Please note that COGS will be using Zoom for Presentations until we are able to resume meetings at the Deschutes Brewery
Tuesday, January 26
Chris Goldfinger, Oregon State University
The Next Great Cascadia Earthquake - How did we get here?
Our understanding of plate tectonics is only about 60 years old, and we are still low on the Earth's learning curve. Cascadia earthquakes helped usher in a new hypothesis of everything, but then was forgotten for many years. More recently, our understanding of Cascadia earthquakes suddenly went from unknown, to a potential generator of M9 earthquakes in just a few short years. How did this happen, and what does the future hold?
OPB article: The Big One, Times 2: Research Shows Cascadia Quakes Sometimes Trigger San Andreas Fault
Oregon Field Guide: Unprepared: An Oregon Field Guide Special
Tuesday, February 23
Anders Eskil Carlson, President and Chief Scientist, Oregon Glaciers Institute
Our Vanishing Glaciers, Part II
Almost a century ago, scientists and mountaineers in Oregon observed the retreat of Oregon’s glaciers and raised alarm over the potential for an ice-free Oregon in the not too distant future. That future has now arrived. The recently founded Oregon Glaciers Institute (OGI) is monitoring changes in Oregon’s endangered glaciers with the goal of projecting their viability. OGI recently concluded a state-wide survey of how many glaciers remain in Oregon with an estimate of how many existed more than 60 years ago when the last such census was conducted. In this presentation, we will look at the implications of these findings and why such changes are occurring (including Oregon’s geology and climate change), with a final note on how one can help in preserving Oregon’s vanishing glaciers.
Tuesday, March 23
William Hawley, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
The fragmented death of the Farallon Plate
Could volcanism in central Oregon be linked to a hole in the subducting plate beneath North America? In this presentation William Hawley from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory will discuss evidence for tearing of the subducting plate as it descends into the mantle beneath central Oregon and the impacts this has on surface processes, including volcanism and earthquakes in Oregon.
Scientific American article: We Could Be Witnessing the Death of a Tectonic Plate
National Geographic article: A tectonic plate is dying under Oregon. Here’s why that matters
Tuesday, April 27
Kyle Gorman, Region Manager, Oregon Water Resources Department
Water in the Deschutes Basin: 2020 Hindsight – What Happened?
In the fall
of 2020 the Deschutes River took on a cloudy green color from silt scoured from
the bottom of Wickiup Reservoir. Water levels reached unprecedented lows as the
reservoir was drained for the first time since the dam was built in 1949. In
this presentation Kyle Gorman, Regional Manager for the Oregon Water Resources
Department, will reflect on what happened in 2020 and the projections for water
resources in 2021.
Tuesday, May 25
Andrea Balbas, Oregon State University
I Date Rocks: A Geochronology Love Story
Rocks are amazing in that they offer us a window into the past and tell stories that can be beyond human imagination. This allows us to understand Earth processes that we have not directly witnessed. A key to unraveling the possible cause and nature of such processes is an understanding of their timing and pacing. This is the power of geochronology. From the order of a stratigraphic sequence to the radiometric ages of lava flows, geologists have continued to invent and develop new ways for determining when something occurred in Earth’s past. For me, getting new ages from rocks is like taking a trip back in time and that is why I love it.
Click HERE to watch Leif's recorded presentation
Tuesday, November 24th - Online Zoom Presentation
6:45PM "doors" open <-> 7:00PM presentation
Leif Karlstrom, University of Oregon
What lies under recently active Cascades volcanoes?
Although the skyline and highest topography in the Cascades volcanic arc is dominated by a dozen or so large stratovolcanoes, a vast number of smaller volcanoes (roughly 3000) have erupted in the geologically recent past and might be considered the 'dominant' expression of volcanism. An outsized proportion of these small volcanoes occur in the central Oregon Cascades. I'll talk about my work on a few outstanding questions in the field of volcanology, applied to the Cascades: What controls where volcanic eruptions happen? Why are there so many small volcanoes and so few large ones? Are there subsurface indicators that help us to understand which have been most active in the past, or might become active in the future?
Recent
article in the Bulletin: Study
finds volcanoes more prevalent in Cascades
Recent Geology paper: Time-evolving surface and subsurface signatures of Quaternary volcanism in the Cascades arc
Emilie Hooft, University of Oregon
Mapping the Magmatic Pathways
Beneath Volcanoes from Newberry, Oregon to Santorini, Greece
What does the plumbing system beneath a volcano look like? Is it a big vat of magma? Or a long column? Or many layers of magma sills? It used to be that people thought there were big magma chambers under volcanoes, but it turns out they are often quite small and we do not yet know how magma plumbing systems are structured. In this talk, UO Earth Science Professor Emilie Hooft will describe how she uses seismic imaging to map the deep system of pathways that transport magma to the earth’s surface. Her cutting-edge research uses measurements from hundreds of seismic sensors to find differences in the rate at which sound passes through rocks, and is like making a CAT scan of a volcano. From a societal and hazards point of view, this gives us a better idea of what’s underground and how to predict what might happen when the volcano becomes restless. Additionally, this research helps scientists better understand how the earth functions, how big magma systems assemble themselves, and how they reset and regrow after major volcanic episodes.
Click HERE to watch Marjorie's recorded presentation
Marjorie Chan, University of Utah
Red Rocks from Earth to Mars
Mars is an exciting frontier for sedimentology, with opportunities to discover what might exist within its sedimentary layers and surface landforms. Through new technologies and instrumentation advances, we have the ability to scientifically explore the Red Planet at unprecedented scales. Comparative studies of red rocks on Earth have provided important clues for interpreting the geology on Mars. Small terrestrial concretions compared with “blueberries” found on the red planet, helped scientists understand the past environments on Mars. Other terrestrial examples of soft-sediment deformation and weathering show remarkable similarities to recent satellite and rover imagery from Mars. Studies from Earth are critical because terrestrial analogs help us interpret similar processes on Mars and give clues about where life might exist on the Red Planet.
This presentation will also include a perspective on how Earth science research will change in the future. Fields of sedimentary and planetary geology must leverage and employ the power of cyber-infrastructure, where data sharing and data management can open new science discoveries and relationships.
America's Geoheritage: Identifying, Developing, and Preserving America's Natural Legacy - Distinguished Speaker SeriesClick HERE to watch Andrew's recorded presentation
Dr. Andrew G. Fountain is a professor of Geology and Geography at Portland State University where he has conducted glacier research for the past 25 years. Prior to that he was a glaciologist with the US Geological Survey in Tacoma, WA and Denver, CO. His studies have taken him to Antarctica, Alaska, Arctic Sweden, and the western U.S. Greenland may be in his future. His studies on the glaciers of the American West can be viewed at www.glaciers.us
Click HERE for link to a prior presentation by Seth
Andrea Balbas, Oregon State University
I Date Rocks: A Geochronology Love Story
Rocks are amazing in that they offer us a window into the past and tell stories that can be beyond human imagination. This allows us to understand Earth processes that we have not directly witnessed. A key to unraveling the possible cause and nature of such processes is an understanding of their timing and pacing. This is the power of geochronology. From the order of a stratigraphic sequence to the radiometric ages of lava flows, geologists have continued to invent and develop new ways for determining when something occurred in Earth’s past. For me, getting new ages from rocks is like taking a trip back in time and that is why I love it.
Tuesday, January 28
Ian Madin, Senior Scientist, Earthquake Hazard Geologist - Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
Three Newly Discovered Fault Systems in Oregon
DOGAMI Senior Scientist Ian Madin will discuss how using LiDAR (light detection and ranging) has led to newly discovered fault systems in Oregon: the Mt Hood, the White Branch of the McKenzie, and the John Day faults. Ian Madin has worked for DOGAMI since 1987, where he has served as the Seismic Hazard Geologist for the State of Oregon, Chief Scientist, and is now the Senior Scientist and Earthquake Hazard Geologist. During his time at DOGAMI he has supervised the agency's earthquake, landslide, geologic mapping, and LiDAR programs. He is also the author of the statewide geologic map Oregon: A Geologic History.
Tuesday, February 25
William Orr, University of Oregon Professor Emeritus
Oregon's Checkered Past
University of Oregon Professor Emeritus William Orr will explore Oregon's spectacular fossil record and how it is closely linked to Oregon's volcanic history. Without an extensive record of volcanoes of every description, the state would never have developed the diverse and rich trove of fossil remains that it now boasts. William Orr is the author of several books on Oregon and Pacific Northwest geology, paleontology, water, and environmental history.
Geology of the Pacific Northwest
Spring 2019 Series
The High Lava Plains is an enigmatic province between the hot-spot related Steens Basalts and the subduction-related Cascades. Dr. Grunder will explore the implications of the westward age progression of rhyolites and the effect of protracted magmatism on the composition of the volcanic rocks and the crust.
Links to two videos from Anita's presentation:
Cenozoic Volcanism in the Pacific Northwest - 55 million years to present
Magma evolution in an extentional setting—High Lava Plains
Kilauea Volcano is the youngest volcano in the Hawaiian island chain and one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. In spring 2018, volcanic activity at Kilauea took a dramatic turn, starting with a fissure eruption forming beneath a residential community and ultimately expanding into Kilauea's largest eruption in 200 years. This talk will provide a first-hand account of this historic eruption, which included thousands of earthquakes, major collapses of the summit caldera, and vast outpourings of lava that dramatically reshaped the southeast corner of Hawai'i.
Click HERE for a recent paper in Science by Allan and others on the 2018 rift eruption and summit collapse of the Kilauea volcano.
Click HERE for a video compilation from a helicopter overflight of Kīlauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone on June 6, 2018, around 6:30 AM. The video shows the fissure 8 lava fountain feeding a channelized lava flow that travels northeast around the Kapoho cone, and then flows toward the south to enter the ocean at Kapoho Bay and Vacationland. The ocean entry has completely filled Kapoho Bay with lava, building a delta that extends 0.8 miles from shore.
Link to more videos from the Hawaii Volcano Observatory
Tuesday, April 23
Jeff Templeton, Western Oregon University
A NEW LOOK AT “OLD” TUFFS FROM NEWBERRY VOLCANO: EVIDENCE FOR DYNAMIC MAGMATIC PROCESSES AT A GEOLOGIC CROSSROADS IN CENTRAL OREGON
Fall 2018 Series
Assembling the Northwest: a roadside view of Oregon and Washington geology
Marli Miller, University of Oregon
With its spectacular mountain ranges, lush valleys and tumbling rivers, the Northwest landscape attracts nature lovers and travelers from around the world. But the rain-soaked coast range, snow-covered volcanoes and expansive high desert didn't appear overnight. They formed through a variety of geologic processes over millions of years. UO geologist and photographer Marli Miller will outline the geology of Oregon and Washington as seen along our federal and state highways. Beginning with the plate tectonic setting of the Pacific Northwest, she will describe the process of continental growth that forms the underlying but diverse "basement" of the region and is readily visible in the Coast Range, North Cascades, Okanogan, Klamath, and Blue Mountains. Following that, a photographic "roadtrip" up I-84 and Washington State Highway 14 in the Columbia Gorge will illustrate many of the younger features that make our landscape so unique.
Tuesday October 23
The Crooked River Caldera
Jason McClaughry, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries - Baker City Field Office
The Crooked River caldera is a 26-mile long, 17-mile wide volcanic depression formed through a series of super-volcanic eruptions between 29.7 and 27.5 million years ago. Eruptions from the Crooked River caldera deposited massive volumes (>140 cubic miles) of tuff and rhyolitic lavas, dikes, and domes. All of these volcanic features are now well exposed in the rock walls of Smith Rock State Park. Current research suggests that the Crooked River caldera records some of the oldest caldera-forming eruptions related to the passage of the Yellowstone volcanic hotspot from the coast of the Pacific Northwest to the modern Yellowstone caldera in Wyoming during the past 50 million years. Jason’s talk will focus on regional tectonic models and geochemistry linking the Crooked River caldera to the Yellowstone volcanic hotspot.
Tuesday November 27
Groundwater hydrology and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of central Oregon
Marshall Gannett, Research Hydrologist Emeritus
U.S Geological Survey
Groundwater is critical for humans and ecosystems in central Oregon. The volcanic geology of the Deschutes and upper Klamath Basins is widely known to host substantial regional aquifer systems that store and transmit large volumes of groundwater that supports year-round flow to many streams. What is less well known is that there are smaller-scale local aquifer systems that exist in the region as well, and that there are unique groundwater-depend ecosystems associated with these different scales of groundwater flow. Marshall Gannett will describe the groundwater hydrology of central Oregon, focusing on the upper Deschutes Basin, and discuss recent research aimed at understanding groundwater-dependent ecosystems and the sensitivity to climate change.
Spring 2018 Series
Mount Hood: Confessions of an interesting Boring volcano
Adam Kent, Oregon State University
Mount Hood is an active subduction zone volcano, and is the site of the most recent volcanic eruption in Oregon. The volcano is also deeply embedded in the social and recreational fabric of the state of Oregon, but despite the iconic profile details of the inner workings of Mount Hood have been quite poorly known. Adam Kent will present new research that sheds light on past and future volcanic activity at Mount Hood, with a focus on the clues that can be extracted from studying the erupted rocks themselves.
Tuesday May 22
Oregon has been slowly rotating clockwise over geologic time. Coast Range basalt of the Siletz River Volcanics, about 50 million years in age, are rotated about 75°, whereas younger flows of the Columbia River Basalt (16-12 million years in age) exposed in the Coast Range are rotated about 20°. Rotations are largest along the coast and decrease inland. Northeast-directed subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate beneath the continent drags the leading edge of Oregon northward, producing a clockwise shear in the continental plate. Ray Wells will present current understanding of active tectonics in the Pacific Northwest and the role that crustal rotation plays in the Cascade volcanoes and in shallow crustal faults in the Northwest urban corridor.
The COGS Visiting Scholar Program is an open invitation to scientists who are visiting central Oregon and would like to present their research to the community. Although we try to schedule these programs in advance, many of these opportunities come up on short notice based on the travel schedules of visiting scholars. All Visiting Scholar presentations will be posted as early as possible on the COGS website, and will be announced via email. Stay informed on our Visiting Scholar Program by becoming a member of COGS, or by signing up for our email list.
Click HERE to watch Bill's recorded presentation
William Orr, University of Oregon Professor Emeritus
Extinction: Using catastrophic events to construct the geologic timeline
Mass extinctions have been important markers in the geologic record since the geologic timescale was laid out over 200 years ago. University of Oregon Professor Emeritus William Orr will explore some of the largest mass extinction events in Earth's history, and our best estimates as to their cause. Recent ideas about the causes of extinction events will be presented, including volcanism and meteor impacts, as well as a look at some of the species that survived these catastrophes and how these events were used to construct the geologic timeline. William Orr is the author of several books on Oregon and Pacific Northwest geology, paleontology, water, and environmental history.
Geology of the Pacific Northwest
Newberry volcano: A sleeping giant with two bubbling lakes
Johan Varekamp, Wesleyan University
Saturday, August 10, 2019 - Deschutes Brewery - Mountain Room - 901 SW Simpson
Doors open at 5:30 PM – food and beverages available
Student poster session at 6:00 PM - Presentation at 7:00 PM
Wesleyan University professor Johan Varekamp researches volcanic
lakes around the world, including Paulina Lake and East Lake at Newberry
Volcano. Join him for an overview of his research at Newberry, including
volcanic venting of mercury and CO2 in East Lake, and
hot spring activity at Paulina Lake as an analog for precambrian banded iron
formations.
For more about Dr. Varekamp’s research: A tale of two lakes: the Newberry Volcano twin crater lakes, Oregon, USA
Wesleyan University student poster session at 6:00 PM
Haley Brumberger and Sabrina Koetter will have two posters about ostracods (tiny shrimp!) in Paulina Lake and how they preserve a record of lake water from the past.
Christina Cauley will have a poster on iron and silica rich sediments from Paulina Lake. Christina recently received a NASA Space Consortium grant for her research project “Chemistry and Biology of Giant Hydrothermal Mounds in Paulina Lake, Oregon.”