On April 18, MTSU geology professor Dr. Warner Cribb took a group, mostly alumni and their children, on a geological tour of campus where they discussed the campus’s architecture, MTSU’s unique position between two watersheds and the fossils embedded in the library’s floor.
Cribb began the tour with a candid critique of Todd Hall’s architecture. Although the steps are a sturdy, sparkling migmatite, the patio on the west side is a cheaper, more fragile slate. While the steps are fully intact, the patio is
full of uneven cracks resulting from the use of stones that are too large and too unstable, eroding little by little every time it rains.
“One thing that’s important to remember about campus building stones is that when it rains, it’s not H20,” Cribb said. “It’s actually very weak carbonic acid.”
He explained that Todd’s patio is cracked due to the freeze-thaw process, where cracks form when water freezes in porous stone. He invited the children present to test the stones with hydrochloric acid, which fizzes and bubbles when it comes into contact with carbonate minerals. He also pointed out the orange staining streaked across the wall with a large sculpture.
“I don’t think this is oxidation, this is not iron in here. I think it’s just something staining,” Cribb said. “I think it’s unattractive.”
A later stop on the tour was a sinking creek near the Wood-Stegall Center, where rainwater drains underground. Cribb explained that MTSU is unique in occupying two separate drainage basins– both the West and East Fork of the Stones River. There are also no streams or rivers for drainage to lead to. Although the water can rarely be seen, it is vital to the ecosystem.
“Listen, the most difficult water to protect is the water beneath the surface, because you can’t see it and you don’t always know where it’s going,” Cribb said.
Cribb brought maps of c
ampus to explain the concepts, showing that MTSU’s campus floods easily due to geography rather than poor design.
After the sinking creek, Cribb guided the tour group to the library to examine the floor.
“Most MTSU students walk across the library floor thinking they’re just walking across a dirty tile floor,” Cribb said.
The floor, however, is not dirty — it’s full of fossils. Cribb pointed out bivalves, nautiloids and various other deep-sea creatures as children examined carefully with their magnifying glasses. Where one usually sees random speckles and dark streaks, ancient shells were suddenly apparent.
“What you’re standing on is an ancient sea floor. This all formed at the bottom of the ocean,” Cribb said.
The tour wrapped up after an hour. Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Rachel Helms was pleased with the outcome.
“We were super excited he wanted to do [the tour], especially since our angle this year was to really try to do a lot of family-friendly events for our alums, and this just fit right in. So it’s awesome,” said Helms. “We just really appreciate him doing it, and people seem to really get a kick out of it.”
To contact the News editor, email [email protected].
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
