A lot of it in highway cuts. Of course I couldn't tell you what the name is. I've heard "shale" all my life but couldn't have picked it out. For some reason, I thought it might be more....not sure what I want to say but thin, brittle, layered looking stuff.
It can be brittle depending on how much weathering it has undergone and many times it can be broken into narrow sheets, Suzie. And it comes in quite of few colors as well. From very dark gray to a very light gray. It can be brown, and even red, depending upon the impurities which were in the sediments when they were deposited. It can be extremely smooth or very rough in texture. That's why I chose this specimen, because it has both a very smooth and rough texture.
If we can't go by color, and we can't go by texture......this is going to be hard!
No one said it was easy, Suzie. But you do get a feel for it after awhile. ;-)
I sure hope so, class starts Tue.....yipe!!!!
Don't worry, Suzie. It's not as bad as you think. If this is an introductory class in geology, I'm sure that you won't be required to analyze rocks and minerals to such a great degree.
You have to understand that besides the fact that I took two years of geology at a major research institution (i.e. University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)), I've had years of experience in the field. I would have declared geology as a second major, but my scholarship and grant ran out and I was missing one of the collateral courses, namely integral calculus. I had taken differential calculus, but I didn't have time to take integral calculus--didn't particularly want to either, if the truth be known. And besides, the dean of my college was putting pressure on me to, as he put it, "finally graduate". LOL ;-)
I'm sure you'll do just fine in your geology class.
Eric
Well it is with a lab so I think there is going to be some analysis involved. I've been looking through my books some and there are many experiments. I'm a bit worried because I did see some math in there...I don't do math at all.....hopefully it's not something that I can't get around with regular math. I did that in nursing school. They had this complicated (well for me anyway) formula for figuring out dosages. I kept looking at the problem and looking at the answers and saw it was a matter of simple division. Instructors got all over me because I was showing everyone else how to get the right answer without algebra.
I have math phobia. Bad experience in 9th grade :-)
I have math phobia too, Suzie. That's why I was not particularly motivated to take integral calculus. It's not that I can't do the math. I just don't like it. My brain doesn't naturally function that way. I think more like an artist than a mathematician. And as you say, there is going to be some analysis in the labs, but I doubt very much that it will be anything you can't handle. So, I wouldn't be too concerned. You might find this interesting, but two of my geologists buddies, one with a Ph.D. in Geo-Science and the other with a M.S. in geology both hate math! LOL In fact, I have links to their sites in my Geo-site--Bob Jackson who did two episodes of Treasure Hunter with Kirsten Gum and Dan Hausel who is a consulting geologist for mining companies and an expert on kimberlite and lamproite pipes where the world's diamonds come from.
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