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.