Oklahoma Rocks! Online

 All four parts of the Teacher's Edition of our documentary "Oklahoma Rocks!" are now on YouTube and you can stream them for free!  Here's all four in a YouTube Playlist:

SluiceMobile! - Mobile Gem Mining Sluice

A quick look at the Mobile Gem Mining Sluice from JNE Lapidary:

Stuff We Saw in Charlotte Part 5 - Gold Rush

Earth science is clearly in our wheelhouse.  Many people don't realize how much ground that covers.  But if you look, you'll be able to find it.  Where did we find it in Charlotte?  We struck gold at our next stop, The Wells Fargo History Museum.

These samples are similar to the types of gold that 19th century prospectors sold to Wells Fargo.  According to the display gold sold for about $17 an ounce.  Several creative exhibits gave more information about gold including its infamous heaviness:

Visitors can lift up each sample from the bottom to get a comparative feel of heftiness compared to copper, silver and lead.  Which leads to the old time processing methods used to get the gold into something more recognizable:

So we see the final product to the delight of pirates and treasure hunters everywhere:

Tune in again for more Charlotte stuff!  (Probably snow related)

Geo-RoadTrip 2013

And here it is folks:

Geo-RoadTrip 21013: Where Every Night is Taconite

Welcome to the town of Silver Bay, MN, home of Rocky Taconite.  The town's mascot is yet another celebration of the mining industry and culture that is so prevalent in the area:

The town also offers a great view of the  north shore of Lake Superior:

Video coming soon!

Geo-RoadTrip 2013: Down the Hatch

Our next stop was Minnesota's oldest iron ore mine.  At the Soudan Underground Mine State Park a quick, terrifying ride down a tiny elevator/cage takes you half a mile underground.  It's the same elevator that the miners used to get all the way down there:

Once you get down, you can see the stats:

One the tour, you also get to ride the same mine cars that the miners used and get a lot of info about what it was like to work the mines throughout the years.

Another interesting feature you can see down there are examples of banded, unoxidized iron deposits.  These deposits from the Soudan iron formation are over 1.8 billion years old and make up the chief ore body of the mine:

They are evidence of the lack of oxygen in earth's ancient atmosphere.

Video coming soon!

Geo-RoadTrip 2013: Minnesota Museum of Mining

What can be said about the Minnesota Museum of Mining in Chisholm, MN?  It has a HUGE amount of mining equipment and historical artifacts on display and is a must if you are traveling in the area.  Here are some pictures of of just a few of the things you can see there:

Video coming soon!

Geo-RoadTrip 2013: I am Iron Man!

If and when you find yourself driving into Chisholm, Minnesota you'll be greeted by the town's ambassador: The Invincible Iron Man!  Here's a look at his impressive stats:

As a monument to the area's iron mining industry and the men who worked the mines, he stands atop  a striking stack of iron girders with his trusty shovel and pickaxe.  Any resemblance to Robert Downy Jr. is purely coincidental (and probably imaginary):

Video coming soon!

Geo-Roadtrip 2013: Pit Stop Pt. 2

The Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine continued to offer us a bounty of mining memorabilia with its menagerie of mechanical monsters. (That's some "Stan Lee" style alliteration right there folks!)  A short path leads visitors to where they keep the big boys:

This huge dragline bucket could scoop up 30 cubic yards of of dirt and at least one geologist:

Here's a drill bit on display:

Who hasn't fantasized about driving the big rigs from time to time:

Video coming soon!

Geo-Roadtrip 2013: Pit Stop Pt. 1

Not too far from our last stop was the Hull-Rust-Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine.  It's one of the largest open pit iron mines in the world and is still in operation.

The mine is three miles long, two miles wide and 535 feet deep.  There's a great overlook, a nice little interpretive center and admission is free.  Can't beat that.  It's a definite "must stop" if you are in the area.

While the mine is no longer at it's peak, it still produces iron ore taconite (which, unfortunately, is not pronounced as "Taco Night.")  Although I still sometimes say it that way.

They've got lots of taconite samples on display as well as other displays inside.  You can even buy some souvenir samples in a display jar but be prepared to have a conversation about them with security at the airport.

And there's a ton of mining stuff outside which we will get to in our next blog entry.  Video coming soon too!