WriterByNature.com

January 28, 2010 8:49 am

Heavy rain washed away the snow, exposing some interesting features of the rock surface of area mountains. This morning’s snow is laying down a fresh palette for wildlife tracks.

As for the rocks, when I saw this, I wondered if it had been split by temperature extremes:

But what really happened is that the tooth-like calcium deposit was not solid like this rock:

Moisture filled in between the gaps of the calicium “teeth” of the first rock.

I’ve spent a great deal of time hiking two mountains located less than 10 miles from each other which are composed of different geological materials. One is conglomerate rock with distinct vegetation and evidence of glacial movement.

The bedrock on the other mountain is precambrian gneiss outcroppings with mica and feldspar inclusions along with embedded microcrystalline quartz.

(more…)

November 18, 2006 4:00 am

Why would you want to boil water in your hat?

Water is essential to survival. If you are lost, you can’t take the chance of drinking from a creek, stream or lake; you need to boil the water.

Unless you had planned to go camping, you are unlikely to have a cooking pot. But you can still solve this problem.

Here’s how: (more…)

September 14, 2006 3:30 am

I’ve used enough stone tools to understand just how difficult it is to master that technology.

To gain an appreciation of just how different the characteristics of rocks are, try this simple test of the Mohs’ scale. (more…)

July 31, 2006 11:08 am

Another really good use for rock study is to look at which animals call rocks home.

All you need for this activity is an outdoor area with both sun and shade, four brick-sized rocks, a magnifying glass and a bit of patience. (more…)