CWU's Nick Zentner presents 'Lake Chelan Geology' - the 18th talk in his ongoing Downtown Geology Lecture Series. Recorded at Hal Holmes Center on February 8, 2017 in Ellensburg, Washington, USA. www.nickzentner.com
I really like the "localisation" of these lectures. I'm a Brit, I've never visited the USA, but I kind of feel like I know this area now, if you see what I mean. I'm really enjoying watching all these.
I live in Texas and have made only one short trip up to the Seattle area (although, I was able to drive around that week and visited from Olympia to Enumclaw. I HATE geology (hate might be too strong - but it does bore me). I even have a friend who is a geologist and who has tried (in vain) on several occasions to get me interested. Nick is such a good teacher that I could literally watch these lectures back to back (and I have, several times). I've even watched some episodes over and over again... they're that good. I never imagined that (at age 56) someone would be able to entice me into learning about geology for an area of the country that I don't even live in. Of all the things I've ever seen on RU-vid, these are the best things I've stumbled onto. CWU is very fortunate to have such an amazing educator as Nick Zentner.
@@cammontreuil7509It wasn't always that way. I spent my twenties in Seattle - from 1976 to 1985 - and it was a great place to be. Back then it had even been voted the most livable city in the US. It deeply pains me for what it has become.
Having watched many of Nick Zentner's lectures, I appreciate how he admits over and over again how the information he's discussing was new to him in the recent past. It just illustrates how engaged he is in his field and how hungry he is to understand as much as he can. He never stops learning and this is what makes him such an immense asset to his students (and to us). If only more college lecturers conducted themselves and performed likewise. I honestly hope there are legions of instructors at every level of education like Nick that we never hear about because they don't have RU-vid channels.
I like that, too. So many instructors don't want to admit that something is new to them. I love when people want to learn new things, so I really appreciate Nick and the information he gives us. He is a PNW treasure!
Nick; 70 years old and still learning, you are a master teacher. I love your lectures ! 73 - KV4WM - A US Navy Nuclear Submarine Veteran and Licensed Ham Radio Operator.
Really impressive to hear how deep Lake Chelan is. Its bottom is 104 feet below the floor of Death Valley. And yet it was carved in the midst of mountains! The power of ice is mind boggling.
Having had a fascination with geology since I was a child, I just love these lectures! I grew up in Utah, which has its own fair share of interesting geology. But I've learned so much about my new home in Washington/Oregon thanks to these!
The ability to energize a willing mind is rare. Getting people excited about geology is often like leading a horse to water, yet field work is what made me become a geologist. Well done!
Another fantastic lecture from Nick where he roams far and wide and from detail to big picture in the world of geology & geophysics with a twist of Tourism thrown in.. Lots of new stuff in this one presented in an unbiassed way. I liove how he leads up to the big questions and then stops short especially about what is going on between the Crust and Mantle, plumes etc. Keep up the great work Nick and I hope you get properly recognised in Washington and the US for being a great ambassador for both.
What an incredibly engaging lecture. My 11 year old has geology interests. This is perfect for her to see a big picture of the subject. Personally, cannot stop watching. Great stuff.
I think I just found my new RU-vid addiction... I lived in Seattle during my twenties, long before the tech companies ruling the area. I have traveled many of the places that Nick presents. It is so wonderful to get this much understanding of geology the areas I used to explore and love (and still love). Nick is amazing.
I was wondering the same thing. Scary to think that a professor, simply by his enthusiasm and charisma, could send you down some potentially wrong path. (or right path)
Just returned from four days in Chelan and was poking around the internet for information on the geology there. Great video! Thank you, Professor Zentner!
Agree! Born and raised in Wenatchee and have driven by Ribbon Cliff hundreds of times on our way to Chelan. Very informative and excellent delivery of vast amount of information.
Nick, you're a 'Rock Star'!! I have been captivated by the geology of North Central Washington for many years and you have made it so much more clear. I took a geology class many years ago from Warren Scott at Wenatchee Valley College. I loved his enthusiasm for his field, just like yours. I used to have a courier route from Wenatchee up to Okanogan, Omak and back down the Methow Valley. I always had so many questions about what I was seeing. You answered many today. Thank You!!!!
I found a few channels that cover Ohio geology. I found them interesting. I live in Indiana, home of the least interesting geology in the country. That's why I enjoy Nick's channels. Washington probably has the most interesting geology in the lower 48.
If you ever come to Washington State, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the geology. There is so much to see. Grab a copy of Roadside Geology of Washington. It's a tool to see all the good spots and points to interest. Or, I could show you myself. I know Washington State very well and all the geology of Eastern WA. I am making my way to London in March. I can't wait to see England as this is where my family started before coming to Washington State. Cheers.
Thank You Nick, you are the finest. Please consider the ideas "Catastrophic Plate Tectonics" and present us with a lecture on the subject. Again, Thank You so much for your energy in all you do.
Another one of your excellent lectures put to video for people all over the world to appreciate. I live in Adelaide, South Australia but travelled through Oregon and Washington on my way to Alaska driving my VW campervan in 1988-89, but unfortunately geology was dormant at the time. However, as a result of my many travels I have come to really appreciate the magnificent geology of the planet and I must say it would be an absolute privilege to have you as a geology teacher. Your teaching is remarkable in detail of that wonderful area of the US. You and your students are very lucky to be living there. I have watched all your videos. Please keep them coming. Thank you for sharing. Cheers from Australia.
And Australia has some of the oldest exposed geology on the planet. Really ancient rocks (and stromatolite fossils) that exist in very few other places on earth.
This guy reminds me of Dr. Dave Rahm a professor that taught at Washington State University in the 1960's. His lectures were very popular and similar to Nick Zentner's. It was very difficult to get into one of his classes. He lectured about the geology of Washington state also. Many students that had no previous interest in geology took his courses just because he was a passionate and entertaining teacher. He was also an aerobatic pilot, and sadly he was killed doing an aerobatic flight performance for the King of Jordan in that country.
Living at Mtn. Home AFB Idaho Dad took the family to Lake Chelan and a boat ride up to a faith based village so it was interesting to hear you talk about the geology of the area. Also living a year in Yakima and working for the State Dept of Ag I spent a lot a lot a lot of time on the road in the areas orchards, vineyards, pea and lentil, and wheat growing areas. So drove thru a lot of the cuts shown.
Thanks to you, Professor, I now look at mountains and the surrounding terrain with new eyes. They tell a story that I am only just beginning to understand. I have more questions than answers, off course, but my journeys are so much more interesting now.
I have been watching your lectures for about 4 days in a row now you have informed me on many questions I've had if the geology of this part of the PWN I wish more professors were as enjoyable to listen to and watch previous lectures I watched taught me what I took a picture of a few years ago when u first moved from Texas. It was a basalt fissure crack shooting out very interesting formations
Thank you for yet another super lecture and jammed packed full of new information. Please keep them coming I'm going for my Nick Zentner Geology degree lol I definitely will be ready watching this many times to soak up all of this new information. Again many thanks
Thanks, Old time Renton Resident(1978-1981) now in Pennsylvania, Chester County(we have hills but not any real mountains), Have friend built winery in the Manson Area (Four Lakes Winery). Have visited the area several times but did not explore much at all. Shame old age is never revealed(when needed) while being younger! Thanks again for the series. I keep getting great video to watch Steve A.
My father grew up 4 miles north of Waterville, WA and speaks often of the earthquakes in the area Chelan area. My family goes back several generations of farming and living near Chelan, Waterville, Wenatchee, and Entiat. I am very familiar with Pine Canyon on Highway 2 from Orondo, WA, just across the Columbia River from Orondo, as Nick explained. I have always heard about small quakes, big quakes, and the quake that caused my uncle to fly out of the outhouse with his pants down on my grandfather's farm. It's a great family laugh. I am so enlightened to put the December 14th, 1872 earthquake to rest. My family has debated the location of this quake for generations and thanks to geologists and the technology of LIDAR, we have found the source. Thank you, Nick, for posting your video lectures. I can't wait to share this with my father. P.S. My husband, Jason Thompson, was a student of yours at CWU. He says, hello!
Thanks Nick for the great talk. Your energy is boundless! Now I'm up to speed on the Chelan project and why you have such a great interest in that area. I'm trying to schedule a weekend to make a run over there this summer with the cams going. I see there's a lot of work to do. I'll keep you posted on dates.
Would love some of your footage, Tom! We're filming next week on the ground - new PBS episode. Could really use high altitude shots (higher than drone) showing 50-mile-long lake reaching back into Cascades. You're the man!
This Conneticut Yankee lived on two pieces of land that both had Glacial Erradics. The first one in Weston had two huge boulders pushed up against each other. My brother, sister and I had great fun climbing all over them. Then we moved to a property in downtown Westport and had a large boulder that had a bronze plaque on it of two native women holding grain sheathes. The Erradic was called "The Threshing Rock", again a great thing to play on. I wish I had known then that these Erradics were transported from way up north by the Glaciers.
Grew up in Wenatchee Valley, lot of time on Lake Chelan. Great to learn to know one's own home. Such a rich geological region. You have answered so many childhood questions for me. Thank you.
Mind blowing! I had no idea about the colliding ice sheet lobes and the nature of the bedrock. The earthquake information was indeed the cherry on top! I feel a lake Chelan camping trip in my near future with a hike up Spencer Canyon!
Methow Valley resident: love your understandable teaching style and I learn so much about eastern Washington. Consider a Geology of the Methow Valley field trip for locals, and make a video there.
Another great one. Even though I live in Minnesota my father and his brother had an orchard above Manson which was one of the highest elevations of any orchard there. Picked apples there quite a few times. It was great to look out out across the lake and mountains. My uncle had a good understanding of geomorphology and explained quite a bit about the area--especially the "glaciers" from both directions. This was back in the 1970s. He was also the one that first introduced me to the Missoula floods, the dry falls and the basalt erratics out in that area. I will contact you via CWSU website
I hope this guy won professor/teacher of the year more then a few times... I was lucky enough to have a geology professor like him in Coos Bay at SWOCC. Best class ever...
I am a Civil Engineer graduate from 1988 and moved to North Bend, WW then. Your enthusiasm for teaching and simple explanations are very refreshing. Your class on similarities between Yellowstone and Liberty hot spot sucked me back in to learning the area around me. Regards,
RU-vid occasionally presents some gems like these lectures . Nick Zentner , through his obvious love of the subject , conveys geology as a living , vital branch of the sciences and not some dusty half forgotten thing , ok you got me hooked .
nick you inspire and have an obvious passion for all your subject matter and make geology an awesome topic. thank you for being a wa geology nerd. you are the best.
In Lake Chelan, watching this lecture right now. It makes seeing this landscape all the more exciting, to know the history of it. Amazing to see how the Lord has created this majestic landscape.
I was stationed here in the Summer of 1980 at Stehekin at the Y.A.C.C. Flew in with Ernie Gibson,in his float plane.I have never seen anything so beautiful.It was like living in the old west. All I have are the photos.Look up Nat.Geo.,April 1967. Met nice people Mr &Mrs Casey. And the Courtneys, sorry about Ray.l climb to pass ,repaired life cabins up falls17 in all.
be sure to review the Nova on mount st helens awakes. and look carefully at the percentage of water area in the magma . as there are some spires pushed up out the south west face called the black buttes that might be similar to the pushed up towers in st helens. but i was also noticing that sherman creator might be a lateral eruption so very little water will collect and percolate down to become steam causing additional volcanic activity. the long phase and short phase harmonics also need to be included.. i would think that the odd feature viewed in google maps satellite view about 200 miles west of Sitka Alaska might be an interesting lecture or field of study also. somebody did take some core samples a few years ago on an east west path across it but i don't know who did it or if they have examined them yet for fractured quartz. its a depression with a raised center like an asteroid impact hit the surface of the ocean sending a shock wave column of ocean straight at the bottom where it would spread out like a microburst digging out the depression and leaving the high spot in the middle. the feature is about 18 miles across so its easy to see. imagine the speed of the ejected seawater as the astroid hit.. followed by surface waves. then the tsunamis running along the ocean bottom from the massive column of water hammered toward the bottom of the ocean and spread out. i would love to contact researchers extracting siberian mammoths to see if any ice samples were viewed to check for signs of ocean life.. the salt would have fallen out when it froze.
Thanks Nick, I've just recently come across your CWU videos by way of watching the live ongoing volcanic eruption at Geldingadalir Iceland. Even though I am from England and have no knowledge of your region in the USA I have been really enjoying watching. I love your style, very engaging. All I need to do now is try and find videos explaining the UK's geology.
These lectures are the best way of learning about the geology of the Pacific north-west. Professor Zeitner is a very rare commodity. A true educator. Thanks, Gerry 😉 One question about the formation of the moraines which dammed the rivers? Was this a gradual or periodic process, or were the dams formed in one event? Is there stratification? I'm not sure if that's a proper question. Great respect for these lectures regardless 😃 hot tea would be nice
Thanks hombre, I golfed at Gamble Sands and was wondering what caused the sculpted landscapes on the eastern edge of the Columbia. Ice sheets of course! Just gorgeous.
Isn't that just gneiss? Oh for schist's sake! It's just too complicated! OMG! This is my present complicated life perfectly described by a geology professor! And two years after the lecture even! I am grateful for his plain human-speak approach to the little people like us! Thanks, Nick! You really Do makes sense of things! Waves from west coast BC!
What a Great Pesentation! Your BEST YET! Actually ALL of Your Lectures are a Must Watch! 5 Stars! 10 Thumbzzzupp!!! Cant wait to visit Lake Chelan this Summer! Keep Rockn' Nick! Thanks from Idaho. jd
Thanx,, I enjoy your lectures, I lived in Pac Beach, worked,, sortta at the Navfac. It's not the Pacific North West,, IT is the Pacific NORTH WET!!!!!!!
Nick, I wasn't gonna sit thru over an hour of this video but guess what...I loved it. And, I'm from Indiana and will probably never see that part of WA. Not only are your lectures fun, interesting and informative, it looks like you're spending a lifetime of doing what you LOVE to do. You are truly a VERY lucky guy.
I couldn't care less before I found this guy Nick Zentner ! Thanks Mr. Z! Now can you do a video on deep EQ's ( 200 to 600+) occurring in Fiji, Philippines area now beginning in South America?
I've not had the opportunity to get out to washington, but Living in Ontario I now appreciate just how interesting the migmatite of the Canadian shield is.
Am a amateur volcanologist reading and looking at some documentarys so am not schooled anyway I know quiet alot anyway. And this guy talking about everything to the basalt flood to earthquakes and lakes this is some serious good teacher. hes fun and yet you learn alot while hes talking I am enjoying this one maybe abit to much XD /From Swe
