On Saturday, April 12, some members of the geology class went on a field trip.  Where did they go?  Well, we went all along the Newark River Basin and up to the Lehigh Valley Gap to check out the geology in our area.

We left the school bright and early Saturday morning and drove for about an hour to our first stop.  At each stop we looked at the geology of the area including the rock classifications, the rock types, faults in the area, natural events, and the historical aspect of the area.  Each place we visited had its own history but connected to the others in some way.  It wasn’t easy to connect each place we visited to the last but with a little guidance from our professor we all got it.  It was really cool because we were using the information we learned in lecture and in lab out in the field to learn and connect the different forms of learning.  I really enjoyed the challenge it presented because it was like trying to solve a puzzle.

While all of the locations we went to were pretty cool, the best stop was at the Lehigh Valley Gap.  When we got there we walked down a trail that hugged the hills pretty tightly but the view of the valley was like nothing I have ever seen before.  We walked along the hills and looked at the geology of the land which of course was super cool especially considering how much I love rocks but nothing could beat the scenery.  It was absolutely breath taking.  We stayed there for a little over an hour talking about the changes through the hills and the way the land was formed.  We examined the rocks closely and learned about their history and why each section is how it is.  After talking for a while, we all took a bunch of pictures and then loaded back into the vans and headed to Stockton.

This trip was amazing!  I would recommend it to anyone who likes nature and especially anyone who is into rocks.  The variety of rock types and natural features that we saw was extraordinary!  However, if you just like nature I would recommend taking a trip to the Lehigh Valley Gap and walking the trails.  You will never see anything more beautiful.