Journals 2007/2008

Louise McMinn
Scofield Magnet Middle School, Stamford, CT

"St. Elias Erosion/Tectonics Project (STEEP)" July 10 - July 20, 2007

Journal Index: July 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17        18 - 19 - 20 Additional Resources

July 17, 2007
Wingham Island

Today I went off in an entirely different direction. I flew to Wingham Island with Ken, John, Patrick and Jay. Ken studies sedimentation, and they were measuring and mapping the rocks on the southeast side of the island. Each day Ken and his students would bring back large samples of rock, and I was interested in seeing what they were doing.

John and Patrick immediately got to work. They measured and recorded the angles of the rock formations, and took samples throughout the beach. Ken and Jay climbed and scanned the large cliffs that overlooked the beach. Jay climbed the cliffs most of the day, trying to find outcroppings that were not covered in vegetation. The trees at the top of the cliff were extremely dense.

Ken walked all over the rocky beach, examining the multiple layers of the rocks. He showed me tracings formed in the rocks from long ago organisms. The layers of the sedimentary rocks showed the fossilized paths of the long ago organisms. He found fossils of a crab and a leaf, and emphasized the importance of adding a scale reference to your pictures.

Crab fossil		Leaf fossil

Although the day was cloudy, seals and otters were having a great time playing in the water. The seals spent a long time watching us as we waited for the helicopter.