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  Pellissippi State awarded grant to study the mineralogy of Cherokee Caverns


cherokee caverns
Anthodites like these are just one of the unique rock formations that Pellissippi State Community College students will study in Cherokee Caverns, thanks to a National Speleological Society grant. Image courtesy of PS.

 

KNOXVILLE — Strange as it might seem, East Tennessee was once quite beachy.

Geologically speaking, this area lay on the floor of a warm, shallow sea 500-plus million years ago, and Pellissippi State Community College students will soon be studying the rock formations and mineral deposits in Knoxville's Cherokee Caverns that point to the fact that East Tennessee once had a climate similar to that of the Bahamas.

"[Cherokee Caverns] is good exposure to the geological history of East Tennessee and a new way to see your own hometown," said Kathleen Affholter, associate professor in Natural and Behavioral Sciences at Pellissippi State. "This cave is unique -- not just in Tennessee, but in the world. It's a great outdoor laboratory."

Affholter and Garry Pennycuff, an associate professor in the same department, recently applied for and were awarded a $750 grant from the National Speleological Society to study the mineralogy of Cherokee Caverns, one of the most geologically unique caves in the world. The cave, despite the effects of vandalism and improper use, is still home to flower-like crystal formations called anthodites and hollow stalactite-like formations that hang from the ceiling and look like bulbous soda straws. There are only a handful of caves around the world that feature anthodites and few others reported to have the bulbous-soda-straw stalactites.

"Tennessee has more caves than any other place in the United States -- more than 10,000," Affholter said. "But Cherokee Caverns is special."

"When we grow up in a place, we often don't realize or don't take advantage of the amazing resources that are around us," Pennycuff said. "But this amazing cave is right in our students' backyards."

The professors say their beginning physical geology, chemistry and environmental geology students will have the opportunity to take field trips to Cherokee Caverns. In class, students will study responsibly collected research samples and have remote access to Florida International University's scanning electron microscope to analyze those samples. Some of the grant funds will be used to pay for the use of the electron microscope.

The biggest advantage of using an electron microscope over a more common optical microscope is that the electron microscope has a higher resolution and is able to magnify an object up to two million times. Optical microscopes can only magnify up to 1,000-2,000 times.

"So many times, students think of school as one thing and the 'real world' as another thing," said Pennycuff. "But this opportunity lets them conduct real-world tests, explore real-world places and make real observations. This is what science looks like."

"For community college students, this is a rare opportunity to have this type of field experience and to use special equipment like the scanning electron microscope," Affholter said.

The duo hopes the hands-on science experience will teach students the importance of conservation, particularly given Cherokee Caverns' history. (Today, the cave can be accessed only with the permission of its caretaker.) But more than that, Affholter and Pennycuff hope students take away a love of science.

"Maybe the students will learn terms like 'anthodites,' but what's more important to me is that they see that science is fun," Affholter said.

"We can't hide our enthusiasm," Pennycuff said. "Hopefully, it's contagious."

The National Speleogical Society grant funds came through the Pellissippi State Foundation. The Foundation works to provide student scholarships and emergency loans as well as to improve facilities and secure new equipment.

For more information about the Foundation, visit www.pstcc.edu/foundation or call (865) 694-6528.

Source: Pellissippi State

Published October 9, 2015



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