I am so excited because it is time for the PHYS 145 and PHYS 146 classes’ Geology field trip again.
This coming Monday (4/29) my geology classes will be taking an all-day field trip (8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.). We have been discussing this for a month, so I am hoping that my students have already begun alerting their profs about their upcoming absence. After we return on Monday, you should get an email from them with the PDF (signed by me). Those of my geology students who cannot come on the field trip will not be getting the PDF, so no shenanigans!
What will students see on this field trip, you might ask? It’s a sampling of the astounding local (and free) geology in Albany and Rensselaer Counties.
- Poestenkill Community Forest – to see some outstanding glacial deposits on the plateau “spine” of the county.
- NY State Museum – a behind the scenes tour of the paleontology department with the Dr. Lisa Amati and then some quality time with the mineral and gem collection.
- Albany Pinebush – a sand/clay outwash plain leftover from the collapse of the ice-dam on the Iro-mohawk River 11,000 years ago.
- Indian Ladder Trail at Thacher State Park – a deep dive into the shale/limestone layers from 400 million years ago.
- Dormansville – a pit stop to see a fossil deposit from 350 million years ago.
- Feura Bush – last but not least, we will see a massive exposed fault from the collision that formed Pangea, 250 million years ago.
Fingers crossed on the weather (there’s a chance of showers right now)! And thank you so much for excusing our students to take this amazing field trip!