Geologic History of the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest has some great and complex geology to it. Relatively young from a geologic standpoint it includes a history of tectonic collision, volcanism, earthquakes, and glaciers. It’s a few hundred million years of history, that we will be condensing down to about an hour. We’ll be working from the perspective of a newcomer the science. So for those who aren’t as familiar with geology, it will include some background basics. Topics cover the big moments in the shaping of the region, and get a picture of its current geologic setting.

Autumn went to Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota (her home state), earning bachelor’s degrees in Geology and Chemistry. She earned her Master’s in Geological Sciences from Central Washington University. Finding she enjoys explaining rocks and other things geology to individuals that don’t know about rocks and other things geology, she decided teaching was the best route for her. As such she has been teaching intro level science courses at community colleges in both OR and WA ever since. She’s been at Chemeketa, here in Salem, teaching Earth Science and Geology, in various modalities, since 2013.