Guest Blogger: Liz Plascencia
It’s safe to say that time truly does fly. Seemingly having know Mary and Julia for years, I am reminded that my arrival to The College of Wooster was a little over a week ago.
As a rising junior, Earth Sciences major from Dickinson College I will be accompanying, Ben Edwards, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences at Dickinson College, Meagen Pollock, Assistant Professor of Geology at The College of Wooster, and undergraduate students Mary Reinthal (Wooster ’16), Julia Franceschi (Wooster ’16), and Will Kotchtitsky (Dickinson ’16) to Northern British Columbia. Through our investigation of pillow lava last year at two quarries in southwest Iceland we are now going to spend a couple of weeks collecting similar data and samples from northern British Columbia, Canada. Though pillow lava is one of the most abundant volcanic units in the world, there is still much to be done in terms of quantitatively and qualitatively categorizing them. Thus that will be one of our main tasks this summer.
Under the guidance of Doctor Pollock, Mary, Julia, and I spent a couple of prep weeks preparing pressed pellets and glass beads from past Pillow Ridge, Canada samples.
Mary preparing a pressed pellet (Wooster ’16)
We’re all packed up. Our flight departs from Cleveland Airport around noon tomorrow and so the adventure begins.
Beginning our journey from Vancouver all the way up to Pillow Ridge, Mt. Edziza.
4 planes, 2 SUV’s, and 2 helicopters — this surely is going to be a geological journey to remember.
Good luck in Canada, geologists! I’m looking forward to photos from helicopters whirling above the mountains. Make sure the bears fear you.