Mt. Hood Community College Geology

10/27/2025

G201ers…. It’s time!!!

Happy Mapping Monday! "The Cascade Volcanoes (also known as the Cascade Volcanic Arc or the Cascade Arc) are a number of volcanoes in a continental volcanic arc in western North America, extending from southwestern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California, a distance of well over 700 miles (1,100 km). The arc formed due to subduction along the Cascadia subduction zone. Although taking its name from the Cascade Range, this term is a geologic grouping rather than a geographic one, and the Cascade Volcanoes extend north into the Coast Mountains, past the Fraser River which is the northward limit of the Cascade Range proper." This is a good map showing the area's main volcanoes and the tectonic architecture!



Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Volcanoes

10/21/2025

Final first field trip pictures. It was an overnighter, so there’s a DAY 2.

10/17/2025

Volcanoes!!! Actually more Volcanoes on the 1st MHCC Geology field trip of Autumn 2025!!

10/16/2025

First field trip of the Autumn term!!! 1st day went according to plan!! Much of the day was spent getting to to Newberry as there were stops along the way!

09/12/2025

New Student Orientation Day!! Advertising the forgotten but most fun science!!!!

06/09/2025

Woohoo!!! THANK YOU!!! LIELS PALDIES!!! (in Latvian) and about 30 sec in is a thank you from a Geology Major!!! Check it out and see!!!

04/25/2025

Local Groundwater News!!! Woo hoo!!!

04/23/2025

VOTE on May 21st!!! It is IMPORTANT & GEOLOGIC!!!
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1HdoqTeiCV/

04/15/2025

When this 5.2mag EQ occurred on 14. April just after 10am, my daughter texted me a photo of an alert she received, as she was in the area for the Coachella Music Festival. She felt the shaking. I’m sooo jealous!

02/26/2025

Ocean currents study by accident!! WOW!!

https://www.facebook.com/share/14qgqgAKKbP/?mibextid=wwXIfr

In January 1992, a shipping mishap turned into an unexpected scientific breakthrough when the cargo ship Ever Laurel lost a container carrying 29,000 plastic toys—mostly rubber ducks—into the Pacific Ocean. 🚢🦆
🔹 A Journey Across the Seas: Months later, these tiny travelers began washing up on Alaska’s shores, over 3,270 km (2,030 miles) from where they were lost. 🌎💨
🔹 A Unique Ocean Experiment: Oceanographers tracked the ducks’ movements, using them as floating markers to study ocean currents and how objects disperse at sea. 🌊📡
🔹 Ducks Across the World: Some of these adventurous toys traveled astonishing distances, with reports of them reaching Europe years later, providing valuable insights into oceanic flow patterns. 🌍🗺️
What started as an accident became a groundbreaking study, proving that even a lost rubber duck can help unlock the mysteries of the ocean! 🦆🔬✨

02/21/2025

Spring term is coming… which means G203. Historical Geology. This is super cool!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1H8FSzSnLq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

In 1918, a remarkable discovery was made deep within the coal mines of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, when miners stumbled upon a petrified tree stump nestled within a seam of coal. This extraordinary find takes us back roughly 300 million years to the Carboniferous Period, a time when expansive, swampy forests thrived in the area. Over eons, the plant matter from these ancient woodlands was buried and transformed into coal, creating a captivating record of the ecosystem that once flourished here. This fossilized tree stump stands as an incredible window into prehistoric Pennsylvania, when the landscape was a rich, green mosaic of life. It serves as a striking reminder of the natural history resting just beneath our feet, along with the complex processes that have shaped the fossil fuels we rely on today.