Merry Christmas!

Well, we just wrapped up chapter 8...in time for Christmas! And, with the prospect of the best snowstorm in years on our doorstep, we can look forward to an exciting bit of meteorology as well. Can it get any better than this!?

When we return, we'll begin a new chapter. But, until then, just enjoy your time with friends and family as you reflect on the many gifts that you may receive, but remember to focus most on the greatest gift of all...and may God keep you safe and healthy during your break!

Καλά Χριστούγεννα!
Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος!

Chapter 7 to 8 transition...

Golly gee, Mr. Kohrs, do you have to make it sound so formal??

Ha! You're silly. Seriously, tomorrow, Tuesday, December 8th, we take our chapter 7 quiz. We'll also be starting chapter 8. So, bring your books and your brains!

Thanksgiving to Christmas Intermission...

Well folks, now that you've spent so much time being thankful for all of the wonderful rocks around you... :) Let's talk metamorphism!!!!!!

Seriously, we'll begin and end chapter 7 in only one week. Monday, we took notes, which are posted to the left of this message. Wednesday, we'll identify rocks and do some work from the book, Friday, we'll review, and Tuesday next week...well, you guessed it...Chapter 7 quiz! So, hold on!

Thanksgiving...

Aren't you thankful that you're about to have a break!

Today, we head to Mundy Quarry to learn about the business of quarrying rock and what that rock is used for locally. On this coming Monday, we'll take our chapter 6 quiz and start chapter 7.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Chapter 5 Wrap up

Well, we have explored weathering, soils, and karst a bit. Tomorrow (Thursday, Nov 12) is the day of our quiz. Be sure to study! For 4th period, we will also wrap up the karst lab, so bring your maps with you!

Weathering and Dirt...uh, I mean, Soils!

Ok, so it's not as explosive a topic as volcanoes....

But we get to talk about cryoturbation and unloading!!!!

Seriously, in this chapter, we'll explore everything from the two main types of weathering, mechanical and chemical, to the structure and composition of soils...though on that topic we could spend an entire semester. We won't.

Our next field trip is currently scheduled for November 10th. We'll be walking across the street to spend some time at Linville Creek Church of the Brethren's cemetery. Sound like fun! I thought so! Check out their website...

Volcanoes!

There are several types of volcanoes, and these types depend upon the geologic setting in which you find them as well as the chemistry of the magma that feeds them. Today, we began our brief exploration of volcanoes. I say brief, because by the end of next week, we will be finishing this chapter. But, not before we've had the opportunity to explore a number of historically significant eruptions, as well as learn a bit about their chemistry, setting, and hazards.

Those of you who missed the notes due to the field trip, be sure to download them! They're rather minimalist this time...but with a little reading, I believe that none of you will have any problem interpreting them!

Igneous Rock Identification

Phaneritic, Aphanitic, Porphyritic, Pyroclastic....confused yet?

Not after today! We explored how to identify igneous rocks today. We discovered the nuances of texture, mineral composition, and also learned that no rock fits perfectly into a category.

Monday, we review chapter 3. Our quiz won't occur until October 14th, but don't forget to study!

Been a while...Igneous rocks now!

Oops...been a while since I've posted. My bad (never really liked that phrase...)! Anyway, we've taken the chapter 2 quiz over mining and minerals (9/28) and have moved into learning about Igneous rocks -- quite a technical subject. So, don't take it for granite!!! HA!

On 9/30, we travel to Mole Hill to see one of the few good examples of igneous activity here in the Shenandoah valley. Don't forget your permission slips and some old, grimy shoes!

Mineral Identification

Well, we've been doing everyone's favorite geology lab...mineral identification! Where we explore cleavage and fracture, hardness and luster, specific gravity and color, all with the goal of giving a name to some unknown sample of something you'll maybe never see again in your life. Who hoooo! Actually, that's not the point. The point is that we are exploring how the chemical make-up of something can profoundly impact its physical properities. Most of you haven't finished. We'll work on it some more next week.

In the mean time...

1) Field trip to the Bowers-Campbell Zinc Mine tomorrow! Wear old shoes!
2) Minerals/mining quiz next Tuesday
3) Chapter 2 quiz on September 28th....and there just might be a question whose answer may appear here. Be vigilant!

Minerals and Zinc Mining in Timberville, VA

This week, beside taking the chapter 1 quiz, we have talked about minerals and zinc mining. With minerals, we talked about their physical properties, chemistry, crystal forms, and how we define which substances can be called minerals. Remember, minerals are different from rocks, as they are what make rocks! With regard to zinc mining, we talked about how the mineral sphalerite was mined locally during the 1950's and 1960's in the area. The local mines took the shape of room and pillar mines with adits that led to the surface, through which air, water, and heavy machinery all travelled. The zinc ore in this area is referred to as a Mississippi Valley Type deposit (MVT), meaning that it is found in faulted carbonate rock that has been influenced by the presence of hydrocarbons (oil and gas). We don't have alot of hydrocarbon deposits in our area, but they do exist in many places in small amounts. These mines were not open for very long and the orebodies were not very large, but it was an important industry locally during the middle of the 20th century.

Chapter 1 Review

Today, we had some time to work on our chapter review homework as well as a vocabulary crossword puzzle. The day after labor day, Tuesday Sept. 8th, is the day of our chapter 1 quiz and the date on which your homework is due. Don't forget!

The Scientific Method and Making Geological Interpretations

Today, we reviewed the basic steps to the scientific method. This year, however, we took our understanding a little further by injecting some philosophy of science. We learned that for a theory to be considered "scientific", it must fulfill three important criteria. It must be falsifiable. It has to be possible to find a way to prove it wrong, even if it never is proven wrong. A theory also must be testable. It has to be shown to actually apply, over and again, in the manner in which it was proposed. Finally, the method or methods used to arrive at that theory must be able to be reproduced by others in the same manner so that they can arrive at the same result.

We also explored the "Socratic Method" a bit. The ideas of belief and truth were discussed and how they come together to produce what we call knowledge. We took this a step further and briefly discussed the fact that science is concerned typically concerned with exploring absolute truth rather than relativistic ideas, which, honestly, can't truly exist anyway. Whether by inductive or deductive reasoning, our goal should always be to try to understand how the natural world works in some definitive way.

Don't forget about the quiz over these notes next time. Also, your homework for chapter 1 (vocabulary and review questions) is due on September 8th, the same day as the chapter 1 quiz! Check the geocalendar!

The History of Geology

Geology is, in itself, a historical science. Today, in addition to our trip around the BHS school grounds, we learned about some of the giants in geological thought. Folks like Aristotle, who championed observation and reason above all else and whose ideas were considered authoritative for over 2000 years. We learned about Steno, whose ideas about stratigraphy and relative dating set the stage for understanding sequences of geological events. Then, there were the two important Scotsman, Hutton and Lyell, whose ideas about uniformitarianism were a key influence in subsequent generations of scientists, from Charles Darwin to this day.

A major theme in geology is paradigms, or ways of viewing the world using a distinct set of ideas. An early paradigm in geology was that all landforms and geological events occurred catastrophically, by unimaginably large events that no longer occur today. Hutton and Lyell were instrumental in the next important paradigm, that of uniformitarianism, the belief that all geological events that occur today also occurred in the past and that they occured over long periods of time. Finally, our modern paradigm is a combination of the two earlier paradigms. We acknowledge that many geological events take immense periods of time to occur while some occur quite rapidly. The formation of canyons, such as the Grand Canyon, occurs over many millions of years. Mountain ranges are created by geological events, tectonic and otherwise, that occur over many millions of years. By contrast, impacts of meteorites, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and other more sudden events also leave their distinct mark in our landscape.

As far as our field trip around BHS, my favorite spot, if you couldn't tell, is the limestone bench in front of the school. It's not so comformtable to sit on, but who wants to sit on something that they can crouch down next to and find so many neat fossils and pyrite nodules? It just goes to illustrate that there is great geology to found all around us...if we just look!

Your First Day of School!

Do you remember getting on the bus for the first time? Wasn't it so exciting! Do you feel the same way this year as you walk through the hallowed halls of BHS? If not...I'm so sorry. But, great things await all of you this year. It is my sincere hope that this year will be remembered as the best of your lives!

PS I'm really not trying to be cheasy...:)

Welcome to Back to School Night!

Welcome to your geology class at Broadway High School. We're going to have a great time learning about the earth, its rocks, its history, and how it interacts with life through both classroom and field experiences.

I look forward to seeing you next week!

Course Calendar and Documents

I've just added a links to the course calendar and the course syllabus. Feel free to check the calendar as regularly as you wish. I plan to keep it updated with information on what we are doing in class. Enjoy!

Under Construction

Welcome to Geology at Broadway High School! Check back here often, subscribe, and enjoy! I will be posting information on what we're doing in class, homework assignments, as well as some of my thoughts on various relevant topics throughout the year.