Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Cobbles, Boulders and Sand, Oh My!

Week 2. We’ve passed the “is-my-snorkel-on-right” and “We-found-some-mussels-oh-wait-they’re-rocks” stage of the project, and now we’re on to real study sites data collection! A large part of this involves sediment, or as Dan likes to call it “dirt” (technically inaccurate though). Check out a sediment sample below!


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The sample you’re looking at originates from a specific site along the Snake River near Mora, MN. However the sample above only represents a portion of the river bed. Below are two examples from the same site along Snake River.





This contrast is part of what makes sediment interesting. Although these samples were physically close to one another, the amount of mussels present varied.


What are some factors for variability?
energy in the river system
channel placement
bedrock/rock sources
biological influences
human influence

These all play a role in creating how the bed of a river looks and who is able to live there. Stay tuned for some sediment stories!





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