Beginning with San Francisco, GeoJourney spent the a week learning about the environments, geology, and cultures of California.   Making several academic stops around San Francisco, students took part in their second geo-hazard project on earthquakes.  Along with a geo-hazard project, GeoJourney also payed visit to Muir Woods, a grove of coastal redwood trees, and learned about coastal geology and ecology at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Following San Francisco, we spend several days in Yosemite National Park.  With stunning vistas surrounding us, students learned about the geology and glaciation that carved into the granite that makes up the Sierra Batholith.  Over the past several days we have made our way east, through the Sierras and into the Owens Valley and Mono Lake where water issues have been discussed in regards to usage by cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.  As we move further into the desert, we will look furthermore into the importance of this resource.

GeoJourney has lucked out with some beautiful weather and awe-inspiring hikes as we travel along the west coast.  At the last posting, we were heading towards Glacier National Park, Montana. Skies were clear, and the air, cool and crisp, reminding us that fall is on its way.  After a lecture on the world-famous geology of Lewis Thrust Fault, the ancient Belt Series sedimentary rocks and the spectacular glacial features of the park, students had the option to hike to see the Grinnell Glacier.  Across the valley we saw a grizzly and a black bear!

Our time in the Pacific Northwest was also very successful.  For the students’ first Geo-Hazards project, GeoJourney visited Orting, Washington, where the threats of lahars off Mount Rainier are ever-present.  Students interacted with local establishments and branches of government to see how aware the townspeople are of its evacuation plan in the case of a lahar.  After the Geo-Hazard project, the group – all 21 students! – successfully summited Mount Saint Helens.  The grueling climb ended in a very rewarding view into the crater of the volcano.

This morning before leaving Crater Lake National Park, we had a 4:30 am breakfast in order to have a sunrise jump into the 40 degree water of Crater Lake. Thunderstorms the evening before caused us to postpone the GeoJourney tradition of jumping into Crater Lake until the early morning of the next day, when students voted for the early breakfast in order to jump – what an exhilarating ending to our time in the Pacific Northwest. Now, we head towards San Francisco to spend several days to include a day off and the second Geo-Hazard project; this project is about earthquake risk in the Bay Area.

The last several days have been very busy for all of us on GeoJourney.  After spending some time in Yellowstone National Park, the students became very familiar with the ecosystems and hydrothermal features that make up America’s first national park.  After leaving the park through the scenic west entrance, the GeoJourney caravan made its way north to Butte, Montana where we spent the day testing water quality in and around the city.  Butte is known worldwide for its extensive mining operations for copper, silver, and other valuable ores.  Students tested several aspects of water quality to see how these land uses have affected the Silver Bow Creek watershed.

This morning, after spending the night at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Montana, we took a tour of the spectacular limestone cave system. After the tour, we will be making our way north into Glacier National Park where we will be for the next two days.

We are off again, now for the Fall 2011 semester and the students’ enthusiasm has never been higher. Beginning in Badlands National Park, students got their first taste of what field stops will consist of as they learned about the interesting geology and paleontology surrounding Badlands National Park.  After a short hike where students actually got to see fossilized remains of ancient vertebrates, they stopped in the visitor center and watched a short film.  Afterwards, we discussed the local grassland biome that once covered the entire Great Plains but now has been nearly extirpated by agriculture and other land uses.  We also made several stops on the way to Ranch A, including Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where in 1890, native Sioux people were murdered by the Federal Army, during the last major physical conflict between Native Americans and the U.S. government.   At Ranch A, a log cabin listed as a national historic site, students have been busy attending lectures and labs during their four-day “Ready Week.”  Tomorrow morning they will have their first exam before heading off to spend the afternoon in Deadwood, South Dakota for a well-deserved break!

On July 27^th, GeoJourney students spent the day exploring the ways that copper mining in and around Butte, Montana have changed the water quality of several of the region’s streams. With a visit to the Berkeley Pit, the nation’s largest Super Fund site, we viewed firsthand, how massive-scale, copper mining, milling, and smelting have managed to exploit the natural resources.  Then we visited four different sites that included an unremediated mine addit, two remediated sites along Silver Bow Creek, and our control stream which was Lost Creek.  At these sites, students made observations and performed a suite of water quality analyses.   From these observations and test results students collaborated on the data they gathered and produced a scientific report based on the conclusions they came to about the efficacy of acid mine drainage remediation on Silver Bow Creek.  This project has given us insight on how improper land-use negatively alters the environment for many decades and potentially centuries.

On Friday, GeoJourney students took part in their third geo-hazard project that focused on the volcanic threat that Mount Rainier poses to Orting, Washington. Starting our day off at the base of Mount Rainier, we had a great opportunity to see what makes this volcano so dangerous: an immense amount of water stored in the mountain’s twenty-five glaciers. If and when the volcano decides to release lava or even just hot gases, it will melt the surrounding glaciers causing giant landslides (lahars) of ice, water, mud, and everything else in its path into the valleys below.  After looking at remnants of previous lahars, students explored the city of Orting, Washington to see firsthand what the citizens are prepared to do in the case that a lahar sends its forces their way.  We were surprised to find some people were very informed while others had no idea what a lahar even is.  This project taught the students much about threats that the very active volcanoes of the Pacific Northwest pose to those whom call this place home.

On July 14th, GeoJourney arrived at Gray Whale Cove State Beach to begin our Geo-hazards day in and around San Francisco.  Students visited several different sites including the location of the midcentury Mussel Rock Landslide, Fort Point’s serpentinite outcrop, and the Marina District to see firsthand, the geologic, cultural, and economic impacts that earthquakes had and will continue to have on this region of California.  That evening the cooks were kind enough to treat us to a dinner at Point Reyes National Seashore on the beach.  We enjoyed a hearty meal of seafood, potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, dinner rolls, and pie.  A beach fire accompanied us as we watched the sun set into the Pacific Ocean.

Following our day off in San Francisco, we resumed the academics by returning to Point Reyes National Seashore to explore tide pool ecology and the modes of life those organisms inhabit, beach processes occurring at an active plate margin at Drake’s Beach, and the cultural history of the Coastal Miwok people.

Tuesday, GeoJourney visited Yosemite National Park, CA where we were awed by the immense amount of water freshly melted from the top of the High Sierras.  Bridalveil, Yosemite, Vernal, and Nevada Falls could be heard roaring from our view at Glacier Point.  Students learned about the numerous glacial features that could be seen from the spectacular overlook above the U-shaped valley of the national park.

We also paid visit to Tuolumne Grove, where some of the largest trees on the planet grow: giant sequoias. These trees can vary in height from 290 to 360 feet tall and contain about 50,500 cubic feet of wood the equivalent volume of 21,800  people!  Being able to walk through a dead, hollowed out sequoia, gave us a chance to put these numbers into perspective.  Later, a hike up the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls gave us a chance to cool off in the snow-chilled waterfall mist. We now have made our way into Marin County, where we will stay while visiting the San Francisco area. Tomorrow is our geohazard day in San Francisco…so stay connected to find out about our experience learning about earthquakes.

Beginning Sunday morning, GeoJourney drove from our campsite near Mammoth Lakes, California and headed across the Owens Valley up into the White Mountains.  In the midst of Inyo National Forest, we explored the ancient forest of bristlecone pines that thrive in the dolomite-rich substrate.  Using dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, these trees have been very useful for dating archaeological sites and the climate of long ago. The oldest bristlecone pine, named Methuselah, has been dated to over 4,700 years old.

The rest of our day was spent in the Owens Valley near Bishop, California, where the students learned about water issues that Bishop faces as it has supplied Los Angeles with Owens River water for many decades.  We also explored the local geology and how past glacial and volcanic activity has shaped the region.  Making our way back into the eastern Sierra Nevada’s, students learned about glacial features such as moraines, cirques, arrêtes, and horns.  At Hot Creek, we got a preview of what Yellowstone will look like when we got to see a hydrothermal feature caused by underlying volcanic activity.  Tomorrow we will be in Yosemite National Park by way of Mono Lake.

 

GeoJourney celebrated Fourth of July by taking part in a service-learning project in the Grand Canyon to contribute with efforts to help protect the endangered California condor that inhabits the canyon. We were provided pickers and safety vests and were guided by Wanda Tinkman to pick up trash in several different parts of the South Rim.  The highlight of the day included a visit to Hermit’s Rest and Shoshone Point, areas of the park that are limited to visitors.  We would like to thank Wanda Tinkman and the National Park Service for a very informative and exciting day spent cleaning up the Grand Canyon.