Post date: Jul 6, 2013 4:49:28 PM
The Earth Sciences Internship here at Stanford University is on its third week. It is very interesting and also quite fun to be here. Not only do we perform research and collect data that can reveal much more knowledge about the evolutionary history of older organisms, we also got to explore by going on exciting field trips.
This Tuesday, we went to two beaches along the coast of California. At one, the New Brighton Beach in Santa Cruz, we examined the cliff face to understand its history. We examined fossils of old marine organisms, such as clams, most of which dated to the Pliocene era, around 2.5 to 5 million years ago. We saw some rare organisms as a bonus, such as the rare isopod.
The other beach we went to, Pebble Beach, was also quite interesting. We walked on the tide pools and saw all kinds of marine wildlife, such as sea anemones, crabs, and seals. We also examined the rocks and learned about the natural processes that caused the rocks’ shape. All in all, the field trip was great, and I look forward to exploring science in greater depth.