What I Learned Today

Ochoco National Forest and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
September 9, 2010

My travels from Redmond to La Grande took me through the volcanic lands of central and eastern Oregon. I saw many remnants of ancient volcanic activity in the Ochoco National Forest and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. And of course, there were many pieces of information left by the Forest Service and the National Park Service to tell us about these geological landmarks. Before the day was done, I read many a sign interpreting the landscape around me. And when the day was done, I was a little bit smarter on the subject of geology.

Here are the interpretive signs that taught me some geology in Oregon ...

Steins Pillar
Ochoco National Forest

Clues to a Volcanic Past

Stein's Pillar, 350 feet high and 120 feet wide, is a modern clue to this area's ancient past.

Around 44 million years ago, avalanches of hot ash, pumice and volcanic dust flowing from local volcanic centers filled this ancient valley. A long period of erosion followed.

These flows are still visible in the layers of Stein's Pillar. Finally, Mother Nature patiently sculpted the landscape you see today. Rain, wind, and frost slowly chiseled along cracks in the rocks forming the valley and leaving Stein's Pillar as a beacon to travelers.

Major Enoch Steen explored the area in the 1860's. His name was misspelled so often that the incorrect version being official. The pillar has aided travelers and enticed geologists for many years.

Snapshots of the Big Island

Hawai‘i County, Hawai‘i
November 19-23, 2007

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park

Lava flow near the Pu`u `Ō `ō Crater of the Kīlauea volcano as seen from a helicopter. The volcano was not very active (comparatively speaking) during my week on the island.

Near Kukuihaele

A coastal waterfall as viewed from a helicopter.

The Great Goosenecks of the San Juan River

Goosenecks State Park, San Juan County, Utah
October 11, 2010

View to south from east to west

From an interpretive sign near the Goosenecks Overlook:

geology: Approximately 1,000 feet beneath the spot where you now stand winds the San Juan River. Originating in Colorado, this river eventually joins Lake Powell.

     The silt-laden San Juan has been instrumental in cutting the deep bending chasm directly below. This section is called the Great Goosenecks of the San Juan River.

     Geologists consider this part of the river to be one of the finest examples of "entrenched meanders" anywhere in the world.

     The meandering pattern originated several million years ago when the river was flowing on a relatively flat plain, much as the present-day Mississippi River.

     The San Juan became entrenched when the entire Colorado Plateau was slowly uplifted. Cutting downward, the river followed its initial pattern and thus created the canyon you now view.

     The process continues to this day as the San Juan River cuts ever deeper into prehistoric geological formations.

A Drive Through Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park, California
March 4, 2003

One of the many rock formations in the park

An afternoon drive through the west side of Joshua Tree National Park. Lots of rocks, coyotes on the road, and great views of the Coachella Valley from Keys View. I took the rough exit from the park on Berdoo Canyon Road—unimproved with a drop of around 2,500 feet in 6 1/2 miles. A chef from Palm Springs had the same idea as me, but his Chevrolet sedan was not up to the task. He high centered his car, and I pulled his car back onto the level portion of the road with my Xterra. He had to drive back to the paved road and return to Palm Springs the long way, but I was able to go straight down the road to I-10.

A coyote on the main park road

The Berdoo Canyon Road exit / entrance to the park

Earthquake Country

Parkfield, California
June 27, 2004

Bridge over the Little Cholame Creek

There is an interesting sign at the bridge over the Little Cholame Creek as you enter Parkfield from the south. It simply says "San Andreas Fault - Now Entering North American Plate", but it loudly says you are in earthquake country. The San Andreas Fault, however, is not a thin line on the ground where you can step from the Pacific Plate onto the North American Plate in a single bound. The fault is a zone of crushed and broken rock between the plates that can be from a few hundred feet in width to over a mile.

Nonetheless, this sign gave me an opportunity to get out of the car, walk around, and realize that I was in a narrow zone where one part of California is sliding to the north away from the rest of California in ever a slow manner. And where I started the day on the Pacific Plate, I would end the day on the North American Plate.