GEOLOGY

3 main types of Rocks - IGNEOUS, SEDIMENTARY, METAMORPHIC

Igneous Rocks are formed when molten lava cools and hardens over time (also known as intrustive igneous rock), or when the crust meets the mantle and previous content is melted and hardened into rock (extrusive). Examples: Pumice and granite

Pumice

Sedimentary rock is formed by the collection of rocks and materials at the surface of the earth and in bodies of water. Typically the layers in sedimentary rock makes it easy to tell how it was formed and over how long it took to form. Examples: sandstone and chalk

Sandstone

Metamorphic rocks are exactly what they sound like, rocks that have mophed into something new. Either  igneous, sedimentary or older metamorphic rock, under extreme pressure and heat and be caused to change both physically and chemically. Once a rock changes its form like this, it is considered a metamorphic rock. Examples: Marble, which is metamorphosed limestone and Slate, which is metamorphosed from shale or silts.

Slate

SOILS

Link: The 12 Soil Orders of the World

Georgia's soil is most well-known for it's kaolin clay production. It is also rich in marble, barite and bauxite. (Georgia Soil and Rock content)

As far as the soil orders goes, there is an abundance in ultisols, inceptisols, and alfisols.
(Georgia Soil Orders)

Georgia Soil can be rich in clay, hence the redish color to this Georgia soil image sample.

You can identify a soil by its color. Typically, depending on the soils contents, the color and "chroma" can help you identify what type of soil it is. The most commonly used source for soil identification is the Munsell Soil Color Chart (Munsell Soil Chart Online)

The following images are maps of the soil regions in Georgia. Because of the fact that Georgia has both a coastline and a mountain line on either side, the soil types can be very different on either side of the state.

LINK: Soil Texture Dichotomous Key

This is an image of the route traveled during our geocaching experiment. Each of the angles is where 1 of the 8 total destinations were. After the walk was over, google earth estimated the distance walked at 0.26 miles. I will say that it is slightly more than that, considering that the route I drew on the computer is cutting corners between pinpoints.

Link: Geocaching Website

Geocaching is a fun way to get outside, off your feet, and do some natural environment adventuring. There are geocaches (or destinations with placed objects) all over the world, marked out by GPS. If you're ever in the mood for a real life treasure hunt or just some fun walking around, then geocaching is a cool way of recording your findings. You can even go onto the website I linked to above and blog or post about your findings and see what others had to say about those very same locations! I think going on a neat little geocaching adventure would make for a good date, and maybe, if your smart, you'll make the last destination a romantic one with a Valentine's Day gift waiting. "Tis the season.

My favorite animal is the Wolf. Wolves have just always seemed to symbolize so many things: closeness to their family (I love the pack), toughness, the ability to survive at all costs (I consider myself a bit of a lone wolf, respect for the pack, but very independent), and there's just a majestic image about them too. I think they're absolutely beautiful animals. Hearing wolves howling from a far just gives me the chills. I've always had a huge respect for native americans and their heritage as well, and the wolf plays a huge role in that. There are some pretty cool folk tales that involve wolves that I remember being very fond of growing up.

In Blue Mounds, WI, there is what some might consider the most beautiful caves in upper Midwest. I've been there once, but I was too young to vividly remember. It's been named a National Landmark and thousands of tourists come annually to walk the caves. There are giant stalagmites and columns that can simply blow your mind if you've never been inside a large cave before.

Cave of the Mounds

This is a link to the Granite Peak Ski Resort. The resort is on the Rib Mountain State Park, but I couldn't find the park's website. I used to go snowboarding there a lot when I was younger. It's about 45 minutes from my home. I can't ever recall being there when it wasn't the winter time, so skiing is the only thing I've ever done there. That being said, I know in high school some classes took trips there and saw the actual environmental park side of the mountain (so I know it's not just a myth haha). But regardless it's very beautiful up there. I look forward to going back sometime when I'm done with school and basketball.

Granite Peak Skiing

LSRS - Linwood Springs Research Station

LSRS is a research station a few minutes from my house back home in Wisconsin. It's on the outskirts of town and I had never actually heard of it until I was a freshman in high school. My friend lives near the place and we saw it one day in passing on our bikes. At first we didn't know what it was because it was hard to see from the road, but then we did some research on the net and found out soon enough that it was a research station that specializes in studying red-shouldered hawks, northern saw-whet owls, and sharp shinned hawks.

Linwood Springs Research Station