Clams!

Asiatic clams are indigenous to Asia and tropical areas. It was first discovered in the United States in 1924. It is  a small clam. The largest get about 1.5 inches long. They prefer to live in sandy or gravel areas which is why they are located in the Ocmulgee River. What we did when looking for these clams is took a shovel full of the floor of the river and then sifted the material that came up until the only thing that was left was the clams and rocks. We didn't find a lot of clams but it may have been because of the area where we were looking for them. We were set up by where the boats come in and out of the water so the clams probably choose to live elsewhere.

Earth Day!!!

This is from our adventure in the Hitchiti Forest. We we hugging trees because today is Earth Day!! Happy Earth Day everyone!!

http://www.earthday.org/
 This is a link to the Earth Day network which shows us some activities that we can do to help the earth!

What can I find on Mercer's Campus?

For lab, we had to walk around campus and find 5 different plants, trees, animals and areas where erosion could be a problem. Finding the trees and plants were very easy. It was the animals that was probably the hardest because the only animal that we knew for sure was always on campus was the squirrels. There are probably more than one species of birds, but to photograph them and identify which ones were different was going to be a hard thing to do. Tia posted some of the pictures that we took because Darius and I couldn't download them from our phones. This lab was fun because we got to explore campus and we were able to do it on our own time and with whoever we wanted which was nice.

Oclulgee National Monument

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV-of_eN2w

This week for lab we went to Ocmulgee National Monument. It is places like these when I realize how beautiful the south is. Coming from a place where trees are sparse, it was refreshing to go on top of that monument and see trees all around me. It was an amazing experience that I won't forget. I think that I could have stayed up there all day and just looked out at the trees and feel the breeze. I posted this link because this is what came to my mind when I was there.

The Burgess Shale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1DPzY6o6hQ&feature=related

This is a link to an animation on the Burgess Shale. The Burgess Shale is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The fossils of several animals were found in this mountain. The idea that baffles the minds of scientists is that these animals appear to have just popped up overnight. The mystery of the Burgess Shale has still not been solved.

Rio Grande River

This is the Rio Grande River which runs through Colorado, New Mexico and is the border of Texas and Mexico. The river makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande is the 5th longest river in the United States and the 20th longest river in the world. Dams have been created for irrigation, to control the river and to prevent overflow. In Albuquerque, it is clear to see when the dam is open and when it is closed. A lot of water has been lost and in Albuquerque the locals joke around and call it "Rio Chico" because there is hardly any water at one point in the city.

Mr. Tomato Head.......is dead

I decided that I wanted to name my plant Mr. Tomato Head because I feel like it fits him better. Because he wasn't getting a lot of sun, I thought that since he doesn't get a lot of sunlight in my room, that I would put him in my car. It worked for a couple of days because I didn't leave him there for a long time, but unfortunately I left him in for too long today and when I went to get him, he was withered. I took him out and put him back in my room. He didn't make it....I found the perfect name for him and then he died. R.I.P Mr. Tomato Head!!!

Halophiles

 Halophiles are able to withstand extremely salty conditions. Their environment goes beyond the saltiness of the ocean. They use chemicals inside them to keep the amount of salt at a certain amount so they remain stable and able to live in a salty environment. A body of water that halophiles are found in is the Great Salt Lake in Utah. As you can see from the picture below, the halophiles have turned the banks of the lake red.

What kind of rock is that????

 This is a picture of an igneous rock. An igneous rock is a rock that is formed from magma in a volcano. The magma can cool quickly or slowly. The slow cooling rocks like granite above forms larger crystals, while the faster cooling rocks form smaller crystals.

Metamorphic rocks are the rocks that have been changed into another type of rock due to heat and pressure in the earth. Some examples of metamorphic rocks are slate which used to be shale and marble which used to be limestone.

Sedimentary rocks are really cool because they are rocks that have been pressed together over time. Most sedimentary rocks form under water and an interesting thing about sedimentary rocks is the fossils that are found within them because of the way they are formed. An example of a sedimentary rock is limestone and sandstone which is the picture above.

Soil Texture Dichotomous Key

Soil Map

I couldn't find a good soil map of Georgia so I chose this soil map of Missouri because it was the only map that I liked because the key showed you what soil was where. As you can see, the type of soil that is most prevalent is Alfisol.

Munsell Soil Color Chart

This is a Munsell soil color chart. You would use this to find the hue, value and chroma. This is important  when looking at soil because the color can tell you what minerals the soil is enriched with which can then let the scientist know about the history of the area near the soil.

12 Soil Orders

http://soils.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/orders.htm

This is a link to the 12 Soil Orders. This is a very good detailed website that not only tells you what type of soil it is, but it gives you examples and pictures of each soil when you click on it.

MR. POTATO HEAD IS ALIVE!!!!

It just so happens that the night I wrote my last blog, I went into my room and found that my plant had sprouted. Exactly 7 days after planting him Mr. Potato Head finally welcomed himself into the world. Since becoming a new mother, I have been watering him by a spray bottle to ensure that he is getting the right amount of water necessary. I have been talking to him at least once a day so that he can get his carbon dioxide since he isn't getting a lot of sunlight. I was thinking about putting him in my car because there he will get the warmth and sunlight that he needs. I am thinking of a way to make a splint for him so that he does not fold over and die. I was thinking a toothpick and a twist tie or something like that. At night to prevent him from freezing, I move him from the window to my desk so that it is a little warmer for him. I am really excited to see how much he grows and maybe he will be the tallest plant in the class!

Mr. Potato Head

It has been a week since I planted my tomato seed. I carried it around the entire day last Tuesday and I was talking to it and giving it TLC. When I got home that night, I put Mr. Potato Head on my window seal so that he could get some light. Unfortunately, my room gets really hot and to prevent me from getting nightmares at night and being very uncomfortable, I have the air on high and the window open. I think that is the reason why Mr. Potato Head has not sprouted yet. Not only does he not get the right amount of light, he is being subjected to extreme temperatures that are inhibiting his growth. In about three days or so if I don't see any life, I am going to have to pronounce him dead.

Lab: Geocaching Map

This is a very rough sketch of our coordinates for this geocaching lab. Our group split into two groups because it was cold and rainy and we wanted to win....which we did :) so some points I really just guessed because the other group found the artifact. I measured the distance that my team walked and it was about 1,359.49 feet. It may be more because we walked in circles for a while at the beginning.....

Geocaching Website

geocaching.com

Geocaching is an activity that is similar to a treasure hunt. In order to be successful in finding what you are looking for, it is important that you have a GPS and the coordinates properly plugged in or you will be walking aimlessly and not find anything.

Palmer Station

This harbor is located on the Southwestern coast off the Antarctic Peninsula. It is used mainly for marine biology and ecological research. In the winter, it holds up to 10 people and in the summer about 40. I think that it would be really cool to travel to Antarctica and be around the penguins and other marine life, but the reality is that I am from a desert and I like my summers warm!

Elephant Butte

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/elephant.htm

This is a link to Elephant Butte which is a place where my family likes to go camping and skiing. It is really sad when you come here and you see where the water line used to be and it just reminds you of the reality of living in a desert and Global Warming. It makes you wonder how long this butte is going to be around.

Carlsbad Caverns

 

 

This is Carlsbad Caverns which is located in Roswell, New Mexico. I personally have never been there but I would really like to one day! The minerals in the water that drip down from the ceiling create those points of limestone. They will also connect and create one massive pillar like the one that you see in the center of the picture.

Polar Bears

I think that Polar Bears are very special animals that are one of the animals that are being affected the most by the climate change. With the ice melting, it is making it harder for them to find food and many of them drown because there isn't any ice for them to climb onto when they are trying to hunt for food. I think that it is really sad that these beautiful animals are dying because their home is melting.

MI CASA!!!!

 

This is my one and only home. I have lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for my entire life. Well, until now at least. The places I marked are my Grandma's house who lives next door to me, my house of course and my elementary, middle and high school. All of these places are very special to me and I am excited to share them with you.

Proportional Map

 

This is a Proprtional map that is showing the areas that Hispanics reside in. As you can see, the areas that are the most havily populated by Hispanics are California, Texas and New York.

Chloropleth Map

This is a Chloropleth map that is either trying to show the amount of waste in each state or the number of waste sites in each state. This may be a flaw in this map because the audience does not clearly know what the map is showing.