A guest lecturer in geology...

will be on campus at EWU this coming Monday, 30 January, at noon in SCI 118.  Dr. Scott Burns (Portland State University) will discuss the geohazards related to activity along the Cascadia subduction zone, including ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides and tsunamis in a presentation entitled "Engineering Geology Challenges Along the Cascadia Margin."  Geology majors - beginning and advanced - should plan to attend this highly relevant lecture.

RELATED:  Later in the evening Dr. Burns will present "Cataclysms on the Columbia" at Spokane Community College Lair Auditorium at 7 pm.  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Geology guest lecture next Monday...

by Dr. Frannie Skomurski from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on nuclear waste management.  The presentation is scheduled for Monday, 14 November, at 10 am in SCI 118.  Frannie will also be available at 9 am in SCI 115 to meet with students about summer internship opportunities at PNNL.

Heading to Wenatchee today...

after I get my sed/strat students started on their afternoon lab exercise to present my illustrated lecture about the geology of Mars and how it relates to the outburst flood geology of eastern Washington.  Apparently it's true that little green men (and women, I presume) are invited to attend according to the newspaper announcement.  Can't wait to meet 'em.

Upcoming geology lecture in Spokane...

is one not to miss:

"The Orphan Tsunami of 1700" will be presented by Dr. Brian Atwater, USGS, University of Washington - Department of Earth and Space Sciences.  Brian will summarize his research in the likelihood of large earthquakes in the Cascadia subduction zone, especially relevant given the recent disaster in Japan.

The talk is sponsored by the Society of Inland Northwest Environmental Scientists at 7 pm at Luigi's Italian Restaurant in Spokane.  Social hour begins at 6 pm.

Little green men...

will be admitted to my upcoming lecture about the geology of Mars according to the press release:

Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will meet 7:00 P.M. Tuesday October 11, at Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 127 South Mission, Wenatchee.

To Mars, without a rocket or space suit! In our backyard! Dr. John P. Buchanan, Professor of Geology at Eastern Washington University, will present “The Geology of Mars and the Scablands Connection.” By comparing Martian and terrestrial landforms with copious illustrations and photographs of both, Dr. Buchanan will examine the geology of Mars and how it relates to the Channeled Scablands in eastern Washington. He will also tell the history of Mars exploration, and include recent scientific findings in his discussion.

The program is free and open to the public. Little green men also admitted.

This will be about the eighth time I've presented this popular talk, and I am working at including new information regarding the upcoming launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (the Curiosity rover) and its landing site in Gale Crater.

Guest lecture in geology...

this coming Monday, 23 May, at noon in SCI 118.  Dr. Art Bookstrom (USGS, Spokane) will speak about economic geology and the Idaho cobalt belt.  All are welcome to attend the lecture.

Spring lecture and field trip...

to examine the "Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract - Top to Bottom" will be held this coming Thursday and Saturday, hosted by the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI):

The free lecture on Thursday, 28 April, will be presented at 7 pm, Science Building, Room 135, Eastern Washington University, Cheney.  Dr. Gene Kiver, Professor Emeritus, EWU Geology, will provide an overview of the Cheney-Palouse Scabland channel system from its beginning south of the West Plains of Spokane to its terminus south of Palouse Falls at the confluence of the Palouse and Snake Rivers. Important geologic concepts that help understand the evolution of the Channeled Scabland include generation of nickpoints (cataracts, now dry falls), development of canyons or coulees produced by cataract retreat, and long-term deepening and stripping of the rock layers producing different landforms as erosion continues will be discussed. 

The associated field trip on Saturday, 30 April, is led by Gene Kiver, Bruce Bjornstad, and Lloyd Stoess. The field excursion will start in Cheney at 8 am near the upper end of the Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract and progress southward to Rock Lake and to the Palouse River valley. From there we will travel west across the Rock Creek and Cow Creek Coulees to Benge and south to Hooper, Washtucna, and Palouse Falls where the Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract ends at the Snake River. We’ll see examples of cataract canyons, dry falls, basalt buttes and mesas, streamlined- and scarped- loess islands, and divide crossings caused by the monstrous Missoula Floods. The return trip will follow the west edge of the Cheney Palouse Scabland Tract, concluding at 6 pm. Registration is required and you can find details in the registration and liability forms. More information: Melanie Bell; (509) 954-4242.

For other related activities, consult the IAFI events calendar.

2011 Darcy Lecturer in Spokane...

next week, speaking about salt water intrusion in the Godomey aquifer, Cotonou, Benin, West Africa.  The lecture is free and open to the public:

Thursday, April 7th, 2011, 5:30—7 pm
Dr. Steve Silliman
Gonzaga University, Jepson 108

Dr. Silliman directs a research program to manage the sole‐source aquifer for the 2 million people of Cotonou, Benin.  The groundwater wells serving this population are located about 6 km north of the Atlantic coast and as close as 1 km to a large lake, and withdraw water from partially confined portions of this complex aquifer system. This vital water resource is threatened by saltwater intrusion from the lake and the ocean, and anthropogenic contamination. The presentation will cover numerical modeling, hydraulic testing, water quality characterization, and electrical resistivity surveys. Discussion of a number of technical and social/cultural issues encountered during this research effort illustrates the value of close cooperation with in‐country collaborators in technical and social science disciplines.

Ice Age Floods Institute lecture...

sponsored by the Cheney-Spokane Chapter, will take place this Wednesday (16 March) at 7 pm in the Lair Auditorium at Spokane Community College:

"In the Wake of the Flood"

presented by Jack Nisbet
and Gene Kiver

The first fur traders who came to the Inland Northwest were guided along tribal trails that naturally followed landforms scoured by the Ice Age Floods. This presentation gathers the earliest art and mapwork done in the Spokane vicinity to search for flood features and comments on the event. Featured artists include David Thompson (1807- 12), Henry James Warre (1845-46), Paul Kane (1846-47) and Gustavus Sohon (1853- 58). Landscape clues to the past geologic events in the Pacific Northwest are apparent in the wonderful paintings and sketches of the early explorers. That connection will be discussed by the presenters.

Here's a list of upcoming events sponsored by the IAFI.

"Photography Crystallized"...

is the title of an upcoming lecture presented by Jeffrey Scovil on Monday, 28 February, at 7 pm at Spokane Community College's Lair Auditorium. The speaker is an internationally known mineral photographer and he will present a spectacular visual slide show on wonders of the mineral kingdom. This vivid and close up presentation will examine unique and beautiful crystal specimens from all over the world. This event is free and open to the public.

Image courtesy Wikipedia.

Everything you want to know about asbestos...

will be explained in a lecture on Wednesday, 19 January 2011, at 7 pm:

Dr. Mickey Gunter

Professor of Geology

University of Idaho

"My Mineralogical and Geological Lessons

Learned From a Decade of Asbestos Issues

in Libby, Montana"

Spokane Community College

Lair-Student Center Auditorium

Mickey has spent more than a decade researching the geology and asbestos mineralogy of the vermiculite deposits near Libby, Montana.  This presentation will focus on the results of that research, and address the ongoing health issues in the community.

Side note:  Mickey and I were both undergraduates in the geology program at Southern Illinois University together, from 1975 to 1979.  He went on to study crystallography with Don Bloss at Virginia Polytechnic, while I focused on fluvial geomorphology with Stan Schumm at Colorado State University.

Ice Age Floods Institute lecture...

this coming Monday, 11 October 2010, at 7 pm in the Lair Auditorium, Spokane Community College:

"Some Springs and Fossil Discoveries
in Washington Territory"

Charles T. Luttrell
Washington State Parks Archaeologist

During the late 1870s, numerous fossils were recovered from natural springs located within the northern Palouse Hills--an area mostly bypassed by the many Glacial Lake Missoula outburst floods. Columbia mammoths are the best known specimens, but other species include bison, antelope, and deer. Some spring locales also contained prehistoric artifacts. The Palouse Hills sub-region is a unique environment whose potential to contain extinct fauna and other discoveries is largely unrealized.

Mr. Luttrell has over 20 years of experience with the archaeology, history, and historic preservation of the Pacific Northwest. Formerly a contract archaeologist associated with Archaeologist & Historical Services, Eastern Washington University, Mr. Luttrell presently assists the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission with cultural resources in the state parks.

Heading to the Tri-Cities today...

to reprise my talk on "The Geology of Mars and the Scablands Connection" to the Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute.

The illustrated presentation will be held at the Benton PUD auditorium (2721 West 10th Avenue, Kennewick) and will commence at 7:00 pm. The lecture is free and open to the public.

What's a geologist doing...

addressing a bunch of botanists at a meeting of the Northeast Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society? Well, talking about the recent geological processes that have shaped eastern Washington and deposited sediment from which pretty flowers (and wine grapes) can grow.

This coming Tuesday, 23 February, your humble correspondent has been invited to present:

“Pleistocene Flood Geology of Eastern Washington”

This illustrated lecture will explore the geologic story of the catastrophic outburst floods from glacial Lake Missoula that repeatedly scoured the landscape of eastern Washington. These enormous floods eroded the Channeled Scablands and created canyons and megaripples of tremendous scale.

Location: Meeting room at Manito Gardens in building east of Gaiser Conservatory Greenhouses. Link to Manito Park map.

Speaker time: 7:00 pm

The lecture is free and open to the general public.

Geology lecture in Spokane...

this coming Tuesday evening:

Historic and Cataclysmic Eruptions
of Kilauea Volcano

Dr. Don Swanson, USGS,
Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory

Date: 16 February 2010

Location: Spokane Community College
Lair Auditorium, Building 6

Time: 7 pm

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Upcoming local lecture...

of potential interest to geo-geeks:

"Forensic Geology in Columbia"
Mr. William Schneck
Thursday, 28 January, at noon
Washington State Crime Laboratory
on the EWU campus

Bill is an EWU geology alum, having earned his Masters degree in the late 1980s, and was one of my first graduate advisees.

Rainy day for a geology field trip...

but the weather you get is the weather you get (that's almost Zen-like).

I'm presenting a lecture about the geology of the Missoula Floods in the Spokane area this morning, then leading an afternoon field trip for the Inland Empire Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. If the weather cooperates, and I get a good pic or two, I'll post them here as an evening update.

Announcing a geology guest lecture...

next week:

"An Iceberg Graveyard: Ice Age Flood Deposits of the Vantage, Washington Area"

Tuesday, 6 October, at 6:30 pm in SCI 137

Presented by: Ryan Karlson, Interpretive Program Manager, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

The lecture will detail how the Ice Age floods impacted the Vantage Reach located between Frenchman Coulee and Sentinel Gap within the Columbia River Valley. This one-hour presentation will focus on extensive field research of ice-rafted erratics and other flood deposits along the northwest margin of Lake Lewis within modern day Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park.

The event, sponsored by the Cheney-Spokane Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute, is free and open to the public.

An encore presentation...

of my lecture on "The Geology of Mars and the Scablands Connection" will be presented next week in Spokane, this time sponsored by the Spokane Astronomical Society.

• WHEN: Friday, 2 October, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
• WHERE: Spokane Falls Community College, Building 24, Room 110

This is a lavishly illustrated presentation that examines the geology of Mars and how it relates to the catastrophic outburst flooding that shaped the Channeled Scablands in eastern Washington. A comparison of Martian and terrestrial landforms will be made, and the history of Mars exploration and recent scientific findings will be highlighted.

/end shameless self promotion

Guest speaker...

this Friday, 29 May, at noon in SCI 118. Mr. Kyle Dittmer (M.S. geology, 1988 from EWU) will present "Climate change on the Columbia Basin tribal lands: past - present - future." The lecture is free and open to all.