The Grinnell Peat: Preserved; Uncovered; Forgotten; Re-discovered; Explored.
For an undetermined number of years (not exceeding 58), a re-purposed cardboard box sat in the basement of the Noyce Science Center. Finding and opening the box, my faculty colleague Andrew Graham ("Graham A," whose position is in Chemistry and Environmental Studies) found: (1) several brick-sized clumps of dry soil, rich in organic matter, rather casually protected with heavy paper; (2) handfuls of sneeze-provoking dust; and (3) a copy of a 1962 scientific article written by beloved Grinnell Biology Professor Ben Graham (1920-2009; "Graham B").
In the article Graham B told the origin story of the box's contents. The construction of Grinnell College's Roberts Theatre in 1960 uncovered a 50 cm layer of soggy, compressed peat, 5 m below the ground surface. Peat deposits form in places like bogs, where acidity, lack of oxygen, and low temperatures hinder decomposition. In this way, active areas of peat formation represent "sinks" for carbon, while ancient deposits represent important sources of fossils. Recognizing that the deeply buried "Grinnell Peat" could reveal prehistoric plant communities, Graham B and his students sampled the peat. Graham (1962) was "preliminary report" of their findings, including a broad age estimate (300,000 - 20,000 years ago) and notes on the identities of fossil wood and pollen the peat contained.
We don't yet know what fraction of the material Graham B and his students examined ended up in the mysterious, forgotten box, nor do we know when the packaging took place. We do think that the preliminary report had no sequel. Graham A graciously transferred the box to my care, recognizing my department's claim and imagining that my students might learn by attempting to expand Graham B's 1962 report.
BIO 305 (Evolution of the Iowa Flora) includes a unit on the history of Iowa vegetation. Past students' research into that history, however, mainly consisted of field trips to sand prairies and other sites that reveal some of that history, and of spotlighting what other scientists had discovered. Blog posts from 2013 and 2015 document some of this work. In 2018 my BIO 305 students made some of their own discoveries, extracting and attempting to identify fossils from the Grinnell Peat, and making reference collections of contemporary plants for comparison. In the posts that follow, teams of students reveal some of their findings and what it took to discover them. Meanwhile, I pledge not to hide their source material in a mystery box in the basement.
In the article Graham B told the origin story of the box's contents. The construction of Grinnell College's Roberts Theatre in 1960 uncovered a 50 cm layer of soggy, compressed peat, 5 m below the ground surface. Peat deposits form in places like bogs, where acidity, lack of oxygen, and low temperatures hinder decomposition. In this way, active areas of peat formation represent "sinks" for carbon, while ancient deposits represent important sources of fossils. Recognizing that the deeply buried "Grinnell Peat" could reveal prehistoric plant communities, Graham B and his students sampled the peat. Graham (1962) was "preliminary report" of their findings, including a broad age estimate (300,000 - 20,000 years ago) and notes on the identities of fossil wood and pollen the peat contained.
We don't yet know what fraction of the material Graham B and his students examined ended up in the mysterious, forgotten box, nor do we know when the packaging took place. We do think that the preliminary report had no sequel. Graham A graciously transferred the box to my care, recognizing my department's claim and imagining that my students might learn by attempting to expand Graham B's 1962 report.
BIO 305 (Evolution of the Iowa Flora) includes a unit on the history of Iowa vegetation. Past students' research into that history, however, mainly consisted of field trips to sand prairies and other sites that reveal some of that history, and of spotlighting what other scientists had discovered. Blog posts from 2013 and 2015 document some of this work. In 2018 my BIO 305 students made some of their own discoveries, extracting and attempting to identify fossils from the Grinnell Peat, and making reference collections of contemporary plants for comparison. In the posts that follow, teams of students reveal some of their findings and what it took to discover them. Meanwhile, I pledge not to hide their source material in a mystery box in the basement.
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