Geology Course Experiences – April 2025

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Over the past month, the online geology course has moved along slowly with only another 2 chapters covering waste management/landfills and landslides. There was a week-long pause for Spring Break. I am glad I chose this version of the geology class (It’s titled ‘Earth: The Survival Guide’) since it provides a background for items in the news that have a geologic component. The syllabus for the next few weeks shows a significant uptick in topics with 4 chapters before the last exam on May 1. It seems like the course pacing is dramatically skewed toward the end.

I was disappointed that the scheduled field trip day was canceled because of weather (rain the previous days and the scheduled day, flash flooding and river flooding). Evidently there is not going to be another attempt. I’ll have to make do with my own observations as I travel around the state…and the geology field trip with Missouri Master Naturalists that is scheduled for early May; hopefully the weather will be better for that one.

The labs were also impacted by spring break. Topics were:

  • Groundwater contamination investigation that involved samples to be tested for nitrates, total dissolved solids, pH, and salinity…then pinpointing where contamination was coming from using a contour map of industries and where the samples were collected.

  • Streams and rivers using topographic maps to observe how river move along the surface and the observable structures from the interactions between water and the surface (things like natural levees and oxbow lakes).

  • Geologic maps – looking at the geographic distribution of rock units exposed at the Earth’s surface. Maps of Webster County MO, Bright Angel Quandrangle, AZ (part of the Grand Canyon), and the Williamsville Quadrangle, VA (part of the Appalachian Mountains).

The ‘streams and rivers’ lab was not on the original syllabus and there has not been an update showing which of the labs will be dropped. I hope the ones on Caves/Karst and Shorelines will still be part of the semester.

I am anticipating a flurry of activity between now and the end of the semester! There are a lot of textbook chapters in the syllabus that we haven’t done yet.

Geology Course Experiences – March 2025

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Over the past month, the online geology course I am taking has proceeded with 4 more chapters of the textbook, an added role-playing activity on flooding, and a field trip being scheduled for early April! So far, the most thought-provoking chapter has been on water pollution. It is a topic I’ve learned about over a period of years but having a well-organized chapter tie everything I know together was almost overwhelming. The moves to reduce efforts to improve or preserve water quality at the Federal level while I was reading the chapter made the challenges we face near term and into the future even more troubling.

In the lab, there were sedimentary and metamorphic rocks to look at and then some different kinds of labs…looking a cross sections and oceanography. I skipped one of the labs because it was raining, and I decided I didn’t want to be out and about – a benefit of being a retired person. I took pictures of the rocks we looked at in the lab and made ‘flashcards’ for myself to help me learn to recognize them. Of course – the HCl test and scratch plates are also needed for identification too.

 I met my daughter for lunch after most of the lab sessions before heading back home.

Geology Course Experiences – February 2025

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I have completed 3 more chapters in my online course – reading the eTextbook, working through the study questions and taking the quizzes (all part of the online book). There was a short YouTube video. The professor sent an email about another video - Hidden Fury - the New Madrid Quake Zone – which was more  substantial (although not very polished); I wondered why she did not make it part of the online course as part of the section on earthquakes. So far, the online course content seems to be almost entirely the eTextbook – very little content/value added by the professor or the university. I will finish the course and get as much as I can from the online book that I can access until next summer but probably will not take another online course from this university.

The lab course is almost better than I expected. It started out in what seemed like the traditional entry level geology lab: trays of minerals and rocks; I took a few pictures. Diorite made of quartz, plagioclase, and hornblende.

Granite made quartz, feldspar, and plagioclase. 

But the next lab (volcanoes) involved use of VR headsets or scanning a QR code to look at something on our smartphone. The lab for the next week (volcanoes again) included some more video initiated by scanning a QR code followed by a simulation of a volcano emergency with role playing. It was interesting to have the Santorini earthquakes and associated response in the news at the same time we were doing the lab. Overall, the lab is exceeding my expectations; I appreciate that the faculty is incorporating new content and delivery mechanisms into the course.

I’ve met my daughter for lunch after two of the labs…before I head back home. I showed her the imprint of the shell in the limestone near the student union before the first one; the light was better for photography.

Ippolito Rosellini’s Ancient Egypt

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The New York Public Library Digital Collections includes the illustrations of Ippolito Rossillini’s I Monumenti dell'Egitto e della Nubia. It was published between 1832 and 1844 documenting the Franco-Tuscan expedition to Egypt (1828-1829) and after the death of Jean-Francois Champollion (leader of the expedition) in 1832.

There are over 400 plates to enjoy – some simple drawings and some with color. I picked 6 of the color images as samples.

I monumenti dell'Egitto e della Nubia disegnati dalla spedizione scientifico-letteraria toscana in Egitto

The images are best enjoyed using the ‘view as a book’ option for the document.

David Roberts’ Lithograph Prints from Egypt and Nubia

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The New York Public Library Digital Collections has a book of prints created between 1846 and 1849 by Scottish artist David Roberts. The were evidently based on his sketches made during his travels to Egypt and Nubia between 1838-1840. The images were a success in Britain – predating the earliest photographs of the sites. This collection is well work a look! I’ve picked 4 samples…but there are many more online and easy to browse.

 Egypt and Nubia

Three Japanese Ukiyo-e Artists

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The eBook for this week features the art of ukiyo-e artists from the late 1700s through the first half of the 1800s. The artists are Chōbunsai Eishi, Eishōsai Chōki, and Katsushika Hokusai (links are to the Wikipedia entry for each artist). The book is the catalog from an exhibition of their prints in Paris in 1913. I have included 6 sample images from the book…but there are 118 plates in all – so well worth taking a look at the art work in the online books itself.

Yeishi, Choki, Hokusaï : estampes japonaises tirées des collections de MM. Bing, Bouasse-Lebel, Bullier...[et d'autres] et exposées au Musée des arts décoratifs en janvier

An early 1900s collection of art from hunting days in the Himalayas

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Lieutenant Lionel Bickersteth Rundall’s The Ibex of Sha-ping was published in 1915, the year after he died at the beginning of World War I in the trenches at Festubert, France because of a blundered order. He was 24 years old. The joy he must have felt in the Himalayas during his years in India shows in his artwork included in the book….a glowing reminder of a life that ended too soon. The book is freely available on Internet Archive and is well worth browsing.

The ibex of Sha-ping, and other Himalayan studies

James Bolton’s Birds

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James Bolton was a naturalist in the 1700s that published books about plants, fungi, and birds. He was a talented illustrator. The week’s eBook is his book about birds. He was a keen observer of the birds themselves and their nests. The book is available on Internet Archive.

 Harmonia ruralis, or, An essay towards a natural history of British song birds V1 and V2

James Bolton’s botanical books were included in my monthly botanical posts for August (flowers and ferns) and September (mushrooms) 2024.

Indian Architecture in 1896

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Syad Muhammad Latif’s book with descriptions and drawings of historical buildings of Agra (including the Taj Mahal) as they were in the 1890s is the ‘book of the week.’  The drawings were the high point for me; I’ve included four samples in this post with many more to be viewed by following the link to the book on Internet Archive. Most of the drawings are the exterior of structures but there are also a few interiors.

Agra historical & descriptive with an account of Akbar and his court and of the modern city of Agra

Robert F. Scott in Antarctica

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Robert Falcon Scott led two expeditions to Antarctica; the expedition records for both are available on Internet Archive.

Scott wrote the expedition record for the first after he returned to Britain in 1904.

The Voyage of the 'Discovery', 1905

The second expedition (Terra Nova) began in 1910. He died in March 1912 in Antarctica. The expedition record was arranged by Leonard Huxley and published in 1914. Volume 1 provides the journals of Scott and Volume 2 provides the reports of the journeys and the scientific work undertaken by Dr. E.A. Wilson (who died with Scott) and the surviving members of the expedition. Both volumes are illustrated by photographs taken by Herbert G. Ponting (the first professional photographer included in an Antarctic expedition) and other members of the expedition. There are also a few color plates and sketches made by Dr. Wilson.

Scott's last expedition V1, 1914

All three books are well worth browsing. The pictures/illustrations prompt some reading as well. These are as close as it gets to firsthand descriptions of what happened.  

Restoring Ancient Bronzes eBook

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Henry W. Nichols’ Restoration of ancient bronzes and cure of malignant patina was published in 1930 and documents the process used by Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History to restore ancient Egyptian bronzes (and some from Mesopotamia too) in their collection. They used the Fink electrochemical process which was inaugurated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The author was the curator with a geology and chemistry background responsible for the work on a total of 360 bronzes from 1926 to 1929. The before and after images contained in the book are dramatic. The book is available from Internet Archive.

 Restoration of ancient bronzes and cure of malignant patina

Ships eBook from the late 1920s

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Cecil J. Allen and John R. Hind’s My Book of Ships was published in 1928 in London – well after the Titanic sank in 1912. It is interesting that the Titanic is not mentioned in the book although page 47 is damaged (it appears that half a page was cut out) and is in the chapter about wrecks and salvage.

The book is illustrated with photographs and color illustrations. It is all history now but at the time it was published it was a little history but focuses on the state of the art for ships. It is well worth browsing!

My book of ships: their building and the wonders of navigation; illustrated and described for children

L'art Vietnamien (ebook)

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L’art Vietnamien was written by Louis Bezacier, a French archaeologist and art historian. It was published in 1955.

L'art Vietnamien

As I browsed the book, I found myself wanting more illustrations; the ones that were there acted to stimulate my interest but not satisfy it. I also wondered how much of Vietnam’s art history was damaged or destroyed in the battles that followed. The author first began his work in Vietnam in 1935 and published for at least 20 years after that…but this book is the only one that is currently on Internet Archive.

Golf Courses of the Early 1900s

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I enjoyed browsing the illustrations of golf courses in Britain published in 1910 (available on Internet Archive). It was authored by Bernard Darwin and illustrated by Harry Rountree. According to Wikipedia, the author was the grandson of Charles Darwin; he was the first journalist to cover golf on a daily basis…and he was a high-standard amateur golfer too. The illustrator (according to Wikipedia) was born in New Zealand but moved to London to pursue his career as an illustrator in 1901; he became well know for animal illustration…and British golf courses/golfing caricatures. Enjoy browsing this ‘book of the week.’

The Golf Courses of the British Isles

Chinese Bridges

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I recently happened upon an article in The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities - Bulletin 75 published in 2003 about two Chinese bridges. One was built in 1594 and the other in 1640. Both still fulfil their original function.

Bridges somehow draw my attention.

  • Perhaps because they represent people working together on a project that required combined talents and skills…as physical manifestation of the level of communication humans are capable of.

  • Perhaps because their continued existence indicates that relationships have been sustained since bridges are often the first to be destroyed in war.  Since these bridges are 100s of years old that is significant.

  • Perhaps the artistry of the construction – the arches – over water (or low places) is their appeal.

Whatever it is – enjoy this week’s eBook pick for this article and others in the same volume. Quite of few issues of this periodical are also available on Internet Archive.

Daisy Dells

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A book for children published in 1927…

Daisy Dells

Rhymes and verses by Clara J. Denton and illustrations by Garnett Cheney, published by Albert Whitman & Co. in Chicago.

I enjoyed the illustrations…thinking about how books for children have changed over the years. The different clothes in the depictions of the children are a sign that these are from an old book, but they still are charming hints at a commonality among childish interests that continue.

Available from Internet Archive.

The Great Wall of China (eBook)

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William Edgar Geil is believed to be the first American to have traveled the entire length of the 2,500-kilometer-long Ming section of the Great Wall of China. The book he published about that adventure was published shortly afterward in 1909 and is available on Internet Archive. It is illustrated with photographs taken by the author…documenting the wall as it existed at the time.

The Great Wall of China

So much has happened in China  over the intervening years…and the Great Wall seems to be something that is simply ‘always there.’ I remember two stories about it recently that reminded me that the wall is changing too: it was breached with construction equipment and a study that showed that the encrustations (lichen, moss, cyanobacteria) actually slow down erosion of the wall.

1912 version of Twas the Night Before Christmas

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Project Gutenberg has the 1912 version of Clement C. Moore’s Twas the Night Before Christmas illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith. The Santa is more elf like….short, very round…and not dressed in red and white! A little perspective on how the vision of Christmas has changed over the last 100 years….

Twas the Night Before Christmas

History via art

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Hannah (Nannie) Hudson Moore’s 1905 book includes many examples of children in paintings. My favorites are not the princes and princesses (which seem to be the majority). I like the ones that depict children that were obviously well cared for…in poses that look like children! Children then must have moved the way they do now – learning to walk and run…being outdoors…having quiet time indoors. Often the clothes seem cumbersome. How did they play? From another perspective - I always wonder if the children in the pictures managed to grow to adulthood; life expectancy was shorter then with a lot of children succumbing to diseases that are not prevented by vaccines. The book is available from Internet Archive:

Children of other days;notable pictures of children of various countries and times, after paintings by great masters

1897 Montgomery Ward’s Common Sense Cookery

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In 1897, Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business. Its first serious competition (Sears) had opened the year before.

They also published a book about cooking in 1897 that is available via Internet Archive. The title page indicates it is about more than just recipes: what to eat and how to prepare it, hygienic and scientific cooking!

They also published a book about cooking in 1897 that is available via Internet Archive. The title page indicates it is about more than just recipes: what to eat and how to prepare it, hygienic and scientific cooking!

The illustrations try to show the ideal of food preparation and enjoyment in the late 1800s.

Montgomery Ward & co.'s Common Sense Cookery

My mother remembers her parents ordering from Montgomery Ward in the 1930s for Christmas presents. I remember looking at their catalogs in the 1960s although I also looked at Sears catalogs.

I remember two other books from Wards.

One was the Wendy Ward Charm Book from the 1960s. It was full of somewhat dated information for teenaged girls; much of it we absorbed then jettisoned the parts that didn’t work for us as we entered the work force in the 1970s (the “I am Woman” era).

The other was the book written by Robert L. May on assignment to Montgomery Ward 1939 – the creation of Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer. I bought a copy for my daughter in the early 1990s from Wards! It can be checked out from Internet Archive here.