Geo 730: Feb. 7, Day 403: Meteorminerology and Geology

 Technically, snow is simply a pile of mineral grains. A mineral is "a naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solid with a fixed composition, or a composition that varies within a fixed range." Snow (and ice of any kind) meets each criterion of that definition; it is a mineral. And man, oh man, have we a pile of mineral grains in Corvallis right now. I'm guessing about 15-16 inches, rivalling the deepest snow I've ever seen here. As sort of a meta-treat, we're looking at the back side of Wilkinson Hall, the Geosciences building on the Oregon State University Campus. Beyond that is Burt Hall, the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences Building. Together, the two house much of CEOAS, OSU's College of Earth, Oceanographic, and Atmospheric Sciences.  (I'll head back to SE Oregon in a day or few, but this snow is pretty amazing, and I can't pass it up.)

Photo unmodified. February 7, 2014. FlashEarth Location.