Soaring Dispositions

Rocks tell stories and so do I.

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

More core, and more core, and more core, and more core....

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Core logging station.

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Specular Hematite!

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

A mama bear and her cubs. Black bears are a regular sighting in this neck of the woods.

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

There was a forest fire about 30km north of our camp. It scaled 50 km X 5 km in size and caused "The Evacuation Vacation" (leave with pay). The picture above is remnants of the damage the forest fire caused. Since the fire, we've experienced an incredible increase in the amount of wildlife in the bush. Not only were the animals displaced but a lot of cottages were burned... It took about 3 weeks to a month to fight the fire.

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

A fold.

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

A great traverse day. We found a railway!

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

                                       Shatter Cone at Onaping Falls

A lack of updates makes me feel obliged to post a few extras in this one. Its been a busy summer, and as such I don't have much time to write. These are a collection of pictures taken from my phone (sorry, not the greatest quality). Nonetheless, they'll provide a good snapshot. 

I'll be making a more in depth post at a later date, so stay tuned :)

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Reminiscing an adventure to the summit of Camel's Hump just outside of Burlington, Vermont. It was early spring, raining and cold. The perfect day for a hike. Snow on the ground as we climbed in elevation. Biting winds and blizzarding snows beyond the treeline. An icy path down the steep summit sides. Instinctual non-stop scrambling to the warmth of trees and interestingly enough, the rain. 

Camel's Hump is 4,083 ft in elevation. The hike consists of a 2,200 ft elevation gain with the loop approximately 5 miles long. 44º 19' 10.37" N; 72º 53' 10.78" W. 

[coeurated]

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Trolltunga in Norway

[rocksandants]

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

What a Little Moon Dust Can Do 

 Lunar dust is extremely abrasive — and unavoidable — as astronauts quickly learned during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and ’70s. Within hours, the dust covered the astronauts’ spacesuits and equipment, scratching lenses and corroding seals.

Fortunately for the astronauts, their contact with lunar dust was short enough that it didn’t cause any major problems. But explorers living on a moon base for weeks or even months at a time are not likely to get away so clean. Under prolonged exposure, the explorers would be at risk for everything from mechanical failures in spacesuits and airlocks to lung disease. “Dust is the No. 1 environmental problem on the moon,” said Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, who reported having a severe allergic reaction to moon dust during his mission in 1972. “We need to understand what the (biological) effects are, because there’s always the possibility that engineering might fail.”

Moon dust is much more jagged than dust on Earth because there’s no water or wind on the moon to toss it around and grind down its edges. It’s created when meteorites, cosmic rays and solar winds slam into the moon, turning its rocks into powdery topsoil.

The Apollo astronauts couldn’t help but get covered in the stuff as they struggled to stay upright on the moon’s surface, where the force of gravity is one-sixth of that on Earth. Later, they tracked the dust back into their space capsules and inhaled it when they took off their helmets.

Though no astronauts have reported coming down with any illnesses due to their contact with lunar dust — save for Schmitt’s brief allergic reaction — samples brought back to Earth have some peculiar properties that worry researchers. For one, some of the dust particles are only a few microns wide. This makes it easy for the particles to get deep into the lungs and stay there. Scientists worry that this could eventually lead to fatal lung diseases similar to silicosis.

Also, the dust is littered with bonded shards of glass and minerals known as agglutinates, which were formed in the heat of meteorite impacts. Agglutinates have not been found on Earth, and scientists worry that the human body may not be able to expel them efficiently if inhaled. “They have sharp angles, with arms that stick out and little hooks,” said David McKay, chief scientist for astrobiology at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “It’s like Velcro.”

[airydreamer]

[alicenwndrlnd]

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

So, if you've been following my blog you'd know I was just recently hired as a Student Exploration Geologist. What you may not know however, is that for the past four summers I've worked as a Whitewater Rafting Guide on the beautiful Ottawa River for a company called Wilderness Tours. In my time working there as a guide, I got a chance to checkout some of the coolest Canadian Shield rock formations but it also gave me the chance to learn and get into white water kayaking. 

Needless to say, this photo is a great combination of these two loves made simplistic.

[blamethebutler]

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Don't mess with me people. 

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Who needs Exams anyways?

Sorry for the lack of personal posts and the uproar of reblogs people... Unfortunately its that time of year; exams, exams, final projects, and exams. Expect some good updates post-school term once I can tell you more about some of my final projects, show you some thin section photos and am on my way to Trelawney ! 

[mrjeremyt]

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

Hehehe... 

[rejecteddejected]

[mytwistedpretzel-blog]

I Want One.