Split rocks and long shadows

Walks are an important part of field work. We take them often ... it affords an opportunity to ponder this place, collect data, and plan future work. Sometimes we walk to blow off steam.

Claire and I took a final walk along the glacial moraines overlooking Explorers Cove. We were searching for rocks that had been split in half by the weather ... basically, moisture seeps into cracks during the summer, then freezes and expands during winter. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles like this turn rock into sand. We will make a story out of this process, and develop some K-12 education materials together with a dedicated team of teachers.

We cast some long shadows during that walk -- over broken ground and split rocks to reach the sea ice. Our thoughts extended across that frozen ocean...