Earth is Geology’s Classroom

Growing up in Hawaii, I’ve been to my fair share of beaches. They’re great; they’re peaceful; they’re fun. Until last week, I never would have thought of the beach as a classroom and a map of clues to show you the history of the area. Lucky for me, I chauffeured a field trip for Leslie “Doc” Sautter’s Marine Geology Lab to the beach and got to see the beach and its coastal processes in action.

Doc is known as the queen of all things marine here at the College of Charleston Geology department and now I know why. I learned a lot in those few hours! It confirmed to me how amazing our faculty is at what they do. I may have forgotten most of the terminology I learned that day, but I don’t think I’ll forget how the processes work, how coastal processes affect humans, and how humans in turn affect the coast. More importantly, I know some neat tidbits that I can share with my friends and family when we go to the beach.

Beach terminology

These are my favorite takeaways from the field trip:

–Inlets are dangerous! As the tide goes down (ebb tide – Wow! I remember a bit of the terminology), the channel becomes more narrow and turbulent. It can take a person down when they’re not looking. We stopped at Breach Inlet, right past Sullivan’s Island in the Isle of Palms, that’s claimed many lives. BE CAREFUL!

–Dunes need plants to keep the sand and remain a dune. Don’t go traipsing around in them to topple them. Don’t cut the plants, even if they’re pretty. It is awesome to see how some grasses grow with the dunes. You can see how as the top of the grass is covered by sand, it grows another root ball so it can grow taller again. We saw one at the edge of the dune that had three root balls. I had no idea!

Other cool things we saw:

Ripples in the sun

– The inlet’s Ebb Tidal Delta and its swash (sand) bars

Bubble sand!

– Wavy patterns in the sand called ripples that show how fast the water was going

– Bubble sand! This is where air has bubbled up through saturated sand, leaving voids.

– Waves refracting, showing you how the current (and longshore transport) is coming down the coast

I love that our faculty and department have the resources and gumption to go out and show students that the Earth is a geology classroom. Hopefully it was as memorable a lesson for the rest of the students as it was for me. I can’t wait to chauffeur for more geology field trips!

Doc Sautter’s Marine Geology field trip – Fall 2012 – Sullivan’s Island

Here are a few upcoming field trips and field opportunities that I know of:

• Walking tours of Charleston to see old earthquake damage
• Mineralogy field trip to wine country in NC to see how topography and soil affects grape varieties and harvests
• Congaree National Park trip for hydrology field research
• Class during winter break to study carbonate environments at the Gerace Research Centre on the island of San Salvador in The Bahamas
• Summer class to the Galapagos Islands for “Volcanoes in the Footsteps of Darwin”

It’s going to be hard to choose! What field experience has been your favorite? What field opportunity are you looking forward to the most?

Visiting Scholar from MIT to talk about the World’s Oceans

Two presentations coming up for you to attend!

(1)  Join the College of Charleston Office of Sustainability for a Green Bag Lunch featuring Deborah Cramer, Visiting Scholar of the Earth Systems Initiative at MIT

Thursday, November 17th
12:00 Noon
Stern Center Ballroom

http://spinner.cofc.edu/~environ/GreenBagLunchCramer.pdf

Deborah Cramer will be discussing her work on the world’s ocean systems and how these issues relate to our concerns.

Snacks and Drinks will be provided, but bringing a lunch is encouraged.  Please email any questions to sustainability@cofc.edu

(2) Public Lecture: “The Sea Around You:  What Does the Health of the Sea Have to Do with Us”

Thursday, November 17, 7:00-8:00 pm
Speaker:    Deborah Cramer
Title:            The Sea Around You: What Does the Health of the Sea Have to Do with Us?
Location:  New Science Center room 129 (auditorium)
When:          Thursday, Nov. 17, 7-8 pm

The Charleston community depends on the ocean – economically, recreationally, gastronomically. Ever wonder how the health of the ocean will impact you? The College of Charleston will host author and scientific thought leader Deborah Cramer on Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in room 129 of the School of Sciences and Mathematics building. This lecture is free and open to the public.

Cramer is a visiting scholar at MIT’s Earth System Initiative.   She will be presenting some of the world’s finest marine photography from her book Smithsonian Ocean:  Our Water Our World (Smithsonian Books/HarperCollins) and will discuss the many ways all life, including ours, depends on the ocean; how we, a single species are altering the nature of the ocean itself, and why that matters. This book shines new light on the meaning of the sea in our lives, inviting people to consider how all life, including
ours, depends on the sea.

Two-time Pulitzer prize-winning biologist E.O. Wilson calls this book, “best in its class.” It was published to coincide with the opening of the new, permanent Sant Ocean Hall at
the National Museum of Natural History, the country’s most visited museum. Ideas and themes from Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water Our World are now being adapted in school science curricula. More information is available at a website emerging from the book and recommended for teachers, www.seaaroundyou.com

“The MES program is honored to host Deborah Cramer at the College of Charleston,” says Tim Callahan, MES program director. “She speaks about her writing and the sea
on both sides of the Atlantic, at science and maritime museums, and at major environmental and teachers’ organizations. We hope her lecture will provide the opportunity for a larger discussion, both on campus and in the community, about the issues she raises.”

Deborah Cramer writes about science, nature, and the environment. Nobel prize winner Al Gore said of her natural history of the Atlantic, Great Waters, (W.W. Norton), “I urge everyone to read this book, act on its message and pass on its teachings.” Marcia McNutt, head of the United States Geological Survey, wrote in Science, “I would recommend it to anyone who proposes to be an informed citizen of Planet Earth.”

For more information, contact Tim Callahan at 843.953.2000 or callahant@cofc.edu

Sponsored by the Environmental Studies Graduate Program, the Environmental Studies Minor Program, the Graduate Program in Marine Biology, and the CofC Office of Sustainability.

Flyer online at: http://spinner.cofc.edu/~environ/DeborahCramerEvent.pdf

Map and Directions online at: http://calendar.cofc.edu/EventList.aspx?eventidn=4509&view=EventDetails&information_id=12261

College of Charleston to Host Smithsonian Experts and Fossil Identification Session

The College of Charleston’s Natural History Museum will host three museum specialists from the Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of Natural History Department of Paleobiology on November 1, 2011.

The public is invited to attend the free forum and fossil identification session from 1-4 p.m. in the Museum.

Experts in terrestrial and marine mammals, as well as sharks and other fish, they will be available for identification of vertebrate fossils. The public is also invite to bring  “finds” they may have around the house for identification.

David Bohaska, a specialist on marine mammals, will give a lecture entitled “Evolution of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises” starting at 2:30p.m.   He will discuss their ancestry, the major groups of whales (ancient, toothed, and baleen), and provide examples of diversity in the fossil record.

Also on site for fossil identification will be Fred Grady (terrestrial mammal fossil specialist) and Robert Purdy (fossil sharks and fish).

The College of Charleston’s Natural History Museum is located at 202 Calhoun Street.

http://geology.cofc.edu/natural-history-museum/

Location
New Science Center
202 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC 29401

Schedule
1:00 Fossil identification on 2nd floor near museum entrance
2:30 Lecture by David Bohaska in First Floor Lecture Hall
3:30 Fossil identification

Mineralogy field trip 2011!!

Dr. Bob’s mineralogy class spent the weekend visiting the geology along  the Blue Ridge Parkway of North Carolina.  Students studied  minerals and rocks from Late Proterozoic rifts along with minerals that contributed to recent slope failures along the Parkway.   Ahead of the pending storms off the coast, their inland trip kept them in the upper 30s on Saturday night around the campfire with a variety of experiences being shared by everyone.  Students will use samples collected on the field trip to complete a mini-research project using  scanning electron microscopy, reflectance spectroradiometry, or polarizing microscopy while interpreting the role of minerals in a larger geologic context.