By Eian Pracht
Smoky View 4-H Club reporter
Members of area 4-H clubs recently got a dramatic demonstration of the power of the ocean from volume and pressure alone.
Marine geologist Aida Farough showed more than 30 participants in an online district-wide meeting about marine geology the results of one of her experiments. She took a six-inch foam coffee cup down about 12,000 feet to the bottom of the ocean.
She showed the participants a picture of the cup after it returned, compressed to only about two inches high.
Members of the Central Kansas District and Smoky View 4-H Club attended the meeting about marine geology on Jan. 14.
Farough, Kansas State University teaching assistant professor of geology, taught the members about marine geology and equipment used by marine geologists to study the ocean floor, such as ships, drills, and submarines.
She also taught about landforms at the bottom of the ocean, such as thermal vents, volcanoes, mountain ranges, and pillars. There is also much life at the bottom of the ocean, such as tubeworms, crabs, and even small sharks.
In the 4-H geology project, members can explore the science of rocks, can determine types of rocks and minerals, and can gather their own rock collections.