Structural Geology and Tectonics Elizabeth Miller

GEOLSCI XX: Virtual field trip to Ancient Lake Lahontan: Contemplating our place in deep geologic time GS (one credit)

GEOLSCI XX: Winter Quarter 2023 

Lake Lahontan aerial view
black and white image of Lake Lahotan with framed inset lush image of how it used to be

The virtual field trip is the story of geologically recent change and how it is writ across the landscape. The goal is to go back in earth history (deep time) in order to better contemplate our role in earth’s history going forward.

Map of Lake Lahontan circa 1982
Lake Lahontan was a vast system of lakes in the Ice ages that dried up 10,000 yrs ago. WE Will FOLLOW THE WATER that fed this ancient lake!
Poster of Native American Day 2021
The Carbonate tufa rock formation Stone Mother (Tupe Pea).
Petroglyphs on Rocks
Petroglyphs on rocks near a duck-hunting cove of the lake
Map of Paiute Indian food sources around the lake
The different Paiute Groups whose ancestors lived on the shores of Lake Lahontan

There are four lectures in preparation for the virtual field trip:

  1. Landforms of the West and how they came to be

  2. Quantifying time in Earth’s history
  3. The story of the Ice Ages, into the Anthropocene and our near future
  4. Lake Lahontan and its human history
 

THE FIELD TRIP WILL BE HELD IN THE CLASSROOM:  Mixed media with narrator/professor:  We will helicopter to field trip stops via Google Earth; drone and video for the stops.  Zooming in. Hands-on group exercises and real rocks etc. at key places.