Let's go Hopenhagen- PLEASE HELP!

Some of the most endangered communities that will be inevitably threatened by the rising waters caused by the climate crisis are small island communities in the South Pacific-- like Tuvalu, for example. As a member of the Powershift Rapid Response team, which works to "connect the action at the climate negotiations in Copenhagen," I am greatly concerned about maintaining solidarity with the international progress that could take place to benefit every island, peninsula, or landmass.

Please, take a minute to make a phone call to the President's Comment Line:
Can you call President Obama right now at 202-456-1111.

Keep your message concise, and for your pleasure, here is the script I read from, but feel free to express how you stand with Tuvalu and call for a legally binding 350ppm limit in your own wonderful words.

"Hello, my name is ______. I'm live in ________/ I'm a student at __________. President Obama, over 500 youth in Copenhagen and thousands of youth back home are calling on you to ensure the future of small island nations like Tuvalu and the future of all generations. The US must play a lead role in securing a legally binding, scientific based deal that limits carbon pollution to 350ppm."

Tuvalu, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean, called for an open conversation about a legally binding deal. Despite the request only being for the start of a conversation, several larger countries blocked the idea. Tuvalu is calling for a legally binding deal and has repeatedly called for a return to 350ppm carbon. We need to stand with Tuvalu. The Rapid Response Team is working to call President Obama right now. Can you call the White House to show your support for Tuvalu and a legally binding limit of 350ppm CO2 for a safe climate future. President Obama needs to lead, and we need to ask him to do this.

Thanks,
Ty

The Light in Sight...

Nearing the end of my last Fall semester at Whittier, counting the days until the best holiday gift of all: a road trip with mom from Northern California to Flagstaff.

Narrowing down ideas for pit stops... I think we're either going to check out the lava beds, joshua trees, and petroglyphs at Mojave National Preserve if Yosemite is too chilly/snowy/closed. (Mitchell Caverns below)VallesCaldera.com has a great collection of must-see parks, and their Mojave photo (below) has me sold on the idea of trekking down some lava tubes, checking out some cheesy tefoni, and walking amongst the hoodoos.

They say:

"Singing sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua Tree forests, and carpets of wildflowers are all found at this 1,534,819-acre preserve that protects a massive swath of the Mojave Desert of Southern California. A visit to its canyons, mountains and mesas will reveal long-abandoned mines, homesteads, rock-walled military outposts, and a historic railroad depot.

The preserve was created by an act of Congress — the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 — which also elevated Southern California’s Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Monuments to national park status. Prior to this act, the area was administered as the East Mojave National Scenic Area, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.

537,250 people visited the Preserve in 2006."

<-- Petroglyph Point by ex-magician on flickr

Meanwhile, I'm constructing my list of future visits since my finals are winding down and my senior project seems close to possible to complete by April...

Tyler's National Park/Geological Sites Bucket List (in no particular order)

• Grand Tetons & Yellowstone, WY
• Canyon de Chelley, AZ
• Shiprock, NM
• Carlsbad Caverns, NM
• Hopi Buttes, AZ
• Chaco Culture National Historic Park, NM
  
• Valles Caldera, NM
• Bryce Canyon, UT
  
• Priest Lake, ID
  
• Yosemite, CA
  
• Desert Valley, CA
• Channel Islands, CA
  
• Monument Valley, AZ
• Muir Woods, CA
• Redwood National/State Parks, CA
• Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, CA
• Volcanoes National Park, HI
• Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, AK
• Craters of the Moon National Landmark & Preserve, ID
• Glacier Bay National Park, AK
• Jean Lafitte Historical Park & Preserve, LA
• Grand Canyon North Rim & Vulcan's Throne, AZ
  
• Point Reyes National Seashore, CA
• Sequoia & Kings Canyon, CA
• Joshua Tree, CA
• Lassen Vocanic National Park, CA
• Devils Postpile, CA
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, AK
• Cathedral Valley, UT
• Zion National Park, UT
  
• Devil's Playground, UT
• Fremont Indian State Park/Castle Rock, UT
• Kaniakapupu, HI
• Badlands National Park, SD
• Fort Rock, OR
• Mt. Vesuvius National Park, Italy
  

Already Visited

• Sunset National Crater, AZ
• Petrified National Forest, AZ
• Grand Canyon (South Rim), AZ
• Cabrillo National Monument, CA
• Big Rock Candy Mountain, UT
• Red Rock Canyon, NV
• Tonto Natural Bridge, AZ
• Wutpatki, AZ
• Painted Desert, AZ
• Carson National Park, NM (the search for epic fairy crosses)
• White River National Forest, CO
• Petroglyph National Monument, CA
• Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau State Historic & Religious Site, HI
• James Campell National Wildlife Refuge, Haleiwa, HI

To be continued...

Malibu Creek State Park: My personal photography for a change...

Gotta love escaping the city, even if it means enduring traffic on a Saturday in Los Angeles... I found myself and four friends scrambling around the rocks of the jagged Goat Buttes right around dusk and through the empty creek beds of Malibu Creek State Park-- which were coated with, and maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong, what seemed like white or decaying algae. Pretty crazy.

The 7,000 acres of public land are best understood in regards to geology with a quote from geocaching.com (I just signed up-- free!):

"The Conejo Volcanics are an entire series of igneous rocks that came from a volcano (possibly 3) located in the western Santa Monica Mountains. One of the eruptions blew apart the overlying rock into large angular chunks (the breccia) as it spewed lava, in this case basalt and ash. As this mix of material came down and/or flowed across the landscape it cooled with the pieces of other rock inside it combining to become the basaltic breccia. You can also see the gas that was still trapped in the basalt as it cooled and formed small bubbles in the rock."

I guess Sugarloaf Peak may have been the inspiration for Paramount Pictures' logo... huh. Plenty of cinematic value within this park.

I need to bring to attention the role wikipedia (along with flickr and google reader) plays in my geological learning experience due to Whittier College's geology department being under construction... I donated and recommend everyone who can give a little should:

Next trip is either Topanga Canyon, Gillette Ranch, secret waterfall in Pasadena... and I still gotta get up to Griffith Park before I graduate. Boy it's tough living in Whittier without a car sometimes, when so many geological explorations are only within a few hours of driving.

P.S. If anyone reads this and knows of any interesting geological work in the SF Bay area, please please feel free to email me.

Inja Mountainness

PA170079
Originally uploaded by The Barefoot Bohemian

My buddy Kate is voyaging all over India and caught this sweet shot with her fabulous camera... by all means check out her blog at www.daretogobare.blogspot.com

Happy trails, Kate! Namaste.

Oh yeah, plenty of Red Rock Canyon photos to come... actually ventured away from the strip (yesssssss) and has a mini vacay!

ciao,
Ty

Uno mas

Elephant Rock - Valley of Fire - Nevada
Originally uploaded by ladigue_99

Pretty gnarled formation called "Elephant" in Valley of Fire...

Crossing my fingers I get to explore what surrounds the City of Sin, rather than just drinking in the pool. Atypical college student weekend aspirations, right?

Vegas Geology

Valley of Fire - Nevada
Originally uploaded by ladigue_99

Valley of Fire is pretty far northeast from the strip, but who knows maybe I'll get to check out these rocks reminiscent of Sedona (where my mom lives-ish).

Compensating

Valley - Nikon D300
Originally uploaded by fotographix.ca

On the way out to Vegas are some awesome sandstone formations I can't wait to check out this weekend...

Gonzoland

Heading To Lake Mead
Originally uploaded by Maitri

Headed to Las Vegas for the first time this weekend: not quite my cup of tea, but those without cars cannot always choose their weekend destinations.

I snagged a copy of a Nevada roadside geology guide for good measure and hope to get out to Lake Mead for some fishing (for the boy) and photography. I'm hoping to see sandstone formations and a glimpse of the volcanic cones scattered behind the lake... but we'll see how interested my silly boy companions are in leaving The Strip.

Mt. Frenchman: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stovetop36/2888621517/in/photostream/

Valley of Fire: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladigue_99/2675252586/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladigue_99/2677464989/

La Jolla, La Jolla, La Jolla, 10x Fast

Good Morning
Originally uploaded by Ocean Air Imagery

Greetings, here's a bit about my personal background:

Growing up in San Diego, I treasured every beach I set my feet or board on, never imagining I would ever live in Los Angeles: home of the most uninviting beaches ever. More often than not, you could find me posted up in Scripps Beach in La Jolla, watching my pals surf... chasing green fluorescent critters across the sand... scarfing down Porkyland burritos... gathered around bonfires and acoustic guitars... let's just say it's really lucky I enjoy local LA sports, because its rough spending so much time inland.

Usually identified by a long, vacant pier (used by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography), Scripps is also known for some pretty awesome geological formations along the cliffs. If you walk towards Blacks Beach, you can check out the bottom layer of cliffs' sediment for some sea critter fossils.

Anywho, this blog is dedicated to sharing my love of geological hotspots.

Thanks to Ocean Air Imagery for the beautiful shot on Flickr.

T

Haleakala National Park

Haleakala National Park
Originally uploaded by Simonds

Thanks to Simonds on Flickr.

Inspiration to get this blog going... the cinder cones of Maui.
Only a few things make me happier than staring at ancient volcanoes...

biz