While we cannot enter the quarries, the granite is prominently exposed in several roadcuts. Our geology students will be able to examine this valuable resource up close and will be able to map out its boundaries in relation to the surrounding country rock. Nine Students and one faculty member will take this trip tentatively scheduled for April 7-8, 2001. The National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. houses on the the finest collections of geological specimens in the world. The Hall of Minerals displays rate and beautiful natural crystals, as well as some of the largest cut and faceted gemstones, inlcuding the Hope Diamond, the largest cut blue diamond in the world.
Rock specimens from around the United States are on display as well as recovered meteorites.
Students will be able to examine some of the best displays of invertebrate and vertebrate fossils in the United States. Students will be given a tour of the facilities at Reston and be able to ask questions about current geological investigations. This trip will examine several outcrops of rocks originally deposited between 505 million and 320 million years ago. Additional interested students may participate depending on the availability of funds and van space. The Sedimentology students will examine many different types of rocks using the information learned in the classroom to interpret the environmental conditions under which the sediments which comprise the rocks were laid down.