Journal article
Nature's printing press; lithographic limestone as a teaching tool
Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America, Vol.31(7)
1999
Abstract
A hands-on approach to learning geological principles can be achieved with a simple exercise in print making. The intrinsic nature of the materials used can foster an appreciation of the formation of limestone, preservation of fossils, and aesthetics of geology in a way that introductory students seldom experience. Collaboration with the Herron School of Art has afforded the opportunity to use the Jurassic Solnhofen, the classic lithographic limestone, to produce a print entitled, "Missing Links". A spiral is sketched with iron oxide across a grid of squares drawn on the stone. Each student draws or paints with a greasy crayon or tusche in one square, with the other squares hidden from view, and each is free to honor or ignore the portion of the spiral in his or her square. The print is an artistic image, a trace fossil of the creative process of markmaking, and a homage to the spiral of deep time. Each student receives one print from the edition, so each has a proprietary interest in creating with the chemistry of lithography and relating it to the geochemistry of limestone: Oil and water do not mix, but carbon dioxide and cold water do to form carbonic acid; greasy printer's ink adheres to only those areas of the stone covered with a greasy medium; some Solnhofen fossils have survived decay because they are organic films that have repelled water seeping into the porous stone; the Solnhofen was deposited in a warm lagoon, not in cold water where dissolved acid would have corroded it; lithographers acid etch areas of naked limestone free of grease to desensitize them to printer's ink. Thus, students discover that the alchemy which lithographers use to create shades of light on paper from oil, water, acid, and stone is much the same as that which nature used to produce the limestone that sheds light on earth history long ago.
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Details
- Title
- Nature's printing press; lithographic limestone as a teaching tool
- Creators
- Mudge Morris - Herron School of Art Indianpolis, IN USA United StatesDavid MorrisonGary D. RosenbergAnonymous
- Publication Details
- Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America, Vol.31(7)
- Conference
- Geological Society of America, 1999 annual meeting (1999)
- Publisher
- Geological Society of America (GSA)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); Malacology
- Identifiers
- 991019295198104721