Lab 3: Geology and Cruz Plaza

Feldspar

Feldspar is a mineral that is estimated to make up about half of the earth's crust. It is found in most types of rocks, but most commonly in igneous rocks. This implies that it is created from crystallizing of magma. It is most often used for glass and ceramics. It does not have have any color on its own, but can be found in different colors in the environment due to impurities.

Granite

Granite is one of the most well known and commonly found of the igneous rocks. It is formed by the crystallization of magma below the earth's surface. It is mostly made up of feldspar and quartz. It is used in many objects that we see in our daily lives, such as counters and tiles.

Shale
 
 Shale is a sedimentary rock that is created from compacted silt and mud. It is known for the thin layers that it forms. Shale can be used used for many purposes depending on its composition. Black shale can be turned into natural gas or oil and other types can be turned into clay when water is added to it.

Schist
 
Schist is a metamorphic rock formed from shale, mica, and various ingenious rocks in high pressure and temperature environments. This environment creates complex folds in the rock. It is shiny and breaks into thin sheets much like shale.
(Most of the information concerning these rocks and minerals has come from geology.com)

Cruz Plaza

There are various considerations that need to be made in order for the Cruz Plaza to be built in a way that would benefit the school. Some examples are:

• What effects it may have on the environment and how to minimize any negative ones. The construction deals with an area that used to have vegetation and there are pipes and cables that are buried under the ground that may cause problems if they are damaged.
• The strength of the sidewalks and the foundation they are built on need to be taken into consideration. If the sidewalks begin to fall apart soon after construction then the will not be as functional depending on the extent of the damage. Also the soil may wash away causing problems with the strength of the sidewalks.
• Another consideration that needed to be made was how it was going to affect life on campus. Ideally it would be move convenient than the previous layout and make the school more appealing. This goes for the construction as well because they need to come up with a plan that impacts current students as little as possible while still allowing construction to be done as efficiently as possible.

The New Roommates

My two new buddies moving in

It has been about a week since my two new roommates have moved in. The one on the left is Otonashi the Money Plant and the one on the right is Iskander the Sunflower. They have taken up residence on window sill so that they can get plenty of light. So far these guys have not been doing much of anything, but who knows what may happen in the next couple of weeks.

Iskander about four days after he started growing.

So on Thursday this week Iskander started to show some growth. It was about 9 days since we became roomates that I saw him starting to come out of his shell, well sorta. Actually his shell is the part that started sticking out of the soil first, which is why I did not recognize it until it grew some more. Otonashi still has not shown any movement, but hopefully one of these days he will open up.

Iskander just growing like a champion...a sideways growing champion

So the sunflower plant is starting to grow another set of leaves, but there Otonashi is still just being a hermit and refuses to interact with anyone. I think he might be shy.....or dead. I am hoping for the first option.

Iskander has not been in the best of shapes recently

I think that the Iskander is starting wilt. I thought he has been getting plenty of water and enjoying much time in the light by the window. Are sunflowers supposed to be growing sideways? Well I guess only time will tell if he is going to make it or not. At this rate I will be down to no roommates at no time.

Otonashi a couple of days after he first started to show up.

 The money plant is starting to stop being so shy! It has been growing quite a bit the last few days and is looking pretty healthy. On a less happy note the sunflower is still not looking too well. It is a pale color and the leaves that were on it have wilted away. Hopefully both of them will get big and health soon.

 

Here lies Iskander, he shall be missed.

 So after leaving the roommates here during spring break I came back to the sunflower plant looking like this. Needless to say it is dead. Surprisingly the money plant looks really good. It has grown a bit more and is still really green. So i may have let one of my roommates die, but at least one is doing well. 

Hanging out by himself since the lost of his friend.

It has been two weeks since spring break and the money plant is still doing well. It is losing a little bit of color, but that is about it. Besides that there is not much to report so far.

Willet Science Center Parking Lot

The whole blue area is the Willet Science Center parking lot that was measured for a lab that looked at the amount of rainwater that drains into the Ocmulgee River when there is a half-inch rainstorm. My calculations showed that about 16600 gallons of water drain from this parking lot during such a storm.
The red line is that path that I take from the parking lot to this Intro. Into Environmental Science class.