Journal Entry

Check my audio journal below- click the play arrow and you should be good to go:

[swf file="members/bill-schmoker/files/journal_11794_bschmoker050710.mp3"]

Visiting the permafrost tunnel was an amazing experience!  Here are some pics from our visit.  Being immersed within the permafrost gave me a whole new level of understanding of this arctic phenomenon and how fossils like the Steppe Bison are preserved as actual remains from the last ice age.

Bill in the Permafrost TunnelBill Schmoker in the Permafrost Tunnel

Permafrost Tunnel SchematicSchematic diagram of the Permafrost Tunnel in the visitor center

Bill with a Mammoth ScapulaBill Schmoker holding a mammoth scapula found on hill above the Permafrost Tunnel

Getting Ready to Go InPreparing to enter the Permafrost Tunnel, with Matthew Sturm demonstrating a historic steam point used by placer miners to penetrate frozen loess and access gold-bearing stream gravel deposits below.

Leg Bone in Permafrost TunnelUnidentified large ice-age mammal leg bone in Permafrost Tunnel

Steppe Bison horn in Permafrost TunnelSteppe Bison horn protruding from Permafrost Tunnel wall

Matthew Sturm interpreting the Permafrost TunnelMatthew Sturm guiding PolarTREC Teachers in the Permafrost Tunnel

Ice Lens in the Permafrost TunnelIce Lens in the roof of the Permafrost Tunnel