By: Stephen Bartlett
Between Colour Wars, TFL, and many other residence events, there is often much contention around who and what is in fact the best. But today everyone in Totem Park can rest well knowing that one of the most fiercely debated contests has finally been resolved. I have found Totem’s best rock.
Situated just outside the southeastern corner of the commonsblock alongside the roundabout parking spaces, this lithological beauty may have been unnoticed to many residents. The rock in question is a conglomerate, which is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a collection of different rocks (called clasts) are deposited and later cemented together by a matrix consisting of much finer grained material. This specific conglomerate features large, well-rounded clasts of varying origins, which suggests that this rock formed in a geologically diverse marine or river environment. Establishing specifically when the rock formed is not possible given current resources. However, due to the undoubtedly large importance and popularity of this question, housing staff may want to think about investing in the proper equipment to date the rock. That being said, the significance of this rock, or rather our rock, is not limited to observational data.
No matter where one is in the world, it is always important to know what interesting rocks are nearby. And if we are truly to call Totem Park our home for the next several months, it is vital that we can all point to this rock and say to our friends, “You see this rock? This is our rock, and it is beautiful.”
The beauty of our rock comes from the questions that it begs us to ask. Where did our rock form? When did it form? How far did the clasts that make it up travel before ultimately settling and becoming our rock? And, of course, how long has it been in Totem Park for residents to appreciate?
If there is one thing we can learn from our fascinating rock, it is that sometimes wonderfully complex, inspiring objects can be nearby without us realizing it. The power of geology and all of science for that matter is to help us realize the wonder that is right outside our front door.