Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Geo 365: Jan. 9, Day 9: Noble Fir

Dana standing next to a noble old-growth noble fir, in roughly the same area we found yesterday's aplite dikelet. While I never made a thin section of the rock in this area, others I made of the Marys Peak sill revealed what seemed to me a surprising amount of apatite, calcium fluorophosphate- about 2% by volume. In terms of soils, this would mean plenty of phosphorus. I'm no expert, and I'm really just speculating, but I've always wondered if the sill is an important component of why this forest seems especially fecund and healthy. How different would this forest be if, for example, it was developed on Tyee turbidites?

Photo unprocessed. July 8, 2012. FlashEarth location (approximate).

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