Favorite Presentations Quarter #1

One of my favorite presentations was the "Mega Minerals" one. In the presentation, they went over the properties of several minerals, such as nano-sized gold, tellurium, cadmium, aluminum, corundum, and graphene. They talked about the properties of all the minerals, what they are made out of, as well as how they can be used practically in industry. The last thing taught in the presentation was what industry needs in minerals for them to be usable, which were nano-size, high purity, customized surface properties, low weight, recyclability, and innocuous to human health.

Another good presentation was the "Desert Dinosaurs" one. This presentation talked about how many dinosaur fossils were found in deserts. The presentation also goes over different paleontologists that had discovered these dinosaurs, including Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. The last thing they talked about was the two types of dinosaurs that can be found, Ornithischia and Saurischia dinosaurs.

My last favorite presentation was the one about Fossils and Marine Fossils. In the presentation, the presenters discussed what fossils are, different types of marine fossils, and how they are identified. They also talked about where groundbreaking fossils were found and now stored, and how fossils are connected to modern animals and how that makes them important.

Project Summary

My project for the 1st quarter was about the Paleozoic Era on the Geological Timescale. However, my partner split up the project so that I only researched the Cambrian, Carboniferous, and Permian periods. For each period I researched the organisms, geography, and climate, as well as if humans could survive during the period.

In the Cambrian period, the Earth had much higher temperatures than it does now, and was mostly covered with water, except for the super continent Gondwana. The first vertebrates and invertebrates appeared during this period as well. Humans could not have survived during this period as there was little land, and no organisms on land, as well as the high temperatures.

During the Carboniferous period, large coal deposits began to form because of swampy forests dying and being compressed. The first amphibians and reptiles appeared during this period, as well as the first trees with seeds. Humans could have possibly survived during this period, as the climate was closer to what it is during modern times.

Lastly, the Permian period came with a drier climate, as well as fluctuating seasons on the main continent of Pangaea. Reptiles became dominant during the period, as well as some mammal-like creatures appearing. However, the period ended with a mass extinction. Humans could have possibly survived, but would have dies during the mass extinction event.