Lake Wenatchee - Bedrock Geology 

I love going along with you on these field trips. So satisfying. Somewhat relaxing, and always learning something new. In the RU-vid "options" on the right of the screen is "Nick From Home" #33. Hard to imagine it has been two years already, so I just want to say thank you for your dedication to helping us learn over the years. So, when someone asks me, what I did today, I can really say, "I went to the White River Falls with Professor Nick." And of course, thanks to Liz and CWU for sharing you with us.

The Cascades and Washington in general has such incredible geology!

It's so FUN to watch your field videos again! This one is my favorite because you are looking at the rocks where I live. It's beautiful stuff, no question, but understanding the processes ... and identifying rocks ... has been tough. Thanks, Nick!!

Eastern end of Wentachee Ridge has abundant bodies of gray talc with reaction zones of talc with large green unterminated actinolite crystals going to biotite. There is a large cliff of massive gray talc above the Line Creek road . Reference PhD thesis of Bradford Van Diver University of Washington in the 1960s.

My sweet Indy gal, a gray and white tabby cat that Bijou would love, and I have watched Nick so often over the last 2-3 years, she recognizes his voice. Now I've introduced her to Geology vocab. She now knows "Rock, erratic, outcrop..." with more to come. She enjoys our little mounted WA rock collection, so she can "touch" rocks. She also enjoys the "nature walks." And "Nick's at work..."

Nick! At 10:30, that rock you hammered open was a specimen of Actinolite and talc! Me and my son once rockhounded that area and I found my biggest single Actinolite crystal in that same location. Also soapstone in that area also 😀

16:31 Corrugated at hand sample scale! See Eeocene A-Z Kamloops Shuswap, Brown (2016)! 30:10 corrugations at outcrop scale.

Nick, you have the best classroom ever.

Nick I think you could learn so much history from Dickinson And Burgess families in the area ... Some of the first Homesteaders in this area ... Truly enjoyed the adventure with you ❤

I fished on Lake Wenatchee, while working on the railroad in 1987. I got caught in a pretty good wind storm and had a hard time getting the boat back to the dock while using an electric motor. That was a little unerving.

Thank you, Professor, for making my world so much larger.

9:59 "Man, this is nice. Well, of course it is." LOL.

Wow, thanks for climbing up higher than you should to show us the Falls, Nick. Lovely!!

Nick...we watch because of YOU! Geology has always been interesting, but you take it to a whole new level! Love you!

So beautiful there. Thanks for the video. I don't understand much of the geology, but I love the scenery.

Great place to get away from it all and enjoy the peace and quiet of the back country. Thank you for taking us along.

You are probably the only warm blooded thing around for all those hungry mosquitoes to eat. Thanks for this great video and lecture. Love that grey rock, sparkling away.

God I wish I was intelligent like this on some subject. He is such a magnificent teacher

Still here, 🤗🥰.. playing CATCH UP.... I miss being here when they upload... prayers, hugs, and god bless!!!

Thank you for helping us to learn more about the geology of Washington......its really fascinating and you do an excellent job.

One reason I love my old geology field guide--as with the one you are working off of, loads of new geo vocabulary words! I am jumping back and forth between this screen and my old phone looking up terms and learning a lot! Thanks, Nick for another great geohike that really illustrates what went on in that area for us! Sure helps! Especially the hand samples!

OMG you forgot to bring DEET! It is just like Wisconsin there but with plutons, granitic gneiss, schist and tons of metamorphism! Like a kid in a candy store of geology. Great field trip professor!

41:08 Excelsior! I really enjoy your literally and mentally wandering the country you have the gift to live in/on

13:17 oh mah gawd. just funny how this comes after 12:55. Great vid overall! Thank you for traveling (and combating the mosquitoes) for me!

Love those words now: pluton, batholith. Oops, there went a mosquito!! Visuals -Lots looking forward to this winter.

What a beautiful bedtime treat! Thank you Dr Z !:-) 💜🙏⚡️

Yes, so a crustal scale strike slip fault forms a shear zone, below the brittle-ductile transition. This means tectonite rocks deformed plastically, namely mylonites. The light colored banded rocks you saw are likely the “light colored gneiss of Wenatchee Ridge”, given the coordinates you were at, having checked out the Washington DNR maps. The metamorphism is undoubtedly connected to the collision of the Insular Superterrane. You don’t form gneisses, schists, foliated and folded rocks from simple thermal metamorphism resulting from the intrusion of a pluton. Buchan/Contact/Abukama/Thermal/High-T, Low-P metamorphism produces rocks like Hornfels, calc-silicates, and minerals like Andalusite in pelitic rocks, in a “metamorphic aureole” that extends in a decreasing degree of effect from the contact of an intruding pluton with the surrounding country rock. The Chiwaukum Schist and Nason Ridge Gneisses are affected by this type of metamorphism, but clearly that is not the extent of it. The fact that there are thrust faults of similar age is also proof that collision was coeval with their metamorphosis. Well-foliated and folded rocks are the result of regional/Barrovian/Ryoke/Mid-to-High-P, Mid-to-High-T metamorphism. However, as you alluded to in the video, plutons are not always simple blobs, their very intrusion requires that the country rock either be stoped away and assimilated into the growing magma body, or moved out of the way physically. Igneous Petrologists call this “The Space Problem”, and the exact processes by which plutons are emplaced in the crust is still kind of an unsolved problem in geology. The emplacement of plutons is connected with the thickening of continental crust, so to some degree, physical moving of the country rock to make room for additional pluton rock must outbalance any assimilation of country rock, otherwise the net thickness of the crust would remain the same. And in order to physically move country rock out of the way for a pluton, that country rock must be deformed, and the higher heat flow surrounding the pluton often will cause those country rocks to become ductile and flow in a ductile manner, and so you will often find shear zones surrounding plutons, and very commonly between two different plutons of similar age or between two lobes of the same pluton. This is the process I would attribute to the White River Shear Zone. In the case of the Nason Terrane schists and gneisses, they were regionally metamorphosed during the Sevier Orogeny, or collision of the Insular Superterrane, and then overprinted with thermal metamorphism related to the intrusion of the Mt. Stuart, Dirty Face, and Tenpeak Plutons, and as I described above, this thermal metamorphism was also likely accompanied by some additional shearing and foliation of the rocks, in the process of making space for the plutons themselves. The second, thermally-overprinting metamorphic event is also associated with incipient migmatitization and metasomatic overprinting of the Nason Ridge Gneiss, and due to the great heat imparted to it both by its depth of burial and the proximity of the Late Cretaceous Tonalite and Granodiorite batholith. USGS IMAP-1661 describes this gneiss as an “incipient gneiss dome”, meaning that it was being squeezed upwards ductily, driven by upwards movement in its migmatitic core. You see such gneiss domes in very high grade collisional belts like the Himalayas. The ultramafite pods in the gneiss are thought to be either tectonic slivers of Ingalls complex caught up during the first regional metamorphic event, or “serpentinite landslides” emplaced prior to metamorphism. I’m not quite sure what the latter means, but BK Kaneda described this in his 1980 master’s thesis, “Contact metamorphism of the Chiwaukum Schist near Lake Edna, Chiwaukum Mountains, Washington” According to maps, the Dirty Face Pluton/Nason Ridge Gneiss contact is NOT on the White River. Where the Dirty Face Pluton comes closest to the White River, it is fully surrounded by Chiwaukum Schist, but the contact between the two is buried beneath recent alluvium. The Chelan 30’x60’ quadrangle map (USGS #IMAP-1661) has a really great cross section going right through the area you were at (White river bridge), showing how ultramafic pods are entrained in the Nason Ridge Gneiss. White River Falls is gorgeous. You are so lucky to live in such a place!

Another great video! Going along with those field guides makes it really interesting. Helpful hint: KEEP A CAN OF "OFF" IN YOUR CAR!" 😁

Interesting and beautiful little field trip. Thanks for taking us along.

As a Montanan, I've always considered Washington state a favorite place.

Love that lake, you should see the view from atop Dirtyface.

Thanks, Nick. At 19:50 you reference the San Andreaus Fault, I imagine at lower levels (forty to eighty miles deep?) slipping along at a consistent rate, and the upper, more brittle crust stresses fanning to the east and west to form the magnitude of fractures (hayward fault, {Etcetera lol}) in the upper crust, trying to catch up, I think is an entirely plausible concept.

I really enjoyed this field trip and saw rock types that yet to see. Thank you Nick for taking us along.

I have really, really enjoyed watching your videos. I try to watch them as soon as you release them. My geology vocabulary is growing because every time you use one of those terms I look it up. ("What is chert, again? Mafic ... Ultramafic ... Pluton ... I've got to make myself a chart so I can keep them straight.") Beautiful scenery, pretty good camera work, fascinating information. I'm hooked! And some people think that geology is boring. Not with you teaching, it isn't. I've been watching your body of work since 2020 when I accidentally happened upon one of your older lectures on stage with an audience of geology-philes. Your on-site lectures are riveting.

I love these minor "Voyages of Discovery." Going out to look at these sites, reading what those who've come before have observed, and trying to place that within your current thinking is very interesting. Even more so when there's a theme to that thinking across multiple trips. The North Cascades, a place far from me physically, is slowly coming to be a place I can think about in context, getting a feel for how it came to take it's present form and structure. That there is uncertainty involved is even better, as I get to play with different paths to the present reality. Thank you, Nick!

I'm having flashbacks to my summers at Camp Zanika and the absolute breathless shock of that freezing lake water in the morning.

Thank you. Here in the UK we have 'some' metamorphic rock, so your explanations were very interesting. And here is a man that thought women were 'complicated' (?)

You can really see the layers, perpendicular, on that cliff by the road. Hiking in the Sierra Nevada you see similar foliation and rocks sometimes.

Wow, that White River looks like a fantastic place to do some fishing! I’ll have to try it and definitely remember to bring the Avon Skin So Soft to keep the mosquitoes off of me.

17 min notice and awesome to see a new video. This area is amazingly beautiful and the Sockeye salmon are running right now into the lake.

When you were at the White River at 6:00 I heard a Swainsons Thrush. I miss the forests of the Northwest. Thanks for sharing

Always a pleasure following along on these hikes and seeing the complexity and beauty of our planet

I love it when you use your Nordwoods accent, Yah hey dere!

Lovely queen Nancy spent lots of time there, but I always learn more when I watch your videos excellent vid!

You know I'm excited to learn more about where I live, and to share this gorgeous area.... so, special thanks for the tour. (The meadow view toward Glacier peak is my favorite!) The formations are confusing, and it'll be exciting to see how they might fit into this fall's series. Thanks so much, Nick!

Also, I perceive the earth's crust is full of unequal forces. Sometimes one side of the terrane (hope I spelled it right!) along a strike slip fracture will rise, (maybe miles), sometimes fall or Grabin between two fractures (e.g. Leavenworth and Entiate faults). Oh, this tormented crust!!!

Lake wenatchee looking fantastic

Hans: Wonders why it’s called the White River. Hans, after seeing the falls: Ah.

I love these Summer excursions you go on. Such beautiful scenic areas. The lake has such crystal clear water. I always have Google Maps up when I watch these so I can explore to see where you are. Keep up the good work Nick.

Good stuff. The country is gorgeous, of course, and it puts a lot of earth's history right there in your face, so to speak. I enjoy the out-loud thinking and seeing how Nick moves from one topic/conclusion to another as new rock/evidence presents itself. I've now seen so many Zentner videos that I'm even beginning to recognize some of the terminology. "Recognize," however, is not the same as "grok" ("deeply understand," for those who read, years ago, "Stranger in a Strange Land").

Thank you Professor Zentner

So fine.. these little excursions to prepare yourself and to inform and prepare us as well.. If I had had someone teaching me about our local geology when I was a young man in Eugene I might have turned out completely different.. thanks Nick this is always fun and enlightening.. Carry on, stay safe and have fun.. we are!

Gorgeous clear water.

Thank you Nick for posting this for Public view. ❤️ 🌎 Liked 👍. Shared on MeWe 👍. Saved on RU-vid 👍.

Thank you for the close-ups ! It really helps.

Hey Nick; on CST and just got off an evening shift.Worth staying up with some Sauvignon Blanc and watching.Thank you sir.😎

Yes to Dirty Face. I have been on top, great view of the lake

Gold prospecting is ramping up in the Pacific Northwest. Makes you wonder why they named Oregon “Ore-gone” to through of future miners 😂😂 your videos help me do my own personal research on how our beautiful area was formed. And hopefully along the ride I find good mineralized areas!

You're amazing. Great video. Thanks for taking us along!

48:20 Nice view of Buck Mountain (right) and possibly Glacier Peak (left).

Hello from Vancouver Wa. We live in an amazing state

thank you nick , your work for others to understand is a wonderful thing your doing , I have some info on the pushup though the chiwaukum schist . you might or might not like it!

there is an out crop like those on the west side of Dirty face, near the top that shines in the sun during the right time of day. it's extremely flat and near the top of the ridge.

I like the way you use maps to bring the geology into better focus! Great stuff. Thanks Nick

Fascinating, based on your investigation, I assume that Mt Stuart pluton completed its lava lamp impression prior to the Baja move to Ellensburg. Can't wait for your Winter Series. Thanks.

A friend of mine gave me a piece of green soapstone from the Lake Wenatchee area.

Your schist, I can't resist, it's on my list ...

hello folks... just passed through Ellensburg on Tuesday Wednesday first week in August... did not enjoy the hot wind blowing till dark

I love freshwater, Nick, Bob Miller, and Baja Mt Stuart pluton stuff.

Beautiful.

At work now .have to watch the rest... the whole for breakfast.

Really enjoyed learning even more. Oh and the blood suckers are terrible this year.

How refreshing!!! thanks Nick!!!

Thank you Professor. 😊

Pretty spot ,great mountains and nice lake.

Gorgeous!

BigFoot country!!! he is there somewhere!!! has to be:):) ooh and good geo video:):)

Makes me feel like a flea examining the wrinkles on an elephant.

Good day, Just a thought/question, Does the collision heating need to be separate from the volcanic heating of the rock? I am thinking a land body being subducted from either side (volcanic arcs on two sides) then the collision of the overriding land bodies with the volcanic arcs closing towards each other. Not really together, but could be very close (geologically) timewise. I am sure there are problems with this, but there are many different geologic movements going on here and that may be an answer or part of the answer... Tony

Taking a second look after sleep with a triple shot O-Java.Using the google map links.Nick, you have said WA/PNW is the " DisneyLand of Geology "....... ? Which Ride Were We On Today 😎? Ocean Crust, Igneous, Metamorphism,Schist,Gneiss....Collisions, Shearing, Strike-Slips... Maybe the WENATCHEE/CHELAN BLOCKS are a Two Week Field Course waiting to happen?

Bummed that I missed you up there again. We been working up there that last few weeks

Erratum. The mountain view is actually at 33:07 (48:20 is the duration of the video. Cheers!

"A total different animal" interesting statement.

Love your thinking process Nick! Made me wonder how much of burial or contact metamorphism migh the be collisionsl nature, especially on continental margins. Got me thinking if some of the 1.700Ma metasediment in my backyard might be collisional, particularly as there is a substantional amount of migmatisstion involved…

It will be interesting to find out how the metamorphic rocks were created. How will we be able to tell which process it was?

Just watched this episode. Wow, beautiful rocks. Going to go there at the end of this month. Thanks . Please , is there a way to get these geological papers?

Sliding with a super terrain which may be crowding in the plutons then grinds past, melting rock allowing injections of quartz…ok so the falls are the uplift zone from napequa to the ten peaks pluton? I wonder how deep the rivers waters penetrate the shear zone?

Hey Nick. Amazing video. Is there possibly faults in the Mt Stuart area. Your amazing. Been lacking on notes lately will try to catch up :)

You added some white hairs to this ole head at White River Falls son :D

GNEISS THEORY ON THE COLLISION ASPECT, LIKE IT.

Great video, complicated area to say the least. Look forward to you sorting it out so novice like me can begin to understand. The fault areas up there appear to be many, so are they still active?? And how does all of this tie into BC?? Noraly too excited by the desert, may be bored with folded rocks, by the time she gets there!! LoL

Reading papers I think I saw there was a second Empress chain style kink, i.e. change of direction of the pacific plate, around 95MA, possibly associated with a Caribbean plate LIP event. Presumably you are in the Farallon plate subduction zone, subducting under either NA or Wrangellia but what direction was the Farallon plate moving and did that change? Were the rocks you are looking at part of the continental shelf, with an intrusion into shelf trenches? I read something like that happened in the Monterey CA area. Maybe change in shear forces due to plate realignment causing a pulse of magmatism along the shelf or in the basin between NA and an accreting island arc. Maybe a failed rift that closed up when the Insular accreted at

Are any of the rocks containing olivine in your area suitable for mining to turn into peridot? Regardless, the rocks themselves are pretty and, unless I'm mistaken, are very common but weather easily, which means it's wonderful to see such an abundance of them anywhere. Thanks for sharing and be careful! The drop into the falls looked long and treacherous.

Nick, can you add a link to Bob Miller's 2003 paper you used in this video? I plan to visit the area in the next few weeks. Thanks so much, I love all of your videos. You met my son this past May at Sentinel Gap, The Adventuresome Bruddah from Hawai'i.

If Baja BC occurred 80 - 55 Ma, the metamorphic process must have happened just prior to transit. I saw on the map some part of it was dated 88- 86 Ma. It was probably hot sticky taffy during its migration at depth & pressure. The collision must have created heat, but it may have been hot already. Are there any Teanaway Dikes cutting that far north or do they end approximately south of the MSB? Isn't Wrangelia accretion post Baja BC?

Looks like a fender bender to me! Maybe a head on?

Time to break out the 'Grellow' methinks ...

Nick are you the person picking up Noraly???? (She's hurt her ankle in Az/CA area.) She hinted at a friend an email pal, 680 kilometers away, able to come get her. You would we know 😉

So what is the White River cutting through to make it that color?

@25:20 What about the presence or absence of contact metamorphism at the plutonic-metamorphic contacts?