Hi!
I was reading through everyone’s comments about the 7.2 quake and realized that this group may have some answers that we need. My youngest is 16 and wants to be a seismologist. She's eager to get started so her high is allowing her to take an online geology course next fall (her senior year) as the school doesn't offer a regular geology class. Since an online course seems a little "hands off" instead of "hands on" to her, she suggested that we use the summer to get her some field experience - preferably with emphasis on seismology, volcanology, and maybe a little gemstone mining - she's a girl after all. She's really excited about all of this and with teen summer jobs at a low, I figure that this might be a good way for us to spend her last summer as a “kid.”
We've thought of some lengthy trips to do, such as the San Andreas and the Cascades (if time and money allow) and places such as Montana/Yellowstone where we have family, so that we can couch surf there, but we are also looking for ideas for shorter trips that we can do as day trips or weekend/long weekend trips (between 1 and 4 days from home, which is the Denver metro area). This is in part because she's been talking to her friends and now they want to go along, too.
Trips to Mesa Verde and to the Garden of the Gods have already come up, but when it comes to seismic stuff, I know that there have to be some wonderful places nearby that aren't well-known. Isn't there a newly found fault east of Denver that could potentially produce a big quake? Also, I’ve read about a place north of here but south of Laramie where diamonds have been discovered. Anyone know about that?
As I mentioned, she also likes the ideas of gem mining. I seem to recall a place in Montana where there's a sapphire mine (?) and a couple of places in Utah, maybe? Not sure. I was thinking that you all probably know of cool, not-so-well-known places, say anywhere west of Chicago/St. Louis (again, those are places where we have family & thus, potential couch surfing locations), that would be worth a visit.
I know that I’m overlooking things and she loves seismology so much – she laughs that she’s the only one that she knows who gets excited when a big red box shows up on a quake map.
Canyons, rock formations, whatever you all can think up - we're open for inspiration. Also, places that fit the criteria but also have a music festival or an art festival there or nearby would help, so that she doesn't burn out on rocks by summer's end.
Oh, and if you can think of anything to pack (we live in Colorado so we do have 4-wheel-drive) please feel free to mention it.
Thanks in advance for any ideas that you might have.
Beth