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Rocks and Fossils and Zeolites, OH MY! A summary of the John Day Fossil Beds Field Trip

Early fall is a perfect time of year to explore the unique beauty of the John Day Fossil Beds area. We convinced 20 GSOC members, both newbies and seasoned veterans alike, that this was the case. So, on September 25 Derek Loeb, geology lead, Carole Miles, logistical lead, and Gary Joaquin, safety lead, met up with the group at the Clarno Unit picnic area. Following introductions, safety reminders, and distribution of field guides, we launched on the first activity — a short hike along the Geologic Time Trail to learn about the formation of and admire the striking Clarno Palisades. The Palisades are part of the Clarno formation — volcanic lava flows, tufts, lahars, mudstones, and conglomerates from the early to middle Eocene.

Delving into Deep Time in the Spokane Area

PRESS RELEASE RELATED TO THE DEEP TIME FIELD TRIP FROM THIS SUMMER!!!

Nick Zentner is poised to do an A to Z series on Alaska geology this winter (2025/2026). As a preface to that, he has begun a preliminary series of interviews on the geology of the Belt Supergroup of Washington and related rocks. In two of these interviews, Jacqueline Halpin of U Tasmania and Rich Gaschnig of U Mass Lowell, he investigates the origin and composition of the Belt Supergroup and its relation to the other pieces of the supercontinent Nuna that were adjacent to the Belt during its formation. Also, material about the relationships between supercontinents Nuna and Rodinia.

The GSOC field trip Deep Time in the Spokane area delved into these topics and relied heavily on the first two field trips of the May 2024 GSA Cordilleran Section meeting, the articles for which were published in the GSA Field Guide 69: Proterozoic Nuna to Pleistocene Megafloods, edited by Mark McFaddan and the Deep Time trip leader Chad Pritchard of EWU Cheney. Rich Gaschnig was the lead author listed on the first field trip in that publication. The Deep Time trip covered 4 of the stops on the Gaschnig et al trip, where we saw the oldest exhumed rocks on the trip. The GSOC Field Trip and Outreach Directors will also get the field trip guide available on the members only section of this website, a good background summary of the geology of the region written in terms more easily understood by geo-neophytes, sometime this week (September 29).

Click below to look at a post-trip article with pictures of some of the stops from the trip and please check out the Zentner interviews.