Kilauea’s 2018 Eruption

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Kilauea’s 2018 Eruption

This article has been written to ‘peak’ your interest in the 2018 Kilauea eruption on the ‘Big Island’ of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. USGS researchers have recently released a summary of the events of 2018 and their importance to the study of shield volcano eruptions in an article in Science on January 25, 2019, entitled ‘The 2018 Rift Eruption and Summit Collapse of Kīlauea Volcano.’

Perhaps ‘peak’ is not the right word when referring to Kilauea. Travelling up Hwy 11 around the South Point area to the Kilauea caldera, you cannot even see the summits of Mauna Loa on the left and much smaller Kilauea on the right. These young Hawaiian shield volcanoes are massive and wide. Between Na’alehu and Pahala there are some weird looking slump blocks on the slope of Mauna Loa to the left. And as you approach the summit of Kilauea, there is a small canyon formed in the crease between the two volcanoes on the left. But once you see the Kilauea caldera you won’t mistake this for anything less than an active volcano.

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Hawaiian Submarine Landslides and the Great Crack of Kilauea

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Hawaiian Submarine Landslides and the Great Crack of Kilauea

Or, what goes up must come down!

This article came about by Sheila Alfsen asking me to include some information about the Great Crack of Kilauea, which might interest some of the membership when they are visiting the Big Island of Hawaii. I didn’t feel I could do justice to the topic unless I also covered the great landslides, produced by volcanic spreading, on the ocean floor surrounding the Hawaiian islands.

The knowledge of landslides around the Hawaiian islands did not come about until the 1980’s. As a result of then President Reagan’s refusal to sign the Law of the Sea Treaty proposed by the UN in 1983, and subsequent announcement that the US would be declaring a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone around all of its territories, the USGS was tasked with mapping those underwater zones. They did so with a relatively new technology, side-scan sonar, which has fairly good resolution for mapping large blocks of material on the ocean floor.

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In Memoriam: William Stephens Greer

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In Memoriam: William Stephens Greer

William Greer, a former GSOC member, died at age 88 on January 1, 2019.

Greer was born and raised in Red Bluff, California. He grew up loving the outdoors, and pursued a career in engineering with Westinghouse. Greer and his wife Lillian moved to Portland in 1963 and continued working for Westingouse in power distribution systems. When he retired, Greer pursued his interest in the outdoors by studying geology at PCC and PSU and also by becoming a master gardener specializing in rhododendrons.

Memorial contributions may be made to the OSU Master Gardener Program or the American Rhododendron Society.

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GSOC Hosts Earthquake Conference for Anhui Province Delegation

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GSOC Hosts Earthquake Conference for Anhui Province Delegation

As part of our mission to promote Cascadia awareness, GSOC President-elect Sheila Alfsen hosted a two-day Earthquake Preparedness Conference in November for Chinese government delegates from the Anhui Province Department of Land and Resources. The group was interested in learning about precautionary measures that the United States has adopted in response to earthquakes, including early warning systems, emergency responses and data analysis to identify future events.

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In Memoriam: GSOC Member Connie Battaile

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In Memoriam: GSOC Member Connie Battaile

Connie Battaile of Portland was a retired librarian, author, botany and geology enthusiast. She was a mother and a grandmother.

Connie was born in West Virginia and raised in Waldport, Oregon. She held a psychology degree from Oregon State College.

She lived for a time in Ashland, Oregon, and was involved with public service and policy organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Ashland Citizens Budget Committee, and the Jackson County Planning Commission.

According to her official obituary, she “received her Masters in Library Science from the University of Hawaii and worked as a librarian at the Medford Public Library, Southern Oregon State College (now SOU) library, and Colgate University library (Hamilton, NY).”

Connie held a variety of interests and did a wide variety of projects in her life, including authoring two books on library science, being a hospice volunteer and instructor for classes on making final arrangements, an interest in gardening, plant identification and preservation, an interest in Buddhist meditation and an interest in geology. The latter led her to become a GSOC member.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Community Foundation.

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Development of Earthquake Early Warning Systems

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Development of Earthquake Early Warning Systems

Recently joined GSOC member William Burgel, retired from working for and consulting with the Union Pacific Railroad, spoke to GSOC in September 2018 about his experiences in preparing the railroad system for earthquakes. His expertise stretches back to the 1960’s, and along with performing his job for the railroad company, helped organize and deploy early warning systems for earthquake shaking applicable to government and industrial participants.

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Don’t Forget to Re-up Your Membership!

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GSOC members and prospective members, please remember to renew your memberships for 2019. Your membership benefits include:

  • Helping serve GSOC’s mission of promoting geology education in the Northwest, including PSU geology scholarships

  • Welcome to join in all GSOC functions, including field trips, Holiday Party, Annual Banquet and Picnic, and more!

  • A printed version of the GSOC newsletter if you choose

  • A great time with all your GSOC friends!

p.s. if you joined the club after September 1, 2018, your dues are paid through 2019!!!

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Fond Memories of Our Recent Camp Hancock and John Day Basin Field Trip

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Fond Memories of Our Recent Camp Hancock and John Day Basin Field Trip

This past President’s field trip organized by GSOC President Paul Edison-Lahm was representative of the best that GSOC has to offer its members – world class geology, knowledgeable speakers, activities for active and less robust participants, fellowship within our group and other science-oriented society members, ground-breaking club history (past and present), breathtaking scenery, great weather, and just plain fun! Special thanks to Paul for his hard work!

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GSOC Board Meeting Notes October 13, 2018

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In attendance board members Paul Edison-Lahm, Sheila Alfsen, Dawn Juliano, Carol Hasenberg, Rik Smoody, Larry Purchase, Julia Lanning. Also Wenonah Purchase, Barbara Smoody, Dave Olcott. Minutes of the August 2018 board meeting were approved.

The GSOC 2018 Nominating Committee was formed with members Dawn Juliano, Paul Edison-Lahm, Larry Purchase. Board positions for next year have been examined and most positions have been requested for nomination by current board members. Open positions are Vice President and Secretary.

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GSOC Annual Picnic Wrap-up

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GSOC Annual Picnic Wrap-up

August 12, 2018 at Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals, Hillsboro

This year’s GSOC annual picnic was at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro. It was attended by over 70 club members and was a very great success! The money collected at the picnic was used to purchase a one-year membership for all GSOC members and to secure a guest speaker, Dr. Nicholas Famoso, USNPS Chief of Paleontology of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, who will also be a guest field trip leader at Camp Hancock in September.

One outstanding happening at the picnic was that Rosemary Kenney, GSOC member for 54 years, presented 45 fossil items to Famoso for donation to the John Day Fossil Bed’s collection. The presentation followed the conclusion of Nick’s lecture at the picnic. Some of the major items were also displayed the day before in a case at the NARG Fossil Fest, also at the Rice Museum.

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Clarno and John Day Lava: Extent and Origins

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Clarno and John Day Lava: Extent and Origins

Synopsis of July 13, 2018 GSOC Friday Night Lecture by Emily Cahoon, PSU PhD Candidate

PSU PhD Candidate Emily Cahoon spoke to GSOC at the July Friday night meeting about her research into the origin of the Clarno and John Day magmatism. Her research is part of an ongoing push in the geoscience community to determine the origin of the magmas to erupt in Oregon. This is a tricky question when the magma originates somewhere in the earth’s mantle, is filtered by partial melting of intervening subducting plates and/or continental crust, erupts onto the earth’s surface, and is then is pushed and pulled, rotated away from its original location, covered up in some places and eroded away in other places.

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