Geology

“My favorite assignment was the stratigraphic column that we made from observations that we took of cliffs on the beach around us. At first nothing about what was going on made sense, and I found it frustrating to take notes because it felt like I wasn’t seeing the right thing or looking at what I was supposed to. Eventually, I talked to some of my friends, and we compared notes together. It turned out that we both had things that the other didn’t catch. It was amazing to see something that my eyes would typically gloss over and not notice come alive with each additional new detail helping indicate the history of the rock and sediment over millions of years.”

“Most of our days involved waking up very early before sunrise so that we could be out in the field taking notes as soon as the sun was up and it was low tide. We’d usually stay out until about 3 or 4 PM, making observations about the landscape around us, having discussions, sharing ideas about what we thought was going on with the rocks, and taking notes on lectures taught on top of a rock face sitting criss-cross applesauce as our professor explained the dynamics at play with a portable whiteboard as the waves crashing against the shore in the background.”

“Our first day had an admittedly strenuous hike in the Catalonia Mountain range. Once at the top of our 6.52-mile hike, we were rewarded with a spectacular view north overlooking the Ebro basin. While maps and reading are undoubtedly integral to understanding a study area, seeing the entirety of the basin provides a far more human scale.”