Sarah Sheffield

Geology of Oregon Series: Part 2: Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

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Sarah here– this post is a continuation in a series about a recent trip I made to Oregon, USA. Check out the first post, on the geology of hot springs, here! 

It can be hard to believe that the lush, gorgeous forests that I was hiking in to get to the hot springs were only a short way away from the desert of Oregon- but it is! I visited the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which is separated into a few different areas. Arguably, the most famous of the areas is the Painted Hills Unit, which contains amazing sedimentary rocks and fossils. 

The Painted Hills are aptly named- the large hills of clays that preserve magnificent and diverse bands of colors (Figure 1). These hills are remnants of volcanic explosions just over 30 million years ago, when nearby volcanoes were erupting. The ash and fine-grained material from these volcanic eruptions were carried by wind and deposited in this area- over long periods of volcanism, it added up to quite a lot of ash! High volumes of volcanic ash can spread a long distance over wind- we know this, because we have witnessed this in human history. For example, when Mount Saint Helens erupted in 1980, ash from this event was found hundreds of miles away (though most of ash, like the Painted Hills, fell within a far shorter distance of just a few miles from the eruption site). Over millions of years, the materials within ash (like glass particles and different minerals) can alter into clays, hence why we see clays today! 

A landscape of hills on a goegeous sunny day. The hills look painted- there are bands of colors running horizontally across them in shades of green, yellow, and red. The colors are just magnificent.
Figure 1. A full view of some of the colors that can be seen in the Painted Hills Unit. 

So- why the colors? Great question! Now, you might think clay is not that interesting- it’s just mud, right?! Well, I am hoping that by the time you’re doing reading this, you’ll have a brand-new perspective on clay! Clay is an incredible resource for geologists when we are trying to learn about past environments in Earth history: particular types of clay can inform us of the types of igneous and metamorphic rocks that were likely present millions of years ago, they can tell us about the levels of oxygen present in the environment when the clay was forming, and even about the climatic conditions of the area. How? There are a number of ways, but a really cool way is by identifying the color of the clay- clay turns specific colors during different conditions. For example, black-colored clay is often associated with extinctions because black clay indicates a lack of free oxygen in the ocean, which leads to death for living creatures. 

At the Painted Hills, we see reds, greens, purples, yellows, and a whole rainbow of shades in between. As the clays were being formed, it recorded the changing climate. Yellow and reddish-colored sediment (Figure 2) that we see today indicates a time on Earth where the area was cooler and drier- this is because of certain elements in the minerals leeching out. Brighter reds are an indicator of more humid, rainy, tropical times in the area (Figure 3). Iron- rich volcanic ash falling from nearby eruptions settled down in layers, and over time, the iron reacted to the presence of warm, wet conditions, causing the red color (think of what happens when you leave your bike in the rain and it rusts- the iron in the bike is reacting to the oxygen present through the moisture-this reaction makes what we call rust). The warmer the climate, often, the faster this reaction can happen- so in more humid climates, we’ll see more of that really red color. The iron is present in the ash in cooler times, too, but because those times were drier, less iron oxidation was occurring. 

two large hills of clays- the one on the right is distinctly yellow-green in hue and the one on the left is predominantly yellow-ish, with red toward the top.
Figure 2. The hill on the right, especially, shows the yellow-hue of drier and cooler climates 
A wooden walkway over red hills. These red hills are a rich, vibrant red. Some close by show mud cracks indicating that the areas is currently dry.
Figure 3. This is a great example of how iron-rich ash, when deposited, creates stunning, vibrant reds through the process of the iron oxidizing (rusting). Note the sedimentary structures, mud cracks, at the bottom right of the image- clay does this when it becomes drier.


Other colors, like a purple-ish hue, are indicative of a type of volcanic rock called rhyolite, which is a pink rock. This type of rock is formed from volcanoes that have more granitic magma (granite can be thought of as our continental crust), as opposed to an oceanic one, which would be basaltic magma, or oceanic crust). In this case, in the volcanic eruptions forming these hills, the continental plate was moving toward an oceanic plate, the latter of which was being subducted (the oceanic plate is far denser, so it is the one that subducts). Volcanic eruptions are incredibly common results of when two plates are colliding (which is called a convergent plate boundary). The rhyolite here weathered over millions of years, which we see now in the form of this lovely colored clay in Figure 4. 
 

A purple-ish, gray-ish hued hill (quite small compared to the others, which were tens to hundreds of feet high)
Figure 4. Rhyolite can weather into the purple- ish hue shown above 

One of the other spectacular remnants of this region, as I mentioned above, is the fossil preservation. There are animal fossils present, but I wasn’t able to see any of them. However, I saw magnificent plant fossils- primarily, I saw petrified wood (or permineralized wood). This type of fossil is created by the wood itself being completely replaced by silica-rich materials- in this case, the wood was buried in silica-rich volcanic ash (continental volcanoes, like ones producing rhyolite) are richer in silica than oceanic ones). Over millions of years, the wood becomes permineralized. I found some gorgeous pieces of petrified wood there (Figure 5). 

My foot on a large piece of petrified wood (~2 feet long). the structure of the bark is visible, but altered heavily and the colors are muted shades of red and brown
Figure 5. A chunk of petrified wood- this used to be a tree trunk before it was covered in silica-rich ash. Over time, the wood is altered heavily and what is left is the structure of the wood (though how much of the structure remains can vary), but chemically, it is no longer the same. Colors of petrified wood are extremely variable, because silica-rich minerals have variable colors (e.g., rose quartz , tiger’s eye, and amethyst gemstones are the same mineral- quartz!) 

Stay tuned for more on the Geology of Oregon series! 

Meet the Museum: The University of Nebraska State Museum

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Sarah here–

Not too long ago, I took a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska (USA) at the kind invitation of the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department. While I was there, I was able to take some time to go on a tour of the University of Nebraska State Museum, a place I’ve worked with for a long time but never had a chance to see in person! Today, I’m going to introduce you to what isn’t on display- as with the majority of museums, only a tiny percentage of their collections are on display for the public- the vast majority of specimens are stored behind closed doors for preservation and research. One thing to note- if you are ever behind the scenes at a museum, you should check to make sure photographs are OK. Some of the specimens may not be published yet and scientists are not ready for images to be public. In this case, I made sure to ask for permission before I took the photos and asked for permission to share them with interested readers, which they were kind enough to allow!  

The paleontology holdings of Nebraska and surrounding states in the Midwest are, without question, spectacular. Within the halls of this museum lie the remains of camels, elephants, rhinos, and mammoths that lived long ago in North America (Fig. 1). This museum also has fossils from even longer ago from a time when the Midwest was completely underwater as a shallow sea. I first started my tour in the main display halls of the museum, where I got to see skeleton reconstructions of the diversity of fossil proboscideans (the group containing mammoths and elephants; proboscidean literally means ‘elephant’s trunk in Latin) that lived in and around Nebraska a few million years ago. 

a museum display containing a variety of skeletons- all probosdiceans. Some are quite large, some are small, like the size of deer.
Fig. 1. A diversity of animals related to the modern elephant used to be present in North America and in this case, specifically those in the Midwest. They varied greatly in size, shape of their tusks, and more.

Next, I visited the invertebrate collections, which hold special meaning to me. I worked with this very museum to perform my first scientific research project, which became my master’s thesis. I took the time to visit the specimens that I studied- crinoids belonging to the genus Erisocrinus and closely related taxa that came from Oklahoma, USA (Fig. 2). I saw some very interesting crinoid fossils that preserved features of parasitism as well (Fig. 3)

A drawer of crinoid fossils- most are the round cups with the arms disarticulated. Hundreds of specimens in boxes with labels, none of them readable from the image.
Fig. 2. A drawer filled with crinoid fossils from the Midwest of the United States. I studied some of these very fossils for my master’s thesis

A box of crinoid stems (maybe 2 inches length max, but most are .5 inches or so in length). Most of them have substantial holes drilled into them- some have nearly a dozen!
Fig. 3. Crinoid stems with parasitic traces left on their bodies- you can see how the stem gets distorted and bloated with the more parasitic pits that are left on the body! My finger is in the bottom of the image for scale.

I then went to the vertebrate collections area, which was just incredible. Many of their fossils come from the Ashfall Fossil Beds from the northeast area of Nebraska. Just about 12 million years ago, an active volcano spewed significant amounts of ash- this type of volcanic ash contained tiny natural glass shards and, as you can imagine, it’s quite harmful to breathe it in. Unfortunately for the animals that were alive at the time, they did breathe it in, and they died- the ash continued to fall, and this led to some exceptional preservation of their skeletons, many of which have been uncovered (Fig. 4) and more are likely to be found in the future. 

A map of the skeletons found in the site. They are color coded to indicate which animals were found, listed here in the figure caption. The vast majority were rhinos in this area, but there are a number of horses too, with the deer and camels less common. Many of the rhinos are grouped very close together.
Fig. 4. This is a map of the skeletons uncovered in the Ashfall Fossil Beds, of the skeletons of rhinos, horses, camels, deer, and footprints. Image credit: University of Nebraska State Museum

Ash has the potential to preserve fossils extremely well and this fossil area is no exception at all. The collections of the University of Nebraska State Museum are filled with rows upon rows of beautifully preserved skulls and other bones of vertebrates that fell victim to the ash (Fig. 5, 6, 7). 

Shelves of rhino jaws- dozens of them. Most are just the bottom half, but the teeth are in place and detailed. Many are juveniles but the majority are adults.
Fig. 5. A row of rhinoceros jaws of all sizes, all exquisitely preserved.

A close up of a juvenile jaw bone of a rhino- the scientists who found it nicknamed it "Charlie" as the label indicates. the back most teeth of this one look missing, but the ones closer to the center are well preserved. lower jaw bones only.
Fig. 6. This is a close-up image of one of the juvenile jaw bones of a rhino fossil- many of the specimens were given nicknames, and this one is named “Charlie”.

A bird fossil- gray in color.the delicate bones are highly detailed in place as they would have been in life for the most part. you can see tendons along the bones of the limbs of the bird. Incredibly well preserved.
Fig. 7. This is a bird fossil that was found in association with the ashfall. This detailed preservation is not common for birds, whose delicate, hollow bones are often not well-preserved- but in this specimen, if you look carefully, you can even see where the tendons were.

This museum was a really great place to visit! If you ever find yourself in Lincoln, Nebraska, I highly encourage you to check out the museum! You won’t be disappointed. If you’re interested in learning more about the Ashfall Fossil Beds, read the linked website! 

Geology of Oregon Series: Part I: Hot Springs

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Sarah here –

In 2022, I took a road trip around Oregon on the west coast of USA to see all the incredible geology there is to see there. Oregon is an incredible natural geologic laboratory because there are so many different processes at play across different environments: you can see hydrology in action through massive waterfalls, naturally heated bodies of water from geothermal energy, the movement of sands in desert environments, and more- all in a single state! I’ll be writing a series of articles on the geology that I saw, so that I can share with you a small part of the incredible beauty that this Earth has to offer. 

My journey started near Eugene, Oregon, a few hours inland from the Pacific coast, with a friend of mine from college. Our first stop was to go swimming at the Terwilliger hot springs in the Willamette National Forest. A hot spring is a naturally occurring feature caused by geothermal (geo meaning Earth, thermal meaning heat) activity- Earth processes cause the water in a spring to be far warmer than we would expect a typical body of water on the surface of Earth! This geologic phenomenon does not occur everywhere on Earth by any means. 

So where does this geothermal activity come from and why is it restricted to certain locations? It comes from areas with volcanoes, both active and dormant (like Iceland, Hawaii, and Oregon!). The magma (lava that’s still underground) of the volcanic system is in contact with rocks closer to the surface of Earth- that heat is passed to water that is in contact with the rock (Fig. 1).

A diagram of how water is affected by volcanic activity. Starting from the bottom: a layer of magma in chamber is in contact with porous rock above it- heat is rising. There is water in that porous rock that is heated from the magma. The water can rise to the surface and form a few different things. It can stay in the ground as steam, it can come out as a hot spring, or it can erupt as a geyser. The top of the diagram shows a hot spring as a small pool with steam rising and a geyser with a large fountain of hot water bursting from the Earth. The water will eventually return to the ground and begin that cycle again.
Figure 1. A diagram of how magma below the surface affects the temperature of ground water- as the magma chamber heats the porous rock above it, water that is in that rock is also heated and rises to the surface- in this case, it is a hot spring, but the water can also come to the surface in different ways, like geysers!

The temperature of the water can vary from pleasantly warm to extremely hot- meaning, some areas are safe to swim, and others are not (so if you’re in an area where hot springs exist, always check local safety guidelines!). Typically, areas with active volcanism (meaning, they’ve erupted in recent history, as opposed to dormant, where they have not erupted for some time, but have the possibility to erupt in the future) will have higher temperatures associated with their hot springs. At Terwilliger (Fig. 2), the water ranges from 112˙F to about 85˙F, so it felt a lot like a hot tub! The hottest water is closest to where the water begins to flow- so, the water closest to the heat source- as it travels downstream, it cools. 

The view of the hot springs from the most uphill portion- it's in a forest, surrounded by trees and faint views of mountains in the background. there is a wooden platform off to the side. Directly in front is a pool of water about 8 feet across and a few feet deep (maybe 3)- the rocks make a circle around this pool, and water overflows over some of the rocks to continue to trickle downstream to pools outside the view of this image
Figure 2. The hot springs, from an upstream view. The pool directly in view is the warmest- as the water in it travels downstream, it cools a bit.

Due to the nature of hot springs, the water there often contains a high amount of dissolved minerals, and the minerals present in them can range drastically, as can the pH of the water. Often, you’ll find that the water can appear very different in color and clarity across different hot springs, and that’s why- the dissolved minerals. In Teriwilliger, the water has a lot of sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, aluminum, silica, and sulfates present in it. 

Despite the high temperatures of the water, life still thrives in this environment, too- while this hot spring is not among the warmest, it is still a difficult environment for many different organisms to survive in. However, certain species of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, have adapted to be able to thrive in these extreme freshwater environments (species that can live in extreme environments are called extremophiles), where most other species cannot. These cyanobacteria can be seen on the rocks closer to the edges of the pool (Fig. 3) and it can be very slippery if you step on it- so be careful! I wanted to highlight these cyanobacteria because cyanobacteria represent some of the earliest complex life on Earth, with their fossil record extending billions of years- we can thank them for providing a lot of the oxygen we breathe today! Biology and geology are intertwined with one another, so by studying both, we can get a fuller picture of the world around us.

A close up of the hot springs pool. The water is a distinct greenish shade and on the edges, you can see a blue-green shade to the rocks that is actually the algae. it stands out because the other rocks, not coated in algae, are mostly basalt, so they are dark gray in color (lighter gray if they have been weathered more)
Figure 3. A close-up image of one of the pools at the hot springs- note the distinct color of the water and the blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that coats the rocks. It’s tough to see the cyanobacteria in the deeper water, but toward the edges, you can see a colorful sheen- that’s the blue-green algae! A limited number of organisms on Earth thrive in extremely warm waters, but those that have adapted to these extreme environments can really thrive there!

Field Camp: An Introduction & Personal Experiences

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In geology, fieldwork includes the direct observation, description, and sampling (or additional analyses) of rock outcrops, rock exposures, other geological features, and landscapes in their natural environment. To prepare geoscientists for field work, undergraduate geoscience students are often required to take field camp. Field camp can be an important component of geological studies, offering opportunities for collecting data and fine – tuning observation and mapping skills that students may be introduced to in the lab. While some argue that field camp is a critical part of an undergraduate geology degree, field camp can be quite exclusionary and should not be a requirement for a degree. That being said, there are numerous advantages and challenges of partaking in field camp or conducting field work. Here, we share our perspectives on field camp and our experiences, as well as share some ideas about how you can win money to attend field camp. 

Basics of Attending Field Camp

Field camp provides an opportunity to get hands-on experiences in sample/specimen collection and develop mapping skills. Essentially, it is a practical application of all of the coursework you have taken as a geoscience student .

Some field programs connect with other institutional programs at a shared ‘base camp’. This promotes networking and relationships to be built outside of your field cohort. For example, Jen was based at the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association and a field camp from Houston was also residing there during the summer. Although work was largely separate, we ate meals together and shared common facilities. Some field camp programs accept external applicants, which promotes meeting new peers and experiencing the field together.  

Field course requirements can vary greatly by program and in some cases, field courses are not a requirement of the program. Some programs require six credit hours in field work which may be held over a six week long field camp. Additionally, some field camps and courses have prerequisites, which could include more specialized courses such as sedimentology, stratigraphy, or structural geology. Another aspect to keep in mind is the cost of field camp. Some field courses are quite expensive and do not provide financial assistance. Some courses require you to get your own transportation to the base camp, which requires additional resources and logistical planning. As field courses are commonly six weeks, attendees must take off work reducing their income and available time. Other costs include any gear you must purchase to safely attend. 

In a lot of cases, universities and colleges may have some source of funding to help their students attend field camp. These funds are, in most cases, provided by alumni donations that help cover a large chunk, but not all, of the students’ field course expenses.

There are also a few scholarships and grants you can apply to to attend field camp. Here a few examples of such awards:

Personal Experiences

Whitney Lapic, attended as an undergraduate with Mount Holyoke College

Field camp was not offered at my undergraduate institution, Mount Holyoke College. My program did offer a class which was based on a trip to Death Valley that was held over spring break every other year, but this was the closest thing we had to a field course. At the time, I did not think that seeking out a field camp would be worthwhile as I was not going into a subdiscipline that was field work intensive. That being said, I still wanted to gain field experience – and I believed that the experience was a requirement for me to get into graduate school. 

My greatest concern for field work was being able to physically keep up with the group and I know that this fear, and the cost of field camp, greatly deterred me from attending. I was however, extremely lucky to have been accepted as an exchange student at the University of Kent in Canterbury, U.K. for a semester and decided to take some time to create my own miniature field excursions while abroad. After plenty of research, I organized a series of trips to the nearby Gault Clay formation in Folkestone, which was a brief and inexpensive bus trip away. Here, I was able to work at my own pace (while trying to beat the tide) and gain experience in collecting, preparing, and identifying fossil specimens from start to finish. While this was by no means a replacement for a field course, it still introduced me to new challenges and allowed me to gain experience on my own time. It certainly helped that I was in a location of my choosing, so it was of significant interest to me. 

Linda Dämmer, attended as an undergraduate with University of Bonn (Germany)

I studied Geosciences at the University of Bonn (Germany). The system there works a bit differently from many US geology programmes: Almost all courses, with just a few exceptions, had a mandatory field work component. These field trips ranged from a few hours used to visit a little stream nearby and practice different methods to estimate the amount of water flowing down the stream per hour, to traveling abroad to spend 10-14 days practising geological mapping or learning about regional geological features. I’ve probably participated in close to 20 field trips during my undergraduate studies, I visited Austria, the Netherlands, Spain and Bulgaria during these excursions as well as many sites in Germany. Except for the far away field trips (Bulgaria and Spain) where we had to pay for our flights, these were generally fairly low cost, since the university covered the majority of the expenses, most of the time the students had to pay about 50€ (approx $60) or less as a contribution. There have been people who were unable to attend the mandatory field trip components of the programme, for a variety of reasons (for example pregnancies or disabilities), and they usually were able to instead do a different activity such as written assignments instead. In addition, for many courses more than one field trip option was offered, because taking an entire class on a field trip at the same time doesn’t work well. So based on interests, schedules and financial situation, everyone could often choose between different field trips, that would all count for the same course. I have learned so much during each field trip. Seeing geological/environmental features ‘in the wild’ has helped me tremendously to deepen my understanding of the processes involved and I’m very grateful for these experiences. But they also – and maybe even more so – helped me understand my physical boundaries and how far I can push myself, they helped me improve my organisational skills and made me a better team player. I think these are probably the real advantages of doing field trips, the actual content can probably also be learned in other ways. But the vast majority of the field trips also turned out to be lots of fun, even when you’re sitting in a tiny tent with two other students while it has been raining for the past 4 days and everything you own is completely wet and muddy, when you’re hiking through the mountains and your mapping partner is about 65% sure they’ve just heard what sounded like a wild boar behind you, or when you’re sweating and getting sunburned while trying to find your way back to the campsite in the spanish desert without any landmarks, there’s always something to laugh about and other people to help you out on when you think something too hard. Like that one time I managed to lose my field notebook at an outcrop and only noticed after a 90 minute hike to the next outcrop. I was already exhausted and really wasn’t looking forward to hiking back and forth again to get my notebook, but thanks to a friend volunteering to go with me, I managed to do it (that’s the day I learned to take a picture of every page of my notebook after every outcrop AND to save the pictures online as soon as possible).

I think it’s absolutely worth it, if you’re able to join field trips, I recommend you do it. 

I’d like to briefly discuss a different aspect about this though. All of the things I said are only true if you go with the right people. While I’ve not experienced too many negative situations during field trips myself, I’m aware that some people have not had a great time during field trips. For example, because the majority of geologists on this planet still consist of cis male people, who might not understand that menstruating or having to pee in the field can be a challenge for AFAB people, it might be difficult or embarrassing having to argue in front of the entire class that someone needs a break. Sometimes you also find out the hard way that the nice professor isn’t actually as nice as you thought when you have to spend 24h per day for an entire month with them instead of just attending their lecture for 2h every Tuesday morning. 

I’m still recommending everyone to join as many field trips as possible, but if you can, make sure there’s at least one person you already know and trust among the other participants. Having friends with you will make it a much better experience, in many ways.

Jen Bauer, attended as a graduate student with Ohio University 

I have an undergraduate degree in biological sciences and an earth science minor. The minor program did have a field component but it was only a week long trip to the Ozark area. This was  a nice precursor because I understood what a much longer version would entail. I completed my field camp during my MS program at Ohio University. It was my first summer and was run through Ohio University, so I didn’t have to apply for other programs. I could simply enroll in the course. At this time the course had two parts: (1) a two-week component that was focused near Athens, Ohio and in the nearby West Virginia mountains (this was meant to help us get accustomed with techniques in the field prior to being ‘released’ into the wild; and (2) a four-week component that was largely based at Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association. I completed this field course that summer and really enjoyed the experience at large. My biggest concern was being comfortable in the field and being able to keep up with my field partners. I trained regularly for a month in advance – cardio and weight training, which was certainly a little over the top. I had no trouble keeping up. I did not have the best field clothes due to not having money to purchase anything too expensive. This did not hinder me in the slightest. Since I went as a graduate student, my experience was a little different from those that attend as undergraduate students. I went in fully expecting full nights of rest and I worked hard so that I wouldn’t have to pull all nighters. I cannot function well on lack of sleep, let alone hike and map an area if I am exhausted. I made very conscious choices to be mindful of this. I still got my maps in on time and did very well in the course. My advice for folks heading to field camp would be to be confident in your abilities and know your weaknesses – you can’t be good at everything and it’s ok to lean on your field partner. Also, don’t forget to enjoy the experience. It’s a practical application of all of your knowledge up until that point. I had a lot of fun seeing structures and trying to infer them while drawing the maps. 

Maggie Limbeck, attended as a graduate student with the University of St. Andrews

My undergraduate institution (Allegheny College) did not require field camp for graduation because we were able to incorporate a lot of field trips/field work into our classes. All of my upper level courses either had weekend field trips around the area (Western Pennsylvania, Catskill Mountains in NY, West Virginia) or had multiple lab weeks that were designed around field work. We were also required to take a seminar course that had a week-long field trip to a further destination (my year went to Sapelo Island, GA), where we could really practice our geology skills as a capstone course. 

When I got to grad school, it was considered a deficiency that I had not been to field camp and I needed to go in order to graduate with my Master’s. I ended up going to Scotland for field camp and even though it was an international field camp it was priced similarly to attending one in the United States (read a previous post on Field Camp in Scotland). Because I was going to be doing field work in a chilly, wet climate I did spend a fair amount when purchasing a raincoat, rain pants, and boots to make certain I would stay dry and warm during long days in the rain. These purchases, while expensive, did keep me happy and dry as it rained for weeks while I was there! Going as a graduate student was an interesting experience because many of the other students bonded by staying up late working on their maps and/or going out to party – I on the other hand was working to make sure I could go to bed at a decent hour and be up early enough for breakfast and to make my lunch for the next day. Having an awareness of how you work best and function best is really beneficial because you are setting yourself up to be successful (and there are probably other students wanting to keep a similar schedule as you that you can work with!), but do make sure you do take advantage of some of these later nights, they are really help bond you to the other students and will make working with different groups of people a little easier. One other piece of advice: don’t be scared to speak to the instructor if you aren’t feeling well, are hurt, or need some adjustments made. We had a specific cooking group for those with dietary restrictions or preferences and those who were not feeling well for a day were given different activities to complete. It might be little things (in our case, my group hated the mustard that was being purchased for lunches!) but it’s important to talk to your instructor so you aren’t stuck in a situation that could potentially be dangerous for you!

Sarah Sheffield, attended as an undergraduate with Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute

I went to UNC Chapel Hill, which does require a field camp for their geosciences B.S., but did not offer one themselves. So I went to field camp at the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute. I had to pay for out of state tuition for two credits (it was a two week program), which was expensive, but I gained a lot from the program. I flew to Montana and met the other participants, many of whom I still talk to a decade (!!!) later.  This field camp was unusual for a geoscience degree, in that there was no mapping or structural component. However, I did learn skills such as: locating potential fossil sites; jacketing vertebrate specimens; and vertebrate fossil identification, among other things. I enjoyed my time and highly recommend it if you have the opportunity! The major downside to field camp was cost: the tuition was difficult to cover, but it wasn’t the only consideration. I did not have access to good field gear, which meant that my time in the field was not as comfortable as it could have been (e.g., my shoes were not really appropriate for strenuous field work; good boots are arguably one of the most important pieces of gear for a field scientist!). See if you can find used, quality gear on sites like eBay, Craigslist, etc.-sometimes you can find gems for really reasonable prices! 

My M.S. institution did not originally count this field camp as a field credit, due to the lack of mapping and structural geology components. However, the department chose to waive the requirement in the end in order to not have a graduate student in their undergraduate field camp. My Ph.D. institution simply required that I do field work during my Ph.D., which I did in Sardinia, Italy during my second year there. I only mention this because my field camp at BBPI may not count at other institutions as a traditional field camp credit, so you’ll want to check with your institution.  

As a paleontologist, I find that I did not need a full field camp to become a successful geologist. My research takes place in both the field and in museums, with more of an emphasis on museums. As I write this, I have been unable to do field work for a few years due to a severe ankle injury, so I am grateful that the geosciences field is becoming more broad, so that more folks who may not be able to do field work for many reasons can do so! 

Kristina Barclay attended as an undergraduate with the University of Alberta

I took my undergraduate degree in Paleontology at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). I was required to take 3 field classes (1st and 2nd year geology, 4th year paleontology), and another one of my classes included a field trip (4th year paleobotany). I also took an invertebrate zoology class at Bodega Marine Lab (UC Davis) as a grad student, but as I was already working/living at the lab, I didn’t have to spend any extra money (other than tuition), but other students had to pay for lodging/meals. The 1st and 2nd year geology field camps I took at the U of A were 2 – 3 weeks tours across Alberta and B.C., mostly consisting of mapping exercises in the Rocky Mountains. Our paleo field schools were within the city, so we could go home every day, which was nice after a day of digging in the snow/mud in April! For the 1st and 2nd year field schools, we stayed in hotels or cabins. At the time, a lot of the costs were funded by oil and gas companies, so there weren’t too many extra expenses incurred by the students (other than tuition). That said, field gear is expensive, and as a 1st year, buying expensive waterproof notebooks, rock hammers, hand lenses, sturdy hiking boots, and field clothes was a little hard on the budget! Although, many years later, I still own and use a lot of those things, so some were very useful investments if you’re going to continue to do field work.

One thing I’d say is that it’s not worth buying the really expensive field clothes or rain gear because one tumble on rocks or rogue branch, and they get shredded. Field gear doesn’t need to be pretty or brand-named – I buy $10 rain pants because I know I’ll destroy them anyway (and I’ve had one of those pairs last me 10 years). The other challenge was that I paired with two men for the trip (we were marked as groups and stayed in the same cabins). They were good friends of mine and I was fortunate enough to trust them, but as a smaller woman, keeping up with them and finding a private spot to “go” outside was a little bit of a challenge! Thankfully, there were usually spots with trees, but I’ve done a lot of fieldwork with men where there was no cover, so trust is key. I tend not to drink coffee when I’m in the field and just stick to water to minimize unnecessary trips to the bathroom. You don’t want to short-change yourself on water in the field, though, so just make sure you are open and honest with your group about your bathroom needs (menstruating folx, especially). Field camps can be tiring, cold, and a pile of work, but they are absolutely awesome experiences and a chance to visit some amazing, remote places. They also gave me the confidence and experience to be able to conduct and lead independent field work in grad school, which might not be necessary for everyone, but is an important part of my research. Make sure to take lots of pictures and notes (good note taking is so important) and enjoy the experience!

Science Communication at The University of South Florida

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Sarah here –

If you’ve been following Time Scavengers, you may have seen the paleo news posts that my students have written, which have been great! This post is a summary post about what I learned and what my students learned throughout the course of this project. I teach an upper- level class for geoscience majors at The University of South Florida called paleontology and stratigraphy. When I was designing what the course would look like, I tried to think about the skills I most wanted my students to have upon leaving. As most of my students in my classes won’t become paleontologists— they’ll go into a wide variety of science jobs— I wanted to find skills that will help them, no matter where they go. A lot of the things I want them to learn are already skills emphasized in a lot of college classes, including the ones I teach— critical thinking, evidence- based arguments, hypothesis testing, and other things. But one thing that I value a lot in science is the ability to communicate clearly with anyone, not just scientists. 

The talks, seminars, and papers that I see and read and resonate with most are those that are easily accessible. It’s hard to get engaged and get excited about a topic (even something in my field!) if I have to continuously stop and think about what the person might be trying to say— I think most people would probably feel the same. I wanted my students to practice explaining scientific concepts in a way that anyone who wanted to read it would understand, so that when they wrote papers, presented research talks, talked to future clients, or even chatted with people about their science in cabs or at family gatherings, they could remember how to break down complicated concepts in an effective way without removing the main points of the science. 

Example of the graphics made to showcase the USF Paleo/Strat student work. These were shared on the Time Scavengers social media channels.

Students chose a recently published paper of their own interest and wrote a draft of their summary. Then, they had a chance to learn a bit more about the peer review process scientists go through (check out more on how peer review and publishing works here) by trading drafts with a partner and reviewing their work for clarity, accuracy, and grammar. I made final suggestions as the editor. Finally, the posts were published on this site! You can read all of my excellent students’ work here: USF Paleo/Strat

Students really seemed to enjoy this project, so much so that I had an idea for this spring and summer: to get students involved in a long term project to develop their scientific communication skills. Over the next few months, you’ll start seeing posts from my students who are writing a series of blogs and paper summaries as they work to develop their scientific communication skills. If you haven’t yet had a chance to meet Kailey, Lisette, Baron, or Mckenna, check out their bios now! 

Advice for Nomadic Academics (or, Moving is Hard)

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Jen, Adriane, and Sarah here-

Entering the academic world and starting graduate school often means moving away from your family and loved ones and starting a new adventure. Each program, position, or job often comes with an associated move. We hope to share our successes and failures navigating moves and the burdens that come with them.

Jen [Illinois > Ohio > Tennessee > Florida > Michigan]

I have had four major moves (to new states) and three minor moves (local moves). Each move presented different challenges and experiences. My first move was from my home in Illinois to Ohio University to start my MS. This was about 6 hours from my mom’s house and we simply packed her Highlander and that was it. I had found a furnished (shared) apartment so I didn’t need any furniture and was able to fit everything else into her vehicle. I did not have a car of my own at this time and she drove home the following day after helping me unload the vehicle. 

I did another move within Athens on my own to an unfurnished (shared) apartment. I took a few trips to bring a futon mattress but didn’t really have any other furniture items. A hiccup – probably an issue with most college towns – is that lease signing happens so early! So I had about a 1 month gap between leases and it just so happened I would be at field camp. So I moved all of my apartment into the lab for storage (thanks, Hannah and Alycia!) and then when I returned I moved into my new apartment. At this stage, I was borrowing my mom’s highlander and did the move(s) on my own. I had a small foldable dolly that I had gotten for ~20 bucks at Ace Hardware. Both of these moves were very inexpensive since I had essentially no furniture. I slept on a futon mattress on the floor of my second Athens apartment.

My move to Knoxville, Tennessee took more planning and was more costly. I was able to fill the Highlander (thanks mom!) with most of my belongings from Athens but I had obtained a futon mattress and a few extras like lamps and storage containers. Not everything fit into the Highlander, but Jeb (my partner) was willing to drive down separately with me and was able to fit the rest into his sedan. After we got situated in Knoxville, Jeb went back to Athens and I drove up to Chicago to get some furniture from my mom’s house since I now had an apartment but no furniture. My mom and I rented a cargo van from Enterprise and I drove the van and she drove the Highlander back down to Tennessee. We had the van for about a week so I could also buy a bed and bed frame (woo adult life) and then Nancy (mom) drove it back to Chicago. This totalled ~$700 for gas and van rental for the week. There are certainly cheaper ways to do this but this is what worked out for us at the time. After two years in the apartment, Jeb and I decided to move into a house in Knoxville. We found this house on Craigslist and for the in-town move, his mom drove up with their truck and helped us move everything.

Myself, our two cats, and Jeb on the way up to Michigan from Florida.

The next move was to Gainesville, Florida where I got a postdoc at the Florida Museum of Natural History. I also was accepted to participate in a month-long workshop just before the postdoc was set to begin. So Jeb and I moved a trailer full of our stuff to Gainesville when he dropped me off at the workshop (a ~8.5 hour drive but ~10 in with the trailer). Our Subaru’s battery died on the way down, which was a difficult adventure (thank you nice Georgia man). We then stayed around looking at some local apartments. I eventually got an email from a current grad student there with an available house for very cheap – rented out by old staff and faculty of UF. The house was about 10 miles outside of town (a bit of a hike on my bike) but we couldn’t beat the rental price. The day my workshop was ending, Jeb drove down another trailer and our cats to the house. He had to pack it on his own and it was difficult. He arrived ~2:30 am and we had to start unpacking because we needed an empty trailer to pick up our stored belongings the following morning. This can be summed up by Jeb saying: ‘watch out there’s a bag of knives in the back’. The 6×12 trailers were ~$50 for a few days so we did that for two trips. We used Uhaul for both the trailers and storage – when you rent from them you can get a month of free storage!!! Take advantage of this program!!

Now that I had made it all the way south, it was time to head back to the midwest. We moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan from Gainesville at the end of August 2019. This time we rented a 20 foot U Haul truck with a trailer to pull the Subaru. We got the U Haul 3 days in advance to pack it best we could – yes this was more money but we desperately needed the time to get everything situated. We drove 14 hours the first day with two cats in the cab of the truck and spent the night at a Super 8 that we had selected for the giant parking lot… that was full when we arrived at 11:30 pm. The hotel was a complete crap hole and we slept and got up and drove another 7 hours to Ann Arbor. This one I budgeted out and recorded all of the expenses. Here is the breakdown: U Haul = $1110.56; Gas = $229.85; Food = $14.82; Hotel = $55.05 for a total of $1520.28. We obviously didn’t eat a lot and were very exhausted when we got up to Ann Arbor. Most recently, we did a more local move from Ann Arbor to Chelsea, about 20 minutes west of Ann Arbor. This was unfortunately during the stay at home order. We were able to rent an in town U Haul for about 24 hours. For whatever reason we went with the 10 foot truck, which required three roundtrips and several in our Subaru as well. We did all the packing and unpacking on our own, washed our hands a lot and did our best to be socially distant during the move. The truck cost $136.61 and gas was ~$16 for a total of $152.61. 

Other things to consider: deposits, some companies require first and last month rent, changing electrical can have a processing fee, setting up internet services has a fee, cleaning supplies, don’t forget a new shower curtain (we did multiple times).

Sarah [North Carolina > Alabama > Tennessee > Florida]

Moving regularly can really have a big impact on you, especially since it’s easy to feel isolated in academia and it’s expensive (especially on a graduate student budget!). Jen covered a lot of the details I would have, with moving truck logistics and costs, so I’ll try and focus on other aspects of moving to consider! 

With each of my major moves to new states, I did so as cheaply as possible, since I was a graduate student/recently graduated graduate student for all of them. I did so by moving in a cargo van or the smallest possible moving truck. This was made easier by not taking a lot of furniture with me when I moved. I went to thrift stores the week I moved to town and purchased things like tables, chairs, bookshelves, etc for cheap and sold them what I could or donated them when I moved again. Usually, I could afford to get all the furniture I needed for under $100-$150, which was way easier and cheaper than it’d be to rent a bigger truck to haul it hours away. 

The major concern when I move is my pets- if you didn’t know, I have a LOT of pets. My partner and I have fostered for a few different animal shelters and we have quite a few of our own and some fosters that ended up just staying with us permanently. So moving can quickly become a hassle, so I’ll give you a breakdown of the things you might need to think about! I’ve never flown with my pet (I have too many and I have pets that most airlines don’t generally allow on board), so I can’t give you advice on that! I always drive with mine! Here’s a picture of all of my critters that I’ve moved with!

Sarah’s pets, from top left to bottom right: Here are my guinea pigs, Iris, Annie, and Cassie (Iris and Cassie were permanent fosters through the Knoxville Guinea Pig Rescue), my dogs Piper and Boon, and bunnies Leo and Josie. Missing from this image are my many other foster bunnies, guinea pigs, and even a gerbil!

Do you have pets that could be not allowed in a rental agreement? I have a pitbull- mix, which can often be discriminated against in rental houses and apartment complexes. While I don’t agree with these policies, I can’t do much to change them. When moving to Tampa, I spent a lot of time trying to find apartments that did not discriminate and I did eventually find a good one. We contacted a real estate office that helped with apartment rentals and they gave us a list of apartments that didn’t have restrictions. A lot of apartments will also discriminate against “exotic pets” (i.e., anything outside of a cat or dog). 

My best advice in this situation is to call and talk to them before you move in. I called a number of apartments and talked to them about my bunnies (I have two-Leo and Josie, 8.5 year old siblings). Most of the apartments were willing to waive that restriction when I explained that my bunnies were litter trained. I was also able to get the pitbull restriction waived when I was in town and made appointments to meet the apartment managers. Piper won them over in a minute with her endless affection!

Do you have more pets than a rental agreement usually allows? This can be a tough one! Again, if you feel comfortable, just call your apartment. I called in advance and explained that while we had two dogs, we also had two small bunnies and a guinea pig, all of whom were litter trained or lived in a hutch and wouldn’t have access to the rest of the apartment. My new apartment said that was fine, while others said no (so I didn’t rent from them).

Do you have money for pet deposits and monthly pet fees? Many places charge pet deposits that can be hundreds of dollars and monthly additions to rent. Make sure you can afford those charges before the move.

Look for vets BEFORE you move! If you can, make sure to find a vet that you think you’ll like before you move. This is *especially important* if you have a pet that isn’t a cat or dog, since not all vets are required to treat critters like bunnies, guinea pigs. This is so important because you never know when an emergency will happen! One of my bunnies had an emergency medical situation when we first moved here, and I had luckily already scoped out an emergency vet that could see bunnies. Call the vet office before hand to make sure they’re accredited (i.e., the AAHA- the American Animal Hospital Association) and to make sure they have someone who can provide help with your pets’ specific conditions, if they have any. It can be really scary not to have a vet identified in an emergency!  Tip: does your local university have a vet school? They may have a clinic you can use!

Have at least a month of supplies stored, just in case. This is super important because critters don’t always tolerate change well! Make sure to have enough food, litter, and other needed supplies so that you can keep their lives a bit steadier while you move to a new place. Sometimes, you may need to take a few days to figure out where to get supplies in your new town (or, like in my case, 2017 Hurricane Irma came just a few weeks after we moved to Florida and we needed to have a bit extra on hand!)

Make sure to be extra patient with your pet. Moving is tough and it’s a lot harder when you don’t know what’s going on. Make sure to praise your pet, give them extra attention and treats. Consider giving them a new, special toy to distract them. Be patient if they forget their manners and use the bathroom inside- sometimes, stress can make your pets react weirdly. With my dogs, we had to move them to a separate room when we were loading the truck so they didn’t see it, which kept them calmer. If you know your pet is nervous, ask your vet if there’s a good medication option to help them get through the car ride.

Adriane [Virginia > Ohio > Virginia >Massachusetts > New York]

Jen and Sarah have already given you great advice above related to pets and moving fees, so I’ll keep this brief and provide some additional advice. First of all, I hate moving. My family moved a lot when I was younger, and as a consequence I feel like I don’t really have a ‘family home’ when I think back to my childhood. So when I move, the feelings of anxiety and unsteady home life come flooding back. Here, I’ll give you some insight into how I deal with moving. 

When I moved to Massachusetts, it was just my husband and I. We had rented a U-Haul truck with a car trailer. My husband drove the truck towing his car, and I drove our Jeep with our two cats crated in the back. We did the drive from Virginia to Massachusetts in one day; it took 14 hours and it was HELL. We were all tired, but luckily our hotel in MA was nice. I had researched hotels near our new apartment extensively, as I knew we needed one with a large parking lot, a free breakfast (that’s always my requirement for a hotel; if I’m paying to stay with you, feed me), and of course they had to be pet friendly. We stayed at a Howard Johnson with two queen beds, which I hoped the cats slept on their own bed. No, they slept with us (ok, it *was* super cute). The next day, we drove to our new apartment and moved in. We had trouble moving in our couch (our apartment was on the third floor, with a narrow stairwell), but lucky for us a neighbor helped (we became and still are to this day good friends). 

Spice, my Maine Coon cat, in her crate during the move. Her face captures all of our feelings about moving.

I really came to love our Massachusetts apartment, which really became our community and home. Therefore, when I got the postdoc offer from Binghamton University in New York, my excitement soon turned to anxiety when I realized this would require another move. However, in my offer package, the university would cover moving costs up to $3,000. I took full advantage of this. I hired a moving company for our moving day, and we were able to move 3.5 hours away from Amherst, MA to Binghamton, NY in one day. Whew! The cost came to a bit over $2,900 but under $3,000. If I can help it, I will never move again without hiring movers. Just be aware, with moving reimbursements from universities, especially public universities, the state may require an invoice or bill of lading. I did not realize this when I moved, my moving company has been unresponsive when I try to get in touch with them, and therefore I’m still waiting for my moving reimbursement from New York state today.  

As mentioned, I become super stressed when I move. Here’s some things I did before our move to NY from MA that helped with the stress:

  1. I tried to pack a box or two every day for a month before we moved. This allowed me to organize stuff and carefully pack all my valuable things (read: fossils). 
  2. I carefully labeled boxes with their contents, and grouped boxes with similar contents together. This way, when we moved, the movers kept together all the kitchen stuff, office boxes, etc. It made unpacking easier as well. 
  3. I Googled Binghamton (where we were moving to) and made a mental list of things I wanted to try, do, and places to visit when we got there. I find that if I have something positive and fun to look forward to, this reduces my anxiety greatly. I also feel more comfortable visiting or moving to a place the more I know about it beforehand. 
  4. I visited my favorite shops and stores in Amherst, and brought those foods, wine, and beer with us to our new home. It was nice to have these things with us in New York, as they were small comforts and gave us, oddly, a sense of peace.
  5. I talked about my anxieties about my moving anxieties with my husband, and cried a lot. I have a thing where I stop talking about things that bother me, which will just increases my anxiety about an issue and causes me to cut myself off from those around me. It’s super unhealthy, I know, but I made a conscious effort to reach out and share my fears with my partner about moving. This helped my mood immensely, although it didn’t totally dissipate the anxiety. If you are like me, I would also strongly suggest visiting a therapist to share and work through anxieties about moving (I probably should have). 

Geology Tour of Washington, D.C.

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Image 1: A marble sample with a black stylolite in the right-hand corner, caused by metamorphic stress to the rock. This sample was found in a bathroom in a café in D.C. Finger for scale.

Sarah here-

Recently, I went to the Washington D.C. area to visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (which you can read about here) and to attend a workshop on best practices for new faculty members. But while I was there, I spied some excellent geology right in the city! I already showed you some of those while I was in the museum itself, so I’ll show you some of the other amazing pieces of Earth history that I saw!

I want to remind you that looking at amazing geology doesn’t have to wait for you to be on vacation or in a faraway destination-you can see these sites anywhere, if you’re paying attention! If you want to read more of these types of posts, check out my post from last year on the geology of bathrooms.

Image 2: This is a staircase in the Union Station in D.C.! This is another type of marble, but clearly a very different type of marble than the one we saw earlier.

This first image is of a beautiful stylolite in a marble countertop in the bathroom of a café in the center of Washington D.C. A stylolite is caused when rock, most commonly carbonate rocks like limestone (which we call marble when they are metamorphosed), are put under extreme pressure and the individual grains will compress and leak fluid, leaving behind a squiggly line, like what you see in image 1. Just beautiful!

Image 3: Here’s a granite sample I found on the wall of a building outside. The large crystals indicate that the sample cooled slowly. What I found interesting about this sample is the large presence of the darker colored mineral (amphibole) in the sample! Finger for scale.

Our next stop brings us to Union Station in Washington D.C., where I found this magnificent staircase completely by accident (image 2). I was visiting Gallaudet University and the first signing Starbucks, when I got turned around and ended up at a different Metro station than I had originally intended. Well, serendipitously, I found this absolute beauty, making the detour more than worth it. This rock, just like the image before, is a type of marble, though it has very different colors. The red color in this marble can be attributed to chemical impurities- red is typically what we’d see if iron and feldspar was present in the marble sample. You can also see veins filled with calcite and look like quartz all throughout the staircase! I was intrigued about where this marble came from, so I did a little research. There wasn’t a lot of information, but it seems that this marble likely came from Vermont (See this blog here: https://blogs.agu.org/magmacumlaude/2014/06/13/building-dc-union-station-just-the-floors/), which was created over 400 million years ago, when limestone produced from a shallow sea collided with a volcanic arc and metamorphosed in an orogeny, or a tectonic collision. This is a fairly common scenario with how we get a lot of our marble from the Paleozoic in North America.

Image 4: Here we can see phyllite, a low-grade metamorphic rock as a decorative feature of a wall. Phyllite is easily recognizable by its slight banding (which looks more like waviness when you’re looking at this particular rock) and the glittery sheen to it, given by the muscovite mica which develops during the metamorphic process.

Our tour continues to just outside of Washington D.C., to Arlington, VA, where I was visiting a friend in the area. As we were walking to breakfast, I was treated to a spectacular number of rocks featured in the buildings’ walls along the way. First, is a beautiful granite (image 3). The pink mineral is potassium feldspar (K-spar, for short), intermixed with the milky white mineral (quartz) and a lot of amphibole, the black colored mineral that’s heavily present on the left side of the block. Granite also usually contains biotite, a black mica.  If you take a look at this granite, you’ll see that the individual crystals are quite large, which tells us a lot about its formation. It’s telling us that it was formed intrusively; meaning, it was formed in an area not exposed to Earth’s surface and it cooled slowly, giving the crystals time to grow. I stopped to take a photo of this because the amphibole (there are many varieties of amphibole-hornblende is the most common in granite) because the heavy presence of the swirling amphibole isn’t something I usually see in most granite samples. Second, I saw these gorgeous phyllite samples on the outer wall of a building (image 4). Phyllite is a low-grade metamorphic rock, which means it’s not exposed to extremely high amounts of heat and pressure, but it has undergone significant changes from its protolith (otherwise known as its parent rock). In the case of phyllite, its protolith was a shale (compacted mud). You can recognize phyllite by a few different characteristics. During the metamorphic process, muscovite (a soft mineral in the mica family) develops, giving phyllite a really lovely shiny appearance (you can think of mica as being like nature’s glitter; just like glitter, mica is nearly impossible to completely get rid of if you accidentally get it everywhere!). You can also recognize phyllite by the gentle bands that form. Many metamorphic rocks are foliated, which we can think of as banding across a rock. The more pronounced the banding usually indicates a higher amount of metamorphism applied to the rock.  Phyllite has subtle banding, which indicates that lower amount of metamorphism.

So, this next image (image 5) isn’t in D.C., but it was found during this trip in College Park, Maryland on the University of Maryland’s campus. It’s another gorgeous example of granite, this time in a fountain. Sometimes it can be really hard to recognize rocks when you’re used to seeing them beautifully polished and sealed (like the granite in image 3, but you can definitely do it with practice!) Just like in image 3, if you look closely at this fountain, you’ll see large crystals, because it’s an intrusive rock, and the same types of minerals- our pink K-spar, milky quartz, and black amphiboles. An intrusive magmatic event from millions of years ago had to form and cool, and then that granite had to be exhumed (brought to the surface) for someone to make that fountain. So cool!

Image 5: A fountain on the University of Maryland’s campus made of unpolished granite. You can tell its granite by the types of minerals in the rock (quartz, K-spar, and amphibole) and the larger crystal grains that make up the fountain!

Last, but certainly not least, let’s look at the marble here in the Ronald Reagan airport (image 6). This gorgeous marble makes up part of a seafood restaurant right near the entrance to the airport, before you go through the security line. Sorry that the image is kind of far away, but this was the closest I was able to get before having to get through the security line! One of my favorite things about marble is how different it can look from sample to sample. This marble shows completely different features than the ones I showed in images 1 and 2-remember, the color of marble is driven by chemical impurities. You can see large scale veins of what is likely calcite all over the rock itself as well as some dissolution features on the left side.

Image 6: Marble being used as the wall around the elevator shaft in the Ronald Reagan Airport. This marble shows large veins and dissolution features that we didn’t see as much in images 1 and 2!

Research Trip to the Smithsonian

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Sarah here-

Recently, I went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for a few days for some research (image 1)! This was an especially exciting trip because I got to see the BRAND-NEW Fossil Hall exhibits that the curators and staff have been working on for years (image 2)!!

My main goal for going to the collections was to make a personal database of the specimens present at the Smithsonian that belong to the groups I’m currently working on, echinoderms called Diploporita and Rhombifera and make notes of my own for future projects I’d like to start. For example, many of the specimens at the Smithsonian had unusual preservation, so I was thinking about possible projects for myself and for future research students to look into why these fossils were preserved the way that they were. I took photos of many of the specimens so that I’d have a good reference for later, too (image 3).

Image 1. Here I am with my visitor’s badge! This badge lets me get into the collections areas.

Image 2: This is an advertisement for the brand-new Fossil Hall at the Smithsonian on the side of a bus stop on Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C.

Image 3: This is a typical setup for fossil photography. I was taking photos of a fossil called Holocystites, a common echinoderm fossil from Silurian rocks of Indiana.

My main goal for writing this post, however, is to show you what it’s like to work at a museum! Museums are amazing places to go and learn and have fun, but it’s a totally different experience to go to a museum to look at its exhibits, as opposed to going to look at the collections. The exhibits at the Smithsonian, the halls filled to the brim with amazing rocks, fossils, and artifacts, only make up a teeny tiny percentage of what’s actually stored in the museum. So, without further ago, here’s the behind the scenes tour!

So, while the exhibits are absolutely beautiful and show off magnificent tales of Earth’s history, the collections areas show off something completely different but equally beautiful: the rows and rows of cabinets that are chock full of fossils just waiting to be studied (Image 4)! Every time a scientist publishes a paper on a fossil, that fossil has to be put in a public museum so that it can be studied by other people in the future (this isn’t always true, but almost all journals require that you put your fossils in a public museum). Some of the fossils in those collection rooms are absolutely beautiful and totally worthy of being put in an exhibit (image 5), but so many more, while they aren’t as “perfect”, give us insight into scientifically interesting questions.

Image 4: Look at these cabinets! Each drawer is FILLED with fossils! This is just one of the many rows of echinoderm fossils.

Image 5: Just look at this gorgeous crinoid fossil!!! This crinoid (called a sea lily) belongs to Echinodermata, the group that includes modern day sea stars. One of these fossils was likely made during a storm event, where a living creature was buried alive quite suddenly- it’s how we see such beautiful preservation of its many body parts.

Image 6: This exhibit shows how echinoderms have modified their ability to attach to surfaces and feed throughout time, from over 500 million years ago to modern day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, I want to show you a little bit about the Smithsonian’s exhibits! I want to show you my favorite new exhibit. You guessed it-it’s about echinoderms! This new exhibit shows the changing body types we see in these fossils throughout geologic time (image 6). They also did some really great work on an Ice Age exhibit and the megafauna that lived there (like mammoths, the Irish Elk, large sloths). It was tied in really well with learning about how climate change has affected life on Earth in the past and life on Earth now!

Finally, I want to show you around the exhibits you might not have noticed at the Smithsonian- the floors and bathroom counters! Since this is the nation’s most famous natural history museum, you know they have to have some good geology in their building materials! The main staircases that run through the museum are marble (metamorphosed (meaning, it was put under a lot of heat and pressure) limestone). Marble often leaves us clues about how it was metamorphosed by leaving behind stylolites. Stylolites are deformation features-meaning, the marks that rocks leave behind when they’re being squished by geologic processes. They often look like little squiggly lines! Check out the epic stylolites in the marble staircases of the Smithsonian (image 8)! Finally, here is a column that is made out of a rock called a metaconglomerate, which is a metamorphosed conglomerate (image 9). To put that into normal words, a conglomerate is a sedimentary rock that’s made up of large pieces of material (like pebbles or larger) all jumbled together. A metaconglomerate is simply one that has been deformed from heat and pressure! You can tell that this column been metamorphosed by how the large pieces of rock look like they’ve been stretched out and bent in weird directions.

Image 7: Here is the ground sloth they have on display! Ground sloths are some of my favorite non-echinoderm fossils. It’s hard to comprehend just how big they were, especially when you compare them to sloths today!

Image 8: Here are stylolites from the staircases of the museum! My foot for scale in the bottom corner.

Image 9: A column made up of metaconglomerate, which is a conglomerate that’s been subjected to heat and pressure. Bonus: look at the floors this column is sitting on top of! Gorgeous!

Eco-friendly Holiday Celebrations

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Sarah here –

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is fast upon us! I know you’re probably already thinking of all the things you want to do to prepare- decorate your home, inside and out, send holiday cards, buy presents, bake delicious cookies, etc. This post today is about ways we can all take to make sure that our holiday celebrations are more eco-friendly! 

Decorations 

One thing to notice is that thrift stores are FULL of great holiday decorations! Why buy new when you can get awesome decorations for a fraction of the cost? Just this weekend, I was in a thrift store looking for a nightstand, when I came across a ton of great holiday decorations. I walked away with enough outdoor string lights to decorate the trees in my yard for a total of $4, all working and in great condition. There were artificial Christmas trees there, Hanukkah decorations, and more- all for a low price. Consider buying used to keep these types of things out of the landfill. Try to stay away from balloons, plastic streamers, plastic confetti, and decorative grass (like the kind you find in Easter baskets a lot of the times)- these are not recyclable and there are paper alternatives for many of them! As for balloons, many of the times, their pieces get stuck outside and animals try to eat them- causing illness and even death.  

As so much of this is made out of plastic, decorations will absolutely last in a landfill for years to come. Reduce the amount we all collectively purchase from stores, save yourself some money, and reduce the landfill- it’s a win- win- win! 

Ugly Sweater Parties and Holiday outfits

Skip Target and Walmart and go straight to the thrift store. So many people buy Ugly Sweaters, wear them once, and then donate them! I am not advocating for people to go to thrift stores and buy perfectly good, used clothing that’s cheap as a practical joke (many people use thrift stores as their primary clothing source- and for good reason! It’s accessible to a range of budgets) store, but there are *plenty* of Christmas themed sweaters at the thrift store that were made for the purpose of wearing to holiday parties! The clothing industry is responsible for an extreme amount of landfill waste and microplastic pollution in the ocean. Holiday sweaters often have glitter, sequins, and other items on it that definitely contribute to that- buy used!

There are also so many kids’ outfits in brand new condition at the thrift stores, as well as holiday party outfits for any age! Go there before going to a store to buy a new outfit! 

Cards and wrapping paper 

I love sending holiday cards and getting them. But there are ways we can send and receive holiday cards with a bit more thought to the environment. 

First, and easiest, make sure to recycle the holiday cards/envelopes you choose not to keep! Second, try to select cards and envelopes that are devoid of glitter and anything that isn’t strictly paper- it cannot be recycled as well. Make sure that the cards and envelopes you’re disposing are recyclable, as well.

As for wrapping paper, don’t buy wrapping paper with any metallic foils or glitter- they aren’t recyclable. Skip the ribbons and bows- you can get some great all paper options that look great but can be recycled! One fun thing you can do is use paper you already have to wrap your gifts. It might not be holiday-themed, but it can reduce your waste output (I’m actually using the wrapping from my toilet paper rolls! I use a company (https://us.whogivesacrap.org – the toilet paper is made from recycled paper, so no more trees*!) and their rolls are wrapped in cute paper (no plastic at all!) My partner and I decided the paper was too cute to throw away, so we’re wrapping gifts in them. 

Here’s what a lot of thrift stores look like right now- tons and tons of holiday decorations! Go there first, stock up, and save them from the landfill! Encourage your friends to do the same (image from https://livingthegoodwilllife.wordpress.com/tag/holidays/)

Gifts

This is a big conversation. Simply put, we have to do something to reduce our constant purchasing of new things that will eventually end up in a landfill. That doesn’t mean we have to change our gift-giving traditions, but there are ways of gift-giving without the carbon footprint. 

Appliances. How many of us are looking at new tablets, phones, robot vacuums, or instant pots this holiday season? So many of the Black Friday sales are dedicated to these types of gifts right now. 

First, we really need to consider holding on to our phones and tablets and other devices for as long as possible- these things use Rare Earth materials that, as you might have guessed, are rare- we can only mine them for so much longer. So consider holding on to your current devices until you absolutely need to get a new one. 

If you really want a new kitchen appliance, try going on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace! For example, my partner has really been wanting to try out an instant pot, but neither of us were willing to buy one. In our area, people are listing their used instant pots that they used once or twice and decided they didn’t want them! Try buying a gently used one for a holiday gift- it saves a ton of money and you’re reducing your carbon footprint by not buying a new appliance. 

There are SO many things you can buy used or refurbished- just try! Books, furniture, appliances, children’s toys, and more can very often be found almost brand new for so much less. Before buying something new, see if you can find it used, instead! Last week when I was thrift store shopping, the section of children’s toys was huge! All of the toys looked to be in great condition- for those of you shopping for kids out there, see if you can’t give a toy a second home. Often, that toy only needs a little TLC to make it as good as new (seriously- I think the entire stock of Paw Patrol toys was there!). 

Experiences. This holiday season, consider giving the gift of something to do. How about buy a loved one a zoo or aquarium membership, tickets to see the latest movie, a gift certificate for a massage, or a chance to go to a museum they’ve always wanted to see? Gifts like this, that can be shared together, can make wonderful memories that won’t contribute nearly as much to a landfill.  I don’t know about you, but I cherish the time spent with family much more so than any gift. 

Practical gifts. We can also consider giving someone practical gifts! I know this might sound weird, but my mom’s annual holiday gift to me while I was in graduate school was paying for my bunny’s annual checkup at the vet office. It was a gift of love, for sure, and made me smile because it was something I really needed. Consider giving the loved ones in your life things that they could use- maybe a pack of silicone, plastic free sponges? A set of plastic free freezer bags? Maybe take your friend who’s in grad school grocery shopping? There are all kinds of great gifts that will be useful and not get discarded are great! 

Holiday Baking. Really, my favorite part of the holiday- cookies and cakes! Consider not using plastic wrap to wrap your goodies, if you can help it. Wrap them in paper, or beeswax, or go to the thrift store and pick up a dozen of those holiday themed tins (seriously- there are so many there!) Consider that the wrapping will often be discarded, so try to move away from stuff that can’t be recycled or will end up in the landfill. Also, baking is a great gift if you want to move away from giving someone an item that might not be used or might end up in a landfill! Do you have a killer banana bread recipe? Do you love making cute iced cookies? Make someone’s day and bring them some! 

I hope all of you reading this have a holiday season filled with joy, time with loved ones, and relaxation. If we all make a few small changes to how we approach the holiday season, we can all reduce our carbon impact! Happy holidays, everyone! 

*This toilet paper company is not giving me any kickbacks for this site link! I just really like them for their environmentally friendly policies!

Hobbies are important!

jenebauerLeave a comment

Sarah, Jen, and Adriane here-

Ever wondered what a scientist does for fun? Many people are surprised to find out that people who do science are into just about every single hobby that can be done! I think shows like the Big Bang Theory, that paint scientists as really nerdy and incapable of doing non-science related things, can make people think that scientists are really like that in real life (some of us are! Definitely nothing wrong with that- but scientists are a pretty diverse group of people). Why are hobbies important, though? Well, hobbies keep me sane. They give me a chance to take a break, completely, from work and do something challenging and fun. They give me a chance to make new friends outside of science and give me things to look forward to, when work gets tough.

So what kind of hobbies are scientists into? Well, we here at Time Scavengers wrote a group post so you could see the the types of stuff we get up to in our spare time.

Sarah

The three trilobites I’ve cross stitched so far! (This is my very first attempt at any form of embroidery-I’m pretty proud of them!

My favorite thing to do is read! I have a challenge with myself–I read at least 50 books a year. I don’t have a favorite genre, really. I’ll read just about anything: fiction, classics, memoirs, young adult–I just like reading stories of other people’s lives, whether they’re real or fictional. I read every night before I go to sleep and I always have an audiobook that I listen to while I’m vacuuming, walking to class, or driving in the car. Right now, as this post is being written, I’m rereading Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and listening to Tara Westover’s Educated (both super good–highly recommend!). I’ve read books for fun for as long as I can remember. Little known fact about me- I was on a competitive reading team in middle school aka I was super cool and not at all nerdy.

I’m also really into crafts. My mom is an art teacher, so she taught me how to do a lot of different crafty things (even if I inherited none of her skill). I love to paint, decoupage, and create all kinds of things. Recently, I decided to take up learning how to embroider. So far, I’ve cross stitched a few different trilobites to hang up in my office! Around my house are the relics of old craft projects that I’ve made and am probably way too proud of.

Another project of mine that I’ve taken up is learning American Sign Language. I’ve always wanted to learn and I recently decided that there was no time like the present. So, for the past year, I’ve been taking online classes through my local community college and spending time on weekends with the Tampa Deaf community to learn how to communicate via sign. It’s been a total blast and I’m hoping to keep learning!

Photo: the three trilobites I’ve cross stitched so far! (This is my very first attempt at any form of embroidery. I’m pretty proud of them!)

Jen

Jen at Graham Swamp Conservation Area where she was biking and checking out dredged sediment from the beach. Fossils galore!!

My favorite thing to do is be outside. After working for any amount of time the only thing that really refreshes me is getting some sunlight and air. Most of my work involves sitting at my computer so I constantly get burned out from staring at my screen. These days I do a lot of biking both on long greenways on my road bike and on trails on my mountain bike. Jeb even made some nice trails on our property in Gainesville – almost two miles! I used to do a lot of trail running when we lived in Knoxville but would have to take long breaks to offset my shin splints, which would get really painful at times. I also like to examine the wildlife – what’s around me and do I know what it is? iNaturalist allows me to figure out what the things are that I’m unfamiliar with. They have a more ‘fun’ app called Seek that has monthly challenges and can identify organisms as you sort of pan over them with your camera! It’s a lot of fun to explore and learn and the same time.

I also knit scarves, I don’t do fancy patterns or anything besides scarves because the point of knitting, to me, is to clear my mind and keep my hands busy while we are watching TV or just relaxing. I choose to knit Harry Potter scarves because I love the series!! I first started knitting them almost a decade ago and have a little Etsy shop where people can purchase them if they want to. They are also really warm, I started making them when I lived in Chicago and it’s just a funny joke that I keep moving south and keep making them.

I have many other hobbies but those are the two that I really enjoy the most. I read books but not as avidly as I once did and it’s much harder for me than it used to be, I suppose it’s because my mind wanders more easily to get all of my other tasks done. I do yoga a lot, play with my cats, garden, play Pokemon Go, blog, and chat with old friends.

Adriane

Adriane and Scimmitar!

As I’m in the last year of my PhD and frantically trying to finish my dissertation, I don’t have as many hobbies as I should. Much like Sarah and Jen, I do enjoy reading novels (mostly fiction to balance out the serious-ness of sciencing), playing Pokemon Go, blogging, and hanging out with my cats and husband. When the weather is nice, I also enjoy hiking around western Massachusetts (there’s no shortage of awesome views here!). My husband and I have also taken up biking, which has been great incentive to get us out of the house and doing something physical! Often in the summer and fall, we bike down to a market down the road a bit for ice cream.

Honestly, my most guilty pleasure right now is Netflix and HBO, and cooking. There is nothing I love more than to come home after a long day at work (I’m currently averaging about 9-10 hour days in the lab, so when I come home, I don’t feel like doing much) and plopping onto the couch with my kitties and husband. I love to cook and experiment with different recipes, so I usually cook about 5-6 days a week. After that, my husband and I watch the latest TV obsession, which is usually a series (yes, we’re sad Game of Thrones is over, but hey, that leaves more time for re-watching other beloved series like Dexter!).

The aforementioned hobbies (if you call watching TV a hobby) are not always my ideal ways to pass the time, so I’ll let you all in on a little secret: I LOVE old cars! Before I left home for graduate school, my dad and I would work on my 1971 Mercury Comet, which my husband wittily named ‘Halley’ (like Halley’s Comet, get it?). My dad bought the car for me as my high school graduation gift, and we’ve been working on it ever since. My dad is a huge car nerd as well. He’s a machinist by trade, but I’ve never met anyone who knows as much about cars as him. He has rebuilt several engines, installed exhaust systems, rebuilt carburetors, you name it. Since I’ve had Halley, we’ve put in a new engine (a 306 cubic inch compared to the 289 that was in it), new rims, and lockers on the rear (lockers make both back tires spin at the same time). Eventually, I’d like to make the car a 4-speed, install bucket seats, and give Halley a paint job, as currently she is 3 different colors. As you can imagine, antique car restorations are expensive, so this is not an ideal hobby to have whilst one is in graduate school on a limited budget.

Adriane and her mom having an archery competition.

My other hobbies that I absolutely love to do but cannot in this phase of my life are gardening, horseback riding, tending chickens, and shooting (rifles and recurve bows). After that last sentence, you probably now realize that I was raised in the country and am a bit of a redneck. Currently, my mom takes care of my horse, Scimmitar, who I have had and ridden since I was in grade school. Scimmi is a 31-year-old Egyptian Arabian who has more spunk than any older horse I’ve seen. When I go back home to Virginia, I still take him on trail rides through the woods with my mom, my sister, and our other horses. My sister and mom love chickens as much as I do, and still have 8 as pets. The chickens are all different breeds, and are mostly used for bug control in the yard and a source of eggs. Recently, my mom did teach her hen how to play the xylophone! My mom is the one who actually got my husband and I hooked on shooting recurve bows. She learned from her friend, and actually taught a few classes at her local sporting goods store. Archery is great because it forces you to clear your mind and focus on your body. It’s a great stress reliever, way to build muscle, and learn to focus your attention. I enjoy shooting rifles with my dad and brother, but those are pretty noisy and not quite as good for centering yourself like archery 🙂