Focal Point Spring 2015
Mine-crafting
photo by Amanda Pitts
by Matthew Makowski video by Jeremy Knickerbocker
Exploring six miles of tunnel in a 100-year-old mine containing rocks approximately 330 million years old in a West Michigan gypsum mine is just another day in the “classroom” for Grand Valley geology students like Zach Curry.
Zach Curry and Mitchell Slachter conduct research in a gypsum mine in Wyoming, Michigan. The photo was taken 80 feet underground with a crew of six and three LED flashlights along with the Canon 600 EX flash, one reflector, a tripod and a remote trigger. Pitts set the 10-second exposure at f/6.3.
Eighty feet below the surface in the Wyoming gypsum mine owned by the Michigan Natural Storage Company, Curry has been researching mud cracks, which are the sedimentary structures found in the ceilings of the tunnels. His goal is to better understand exactly how and under what conditions these mud cracks formed.
“The gypsum mine has been one of the most valuable educational tools I have ever had,” Curry said. “It is a place where students can not only learn about geology through the rocks, but also about the history of the Grand Rapids area.”
In the early 1900s, gypsum was mined primarily for agricultural lime; however, most gypsum today is used to make plaster board. The company converted the abandoned mine into a cold storage and document warehouse in 1957. Curry will present his research at a regional Geological Society of America conference in Wisconsin in May.
Zach Curry
He said the mines provide students with two essentials skills any prosperous geologist must have. “Observation and interpretation are two critical components of becoming a successful geologist and the gypsum mine provides a perfect place to improve these skills,” Curry said.
Peter Riemersma, associate professor of geology, said since Grand Valley faculty received permission to take students into the mine for field trips, the mine has been an invaluable educational resource. “As many students have never been underground or in a mine, it’s an activity that is filled with discovery and exploration,” Riemersma said. “The gypsum mine allows me to give the students a feel for how geologists interpret sedimentary rocks and what they can do.”
