By Tony Matthews
IF you’ve noticed six teenagers – four lads and two girls – walking over mountain tracks and along tarmacked roads in and around Mojacar, Turre, Cabrera and Cortijo Grande, with a rucksack on their backs and a clipboard under one arm, they’re not looking for wildlife, plants, shrubs or even water… they are in fact, geology students from the University of Liverpool in the UK.
The intrepid geologists, aged 19 and 20, are Emma King and Lisa Widdows, and Thomas Rock, Mark Evans, Daniel Harrison and Jamie Dickson… and the last two named have already qualified as geological physicists.
All six students are here in Spain on a compulsory five-week, 35-day adventure as part of a chosen module off the University’s curriculum.
Lisa told me: “It was our lecturer Dan Faulkner who chose the Mojacar/Turre region. He visited the area some time back and loved it, so much that he’s sent us over to enjoy it as well. And we’re doing just that, despite the hot weather.
Mark said: “We’ve acclimatised well and we’re only out in the ‘field’ between the hours of 7.30am and midday. That’s quite enough.”
Lisa was out on her own when I saw her and she looked absolutely done in, but admitted: “It’s so fascinating. We’ve found the experience challenging but extremely rewarding… and we’re loving it.”
The six students are studying three main types of rock which is prominent in the area – sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous. And now these intrepid geologists strongly believe they know everything there is to know about geology.
Well done all of you, and good luck with your final exam on the subject.
