by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Learn more about the rocks and minerals that make up the planet at the Rock & Mineral Clinic on Thursday, March 21, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The event is set for 3-6 p.m. in Room 101F in the Parkinson Building on the SIU campus. Daniel Hummer, associate professor of geology, will provide expert oversight, and the Geology Club will host the program.
All ages are welcome, and members of the public are invited to bring in any rock, mineral or geological sample they want to have identified. They can also learn basic examination techniques scientists use to identify samples.
Metered parking will be available in parking lot 13, accessible from the campus’ east entrance on South Illinois Avenue (U.S. 51) and located across from the Student Center. This metered parking will be free after 4 p.m.
The event comes in advance of National Geologists Day, April 7, which is celebrated on the first Sunday of April each year. Originally established in April 1966 by scientists in the former Soviet Union, the day honors the work of geologists, geophysicists and geochemists who study the history of the Earth and the composition of rocks, soil, water, minerals and other materials.