More About the Blog
Frequently, friends and family have said to me, after they returned from a vacation: I wish I had you there to tell me what I was seeing! Landscape is such a fundamental aspect of our travel experiences and understanding something about how they form makes our experiences more rewarding. So after 22.5 years of teaching and research in San Francisco (in January 2012), I decided to expand my classroom to the larger world of people who want to learn more about the planet they inhabit.
I decided to embark on this project after completing a 6-month stint as a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad de Chile in Santiago. There I taught a class in sedimentary geology and traveled extensively in Chile and a small part of Argentina. Throughout the region I found awe-inspiring landscapes that motivated me to learn more about how they formed. With little information available for the non-expert, I was forced to read the primary research literature to find the answers to my questions. My goal with this blog, and subsequent more detailed publications, is to synthesize the research and then tell the basic stories of how landscapes evolved to their current configurations. I seek to provide a level that is interesting for geologists yet also accessible to non-geologists.
My research specialty within geology is sedimentation and tectonics, which involves using sedimentary layers to understand how faults move and evolve. Most of my research has been in coastal California, a site of intense geologic activity for many millions of years. I have traveled extensively in the world, especially in Latin America. My intention is to use this broad background to reveal aspects of the landscape that range from the most ancient rock outcroppings to the modern-day shaping of beaches by waves.
Three and a half years later, in June 2015, I "graduated" from the university and now have the opportunity to devote more time to traveling and telling geologic stories for a general audience. The goal remains the same—to help people better understand the planet they inhabit. -Karen
Karen and husband Jay in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine (Chilean Patagonia), the place that, more than any other, inspired this blog.
Hi Karen,
I spoke with your briefly the otherday at Rogue Valley Roasting Co. in Ashland. I found your blog and have enjoyed reading some of your posts. Great stuff!
I look forward to bumbing into you again and sharing a stimulating conversation about this regions unique geology.
Best,
Kacy
Hi Kacy, Thanks for the message – and for noticing my Baja basins t-shirt! I also look forward to chatting again. -Karen
Dear Karen, did you compose Ch. 9, Geology at Point Reyes National Seashore and vicinity, California (USGS publication)? It is a nicely done summary of the natural history of the Point Reyes National Seashore, I found something interesting in Figure 9-36, a photo of lithified Quaternary dune deposits. Other than the photograph of this outcrop, is there anything published on these eolian strata that you know of? Please let me know the reference: mvcaputo@earthlink.net. Thanks, Karen. Sincerely, Mario Caputo
Hello Karen. I just read your post re: Yosemite. I have read many accounts re: the evolution of the Sierra and I ‘m happy to have read a recent account. Is this understanding still evolving? (I forwarded the link to other scientist friends and they enjoyed your account. One of them was concerned with spelling of ‘shear wall’ vs ‘sheer wall’ which put him on alert re: scholarship. He checked you out and discovered you and he graduated from the same school. I told him I would message you re the oversight). Daniel
Thank you Daniel
Very nice info on Iceland. I have recently started lecturing on cruise ships in retirement – you might consider this if you want to reach a large adult audience. Now I’m gathering info for talks related to geology/geomorphology/oceanography of North Atlantic environment for an upcoming cruise. If you are good at speaking to a very diverse audience (mature general public) some cruise lines are likely interested…
Thank you Michael.
Hello Karen,
I have just discovered your blog and I am really excited. It is a hidden treasure for a geologist that cannot travel to all these places. Continue your travelling with passion for geology!
Both you and your husband are lovely people!
Ifigenia Gavriel
Geologist -Tourist Guide
Cyprus
Thanks so much for your comment Ifigenia! We so enjoyed our time with you. I’ve just posted about the Geopark and my next post will be all about the geology. Please let me know if you see any errors! We expect to remain in touch. A big hug to you.
Hi Karen,
I stumbled across your blog from a google search about iclandic tectonic plates. I read your post here:
https://landscapes-revealed.net/standing-between-tectonic-plates-in-iceland/
that I have two notes on (which I can’t post under the blogpost itself, thats why i’m messaging you here 🙂
Under the second picture of Þingvellir national park it says:
This view is northward toward Þingvallavatn (vatn=lake). Like the “bridge” site, this narrow fissure is often shown as the plate boundary. But it is only the eastern edge of the plate boundary, which encompasses the whole extent of the rift graben shown above.
But its not: it was made from Langistígur (https://maps.app.goo.gl/HnCLb5k6pUj4xe3a6) near the Öxarárfoss P3 Parking Trailhead. The view southward! and its the most western! edge of the plate boundary.
And under the first picture of the “rift graben at the northern end of the plate boundary” it says:
This view across the rift graben is along the Northern Volcanic Zone (NVZ), near where the plate boundary heads back out to sea. The view is to the south, with the Atlantic Ocean located to the right of the photo.
That picture was taken near Krafla (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oR3enrdrXBkfVyhV7) and its not the atlantic ocean on the right of the photo, it is lake Mývatn!
But thank you very much for the interresting blogpost!
Sorry for my delay in responding to your comment — I’ve been on other travels and didn’t have time to check the details of these locations. Thanks so much for correcting my errors. I went back to Iceland this year in February — this time my husband and I were doing the navigation ourselves. I returned to both locations you mention and now have a much better sense of those directions. When being led around on a tour, it’s more challenging. I’ve now made the changes. Thanks again.
Dear Karen
Your blogs are both instructive and lovely. Would you kindly give me the permission to reproduce the first two figures of ” Plate tectonics 101—What happens when plates slide past each other” in a white paper prepared for the Indian Academy of Sciences. I shall be most grateful
Vinod K Gaur
Fellow, Indian Academy of Science, Bangalore
gaurvinod36@gmail.com
Hi Vinod, you are welcome to refer to my blog post, but please realize that I did not create the figures. In the caption, I give credit to my sources for the figures. Glad you are finding my posts useful. Best, Karen
Greetings, Ma’am,
I am a beginner in geology and currently working as a faculty member in the Department of Geology in the southern part of India. While preparing a lecture video for my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@sggeology) on the topic of Ophiolites, I came across your blog post titled “Making Cyprus: Create the Troodos Ophiolite and Lift It Up.”
It was truly inspiring and immensely helpful. Your work clarified many of my doubts, and I sincerely thank you for your valuable contribution.
Warm regards, Panchanatham B
Thank you so much for your comment. I’m gratified to hear my post was helpful. I hope you get to see ophiolites in person one day! best regards, Karen