High-Temperature Geochemistry in Action

WOOSTER, OH – Over the last couple of weeks, our Keck Geology Team Utah has been hard at work in the College of Wooster Geology labs. We collected a dozen samples from Ice Springs Volcanic Field in the Black Rock Desert, Utah to understand the eruption history and the age of the lava flows.

The first processing step is to powder the sample. Addison Thompson (’20, Pitzer College) uses the rock saw to isolate pieces of fresh rock.

Addison and Madison Rosen (’19, Mt. Holyoke College) use a sledge to break the sawn pieces into smaller bits.

Sam Patzkowsky (’20, Franklin and Marshall) cleans the chips so that we can crush them in the shatterbox.

Emily Randall (’20, College of Wooster) sieves the powder and makes sure all of it is small enough for the next step. We sent some of this powder to the Purdue PRIME Lab, where they’ll measure the abundance of 36Cl in our rocks.

Pa Nhia Moua (’20, Carleton College) pulls samples out of a red-hot oven so that we can measure Loss on Ignition (LOI) to determine how much H2O might be in the samples.

Sam and Addison weigh out accurate amounts of the oxidized sample and flux, which lowers the melting temperature and helps our samples melt so that we can make glass discs.

The samples get melted in the fluxer and poured into molds to make glass discs.

The glass discs are loaded in the XRF and analyzed for their major element chemistry. We use the chemistry along with the data from Purdue and the location and orientation of the sample to calculate an age for the lava flow.

We’re using another method called Varnish MicroLamination (VML) dating to provide an independent estimate of the age of the lava. Desert varnish is a dark coating of clays and iron- and manganese-oxides that accumulates on the surface of samples in arid environments. You may have seen ancient petroglyphs carved into the desert varnish. Researchers use the layering in VML to date pieces of rock art. In order to use the VML method, we have to make ultra-thin slides of our rocks so that we can see through the varnish.

Addison pours epoxy into plastic molds to mount the VML samples.

Pa Nhia has been sanding her VML sample for days to grind it to the correct thickness without grinding away the varnish. It’s dirty, delicate work.

By the end of the week, we should have age estimates for the lava flows and a better idea of the sequence of eruptive events that formed Ice Springs Volcanic Field. Check back later for our GSA abstract!

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Exploring the Geosciences at Zion National Park

Zion National Park – Dr. Wiles and I are directing a 5-week undergraduate research project through the Keck Geology Consortium‘s Gateway Program. The Gateway Program has two goals: engage the students in an authentic research experience while exploring the intersections between the geosciences and society. Three weeks into the project, the students have collected tree cores and lava samples in Alaska and Utah, respectively, and are hard at work processing those samples in the Wooster labs. In the meantime, the students have explored the geosciences by talking with geoscience professionals and visiting locations like the Utah Geological Survey and Zion National Park. Here are Team Utah’s reflections on the intersections between geoscience and society, in their own words:

Pa Nhia Moua (’20, Carleton College)

On June 27th, 2017, Team Utah from the Keck Geology Consortium visited Zion National Park. Before Keck, I had never visited a national park before, so I was really excited to see how a national park differed from a “regular” city/town park. To my surprise, when we first arrived, I felt like I was at Disney world again or at the state zoo (Minnesota Zoo). As we continued into Zion, I realized how commercialized Zion was. Gift shops greeted customers on their way in and out, park rangers available for information (but to me they seemed like tour guides), and the long line of people (waiting for shuttles). The amount of commercialization astounded me as I was not aware how popular a national park could be. After splitting up, part of Team Utah traveled to venture the Riverside Walk, where we had our lunch. We sat on the riverbank, on rocks and trees, under the shade. As I ate, I found myself often wondering about the formation of the landscape. I wondered how much things had withered away, and what was originally there and what had come later. After lunch, we walked the riverside path and we continued onto the Narrows. It was here where I really got a good look at how other people interacted with the landscape and everything else around them. Majority of the people would look up at the sky in admiration of the stone walls that created the “narrows” and kept the formation of the river. But, as I ventured deeper into the Narrows, I noticed that the only time people took in the scenery was in the beginning. Majority of the people interacted with the water, as they were trying to keep from falling while catching up with their groups. I feel that because of the Keck Geology Consortium program, my experience at Zion has been enriched by the knowledge I have acquired (while in the program). Since my participation in the program, I have become more conscience about the world around me. I wonder more about the history of where I go and what I see. Because of such thoughts, I feel that my knowledge deepened my meaning and experience at Zion.

Pa Nhia stands in the Narrows in Zion National Park.

Sam Patzkowsky (’20, Franklin and Marshall)

Zion National Park is one of the most beautiful places that I have visited in the 19 years I have been on this Earth.  The geology of the park was unlike anything I have ever seen before and I was blown away by the amount of people who were at the park.  Geology plays a huge role in the National Park Service; since there are many national parks that are centered around geology.  What astounds me is that people know how appealing these parks are to people and that there are those who know take advantage of this and make a living of it.  When I think of the word “tourism,” I think of hotels on white sand beaches during prime summer hours.  This, however, isn’t the case with a place like Zion National Park.  There are the typical hotels and inns located in the town just outside of the park, but there are also shops that try to take advantage of people’s curiosity about the rocks and the geology.  I am really happy to see this because it means that if a shop can sell someone a cool looking rock, then maybe they’ll start to ask questions like: “how did this form?” “what is this made up of?” “where can I find things like this?”.  If even one person’s life changes because of looking at these tourist shops, I will be forever grateful because the seed of geology is being planted in their mind and hopefully it’ll grow into something breathtaking.  Tourism is something that is crucial to the interaction between the public and geology and I hope it can help change lives for the better.

Team Utah at the Zion National Park entrance.

Emily Randall (’20, College of Wooster)

One of the biggest things I noticed at Zion National Park was what seemed to be the lack of interest in the geology. When people arrived at each location they would glance at the features surrounding them a few times before proceeding to a task that then took all of their attention. Where I was, this was either playing in or wading through the river, but I’m not sure about other locations. Luckily, whether people realized it or not, these types of tasks forced them to interact with the geology around them. I also appreciated that the Parks Services had audio about the park and its geologic features playing on the bus, which some people listened to but a lot seemed to talk over. I’m not sure what could be done to make the, what I see as impressive, rocks beat out the water on a scorching summer day like the one we visited during, but I hope my impression was skewed since I visited the river. Though, this was to view the impressive narrows and the striking cliffs as opposed to play in the water.

Hiking the Narrows at Zion on a 100+ degree day.

Madison Rosen (’19, Mt. Holyoke)

Utah is a beautiful state filled with many different types of geology, from 20 feet high dinosaurs to brine shrimp that are less than a inch long. During my weeklong stay in Utah, I was able to experience most of what it was famous for. This included, Zion National Park, Salt Lake, Natural History Museum of Utah and the Geological Survey of Utah. My favorite was Zion National Park, because of its enormity and beauty. At Zion National Park the erosional effects of water on sandstone was easily seen, but the average park goer was not focused on the geology of the park. Instead thousands of people would stand in a theme park like line to get the perfect picture on top of these geological landforms. On the shuttle bus, a quick description of how Zion was developed was announced, but not everyone was paying attention to the 30 second long segment. Unlike other parks that I have been to, many of the people were rushing to get from one spot to the next, making for an almost chaotic atmosphere at times on the popular trails. The sheer number of people was overwhelming, but I had a wonderful time seeing enormous sedimentary structures and learning about Zion. Geology and society interact minimally, but not limited to if the visitor wants to learn more by asking employees of the park. People who visit the Natural History Museum are more open to learning how things happened in an interactive setting. While at the Geological Survey certain groups or companies go there with the purpose of learning about a particular core. The audience’s intention of visiting a certain place really determines how much knowledge that they will gain from that experience. It was really special to get to see the geological features of Black Rock Desert, Zion National Park, Salt Lake and what the Natural History Museum of Utah and Geological Survey of Utah does to interact and involve the public.

Team Utah learning about the cores stored at the Geological Survey of Utah.

A picture of Zion National Park on the 100-degree day Team Utah visited.

Addison Thompson (’20, Pitzer College)

How does geoscience intersect with society?

Water is one of the most basic needs to a human.  When examining a map, it is easy to recognize that most major cities have been constructed in close proximity to a substantial water source due to the ease of access.  When visiting my relatives in the small rural town of Biglerville, PA, I was never quite sure how they acquired their water.  They are near no river nor suitable water source, yet water flows from their tap just as it does in my home, Baltimore.  The answer for their water source is a well.  Far beneath their town is an aquifer, which can be tapped for water.  The aquifer is usually made of sandstone and water can remain in the sandstone because of the stone’s high porosity.  To create the well, a pipe system is drilled into the porous sandstone and the water in extracted.  The geologic phenomenon of the creation of an aquifer enables my cousins to live in their small rural town and sustains thousands of other towns which lay far away from usable surface water sources.  This usage of aquifers as a water source has allowed people to move where they please and into more remote places previously believed to be uninhabitable because of the lack of water, however it has always been just below us.  The presence of aquifers has helped humanity spread to the corners of the world.

While in Zion, Sam Patzkowsky and I witnessed the aquifer process from an interesting vantage point.  Usually the sandstone that comprises an aquifer is underground, however during our hike, there were sandstone slabs above ground in which it could be seen that water was seeping through.  Most notable of these being weeping rock, a sandstone block from which water seeps thus personifying weeping.

 

 

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The Northern Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest (PCTR)

The high rainfall and high coastal ranges nourish the icefields of southern Alaska along and with the extensive carbon-rich forests and ecosystems of the Northern Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest (PCTR).

Chris surveys the North Pacific noting the extensive moisture source and ocean pasture that is just offshore of the terrestrial ecosystems we are studying.

Malisse sits atop a shore pine, another slow growing coastal species that is experiencing potential decline.

Kerensa sites atop an obducted ophiolite – we were 71% sure that there were pillows in the basalt.

Josh cores another Alaska Yellow cedar – we were able to sample three sites in the Juneau area. These cedars are in decline due to warming and loss of snowpack, which makes their fine roots vulnerable to frost. Our objective is to work up the tree-ring record of the sites to contribute to our understanding of the decline.

Alora takes a break from taking notes and GPS coordinates for each tree.

Ice caves fund to explore and act as a conduit to meltwater and warm air accelerating the melt.

Blue the dog – takes a break from pursuing porcupines in the muskeg.

Nick of the Ophiolite.

Kerensa wades through the deep texture of coastal carbon.

Buried forests emerge from the wasting margin of the Mendenhall Glacier.

Nugget Falls – this is a classic hanging valley that has been revealed by the Mendenhall Glacier over the past 80 years.

A granite erratic just offshore.

A marmot sites on a stone in front of the emerging shoreline and new stands of Sitka Spruce.

A recently stripped cedar. The Tlingit strip the trees for a variety of reasons, primarily to procure the inner bark for weaving.

The field group taking a rest on the way back from Cedar Lake. The group is now working intensively on the Yellow Cedar cores to develop the tree ring record.

Thank you Jesse Wiles for your excellent photography and logistical support.

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Team Alaska’s Last Day

To wrap up an incredible journey, Team Alaska scrambled over glacially-scoured rock faces and occasionally bush-whacked through thick shrubbery to Mendenhall Glacier. Small glimpses of the glacier that were periodically revealed through high points or gaps in the forest

Approaching Mendenhall Glacier…can you spot the people for scale?

Subglacial hydrology, captured within an ice cave #NoFilter

Malisse, Chris and Kerensa explore the Ice Caves beneath the Mendenhall Glacier.

Jesse treks out onto the vast, icy terrain

Team Alaska plays follow the leader to get off the glacier safely

Alora coring subfossil snag trees from the Little Ice Age.

Taking in the immensity of the glacier

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French oysters. Aged to perfection.

Wooster, Ohio — After our glorious fieldwork in France earlier this month, the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) oysters Macy Conrad (’18), Paul Taylor (Natural History Museum, London), and I collected are now in our cozy Wooster Paleontology Lab. Now the less glamorous work begins: washing, sorting and labeling the specimens. Macy is shown at work with the collection arranged by localities.

This part of the work requires very low-tech equipment: scissors, paper, and water-soluble white glue. Generations of Wooster students know this procedure. Every specimen must be labelled with a number indicating its locality, even if we have hundreds of them. Paleontologists worry a lot about losing the context of a specimen, so we are obsessive about labelling. First we give a C/W code to each locality, print the numbers by the hundreds, cut them out, and then glue them to appropriate places on each fossil. White glue is great because it is easy to use, non-toxic, and it dissolves in water in case we need to remove or change a label. I learned this simple process in graduate school.Here are some fossil oysters with our coding sheet above.
A close-up of labeled specimens. We place the labels on matrix stuck to the fossil if possible.

These are the customized tags we’ll eventually fill out for each specimen recording our observations of the sclerobionts (hard-substrate dwellers like encrusters and borings). This will keep Macy and me busy for a long time. It’s not dramatic work, but we thought you might like to see all aspects of paleontological research through this project. More to come!

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The conclusion of an excellent field season

Guest Bloggers: Addison Thompson (’20, Pitzer College), Pa Nhia Moua (’20, Carleton College), and Sam Patzkowsky (’20, Franklin and Marshall) write about our last day of field work

6.26.17  Despite the often inhospitable conditions of the Black Rock Desert, the cohesion of team Utah made the scientific process enjoyable.  After the immediate success of the first day, it was given that the group would surpass any benchmark that Dr. Pollock had imagined.  The constant willingness for members to go above and beyond what was necessary to advance the mission in the Black Rock Desert was indicative of the excitement the group derived from the task at hand.

Team Utah with cinder cones in the background.

Although sweating, sore arms, and general discomfort at this point was par for the course, the final day in the field was bitter sweet.  The group ended on a high note, collecting a total of seven samples on the day.  Dr. Pollock said, “finding a suitable piece of pahoehoe is like finding a needle in a haystack”, so the group found two.  In addition to the pahoehoe samples, numerous samples were found that were suitable for Varnish Microlamination testing.  With the day complete, the group left the four cinder cones and their vast, puzzling lava flows in search of petroglyphs that were said to be nearby.  These were never found.  The ride back to camp was quiet, people were either staring out the window at the expansive Utah landscape or with their heads rocked to the side catching some z’s.

Pa Nhia Moua Carleton College ’20 demonstrating proper enthusiasm whilst in the field.

Pa Nhia Moua
Carleton College ’20 Member of Team Keck
As we ventured on our last day in the field, we were determined to make up for our day “off the field”. With pride and gratitude, the team worked hard to use all information we learned on the field to search for suitable samples. Hurrah to Team Utah! The seven samples we collected in one day shows our spirit, our optimism, and our growth of knowledge! And as a plus, a massive lava tube (~15-20 m tall) was discovered, and offered us wonderful protection from the shining rays of the sun. Great job team! Now, may luck and knowledge be with us in the labs!

“I could have sworn we parked the car over there.”

Sam Patzkowsky

Franklin & Marshall College ’20

As our trip in Utah comes to a close, I am flooded with all the unique and rewarding experiences that occurred.  One of these experiences that stuck out to me was from our first day in the field; right after lunch we had split up into groups to try and understand what the heck was going on in the immediate area.  My group consisted of me and Addison Thompson (Pitzer College ’20), and as we trudged off away from the other group, it hit me, I had known this kid for all of three days and suddenly we were thrust into a position to work together to attempt to understand the volcanics of this field, unknowing if we’d have a great dynamic or a poor one.  As this work continued, I knew that even if we had different personalities, geology is a field where people can set aside their differences, whatever they may be, and just nerd-out about rocks.  It is truly a unique field of study and one that I am excited to continue working and studying in.  Oh, and Addison is one heck of a group partner, in case you were wondering.

Emily Randall ’20 the College of Wooster collecting a righteous sample of Pahoehoe with colleagues looking on eagerly.

Our resident photogenic individual, Sam Patzkowsky, Franklin & Marshall ’20 beating the heat with a crispy apple.

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Day 4 – Keck Gateway – Alaska

Day 3 consisted of Team Alaska exploring Juneau the way a tourist might. The group roamed around the downtown area stopping at quaint book stores, trading posts, and the Alaska State Museum. This allowed the team to relax their aching feet and gain a new perspective of the city and borough of Juneau. After visiting the museum, the team gained a deeper appreciation for Alaska’s native cultures and complex history.

On day 4, Team Alaska conquered Bridget Cove, led by local forest ecologist and conservationist John Krapek. In order to get to the site, the team hiked over a mile of steep terrain covered by a large and spinous plant called Devil’s club. The team was able to collect a plethora of samples including that of yellow-cedar and western hemlock. After collecting the samples, the team took a lunch break and enjoyed a nearby muskeg. Finally, Team Alaska descended the slippery and densely vegetated trail, which was marked only by their previous footsteps. We wish Team Utah the best of luck braving triple digit weather, excited to meet back in Ohio in the coming days!

The group smiles upwards as Jesse snaps a quick picture.

A quick look at one of the group’s field notebooks.

John shows us how the ecologists do it!

Malisse of the pines.

Kerensa cranks out another core.

Alora peers into the canopy.

A wild Dr. Wiles is spotted from a far.

Josh gets his arm workout for the day.

Chris and Jesse take a break and find a tree to climb. No trees were harmed in the making of this picture.

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Team Alaska Day Two

Team Alaska hikes through the woods on a cloudy day to Cedar Lake. At this site they retrieved over 50 increment cores from 25 trees, which will be compared with tree-ring data from Cedar Lake collected in previous years. Lunch included an astounding view of the Pacific Ocean, the misty Chilkat Mountain Range, and some seals! The day ended with another home-cooked meal, followed by some well-earned rest.

Malisse is always ready for the camera.

Nick, Wooster’s geology department technician, relaxes on a rocky outcrop for lunch. Nine miles behind him can be seen the expansive Chilkat Mountain Range.

The group finds a rope swing above a creek beside a public-use cabin. Be careful, Chris!

Alora hikes through the temperate rain forest in search of more cedars to core!

Kerensa wades through skunk cabbage to find the rest of the trail.

Team Alaska poses before Cedar Lake; behind them you can see the yellow-cedars waiting to be cored.

Josh cores high on the tree to avoid sampling a rotted section. Good workout!

Jesse, Team Alaska’s exceptional photographer, takes his turn coring some trees.

Nick and Dr. Wiles compare fresh cores while Alora records data.

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Team Utah Takes to the Field

Guest Blogger: Addison Thompson (’20, Pitzer College) writes about our first 3 days of field work.

6.23.17 For the Utah group, the first day in the field was daunting yet rewarding as our intrepid group of young geologists made themselves acquainted with the Ice Springs Volcanic Field.  The Ice Springs Volcanic Field, located in the Black Rock Desert of Utah, is home to many old cinder cone volcanos that currently lay dormant.  In the past the cinder cones were active volcanos, spitting and oozing lava.  The lava flows have since cooled and currently take the form of basaltic rocks spilling out from four primary cinder cones, Miter, Crescent, Pocket and Terrace.

The day began at 7:15am with breakfast, after which foods were divided for lunch, sandwiches were assembled, and packs were equipped and made field ready.  Everything was ready, as was the team and off the Utah group went to the field site, arriving just after 9am.  After days of anticipation, stepping out of the car face to face with what the group had read so many articles and papers about was magical.  In no time, the group  was on their way, climbing up the service road, and eventually up the cinder cone named Miter in order to get a lay of the rocky land.

Team Utah atop the Mitre cinder cone

The terrain comprised uneven, sharp, basaltic rocks and was difficult to traverse, but the group managed.  After climbing Miter, the next move was to follow the presumed Miter lava flow path which eventually emptied into a flat basin, an area interpreted to be where a lava flow once pooled.  A good section of pahoehoe, a ropy formation of a basaltic rock, was quickly identified, and its sample was taken.

Sam Patzkowsky (’20 Franklin and Marshall College and Team Keck member) dislodging a piece of Pahoehoe to be used as a sample.

With the success of the pahoehoe find, it was time for lunch.  Shade was hard to come by, so people did their to take refuge from the incessant beating of the sun.  Water was a must.  After lunch the group split up in the attempt to identify the Mitre/Crescent lava flow boundary, not an easy task.  Regardless of the difficulty, progress was made and we ended the day with promising evidence that could work towards our hypothesis.  After a long first day in the field, morale was high but energy was very low; dinner was a welcomed sight.

6.24.17 Waking up on the second day was a breeze.  The group had a plan in mind and very little was left to chance.  First on the chopping block was a visit to the Carbon-14 dating site followed by accessing the area that is believed to house the Miter/Crescent boundary.  Sadly the Carbon-14 dating site was only accessible by a private road, so that idea was nixed.  Next up was entering the lava flows from the north west side via a rarely traveled dirt access road.  The going was bumpy but eventually the car made it to a suitable stopping point.  The walk to the toes (the extent) of the lava flows was a brief flat jog that took minutes; however, the real challenge began when it became necessary to climb the lava flows in order to press on.   Over the course of the trip, the sharp basaltic rocks have claimed many a causality, so the group favored precision over speed.  In searching for Miter/Crescent boundary evidence, it was impossible to ignore other important geologic occurrences.  One of these interesting being a large boulder, about 8ft. tall, comprised of lava bombs that must have been part of a cinder cone that rode a lava flow to the edge.

Measuring a boulder that was transported to its current location by a lava flow.

This helped give an idea about the power of the flows.  Measurements of the boulder were taken along with photos for reference.

As the group pressed deeper into the flows they began to notice an accumulation of large basaltic slabs sticking out of the ground in all directions and angles.  Dr. Pollock noted that information about these slabs could be important towards our ultimate goal, so slab measurements needed to be taken, twenty in all.  Taking a slab measurement consisted of noting the coordinates of the hunk of rock, its width in centimeters, taking photos of the slab under examination, and lastly noting the size of the vesicles (holes created by the expulsion of gas during the cooling process).

Two members of Team Keck measuring a slab’s width.

The reward was lunch and maybe shade.  Luckily, shade was easier to find than the day before and the group crouched, laid, and sprawled under the angled rocks.  But like all good things, lunch came to an end.  Regardless of the heat, the group was always eager for more field work so they decided to push farther east in search of a boundary that had previously been visible from a birds eye map.  At the boundary, samples were to be taken for geochemistry analysis.  Eventually the boundary was reached and the samples were taken.  After a efficient day in the field it was time to turn around.  Dinner was burgers and everyone went to sleep soon there after.

6.25.17  The third full day in Utah did an excellent of of testing everyones nerves.  A special thanks goes out to Dr. Pollock for her cool disposition in the face of a turbulent situation.  The day began as a normal day does with breakfast, then lunch packing, and finally going over the mission of the day.  The catch was that the back right tire of the car that didn’t want to go along with the plan.  Minutes away from the field site the low tire pressure sign flashed on the dashboard so the group turned around and went to go get air for the noticeably deflated tier.  However the issue was that the tire had a puncture, not that it simply had low pressure.  With the spare now on the car, there was no backup and driving over rocky terrain without a spare tire is a disaster waiting to happen, so the call was made to switch rental cars.  This required Dr. Pollock driving the rental up to the Salt Lake Airport to exchange cars, a two hour trip both ways.  This exchange took a majority of the day so there was sadly no time left for field work.  This was definitely a disappointment, but the group handled it well.  The day was instead spent relaxing, uploading information from the field and doing any other minor housekeeping chores.  Emily Randall (’20 College of Wooster and Team Keck member) created a map locating every coordinate where a sample had been taken.  Finally towards the end of the day a few members went on a hike along an ATV path that wound towards the mountains behind the camp site.

A panoramic taken from the hike.

Although no field work was conducted it was a productive day.

 

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Team Alaska Day One

Day one involved team Alaska hiking the East Glacier Trail led by Brian Buma, a forest ecologist from the University of Alaska Southeast. Their goal was to sample yellow-cedar trees at high elevation sites and understand how the dynamics of the forest relate to climate change. The trip was off the beaten path after 2 miles and continued for another 6 miles through a steep, muddy, dense understory. The group only stopped to eat lunch, but it was a sublime day with amazing company. Upwards of 50 samples were collected from a boggy environment, known as a “muskeg”. After a very long but exciting day the group headed down the trail for home-cooked fish tacos. Yum!

Brian Buma, forest ecologist, gives the group information regarding adolescent cedar trees.

The group treks through the unknown terrain, they may be lost.

After realizing they were not actually lost Team Alaska catches their breath and admires the views atop the mountain.

Chris measures the DBH, diameter at breast height, to assist Brian Bumas’ study of these economically, culturally, and ecologically important trees.

Alora stands in the foreground to upstage the natural beauty of the mountain, it is possible to look good in a bug net!

Team Alaska poses for a quick photo-op before starting their fieldwork.

Josh, member of Team Alaska, reads his field notes and records data.

Kerensa labels a straw, containing a yellow-cedar tree core for future analysis.

Malisse, renowned multi-tasker, records field notes, holds cedar cores and protects herself from the hordes of insects trying to sample her blood. Thanks to Jesse Wiles for the photographs.

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