Friday. April I7. I964

Swampy Forest Covered. Area Thousands of Years Ago;
Remains Discovered Beneath Stage of

 

The extent of glaciation over Iowa during the tour "recent

glacial periods is shown on the map above. Below are pic-
tured several samples of thousand-year-old wood which was
unearthed frain beneath the stage of Roberts Theatre last

July. Shown with the wood is n s' -ini:h ruler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

> Social Preview
Continued from Page 4

will serve as publicity chairman
for the social coordinating com-
mittee.

At the present time, the so-
cial committees are finishing
preparation of their budgets to
be presented to the social plan-
ning board for approval before
being submitted to the Student
Senate. These budgets include
a request for an increase in
the social fee. Hartl said the
increase, if approved, would be
used to improve the quality of
the program rather than to pro-
vide a significantly larger
number of events.

When asked about Spring
Day, the social coordinator
said, “There is really not too
much I can say about Spring
Day at this time. There will be
a Spring Day, but we want it to
be a surprise."

Prospects for next year in-
clude the grand opening of the
Grinnell Forum, now scheduled
for late October or November,
and an Inaugural ball, if a new
president of the college is
named.

“We would like to be able to
get some people off campus
each weekend to enhance the
program,” l-lartl explained.
There will be attempts to ex-
pand transportation facilities.
on - campus trips will be
handled by the Informal com-
mittee this year. There will
also be an increase in the In-
formal program especially
planned for non-daters.

 

The concerts committee has
already booked the Warsaw
Philharmonic Orchestra for
next year. This committee also
plans to experiment with seat-
ing arrangements in Darby
gymnasium for the various big
concerts held there.

The movies committee will
try toiinclude more American
movies than this year but will
continue to present outstand-
ing work from abroad as Well.

Dithyramb and Gadabouts
will continue with programs
similar to those of last year,
Hart], explained. “We’ll defi-
nitely repeat the Christmas
Formal dinner," he said. Gad-
abouts will be sponsoring three
formal dances. Homecoming
and Parents Weekend fall on
the same weekend next fall,
and one dance will be presented
then, besides the Christmas and
Spring Formal dances. If the
college names a new President,
he said, one of these will be an
Inaugural Ball.

The North and South Campus
social chairmen will he working
with the halls. The North Cam-
pus chairmen will be schedul<
ing informal parties at Oakland
Acres to be offered as package
deals to the halls.

The transportation issue is
not dead either. A committee
will be appointed by the Social

Planning Board to study trans— '

portation at colleges with car
rules similar to ours. They will
also investigate transportation
available at nominal expense
and will recommend action to
the Planning Board.

 

SCARLET AND BLACK

Roberts Theatre

By John Wolf

Remains of a swampy forest
that may have covered the
Grinnell area 130,000 years ago
were discovered by Benjamin
Graham (bid) during excava-
tions for the Fine Arts Center
in June, 1960.

Last July 4, aided by La-
Verne Durkee (him) and Mich-
ael Hager, junior, Graham re-
trieved peat samples from be
neath the stage of Roberts
Theatre shortly before cement
was laid over the site.

“Sample of coniferous wood
found in the peat were readily
identified as Tamarack,” Gra-
ham remarked. “There is some
mineral replacement evident,
but much of the wood is in cel-
lulosic form. Insofar as they
are not completely mineralized,
the samples are not true fos-
sils.

“Several samples of the wood
are now being dated by the
carbon 14 method. The results
might prove inconclusive, 'how-
ever, since carbon 14 dating is
effective only if the samples are
less than 50,000 years Old.

“The samples we have found

“We can’t place the deposits
more exactly because of the
lack of local dateable glacial
deposits from the two most re-
cent periods of glaciation. The
Illinoian glaciation just touched
the southeastern corner of the
state, while the Wisconsin glac—
iation stopped about eight
miles north of Grinnell.

“Had the peat been deposited
during one of the other two
recent glacial periods, the Kan-
sas or Nebraskan, it would
have been fairly easy to date
because of the local sedimentav
tion, often hundreds of feet
deep, which were deposited
during those epochs.

”From an examination of
pollen grains found in the peat,
we have been able to conclude
that the climate of Iowa was
very similar to the climate of
present<day Canada. The spec-
ies of trees are good indicators
of climatic conditions of the
areas in which they are found.”

The peat deposit was actual-
ly two feet below the bottom of
the excavation for the Fine
Arts Center and was discovered
only when deeper borings for
footings brought up samples of
peat. The thickness of the peat
layer is about 1.5 feet, and the

deposit is covered by nearly 16 ‘

feet of topsoil and loess,

Excavations for the new
Forum did not go deep enough
to reach the peat level, al-
though “what appears to be a
shoreline” Was notiCed.

“This shoreline would incli~

cate that there was a lake
through the middle of the cam-
pus at one time,” Graham not-
ed. “It is probable that this
lake became the swampy for—
est,
“It’s just a reflex action for
me to follow up excavations,"
Graham claimed. “Soundings
for the addition to the science
building could provide addition-
al interesting samples for our
study."

Page Five

SALES - REPAIR - RENTAL
Underwood — Olivetti

See Us for Party Goods

Grinnell .-
Office Supply

Across from the Post Office
In Our New Store Building

 

SOMETHING NEW

Ahrvolno’s will deliver
/ Sandwiches with on Order of
$2.00 or more g with or pizzol

AIIRVANO'S

PHONE 6-6122

AID PASTRIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th Ave.

 

 

 

Our Representatives

ON CAMPUS

FOR 1963-64
North Younker . . . . . . . . Rod Brown
South Yonnkcr . . . . . . . Jack Hansen
Smith . . . . . . . . . . Paul Patterson
Langan . . . . . . . . . . . Clyde Smith
Rawson . . . . . . . . . . Tom Bucholtz
Gates . . . . . . . . . Pete Heinzelmann
Clark . . . . . . . . . . . Dick Orchard
Dibble . . . . . . . . . . . John Sundell
Cowles . . . . . . . . . Lloyd Fritzmeicrn
East Norris . . . . . . . . . . Dave Baetz
West Norris . . . . . . . Barry Anderson
South Campus Representative Ellie Smith

Head Representative . . Dave Sellergren

ates Flowers

Member F.T.D.

7:.
i.

'IDIZ Broad Street Phone 236-3197

 

