Wow. I just read a story about scientists drilling about a mile down into the floor of the Pacific Ocean, where they reached fossilized magma, or liquid rock, from the earth's center that had cooled and turned into solid rock.
This magma, of course, is the same stuff that comes out of volcanoes when they erupt. Scientists are studying it to find out more about how the earth's crust, or surface, is formed.
Hopefully, this will give us more clues about the changes the earth has made since prehistoric times. I'm always astounded by the different formations and environments the earth creates. Whenever I see mountains, or forests, or oceans, or different types of dirt--and what kinds of animals now make different places their homes, I try to imagine what species of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals might have once lived in the same environments.
Recently, I went with my son on a couple of interesting trips to see some really amazing planetary features: we went to White Sands, New Mexico, and saw not only beautiful mountains, but miles and miles of sparkling white gypsum sand dunes. Here's a photo:
That day was pretty windy, and we thought we were in a nice warm blizzard. We had to be careful, though--we could have easily gotten lost.
Then a few weeks later, we went about 200 feet below the earth's surface at Natural Bridge caverns here in Texas.
Now, I'm no spelunker, and I'm afraid of heights AND closed spaces, so I was pretty nervous going down there. But I'm really glad I had the chance to see the beautiful limestone formations. They looked like castles!
So, these trips were pretty incredible, and a good way to study some more about geology and ecosystems. And to daydream about dinosaurs!
