The Shape of Filled Fractures
There are 4 basic shapes taken by sediment-filled fractures. I classify them as "A", "AV", "V", and "X". Shape is dependent on the depth of maximum extension, scale of the observation, and orientation of the plane in which they are observed. Fractures are 3D structures shown in cross section here. The sediment that fills each type may be sourced from above, below, or from somewhere out of the plane of observation. Infilling may be passive via gravity (i.e, sediment washed int
Polebridge: A Mountain Man's Muffin Shop
Back in the day, Polebridge, MT was a frontier town with more sled dogs than people and the wildest whiskey-dealing roadhouse in three states (and two provinces). That was back when men smoked things called "cigarettes" and sat on logs they cut from "forests". In '65 the first Polebridge Snow Machine Posse was formed to save Old Man Bilderback's prize jumping mule from a 6-day blizzard. Back then, a Polebridge man was a man of action. Polebridge mountain man James "Man-hound"
Yak Buddies
The neighbors are raising yaks. The young ones are a little skittish, but plenty curious. The older ones have absolutely no sense of humor and enjoy staring, motionless, for minutes on end.
Signs of Montana #4
A new medicinal marijuana shop must have opened up nearby. So is Pullman. Not Montana, but its still pretty funny - the town didn't remove the junk cars or repaint the whole wall. Go for the ear plugs - what a bargain! Its not that hot and there are no moose. You may ask, "Is there a really great pie for just walkin' around?" Why, yes. Yes there is. I am in the wrong business. Not Montana, but totally awesome. Go ahead. Look him up. He's there. Without a doubt the best Montan
Megaflood Movie Grip
In the summer of 2008, a movie producer with National Geographic called me from England. They needed me right away. To be clear, they didn't actually need me. They needed a warm body to schlep camera equipment around the Columbia Basin for a short-handed crew tasked with filming Vic Baker in the Channeled Scabland. Apparently, I was the only one who responded to her broadcast email sent months earlier. The gig paid $100 per day, so I drove to Moses Lake to meet the crew. Vic
Summer in Montana's NW Corner
Lucy is waiting for guests to arrive. The hay is waiting for Rider to bale it. The canal trail is waiting for the grizzlies to show. The road is waiting for winter ice and snow so it can re-form ruts and make me put another truckload of gravel down.
En Echelon Fractures in 2D & 3D
There's usually a low-tech way to explain complex geological phenomena. PlayDoh has been used for years to simulate ductile deformation in layered rocks. Sandy beaches teach us how head-cutting in river channels works. Paper mache, vinegar, dish soap, and baking soda make cool volcanoes. Pretty intuitive stuff. Sometimes things aren't so simple. For example, fracture geometry. Here's a way to explain en echelon fracture geometry using a piece of cardboard. Fractures open in s
Liquefaction at Finley Quarry, WA?
Two reports by two different teams of geologists describe the same outcrop, sediments, and structural features at Finley Quarry, WA (Coppersmith et al., 2014; Sherrod et al., 2016). Mostly, the teams agreed on what they saw. Where they differed is on liquefaction. I have visited Finley Quarry several times over the years prior to and since those teams' visits. Several earlier reports are helpful and available online (Jones and Deacon, 1966; Jahns, 1967; Brown, 1968; Bingham e
Golf Review: Riverside GC Pocatello
Riverside Municipal Golf Course in Pocatello, ID is the quintessential I-play-here-because-its-close-to-home kind of course. Its got all the necessary parts: wrinkled-tanned members sporting colorful shirts, a bustling but slightly shabby pro shop, burgers to order, sunshine. The tree-lined fairways are wide, but not overly forgiving. The grass is well kept without being too rough, too firm, or too fancy. The overall length is respectable (>6000 yards), but carrying a bag is
Clastic Dike at Craig's Hill - Ellensburg, WA
Craig's Hill is located in Ellensburg, WA at the Rodeo Grounds near the Campus U-Tote-Em burger joint. Easy walkable access via roads along the base of the exposure. Cryptic reports of this clastic dike have floated around for decades, so I figured I'd document it. The dike is located in the bluff right above the holding pens at the Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds, below the water tower. It is white so you can't miss it. Every CWU Geology student has seen surely seen it. The red-roo
