Spring Creek: Georgia's Own limestone riverbed

           
Spring Creek is a tributary of the Flint River, located in Donalsonville, Georgia. It flows into Lake Seminole. This creek is spring-fed, causing the water to be crystal clear. You can clearly see the wildlife under the water, such as fish swimming, or even organic matter, such as rotting wood. Mollusks are also plentiful. Most of the river bed is solid limestone, helping keep the water clear because of the little amounts of finer particles, such as silt and clay. This creek is much too small for motorboats, but it is a haven for paddlers, who are looking to see exotic spring ecosystems, without having to drive further south to Florida. Pine trees and hardwood forests line the sides of the creek.

The Benefits of Community Gardening

Community Gardening especially in urban areas is beneficial not only for community building but also for personal health and growth. Community gardens allow people of all different cultural backgrounds to come together towards a common goal within their neighborhood. They even allow people of different ages to interact with each other. Community gardens allow people to enjoy nutritious vegetables that are locally grown and readily available, but they are also able to produce other types of vegetables that residents would not be able to find in nearby stores, allowing for a diversity of vegetables.

Rock Identification Shoe Box

This is an image of rocks that I picked up from Ocmulgee National Monument. Most of the rocks were Granite rocks, consisting of Biotite, Quartz, and Feldspar. Two types of Feldspar can be identified, Potassium (Pink) and Plagioclase (White). I also found a few pieces of Scoria, which depicts some sort of volcanic activity with high volatile content. I wonder how the rock got there. It was near the railroad tracks. 

Elevation Over Distance of Straight Line

 This is my path from MEP, where I live to work at MERPO everyday. The distance is about 1600ft. This image shows the elevation change over the distance.

This graph compares the elevation change at different distances to MERPO. There is very little elevation change. 

Mineral Identification

The most commonly known of the Quartz mineral group is Amethyst . It has the most value, and its purple color is due to iron and aluminum impurities. It is translucent and has a vitreous luster. Brazil is the leader in amethyst production. Amethyst are found in Geodes. Geodes are former air bubbles created by volcanic activity in which mineral rich water moving from the outside of the rock into the center causes crystals to form.

Peridot is a form of Olivine, consisting of Iron and Magnesium.  The Iron causes its green color. Peridot is an igneous rock formed deep in the mantle, and brought u p to the surface by volcanic activity. 

Feldspar is a common mineral found Earth. It makes up nearly 60% of Earth's crust. Feldspar is formed by cooling magma. It is a major component of Granite.

Mica is composed mostly of silicon and oxygen. There are many variations of Mica, including Biottie and Muscovite. Mica is distinguished by its many thin layers. Most of the flashes seen in granitic rocks are Mica. 

Limestone is a sedimentary rock formed of calcium carbonate. Limestone originates in warm sea waters where organisms, who are able to produce calcium carbonate, die and form and accumulate into limestone.

Pyrite, for most people, is known as Fool's Gold. It's an iron sulfide mineral that can be found in many rock types including, Igneous, Sedimentary, and Igneous rocks.

Strange creatures of the Deep Hydro-thermic Vents

Deep sea mussels can be found near hydrothermic vents. They are similar to shallow water clams, but differ in that they generally have larger gills. Some also have smaller guts, feeding on microbes, or single celled organisms. Bigger gills allow the intake of more microbes, allowing deep sea mussels to be able to survive even if a hydro-thermal vent becomes inactive.

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Thousands and sometimes even millions of shrimp can be found congregating around one area of hydrothermic vents.Deep sea shrimp are drastically different compared to shallow water shrimp because they are translucent in color because they do not have a need to process sunlight, and they are also blind by evolution because of the lack of sunlight. Similarly to mussels and clams, microbes make up a shrimp's diet. Shrimp also participate in the life cycle of deep sea animals by playing its role as sustenance for other deep sea creatures like crabs and fish. 

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Another bizarre creature that looks as if it had come from another planet is the Giant Tube Worm. Giant Tube Worms  are also known as Beard Worms and can grow up to eight feel long! Tube worms haven't any digestive tract at all, instead they are reliant solely on the bacteria living within them to convert the chemicals from hydro-thermal vents into usable organic molecules. Their most distinguishing characteristic is the read plume at the heads of their stems. These plumes allow for the intake of chemicals from the vents to the bacteria inside them. The large concentration of blood at the plume causes it to be red.

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There is little knowledge of Eelpout fish that lie near hydro-thermic vents, besides its diet, which consists of crustaceans, such as deep sea crabs. However like deep sea shrimp, Eelpout fish lack color due to the lack of sunlight.

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Pompeii Worms are the most heat-tolerant animals that we know of today, hence the name Pompeii. It's habitat consists of burying itself in the sides of hydro-thermal vents, where water can reach temperature of 176 degrees Fahrenheit. Pompeii worms are involved in symbiotic relationships with bacteria living on their backs, which protect them from extreme heat, while feeding off of mucus that the worm secretes. It's foot is anchored into the sides of the vent, while its head hangs out into much cooler water around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Georgia Elevation Change and Water Flow

The yellow lines in this image demonstrates elevation change in intervals of 200 ft. The blue line depicts the most likely route of water flow starting from the northeastern part of Georgia.