List of Events

What's in Your Backyard? The Geology of Monroe County

09/28/2006 - 09/30/2006

In late September 2006, IGS geologists Todd Thompson and Brian Keith presented an Indiana University Continuing Studies course entitled, "What's in Your Backyard? The Geology of Monroe County." The Indiana Geological Survey is making the first new geologic map of Monroe County in over 50 years. Course participants learned how the geologic map is being constructed from field work to digital techniques for putting the map together, including a hands-on look at rock samples and cores from Monroe County. The course also included a field trip to key locations around this beautiful county to view the rocks in their natural environment and their impact on the life and economic development of the county. The geology of the land beneath our feet and in our backyard influences how we view and use our world; from the costs to dig a basement foundation, to the scenery we see around us and the economic development of our area, the role of geology is critical.

Brian Keith lectures during the classroom portion of the course. Here he describes how geologic maps are made. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Brian helps a student learn to identify sedimentary rocks. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Todd Thompson discusses basic rock identification to prepare for the upcoming field trip, where class participants will see several types of rocks in their natural environment. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Brian Keith talks to Jeanne Madison of IU Continuing Studies about a rock core collected in Monroe County. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Todd Thompson points out a geologic feature in a rock core. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Class participants examine the Borden Siltstone and Harrodsburg Limestone in a road cut along U.S. Highway 37, north of Bloomington. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Todd Thompson explains how to identify rocks in the Borden Siltstone exposure. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey

Class participants visit an active dimension limestone quarry (Salem Limestone) near Bloomington. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Cranes are used to lift large blocks of limestone from the quarry, and belt saws (in front of the lower crane) are used to cut the limestone. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey The class visits the Sarkes Tarzian Nature Preserve in Bloomington, which contains an abandoned 100-year-old dimension limestone quarry. An old wall of the quarry is visible in the background. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Class participants view a large crushed-stone quarry in Monroe County, where rock is mined from the Paoli through the St. Louis Limestones. The overlying tan-colored rocks are overburden that must be removed and discarded. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey Todd holds a map showing paleogeography, an interpretation of the depositional environment in which the rocks were formed. Photo by John Day • Copyright Indiana Geological Survey

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