02-05-2016 Ralph Dawes: Assembling the PNW
About the Talk Assembling the Pacific Northwest Two hundred million years ago, the west coast was where Spokane is now. This was the edge of the craton—the old part of the continent. How did the rest of the Pacific Northwest come to be here and where did it come from? The west coast became an active plate boundary when an oceanic plate started to subduct beneath it. As the oceanic plate subducted, blocks of crust that it carried, such as island arcs or oceanic plateaus, were scraped off and added to the edge of the continent in a process known… Read more02-05-2016 Ralph Dawes: Assembling the PNW
03-19-2016 Liz Nesbitt: Climate & Whales
About the Talk Global Warming, Global Cooling, and the Evolution of Whales Liz Nesbitt will take you on an adventure back to the end of the Cretaceous time period when dinosaurs became extinct but mammals started to flourish. Among these were sea-going mammals that evolved into the whales we know today. This will be a non-technical talk weaving together the early Cenozoic climates, whale evolution, and the fossil record for this time period that is preserved in western Washington. After the end-Cretaceous extinctions 66 million years ago, global climates remained warm and Earth was free of ice sheets. Hothouse climates… Read more03-19-2016 Liz Nesbitt: Climate & Whales
05-14-2016 Keith Norlin: Geology of SW Parks
About the Talk Armchair Geology of Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon National Parks During this hour-long lecture we sat back, learned some geologic history, and enjoyed a photographic field trip to some of America’s most magnificent landscapes. We took a virtual field trip to Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon National Parks without getting our boots dirty. You can leave your rock hammer at home but bring your curiosity and questions. About the Speaker Keith Norlin is a geologist who recently retired (a second time) and moved to Port Townsend. His previous retirement job was as a geology instructor for Dixie… Read more05-14-2016 Keith Norlin: Geology of SW Parks
10-29-2016 Susan Kieffer: Geologic Nozzles
About the Talk Geologic Nozzles: Mount St. Helens, Old Faithful Geyser, and the Rapids of the Colorado River Dr. Susan Kieffer will describe what eruptions of Old Faithful Geyser and Mount St. Helens in 1980 have in common with rapids on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon? It’s Rocket science–literally! She will discuss how some fundamental nozzle concepts from aeronautics govern flow patterns in three geologic nozzles, which can be rapid agents of change in the geologic record. Susan Kieffer is a geologist and planetary scientist of international renown. She is known for her research on fluid dynamics of volcanoes, geysers,… Read more10-29-2016 Susan Kieffer: Geologic Nozzles
12-03-2016 Kathryn Neal: Stabilizing a Coastal Landfill
About the Talk STABILIZING PORT ANGELES’ COASTAL LANDFILL In 1947, the City of Port Angeles created a 25-acre dump at its shoreline, between Ediz Hook and the Elwha River. Over the ensuing 60 years, the site evolved into a 70-acre sanitary landfill with numerous waste containment cells. Since closure in 2007, and for about 5000 years before that, wave action at the beach site has been continuously eroding the 135-foot tall feeder bluffs. In June 2011, a small exposure of garbage from one of the seaside landfill cells was observed hanging over the edge of the bluff. Further erosion could… Read more12-03-2016 Kathryn Neal: Stabilizing a Coastal Landfill
2016-06-11 Tepper and Clark: Basalt quarries
About the Field Trip GEOLOGY OF THE SHINE & PENNY CREEK QUARRY, basalts and mine operations & Mt. Walker overview (About 50 miles round trip) see photos here… Schedule: 8:30 – 9:00 AM: Check in at Chimacum High School Parking lot ($10 fee and sign waiver) 9:00 AM: Brief introduction to basalt (if raining, we’ll go to HJ Carroll Park, 9884 WA-Hwy 19, Chimacum, WA 98325); awaiting Matt Tyler 360.385.9129 call back for permission) 9:30 AM: Depart Chimacum High School 9:45 AM: Arrive at New Shine Quarry (9861 State Route 104, Port Ludlow, WA 10:45 AM: Depart quarry 11:15 AM:… Read more2016-06-11 Tepper and Clark: Basalt quarries
2016-10-01 Jeff & Carol Tepper: Ice Age Floods field trip
About the Field Trip A Field Trip to Examine the Geology of the Missoula Ice Age Floods As the last Ice Age was coming to an end, vast quantities of meltwater accumulated in ice-dammed lakes located in what is now western Montana. Repeated failures of the ice dams resulted in a series of catastrophic floods that swept across eastern Washington between ~15,000 – 13,000 years ago. These so-called “Missoula floods” were far larger than anything witnessed in historic times and they profoundly changed the landscape of eastern Washington. On this long two-day trip we will examine some of the features and… Read more2016-10-01 Jeff & Carol Tepper: Ice Age Floods field trip