News from the Field: Day 4--White Mountains and Bristlecone Pine Preserve

Another great breakfast at WMRS, and off to begin our exploration of the Long Valley Caldera and the cataclysmic Bishop Tuff eruption--one of the greatest volcanic events of geological history. Connie Millar from the US Forest Service again joined us for the day. We started with a stop at the Bishop pumice quarry for a close-up look at the airborne deposits of the great eruption, and gradually worked our way closer to the center of the caldera. We spent a couple of hours exploring the magnificent exposure of the Bishop Tuff along the Owens River gorge, and then continued north to the Long Valley itself, for a beautiful overview of the caldera from Lookout Mountain. We returned to our new home, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, better known as SNARL--and a magnificent dinner prepared by our chef, Linda Dore. Another evening of moonlight basketball capped off a magnificent day!

John Rupp helps the group figure out the Bishop Tuff at the Bishop pumice quarry.
Tom McFarland gets up close and personal with the Bishop Tuff
A moment of quiet contemplation at the quarry
And Michael Hamburger explores his interpretation... but what's that pile of stuff by his feet???
Place your own caption here!
A beautiful example of a pair of normal faults at Chalk Bluffs
And Neal Solon discovers another one!
The spectacular exposure of the Bishop Tuff at Owens River gorge
Laura Dunn contemplates the beautiful view--and works on a geologic sketch
The gang, still smiling after a long hike down the gorge...
On to Lookout Mountain, for a beautiful view of the caldera and the Sierra crest
The group tries to figure out which volcano is which...
And Tom tries to get a better view from the top of a Jeffries Pine
And back from our new home away from home, the dorm at SNARL, with Mount Morrison in the background.
Laura, Adam, and Megan share a quiet moment in the cafeteria
John Schuman catches up on his reading
And Mariel catches up on her jazz...