The rocks that make up Alaska began their journey there, like most of the state's residents, from points far away, (Connor and O'Hare, 1989, p.1).
Like the rocks in Alaska, the science teachers and researchers at the PolarTREC orientation have come together from all over the country to make an impact. Although it is only the second day of our PolarTREC orientation, the people I have met have awakened me to new adventures and possibilities both in and out of the classroom. Today we learned about how to reach out to our classrooms and the public through lessons and journaling, but during the breaks and walks in the snow, we also shared other ways to inspire our students to appreciate science.
As I practice journal writing, I am struck with this challenge: I want to share my perspective of the expedition, but I also want to foster a love of science in my students and the public. This is so important to me because I was blind to the wonder of science until I was standing on top of a moraine in Iceland. Luckily, a geologist's explanation let me see how the puzzle pieces of the earth I was on fit together. From that moment on, I always made sure I had a window seat. The scenery outside became an untold story: why is that mountain there? How did those rocks get there?
I watch the snowflakes outside stick together, and am reminded of another sticking together that lies under me: the formation of Alaska. I had never questioned how Alaska formed until I flew over it and glimpsed the crumpled, snow-capped mountains below. When I saw the mountains, I knew they were a clue of how the Earth's plates moved in the past. **How do you think plates moved to form mountains? **
There's more to the story than mountains though! Alaska's formation is very different from my familiar home of Texas. Alaska was formed from many pieces of the earth's crust (perhaps 50!) that drifted and then stuck together. The land grew as blocks of crust were added to the edges over time. The last addition began about 200 million years ago and still continues today. The rocks were added as the North American Plate (a continental plate) and Pacific Plate (an oceanic plate) pushed against each other. Which plate is more dense? How do the plates move over each other?
The plates slide and subduct (when one plate moves under another plate), moving crust and eventually returning it to the mantle where it reforms. Much of the crust that was once here is now gone, as it has returned back inside the Earth. However, a little piece of historic crust remains between Alaska and Russia. The Kula plate was once an oceanic plate, much like the Pacific Plate today. About 40 million years ago it subducted in an oceanic trench under North America, but a little piece remains under the Bering Sea. My journal is just beginning, but like the Kula plate, it will move over time and eventually new expeditions and journals will take its space. But perhaps a little piece of what I learn and share will remain, nestled between the ears of my students!
Connor, C and O'Hare, D. (1989). Roadside geology of Alaska. Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company.
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