How is geology related to forestry?

What are some ideas for a school project related to geology?

• I'm supposed to do a 100-hour project for my final exams and I'm interested in geology. However, I haven't had it as a subject and therefore I'm not sure what to examine that will produce a satisfying project. I was thinking about doing some analysis in the immediate area where I go to school but I'm not sure what would be interesting enough and still connect to the core subjects of my program; chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. Could anyone give me some pointers/ideas?

• Answer:

  I don't know how small or large a 100-hour project is, so here are some basic ideas that should be feasible. Experimental taphonomy will allow you to directly link to biology and chemistry. It's basically an experiment to see how a fossil forms. You can take any organism that you wish, and see how the carcass decays in various conditions: salt water vs. freshwater; different sizes of sand or mud grains; running vs. still water; effect of depth and water pressure. The sky's the limit. Fossilisation is a purely chemical process and it's dependent on biology, so it's an easy combination. If you prefer physics to chemistry, you can study mummification and how the carcass deforms under heat. Experimental sedimentology will offer a link to physics and a lot of applied maths. Build a large water bath, put a lot of sand in it, and create different types of disturbances with a paddle, to simulate waves, storms, waves crashing on the beach, turbidites (underwater mudslides). If you don't want to get wet, then make a dry set-up and see how sand dunes form, or study how landslides work (this last one can be done nicely with a cement-mixer ;) ). There is a lot of physics behind these and the maths can get pretty sophisticated. Depending on the geology of where you live, you could do a project mapping out the plants and linking them to the underlying geology. Because soil forms from geology, and plants are dependent on soil, you will often find that plant species ranges are fairly tightly-confined to patches of the same geology. If you do find this pattern, you can add chemistry to the mix by looking at the different chemical characteristics of the soil, and then even do experiments by trying to grow the plants in the other types of soil. This goes into pedology, but every geologist takes soil science at some point anyway. If you have access to metalworking equipment and a smelt, then you could try something with the thermodynamics of a magma tube and how different chemical compositions of the melt react. This is chemistry, physics, and a lot maths. But it's also fairly dangerous, working with molten rocks. If you can forego the link to the core subjects, then doing a geological map of your area should fulfil the criteria. It's pretty simple, all you need is a topographical map, colouring pencils, a hammer, and a small magnifying glass. GPS optional. Find a field guide to rocks or a field guide to the geology of your region, so you can roughly identify whatever you find. Then go to wherever there are rock outcrops (ask the local university's geological department for help!), and mark them on your blank map. Your goal is to look for boundaries where different rock types clash with each other, so you know how large each patch is. To digitise the map, use a scanner and a GIS program. But all of this is pretty difficult without any prior training in geology. Same with attempting to do stratigraphic profiles and correlate them together, which would be my other suggestion.