CWU's Nick Zentner presents 'Bridge of the Gods Landslide' - the 23rd talk in his ongoing Downtown Geology Lecture Series. Recorded at Hall Holmes Center on March 14, 2018 in Ellensburg, Washington, USA. www.nickzentner.com
So awhile back i wanted to learn to flint knap, which lead to learning about clovis people, which lead to videos about their possible origins, which lead to videos about the ice free corridor, which lead to videos about ice age floods and now I'm on lecture number two of yours, it's the deepest youtube wormhole I've fallen into to date, I'm glad I'm here. Thanks for all the history.
It lead me all the way to "Symbols of an Alien Sky" Documentary, and the realization that there was no Clovis people , and History ain't what we thought , at all. then to Immanuel Velikovsky , and then off Planet to the very formation of the solar system , or the car wreck of a solar system we inhabit. And that's where I am now after three yrs.
I thought that I would doz off but he is too energetic and he keeps me on the edge of my seat. I end up running something he says back and listening to him again. Sometimes 3 or 4 times until I fully understand it. Is there going to be a test on this? I feel like there is! Lol
I am watching your lectures in Austria. Our Geology is so different from that of the Pacific Northwest. But after your lectures various things happened: I start feeling connected to a part of the world I have never been to. I start seeing our own Geology in a different way (and the Alps have some pretty awesome geology). I start asking myself questions in a scientific way when I am dealing with the unknown: What do I know? What do others know? Where is the evidence? What is theory, what are the facts? I try to see the story that connects all those dots of knowledge.
And I was Born in Ireland, but grew up in North Germany, Ireland had mountains and cliffs to spare, some of which I still go and glide of off. North Germany is kinda flat, with some hills, lots of swamps, and rivers.
Was there yesterday. Well worth the trip. Eastern WA is pretty much all desert, scablands and rolling hills. Good people too. There's nothing to see in Seattle.
I don't know if Nick reads this or not but I would like to thank him for his wonderful videos as the information and the way he provides it is a boon to the student and teacher alike. My students love the content and the way you present it. Most all of my students want to know what and when I will be screening the next video by you and which one. Now get this.... they always watch your video a couple of times before I show it in class so they can ask questions. I've never had students pushing the boundaries of their own curriculum before your videos. I've also started doing my own version of roadside Geology in the form of weekend field trips, their parents love it too !!!. Because they are High school students these field studies have to take place on weekends and with their parent(s) present. As I said the parents love it and so do my students. I have also received letters from 3 of the parents saying how participating in their children's educations has resulted in them becoming more involved in their child's lives once more and let's face it Geology is just cool. Please keep the awesome content coming, you make my job easier and help me define my curriculum each quarter ..... cheers!
I've just discovered this series, and as a teacher myself, I am really impressed, though not surprised, to hear of this response in your students, and I appreciate what a remarkable phenomenon that is! How wonderful to find a tool that provokes so much self-driven learning and enthusiasm, even if the "tool" is the recorded work of someone else. (But isn't that really what a textbook is?) I'm an (early) retired neuroscientist, I have taught at the university level and now part-time at a middle school, and I confess, I watch Nick's videos more out of interest in becoming a better teacher. The geology is fascinating, but his technique is unmatched, and I'm taking notes! But now I am certainly engaged in many of the mysteries he presents. Correlation is not causation, but the Bridge of the Gods landslide and the 1456 quake as a putative cause seems to be a fantastic (if not blatantly obvious) hypothesis, at least worthy of a hypothesis paper (including, I'd hope, the "amateur" with the email that got it all rolling as a co-author).
Thats great to hear as im over 50 l didn't have that luxury in school. It's now that im taking advantage of the amazing amount of information at ones finger tips. Its good to hear kids are using this important resource.
I think it's great that your education of your students is so through, as a senior now I wish my teachers had taught the way you Gentlemen do, I had to slug it out until I got to University, to cross paths with such a prof. he was the one that posed the question can you see yourself in a classroom for another 6 years, I was going for a History Ph.D. I decided to take a high paying but a mindless job, as a shipyard labourer it paid well and I did retire at 50, know I dig for any information to expand my knowledge
A note about salmon being able to ascend the rapids or not; it's a myth that salmon always go back to the river where they were hatched. They will **TRY** to do so, but if they can't make it they'll lay their eggs wherever they find an appropriate stream bed. Also, a certain percentage of salmon will always get lost, which is how new rivers get populated. If salmon couldn't get into the upper Colombia for a few years or a few centuries it's not an issue. As soon as the waterway was navigable to them they would have repopulated the river again.
Yes, there's a reason instinct and genetics are a bit sloppy, to deal with natural variation. Salmon fisheries have been established in rivers in Chile and Argentina where they never were before, by bringing in smolts from the Columbia River. They have spread on their own to other rivers than the original release points. This new fishery can exploit the vast krill population of the SE Pacific Ocean, largely untapped since whaling wiped out most of the baleen whales in the 19th century.
We should give Nick the graduatud and appreciation he deserves. There are very few people with the passion for teaching that he has. He has made the most complicated subjects understandable while keeping your attention and not just quoting what is written in a book but combining that with factual info that paints the picture that creates in our minds. That picture is differant for every one and if everyone were to put that picture on canvas and from one to another you would see the same thing and thats hard to accomplish.. The world needs more teachers with his passion .
Thanks Joseph. I appreciate you taking the time to write. There a many, many good teachers out there, but most don't record themselves and post online.
@@kniveznor1 did you enroll at CWU? I grew up in Thorp and graduated from EHS in 81. I wasn't interested in becoming a "brainiac" so never considered college until 40 years after graduating. I hope you followed your interests and enrolled. Nameste! and
An hour with Nick Zentner makes most Nova episodes look shallow. Thank you. If only there were somebody doing the same for Michigan geology (where I live).
Kenneth- you could always contact the universities up that way- I would be very interested in that area, as it seems to be the focal point for the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis
Prof. Zentner: Your passion for geology and your skill as a presenter have infected this Canadian computer guy. My life has been considerably enriched. Thank you.
I wish I could find someone who does talks like this on our Tennessee/ Mississippi River/ Smokey mountain geology. I’ve watched a few of these, and I really enjoy them.
I absolutely love the idea of geologists eagerly emailing back and forth, with facts and theories, cross checking information and building up scenarios for geologic events.
I lived in Seattle for 11 years then moving to Yakima for 5 years. Your lecture really opened up my understanding about what I was seeing all those years ago. Thanks
You can never have enough chalk boards... I remember when they were transitioning from the black and green chalkboards to white dry-erase boards. I always wondered if they didn't swap the asthma inducing chalk dust with some other affliction cause by the chemicals in the dry-erase markers.
This is a truly wonderful presentation! Conducted very professionally, unbelievably thorough for the amount of time used and explained in a manner that someone like me can comprehend!
Thank you so much for a wonderful lecture series. I particularly like how you show the transparency of the scientific process as it evolves, comparing sources and possibilities at various levels of confidence. Your spontaneity/humor while addressing what could be "dry" topics is also much appreciated! I'm also interested in the effects of the drainage changes of Lake Agassiz (relating to Younger Dryas and extinction/climate events) and how this affected various regions and the whole world. Sources suggest that sometimes it switched to drain through the Columbia River Valley. While the final, most catastrophic drainage was into Hudson Bay, I would also love to hear your take on how earlier episodes affected your region and others. It's a good example of the distant yet deep interconnections of our world. May your good work continue, and the Norns smile upon your endeavors :)
So glad my son attended CWU. He now is teaching high school history classes and also enjoys your presentations. Your style of presenting information is very enjoyable and entertaining. You are so good I don't even realize that I'm learning! Keep up the great work!
I love the way he draws your attention, then rewards it : never boring , never patronizing.🦉☺️. The more you see, the more you want to learn! The best kind of teaching ! Look how many older folk are there : it's never too late to be inspired ! I'm best part of 75 , and these lectures are a revelation, a lovely development at a ripe age ! ☺️. I had a chuckle when a cliff had unusual strata / dark stripes : I muttered," They're Basalt Feeder Dykes". Then, " Oh, hark at me !!"😊 Greatly looking forward to learning much more. I love the field trips : it feels as if you're really there : you get the parelax, as the little video camera moves along, with the amiable Professor's narration.🦉⛏️🌿 Many, many thanks from England.☺️🌿⛏️🦉☺️ 🇬🇧💕🇺🇲🦉⛏️🌿😊🇬🇧
So wonderful to learn from a lecturer who's so animated and passionate about his topic and so knowledgeable! Fascinating information! Thank you for sharing this on RU-vid!
Natural speaker and probably an amazing teacher...I'm a right-ponder, had barely even heard of this river, and was immediately hooked, and stayed...which makes him just a tiny bit special...
These lectures are so interesting. Reminds me of Penn State geology Professor Lattman in the 60's; his lectures were so good that hundreds of students "audited" them every day.
This is one of several videos by Mr. Zentner that I've watched. I am not from the Pacific North West but these are fascinating lectures and extremely well presented. Thank sir.
This guy is great. I've watched several hours of his lectures. I'm from Oregon and studied a fair amount of PNW geology years ago. So I'm pretty familiar with most of these places and topics and really enjoy hearing these great stories. And some I didn't really know and love to learn about. Now I live in the Sierra Nevadas and the rocks and geology are all pretty different. No volcanoes or exotic terranes around here. Figure I am sitting on a giant granite batholith. And I'm actually surprised how many earthquakes we get.
Brilliant. Especially as I've been there from the UK. I remember dry falls lake, there is a distinctive knotch in the cliff where the flood happened. I also went to East Washington desert, saw the petrified trees and the Colombia River which is huge. Love geography.
I have been enjoying these lectures from my place in SE Australis, on what passes for 'geologiclly active' down here. It was once of course and you can walk along the beach and find 'frozen' pools of boiling lave, and the hills about were all active volcanoes between 130 and 18 mill. years ago. Mr Zentner is quite rivetting in his presentations and has sent me off on another course entirely in my 77th year. Thank you very much Jeff Cole.
Nick, thank you sir, these are great videos. I now find myself slowing down a little more as I drive up 410 and other areas to notice exactly what you are speaking about.
Driven those roads without giving the geology much thought. Now in my 60’s I’m fascinated by all this. Can’t wait for my next road trip to look at things with a different perspective.
Omg I’ve driven through this area so many times and never realized this was a landslide area. So cool. As a newbie rockhound I’ve been trying to learn about the geology of the area to know where to look. I came across your ancient rivers lecture and got hooked. I love learning from people that are excited and passionate about the subject they are teaching. I live near Mt Hood but if I lived in WA I would totally go to all of your in person lectures.
Thank you. You have made geology understanble to me. Whish you had been around 40 years before you were. May have wound up being geologists in stead if just a rock hound. God bless you.
Excellent lecture, I'm from another world on the east coast. Been watching your lectures on you tube for a few years. I always have google maps open in another tab since your speaking to locals that know your area. We have nothing that compares to the geology of the Pacific North West. I've never been to your area of the country other than you tube videos & content of your geology lectures. If I wasn't so old I'd want to be a young man in this region, maybe sit in on one of these lectures. I'd be a rock hound for sure. what we missed by not having you tube in the early years of ones life. Stay safe Nick.
Nick, just started watching your videos on geology. Has turned into binge watching!! Love geology. This started as curios interest into Washington state cause I thought it would be a great state to live in. Little did i realize all the geology involved in it's formation. This may be as clise as i get so please keep the lectures coming. Greatful ancient student.
We are so lucky to be educated by such a wonderful enthusiastic professor. I feel spoiled. Thank you for taking the time to share with those of us way beyond our college years.
Thoroughly enjoying all these outreach lectures. You are an amazing communicator and the lecture was pitched perfectly to the audience. I came to you via Shawn Willsey and now spend a huge amount of my free time learning about the PNW … an area I only knew of from tv and books. I live in the uk and the geology of the PNW is amazingly complicated and diverse, absolutely fascinating. Thank you Nick…. Next it’s the A-Z of the Ice Age Floods…
I'm so grateful to learn from these presentations. I live right near the bridge and have been fascinated since 1988 with its geological history. THANK YOU GUYS!
Hi Nick Beeing from the "old"" land I am impressied by your commitment on bringing these stores to all of Us. Great work and Realy interesting for a Northen European guy to see such detailed "lokal" knwalge of the US of A to us, thank you Very much.
Just found this,01-02-23 Have seen others of your presentations. I Love them. VERY interesting. I used to live (45 years) blocks away from Lake Michigan, south of Milwaukee. Now I live at the base of the Sacramento Mtns in Alamogordo, NM. Just as fascinating here but warmer.
Great video. I'm not even from WA., but can't stop watching these. If today's teachers had just half of your ability to teach a subject, we'd be a lot better off. Thanks for putting these out there!
Thanks Nick, crew and CWU for these lectures. Very interesting to me as in early August 1959 I camped in the campground that was wiped out by the Quake Lake Slide that was caused by the Hebgen Lake earthquake. In a few months I will be going through Ellensburg, might stop in for a lecture if there is one at that time. Your lectures and Iron Horse Brewery are high on my list to visit there. Be well friend.
What a WONDERFUL presentation. I became interested in the Bridge of the Gods back in 1971 after reading the book "The High Adventure of Eric Ryback". He detailed (as best a 18 year old can) the geology leading to and from the "current bridge" on his trek of the Pacific Crest Trail. That got the attention of this "then young" California backpacker. I had always wondered how the trail could be so steep on one side of the bridge, but much gentler on the other, and why the geology appeared to be so different. Thank you for making this video available. I am only sorry that it took me so long to find it.
Mr. Zentner, thank you Sir, for another great video. I've noticed that in your lecture rooms, a good eighty percent (80%) of your respectful audience(s) are generally of senior age. I like that fact, immensely. Unfortunately, this range of ages also tell me that a good portion of the aged twenty thru thirty-five (20-35) year olds, are probably getting educated, right now, before their iPhones or iPads, with their mindless and idiotic fantasy-land games. I sincerely pity their loss of your instructional videos, ... and hooray for our older generation. Their participation as guests in your audience(s) continues to prove to me that that was, and is, our greatest generation. Thank you Sir, very much indeed, for your hard work in producing these types of lessons for us ALL.
I'm 39, and find this comment disrespectful and distasteful. Many of the people in this age range are busy, often with families and simply don't have the time to travel to these lectures in person; that includes my wife and I. However, I personally know that myself and many others in the age range you mention absolutely love watching documentaries and lectures like this on their tablets and phones. Don't be too quick to judge the younger generations just because they might do it differently than you're used to.
Nick's natural ability as a lecturer and presenter are obvious, it just comes easy to some. Yes, there are a lot of older people in these lectures as they are time rich. I bet when they were younger, they'd have been busily tending to their personal lives at that time of the evening, just like Brianna now is above. As for people younger than that, before Iphones, they'd have been busy socialising with their friends- going to the movies, wasting time with friends somewhere, gathering at a friend's place to watch the latest TV series or whatever. The how and why isn't relevant, the fact that young people wouldn't be interested in spending the time at these lectures spans generations. I bet if you asked any of the senior people in that room what they were doing in their 20's, they wouldn't say they were attending lectures, and had what seemed to them to be other, much more urgent interests! But what a wonderful world we now live in, where people like me, from the east coast of Australia, can simply search for videos on RU-vid and have extremely generous people like Nick Zentner and forward thinking entities like the CWU spending their time and effort producing them into videos for all to see and learn from for free! It sure beats watching television of an evening.
I'm not as offended by the comment as Brianna obviously was; but Sideslip makes a good point (that came to my mind immediately at the beginning of the lecture) that the senior generation -- as have senior generations for scores past -- have time on their side when taking an interest in the world around them. In that regard they are indeed fortunate; they're somewhat past the pressures of life, making a living, raising families, etc., and have the time and interest in expanding their knowledge. We all know you're never too old to learn new things, and these geology lectures are the best evidence of that.
I lived in and around Roseburg Oregon for 25 years. At the south edge of the I-5, the Pacific, Klamath and Cascade plates meet. About 15 miles east of Roseburg the only place in the world two rivers smash head on. Called Colliding Rivers. It causes a bubble with air where it appears a person has drowned. A gag on tourists. 70 miles east of Roseburg is Crater Lake. 2nd deepest in the world. I retired to Panama in 2013. Lived in Nicaragua , Ecuador as well and for the last 4 years Costa Rica. Living retirement as it should be. Enjoying travel, archeology, geology, volcanology, history, mountain biking in the Andes at altitudes as high as 21,000 feet. I will be 75 next month, take no medications, BP 104/55, resting pulse 56. I bench press 242 pounds in spite of having had 11 bone surgeries, 3 bone grafts and titanium enhancements on my left arm. And this year making up for my usual 3 months of International travels per years flubbed up from the Pandemic. I will likely be traveling 9 months this year, already at nearly 7. May be going to Munich Germany for Oktoberfest later this month. Earthquakes? I went through a 7.4 Magnitude one in Managua Nicaragua October 13, 2014. It was actually fun. The cement walls looked like flowing liquid cement. Especially the west wall. Only thing of concern was the air conditioner unit on the roof. No way was I going to go outside in the dark where there were electric wires and trees to worry about. A 6.3 quake had destroyed two thirds of Managua in 1973, forcing Howard Hughes out of the International Hotel there. About 3 kilometers north of where I was staying on the InterContinental Highway Route 1.
Little note for gold panners. You may find what appears to be spent 22 rimfire bullets in your pan. Yes they may be just that. But hold on to them as they could also be Platinum nuggets. Platinum is harder than lead. And at Diamond Lake, the lake has that name for a reason. Diamonds are found on the east shore of the lake. And Thunder Eggs are found on Mt Thielsen, AKA Lightning Rod of the Pacific Northwest. Lightning hits ore deposits making them. Free info on the region. I won't be returning to the US. My wife, a Costa Rican University Professor was denied a US Tourist Visa 3 times. So if she isn't welcome, I'm not going
Im 61, and I want to thank you for this series. Im on the East Coast and have wondered about the geological history of many places. From past events like Cumbre Vieja like events, like off the coast of Morocco, to the effects of the Puerto Rico trench, from earthquakes to landslides. Im getting a lot of education from you and trying to envision both past and future events. Thank you for this entire experience.
I lived in Washington in the late sixties and have watched all of your series it is so nice to see the areas that I used to travel through and now I understand the geology much better thank you Nick keep it up
Some very beautiful country out there that I didn't even know existed in this country . Loved the lecture , Pat was very entertaining . He would keep you awake and focused..
Between 2011 and 2017 I transported a number of travel trailers through Oregon and Washington state. I was astonished when I realized I was seeing all that old lava layers and miles and miles of lava flow sheets. Well I in the last month after I found your lectures on RU-vid I am beginning to understand what I saw with my own eyes. Thanks for your lectures and the hard work, I would love to attend you classes some day. It is a long way from Indiana.
Nick, after coming up here since I was a kid to see my uncle in Seattle, I was 6 at the World Fair in 1962, it's been my pleasure now to live up here since '06. You have a wonderful set of teachings here on RU-vid that are such a great source of college level knowledge! Thanks so much for making it all available!
These are just so great. I was surprised that the lake could have filled in so short a time! I thought for sure it would be a couple of years. I'm also amused by the dude filming him in the front row there, waving back and forth. XD
I ordered Roadside Geology of Washington and Oregon yesterday from Amazon, both arrived today. I am SO excited. I haven't seen one of these since around 2000. Thanks for the recommendation. They look excellent.
I opened this video and a minute in I opened Google Earth once Prof Nick mentioned the location of the bridge and as I zoomed out to see the general lay of the land I saw the cliffs of Greenleaf Peak and Aldrich Butte and I literally went "Holy sh*t that is a frickin huge landslide." 😮
Love the Gorge and Bridge of the Gods. East Wind Cafe, too. LOL One of my favorite books is Bridge of the Gods by F L Balch. At one time I could quote many favorite lines from the book. The island in the river below the Mosier Rest Stop has a tall marker on it. That is Balch's grave and memorial. He asked to be buried amongst his friends, the Native Tribes of the Columbia. That island was much longer before Bonneville was built. It was the major burial site of the Native Americans in the area. Most of those bodies were removed and buried in a mass grave. The mass grave is on the Washington side across from The Dalles. Driving toward The Dalles, the grave is on your left as you head toward the bridge to cross the Columbia. Thank you for such fantastic information about my favorite places on earth!!
I love your videos, Nick. And while watching them I often boot up Google Earth as a nice tool to follow along. I could see on GE what you were talking about - whether it was the landslide, Tri Cities, or even the deep canyons off the Pacific Coast (yes they show up quite well and are from 3600 to 6000 feet below sea level). It's all there to see just as you describe. What I found interesting on Google Earth is that upstream of the Bridge of the Gods is what looks to be another landslide at The Dalles, and Stacker Butte. When I look at Stacker Butte it looks to be a classic landslide just like the Bonneville landslide. Nick, you're probably well aware of the Stacker Butte landslide (if it was so). There is another landslide at Haystack Butte, as it appears to me. But this one has sedimentary layers and is cut through to create Miller Island. So maybe this was an ancient landslide dating thousands or millions of years ago? I thank you for all of your videos. You have me so enthralled with geology and history. For everyone else reading this, it is fun to follow along on Google Earth. Everything agrees with what Nick says. Fascinating!
the first time I heard about the Ice Age Floods in the Pacific Northwest was reading about the geologic detective work that went into analysis of the English Channel and it was formed when Doggerland was submerged by the big tsunami caused by the subsurface Norweigan slide - the geologists were familiar with the geologic features the Ice Age Floods caused by breaching the glacier/ice dam of Lake Missoula and how they found similar features in the bottom of the Channel - as well as matching up the sediments along the English and French coastlines - I guess once you begin you just can't stop learning about geology and history!
I absolutely love these lectures, although , almost literally or figuratively I live in Nick’s or CWU’s back yard . Native of western Wa transplanted in 1990’s to Yakima’s Lower Valley , now nearing my aperture of 60 yr I would never in a billion yrs ( geology speaking ) have guessed that I would be so struck by rocks and Nick’s video lecture series played huge part . I like to describe Nick as the Bob Ross of Geology 101 Great Work to all of CWU and contributors to the exploration and recognition world wide ( web anyway) of new information right under our feet or mine at least .. and this year I will get there for some long overdue seat time!
OK i am not a student anymore - at least not formally, I am 66. I do love to learn things, however, and this is the third lecture by Nick Zentner that I have "attended". He makes learning fun. His teaching is interesting, you follow the discovery, the additional digging for information needed to explain the discovery, the inclusion of scientists of various disciplines and the very open conclusion showing the current understanding of what happened. I have never thought of geology as being a fun and exciting subject - but I think I see why it is to a geologist, and why I am starting to feel that way too. This is information that seeks to understand the world as it is - and to understand what made it like that. Sometimes that begs the scientist to consider the future - something most don't like to do as its very hard to pin the future down. But there is definitely information here that allows you to consider the fact that the planet is still moving, still building, still taking things apart, still changing, and we are just along for the ride. Now that, professor, is fascinating stuff! Thanks for letting the rest of us attend class with you today!
I'm an old grandpa who once took my kids on a flight to Mexico; the landscape of SE California is great for the geologic view just north of the Gulf of California/Sea of Cortes. From that altitude a basalt flow can show the same curves as a drip of candle wax, and the darkfissures and flows contrast well with the blond dry grass.
If only all of my college professors were like you. I really enjoyed this lecture, and enjoyed learning the history of where my family originated. Thank you for the way you teach!
Dear Nick, thoroughly enjoy your lectures. I am an Australian but spent a little time in Washington State and have some feel for the area. Had I seen your lectures at the time, I would have paid more attention when driving around. I work in China now and pay a lot of attention to the local geology but have no explanations equivalent to your lectures here. Many thanks.
