Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 08/10/2013 - 10:00
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Drumlin Formation in Iceland

Hi Mr. Esler! Tiegan here. There have been a lot of 1960 Volkswagon buses cruising around CDA! Looks like Tanner started a new trend! Anyways, when you test the drumlin samples, what exactly are you looking for? Are the researchers seeking something that we could use or are you testing the formation for certain things?
Also, what kind of tests do you follow when testing the samples?

I hope to hear from you soon! Thank you!

-Tiegan

Sat, 08/10/2013 - 14:28

Jamie Esler

Hi Tiegan!!!It's good to hear that Tanner is setting some good healthy trends around
town. The more VW buses the merrier! :)
You have great questions, as usual. I wrote about these in a previous
journal entry which include some detailed pictures of how/what we are
meassuring, but here's a general overview again:
No one really knows is drumlins form from the accumulation (or piling
up) of rocks around one point, or, if drumlins form from the removal of
of rocks from around a central point. If I had a whiteboard I would
draw some pictures to help illustrate this point, but it really comes
down to this: are drumlins formed by rocks being dumped into this long
thin shape, or are rocks removed from an area in a specific way that
LEAVES BEHIND this particular shape. Kind of like how you could create
a pile of sand at the beach by either piling up a large amount of sand,
or, you could remove a bunch of sand from a given area leaving behind a
pile in the middle.
The measurements we are taking will give a very detailed analysis of the
tiny, microscopic MAGNETIC minerals in the sediment that makes up the
drumlins. There is a device back at the researchers' universities that
will be able to map, so to say, the alignment of these particles in
certain directions; much like a compass needle pointing towards north.
Only these particles will be aligned in the direction they were pushed
by the glacier.
I am going to be heading to Iowa State in the fall to help put our
samples in this device. Our class is going to Skype while I am there so
that you all can see how exactly this works. It should be pretty cool. :)
Please tell Tanner I said hello, and I hope his gold mining up on the
river is going well!!
Looking forward to having you in class again Tiegan,
Mr, Esler