Preparation for fieldtrip

Today I have done something unprecedented in my time as a student: I have done some background reading on the locality we are visiting on a fieldtrip with the geology group tomorrow. Not really because I feel I need to, but I would like to experiment and see if it does any good.

Much of this year has been about experimenting with how hard I need to work to achieve certain things. Being ‘independent’ means there is many more things that demand time, so realising how much time is needed to spend on schoolwork to achieve a high grade is crucial if I am to do well at university. (So, it is not that I am lazy… hahaha!)

This time, however, I want to test if it is worth the extra effort to be well prepared for a fieldtrip. When it comes to an oral presentation or a written examination, preparation is of course essential, but I suspect a field trip is more or less like a practical or lab session: if you just follow the instructions given when you are there and use your head, everything goes nice and smoothly.

We are going to a site called Sand Bay, near Weston-super-Mare, a bit away from Bristol. We will be examining (early) Carboniferous rocks and fossils – so, quite a bit older than those I saw in Estonia last April. The field guide says there are crinoids, brachiopods and corals. That’s all I need to know. Fossils, here I come!!

On the powerpoint slide they showed us during our safety meeting (which wasn’t about safety at all), there was at least one picture of a rugose coral, so I hope to find one and fill that hole in my collection. Also, if I could find a crinoid calyx (feeding cup) with tentacles, the day would be a success regardless of weather! (Note that I am not allowed to make puns during lent time; that’s why I didn’t this time.)

Then there is also some volcanic stuff…

I really hope they will let us take some fossils back home. (As long as we do the work we are meant to do, I don’t see why not…)

Um… I realised there is really not much more worth mentioning at the moment… I’m sure there will be lots more to tell tomorrow when we come back from the real thing!