Plate Tectonics

On Friday for the first part of class we took a quiz on the material we've been learning the past couple days and then we watched a movie! The movie started off with info about Alfred Wegener (Ms. Meyer said we should remember him for the test) who proposed the theory of continental drift in the early 1900's which became the basis for the modern day theory of plate tectonics. Wegener discovered that the our modern continents used to fit together into a super continent that he called pangea. In the 1950's oceanographers began using sonar to discover the layout of the ocean crust. With the sonar they discovered that the ocean floor was very rugged and covered with ridges and trenches. The oceanographers discovered that volcanic and seismic (earthquake) activity outlined the continents, which helped support the theory of plate tectonics that says earth's crust is constantly moving. The lithosphere is made up of nine plates that are all outlined by ridges and trenches in the oceans. Where the plates meet is where volcanic and seismic activity is most prevalent. There are three types of plate boundaries, the first is a divergent boundary. A divergent boundary can be found in the ocean and on land where the plates are moving apart. Ocean trenches are created by this type of boundary. The second type of boundary is a convergent boundary. This is a zone where the plates are colliding. The result of this collision is the build up of mountains. The last type of boundary is a transformed plate boundaries. In this type the plates are neither seperating are colliding, but instead are just moving past eachother. This action results in build up stress which can create earthquakes. An example of a transformed boundary is the San Andreas fault in California. Happy Halloween everyone!

Magnetic Field on the Moon

I read an article on the New York Times website called Rock Suggests Early Moon’s Fiery Core Churned a Magnetic Field. This was a really interesting article. It said that a few rocks that were collected during the Apollo 17 trip were recently found to have some magnetic charge. This would suggest that there once was a magnectic field on the moon generated by the molten core, just like our Earth. Although the magnetic field was only 1/5 as strong as Earth's magnetic field it still made the rocks show the alingment of the magnetic field.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/science/space/20moon.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=magnetic%20field&st=cse

First and last flight for new NASA program

NASA has begun shutting down its space shuttle program in order to gain more funding for their new manned mission program the Ares I. The first test flight of this new rocket took place on Wednesday. Although the mission lasted only a few minutes before the rocket came down in the Atlantic Ocean, this flight cost $445 million. The Bush Administration had high ambitions for NASA and our space program, but failed to provide the necessary funding. With a new team in the White House, the new question is how dedicated is President Barack Obama to our space program? Will he provide the proper funding? President Bush had hopped we would get back to the moon by 2020. If funding remains the same, NASA will have to drop that goal and switch to a new, cheaper rocket program.

Large Pool of Lava Under Washington

New research has found that there could be a large pool of magma under Washington state that apparently feeds up to three volcanoes, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier, and Mt. Adams. Scientists have tested the electrical conductivity under the rocks where the mountains sit and found that there is evidence of material under the surface as well as tunnels for said materials to escape through the volcanoes. However, there are many opponents to this theory who say that they have a different interpretation of the tests that were performed in the Washington area.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/etc/091026-giant-pool-magma-said-feed-washington-volcanoes.html

The destruction of earthquakes

I found this video on how destructive earthquakes could be in a major city. The dramatic video shows the devastating effect that a quake would have to the city’s Alaskan Way Viaduct in seattle. The video was made after an earthquake hit an area near just a couple of miles away with a magnitude of 6.8 and this video shows what could have happened if the earthquake was slightly stronger.

http://www.examiner.com/x-25803-Natural-Disasters-Examiner~y2009m10d29-Dramatic-simulation-video-shows-Seattle-earthquake-destruction

Birds can see Earth's Magnetic Field

After a study, scientists now believe that robins are able to "see" Earth's magnetic field, which helps them migrate. The information about the magnetic field is processed in a part of the birds' brains called "Cluster N". There is agreement in the scientific community that birds contain internal magnetic compasses. The new research suggests that this the sight of the magnetic field is possible through a complex mechanism in the eyes of the birds. Additionally, if the bird is missing the "Cluster N", it cannot properly align with the magnetic field.
This article interests me on many levels. For one, I am wondering if there are other creatures that are able to see the magnetic field and what effects it has on them. If they don't have it, do they suffer consequences like the robin? Another question I have is if the robins can be used to predict when the magnetic field will flip, potentially helping humans avoid the radiation exposure. However, I realize that only time will tell if this is the case. I would be very interested in learning more about this subject as well as the magnetic field of our planet in general.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6455338/Robins-can-see-Earths-magnetic-field.html
"Robins Can See Earth's Magnetic Field"
Telegraph.co.uk

When North Becomes South

Migratory birds, as well as many other animals, are able to actually sense the magnetic field of the earth. John B. Phillips of Blacksburg, professor of biology at Virginia Tech University claims that "A fascinating possibility is that they may actually see the earth's magnetic lines as patterns of color or light intensity superimposed on their visual surroundings.” Phillips conducted numerous experiments in which he found that the earth's magnetic field is sensed by light-absorbing molecules in the retina of a bird's' eye. Animals have developed specialized visual systems to the extent that some can see ultraviolet and polarized light.

When the magnetic field reverses, Phillips and other scientists worry about what how birds will cope. Some believe that the directional messages will still be transmitted as normal, however, Phillips believes there could be “some detrimental problems.” Looks like radiation exposure isn’t the only thing we are going to have to worry about…a reversal of earth’s magnetic field could also make Alfred Hitchcock’s movie The Birds into a reality.

Density of Earth's Layers Lab

Today we did a lab on the density of the Earth's layers. Earth is layered based on rocks that display certain characteristics. Because each these layers are composed of certain types of rocks, we found the mass and volume to get the density of the rock. We used basalt to represent the oceanic crust, granite for the continental crust, peridotite (which was in high demand!) for the the mantle, and iron for the core. After this information was found, we created a graph using Excel to plot the samples and find a best fit line for each. The slope of these lines told us the density of the "layers" of the Earth (or at least what the layers are made of).
Good luck on the quiz tomorrow!

The next scribe is Maren :)

Fossilized Skull of "Seamonster" Found in UK

The skull, found off the UK's coast, belongs to a pliosaur which roamed the oceans 150 million years ago. Paleontologists have determined that the pliosaur measured up to 16 meters in length based on its 2.4 meter long skull. The pliosaur had a short neck and a head with powerful jaws that easily attack and eat other ocean-dwelling dinosaurs, like the ichthyosaurs that were about the size of dolphins. Humans, had they been around or anywhere near this monstrous dinosaur, wouldn't have stood a chance at our size of 1.5 meters!

Usually, when pliosaur skulls are found they are not complete or have been crushed. This skull is not only for the most part intact, but might belong to the largest pliosaur to have been found yet. The coastal area where it was found is eroding rapidly, so the rest of the pliosaurs body (which is guessed to still be buried) will probably turn up. However, that could take decades! For now, scientists are using this creature's skull to further learn about these dinosaurs and the world they lived in.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8322000/8322629.stm

Arm Wrestling Dino Style

So, there is a common misconception that the t-rex's arms were weak in useless. Compared to the rest of it's body this may be true, but they were actually extremely large and strong. Each arm about three feet long and they were jacked. The bicep alone could curl 430 pounds and even the biggest meat-heads the world would max out at about 260 pounds. Combined with a t-rex's enormous shoulder and chest, a t-rex would probably rip out a humans arm. So who would win in an arm wrestling competition probably a t-rex, but a human could maybe pull out a win if the t-rex pulled out the humans arm. That is not a allowed in standard arm wrestling rules.

20-Foot Shark?!

Off the cost of Queensland, Australia, fishermen hauled a still thrashing 10ft long great white shark onto their boat. What's special about that? Well, the great white had two 1-2ft wide bites on either side of its body, leaving a small amount of skin and meat holding its head to the rest of its body. This great white was attacked by a possible 20ft long "giant shark" after it got stuck on a drum which is "a baited hook attached to a buoy" which (along with shark nets) is used to keep sharks out of swimming areas and away from swimmers and surfers. Jeff Krause told Australia's Daily Telegraph that "it certainly opened up [his] eyes. I mean the shark that was caught is a substantial shark in itself" and surfers in the area have said that they've heard stories about the "big one" lurking in the waters and that they've been more careful where they surf. Swimmers have been warned to stay away from the area where the 10ft shark was found.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,569764,00.html?test=latestnews

The Sliding Rocks of Racetrack Playa

Ok i found this really cool article on these moving rocks in death vally national park..... heres alittle about it...

One of the most interesting mysteries of Death Valley National Park is the sliding rocks at Racetrack Playa (a playa is a dry lake bed). These rocks can be found on the floor of the playa with long trails behind them. Somehow these rocks slide across the playa, cutting a furrow in the sediment as they move. Some of these rocks weigh several hundred pounds. That makes the question: "How do they move?" a very challenging one. The truth: No one knows for sure exactly how these rocks move - although a few people have come up with some pretty good explanations. The reason why their movement remains a mystery: No one has ever seen them in motion!Let's learn how they are thought to move....
About Racetrack PlayaRacetrack playa is lake bed that is almost perfectly flat and almost always dry. It is about 4 kilometers long (2.5 miles - north to south) and about 2 kilometers wide (1.25 miles - east to west). The surface is covered with mudcracks and the sediment is made up mainly of silt and clay. The climate in this area is arid. It rains just a couple of inches per year. However, when it rains, the steep mountains which surround Racetrack Playa produce a large amount of runoff that converts the playa floor into a broad shallow lake. When wet, the surface of the playa is transformed into a very soft and very slippery mud.
Are They Moved by People or Animals?The shape of trails behind the rocks suggest that they move during times when the floor of Racetrack Playa is covered with a very soft mud. A lack of disturbed mud around the rock trails eliminates the possibility of a human or animal pushing or assisting the motion of the rocks.
Are They Moved by Wind?This is the favorite explanation. The prevailing winds that blow across Racetrack Playa travel from southwest to northeast. Most of the rock trails are parallel to this direction. This is strong evidence that wind is the prime mover or at least involved with the motion of the rocks. Strong wind gusts are thought to nudge the rocks into motion. Once the rock begins to move a wind of much lower velocity can keep the rock in motion as it slides across the soft and very slippery mud. Curves in the rock trails are explained by shifts in wind direction or in how the wind interacts with an irregularly shaped rock. sources: geology.com

GAMMA-RAY OBSERVATIONS SHRINK KNOWN GRAIN SIZE OF SPACETIME

So, this article talks about how previously, space time was linked to a Georges Seurat painting. Now, they are finding that although it is similar to a grainy picture, it could possibly be smaller than one-hundred-thousandth of a trillionth of the size of a proton. That is tiny!! This honestly has more to do with physics, but I figured it could go along with how we studied the solar system, and now we are working on Earth's structure. This relates because they are using similar technology to test this and to test how thick and dense the layers of the Earth are.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/48891/description/Gamma-ray_observations_shrink_known_grain_size_of_spacetime_

Your Inner Fish

In the novel, Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin, he discusses many of his different voyages to try and uncover new fossils; from the road shoulders in Maryland, to the cliffs of Iceland. Shubin is also a professor, so he touches on how he includes his students on various trips and how they play a large part in finding his fossils. One of his most impressive discoveries, only about a year and a half ago, was finding a fish with elbows, and a neck - that was a missing link between land animals and water organisms! Overall, I found this book very interesting, although it does get slightly repetitive towards the end when he largely discusses his different trips.

Metamorphic Rocks Review of Notes

The definition of metamorphism is the mineralogical, chemical, and structural adjustment of solid rocks to elevated conditions of temperature and pressure. Metamorphic rocks are formed by a metamorphic process.
The depth range of metamorphic rocks is 5-40 km below the crust and in temperatures ranging from 150-1000 C. T
The causes of metamorphism are...

• Heat
• Pressure
• Chemically active fluids (extremely hot fluids)

The things that metamorphism does to rocks is...

• Compaction
• Chemical recrystallization

There are two types of metamorphic rocks foliated and non-foliated. On foliated rocks you can see bands, like in the picture of gneiss above. In non-foliated rocks you can't see bands in it.

Metamorphic rocks can become other metamorphic rocks.
Shale (sedimentary) --> Slate --> Phyllite --> Schist --> Gneiss --> Migmatite

Fun Labs

Today in class we did two different labs to help us better understand the different layers of Earth.

The first of the labs involved the usage of Milky Way (at Jay's insistence), and creepy peeper Candy.  In this lab, we cut the two different candies down the middle and looked at the different layers of chocolate, nugat (I have no idea how to spell nugat), caramel, and in the case of the creepy peeper, the wrapper.  In the lab, the different layers of the candies were meant to represent the different layers of our Earth.  In the case of the milky way, the chocolate represented the crust, the caramel represented the mantle, and the nugat represented the core.    In the creepy peeper, the wrapper represented the crust, the chocolate represented the mantle, and the caramel represented the core.  Our first task was to write down the composition of the candy and what each layer compared to in Earth's composition.  After finding a little bit of information about Earth's actual composition (all information from monday), we compared and contrasted the layers of the candy, and the layers of Earth.  Our final task was to eat the candy!

The second lab had us create our very own Oobleck.  After following a few steps and doing a little mixing, each group had created a substance that can most easily be described as a substance in between a liquid and a solid.  The substance was meant to represent the layer of the mantle known as the asthenosphere which is in fact composed of a "liquid solid".  After playing around with the Oobleck for a little while and recording a couple experiments, we had to answer a few questions about viscosity, elasticity, and plasticity.

Finally, at the end of the period, we started watching a NOVA special on Earth and the magnetic field and received a viewing guide to go along with it.

Tomorrow's scribe will be Kaitlin

Question 2

The rock cycle is how rocks form and become different rocks. They start out as igneous rocks because they come out of the ground as magma. the different types are created by cooling time. then after the rocks face the elements of Earth they weather down and become sediment. This sediment creates sedimentary rocks when the sediment layers and cements. Sometimes sedimentary rocks go back into the earth and are heated to form metamorphic rocks. Then these metamorphic rocks can become sedimentary rocks or go back into the Earth, melt and become igneous again. This is the rock cycle. It is hard to find ancient rocks because they have mostly gone through the cycle again and again, therefore are no longer the same rocks. There are rocks that have not gone through the cycle and are still the same rocks that were found in the precambrian or other ancient times but these can be hard to find. The rock cycle recycles rocks therefore it can be hard to find rocks from ancient times.

Saving Sand: Myrtle Beach

Everyone knows of Myrtle beach, the famous vacation spot in South Carolina. Well it turns out that it might not be so vacationy as it was before, certainly still famous though. The sand from the beach is continually being washed away, and I'm most of you are wondering why this matters. Well to us Illinoisans it really doesn't unless you go to myrtle beach! But that's beside the fact. Actually beaches serve quite a geological purpose, that is so water doesn't erode other fronts, such as Chicago!! Anyways scientists are scrambling trying to find a solution to saving the sand. Well why can't they just pour more sand? Because fool, sand isn't very abundant around Myrtle Beach, they would have to continually pour more and more sand, all that sand would get really expensive, AND the community would have to come together in some fashion which again costs money. Unfortunately they haven't found a perfect solution, but they have and will continue to warn residences to be wary of the possibility of not having a beach anymore.

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2334
Image: http://www.scfairtax.org/myrtlebeach/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/myrtle_beachpic.jpg

Glacier Caves!

Well technically "caves" formed in glacier ice by water running through or under the glacier aren't actually caves because they aren't limestone formations, but they're still really cool! Inside glaciers water can generate enough heat to cause melting of the ice to create a air-filled cavity. Glacier caves can also be formed by heat from volcanic vents or hot springs beneath the ice. However, these ice formations are prone to collapse because of the constant movement of glaciers. The Kverkjfoll glacier caves were formed by a volcanic spring beneath the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland. However much of the time access to the Kverkjfoll caves is blocked because of their ever changing condition which leads some caverns to collapse. Scientists are also constantly exploring these caves to get a up close look at the mechanics of glaciers. Explorers also go repelling down these caves! Scary!

http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/ice_caves/glacier_caves.html

Earth's Structure

Today we learned about the different parts of the Earth and what they are made of, we also talked a little bit about Seismic waves (the things that earthquakes create).

So the Core is made up of 4 main layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.

The crust is the outer most part of the Earth and it is only 1% of the entire earth, the place where we walk on every day. It is split up into oceanic crust and continental crust. The oceanic crust is made of rocks like basalt because the magma from the mantle cools immediately when it hits the water. The continental crust is made up of rocks like granite and they are typically older rocks. The oceanic crust is located below the continental crust.

Caption - The Core

Next is the mantle and it is the biggest part of the Earth making up about 84%. The mantle is split into three portions. First is the upper most part of the mantle, the lithosphere. The lithosphere is the part of the Earth that contains the tectonic plates. Underneath the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, this part of the mantle contains magma that is not quite liquid or solid, this is where metamorphic rocks would be created. Finally is the mesosphere which is made up of some solid magma and some liquid magma.

Lastly is the core. The Journey to the Center of the Earth correctly shows how the core is like, it is full of life and easily habitable, NOT!!! the core makes up 15% of the Earth and in is by far the densest layer. The outer core is made up of rotating molten iron and it also creates our magnetic field. The inner part of out core is made of solid iron and a little nickel.

Finally there are seismic waves. There are two kinds of seismic waves, Compressional waves (p waves) and shear waves (s waves). P waves are the waves that can travel through water, so their effect is felt further than s waves. On the other hand, s waves are more destructive.

Class was awesome today!!! Hopefully tomorrow will be just as fun so Dillon can tell us what happens tomorrow as our new scribe post.

In Defense of Food

In Defense of Food is a quality read about the problems of a serious obsession our world has with removing and replacing nutrients in foods to make them "healthier"; otherwise known as "Nutritionism".  Nutritionism, as Michael Pollan defines it, is an unhealthy obsession and is more or less a bunch of nonsense.  He explains how ever since scientists started replacing real food with artificial nutrients, recent links have been made between "healthy nutrients" and new kinds of cancer, as well as diabetes and obesity.  It seems fairly obvious that people would stay away from food that would cause harm to them, but all they see are manipulative advertisements such as "cholesterol free" or "no trans fat" that convince them to buy harmful food.  Pollan's goal for writing this book was not to insult food manufacturers but instead "to help us reclaim our health and happiness as eaters" (Pollan 7).  He wants to bring to our attention the threats new foods have on our health, and prevent us from essentially killing ourselves with our food.  I think this book is very insightful and definitely brought many things to my attention that I never knew before.  Even if you are not particularly interested in nutritional novels, this one catches your attention immediately with the stunning statistics and interesting facts; it was definitely worth reading!

O.M.G. Volcanoes! weekly post!!!!!

So since my current event was about a volcano I thought I would keep this nice little theme going. So, I'm going to tell you alllllll about volcanoes! :D Hooray!

Basically, a volcano is an opening or a giant rupture in the earth's crust and this allows all

types of fun stuff like ash, and smoke, and lava/magma to escape from it. Volcanoes form where tectonic plates have diverged or converged or where the earth's crust stretches or thins out. Volcanoes aren't always just conical mountains that spew lava and poisonous gases from the top. There are many more types of exciting volcanoes that are all special and unique! Volcanoes can be mountainous, on giant plateaus, or even underwater!

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/kids/kurtz_stories/RockysRoots.html

^^^^^^^^^^^^ that's a story about how volcanoes formed with rock adventures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^^^(actually quite amusing)

This is how you say volcano in Finnish: tulivuori.

This is how you say volcano in Hawaiian: lua pele

This is how you say volcano in Zulu: intabomlilo.

This is how you say volcano in Welsh: llosgfynydd and folcano

Wanna know how to make a volcano model????

I bet you do!

According to this website, all you have to do is take a bucket of small pebbles and pour out the bucket onto the ground and shape them into a cone! Some volcanoes are made out of cinder that's the same size as small pebbles. Apparently this is pretty accurate.

Here are some fun volcano vocab words!

Vulcan: roman god of fire who volcanoes are named after.

Seamount: a submarine volcano.

Kipuka: an area surrounded by a lava flow.

Ejecta: Material that is thrown out by a volcano, including pyroclastic material and lava bombs.

Cirque: A steep-walled horseshoe-shaped recess high on a mountain that is formed by glacial erosion.

Source:

http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/

Earthquakes

Earthquakes

An earthquake is a result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes range from a magnitude of 3 to an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 causing serious damage.

Here is a list of the 10 largest earthquakes since 1900: (First is the location, then the date and finally the magnitude)

Chile May 22, 1960 9.5

Prince William Sound, Alaska March 28, 1964 9.2

Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands March 9, 1957 9.1

Kamchatka Nov. 4, 1952 9.0

Off western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia Dec. 26, 20049.0

Off the coast of Ecuador Jan. 31, 1906 8.8

Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands Feb. 4, 1965 8.7

Northern Sumatra, Indonesia March 28, 2005 8.7

India-China border Aug. 15, 1950 8.6

kamchatka Feb. 3, 1923 8.5

(This photo was taken in Prince William Sound AK)

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763403.html

Question #1

I don't know what happened to my original post, but here's what it said:

Minerals and rocks can be identified in different ways. Minerals are naturally occurring, homogeneous solid substances that are generally inorganic. Minerals are also crystalline solids with a definite chemical composition. By calling a substance inorganic, that substance would not be formed by living things such as plants or animals. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. Minerals can be identified through their physical and chemical properties. Almost all rocks are made up of one or more minerals and are classified based on how they formed. Igneous rocks are made up of magma or lava that has cooled and solidified. Another kind of rock, known as sedimentary, results from the compaction and cementing of layers of sediment. The final type of rock, metamorphic, forms when other rocks are exposed and changed by heat or pressure. Rocks can be classified based on grain size and whether they are felsic or mafic. When determining whether a substance is a rock or mineral it is important to examine the substance closely. Any substance that does not appear to be a uniform mineral would be a rock. To determine what type of rock further examination would be required. If fossils or plant remains are visible then it can be concluded that the particular rock is sedimentary. If small rocks and rounded pebbles are visible then the rock is conglomerate. A rock that is igneous may come in a variety of colors and can be composed of grains from course to glassy. Lastly, metamorphic rocks may be spotted if banding is visible. This would make a rock appear in light and dark layers. In trying to tell a mineral apart from a rock a problem may occur. It is important not to only base a rock or mineral on its color because color changes from sample to sample.

Core, Mantle, Crust

Just a further exploration and essentially breakdown of the topics introduced to us today.


































Interior Properties of Earth
Property: Crust Mantle Core
Fraction of Earth: <1% ∼70% ∼30%
State: “Broken rock” Plastic (Semi-)liquid
Depth (kilometers): 0–30 30–3030 3030–6370
Density (g/cubic cm): 2.7 3.5–5.5 10–12
Chemical composition: SiO2 (Fe,Mg)SiO4 Fe, Ni
Temperature (Kelvin): 300–500 500–3,000 3,000–5,300
Pressure (atmospheres): 1–1,000 103–106 106–107


Seismic waves are waves of energy caused either by earthquakes, or by massive manmade explosions. Scientists are able to measure these waves as they pass through the Earth. As these waves encounter different materials, they change in important ways, becoming longer, shorter, faster, or slower. Geologists study these changes in the waves, and are able to draw conclusions about what the core of the Earth must look like.Also, geologists also can learn a lot about the core of our planet by looking at Earth’s magnetic field.
The first layer consists of about 10 miles of rock and loose materials, scientists call the crust. Underneath the continents, the crust is almost three times as thick, as it is under the oceans.
The mantle extends to a depth of approximately 1,800 miles, as is made of a thick solid rocky substance that represents about 85% of the total weight and mass of the Earth. The first 50 miles of the mantle are believed to consist of very hard rigid rock. The next 150 miles or so is believed to be super-heated solid rock, that due to the heat energy is very weak.
It is believed that the outer core is made up of super-heated liquid molten lava. This lava is believed to be mostly iron, and nickel.It is believed that this inner core is a solid ball of mostly iron, and nickel.

Extremophiles Beneath Earth's Surface

Scientists from the U.S. department of energy's berkeley lab have found extremophiles living almost two miles beneath the Earth's surface. This bacterium is called Desulforudis audaxviator. This is Latin for "Descend, bold traveler and you will attain the center of the Earth"! These extemophiles are about the length of four pieces of dust. It has a flagellum (a thin tail) that it uses to swim around. This exptremophile lives off of the hydrogen the Earth produces (for respiration), and off of sulfur compounds (they use these for food). These bacteria are extraordinary because living in 'normal' conditions would kill it. There is no sunlight or oxygen down there, and because these bacteria have evolved there sunlight or oxygen would kill this bacteria. It thrives on radioactive uranium, and lives in a hot climate (the water is lives in hovers at about 140 degrees fahrenheit! These extremophiles are the king of the kingdom where they live because they are the only known species that lives in this environment. (In fact they are the only known species of life taht lives totally isolated from other living things!)

Here is the link to my source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1101910/extreme_form_of_life_discovered_in.html

10/26-10/30

What is the fastest marine organism and what speed can it reach?  Please include a picture!

Minerals From Space

A new study from Canada has helped give more evidence to the theory that a lot of earths precious metals have come from outer space from mineral rich meteorites. Some of the minerals that are thought to have arrived from meteorite strikes are platinum and palladium. The author of the study geologist James Brennan said “The notion of extraterrestrial rain may also explain another mystery, which is how the rock portion of the Earth came to have hydrogen, carbon and phosphorous — the essential components for life, which were likely lost during Earth's violent beginning. Also the extreme temperature at which the Earth's core formed more than four billion years ago would have completely stripped any precious metals from the rocky crust and deposited them in the core.” He then goes on to talk about how he wondered how it was possible that minerals like platinum and palladium were mineable. He also talks about how there is a bit more mineable gold then can be accounted for without the theory of an extraterrestrial source delivering it.
I found this very interesting because it tied to multiple things that we have learned this year in geoscience. It didn’t occur to me while we were learning about the creation of earth how all of those minerals are still around even though they went through such extreme heat and pressure. But then when I stumbled upon this article it made sense that a lot of these minerals had to come from a meteorite. I also thought that this article related to the rock cycle because of how within the rock cycle things are constantly changing so it would be hard to stay in its original state just like these minerals did.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Earth+precious+metals+likely+from+outer+space+Study/2124570/story.html

Death By Black Hole

 

Book Review

            The book Death By Black Hole, by Neil DeGrasse Tyson was a both interesting and informative.  He explains a number of difficult astronomical concepts in a reader friendly manner.  Tyson also does his best to not only use terminology that an astrophysicist would understand.  Some of the topics he addressed were topics I had already been introduced to in a brief astronomy unit, which is not surprising considering how many topics he covers in the book.  My only complaint is that I found many topics were being repeated, which is bound to happen since all these chapters began first as separate essays.  I would recommend this book to anyone interested in astronomy or who would like to expand on the already existing astronomy knowledge they have.

            Some of the main topics addressed are:

-Humans and their technology                -Speed of Light

-Gravity                                                           -Stars

-Astronomy of the past                               - Planets

"Pompeii" by Robert Harris

Pompeii by Robert Harris, gave all of the information about Pompeii as a city and gave a detailed account of the volcano’s eruption. It had all of the information of a history book, but was a novel. This aspect, especially having a plot and characters, made the story more interesting to read and made the event seem more personable. Personally, when reading about a natural disaster of this magnitude, I tend to forget it actually happened to people who were innocently going about their daily lives. The fact that Harris used characters with backgrounds and lives made the story come to life and seem like more than just a history/ science lesson. Harris also tracked what would have been the activities of the volcano as the story progressed towards the fatal eruption. This connected really well with what was going on in the story; for each strange occurrence in the town (like random earthquakes and the disappearance of water due to the blockage of the water system) was an answer with what was happening underground in the volcano. Though the book started out a bit slow, I couldn’t put it down for the last few chapters. I would definitely recommend this book because it's not only a great read, but also has interesting information about volcanoes, daily life in a city influenced by the Roman Empire, and it's a good story about what really happened to people during the famous eruption.

Caves

During this Rocks and Minerals unit in geoscience we talked a little bit about caves and watched a Planet Earth video on them. Caves are an extremely interesting geological occurrance. They are formed when rain water drains through the soil and turns into carbonic acid (H2CO3). When the rain water aquires this carbonic acid it drains into the ground and if there is limestone down there the water starts to erode the limestone. Rivers of this rain water end up creating these massive caves under ground. Another way caves are created are when they are created by the ocean. When it is a sea cave the constant pounding of the waves creates a cave in the rocks. Inside caves there are three different types of structures. Stalactites: these are formations that hang from the ceiling created by the dripping of water infused with calcite that is picked up from the limestone. Stalagmites: these are structures that pop up from the floor of the cave. They are also created by the constant dripping of calcite onto the cave floor. When these two structures meet (stalactites and stalagmites) they create a formation which is called a column.

Sedimentary Rocks

I will do a quick review of sedimentary rocks. Bits of rock and earth, or sediment, are constantly being eroded on the earth's surface by things like wind, waves and ice. These pieces of gravel, pebbles and the like begin to pile up in places. Over many years, these piles of rock can lithify, or turn in to solid rock, by being compacted against each other. Sedimentary rocks are all over the world, and are very rich in fossils. Limestone, sandstone and shale are some of the most common forms of this type of rock. Limestone is one of the most common materials on earth, and along with being what caves are made of, it is a very common building material, and is the base of many of the Michigan Avenue buildings we explored. Sandstones, when eroded in to small pieces, are what make up the sand on our beaches, and are generally formed by the mineral quartz, while limestone is made of calcite (the shells of dead animals). Sedimentary rocks have a great deal of color variety, can usually be found to have pores, and can contain a great many fossils. Some types of sedimentary rock may also react with acid, such as limestone.

Igneous rocks

Igneous rocks are classified differently than the other two types of rocks. When identifying igneous rocks, you first have to decide whether it is intrusive or extrusive. Intrusive means that the rock was formed by magma cooling slowly inside the Earth's crust. These can usually be identified by their large crystals. Extrusive means it cools rapidly on the outer side of Earth's crust. These usually have small crystals. Phaneritic means the rock has large, visible crystals; aphanitic means the crystals are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Felsic means that the rock is light in color, and mafic means it is dark in color.

Granite and basalt are two examples of igneous rocks.

Rock Rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy8O7Y5JnVU&NR=1

Sure these girls are a little weird but they get the rock cycle down okay.

And a little chicago field trip review of each building...

Orchestra Hall - made of limestone sedimentary rock

Wrigley Building - made of terra cotta tiles(clay a sedimentary rock formed from years of weathering)

Tribune Tower - made of limestone has bits of famous buildings like : The Taj Mahal, The Parthenon, The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Alamo, Notre-Dame, Abraham Lincoln’s tomb, The Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall.

Carbon and Carbide Building (hard rock hotel) - made of black granite and black marble. granite is an igneous rock and marble is a metamorphic rock formed from limestone. the marble contains the fossil snail Maclurites Magnus.

The Water Tower - made of limestone a sedimentary rock

344 N Michigan Ave. - made of granite a slow cooling igneous rock, limestone a sedimentary rock, and terra cotta (clay) a sedimentary rock

Chicago Cultural Center - is made of granite and if you want to get married then you can get married here

Pittsfield building - made of limestone that contains ammonoid and belemite fossils

Michigan Avenue Bridge - made of limestone sedimentary rock

These are some of the main facts about each of these buildings.

3 types of rocks

How to tell if it’s a…
Igneous rock
The main way to tell is by its texture. Texture relates to how large the individual mineral grains are in the final, solid rock. In most cases, the resulting grain size depends on how quickly the magma cooled. In general, the slower the cooling, the larger the crystals in the final rock. Because of this, we assume that coarse grained igneous rocks are "intrusive," in that they cooled at depth in the crust where they were insulated by layers of rock and sediment. Fine grained rocks are called "extrusive" and are generally produced through volcanic eruptions.
Grain size can vary greatly, from extremely coarse grained rocks with crystals the size of your fist, down to glassy material which cooled so quickly that there are no mineral grains at all. Coarse grain varieties (with mineral grains large enough to see without a magnifying glass) are called phaneritic. Granite and gabbro are examples of phaneritic igneous rocks. Fine grained rocks, where the individual grains are too small to see, are called aphanitic. Basalt is an example. The most common glassy rock is obsidian. Obviously, there are innumerable intermediate stages to confuse the issue.
Sedimentary Rock
In most places on the surface, the igneous rocks which make up the majority of the crust are covered by a thin veneer of loose sediment, and the rock which is made as layers of this debris get compacted and cemented together. Sedimentary rocks are called secondary, because they are often the result of the accumulation of small pieces broken off of pre-existing rocks. There are three main types of sedimentary rocks:
Clastic: your basic sedimentary rock. Clastic sedimentary rocks are accumulations of clasts: little pieces of broken up rock which have piled up and been "lithified" by compaction and cementation.
Chemical: many of these form when standing water evaporates, leaving dissolved minerals behind. These are very common in arid lands, where seasonal "playa lakes" occur in closed depressions. Thick deposits of salt and gypsum can form due to repeated flooding and evaporation over long periods of time.
Organic: any accumulation of sedimentary debris caused by organic processes. Many animals use calcium for shells, bones, and teeth. These bits of calcium can pile up on the seafloor and accumulate into a thick enough layer to form an "organic" sedimentary rock.
Metamorphic
Rock foliation refers to flat or wavy planar features (looking like layers) caused by the alignment of platy minerals such as mica. Foliation may also look like alternating bands of light and dark minerals. In contrast, a non foliated rock has interlocking grains with no specific pattern. Foliated rocks are classified based on metamorphic grade: the lower the metamorphic grade, the smaller and finer the crystal size. Non foliated are classified based on composition, and this usually depends on the type of rock it originally formed from.

A great website with all this info is http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/AskGeoMan/geoQuerry13.html

Rock/Mineral Review

This is a helpful video describing the rock cycle a very straightforward way if you are currently confused.  As you will see, it might be generally for younger children (the rocks have faces), but it definitely still has good information.  The last two minutes are interesting, but DO NOT relate to the test.

YouTube - Our World: The Rock Cycle

Common Examples of each Rock:

Igneous- Basalt and Granite

Sedimentary- Limestone, Sandstone

Metamorphic- Gneiss Schist

Cave Info!

Since we kind of just learned about caves, here's a review of everything we covered in the movie. Hope it helps!

Formation:
The most common way caves are formed is through limestone rock being eaten away at by acidic water. As the water flows through and around the rock, it carves passages that can go on for miles.

Some vocab terms:
- Stalactites: Water that contains calcite drips from a cave's ceiling. Over time the calcite hardens and creates these "fixtures."
- Stalagmites: The same things as Stalactites but on the ground of the cave. Water drips down from the ceiling and collects on the floor.
- Column: Formed when both formations connect from ceiling to ground.
- Cenote- Gigantic freshwater wells (flooded caves)
- Halocline- A meeting of fresh and salt water. The salt water "layer" is heavier, so doesn't mix with the freshwater. This looks like 2 layers of water.

Difference between salt and fresh water caves:
Instead of having acidic water erode away at limestone like in fresh water caves, salt water caves are created from the constant pounding of waves against rock.

The Geology of Michigan Ave

Ms. Meyer said that there will be a few questions on the test tomorrow about the buildings we visited in the city. I have highlighted all of the buildings in red that are NOT made from limestone!!

Orchestra Hall

Known as "Theodore Thomas Orchestra Hall" in 1904 for the Orchestra's first conductor and founder, Orchestra Hall is home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Chorus. The building, classified as a neoclassic Georgian structure, was designed by Daniel H. Burnham as a permanent space for the city's finest musicians. The building is made form limestone.

Chicago Cultural Center

Designed by the Boston firm of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, the building was dedicated in 1897 as the first permanent home of the Chicago Public Library. It now serves as the city's official reception venue where the Major has welcomed Presidents, and royalty, and diplomats. The building is faced with Bedford bluestone on a granite base, and designed in a generally neoclassical style.

Pittsfield Building

Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the structure combines both art deco and Gothic detailing. The building is a 38-story skyscraper and was the city's tallest building at the time of its completion. The building is made from sedimentary, limestone rocks, which have visible, preserved fossils in them!

Aon Building (Amaco Building)

The Amaco building is a modern skyscraper designed by architect firms Edward Durell Stone and The Perkins and Will partnership to be the Standard Oil Building. Originally, the building was sheathed entirely with 43,000 slabs of Italian Carrara marble. However, the marble used was found to be too thin and within one year the marble cracked off. Therefore, stainless steel straps were added to hold the marble in place. Later, from 1990 to 1992, the entire building was refaced with Mount Airy white granite.

Carbide and Carbon Building

The Carbide and Carbon Building, which was built in 1929, was designed by Daniel and Hubert Burnham, sons of architect Daniel Burnham. Originally built as a high-rise office tower, the Carbide & Carbon Building was converted in 2004 to the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. The exterior of the building is covered in polished black granite, and the tower is dark green terra cotta with gold leaf accents.

343 (333) North Michigan Ave

Built in 1928 by architects Holabird & Roche/Holabird & Root, the building's base is covered in polished black and purple granite. Its upper stories are built from buff-colored limestone and dark terra cotta.

Michigan Ave Bridge

Designed by architect Edward H. Bennett, the Michigan Avenue Bridge is an early example of a fixed bascule bridge, which later became widely known as a "Chicago style bascule". When the bridge was completed it was the main link between the north side and downtown.

Wrigley Building

The building was designed to be the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company by the architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White. The building is clad in glazed terra-cotta.

Tribune Building

The Chicago Tribune hosted an international design competition for its new headquarters, and offered a $50,000 prize for "the most beautiful and eye-catching building in the world". The winner was a neo-Gothic design by New York architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, with buttresses near the top. Prior to the building of the Tribune Tower, correspondents for the Chicago Tribune brought back rocks and bricks from a variety of historically important sites throughout the world at the request of Colonel McCormick. The building was finished in 1922, made out of limestone and the historical rocks.

Chicago Water Tower

The tower, built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington, was made from yellowing Lemont limestone. In addition to being used for firefighting, the pressure in the pipe could be regulated to control water surges in the area.

Rock Test Review

What are the 3 basic families of rocks?
-Igneous, Metamorphic, Sedimentary
How is granite formed?
-It is formed from magma, thus being an igneous rock
How is basalt formed?
-Also formed from magma.
What is common between granite and basalt?
-They both form from magma, however granite is cooled deeper in the earth, while basalt is closer to the surface. This can be observed by the grain sizes.
What happens to rocks as they travel downstream?
-They become eroded and smooth out or break down.
Name different ways sediment can be deposited.
-Erosion, transportation, weathering, etc.
What happens to the lowest layer in a sediment basin?
-I'm not gonna lie, I couldn't find this answer anywhere. So feel free to answer it as a comment.
Describe what a conglomerate rock looks like.
-Large grain sizes, and smooth.
If a rock has crystals, what does it mean?
-That the rock has gone under an extreme enough pressure to change the structure of the rock.
Name the daughter rock of.....
-Granite-> Gneiss
-Limestone-> Marble
-Shale-> Slate
What makes a rock metamorphic?
-The formation through which the rock under went classifies it as metamorphic.
What powers the rock cycle?
-Heat from the earth's core causes the plates to continue to change and move.

How to Identify Minerals

If you are ever confused as to which mineral is in front of you, there are a few simple tests you can do (provided you have the materials) to determine the name of said mineral. They are as follows:

Color- What color the mineral is. Normally this is not extremely useful because minerals can have some slight color changes or come in more than one color.

Streak- The streak is the color left behind when the mineral is rubbed against a porcelain tablet. This can be different than the color, but is more useful because the streak does not change colors. The streak can be instrumental in telling the difference between one or more minerals, such as gold and pyrite which have many of the same characteristics except for streak, of which gold is yellow and pyrite is black.

Luster- This is how shiny the mineral appears. The mineral's luster can be qualified as follows: subvitreous (less brilliant than glass), vitreous (as brilliant as glass), admantine (as bright as diamond), resinous (having the appearance of resin on the mineral), earthy (no shine on surface, usually covered in earthy material such as soil), greasy (shiny as if covered with oil), pearly (iridescent), and silky (having a texture similar to silk).

Hardness- This is how hard the mineral is according to the Mohs Hardness Scale, which is a serious of tests that involve the mineral scratching them and giving them a number based on what they can and cannot scratch. It is a 1-10 scale with 1 being the softest, talc and 10 being the hardest, diamond.

Cleavage- This is how easily the mineral breaks apart. It is divided into perfect (breaking into even sheets), good (breaking into sheets, not even), and poor (not really breaking into sheets, just sort of fracturing)

Magnetism- This is seeing if a mineral reacts to having a magnet placed by it. The only one we tested that showed a reaction was magnetite.

Acid Reaction- This test involves putting a drop of hydrochloric acid onto the mineral and seeing if it reacts. Only calcite reacted.

Taste- How the minerals taste. We didn't do this in lab, but from what we were told, only halite has a taste (salty) because it is rock salt.

Current Event for Monday October 26th

Katie Powell
10/22/09
Current Event, second Quarter

Volcanic Eruption at Soufriere Hills Volcano

The Soufriere hills volcano is located on Montserrat island in the Antilles island chain in the Caribbean. It is an active volcano. Recently, the volcano erupted again. It started with a series of volcano-tectonic earthquakes, which are caused by the movement of magma underneath the volcano. These started on October the 4th, and then the volcano vented and spewed ash plumes and some lava until the 13th. The photo that was released was taken from the International space station and is of a steam plume coming out of the volcano. The gray lines that extend form the volcano are volcanic mudflows that extend from the top of the volcano all the way out to the sea. The silver-gray look of the water is due to the reflection of the sunlight. To take this photo the space station used what is called an oblique view. Oblique view photos are taken at an angle instead of straight downward, which gives the photo a 3-dimmensional look. I googled other photos of this volcanic eruption and I think that by far this one was the coolest. I really like how much detail you can see just from this one shot and it gives a different perspective then the typical thought of an erupting volcano only spewing dark red lava and rocks.

http://geology.com/nasa/montserrat-volcano/
Eruption at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat
Geology.com

Sorry to be repetitive...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gSIOd5240uPvZThYwptYclUq5E3QD9BE9NC00


The Europeans have proven themselves as pioneers in planetary research by setting a record of the largest amount of plants found at once. Their astonishing find of 32 planets is solid supporting evidence for previous theories. This discovery supports the theory that there are more places in the universe able to support life. These planets prove the commonality of planet formation. They were able to discover the planets with a telescope in Chile that looks for changes in a stars movement. The changes would display a planet’s gravitational pull on the star.

About 40% of sun-like stars have planets similar to Earth’s size. When the planets are larger than Earth they are referred to as Super-Earths. With masses similar to Earth’s these planets are known as “extraordinary commonplace”, which results to "the universe must indeed be crowded with habitable worlds", said Alan Boss, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. This discovery increases my belief that there are other life forms other than on planet Earth. Instigated by our previous discussions in class regarding the possibility other planets hold I have grown assured that there actually are other life forms. Especially after learning of extremophiles, organisms that can survive in extreme conditions, I have concluded that the possibility of other life is high. If even on Earth we have creatures surviving in abnormal conditions why wouldn’t their survival be successful on other planets with similar circumstances?

Rock Cycle

Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of magma. The weathering and erosion of igneous rocks create sediments. When sediments compact, they form sedimentary rocks. When sedimentary rocks heat up and pressure is forced upon them, they form metamorphic rocks. When igneous rocks heat up and pressure is exerted upon them, they can also form metamorphic rocks.

When tectonic plates move, magma is released through the cracks. This forms igneous rocks. These rocks go through the rock cycle like it would do on the surface of Earth. The formation of igneous rocks also causes more magma to flow in, and therefore causing the plates to move more.

Rock Cycle Homework Question

The rock cycle is a process that goes on forever. Igneous rocks are formed from the cooling of magma. Igneous rocks can be either extrusive or intrusive based on how fast or slow the magma cools. Intrusive rocks are formed from slow cooling of the magma; this allows crystals to form throughout the rock. Extrusive rocks form quickly usually above the surface so there is no time for visible crystals to form. Sedimentary rocks are usually formed when weathering of igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary rocks occurs and parts of the rock are broken off. These pieces of rocks often make their way into bodies of water and so fossils can often be found in sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks are created below the crust when igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks or other metamorphic rocks are forced beneath the crust due to the shifting of plates. Tectonic plates are always moving so when these to plates collide, a mountain or volcano is formed or one of the tectonic plates forces the other one into the crust. Here the rocks below the surface are heated and applied with great amounts of pressure. If the rocks melt then new igneous rocks are formed, but when just the right amount of pressure and heat is applied a metamorphic rock is created. So with out the plate tectonics, no rock cycle could occur because no movement would be taking place. Therefore we would either have no rocks or the rocks would never change.