Clay play: Learn about the stubborn and slick earth beneath Bates
Phyllis Graber Jensen Published on February 24, 2021 During spring and summer 2019, as crews excavated for the foundation of the new Bonney Science Center, they removed a stunning amount of ancient blue-gray marine clay — more than 10,000 cubic yards, according to an estimate from subcontractor Gendron & Gendron. We watched captivated as excavating machines scooped and scraped the clay, all clingy, sculptural, and glistening like unappetizing Jell-O. For weeks on end, a procession of G&G dump trucks arrived empty at the Campus Avenue site, across from Carnegie Science, and drove awa...