and mineral show cost less than $10 per person to attend. My greatest expense was running out to buy Kerm and Little Brother display cases to store their new found treasures.




Photo credits: Mama Joules

Website of the Week: Dig It! The Secrets of Soil

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is currently featuring a new exhibit called Dig It! The Secrets of Soil.

What is Soil? Here's a handy definition I learned in graduate school -- Dirt is dead. Soil is alive. Soils are dynamic ecosystems filled with living things like insects, worms, bacteria, and fungi.

How do soils form? Check out this handy chart to learn more about the five soil formation factors: Climate (Is the surrounding area rainy or dry? Salty or devoid of minerals?) , Biota (Which plants and animals live and use the soil?), Slope (Did the soil form on a mountainside or in a valley?), Bedrock (What kind of rock has contributed to the soil?) and Time.

How many different types of soil are there? "Scientists recognize about 70,000 soil types in the United States alone ..." according to Paul Reich of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA, as quoted in this exhibit. His Global Soil Regions Map is shown on the NRCS Soils Website.

Check out the Educators Activity Page for fun ways to learn about soils both at the museum and at home. Learn More about soils by visiting these websites recommended in the exhibit.

(My thanks to Soils Professor Dan Richter for letting me know about this exhibit!)

Mountains and moose

Today, my family went for a picnic near a mountainside lake. On the drive down the canyon, we pulled off of the road several times to read the signs explaining the geology of the area. My older son and I decided to stop at two different rockslides to examine the rocks.

Now, a rockslide may not sound like much fun. But for two amateur geology buffs with over-active imaginations, it was a blast. We took home several finds: a sparkly rock that surely contains gold, a piece of shale with a rust-colored inclusion that just has to be a fossiled tree leaf, and a striated rock that might become a jewel someday.

But my favorite part of the day came as I was driving along the canyon road and saw something out of the corner of my eye. Two moose were frolicking in the grassy wetland area flanking a nearby stream. They almost looked like horses, except that their muzzles were far too large. Unlike most moose I've seen in my life -- slow and lumbering -- these two were clearly rough-housing and playing in the water.

It was an awesome sight. I wish I could have taken a picture, but in a way, I'm glad that I couldn't. The road was winding and narrow at that point, with no place to stop for a photo. And that's probably why the moose were there.