Hudson Rocks!

Backside of Hudson Hall

I may not be in the Geology Department but I did notice their messing around with our landscaping. The boulders behind Hudson Hall are actually quite interesting and not so common. The ones that first caught my attention are three massive black boulders near the back entrance.

A magnetic smile with magnets.

Garnets in Granite

When I looked closer I had a hunch so I went up to my office, pulled some magnets off of my magnetic white board (came with the new office) and they stuck to the rocks! These are obviously HUGE pieces of magnetite.  Another very cool set is a local specialility that I have seen in the wild at Point Au Roche. They are granite boulders with garnet inclusions. These garnets are not gem quality but have been mined in the area for use in sand paper (why sandpaper is orange).  The other big rocks look sedimentary and boring to my eye, but I am sure our geologists did not pick them without a reason. Nice job Geology! Now if I can just figure out a way to introduce some ants . . .