the dynamic landscape of oregon’s coast: a tale of beauty and the beast bob lillie mn... · ·...

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Cape Perpetua Scenic Area,Oregon

The Dynamic Landscape ofOregon’s Coast: A Tale of

Beauty and the Beast

Bob LillieProfessor of Geology

Certified Interpretive TrainerOregon State University

Oregon Coast Region of theOregon Master Naturalist Program

Unit 9: Geology of the Oregon Coast

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, OregonFebruary 26, 2011

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Goal and Objectives for Coastal Master NaturalistGeology Training

• Goal: To provide Oregon Master Naturalists with anoverview of Oregon Coast geology and appreciation ofthe Coast’s geologic stories and processes.

• Master Naturalists will be able to:1. Explain how the Oregon Coast Range formed.2. Discuss geological hazards of the Oregon Coast.3. Incorporate the Coast’s geological landscape and

processes into interpretive programs focused onbiology, ecology, and human history.

Devil’s Churn, Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Oregon

Marine GardensNewport, Oregon

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Cape Perpetua Scenic AreaFeb. 26, 2011

Morning: 9:00 - Plate Tectonics and Landscape

Formation10:00 - Ongoing Coastal Processes11:00 - Coastal Geological Hazards12:00 - Lunch at Visitor Center (bring own)

Afternoon:12:30 - Hike “Trail of the Restless Waters”

- Brainstorm: Geology observations and connections

3:00 - Interpretive Methods4:00 - Developing Themes for Oregon Coast

Geology5:00 - Adjourn

Agenda

Marine GardensNewport, Oregon

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1. Plate Tectonics and LandscapeFormation:

Building OregonCascadia Subduction ZoneColumbia Plateau Basalt

2. Ongoing Coastal Processes:Dynamic Duo: Uplift and ErosionCoastal Headlands

3. Coastal Geological Hazards:EarthquakesTsunamisLandslides

4. Interpretive Methods:Presenting Coastal Geology toCoastal Audiences

Topics

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1. Plate Tectonics

1. Plate Tectonics and LandscapeFormation:

Building OregonCascadia Subduction ZoneColumbia Plateau Basalt

2. Ongoing Coastal Processes:Dynamic Duo: Uplift and ErosionCoastal Headlands

3. Coastal Geological Hazards:EarthquakesTsunamisLandslides

4. Interpretive Methods:Presenting Coastal Geology toCoastal Audiences

The Dynamic Landscape ofOregon’s Coast: A Tale of


Bob LillieProfessor of Geology

Certified Interpretive TrainerOregon State University



Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, OregonFebruary 26, 2011

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U. S

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Mt. St. Helens National VolcanicMonument, Washington

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon


“The same geological processes that threaten our lives with earthquakes,tsunamis and volcanic eruptions also nourish our spirits by creating theinspiring mountains, valleys, and coastlines of the Pacific Northwest.”

Parks and Plates©2005 Robert J. Lillie

What forms the spectacularlandscapes of national parksand other special places inthe Pacific Northwest?

NATIONAL PARKLANDS

Selected ParklandsOlympicNational Park

Cape AragoState Park

Redwood Nationaland State Parks

Coast Range

Cape PerpetuaScenic Area

Oregon StateParks

NationalPark Service

U. S. ForestService

Bureau LandManagement

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Olympic National Park, Washington

Beauty

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nick

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Oregon

Cape Arago State Park, Oregon

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Redwood National andState Parks, California

Mount Rainier NP

Mt. St. Helens NationalVolcanic Monument

Crater Lake NP

CascadeVolcanoes

Lassen Volcanic NP

Selected Parklands

Mt. Hood

Oregon StateParks

NationalPark Service

U. S. ForestService

Bureau LandManagement

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Mount RainierNational Park,

Washington

Beauty

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Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington

Mt. Hood National Forest, OregonRo

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Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Naa

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C. H

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Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

TheBeast

Beauty

and

CascadeVolcanoes

Why are there Two ParallelMountain Ranges in the

Pacific Northwest?

National Park Lands inthe Pacific Northwest

CoastalRanges

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Olympic National Park,Washington

Coastal Ranges

Layers Lifted out ofthe Sea

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Mt. Rainier National Park,Washington

Cascade Mountains

Steep, ExplosiveVolcanoes


Plate tectonics is aboutreading the landscape andmaking connections:

- Why are landscapes similar?- Why are they different?- What we see happening today

can help us understand whathappened in the past ……

NATIONAL PARKLANDS

Landscapes ofnational parksdue to processes:• At plate boundaries

1. Where they pullapart (divergent)2. Where they crashtogether (convergent)3. Where they slidepast one another(transform)

• And at hotspots

• Tectonics:• From the Greek “tecton” - builder

- “architect”• The study of large features

on Earth’s surface and theprocesses that form them.

PLATE TECTONICS©

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• Large features:– continents– ocean basins– mountain ranges

• and processes:– earthquakes– volcanic eruptions

• due to movement of plates ofEarth’s outer shell.

“PLATE TECTONICS”

Cracked Egg Shell!Parks and Plates

©2005 Robert J. Lillie

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The Whole Earth andPlate Tectonics

We need to understandwhat goes on inside the

Earth.

Oreo®

Cookie

Oreo® Cookie

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Oreo® Psycho-Personality Test www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/humor/050199.sht

Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eatOreo® cookies provides great insight into their personalities.Choose which method best describes your favorite method ofeating Oreos: 1. The whole thing at once.2. One bite at a time.3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite

afterwards.4. In little feverous nibbles.5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee …..)6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.8. Just the cookie, not the inside.9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.10. I don’t have a favorite way because I don’t like Oreos.

6. Twisted apart, the inside,then the cookie.

• You have a highly curious nature.• You take pleasure in breaking things apart

to find out how they work, though you’renot always able to put them back together,so you destroy all the evidence of youractivities.

• You deny your involvement when things gowrong.

• You are a compulsive liar and exhibitdeviant, if not criminal, behavior.

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Sliding Plate over Asthenosphere

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Divergent Plate Boundary

NorthAmerica Africa

AtlanticOcean

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(Dive

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NorthAmerica

Africa

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Convergent Plate Boundary

SubductingPlate Overriding

Plate

Deep-SeaTrench

Africa

SouthAmerica

Core

LowerMantle

AtlanticOcean

AsthenosphereLithosphere

Trench

Divergent PlateBoundary:

New LithosphereCreated

Mid-AtlanticRidge

Convergent Plate Boundary:Lithosphere Recycled back into

Deeper Mantle

Mod

ified

from

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Earth is a Giant Recycling Machine!!

Osorno volcano near Puerto Montt, Chilehttp://whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk/volcanoes.asp

Andes Mountains, South America

CascadiaSubduction Zone

The Pacific Northwest Coast is a Convergent Plate Boundary

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Transform Plate Boundary

PacificPlate North

AmericanPlate

SanAndreasFault

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The Pacific Platemoves

northwestward pastthe North AmericanPlate along the San

Andreas Fault.

TRANSFORMPLATE

BOUNDARY

San AndreasFault

Western California is a Transform Plate Boundary

Hotspots

Tectonic activityfar from plateboundaries.

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Soci

ety Forming

Today

45 MillionYears Old

21 MillionYears Old

NorthwestwardPlate Motion

Hawai`i – Emperor Hotspot Track

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Hotspot


CascadiaSubduction

Zone

Subduction Zones rim the Pacific Ocean


Subduction of the Juan deFuca Plate forms theCoastal Ranges andCascade Volcanoes

CoastalRanges

CascadeVolcanoes

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Plate Tectonics--Subduction Zone


Juan deFuca Plate North

AmericanPlate

CascadiaSubduction

Zone

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Subducting Juan de Fuca Plate forms two parallelmountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest.

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Oceanic sediment and basalt scraped off subducting plate,forming Coastal Mountains.

Sediment andBasalt Scraped offSubducting Plate

Olympic and otherCoastal Mountain

Ranges

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Subducting plate dehydrates, forming Cascade Volcanoes.

Plate SweatsHot Water

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Subducting plate dehydrates, forming Cascade Volcanoes.

VolcanicMountain

Range

Plate SweatsHot Water

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Puget Sound and the Willamette Valley are low-lying regionsbetween the rising mountains.

Puget Sound/Willamette Valley

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NationalParks

represent thetwo different

mountainranges.

Mt. St.HelensNVM

CascadeVolcanoes

National Park Lands inActive Volcanic Arc

Parks in the Cascadesshowcase volcanoesformed above thesweating plate.

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Cascade Mountains,Central Oregon

View looking North

State CapitolGeology Exhibits

http://www.ohs.org/exhibits/traveling-exhibits/oregon-150-years-of-statehood-

150-million-years-in-the-making.cfm

http://www.oregongeology.org/sub/pub&data/capitol-windows.htm

http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/presidentsreport/2008/winter/assembling-oregon

• Jan, 2009 - Jan, 2011• Oregon’s Geology andhow it relates to naturaland cultural history

http://www.ohs.org/exhibits/traveling-exhibits/oregon-150-years-of-statehood-

150-million-years-in-the-making.cfm

http://www.oregongeology.org/sub/pub&data/capitol-windows.htm

http://oregonstate.edu/leadership/presidentsreport/2008/winter/assembling-oregon

• Jan, 2009 - Jan, 2011• Oregon’s Geology andhow it relates to naturaland cultural history

State CapitolGeology Exhibits

Mar

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, EAR

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AGE OF NORTHAMERICANBASEMENT

ROCKS(Billions Years)

Rocks are oldestnear the center of

the continent(continental shield)

and tend to getyounger outward.

Coastline ~ 150Million Years Ago

Marshak, EARTH (Norton, 2005)

Terrane AccretionA TERRANE consists of crust that is too thick and

buoyant to subduct. The continent grows outward asterranes come crashing in.

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North AmericanPlate

First Terrane

SecondTerrane

Third Terrane

ForthTerrane

Ocean Plate

Safeway Terrane Accretion

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First TerraneSecondTerrane

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Ocean Plate

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Third Terrane

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Ocean Plate

FourthTerrane

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North American

Plate

First Terrane

Second Terrane

Third Terrane

Forth Terrane

OceanPlate


Two ParallelMountain Ranges

Joe

Gre

en

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Oregon

Basalt Lava Flows-Manufactured in Ocean Realm- About 35 million years ago

the dynamic landscape of oregon’s coast: a tale of beauty and the beast bob lillie mn... · ·...

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