ES 767 webpage reports are now online, and more will follow during the week--see ice reports (2008).

The Clovis archaeologic culture was introduced a couple of weeks ago. It is arguably the most important late Pleistocene culture in North America, as it stands at the junction of a major climatic shift, changes in vegetation, big-game hunting, and extinction of many large land mammals. The latest issue of American Archaeology has a review article that challenges many of the traditional assumptions about Clovis--see clovis.pdf handout file.

The final exam will take place Dec. 12-16--same style, length and format as the mid-term exam. Check here or course schedule to obtain the exam.

Reminder: distance-learning students should complete and return the course evaluation form that was sent to you via email last week.

Distance-learning student, Mike Lewis, recently undertook a personal field trip to Massanutten Mountain in Virginia. This region was not glaciated during the Pleistocene, but it did have a much cooler climate at the time. The tree line in the cooler climate was lower than today leaving large portions of the ridge bare. The bare rock exposed to the colder climate and increased precipitation resulted in a nearly continuous alternation of freezing and thawing. As water filled the joints and then expanded during freezing, a process known as frost heaving, the mountain sides developed scree or talus accumulations.

Closeup view of bouldery talus in forest on the side of Massanutten Mountain in the Great Valley of the Appalachians in Virginia. Photo © M. Lewis.

During the break, your instructor visited southwestern Kansas and observed recent development of wind energy at Spearville and Syracuse. Wind is a powerful geomorphic agent that has been quite important for shaping the landscape, especially in western and central parts of the state.

Reminder: Your short reports are due during the week of Thanksgiving. Nov. 19th is the deadline for preview drafts (in rtf format).

• Plate/Global Tectonics, GO 326/ES 767, Dr. J.S. Aber.
  
• Gemstones and Gemology, GO 340, Dr. S.W. Aber.
  
• Wetland Environments, ES/GE 341, GE 500, or ES 767, Dr. J.S. Aber.
  
• Hydrogeology, GO 571, Dr. M.K. Schulmeister.
  
• Remote Sensing, ES 771, Dr. J.S. Aber.

Field geology will be taught in May/June '09 by Drs. J.S. and S.W. Aber. This course is offered every other year and is required for all undergrad earth science majors and teaching students. Enrollment is limited to 16 students; for complete details, see syllabus.

I visited Hanging Rock State Park (40 minutes from my home) this past weekend. Hanging Rock and nearby Pilot Mountain State Park are located in the Sauratown Mountains, an ancient mountain range located in the Piedmont area of NC, east of and separate from the Appalachian Blue Ridge. I read that the vegetation in these parks include species typical of the higher Blue Ridge Mountains.

Plants such as rhododendron (left) and mountain laurel inhabited the Piedmont area during the ice ages, but as the climate warmed most of these plants were replaced by other species that adapted to the warmer conditions (right). Extensive stands of the colder climate plants have remained on the slopes of these Piedmont parks, however, even though their elevations are much lower than the Blue Ridge. Photos © M. Martin.

Reminder: All distance-learning students are expected to undertake a personal field experience related to the Ice Ages.

Short reports: are due during the week of Thanksgiving. Students should check with instructor for a suitable topic. Preview drafts may be submitted by Nov. 19th for comments and suggestions, after which students may revise the final version for grading.

Class field trip on Nov. 1st. We enjoyed beautiful, warm fall weather along the limit of glaciation in the Alma-Topeka region. Students included Liz Coffey, Greg Gantz, Jerry Harvey, Preston Johnson, Scott Jones, Mo King, Bryce Lowman, Brandon Milner, Shawn Russell, Scott Smith, Sam Somerhalder, Kathy Sullivan, and Stephanie Trump. Left: at a giant Sioux Quartzite boulder. Below left: historical marker for stone fences in the Flint Hills. Below right: glacial grooves on an erratic boulder of Sioux Quartzite. See past ice age trip photos.

Field trip: meet in north parking lot (next to practice football field) Saturday morning at 8 am. We will view glacial deposits and landforms along the maximum limit of glaciation in Wabaunsee and Shawnee counties. Bring your lunch and beverage, and dress appropriately for cool weather and walking through prairie fields. Notebook, camera, sample bags, and hand lens are recommended. This is a good opportunity to collect erratic rocks, such as pipestone, that are not found elsewhere in Kansas.

Chili cookoff: Tuesday in the Creager Rock Garden, outside Science Hall, 11:00 to 1:00 o'clock. All the physical science student clubs are making their best chili at only $1 per bowl. Come, have your lunch, and judge the chili!

This is a photo of loess hills in Mills County, Iowa that I took in May, 2008. During the Illinoian and Wisconsin glaciations the glacier ground bedrock into a fine silt that was later deposited by the ancient Missouri River. When the silt dried out the wind was able to pick it up and build the hills on the eastern banks of the braided river. Notice the large floodplain (flat farm ground) surrounding the major hill in the center of the image. Photo © S. Jones.

Grading of the mid-term exam is underway; results will be returned to students individually via email, and we will review the exam in class on Tuesday.

What [the course lecture] refer to as stoss-and-lee, the textbook refers to as crag-and-tail, and mentions the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Royal mile leads up a gradual hillside to Edinburgh castle. The castle sits on top of a massive cliff-face with only the Royal Mile road leading to the castle. This is a picture of the leeward side of the hill. Photo © J. Stigge.

Our lecture topic this week deals with methods for reconstructing paleoclimate. See also ice_lec11.pdf, shack2.pdf, and textbook chap. 11 & 15.

Reminder: The mid-term exam will take place next week, Oct. 13-16. Check the course schedule or blog to download the exam beginning evening of Oct. 12th. See sample exam.

From Peg Martin: A week ago Friday, I caught the end of a radio show discussing NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander and the Mars Rover Project. I searched the archives of NPR Science Friday and found the summary and the podcast. It also has links to other broadcasts concerning the Rover discoveries. The broadcast mentioned the importance of studying Iceland to help understand the geologic history of Mars.

From Liz Coffey: I found an interesting article that was in the Journal of Glaciology in 2001. It's a study on how the latitude of a location would affect the possibility of a glacial climate. See low-latitude glaciers (abstract).

This is Squam Lake as seen from Rattlesnake Mountain, where my family visits my husband's brother every summer. The lake region of central New Hampshire was scoured during the Wisconsin glaciation. Image © M. Martin.

To understand ancient glacial landforms and deposits, it's necessary to investigate modern glaciers and their processes, which we will do this week for Iceland. See also text book chapters 8 & 9 plus handout reading 7. Icelandic glaciers are considered excellent models for the southern margins of Pleistocene ice sheets in Europe and North America.

The following picture was sent by Kathleen Moburg, showing a large erratic from her hometome in Michigan. Chesaning in Saginaw County was named by the Chippewa Indians. The name, according to legend, means “Place of the Big Rock.” It was traditionally a meeting place for the native people.

A large glacial erratic is deposited in the flat landscape. About 30 years ago an elementary school was built on that location (appropriately called “Big Rock Elementary”). A shallow “moat” of water surrounds the rock, acting as a deterrent for children climbing on it. The last few years, the Chippewa people have resumed an ancient tradition of celebrating their culture with a powwow each summer at “The Place of the Big Rock.” Image © K. Moburg.

We continue the theme of geomorphology with glacial deformation and melt water. See also textbook chap. 7 as well as handout readings 5 & 6.

Submitted by Stephanie Trump: Here is a photo of a cirque formed by a glacier that I took in Colorado (during field geology). The cirque is the snow-filled bowl above the trees in distance. Image © S. Trump.

Submitted by Justin Stigge: I took this in the summer of 2005; it is similar to the one posted from August 28 from Wales. Mine is also from a trip through Wales. We had taken a steam train ride, followed by a bus trip. We stayed in a town called Llangollen in Wales. This picture was taken as we left Wales and headed into England. I hadn't had many Earth Science courses at this point, so I didn't have much appreciation for everything that had happened in this area during the last few thousand years. Image © J. Stigge.

Instructor's note: It's remarkable that two students in this course have toured through Wales, one of the classic glaciated regions of the United Kingdom. For more information, see Britice. Students are encouraged to contact each other and share information concerning this course (see roster).

I have never had the opportunity to see a glacier, but my brother sent me some amazing pictures of his trip to Glacier Bay National Park in 2006. I hope to go there myself some day. Image © M. Martin.

This week, we begin to examine glacial geomorphology, specifically how glaciers modify the landscape through erosion and deposition. See also textbook chap. 6 and 10 as well as handout readings 3 & 4.

I took this in July in Wales (UK). The image was taken in the Snowdon mountain range in North Wales ... an area that had glaciers 12,000 years ago (according to the textbook). Image © S. Jones.

This photo was taken near Houghton, Michigan in the Keweenaw Pennisula during a geology class for high school science teachers (2006). Image © K. Moburg

Earth Science Club: join the first student club meeting for rock cutting and pizza, 5 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, SH 110.

Here's a tidewater glacier in the Kenai Fjord (near Anchorage, Alaska) that I took in July 2004. It wasn’t a geology trip, but we did have a chance to see and even walk on several glaciers. Image © I. Nester.

This is a moderated blog, which means your instructor will review all items for appropriate use. Please send your text and images via email; each item should be identified clearly for potential use on the blog. Your instructor may do some light editing before placing submissions online. Note: part of your course participation grade depends on blogging.

Note 1: the first class meeting for on-campus students will be next week on Tuesday afternoon.

Note 2: distance-learning students, please provide your street mailing address for snail mail.

	The U-Haul rig, at a rest stop in Indiana. Truck plus trailer approximately 48 feet long.
	U-Haul display of British Columbia bog. Bogs are common in formerly glaciated regions, and the peat preserves important records of postglacial (Holocene) climate in the form of plant macro and micro remains. See uhaul.com.

Trinchera Peak, Colorado

	Trinchera Peak seen from the cirque at the head of Cucharas Creek valley on the northeastern side of the peak.
	SWA climbing the upper portion of Trinchera Peak into the clouds in the alpine zone, elevation ~13,000 feet.
	Looking eastward from the crest of Trinchera Peak. The head of Cucharas Creek valley can be seen in lower portion of view, and Spanish Peak stands on the right horizon. Blue Lake, just left of scene center, is part of an end moraine complex.
	View toward the northwest overlooking Trinchera Creek valley, displaying classic ice-carved valley form. Sierra Blanca in the distance.

Stone polygons on the crest of Trinchera Peak, evidence of former permafrost conditions. Left: network of polygons outlined by stones. Right: single stone polygon with raised turf center.

Notes: All students should acquire the course textbook at this time. Your instructor will be out of town and away from email Aug. 6-12th. Please do not send any messages during this period.

Beginning in August, students should consult this blog frequently for course activities, notes, announcements, and reminders. Please contact the instructor with any comments or questions about the course.