Geography 2152F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Brown Earth, Pumice, Lupinus
23 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
Noticed brown earth on top of the volcanic ash in certain areas. Gofers seemed to have survived as they live safely beneath the ground. Set up a time-lapse camera to observe movement. Saw that the volcano was forming a dome. Set up seismometers to detect tremors, placing it as close to the dome as possible. Extreme activity shown one earthquake after the other. A plant that was flourishing in full flower the lupine. Rapidly consumed oxygen, making life impossible for air-breathing organisms. Thought it would take decades for the lake to become habitable again. 3 years after eruption, microscopic phytoplankton are discovered. Gophers mix in fresh soil and allow new plants to spread. Salamander gophers create km of underground tunnel systems. Elk help expand web of life by moving across landscape, collapsing tunnels and creating access areas for salamanders where they can survive. Unique autograph of the giant spines as they push their way out of the ground.
