31 December 2015
2015 through a geologist’s eyes
Posted by Jessica Ball
It’s the last day of my eighth year of blogging. I’ve had a pretty amazing year, and though I haven’t gotten to writing about every bit of it, I’ve amassed some great photos of my travels. So here are a few things you’ve already seen, and a preview of a few things yet to come!
One of my proudest accomplishments? I saw my first banana slug. It was magical.
Ariolimax californicus, Big Basin Redwoods State Park
I saw Yosemite for the first time (and at last!)
Yosemite National Park
I spent some time in the Sierras, a lot of it on granite.
Glacial erratics on Pothole Dome, Yosemite National Park
Mist Falls, King’s Canyon National Park
I spent time looking at slightly…cruddier rocks.
Bumpass Hell, Lassen National Park
I modeled some safety gear for this year’s #distractinglysexy Twitter meme.
Mineral, California
I occasionally paid attention to the trees…
Grant Grove, Sequoia National Park
I checked out a lava dome.
Panum Crater & Mono Lake, California
And some more lava domes…
Obsidian Dome, Long Valley, California
ALL THE LAVA DOMES.
Lassen Peak and Chaos Crags, Lassen National Park
I did look at a few things that weren’t lava domes.
Tufa towers at Mono Lake, California
But really, there were a LOT of lava domes.
Mono Domes, California
I did field work in a very cold (and sometimes very wet) place. (The folks who worked there didn’t want me posting photos while we were doing the work, but I think it should be okay now…)
An undisclosed location 🙂
I hung out on the coast.
Point Bonita, Marin Headlands
I got up close and personal with a chunk of the sea floor.
Point Bonita pillow basalts
And I got to spend this year’s Fall Meeting with some old friends…
The Twitter volcano ladies @Tuff_Cookie, @rockdoc11, @alisongraetting and @janinekrippner (photo courtesy of Janine)
…and a few new ones.
A special guest at AGU Fall Meeting!
But everywhere I went, I got to share these amazing places with friends, family and colleagues, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. So here’s to a New Year where I get to explore even more!
Happy New Year from California! (Geologist for scale.)
Jessica Ball is a volcanologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, researching volcanic hydrothermal systems and stability, and doing science communication for the California Volcano Observatory. She previously worked at the Geological Society of America's Washington DC Policy Office, learning about the intersection of Earth science and legislative affairs. Her Mendenhall postdoc and PhD focused on how water affects the stability of volcanoes, and involved both field investigations and numerical modeling applications. Her blogging covers a range of topics, from her experiences in academic geosciences to science outreach and communication to her field and lab work in volcanology.
Is that a Vista Clara GMR in the back of that pickup?
It is! Wasn’t much water there for it to pick up, unfortunately…
Too bad. We have used our GMR in Norris Geyser Basin to good effect – but you do need water! (Also, your “undisclosed location” looks a little like a spot I know along the Firehole Lake Drive… am I close?)
That’s the one!