GSOC Outreach Efforts Grow

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This spring Portland area schools have asked for supplements to their regular Earth Science curricula and GSOC was happy to respond.

In May, Springwater Environmental Science School in Oregon City asked for a speaker on the subduction earthquake, to which President Sheila Alfsen, as public outreach officer for GSOC, responded. The students were very engaged and interested to learn about this important topic.

In June, Hockinson Middle School asked for rocks to use as a classroom set. Word was put out to GSOC members who responded generously! We were able to donate classroom rocks for both Earth Science teachers at the school.

Sheila spent the day preparing the seventh graders for their upcoming hike around the pumice plain at Mt St. Helens. The school is grateful to have our help!

Public outreach is also being expanded by Past-President Paul Edison Lahm at our monthly GSOC Meetup group at Woodstock Wine and Deli. Paul will also be collaborating on outreach this summer with Oregon Agate and Mineral Society, People of Color Outdoors, and Positively Portland.

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Predicting Submerged Archaeology Sites in the Pacific Northwest

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Predicting Submerged Archaeology Sites in the Pacific Northwest

Synopsis of the GSOC Friday night lecture given on April 12, 2019, with speaker Jon Krier, MS from OSU.

Jon Krier’s work seeks to conduct ancient shoreline mapping in order to find possible locations of submerged archaeology sites along the western coast of North America. He combines modern bathymetry and other technological techniques to assess underwater contours with the oral traditions of indigenous tribes in his work. Krier has recently been involved in a project along the Oregon coast for the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The tribes’ objective in hiring the study was to determine where ancient settlements may be located on the submerged coast in anticipation of energy companies coming in to the area. They are having Krier predict where cultural resource assessments need to be done prior to any disturbances.

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Lasers Light Up Prehistoric Perils in Oregon! New Mt. Hood Area Faults Discovered.

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Lasers Light Up Prehistoric Perils in Oregon! New Mt. Hood Area Faults Discovered.

The title of this article is the ‘alternative title’ shown to us by Dr. Ian Madin, the speaker featured at the GSOC 84th Annual Banquet on March 10. Madin came to describe three new areas of Oregon containing active faults that were discovered by analyzing the ‘bare earth’ maps of the ground produced in LiDAR scans of the terrain The first area of faults described by Madin are located in the Mt. Hood area, and are referred to as the Mt. Hood Fault Zone. These faults run north to south and are normal faults. Two of the faults, Multorpor Mountain Fault and Twin Lakes Fault, define two sides of a graben that is 10 miles long. Madin also analyzed the potential earthquake hazards represented by the faults.

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Kilauea’s 2018 Eruption

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Kilauea’s 2018 Eruption

This article has been written to ‘peak’ your interest in the 2018 Kilauea eruption on the ‘Big Island’ of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. USGS researchers have recently released a summary of the events of 2018 and their importance to the study of shield volcano eruptions in an article in Science on January 25, 2019, entitled ‘The 2018 Rift Eruption and Summit Collapse of Kīlauea Volcano.’

Perhaps ‘peak’ is not the right word when referring to Kilauea. Travelling up Hwy 11 around the South Point area to the Kilauea caldera, you cannot even see the summits of Mauna Loa on the left and much smaller Kilauea on the right. These young Hawaiian shield volcanoes are massive and wide. Between Na’alehu and Pahala there are some weird looking slump blocks on the slope of Mauna Loa to the left. And as you approach the summit of Kilauea, there is a small canyon formed in the crease between the two volcanoes on the left. But once you see the Kilauea caldera you won’t mistake this for anything less than an active volcano.

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Hawaiian Submarine Landslides and the Great Crack of Kilauea

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Hawaiian Submarine Landslides and the Great Crack of Kilauea

Or, what goes up must come down!

This article came about by Sheila Alfsen asking me to include some information about the Great Crack of Kilauea, which might interest some of the membership when they are visiting the Big Island of Hawaii. I didn’t feel I could do justice to the topic unless I also covered the great landslides, produced by volcanic spreading, on the ocean floor surrounding the Hawaiian islands.

The knowledge of landslides around the Hawaiian islands did not come about until the 1980’s. As a result of then President Reagan’s refusal to sign the Law of the Sea Treaty proposed by the UN in 1983, and subsequent announcement that the US would be declaring a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone around all of its territories, the USGS was tasked with mapping those underwater zones. They did so with a relatively new technology, side-scan sonar, which has fairly good resolution for mapping large blocks of material on the ocean floor.

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In Memoriam: William Stephens Greer

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In Memoriam: William Stephens Greer

William Greer, a former GSOC member, died at age 88 on January 1, 2019.

Greer was born and raised in Red Bluff, California. He grew up loving the outdoors, and pursued a career in engineering with Westinghouse. Greer and his wife Lillian moved to Portland in 1963 and continued working for Westingouse in power distribution systems. When he retired, Greer pursued his interest in the outdoors by studying geology at PCC and PSU and also by becoming a master gardener specializing in rhododendrons.

Memorial contributions may be made to the OSU Master Gardener Program or the American Rhododendron Society.

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GSOC Hosts Earthquake Conference for Anhui Province Delegation

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GSOC Hosts Earthquake Conference for Anhui Province Delegation

As part of our mission to promote Cascadia awareness, GSOC President-elect Sheila Alfsen hosted a two-day Earthquake Preparedness Conference in November for Chinese government delegates from the Anhui Province Department of Land and Resources. The group was interested in learning about precautionary measures that the United States has adopted in response to earthquakes, including early warning systems, emergency responses and data analysis to identify future events.

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In Memoriam: GSOC Member Connie Battaile

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In Memoriam: GSOC Member Connie Battaile

Connie Battaile of Portland was a retired librarian, author, botany and geology enthusiast. She was a mother and a grandmother.

Connie was born in West Virginia and raised in Waldport, Oregon. She held a psychology degree from Oregon State College.

She lived for a time in Ashland, Oregon, and was involved with public service and policy organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Ashland Citizens Budget Committee, and the Jackson County Planning Commission.

According to her official obituary, she “received her Masters in Library Science from the University of Hawaii and worked as a librarian at the Medford Public Library, Southern Oregon State College (now SOU) library, and Colgate University library (Hamilton, NY).”

Connie held a variety of interests and did a wide variety of projects in her life, including authoring two books on library science, being a hospice volunteer and instructor for classes on making final arrangements, an interest in gardening, plant identification and preservation, an interest in Buddhist meditation and an interest in geology. The latter led her to become a GSOC member.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Community Foundation.

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Development of Earthquake Early Warning Systems

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Development of Earthquake Early Warning Systems

Recently joined GSOC member William Burgel, retired from working for and consulting with the Union Pacific Railroad, spoke to GSOC in September 2018 about his experiences in preparing the railroad system for earthquakes. His expertise stretches back to the 1960’s, and along with performing his job for the railroad company, helped organize and deploy early warning systems for earthquake shaking applicable to government and industrial participants.

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Don’t Forget to Re-up Your Membership!

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GSOC members and prospective members, please remember to renew your memberships for 2019. Your membership benefits include:

  • Helping serve GSOC’s mission of promoting geology education in the Northwest, including PSU geology scholarships

  • Welcome to join in all GSOC functions, including field trips, Holiday Party, Annual Banquet and Picnic, and more!

  • A printed version of the GSOC newsletter if you choose

  • A great time with all your GSOC friends!

p.s. if you joined the club after September 1, 2018, your dues are paid through 2019!!!

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Fond Memories of Our Recent Camp Hancock and John Day Basin Field Trip

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Fond Memories of Our Recent Camp Hancock and John Day Basin Field Trip

This past President’s field trip organized by GSOC President Paul Edison-Lahm was representative of the best that GSOC has to offer its members – world class geology, knowledgeable speakers, activities for active and less robust participants, fellowship within our group and other science-oriented society members, ground-breaking club history (past and present), breathtaking scenery, great weather, and just plain fun! Special thanks to Paul for his hard work!

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