SciGirls I 2016 - Day Five

Today, SciGirls boldly went to where no ordinary man has gone before. No we weren't visitors on the Star Ship Enterprise, we were the guests of BASF at the Attapulgite mining site. Here the girls learned that the remains of the current site were deposited some 18 million years ago with limestone being the bottom layer. According to Assistant State Geologist Harley Means, the top portion was left 3 million years ago and is referred to as the Miccosukee formation. These sediments only represent little snapshots in time and there is still much to be discovered....and the SciGirls found plenty: stingray teeth, shark teeth, manatee bones, sea urchin spines, and alligator teeth were a few of the finds. A very special thank you to Mr. Howard Kirk, who even in his retirement, continues to be an avid supporter and guide of the SciGirls in the quarry adventure. Did I forget to mention to you that this is one of the hottest days of the SciGirls experience? It is so hot, that after two hours in the sun with literally no trees, we made a mad dash to Wakulla Springs for a little fun in the sun, but only after completing water testing. To top off this wonderful first week of SciGirls 2016, we ended our day with an awesome boat tour of the Wakulla Springs and a tiny portion of its water system. There were many anhingas, egrets, blue heron, turtles, and alligators to keep the oohs and aahs echoing across the boat. But we all know the stars of the show were fashionably late! That's right, the manatee did not show up until 40 minutes into the hour boat tour. However, it was well worth it. Dr. Seuss said, "Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!" We say join us for Day Six, because this was only week one!