Grounded Observations

 What type of metamorphic rock is it?                                                                            Our bathroom countertops are done in white marble.   Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock formed by the low-level metamorphism of the protolith Limestone.   Marble can be formed predominately at convergent plate boundaries or in rare cases when magma heats up limestone.                                                                                                                ...

Soil Mineralogy Booth, M. S., Stark, J. M., & Caldwell, M. M. (2003). Inorganic N turnover and availability in annual- and perennial-dominated soils in a northern Utah shrub-steppe ecosystem.  Biogeochemistry ,  66 (3), 311. This study focused on the effect of the introduction of the annual grass, Bromus into Utah.   They were trying to discover how nutrient cycling may be affected.   It could affect how the soil decomposes.   This would affect the availability of inorganic N by altering the soil temperature and moisture content.     They found the introduction of the annual grass leads to higher concentrations of N which in turn increased the risk of fire.   In all of their studies, they showed an increase of N, the greatest increase being 20%.    It did depend on the time of year the sample was taken.   The increase in Nitrogen should be a huge red flag before continuing to use the Bromus annual grass....

Narasimha R.S., & Rajasekaran, G. (1994). Lime injection technique to improve the behavior of soft marine clays.  Ocean Engineering ,  21 (1), 29–43. https://doi-org.byui.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/0029-8018(94)90027-2 This article looked at injecting lime grout into clay to change the cementation and compact nature of clay soil.   The use of lime helps to increase plasticity and strength properties.  They found through their study that injecting lime into the clay soil decreased compressibility.  It changed the structures of CaO and ph.  Although this was done in a water environment, the same application could help clay compaction in regular soils. This article looks at the different treatments of a clay/sandy soil to increase food production in Africa.  They proposed that tilling the clay soil increase water distribution and water efficiency, which helped plants develop greater root systems.  They concluded that it was critical fo...

Sandstone Sand refers to the size of the grains in the rock.  Particles can range from 1/16 millimeter to 2 millimeters in diameter.   The grains of sand in sandstone are small particles of rock, mineral, or organic matter that have been reduced in size by weathering.  They tend to be susceptible to physical weathering.  They have traveled or been deposited by means of water, wind, ice, or biological means.   Once they have deposited they will begin the process of lithification.  This is where the particles cement and consolidate into sedimentary rock.  Quartz is usually one of the most common types of sand grain present in sandstone. They are formed in sheets as the water brings in the sediment and it settles and then the process repeats.  These tend to break into sheets after formed.   This is the top of the rock.  One thing I noticed in the purple layer, is a few directional waves or ripples.  They ...

Sakurajima Volcano .  Sakurajima, a  stratovolcano  on the the island of Kyushu. Most of the explosions are Strombolian.  There is a new volcanic cone inside a caldera.  The volcano formed a new island in 1914. I can't believe that a half a million people live across the bay of this extremely active volcano.  It erupts every 4 to 24 hours.     I would have a hard time living by such an explosive force.

#1 Chittoori, B., Puppala A.,(2011) Quantitative Estimation of Clay Mineralogy in Fine Grained Soils,   Journal of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering ;Vol. 137 Issue 11, p997-1008. This study wanted to Clay minerology distribution and dominant clay minerals.   They studied the clay minerals in 26 different soils and used 3 chemicals to test them.    They wanted to create a database for clay mineralogy.   This study will help provide effective information for This clay will improve stabilization design guidelines.    It is helpful to understand chemical reactions and interactions between stabilizer additives and clay minerals in soil. #2 Jensen JL, Schjønning P, Watts CW, Christensen BT, Munkholm LJ. (2017)Soil texture analysis revisited: Removal of organic matter matters more than ever.  PLoS ONE .,12(5):1-10. They looked at the effect of removing  soil  organic matter (SOM) by H...