La Gomera I am currently on the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. Initially, my wife, son, and I came to Tenerife for a relaxing holiday at the beach for the wife and son and a quiet place for me to finish a few manuscripts that have burning a hole in my […]
Chris Spencer
Ubehebe Crater and Titus Canyon
Death Valley National Park contains arguably the most diverse set of geologic features per square mile than any other national park in the world. Among the highlights are the Ubehebe volcanic field and Titus Canyon. The Ubehebe (you-bee-hee-bee) volcanic field is a classic example of a phreatomagmatic eruption. A phreatomagmatic eruption occurs when rising magma […]
The Furthest Traveled Geologist – Harrison Schmitt
The idea of traveling to the far flung, rarely visited regions of the planet is a dream for most geologists. What about the prospect of traveling beyond the comfort of our own planet? For this type of adventure, geologists can only dream. This goes for all the geologists this world has to offer with the […]
Yellowstone – Plume or Not?
Since relocating to Europe (Scotland to be precise), I have noticed many Europeans choose to leave their homeland during the summer months for long (sometimes 2-3 months) vacations. For the average American this is unheard of. Vacations I have experienced are always quick and to the point. One week in Disneyland, two days at the […]
Sveconorwegian Orogeny, Norway
I recently returned from a couple weeks of field work in the Telemark Region of Norway. The Telemark is widely known for its Stave Churches, the birth place of Telemark skiing, very cold winters (like all of Norway), and funky cottages on stilts. 12 century stave church in Seljord One legend recalls that the church […]