England: The Birth of Modern Geology

In the Footsteps of William Smith, Father of Modern Geology

William Smith's 1815 geologic map of England and Wales revolutionized geology

M6.5 Stanley, Idaho Earthquake

March 31, 2020

4 Amazing Places in Germany

Koln, Hamburg, Berlin, Neuschwanstein Castle -- a Taste of Germany

Germany: Fossils

Some of Germany's Best Fossils

See dinosaurs, flying archaeopteryx, echinoderms, and even homo erectus!

Rhine River, Germany

Take a geologic boat trip down Germany's Romantic Rhine River

Cruise by castles from Mainz to Koblenz in this UNESCO World Heritage area!

Rome

Rome, Italy

A geologic perspective you won't find anywhere else!

Lemhi Canyon 1 - Eightmile Canyon

Eightmile Canyon, Lemhi Mountains, Idaho

A perfect off-road getaway!

Switzerland: Glarus Thrust

Switzerland's Glarus Thrust Fault

Explore one of the Alps' most significant geologic structures, a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Switzerland: Aletsch Glacier

Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland

Explore the Alps' longest glacier!

Switzerland: Lauterbrunnen Valley

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

Explore the Alpine valley that Yosemite wants to be when it grows up!

Switzerland: The Matterhorn

Switzerland: The Matterhorn

Explore the oceanic and continental crust that collided at one of the world's most scenic spots!

Canyonlands National Park, Utah - part 1

Canyonlands National Park, Utah - part 1

Featuring Dead Horse Point and Mineral Bottom Road

Arches National Park - Part 2

Arches National Park - Part 2

The back (north) half

Explore the world-famous arches and discover their geologic stories!

Arches National Park

Arches National Park, Part 1

The Front Half

There's a lot more natural magic to explore at Arches than just the arches!

Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

Discover this truly unique, phenomenal geologic site!

Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawaii

Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawaii

Visit the 13,803 foot summit of the world's biggest volcano on the island of Hawaii!

Kilauea, Hawaii Eruption 2018, Part 2

Kilauea, Hawaii Lower East Rift Zone Eruption 2018, Part 2

Part 2:  The Effects & Some Perspective

Kilauea,Hawaii Eruption, 2018

Kilauea, Hawaii Eruption 2018

Part 1:  A look at the lava flows and damage

Kilauea, Hawaii

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Volcanoes National Park

(Above)  Kilauea Iki erupting in 1959.  (USGS photo)

Got a bucket list?  Make sure Kilauea is on it!  We'll visit the best things to see at Kilauea, Hawaii, the most active volcano on Earth -- and part of the biggest volcano and biggest mountain on Earth!

For more on the 2018 eruption, please see my other posts.

Kilauea by Air and Sea

Kilauea, Hawaii by Air and Sea

Explore the world's most active volcano, Kilauea, by helicopter and boat to see the action up close. Feeling, smelling, touching, hearing the eruption will forever change you! This trip took place before the amazing eruptions of 2018. 

Death Valley - Badwater Area

Death Valley Part 1 -- Badwater Area

Explore the lowest place in the western hemisphere!

Wyoming: Thermopolis & Wind River Canyon

Wyoming: Thermopolis & Wind River Canyon

Explore the extraordinary hot springs and colorful strata!

Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

See some of America's best unspoiled landscape created by spectacular geologic events!

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 4

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 4

Havasu Creek to Vulcan's Throne

Landslides and Lava Flows

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 3

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 3

Blacktail Canyon to Havasu Creek

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 2

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 2

The Basement

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 1

Grand Canyon Rafting - part 1

Lee's Ferry to Little Colorado River
A true bucket-list trip that you will never forget!

Beartooth Highway, Montana, Part 2

Beartooth Highway, Montana, Part 2

Explore the high-country geology along one of America's most scenic roads!

Beartooth Highway, Montana, Part 1

Beartooth Highway, Montana, Part 1

Explore the spectacular high-country geology of one of America's most scenic roads!

North Cascades & Oso Landslide 

See some of America's best scenery at Mt. Adams and North Cascades National Park in Washington!

California Landslides & Floods

California Landslides & The Great Flood of 1964

Discover where & why California has so many landslides, and learn about the biggest flood ever - the Great Christmas Flood of 1964!

Oroville Dam

Oroville Dam, California

At 770 feet, this is America's tallest dam, and one of the largest earthen dams in the world. It's the cornerstone of California's water system.

Mouth of the Columbia River

Mouth of the Columbia River

"Graveyard of the Pacific"

Explore the biggest river on the Pacific Coast, the goal of explorers for two centuries, and the graveyard for over 2000 ships!

The Columbia River is a major shipping route, and as such is lined with industrial facilities all the way to Portland. But in these green hills, even docks and warehouses look pretty good!

City of Rocks, Idaho

City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho

See two granite bodies a billion years apart eroded into spectacular towers and ridges -- on the California pioneer trail!

Yosemite's Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite National Park's Tioga Pass Road

Explore the glaciated granite of the high country on the High Sierra's best road!

Northern California Coast 3

Best Geological Sites on the Northern California Coast - Part 3

Ferndale - Mattole Road - Cape Mendocino - Tectonic Triple Junction - Eel River - Point Arena

Northern California Coast 2

Geological Sites on Northern California Coast - Part 2

Discover tectonic plate collision geology in the Crescent City region!

Northern California Coast 1

Northern California Coast

See cool geologic sites that you may overlook otherwise!

Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park, Montana

Visit one of America's most spectacular landscapes, and home to one of the world's most incredible roads!

Burney Falls, California

Burney Falls, Northern California

Bet you couldn't name California's most beautiful waterfall -- 129-foot hybrid river/aquifer Burney Falls between the Lassen and Shasta volcanoes!

25 Surprising Geological Places

25 Surprising Geological Places

Discover the surprising facts behind 25 beautiful geological sites!

Grand Teton National Park

Discover the amazing geologic story behind one of America's most scenic places!

Yellowstone East

Yellowstone Lake to Cody, Wyoming

See some of the region's best scenery and geology!

Grand Canyon: South Rim and Bright Angel Trail

Grand Canyon South Rim

and Bright Angel Trail

Caution:  Visiting the Grand Canyon will make you want to move out West and become an explorer and photographer!

Guatemala Volcanoes

See Pacaya, Fuego, and Atitlan in this incredibly active volcanic chain!

Central Salmon River, Idaho in Autumn

Central Salmon River, Idaho: Autumn

From Stanley to Salmon, Idaho

Discover the varied scenery and why I call this America's strangest river!

Upper Salmon River, Idaho: Autumn

Upper Salmon River, Idaho: Autumn

See America's longest undammed river in its Autumnal splendor!

Yosemite Up High

Yosemite Up High

Yosemite National Park as seen from Glacier Point

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley

Glaciated igneous bedrock in a massive uplift - geology doesn't get better than this!

Medicine Wheel, Wyoming

Medicine Wheel, Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Visit the millennia-old, mystical religious site 9600 feet up in the Bighorn Mountains