Oregon has an incredible history geologically which has led to many different geographic regions of the state with many different characteristics and history. Over 150 million years ago, the whole state was under water. Through time, ocean bottom and islands have been “stuck on” onto the North American continent through the process of accretion. The Blue Mountains and the Klamath Mountains both have their origin in accretion and are the oldest rocks in Oregon. Many different volcanic events have covered Oregon with layers of different igneous rocks. The influence of the Juan de Fuca plate being pushed under Oregon from the west has led to uplift of marine rocks creating the Coast Range, the Cascade volcanoes and large subduction earthquakes. Recent discoveries of many ancient large volcanoes in eastern Oregon, one being centered on Prineville, have been very exciting. Dr. Scott Burns, Professor of Geology at Portland State University, will take you around the state showing the different provinces and how they were formed and how they are all related in a dynamic presentation on the incredible natural history of our state.

Scott Burns is a Professor Emeritus of Geology and Past-Chair of the Dept. of Geology at Portland State University where he just finished his 34th year of teaching. He was also Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at P.S.U. from 1997-1999. He has been teaching for 54 years, with past positions in Switzerland, New Zealand, Washington, Colorado and Louisiana. Scott specializes in environmental and engineering geology, geomorphology, soils, and Quaternary geology. In Oregon, he has projects involving landslides and land use, environmental cleanup of service stations, slope stability, earthquake hazard mapping, Missoula Floods, paleosols, loess soil stratigraphy, radon generation from soils, the distribution of heavy metals and trace elements in Oregon soils, alpine soil development, and the terroir of wine.