This week gave me an opportunity to explore the natural processes that shape the Bulfinch Triangle. I was very impressed at the level of detail one can extract from even the most common sources. I felt this most strongly during the in-class site visit. Observing how and where water collects in stagnant pools, as well as the direction that trees are leaning in or the face that moss is growing on are all examples of clues we may easily overlook if we were not trained to search for them.
When conducting my site visit, I walked through each area of my site multiple times. Each time, I focused on a different subset of natural processes: first water, then air and finally sunlight. By narrowing down the clues I was looking for during each walkthrough, I was able to notice so much more than if I had been searching for every clue at the same time. I intend to employ this same strategy when revisiting my site for assignments 3 and 4.
Another particularly helpful resource was The Granite Garden. This reading not only helped me determine which patterns to look for when visiting my site, but it actually provided some historical context on my specific site as well. This was extremely useful when determining how water has affected and been affected by the Bulfinch Triangle.
How to Use Your Eyes was yet another valuable resource. I was especially interested by the section on pavement. As a materials engineer, the methods by which cracks form and propagate are extremely relevant to my field of study. This section inspired me to search for how the natural processes on my site may have aided in the growth of several networks of cracks running along the roads and sidewalks of the Bulfinch Triangle. Since some of the phenomena described in this section are not caused by natural resources, such as shoving and corrugations, I will continually refer back to this resource during future assignments in the hopes that I may continue to incorporate my materials science knowledge to the topics of this class.