A Creek Runs Through It
Mark West School Steelhead Program
Essays Written by Students
How Does Sandy Get To Our Beach
Jordan Tauzer-Pardo
Hello, my name is Sandy. As in my name, I am a sand grain. However, I have not always been a quartzite slowly being swished back and forth at the beach. I never really understood that I was anything else except a sand grain until I was just a little bit younger than I am now, about 900 hundred years old. I figured out this brilliant piece of information by asking my siblings and parents. “Hey mom,” I said one day, “How did I become a small grain of sand on this beach?”
She whispered in my ear, “It is a very long story. However, I will tell you tonight instead of a bedtime story.” I don’t really remember what happened that day other than the amazingly long story that my mom spent a lot of time explaining, for I asked a whole lot of questions that night. This is what she told me.
“Sandy, there are many ways that grains of sand get to our beaches, but there is only one way that you got to the beach. That one way was through moving water.”
Then I interrupted “What sort of moving water?”
My mother laughed then stated, “All kinds of moving water. For example, I will start when you were a huge rock. I could go back further to when you were a mountain, but I would probably keep you up at night. So I will start when you were a huge rock.” She paused to catch her breath and then she looked at me.
“Mountain,” I whispered hoping to get my mom to tell me the longer story.
She laughed as she always did, then she continued, “Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. Anyways, I must get back to the story. It all began when you were a huge rock. You were a nice big rock that sat by a nice big tree.” She said this than tickled me. “The tree hung over a slope, which was right near a creek. One day the wind came and blew you right down the slope and into the tumbling creek. This creek was the Mark West Creek, and this way of getting you to go somewhere was called erosion. Erosion is the carrying away of materials or sediments which is exactly what happened to you. The wind blew you right away and you plunged right into the creek.”
I interrupted her by saying, “Really wow! That was a great story.”
“I haven’t finished quite yet,” she blurted out. “You haven’t even heard about deposition or weathering yet.”
“What is deposition and weathering?” I also blurted.
“You will hear in a minute about them,” she replied with a laugh.
“Next,” she started, “I will tell you what happened after you plunged into the moving water. After you fell, you immediately began to drift away with the current. You hit a couple large rocks. That is where you got to the size you were. This change is called weathering. Weathering is the breaking down of materials. When you hit the rocks, you chipped away parts of them and they chopped off pieces of you as well as them. The more that got chipped away off of you, the smoother and smoother you got. You were a smooth rock. You traveled like that for a super long time because the faster the water the more erosion. After you traveled through the Mark West Creek, you flowed right into the Russian River and down to the estuary. Eventually, over time, you flowed right into the ocean through the ocean current. However, when you and the river hit the ocean current, you completely stopped. This happened when you were about the size that you are now, but a little larger because when you arrived here you still crashed against seashells and larger rocks and all kinds of things. The dropping off that the ocean current provided for you was called deposition. Deposition is the depositing or dropping off of materials, so in this case, the ocean current dropped you off here and that is where you have been all of your life,” she finished.
“Thank you, mom. This was a great choice of a story on my part,” I replied, for I had loved the story of me.
Saving the Coho
Report and Video Evaluation by
Mia Fleisher-de Kozan
Coho Salmon. Silver. Red. Glittery. Important. The Coho salmon are vitally important to the Russian River’s natural ecosystem. They provided food for the Native people long ago. Now, they contribute a great source of nutrients to the ecosystem. When they die after spawning, their decomposing bodies leach nutrients into the water. This helps with the health of the other animals and plants in the Russian River. Sadly, this amazing fish is endangered.
One reason the Coho are endangered is that they only live three years. They have a specific spawning pattern which means if one spawning season dies out from toxins, severe drought, etc… then their offspring won’t be able to spawn three seasons later, and the population will drop. Another reason for them being endangered is that they are sensitive to changes in their environment. Overfishing and changes in the ocean and freshwater will affect the Coho more than it will affect the Steelhead or Chinook. This is one cause for Coho being on the endangered species list and the Steelhead and Chinook only being protected. People in Sonoma County are trying to help repopulate the Coho.
Some ways Fish and Game are replenishing the Coho population is by artificially spawning them, creating spawning grounds, and starting the Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, created in 2001. In this Program, the workers spawn the fish. They started by finding adults from the wild to spawn over ten years ago, then each year they clean and store the eggs until they are ready to hatch. Once they have fry, baby fish, they raise the fish and release them as smolts, teenagers. After selecting some to keep as broodstock to repeat this cycle in three years, they carry the smolts in modified backpacks and hand pick where to place them including our own Mark West Creek. Their hopes are that the adult Coho will come back and spawn on their own. Although they hope the fish’s population will grow just with these methods, they also need us to help.
Some ways we can help save the Coho are by conserving water and keeping the watershed clean. We can conserve water by not leaving our water running while we brush our teeth or taking long showers. We can keep the watershed clean by keeping pollutants out of the storm drains. We can also pick up litter like our class does each Wednesday on our piece of the Mark West Creek, preventing it from washing into our creeks. So, to help save the Coho, clean up the environment, save water, and speak up for the fish!
Warm Spring Dam
By Savannah Schultz
Warm Springs Dam To most people, the half-mile long earthen berm called Warm Springs Dam is just part of normal life. Having a nice trip to the national site provides a day of water-skiing, stargazing, long hikes, and relaxing picnics. Tons of tourists travel each day to this place to marvel at this huge achievement in technology. This was not always so, though. In 1925, many problems due to flooding and droughts racked Sonoma County, sparking arguments and discussions. Many people claimed that the dam was a danger to people and should not be built. If those people had their way today, things in Sonoma County would be much much different. We wouldn’t have just missed out on recreation, but also the protection from flooding for the below sea-level town of Guerneville, and the water you use for everyday life. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if all the water you use every day, for bathing, cooking, or even flushing a toilet, disappeared? You would never be able to drink water or take a shower again. Warm Springs Dam, actually, is one of the only things standing in the way of a tragedy such as this one. If a major drought came (like the one we are experiencing now), it would protect us for at least a year. In fact, according to Jafar Faghih, “Our counties contain over six hundred thousand residents as well as many agricultural water users. The largest city in this region, Santa Rosa, is actually allotted fifty million gallons of water per day from Warm Springs Dam!” If all that water disappeared, the effects, as you can imagine, would be disastrous. If you happen to live in Guerneville, the dam is a lifesaver, literally. Every rainy season, the dam prevents flooding and destroying many homes and lives located there. Bob Norberg of the press democrat clearly states that the dam, “...holds back enough water to take five to eight feet off the Russian River as it flows through Guerneville, often the difference between flooding or not.” The city is commonly known for huge floods, due to it being built on a flood-plain. If this dam was not where it is today, you might as well call Guerneville a memory of the past. In the end, the Warm Springs Dam is a good thing. It is important for many reasons, including recreation, flood-control, and our water supply; things that help us in everyday life.
Warm Springs Dam
By Melissa Baker
Was the construction of the Warm Springs Dam built on faulty logic? It has been eighty years since officials pitched the idea. The controversial construction sparked fifty years of heated debates, and it has been thirty years now since the dam was actually built. If we look back at the debates leading up to the construction of the Warm Springs Dam, we will notice that the disputes were the most interesting part of the process. Upon inception of the Warm Springs Dam construction, Sonoma County citizens had split opinions; they either passionately opposed or anxiously welcomed the idea with open arms.
At the time, Sonoma County citizens were shocked, and not in a good way. The main reason was because the dam was built on a fault line. For example, if an earthquake happened, the dam would break and water would flood through Windsor and Healdsburg. It would destroy structures and endanger lives. Another disadvantage that certainly didn’t sit well with residents of Dry Creek (where the dam is located) was the need to use thirty million yards of the surrounding hillsides. In addition, the released water would flow too fast for Steelhead to spawn, and the dam itself would cut off spawning grounds. This meant they wouldn’t be able to spawn, which would hurt the already dwindling population. Also, the cost of the dam was severely underestimated by $300 million of the estimated cost. Are there any benefits for this dam?
Actually, there were. One major advantage for this dam is that it’s a major water source for over 600,000 Sonoma and Marin County residents. This means that when you get a drink of water, or take a shower, or water your lawn, that water most likely comes from Dry Creek. Lake Sonoma, which formed from the Warm Springs Dam, attracts over 500,000 boaters, fishers, and campers every year, which means more money for Sonoma County. Another benefit is that the dam helps control water amounts so Dry Creek doesn’t get too dry (ha ha), yet will still keep Guerneville from flooding. The dam itself was built prepared for earthquakes; it is designated to withstand up to an 8.9 earthquake. When fish enthusiasts realized that the dam would prevent Steelhead and Coho from spawning, they were relieved to learn that the Army Corp of Engineers would build a hatchery. What do you think of the dam now?
There was a very strong debate on whether or not to build the Warm Springs Dam. However, it was still built. And now, thirty years after it was completed, it’s amazing to look back and see how much effort went into this dam.
How Does Water Get to Our Tap?
Expository essay by Mia Fleisher-de Kozan
Why is water, especially clean water, so important? It hydrates us, cleans us, and keeps our planet alive. Water is vital to each and every thing on planet Earth. Many people don’t know how difficult it is to deliver clean water to Sonoma County.The Sonoma County Water Agency, SCWA, works unbelievably hard to get clean water to our taps. They go through many steps to get the water to us after it has reached them. I didn’t know half the steps it takes to get to us until we started to learn from the SCWA. I hope, that by the time you finish my essay, you know as much as I know now.
Before we begin, we have to establish the fact that we need to have water to get to our taps. So, precipitation is beyond necessary in this process. “There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the planet was formed. Believe it or not, the water you drink could share the same molecules that dinosaurs drank,” says Culligan Blog. This is one reason it is so important to keep our water clean. All of us have to help keep our environment clean because it all is one big chain. When the water goes through the air, it can pick up chemicals and deposit as acid rain. Once the water has rained down onto the headwaters, it falls down to the ridgeline. From the ridgeline, the water is pulled by gravity down into Lake Sonoma. Lake Sonoma stores 381,000 acre feet of water. Lake Sonoma is one of the main sources of water supply to Sonoma County. The Warm Springs Dam is the barrier that holds the water in Lake Sonoma and keeps water from flooding Healdsburg and Guerneville. The water in Lake Sonoma is let out little by little, enough to fill Dry Creek.
The water in Dry Creek feeds into the Russian River. The Russian River carries the water over the Inflatable Dam. The Inflatable Dam is a 12 foot high dam that the SCWA inflates in the spring once the rain has stopped. “This raises the level of water in the river upstream of the dam to increase recharge of the aquifer and allow for surface water and diversions,” says SCWA Education Program. There are fish ladders for the Coho, Steelhead, and Chinook next to the Inflatable Dam. It assists the fish in getting up the Russian River. After the water is on its way down the Russian River, it gets pulled through a River Diversion Structure. From the structure the water goes into the sedimentation ponds. A sedimentation pond is a pond where the water can rest until all the small particles in it settle to the bottom. From the sedimentation ponds, the water goes to the infiltration ponds. An infiltration pond is where water naturally percolates, or soaks, into the underground aquifer. It can take between 8 and 72 hours for the water to travel from the infiltration pond to the aquifer. From the infiltration ponds the water goes into an aquifer. The water in an aquifer is groundwater.
Groundwater is super important to us. We get most of our water from groundwater storage. ¨Groundwater is so important to our agriculture, drinking water, and environment. Groundwater is pumped from the underground aquifers to irrigate crops, and homes and cities use it for drinking water. In a drought, some cities rely heavily on groundwater to drink,” says Susan Gorin. We need the groundwater, so the SCWA pumps it to the surface from the aquifer. The collector wells are what the SCWA uses to pump the water to the surface. They add chlorine to kill germs and to keep the pipes from rusting or growing bacteria. They also add chemicals to change to pH. “Sodium hydroxide or caustic soda is the base we add which moves the pH from 7-7.5 to 8 to 8.5,” Ryan Pedrotti says. They want to make sure that the water is at its maximum safety for us. The SCWA doesn’t need to add much to the water to alter it because as it percolates through the ground, it naturally filters out most pollutants.
From the collector well the water is pumped through an aqueduct to booster pumps. Booster pumps carry the water uphill whenever it needs to be carried upward. From the booster pumps, the water goes to holding tanks. A holding tank is a place water is stored until we need it. Most holding tanks are painted to match our surroundings. The closest one to me, is painted green. It blends nicely with the trees so I can’t see it until we approach it and get really close. From the holding tanks the water is pumped to us. We now have water to keep us hydrated, clean, and safe. But for us to get the water, the Sonoma County Water Agency has to jump through hoops to get it to our taps.
Water is one of the most important things to all living beings, if not the most important thing. Most people in Sonoma County don’t know how hard it is to deliver clean water to our taps. The Sonoma County Water Agency does so much difficult work just to make sure Sonoma County has clean water. Before I was taught by my teacher and the SCWA, I didn’t know how water magically appeared pouring out of my tap. I hope that now that I’ve shared my new knowledge with you, you appreciate how hard the SCWA works to get our water to us.
Headwaters to Tap
By Luke Adams
Sonoma County has a specialized system to transport rainwater to your house. First, rainwater needs to be collected in one or more of several collection sources. These sources are, Lake Sonoma, the Russian River, infiltration ponds, and the ground water from the riparian zone of the Russian River.
Once the water is collected, the water from the lake and many creeks is transported down the river until it meets the inflatable dam setup by the Sonoma County Water Agency or S.C.W.A. The purpose of the inflatable dam is to slow or divert water in the hot summer months. The water from the ground and infiltration ponds then gets collected through giant wells called collector wells. The collector wells work like a big vacuum sucking up all the water through its long stems that reach out to the underground aquifer. The stems sit around at the bottom of the wells collecting all the water that’s above it. The collector wells collect a lot of water, due to its long span from one tip of stem to the other.
Another function the S.C.W.A. is responsible for is to treat collected ground water before it is sent out to homes. Once the water has been collected through the collector wells the S.C.W.A adds chlorine to the water to kill bacteria and algae. They also add sodium hydroxide to make the water more alkaline to prevent pipe corrosion.
Once the water leaves the collector wells it is transported through the aqueducts. An aqueduct is an underground water way. Through the aqueducts, the water is transported with the help of booster pumps to storage tanks. Storage tanks are usually at a higher elevation than the homes receiving water. This way gravity will be the method by which water gets to the homes it needs to reach. This is the specific system Sonoma County uses to transport the local rainwater to your faucet and 599,999 other people.
Behind the Oak Tree
Brianna Henry
I was sitting in an oak tree at a park while my mother was trying to get me to come down so she could teach me about the layers of the earth.
“Fine. I’ll just teach to you from the ground,” my mother grumbled. I smirked. Since I am homeschooled, I have the privilege of sitting on a branch instead of in a desk while I take notes.
My mother handed me my notebook and pencil and I leaned forward to grab it, carefully doing so in order to not get my long glossy hair or my pink silk cami snagged in all the branches above my head and behind me. Hey, I might climb trees, but I still cared about my appearance.
My mother began to read from the science book, and I opened my notebook and started to write everything she was saying.
“The crust is made of silicon, aluminum, oxygen…,”
I stretched and leaned back into the tree, continuing to take notes.
~ * ~
It must have been for, like, an hour that I had been taking notes nonstop, because when my mother finally stopped reading and told me to take a break, my hand was throbbing in pain. I decided to ignore it. She stood up.
“Meg, honey, I’m going to get something to eat for the both of us. Be back in a bit,” my mother announced. I nodded at her.
When she left, I checked my watch. Yep, it had been about an hour. I took a look at my seven pages' worth of notes and moaned. I was supposed to have a test right after we ate. How was I supposed to memorize all those notes?
I decided that the best thing for me to do was take a break and have some fun. I slipped my notebook and pencil into the messenger bag that I had hung on a branch above me. After that, I slung it around one of my shoulders. Then I carefully turned myself to a certain position so that my legs were curled around the branch I was sitting on. I slowly lowered my torso and placed both my hands on the branch below me. I was hanging upside down. My messenger bag was dangling from only my wrist.
Then I spotted a hole that was hidden right behind the trunk of the tree. It looked deep and dark. I wanted to get down from the tree to take a closer look, but I then realized that I had no idea how to get down. Several plans went through my head before I finally decided on one. I was going to push myself up with my hands, and by then I would be sitting on the branch again.
“Okay. Let’s do this,” I said as I gave myself the best pep talk of the century. I bent my elbows and pushed up as hard as I could. Suddenly, pain shot through my wrist. I was so shocked and in agony that I tumbled backwards. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself, waiting to hit the ground hard, but it never happened. I just kept falling...
I wondered how long this was going to go on. I felt the wind whoosh my hair straight up, and slowly opened one of my amber eyes. I then realized that opening my eyes was pointless. I couldn’t see a thing. In fact, I could barely tell if my eyes were opened at all. I sniffed the air. Everything smelled like dirt. It felt like I was falling through a deep dark tunnel.
A tunnel! That was what I was falling through! I remembered the hole behind the tree that I had wanted to explore. ‘Wow,’ I thought to myself. I didn’t think that I was capable of forgetting about something so quickly. Suddenly, I hit the ground. Hard. Like, really hard. And everything went black.
~ * ~
I awoke to find everything still dark, which was annoying enough. But then I realized I couldn’t move because I was in a very tight space. My satchel was still tangled around my shoulders. I tried to move forward, but I hit my head on the edge of something. I looked up and saw the silhouette of a table. Then I looked closer. Was there something sitting on it? Yes, there was a miniature bottle and box on it. I reached up and fished around for one of the objects. I grabbed something slim- I assumed it was the bottle- and held it up to my face. I shook it. There was some sort of liquid inside. I could barely make out the words ‘Drink Me!’ on the smooth glass. I opened it and sipped.
All of a sudden, I was being squeezed into the small area. I couldn’t bare the pain any more, so I grabbed the box on the table that said ‘Eat Me!’ and poured the food into my mouth, thinking that it might change me. And it did, because all of a sudden, I was back on the ground again. Only this time, the table towered over me. I was small and petite, like a doll. A sign taped to the floor said ‘Asthenosphere Hall.’ I then peered across the room and saw a faint light seeping through the wall. That one spot of light was more precious to me than a drop of water in the desert. Desperate, I bolted across the room and felt the wall. A smooth, glossy door met my finger tips. I found the knob and decided to yank on it with all my might.
“Hey! Watch it!” it yelled.
I shrieked and jumped backwards.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the doorknob cried.
“Uh, I- I was just trying to get through…” I stammered. “Did you just talk?”
“Of course I did,” the doorknob replied. “My name is Dorothy. And why didn’t you just say you wanted to get through? I would have let you.
“Sorry. My name is Meg Louche, and I am eleven.”
“YOU’RE MEG? THE MEG?” Dorothy screeched. She suddenly became very professional. Dorothy straightened up as tall as she could.
“You may now enter. People have been waiting for your arrival.”
Dorothy bowed before resuming her tall posture and opened the door she was attached to.
“What people?” I asked. But Dorothy had now fallen silent and was staring at me in awe.
“Okay…”
I grabbed my bag and slowly walked out the door and into a beautiful bright forest. There were long, elongate fruit trees everywhere. The soft, green grass just barely covered your ankles. Colorful wildflowers were scattered about, and nearby, a moss-covered wall of rocks supported a bright blue waterfall flowing softly into a large pond.
I was suddenly ravenous. I galloped over to a tree and picked a ripe peach off of it. When I bit into it, juice dribbled down my chin and arm. I finished the peach in about ten seconds and bolted over to the pond. After that, I bent down, cupped my hands in the water and sipped. The water was heaven! It was sweet and refreshing, like a watermelon on a hot summer day.
Then, as I peered down at my reflection in the rippling waters, a figure appeared behind me. I spun around and discovered that there was a girl right in front of me.
The girl looked about my age, maybe ten. She was slightly smaller than a normal person would be, and slimmer, with long legs. She also had a wide, mischievous smile on her face. But the strangest thing of all was that she had pointy ears and a long tail!
She bent down and offered me her hand. But as soon as we touched, everything changed.
The beautiful scenery disappeared. The trees and pond vanished, as if it was all an illusion. I suddenly felt very hungry again.
The fantastic nature was replaced with mostly dark, hard stone. The only colorful things were hundreds of signs that said stuff like ‘COME THIS WAY’ and ‘TAKE THIS PATH’.
“Hi! I’m Charlotte Kat! It’s sooo nice to meet you! You’re Meg, right?” Charlotte’s ears were alert, and she was bouncing on her toes in excitement.
I could only nod.
“I knew you were Meg from the moment I saw you. Which was about ten seconds ago.” Charlotte giggled.
I finally gathered up the courage to speak. “Where am I, and how do I get home?”
“You’re in one of the layers of the earth. I think it’s called the crust.”
Huh. I must have fallen through the layers of the earth. I took off my bag and opened my notebook and flipped through the pages until I found the right one. ‘The crust is ninety percent silicon, aluminum, oxygen, iron, and calcium. The continental plates are mostly made up of granite, and the oceanic plates are mostly made up of basalt,’ I read. Well, that explained the reason that everything was grey. I must have gone through the continental plates.
“But no matter,” Charlotte dismissed the thought that I still had no idea how to get home. “Let’s play! I have so many fun games planned out for us. Doing pranks are my favorite. Let’s see, we could put Saran wrap around the toilet… we could make a toothpaste cookie… we could-”
I stood up. “I uh, actually need to go, so-”
“Oh, that’s great! I am awesome at directions. Where do you want to go?”
“Home!” I shouted, letting all of my frustration out. “I just want to go home!”
“You want to go home?” Charlotte looked a little hurt, but was still eager to be helpful. “You just got here. But fine. Just head down that little path right there. That will take you right to someone that can get you back to your home.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, looking around.
“Yes, absolutely, greattomeetyoubye.” Charlotte shoved me toward the path. I looked back, but she was gone.
I decided to get going since there was no other choice.
~ * ~
I was about halfway down the path when I heard a noise. I looked around and saw two small, thin figures hunched over behind a log.
Infuriated that they had been spying on me, I marched over to them and lifted them by the collars of their shirts.
“How come you were watching me?” I demanded.
The two little boys looked up. They were very pale, with large, watery grey eyes. Their thinness made them seem fragile and delicate, as if they might break if I held them tighter.
“We, uh, w-we were just…” one of them stuttered.
“You’re Meg!” the other one spoke.
“Yes, I bet everyone knows that by now,” I said. “Who are you?”
“I’m Tom and this is Tim. We’re supposed to take you to Quinn.”
“You mean Queen?” I asked.
“No, Quinn. She wants to put you in the dungeon,” Tom said.
“Um… I’ll pass. BYE!” I started running madly, my arms flailing everywhere.
Tom and Tim started running after me as fast as their tiny legs could take them. “Wait! We need to take you to Quinn!”
But I was running so fast that I had lost them in no time at all. I slowed my pace to a jog and then stopped once I realized that the path had been gone ages ago. I looked around and searched for the dirt trail.
When I couldn’t see anything, I took a step back and plunged into a large hole that had been covered in leaves.
~ * ~
The fall had been great. When I finally reached the bottom, I had mysteriously landed on my feet. The hole had led to a path that eventually led out into the open. I was now walking through a meadow covered in flowers as tall as me. Everything was a silverish color. The flowers were all whispering to each other (by now I was used to all the strange things happening) in delicate girly tones.
“That must be Megan.”
“Pretty thing.”
“Look at those petals!”
“And that long, slim stem.”
I lost it. “Okay, first of all, My name is MEG! Not Megan!”
An elegant white rose answered, “But Megan is so much more regal.”
“And second of all, I do NOT have petals and a stem!”
A tall daffodil spoke. “But my dear, if you don’t have petals, then that must mean…”
Murmurs rose into shrieks around me.
“She is a weed!”
“EW! A WEED!”
“A horrific, gruesome, repulsive WEED!”
I whipped around. “I am not a weed!”
Every flower stared at me in disgust.
“Get out of here, you hideous weed!” the White Rose yelled. “Don’t come back! You don’t belong in the mantle! Asthenosphere Forest is for flowers only!”
I ran until I was in a clearing of the forest. Then I opened my satchel and took out my notebook. It said, ‘The mantle has silicon, aluminum, oxygen, iron, and magnesium in it. The asthenosphere is the outer -most layer of the Mantle. The deeper you go into the asthenosphere, the more iron you find.’ That explained all the iron. I put the notebook away and looked up. A small cottage sat right in the middle of the glade. The cottage was painted in all kinds of bright colors and a sign that said ‘Tea Party!’ hung above the door.
I walked up to the door and knocked. A boy who looked about thirteen answered. He was about as tall as me and wore a magenta colored blazer over his yellow and blue striped button-down shirt and light brown cargo shorts. He had sun-kissed skin and short caramel colored hair that was peeking out of a big purple top hat.
“Hi, Meg,” He said. “Come in, we’re having a tea party in honor of your arrival!”
He offered me his arm and I took it, giggling as we walked into the cabin. The only other people in the room were a girl wearing rabbit ears and a cat sitting right next to her.
“I’m Maddin Hatter, and this is my cousin Marlee Hare and her cat Mingo.” Marlee smiled at me and Mingo meowed.
Maddin led me over to a chair and pulled it out. I sat down on it.
“Oh no, don’t sit on the chair. Sit on the table,” Maddin offered.
A little confused, I sat on the table. Maddin and Marlee each climbed up onto the table and started serving tea and scones.
We had each devoured three scones and downed a cup of tea before conversation started.
“Did anyone hear about the big storm that will hit the top of the crust?” Maddin asked. “I heard it is going to be so cool!”
Marlee rolled her eyes and changed the subject. “So, Meg, where do you come from?”
“I come from the top of the crust,” I answered. “I’m trying to get home now since I fell through one of the many holes in the ground.”
“Wait, so you’ll get to see the storm?” Maddin asked, eyes shining.
Marlee flashed a glare at him and said, “That’s not important. We need to get Meg home before Quinn puts her in the dungeon.”
“Right.” Maddin turned to me. “So, what does rain look like? Does it look like this?” Maddin picked up his teacup and turned it upside down. All of the tea fell out of the cup and spilled onto the ground.
I smiled and answered, “Yes, of course it does. Now, how am I supposed to get home?”
“Well, the only way would be to get past Quinn into the castle, so we should probably leave now if we want to get in just after her bedtime.”
The three of us and Marlee’s cat stood up and went outside after Maddin grabbed two umbrellas and a backpack. Then they led me over to a hole in the ground.
“This should go right to the outer core, so we will only have to walk a little ways to the inner core. Since we only have two umbrellas, you’ll have to share with me. On the count of three, step into the hole. Marlee will be right behind us,” Maddin explained.
Maddin opened the umbrella and wrapped his arm around me while I held onto the umbrella’s end.
“1… 2… 3!”
Maddin and I took a step forward and our world descended into darkness.
~ * ~
The drop was a long one, especially since the umbrellas slowed us down quite a bit. We quickly rushed out of the way when Marlee and her cat landed right where we had been. Then we closed the umbrellas and made our way down the tunnel that connected to the hole.
Once we were out of the cave, we met a warm liquidy lake that stretched as far as we could see. The air was hot and heavy, and even in my cami, I was burning.
Maddin reached into his bag and pulled out three pairs of boots and three suits that had frost all over them. He handed one suit and pair of boots to each of us. We all put the suits and boots on over our clothes and shoes, and Marlee put her cat in the backpack. The inside of the backpack was also lined with frost to keep Mingo cool.
I quickly took out my notebook and frantically flipped through pages. Then I read aloud, ‘The outer core is 1,398 miles deep, and the deeper you go, the more hot and dense it gets.’ Which was probably the reason that I was sweating.
We all stepped into the sticky liquid and slowly made our way across. On the way to the inner core, Maddin bombarded me with questions about weather and snowstorms, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes.
“What does snow look like? How strong are the tsunamis? What was the biggest earthquake you’ve ever been in?”
I just laughed and answered every question patiently.
When we were in the middle of the lake, we saw a whirlpool up ahead.
“Get ready to dive, Maddin,” Marlee told him and grabbed my hand while I grabbed Maddin’s.
“One… two-”
Maddin jumped, pulling Marlee and I with him.
We dove through the goopy liquid into the whirlpool, and all at once, we were back on the ground. Marlee and I sputtered and coughed until we were able to breath again.
“Maddin!” Marlee yelled. “We weren’t ready yet!”
Maddin shrugged and muttered an apology. “Sorry. I just got excited.”
I looked up, and there was a tunnel that looked like it was halfway filled with liquid, about to splash down on us. But it didn’t. We stepped out of the hole into another short tunnel, which led us right to a beautiful red castle with hearts painted all over it. The bushes were shaped as hearts with red roses growing on them. We saw a gardener coming and Maddin and Marlee quickly ran into the bushes while I followed them.
I quickly took out my note book and read, ‘The inner core is 808 miles deep and spins, causing earth’s magnetic field.’
“So, now all we have to do is get into the castle. Let’s wait for all the people to disappear,” Marlee said.
Once no one was in sight, Maddin whisper-shouted, “Make a break for it in three, two, one!”
We all leapt out of the bush and sprinted down toward the open gate. We ran through the halls, trying to find a place to hide. Once we found a dark, empty room, we quickly closed the door.
“Is this the room?” I asked.
“Only one way to find out.”
Marlee found the light switch and flipped it.
The light revealed a large bedroom with red tapestries draped against the wall. A vanity set sat in one corner of the room, and a gigantic bed lay in the middle. The bed was stuffed with big blankets and huge, soft pillows. We all ran over to the bed and hopped onto it.
“Mmm… is it time to get up yet?” a voice came from under the pile of cushions and quilts.
A look of panic crossed all of our faces as someone pushed back the blankets and pillows and sat up.
“Who are- HEY! You’re MEG!” a little girl shouted. She was small and pale with raven black hair, and she had a majestic air about her. Her grey eyes were small and beady, and she was wearing a silky red night gown with gold hearts sewn to the end of her sleeves.
The girl got out of bed and yelled, “Guards! Take them to the dungeon!”
When no guards came she sighed and said, “Sorry. They’re a little slow.” Then she stuck out her hand and said, “Hi. I’m Quinn Hearts.”
I hesitantly shook her hand, puzzled. “Why do you want to put me in the dungeon?”
“Partly because everyone likes you more and partly because you have a better name than me. Mommy never did tell me why she named me after my great uncle. Quinn is such a boy’s name.” Quinn mumbled the last part to herself.
The guards appeared at the door.
“How kind of you to finally show up,” Quinn told them. “Take them to the dungeon.” Then Quinn turned to us.
“It was nice talking to you, especially since you are going to be put in the deepest darkest dungeon full of who knows what available. Bye!” Quinn smiled brightly.
As the guards advanced on us, I jumped up and pushed past them, Marlee and Maddin right behind me. Maddin eventually took the lead, running to a room that said, ‘Home’. He let everyone inside it and locked the door shut. Inside the room was a big mirror with swirling purple glass. Marlee and Maddin each hugged me tight.
“Stay safe!” Marlee told me, tears in her eyes.
“Come visit and tell me about the storms,” Maddin whispered to me. I nodded and he wiped away a few tears that had fallen onto my cheeks. We all broke free and I walked up in front of the mirror. I took one last look at them and jumped into the mirror.
~ * ~
“Meg! MEG!” my mother called. “Where are you?”
I stood up and looked around. I was still hidden behind the big oak tree.
I called, “Coming!” Then I opened my bag and took out my notebook. Then I saw a flash of purple and dug my hand into the bag. Inside was Maddin’s purple hat and a note. The note read:
“Always remember that the strangest things are the best. Don’t forget us! Love you! And don’t forget that the crust is NOT the only layer that supports life. Just kidding!
-Maddin and Marlee”
I smiled and ran out from behind the tree.
“There you are!” my mother cried. “Are you ready to take that test?”
“I sure am!” I grinned and climbed back into the tree, tucking Maddin and Marlee’s note into my back pocket.
The End!
Alice: Meg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheshire Cat: Charlotte Cat!
Mad Hatter: Maddin Hatter!
March Hare: Marlee Hare!
Tweedledee and Tweedledum: Tom and Tim!
Queen of Hearts: Quinn Hearts!
Door Knob: Dorothy Knob!
The Magical Bronco Ride
By: Nolan Nagle
One day Michael and Nolan were going to get to school early. They wanted to get to school early because they had a lot of work to do. They knew Mr. Graves got to school around 5:00 A.M., so that’s when they planned to get there.
As they were coming up to the back gates of the school they decided to climb over.
Michael said, “Should we be here?”
“It’s fine.” replied Nolan, “ He’ll probably understand.” It was really dark outside and they saw Mr. Graves light’s turn on. They eagerly went up and knocked on Mr. Graves’ door.
Mr. Graves was not expecting them at this hour. Mr. Graves said, “ What are you guys doing here so early?!”
“ We just had some work to do,” Nolan said.
“ Students with such dedication are excellent in my book,” Mr. Graves proudly said. “ Hey, how would you guys like to go on a little trip?” Michael and Nolan knew not to go in strangers cars, but it was Mr. Graves. “ We’ll be back before the bell rings,” Mr. Graves added.
“We don’t have much work,” Michael said. “ I guess we could finish it later.”
Nolan replied with a simple, “OK.” There was a pause. “Where are we going?”
Mr. Graves said, “ You’ll see, follow me.” They followed Mr. Graves to the back gate where they came onto campus.
“What are we doing back here?” Michael asked in confusion. Mr. Graves walked over to his orange 1974 Bronco. Mr. Graves hopped in and started up the engine. As the Bronco roared to life, Michael and Nolan raced to get in with him. As soon as they were in, the Bronco transformed into what looked like a tank with a heavy duty drill on the front. Michael and Nolan were astonished, practically speechless. The drill turned on and started to dig!
Mr. Graves said, “You know how we are learning about the earth? Well, I’m taking you all the way down to the core and back.”
Nolan catching his breath said, “You’re joking right?”
“I’m afraid not!” Mr. Graves replied. The drill was still digging when Mr. Graves said, “Do you know what the Earth’s crust is made up of?”
Michael said, “ 90% of the Earth’s crust is made up of oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, and calcium.”
Mr. Graves said, “That’s right.”
“It’s also made up of granite,” Nolan added. “The crust is only 24 miles thick, so we should be reaching the lithosphere in about 12 miles.”
“I didn’t want to go through the ocean because this Bronco isn’t built for that. The pressure is too great and I don’t want it to rust. If I did have a machine that could handle it, I might go down that way. I might go down that way because the crust is only 4 miles thick down there.” As he finished, the Bronco came to a loud “THUD!”
“I think we are at the lithosphere,” Nolan said. “CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK…” The rest of the 4 miles down the lithosphere made the drilling sound loud because of the rigid plates.
Mr. Graves said, “ Do you know what the word “litho” in lithosphere means?”
“I know!” shouted Nolan.“ “Litho” comes from the Greek and it means rock or stone.” As soon as they dropped into the Asthenosphere a rocket turned on in the back and shot them into the mantle. The Asthenosphere and the Lithosphere are not really layers of the Earth. The Bronco started to go really fast in the Mantle.
Mr.Graves said, “ We want to go fast because the mantle is made of solid rock. In 1909 a Yugoslavian scientist named Adrija Mohorovicic discovered a boundary that separates the Crust from the Mantle, called the Mohorovicic Discontinuity or Moho for short.”
“Boy, do we have a long trip,” Michael said. “ The Mantle is 2,900 miles thick. Also, the Mantle is made up of silicon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, and magnesium. There is more iron deeper in the Mantle because it is denser and sinks. The mantle makes up most of the Earth’s volume.” Then suddenly it didn’t feel like they were going through solid rock anymore.
“I think we’ve reached the part of the mantle where it turns into a sort of plasticity but not true liquid. That means we are about 155 miles into the Mantle."
Mr. Graves’ Bronco kicked into high gear speeding up the drill. It took about 30 minutes of high speed drill working to go through the syrup like flowing part of the Mantle. They were in the outer core now. “Did you know that the core is only one layer of the Earth, but it was broken into two pieces, the Outer Core and the Inner Core? The outer core is believed to be 1,398 miles deep,” Michael said.
“The temperature ranges from 3,992 degrees fahrenheit to 9,032 degrees fahrenheit,” said Mr. Graves.
“What do we do when we get to the Inner Core and want to get back?” Nolan asked.
Mr. Graves said, “I have a tracker to see where we are supposed to come out. That way we don’t end up on a different continent.” The deeper they went in the Outer Core it got hotter, denser, and there was more pressure. The Outer core seemed to be really liquidy. It is very dense because the Outer Core consists of liquidity melted iron and nickel.
“Did you know the dense iron in the Outer Core and in the Inner Core create a similar effect to the magnetic field? This is how scientists explain the presence of the magnetic field,” Michael said eagerly.
Mr. Graves said, “We are about to reach the middle of the Earth, also known as the Inner Core. The Inner Core is believed to be 9,032 degrees fahrenheit. It is 808 miles deep to the edge to the center of the Earth.”
“The Inner Core is solid and consists of dense solid iron and nickel,” Nolan blurted out. “Also the Inner Core is spinning making friction, creating our magnetic field.”
“We are in the middle!” Mr. Graves shouted.
Michael said, “ The pressure is two million times stronger than the on Earth’s surface.”
“Time to go back,” Mr. Graves declared.
“Awww!” Michael and Nolan said at the same time. “ Do we have to?” Without answering Mr. Graves turned on the tracker and turned the Bronco around. The Bronco shot out of the Inner Core!
Mr. Graves yelled, “Hold on! I have to make a sharp turn! We have to make sure we stay on course or else we won’t come out in the same place!” Michael and Nolan held on tight. They could tell there was less and less pressure as they went up.
“I think this is the Mantle!” Michael shouted. He shouted because they were going so fast it was hard to hear over the Bronco’s engine. They could all feel the rigid layers of the Lithosphere as they were clunking around inside the Bronco. Finally they surfaced! Michael and Nolan hopped out of the Bronco and took a deep breath of fresh air.
“I think we are at school,” Nolan said. They walked around and Michael and Nolan saw Carlitos walking past. “What time is it?” Nolan asked.
“I don’t know. The bell will ring in about twenty minutes though,” Carlitos replied.
Michael said, “Hey, since you weren't there at school today Mr. Graves, who taught the class?”
“I had a substitute,” Mr. Graves said. Soon enough the bell rang and Michael and Nolan said goodbye to Mr. Graves and thanked him for the journey.
“Thanks for teaching us about the Earth, Mr. Graves,” Nolan said. Mr. Graves asked them not to tell anyone about the Bronco or what happened because he was afraid of being fired. There is probably a rule against taking students to the center of the Earth. Then Michael and Nolan split ways and headed home.
“Bye Nolan,” Michael said.
“Bye, Mike,” Nolan replied. They vowed not to speak of the day that they had with others.
The Earth’s Layers Tour
By Jackie Cucina
I was at the kitchen table in my house the night before a big science test. I had forgotten to study! Unfortunately, it was too late to review any more material. I closed my binder, then tucked it into my backpack. Suddenly, I had an idea. I pulled out my science book from my backpack. Running to my room, I shoved my book under my pillow. Maybe the information would seep into my head as I slept. Yeah, as if. I lay down and immediately fell asleep.
I was suddenly aware of a jerking motion. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in an enormous glass box. Outside was a sunny field of flowers. How could it be sunny in the middle of the night? The glass box shuddered again. With a great lurch, it began to sink. “Hey!” I yelled, startled. I looked at the floor and was surprised to see an enormous tunnel below the glass box. I was slowly sinking down into the Earth.
All of the sudden, elevator music streamed through speakers on the ceiling. “Hello, and welcome to the great and fantastic Earth’s Layers Tour!” a man’s voice boomed from the speakers. “My name is Alan Jones, and I will be your guide today.” The glass elevator slid down through the tunnel smoothly. “We are now entering the crust. The crust is the first layer of the earth,” Alan announced. I glanced out the glass walls and saw that I was sinking through rock and dirt. Hadn’t I read about the Earth’s crust before in my science book?
“The crust is formed out of seven major plates,” Alan recited merrily. “These plates are 90% oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, and calcium. Did you know that there are two kinds of plates?” I remembered reading that there was two different kinds of plates, but I had forgotten what their names were. “These plates are called Continental Plates and Oceanic Plates,” Alan explained.
“Continental Plates are mostly covered by continents, hence the name. They are also mostly made of granite. The Continental Plates can be up to 24 miles thick!” Alan exclaimed. I realized that I was probably going through a Continental Plate right now, but the spot where I entered was probably not 24 miles thick. It was more likely around 10 miles thick. The dirt around me now looked pretty hard packed, but relatively loose. I must be in the first part of the crust.
“Oceanic Plates, however, are mostly covered by oceans. They are mostly made of basalt, which is a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock. The Oceanic Plates average only a small 4 miles thick, a far cry from the Continental Plate’s thickness,” Alan noted. The elevator suddenly groaned and slid down the shaft slower than before. “We are now entering the lithosphere!” Alan announced happily. “The lithosphere is the layer attached to the bottom of the Continental and Oceanic Plates. We are moving slower because the lithosphere is so rigid.” I looked outside of the glass elevator to see that I was sliding down through denser rock. This must be the ‘rigid’ part that Alan was talking about. “Have you ever wondered how the lithosphere got its name?” Alan asked.
“Not really,” I replied, even though I knew that Alan was just a recording.
“Well, the word ‘lithos’ means ‘stone’ in Greek, and the lithosphere is very hard and full of rocks,” Alan explained. “Aha!” he yelled, and I jumped. “We are now entering the first part of the mantle, called the asthenosphere.” I looked through the walls and was surprised to see that the scenery still looked the same. “The first 100 miles of the asthenosphere is solid, but at 155 miles deep, everything melts,” Alan continued. “We’re going to speed up a little so that we can reach the melting point area of the asthenosphere. Our current speed is 75 miles per hour, so we’re speeding it up to 995 miles per hour. Here we go!” Alan cried gleefully.
“WHAT?” I shouted, but the elevator dropped so quickly that I was smashed against the ceiling before I could say anything else. The elevator plummeted through the Earth before jerking to a stop. I fell onto the floor. “Ouch,” I groaned.
“Sorry about that,” Alan sympathized. “However, take a look outside! You can really see what the asthenosphere looks like at its melting point!” I stood up, wincing, and looked outside. What I saw blew my mind away. The scenery was full of orange lava, slowing swirling in a circular motion. Heat bubbles slowly rose up through the sticky mass, bursting as the touched the elevator. The temperature went up quickly, but the air conditioning in the elevator countered it. I touched the glass wall, and was surprised to see light shining through my fingertip. The bright magma was blinding after being in the dark, rocky shaft for so long.
“You may notice that the fluids around you, called magma, move slowly, like honey. This is because they have about the same density as liquid plastic. The magma also flows in a cycle that you have learned about, called a convection current,” Alan whispered softly. “Here, near the crust, it is around 1,600℉. However, closer to the core, it is around 4,000℉. The deeper we go, there will be more pressure and iron, and the magma will be hotter and denser.” The elevator sunk down through the magma, deeper and deeper. I began to feel sleepy.
“We have now exited the asthenosphere and entered the main body of the mantle,” Alan mentioned. “The mantle is 1,800 miles thick. It makes up 80% of Earth’s volume and 68% of its mass. The mantle is made out of magnesium, silicon, oxygen, aluminum, and iron. As I said earlier, the deeper we go into the mantle, the amount of iron increases.”
I now realized that the temperature was rising slowly but surely, and we were moving slower. My ears popped, so I knew that the pressure was rising, too. I sat in the corner of the glass elevator and tried to pass the time. I watched the magma around me twist and glow, like lava from a volcano. Alan Jones’s voice was replaced by soft music, which I recognized as the song “Relax” by Davgar. I found this a little odd, since I liked to listen to that same song when I did my computer homework. I closed my eyes and relaxed until finally the song finished repeating for the third time.
Alan Jones’s cheerful tones erupted from the overhead speakers. “Welcome back to the exclusive Earth’s Layers Tour! I’m your guide Alan Jones, and right now we are approaching the core!” he sang. “The outer core is 1,398 miles deep, and it has temperatures from 3,992℉ to 9,032℉! The deeper we go, the pressure, heat, and density rises,” Alan informed me. “The outer core is made of very dense iron and nickel.” I looked outside of the glass elevator and saw hot, melted, swirling metal spinning slowly. My ears popped as the pressure rose higher and higher. As the magma outside grew hotter, the air conditioning inside of the elevator blasted more cool air to counter the heat.
“We are just beginning to enter the inner core!” Alan yelled. “The inner core is only 808 miles deep, and solid due to the immense pressure upon it!” The elevator began to struggle to slid down the shaft. My ears kept popping once every 30 seconds. Even with the air conditioning, the heat was intense. “Down here, it is 9,032℉! The pressure is 200 times the pressure on Earth’s surface. The inner core is actually spinning right now, which causes Earth’s magnetic field!” Alan shouted. I looked outside again and realized that the elevator had stopped moving down, but was instead turning, twisting, and spinning. I felt a little sick.
“Thank you for coming to the amazing Earth’s Layers Tour!” Alan concluded. The elevator began to spin around faster and faster, and my vision doubled and tripled. The air conditioning shut off all at once, and the sudden heat of the core was stifling. Echos of Alan’s voice bounced around the room. The elevator spun wildly, and then was gone. I woke up.
I sat up quickly and was surprised to see that I was in my own room, at 6:37 in the morning. My alarm clock belted out music cheerfully. I lay back down, only to hit my head on something hard and flat. “Ouch!” I cried. I sat up and picked up what I had hit my head on. My science book! I remembered putting it under my pillow before sleeping. Suddenly, I realized that I had a science test later that day! Well, at least I had studied in my dreams. I got up to get ready for school, not realizing that the pale blue underside of my pillow had been changed. A diagram of the Earth’s layers had appeared where my science book had touched my pillow.
In The Layers
by Brynn Larson
2:33pm. Message: Hey Olivia. Want 2 go on a hike with me 2nite at 5? Let me know. ~Brynn
2:46pm. Message: Yes! I’d luv 2. C u l8tr! ~Olivia.
My name is Brynn Larson and I am an eleven year old girl who is about to share with you the craziest, most exciting day that ever happened… to both of us.
Tonight Olivia and I are going to go on a hike at the Foothills. We will leave at 5:00PM and return at 8:00PM. We are going to have dinner at the picnic tables and then continue our walk. My mom and I are going to go pick up Olivia and then she will drop us off at the Foothills.
Once we got to the Foothills we started our walk right away. We walked until about 6:30pm then we stopped to eat our dinner. I pulled my phone out, pulled up twitter and tweeted… “Hiking at foothills with @oliviapierce.” When I took out my tuna sandwich and Olivia pulled out her peanut butter sandwich we had a conversation but then… something... strange... happened.
Everything went black. I didn’t know what was happening. I shut my eyes and screamed. When I opened my eyes I saw what seemed like rocks all around me. “Where are we?” I asked Olivia trying to hide how scared I was.
“I don’t know!” Olivia said right before she started crying.
We both didn’t know. I thought of many possibilities of where we could be, until my light bulb went off. I remembered what we were learning in Mr. Graves’’ sixth grade class. We were learning about the layers of the earth. We were in the crust! But how, why! All those questions were popping up in my head. It all made sense to me now that we were in the crust. Rocks! The crust is made out of rocks… metamorphic, igneous, granite, and sedimentary. How didn’t I see it. I looked and saw plates. No not plastic plates but continental plates which are about 24 miles thick, and oceanic plates which seemed a lot smaller, maybe about 4 miles thick. I went to reach my phone to call my mom, but it wasn’t there. It probably fell out of my pocket when we “fell through the ground.” After about what seemed like forever we started moving.
When Olivia and I were waiting for a miracle to happen (to return to our hike) the floor started to shake. “Oh boy! Not again!” Olivia screams. The floor disappeared and everything was black, and then I saw the lithosphere. The lithosphere is a layer between the crust and asthenosphere. The lithosphere is connected to the bottom of the plates.
“Olivia. We might be here awhile so what do you know about the lithosphere?” I asked.
“I know lithos is greek for stone so I know it is a stone sphere.” She answered. “ Brynn? Do you know if we will make it back. I miss my family.”
“ Me too. We will make it back… I know it.” But I didn’t know it. What if I never see my family again? I got a ripping feeling in my stomach and then I threw up. After a lot of crying and screaming, the floor started to shake… Again!
“Olivia! We are going through all the layers of the earth!” I say.
“But what happens when we reach the inner core?… Then what?…” she asks.
“I don’t know, but stop being so negative. Maybe a miracle will happen!” I answered trying to sound positive.
We reach the asthenosphere which is the outer part of the mantle. I got really excited because we’re almost done with the “tour.” But Olivia made a good point. What will happen when we reached the inner core. Will we die? I kept telling myself that it will be okay. Besides how many people get to say they have been through the layers of the Earth. The asthenosphere was not solid it was somewhat liquidy.
“Brynn! I also know that asthenos is greek for week!” Olivia says, “Thanks, Mr.Graves!” We talked about the mantle for a while and then… The floor started shaking.
I wasn’t scared about the floor shaking I just got used to it.
“Olivia, didn’t Mr. Graves tell us how the mantle is 1,800 miles thick?” I asked curiously.
“Oh yeah! It’s going to take forever to get through the mantle! Also it’s 80% of Earth’s volume.’’ Olivia replies.
“I miss everyone.” I said, suddenly getting upset.
Olivia starts to cry, “Me too.”
The mantle was solid and rubbery. “How have we not melted yet!” I say aloud.The deeper we went, the more dense and pressure it got. I remembered that the melting point was 155 miles deep.
“The outer part of the mantle is 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit, and the inner part is 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.” Olivia mentions.
“Yeah!” I answer, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss school.”
“Me too,” Olivia says right before the ground starts shaking.
We reached the outer core and it was 1,398 miles deep. We were almost done with the “tour” and I got a weird feeling in my stomach. I got scared about what would happen when we reached the end. “Brynn, the outer core is very hot. I remember hearing that the temperatures usually range from 3,992 - 9,032 degrees Fahrenheit.” Olivia says, “ and the deeper you go the hotter, denser, and more iron there is.” I noticed that the outer core is very liquidy. I never would have thought that I would have gone through the layers of the earth and to think that I’m still alive is crazy. The floor starts shaking. We were headed to the last layer.
We got to the inner core and I start to worry. I know I’m going to die. The inner core was solid. Probably due to more pressure. The pressure was two-hundred times Earth’s surface. It was a lot smaller than the outer core. It was 808 miles deep. I was surprised I was in one piece. The inner core was so hot 9,032 degrees Fahrenheit. I thought I would be like the wicked witch of the west and I would be melting to the ground but, I wasn’t. Olivia bursts into tears knowing that we were going to die. I spaced out and started crying as well. Then we both started screaming. The floor was shaking.
“AHH! There’s no more layers to go into, we’re going to DIE!” Olivia screams. I start screaming and crying. I close my eyes until the shaking stops. “Brynn! Open your eyes!” Olivia says while tapping me. I open my eyes and were back at the picnic tables. I start crying because I was so relieved I was alive. We sprinted to the entrance where my mom was waiting. Olivia and I run into the car and start crying. We told my mom and she surprisingly believed us. She took us to the police and we explained what happened. The next day we read in the newspaper…
Two girls go on a hike at the foothills and disappeared. Brynn Larson and Olivia Pierce go to the foothills for a hike and have lunch at the foothills when they disappear. They say that they were eating then the floor vanished and they explored the layers of the Earth. This isn’t the first time it has happened. If anything strange happens to you then report to the police ASAP.
By Windsor Times.
