The Leo on Wheels: Sunset Ridge and South Hills
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Blog entry by Ian McClintick, from The Leo on Wheels staff
The Leo on Wheels recently visited Sunset Ridge Middle School and South Hills Middle School. At both visits we noticed a large gap in the nearby mountains. If you are local, you know that that gap is the site of the Bingham Canyon Mine. The science and the history of the mine are both interesting and important to Utah.
In its earlier years, the mine employed countless immigrants to Utah, shaping the current cultural heritage of the state by attracting Norwegians, Italians, Greeks, Mexicans and others to work at the mine and live in the town of Bingham (which no longer exists because the ground it stood on was cleared away in the mine's later expansion!).
Utah Copper Company mill circa 1910
(photo from Utah State History collection)
If The Leo on Wheels staff decided to visit the mine during our lunch break, we would have seen a hole about 2.75 miles across and 0.75 miles deep. If we wanted to hike to the bottom of the mine, we would have had to walk down the 500 miles of road in the mine...and probably wouldn't have made it back for the next class. The Bingham mine has produced 18.1 million tons of copper -- more than any other mine in history.
Bingham mine as it looks today
(photo from Wikipedia Commons)
The technology used to process the copper, molybdenum, gold, and silver at the rate and scale of the Bingham mine is impressive. Once mined, the material is transported by a fleet of 70 trucks that can each carry 255 tons of material. The trucks carry the material to a conveyer, which then travels through a 5-mile tunnel in the Oquirrh Mountains to the Copperton Concentrator at the southern end of the Great Salt Lake. The concentrator crushes the mined material which then goes through a floatation process that separates waste from the minerals.
So next time you take a look at the Oquirrh Mountains and see that break in the peaks, think about the Bingham Mine and the technology over the ridge. If you feel like learning more about the mine take a drive up there and take the tour, I guarantee you’ll be impressed and surprised with the science and history of the Bingham Mine.
Labels: education, science, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: Tooele Jr. High
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Blog entry by Analiesa Leonhardt from The Leo on Wheels staff
From January 12-15, The Leo on Wheels visited Tooele Junior High School. While driving through the Tooele Valley in the middle of the afternoon, we could barely see the shore line of the Great Salt Lake and the mountains were nearly blocked by a brownish haze. Here is a photo we took, looking directly at the sun around 3:00pm:
This was not just a typically cloudy or foggy day, but rather the effects of a thermal inversion. This naturally-occurring event happens when the atmosphere’s temperature gradient is “inverted” from its usual state. Anyone who has climbed a mountain in the summertime knows that at higher elevations the air is usually cooler. During an inversion, however, cooler and denser air is trapped at the earth’s surface beneath a high pressure layer of warmer air. The mountains bordering our valley keep this trapped cold air walled in, and because the cooler air is denser it remains in the valley, accumulating water vapor and pollutants. Here is a diagram of what is going on during an inversion.
Pollutants from power plants, factories, vehicle exhaust, and wood-burning stoves that would normally rise and spread with the winds are instead concentrated right along the earth’s surface. Why is this such a concern? The fine particles of matter in the pollution enter our lungs and bloodstream when we breath. The national standard for safe air is set at 35 micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter of air. Since November, however, Salt Lake County has had more than a dozen “red alert” air quality days, meaning that the particulate matter in the air ranges from 151 to 200 micrograms per cubic meter. In this range even healthy people are adversely affected, but those with heart and/or lung disease, older adults, children, and those who are active in the outdoors are at even greater risk.
This was not just a typically cloudy or foggy day, but rather the effects of a thermal inversion. This naturally-occurring event happens when the atmosphere’s temperature gradient is “inverted” from its usual state. Anyone who has climbed a mountain in the summertime knows that at higher elevations the air is usually cooler. During an inversion, however, cooler and denser air is trapped at the earth’s surface beneath a high pressure layer of warmer air. The mountains bordering our valley keep this trapped cold air walled in, and because the cooler air is denser it remains in the valley, accumulating water vapor and pollutants. Here is a diagram of what is going on during an inversion.
Image from National Service Forecast Office
Gratefully, storm systems are moving through our valleys now, churning the air and improving (at least locally) our breathing experience. For more information about current air quality conditions along with information on how you can make a difference, visit the website of Utah Division of Air Quality.
Labels: education, locals, science, The Leo on Wheels, weather
The Leo on Wheels: Treasure Mountain International School
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Blog entry by Ian McClintick, from The Leo on Wheels staff
The Leo on Wheels recently visited Treasure Mountain International School in Park City, Utah. Park City is a small town in the mountains east of Salt Lake City, and it's home to world-famous ski resorts Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons. People from all over the world visit Utah's ski resorts for the beautiful scenery and the greatest snow in the world.
So what's so great about Utah's snow? The answer begins in the north Pacific Ocean where storms are created when cold Arctic winds collide with warmer Pacific water. The storms then travel to the Wasatch Mountain Range where they hit higher elevations and lower temperatures, which lead to an increase in condensation and precipitation. This process is called orographic precipitation, and it occurs at all major mountain ranges -- so what makes Utah's snow different from other regions?
A common stellar plate snowflake
Utah is the second driest state in the country. The dry climate helps to create a light crystalline snowflake called a dendrite, masses of which are affectionately known to skiers as powder, after the light texture that lets you "float" through a fresh fall.
A fern dendrite — light, airy and perfect for ripping down a mountainside
According to the Utah Center for Climate and Weather, Utah's ski resorts receive around 300 inches of snow a year, providing plenty of dendrites for people from all over the world to enjoy!
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Labels: locals, science, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: new year, new look
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff
The Leo on Wheels officially has a completely new look complete with a new trailer, T-shirts and exhibit displays. The Mona Lisa trailer wrap has been retired after almost five years of service and tens of thousands of miles on the road.
One side of the wrap features the new Leo on Wheels logo along with molecular structures shaded in various colors or filled with a picture, such as icebergs and spring foliage. The gears on the flip side are filled with images of leaf veins and water ripples.
T-shirts and exhibit displays also have the new logo. The science displays are newly rejuvenated with bright green logos on the front. We also have filmed all of our exhibits to give you a preview of The Leo on Wheels. Be sure to keep an eye open for us at a school near you, or check our calendar for the latest schedule!
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Labels: education, science, The Leo on Wheels, video
American Fork Junior High
Monday, December 7, 2009
Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff
Martin Hansen discovered Hansen Cave in 1887 as he was tracking a cougar up Timpanogos Mountain. In the fall of 1921, George Heber Hansen and Wayne E. Hansen were hunting deer when they spotted a hole in the ground. The two returned a few days later with their grandfather, Martin Hansen. Martin Hansen, who's credited with actually discovering Timpanogos Cave, was also the first person to enter Middle Cave.
When Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave were discovered government protection was in place, which has helped keep them in fairly good condition. Hansen Cave, however, is not a protected site and has been a target of vandalism over the years. Like the vast majority of caves, the caves in American Fork formed in Carbonate (i.e. Limestone, Dolomite). Over millions of years, carbonic acid, a weak acid, formed by water and carbon dioxide reacting with each other, slowly dissolves the carbonate, creating the caves.
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The carbonate dissolves in water. As the water flows through the cave the carbonate precipitates, or condenses back into a solid. The carbonate deposits form the unique structures we see in caves. Among the structures in the American Fork Caves are cave bacon, helictites, and flowstone. The pictures seen above are not from the American Fork cave but they are still very similar. See if you can name the structures correctly just by their pictures.
Labels: education, Leo, locals, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: Green River High School
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff
To most people Green River is just a pit stop on a journey elsewhere but just passing through Green River is a mistake. Green River is home to the John Wesley Powell River History Museum and the Vetere family, who have been growing melons in Green River for almost 100 years. The Veteres grow a variety of melons, including Casaba, Israeli, Crenshaw, Canary, orange and green honeydew, and, of course, watermelon.
Why, of all places, would a century-old, 100-acre melon farm be in Green River, Utah? The answer is climate and soil. The combination of cold nights and hot days increases the sugar content of the melons, creating that sweet product we all love. Melons also prefer to grow in sandy- to light-textured soils. The soil in Green River, which is in a desert and next to a large water supply, is perfect for growing a good melon. So next time you are on the road to Moab, stop by Green River pick up a melon at a Vetere melon stand, grab a half-pound burger from Ray’s Tavern, and enjoy the great company.
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Labels: education, locals, museum, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: Fossil Ridge
Friday, October 9, 2009
Blog entry by Ian McClintick from The Leo on Wheels staff
St. George looked a little different 195 million years ago -- at one point there was water approximately 10-15 feet deep. Geologists know this because they have found one of the most abundant occurrences of swim tracks in the world. A swim track is a mark made by the claws of dinosaurs on the bottom of a body of water -- as the dinosaur swims its claws scrape the bottom, leaving what we saw in St. George.
Illustration from Live Science
There is also a period of fossils that show more complete footprints, bug tracks, rare plant fossils, a print of a dinosaur sitting down, and even a baby dinosaur slipping in the mud. Community night had a great turn out with more than 200 people. We can't wait to visit Fossil Ridge again!
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Labels: education, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: Butler Middle School
Monday, October 5, 2009
Blog entry by Analiesa Leonhardt from The Leo on Wheels staff
When The Leo on Wheels comes to town, sometimes we get celebrity visits. At our recent visit to Butler Middle School, the Salt Lake County Mayor came to do hands-on science with us! Mayor Peter Corroon, accompanied by Ann Ober, the Director of Community Relations and Diversity Affairs, stopped in and spent an hour testing out our exhibits with the 8th graders. Here’s a peak of the fun he had:
Mayor Peter Corroon checks out our Velocity Tracks exhibit.
Thanks for stopping by, Mayor Corroon!
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Labels: education, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: Mapleton
Friday, September 18, 2009
Blog entry by Analiesa Leonhardt from The Leo on Wheels staff
Students entered their gymnasium that we had converted into a traveling science museum buzzing with questions. Most had already heard stories from their friends, and over the hum of the science classes, I picked out phrases: zapped her braces! ... his hair stood straight up! dude, there's the big silver ball! The Van de Graaff generator is always a favorite; we have to pre-advise the students to ration their time wisely. Even still, many kids return to the shocking machine numerous times during their limited class sessions.
This simple and timeless machine generates question after question as middle-schoolers test their own experiments: How far away can I stand and still get shocked? What happens if I take my shoes off? If I stand on a plastic stool? If we hold hands and then touch the ball?
A Mapleton Jr. High student uses the Van de Graaff generator
For the extra curious, we lift off the top half of the metal sphere to unveil the inner workings: a simple inch-wide rubber band running over two pulleys, one of which is coated in wool. Two small pieces of wire mesh act as electrodes to conduct the resulting build-up of electrons to the metal ball and beyond. It works by the very same mechanism as rubber shoes on carpet, or balloons on hair. Added revelation spurs more questions: What is electricity? Why do the electrons jump to my body? Why is my hair standing straight up? The kids giggle and squeal as the ion beams arch over to their fingertips. And we smile, watching the formation of new synaptic junctions in their brains as the students gain more understanding of the energy source that fuels our technological world. Hey, what's better than a group of excited kids, all excited about excited electrons?!
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Labels: education, science, The Leo on Wheels
The Leo on Wheels: Helper
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Blog entry by Jeanne Huelskamp from The Leo on Wheels staff
It's the beginning of another school year and The Leo on Wheels, The Leonardo's outreach program, just launched its sixth year of traveling to middle schools and junior high schools throughout the state. We traverse the state in our 25-foot trailer bringing hands-on science, technology and art exhibits to students and teachers. We explore concepts in physics with an architecturally designed rollercoaster, and test out the nature of electricity with a Van de Graaff machine. It can be a very hair rising event literally!
This year we welcomed two new crew members, Ian and Analiesa. Ian McClintick recently received his B.S. in Geology from Lafayette College College in Pennsylvania. He moved here after visiting on a school trip. Analiesa Leonhardt comes to us from Baraboo, Wisconsin. She has a bachelors degree in Botany from BYU and has spent 2 years living and farming in Ecuador.
The Leo on Wheels started the year off on a road visit to Helper Junior High in Helper, UT. We rolled into town on Monday evening and were greeted with ominous dark cumulus clouds, a setting sun and the most spectacular rainbow we had ever seen. It started out as half a rainbow, but developed into a full 'bow with intense colors. The 'bow stretched from the edge of Helper's Book Cliff Mountains on the north side of the city, over the interstate beyond the Price city limits to the west.
A rainbow is a perfect artistic expression of a scientific wonder. Did you know that the lower the sun is in the sky the bigger the rainbow? And, if you were in an airplane, at the right angle and altitude, you could see a full-circle rainbow! The Leo on Wheels features two exhibits that allow students to manipulate light by reflection and refraction, and students learn these concepts in 6th grade. And even though I'm older, every time I see a rainbow, I still marvel at the beauty and think about all the scientific conditions that need to be in place for me to see this event.
The rainbow was definitely an omen of the wonderful time we spent at Helper. The students and teachers are dedicated to learning, and proud to be Helper Rams.
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This year we welcomed two new crew members, Ian and Analiesa. Ian McClintick recently received his B.S. in Geology from Lafayette College College in Pennsylvania. He moved here after visiting on a school trip. Analiesa Leonhardt comes to us from Baraboo, Wisconsin. She has a bachelors degree in Botany from BYU and has spent 2 years living and farming in Ecuador.
Majestic rainbow spanning Helper, Utah. Photo Credit: LaraLee Smith
The Leo on Wheels started the year off on a road visit to Helper Junior High in Helper, UT. We rolled into town on Monday evening and were greeted with ominous dark cumulus clouds, a setting sun and the most spectacular rainbow we had ever seen. It started out as half a rainbow, but developed into a full 'bow with intense colors. The 'bow stretched from the edge of Helper's Book Cliff Mountains on the north side of the city, over the interstate beyond the Price city limits to the west.
A rainbow is a perfect artistic expression of a scientific wonder. Did you know that the lower the sun is in the sky the bigger the rainbow? And, if you were in an airplane, at the right angle and altitude, you could see a full-circle rainbow! The Leo on Wheels features two exhibits that allow students to manipulate light by reflection and refraction, and students learn these concepts in 6th grade. And even though I'm older, every time I see a rainbow, I still marvel at the beauty and think about all the scientific conditions that need to be in place for me to see this event.
The rainbow was definitely an omen of the wonderful time we spent at Helper. The students and teachers are dedicated to learning, and proud to be Helper Rams.
Become a fan of The Leonardo on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!
Labels: education, Leo, The Leo on Wheels
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