We started off the day just like we normally do, by heading to the cafeteria for breakfast bright and early, aka 7:30 am. We then came back to the dorms and got ready to head to the fossilized reef. When we arrived at the picnic tables all ready to go, we were surprised to hear that we were getting the morning off to rest a recover after a fun night celebrating Carter’s 21st birthday. The break was well deserved and long awaited, since we have been doing two outdoor activities a day since arriving here, whether it be snorkeling, swimming, hiking, or exploring the island. After we break from our morning meeting, I immediately went back to my room to rest for a bit and catch up on my lab notebook. Then I changed into a bathing suit and headed across the street to the beach. I enjoyed the sunshine and the beautiful water for a bit and then looked around for shells and anything else interesting I could find. I found a few nerites and dead coral but that was about it. Then I ran to grab a shower since I knew they would be open, and got ready for lunch. We had grilled cheese and soup!
After lunch, we all lathered on our sunscreen and bug spray, and got ready to explore the fossilized reefs near town. They were amazing to look at and it is so interesting how they form! Apparently, lowering sea level over time exposed these reefs and caused them to fossilize. It is amazing that we were still able to differentiate between all of the different corals that we see in the water when we are snorkeling. We saw so many fossilized brain, elkhorn, and staghorn corals. We also saw a lot of fossilized porifera which was so cool. We saw red urchins, nerites, and brittle stars in the tide pools surrounding the fossilized reefs. We also learned about the invasive pine tree on this island that kills other plants by dropping its needles and releasing a poison to free up space and decrease competition. I really enjoyed exploring the fossilized reef and the area surrounding it. After loading up the truck and getting ready to leave the fossilized reef, the truck wouldn’t start so they had to send someone from the center to jump it. Once we got back to the center, we had some time to relax before getting ready for dinner. After dinner we had more free time and class was cancelled so that we could catch up on some work. I enjoyed some of my free time on the beach and then I got to work!
Comentários