Overall, Geology 1010 was a very intriguing class! Undoubtedly my favorite part of the class was learning about volcanoes. Between the lecture, what I learned in the textbook, and probably most significantly what I learned from doing research for my Term Paper on the Yellowstone Super Volcano, I will never see the world quite the same again. Volcanoes were not the only bit of geological information that I learned, however. This semester included the study of different kinds of rock--texture, color, size, age--igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, and the types within each of those rocks. We studied and learned about the different kind of soils and their position/horizons in the earth's crust including the O horizon (Loose and partly decayed organic matter), the A horizon (Mineral matter mixed with some humus (a mixture of decayed remains of organic materials)), the E horizon (The zone of eluviation and leaching), the B horizon (an accumulation of clay transported from materials above it), the C horizon (Partially altered parent material), the R (or regolith) horizon, and the unweathered parent material beneath.

      My least favorite part of the class was an intense, although necessary, amount of chemistry to be able to understand the rest of the class. We learned about earthquakes, geysers, plate tectonics and plate boundaries, and the impact that they have on the current aesthetics of the earth. I really enjoyed learning more about the environment that I live in, and again, will never see the world quite the same again. A big shout out of gratitude to Professor Michael Kass and his devotion to this subject and the welfare of his students! My eyes have definitely been opened!