Today's first class introduced us to some geological aspects of the Fossil Age, starting with a discussion on energy. This mapped out some sources of power we use such as Chemical energy, electrical energy, heat energy and Nuclear energy. This was helpful because not only did it describe the different types of energy, but it also went further to explain why its usage is important on a global scale and laid the groundwork for what we would be learning about for the week.
Another enjoyable aspect of the lesson was examining the different types of coal which were on display. I didnt really know all that much about the coal making process, but I certainly had a better understanding of the purposes of the different types of coal after this lesson. It was interesting to see the organic matterial in the rock and feel the groves and texture of the stone. The transformation of the matter from plant remains to a hard carbon dense substance was clearly evident as we looked from piece to piece. 
The article we read that night discussed the sedimentary rock formation of Marcellus Shale, found primarily on the east coast of the U.S. This natural resourse was vital in supplying the country with natural gas, but was causing a problem with communities at the same time. Upon learning the reason for the conflict, which involved tainting public utilites such as the community water supply, I decided to do some research to explore the topic further. I was suprised to see that there were plenty of solutions, some as simple as using non-toxic drilling fluids, which would all provide excellent results and solve the problem entirely, but most drilling companies simply were not taking notice, or unwilling to pay the extra cost for new materials. If they spent the extra money to fund these changes, it would benefit them in the long run and help save our environment from obtaining more unnecessary damage.
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