A few weeks ago, Dr. Sedlacek and I headed back to Rockford. We were planning on collecting some more fossils to add to our outreach collection as well as sampling the Cerro Gordo Member.
When we made it down into the quarry, we were glad to discover that everything was a bit drier than last time, so we didn’t have to worry so much about sliding down muddy slopes (we thought). Once Dr. Sedlacek located the Cerro Gordo Member, we began sampling.
The view of the quarry from the bottom of the pit
Me as a landmark for where the Cerro Gordo Member starts
The first area that we sampled happened to be somewhat infested with spiders, which I wasn’t that excited about. However, Dr. Sedlacek took care of most of the work where they were running around, so I didn’t have to stick my face into their crevice! We quickly worked out a system: Dr. Sedlacek chose the place for sampling and collected the sample, and I recorded all of our movements in the field book and tagged and bagged the samples.
Me trying (and failing) to pose casually
The higher we got in the quarry, the steeper the slopes were. There were a few near-miss areas where one or the other of us nearly slid down the slope, but we managed to make it out muddier but relatively unscathed. The weather was perfect for a field day, which made sampling a breeze!
Dr. Sedlack’s muddy shoes post-sampling
Emma’s muddy shoes post-sampling
We did manage to pick up some new outreach fossils throughout the day, but overall we accomplished our main goal of sampling the Cerro Gordo Member. I learned more about what it was like to be a geologist (it involved mud, precarious standing positions, becoming extra friendly with 8-legged wildlife, how to properly throw a hammer, and getting an excellent calf workout). All in all it was a successful field day!
--Emma Shipley