DIRT!

12 soil orders of the world: http://soils.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/

A common soil in Georgia is Ultisols (http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/Earth&Space/GPS/soil.html).


http://wapi.isu.edu/envgeo/EG2_earth/images/ULTISOLFLA.jpg

A soil map of Georgia:
http://csat.er.usgs.gov/statewide/large/statsgo.png

The Munsell Soil Chart:
http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/pvg/munsell.htm

Soil Texture Diagram:
http://www.jsu.edu/dept/geography/mhill/phylabtwo/lab12/soiltextdiag.html

Now you know about DIRT!

Geology (Rocks) for Dummies (Me)

There are three types of rocks:
Igneous- formed when molten magma cools
Sedimentary- formed when matter is compressed
Metamorphic- formed when rocks are exposed to different temperatures and pressure conditions than original rock was formed in.

Examples of Igneous:
pumice and basalt
 


Examples of Sedimentary:
limestone and sandstone

 

Examples of Metamorphic:
marble and slate
 

*all pictures from rocksandminerals4u.com

Halophiles and Extremophiles, Oh My!

Halophiles are an example of extremophiles, and thrive in environments that have very high concentrations of salt (fun fact from Wikipedia: the word "halophile" comes from the Greek for "salt-loving"). Wikipedia gives the example of Owens Lake in California, which "contains a large population of the halophilic bacteria Halobacterium halobium". Below is a picture of the bacteria and Owens Lake (the bacteria turns the water pink).

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/lms/owenslake/

All About SPROUT and TROUT

Sprout's and Trout's Hobbies: Tanning and Drinking

2/15: Today Sprout was born. He was pretty tired, so I covered him up with soil so he could take a good nap without being bothered by the sunlight (babies need lots of rest).  For the next few days, I sprinkled him with water to make sure he didn't get too thirsty.

2/20: Sprout emerged today! I saw a little bit of green poking out of the soil, and I'm sure it has something to do with me talking to him everyday.

2/21: Not only has Sprout quadrupled in size since yesterday, I'm pretty sure he's A TWIN! I think I'll name the other baby plant Trout (who is almost as large as his brother). Both babies seem to be reaching for the sky, and are starting to show leaves. I am careful to make sure the soil is moist each day and that the babies get plenty of sun and attention.

2/28: I haven't updated you on the twins in a week because there hasn't been significant progress. They've grown slightly, and their leaves are starting to really open up. However, Sprout (located in the center of the cup) is struggling to stay upright. Trout lives on the side of the cup, and is doing better since he can lean against the cup's edge.

3/22: I just realized that I haven't updated you on the twins (spring break threw me off my rhythm) but there have been BIG changes! Sprout and Trout were recently upgraded from their tiny plastic cup to a giant planter (complete with ladybugs on it!). They've been in their new home for about a week. I've transitioned to watering them once a day, and trying to leave them in the sunlight all day and bringing them in at night. However, I left them outside one day during a rainstorm, and they looked a little beat up, so I'm trying to check the weather everyday to make sure I don't subject them to that again. Their leaves are flourishing, and I'm excited to see how they grow from here!