The Importance of the Practice of Geology in Oregon, A Visit to Radio Station KMUZ FM 88.5

I visited this local radio station in Salem, Oregon at Noon, Today, to speak about Geology in Oregon.  My purpose was to connect listeners to the geological structures that they have been walking over unawares. All of us go about our day, seeing strangers going by in their cars, cashiers at the grocery store, produce grocers, their co-workers at the office and family members.

During our 40 minute radio question-answer talk, I explained that that the western landscape was composed of sloping rocks of hard lava flows that had been jostled around by great earth forces that shoved parts of the Pacific Ocean bottom past and under North America.  Two local results were the Willamette Valley (home of Salem, Oregon) and the Cascade Mountain Range (where we see Volcanoes on the eastern skyline).

The hills around the valley downtown of Salem were tilted by these regional forces.  The Salem Hills, south of the city, tilt toward it from Chinook Estates and Prospect Peak.  The Amity Hills of West Salem, tilt northeast to the Willamette River.

This talk was the beginning effort to make geology familiar to the people of Salem, so that on foot and in their cars, they may be connected to their physical environment. The KMUZ host, Ken Adams, and I hope that the public gets "outside" to understand local geology.