Contact: Rex Buchanan, Kansas Geological Survey, (785) 864-2106.
LAWRENCE - Rocks and fossils of northeastern Kansas will be the focus of a non-technical field trip sponsored by the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas, to mark the start of national Earth Science Week, Oct. 8-14.
The trip runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, and is open to the public at a cost of $10 per person. Transportation, drinks and a guidebook will be provided.
With several stops in the Lawrence and Topeka area, the field trip will provide a general introduction to the geology of the region. Participants will learn about basic bedrock geology at Clinton Lake spillway, see evidence of Ice Age glaciers, and investigate sandstone deposits left by an ancient river at Echo Cliffs near Dover. The trip's final stop will be a roadcut with numerous fossils of invertebrate animals that lived during the Pennsylvanian Period, about 300 million years ago.
Earth Science Week was established in 1998 by the American Geological Institute, based in Alexandria, Va., to educate people about Earth and the earth sciences. Helping the public learn about local geology is one of the goals of this year's Earth Science Week celebration.
Field trip registration is on a first-come, first-served basis; space is limited. Information is available from Liz Brosius, (785) 864-2063, or Rex Buchanan, (785) 864-2106, at the Survey. Additional information on Kansas geology and Earth Science Week is available on the Survey's Web site at: www.kgs.ku.edu
