Rock Close Ups and Project Update

It is very cold in the U.P. this morning.  The wind chill right now in Ironwood (located on the Michigan-Wisconsin border) is 37 below.  In Grand Marais, the relatively warm (for winter) Lake Superior temperatures are still buffering us.  It is around 10 degrees here, with a wind chill around zero.  Because of the warm lake, snow effect snow is supposed to continue.  Here we are expecting up to another six inches of snow today.

This morning I decided to pull out my USB microscope camera.

Agatized jasper...

Seam agate...

Botryoidal agate...

Paintstone agate...

Paintstone, eye, botryoidal agate...

Another agatized Jasper....

Beach rock -- igneous diorite....

Beach rock -- sedimentary breccia....

Beach rock -- metamorphic gneiss...

Beach rock -- metamorphic schist...

Beach rock -- sedimentary Jacobsville sandstone....

PROJECT UPDATE
This morning I will finish real-time checking the last segment.  I have also been in communication with my webmaster to prepare for publishing/uploading/transferring all the files.  In the next day I will finalize the content to be included on the www.agatelady.com website pages regarding the online rockhounding adventures.

While executing this final check of the segments, I gathered the statistics:

ADVENTURE 1:  The Basics -- Big Bang Through Earth Formation
Segment                             # Slides   Time     # Movies     # Graphics
1A Building Blocks                            45              1 hour                       5                   174
      of Matter
1B Universe Formation                   56              1 hour                     10                    144
1C Solar System Formation           92             2.5 hours               17                    347
1D Earth Formation                          102            2 hours                    21                    415
Adventure Totals                  295       6.5 hours        53         1,080

ADVENTURE 2: Lake Superior Agate -- Grand Marais, Michigan
Segment                            # Slides      Time        # Movies    # Graphics
2A Local Geologic History              67             1.5 hours                   10                  235
2B Agate Genesis                                  50               1 hour                         7                  188
2C Rockhounding in                         72             1.5 hours                    10                  287
      Grand Marais, MI   
2D Beach Rock Identification     103         interactive               2                  292
      Guide
2E How to Find Agates                  123              2.5 hours                     4                 462
Adventure Totals                  415       6.5 hours          33           1,464
                                            
Pilot Program Totals           710      13 hours             86           2,544

I think this is worth $20, which is the Pilot Program launch price.  The introductory price not only includes these first two adventures, but also the Play Time self-evaluation exercises that will be launched in the next couple of months as well as all future updates of these two adventures and their Play Time exercises.

NOTE:  The number of graphic elements include photographs, diagrams, video clips, and the components included in the movies.

NOTE:  Segment 2D is interactive and can be used to help identify the top 22 beach rocks found along the Lake Superior beaches.  The length of time required for this segment depends on how many times the participant uses this segment to help identify rock specimens.