Soils

Twelve Soil Orders!

Native Georgia Soil:

This type of soil is found in Tifton, GA.  It consists of about 11 inches of top soil made of dark grayish brown loamy sand.  This top soil is home to 27% of Georgia's farmland.  

Soil Texture Dichotomous Key

Geology

Igneous Rocks

• crystalline solids which form directly from the cooling of magma
• given names based on composition and texture (how big the crystals are)

Diorite

Felsite

Sedimentary Rock-called secondary rocks because they are the result of the accumulation of small pieces of broken off pre-existing rocks

• clastic: accumulation of small pieces of broken rock
• chemical: result of standing water evaporating, leaving dissolved minerals behind
• organic: accumulation of debris of organic matter

Shale

Sandstone

Metamorphic Rock

• any rock can become a metamorphic rock
• occurs when a rock is moved into an environment (usually buried) with different temperatures and pressures than its previous environment

Slate

Gneiss

Extremophiles

Methanococcus jannaschii

 This microbe lives near hydrothermal vents 2,600 meters below sea level.  Here the water reaches a near-boiling temperature, and the pressures are enough to crush a standard submarine. It was first isolated in the East Pacific Rise, near the western coast of Mexico.  It is a methanogen (methane producer).  These are important to anaerobic environments because they convert organic compounds into methane, which then rises into the aerobic environment.  In doing so, these organisms provide a pathway for compounds that exist in anaerobic environments to be released into the atmosphere, where it acts as a natural gas resource. 

Geocaching

Our geocaching route!

Distance traveled: about 1,626 ft.

Geocaching is considered an outdoor sport, but it is kind of like hide and seek for grown ups.  Geocachers use a GPS to locate hidden containers called geocaches. The containers may have a symbol that the geocachers must reproduce, or a task they must complete and document.  For example, Macon's task is to take a picture with the Jesse Mercer statue here on campus.  

Geocaching is seen as "social walking" to many.  For researchers, this sport is supposedly a good way to have social interaction with other researchers.