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.  

January 26, 2011

Paluma Field Station

The Paluma Field Station is located on the Paluma Ridge in Australia.  The field station accommodates about 20 students. Research focus areas include fresh water and terrestrial animals including birds, reptiles and insects.  Paluma hosts over 120 different species of birds, more than a dozen frog species, and about two dozen lizard species.  Three snake species can also be found here.  

Manu National Park 

Manu National Park is located in Manu, Peru.  The main reason I want to visit Manu National Park is because they have these: 

Cococay, Bahamas 

Cococay is easily my favorite place I have been to so far.  Beaches are great, but you can't see the variety of wildlife in Panama City that you can see here.  There are large fish that burrow in the sand and rock and quickly camouflage themselves as well as iguanas that like to hang around the island.  

Muntjac

Muntjacs, also known as barking deer, are indigenous to South Asia.  They live in rainforests, have no seasonal rut, and can mate at any time of the year.  

Mapping

This chloropleth map shows the best beers in America, according to the number of medals each state was awarded by the Brewer's Association.  The map is broken down by number of medals won, breweries receiving the most medals, and beers receiving the most medals (gold, silver, and bronze).  

A bit less entertaining that the previous map, this dot density map shows the population of the entire world.  Larger dots represent more populated areas than do smaller dots.  Using a true image of the planet creates a good contrast with the bright colored dots used, making this map easy to interpret.  

Luella High School, Locust Grove, GA. 

Waco, TX.  Waco is an interesting city.  I don't have an interest in visiting, but a lot of weird stuff happens here.  I laid a color-coded road map over the image because it is easier to follow than the road maps provided by the program.  Also, this is where David Crowder Band is from.  :]