Geology Fun Fact No. 1

I am a huge fan of rocks (that's why I am studying to be a geologist) so I decided that I'm going to share facts about geology in random blogs that I write. For most people when they look at a landscape they don't realize the real beauty of what they are looking at. I love learning about how landscapes have come to be in their present state. There is so much history that can be gleaned from just looking at something. I'd have to say that one of my favorite geological structures are sink holes. They are really cool to look at, and it is pretty interesting, to me at least, how they are formed. It is a simple process that takes time, but what it produces is amazing. You start out with groundwater running through a layer of limestone. The water erodes the limestone and it creates holes in the ground. Eventually those holes form caves, and when the roof of that cave collapses you get a sink hole. But that is just the beginning. Over time the land is eroded and you eventually get karst towers along with underground springs coming out to the surface and other cool features. These formations are really cool to look at. I think karst topography is a sight to behold. So for those of you who plan to visit southern China anytime soon, you should go look at the wonderful karst topography in that region.

And that is just the beginning of how cool geology really is. But the reason I'm studying it isn't so that I can know about rocks, I want to go a little bit off the path and study the coolest kind of rocks ever... fossils. That's right. Not one person can tell me that fossils aren't cool. When you find one you become like a little school kid, and you get all excited and you want to show everybody. I have been fortunate enough to do some fossil digging in my life. It was for trilobites down in Delta, Utah and it was one of the coolest adventures I've ever been on. I even named the trilobites that I found. I look forward to the day when I find a dinosaur bone. That will be a highlight of my life. But finding any kind of ancient life is a thrill. One of the most awesome things I have learned about as a geologist is the Burgess Shale up in Canada. Now there is some pretty bizarre lifeforms that were buried in it. Look it up if your interest has been peaked. Anyways, I am really stoked for what I get to look forward to in the future. Look out fossils here I come! So that's it I guess. Rocks are cool, but fossils are even better. I might write a book about it someday. There is so much to look forward to in life, and it's even better because you don't know what to expect. Randomness in life makes it all the more fun.