News from the Field: Day 4--The Bishop Tuff eruption

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. 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 then explored an unusual set of deformed lake sediments at Chalk Bluffs, followed by a couple of hours exploring the magnificent exposure of the Bishop Tuff along the Owens River gorge. At the end of the day, we drove to our to our new home, the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab, better known as SNARL--and a magnificent dinner prepared by our chef, Linda Dore. We spent the evening hanging out in our new home--with a new writing assignment.

The group starts the day off at the Bishop Pumice Quarry, for an in-depth exploration of the deposits of the great Long Valley eruption.
Ryan, Josh, and Mia explore the ash fall deposits at a  quarry outcrop.
Rachel points out the beginning of the pyroclastic flow deposit to Matt and Debby.
Mia and Josh record their observations
While Renee fills up her notebook.
Sam, Kat, Liz, and En'Yeto on the outcrop--the best dressed field team!
Ryan and Josh take a whack at the outcrop.
The group checks out a beautiful example of a normal fault at Chalk Bluffs
Ryan gets up close and personal with a fault...
The spectacular exposure of the Bishop Tuff at Owens Gorge
Renee, Matt, and Mia check out the spectacular exposures of the Bishop Tuff along the gorge walls.
Emily and En'Yeto look at the beautiful rosette jointing
Liz records some observations in her field notebook.
Lily takes a whack at a sample of the Bishop Tuff
And then checks out a hand specimen with her hand lens (and check out the grafitti!)
Mia records some observations in her field notebook.
And the strange 'hoodoos' of Owens Gorge
Kat falls in love with her own personal 'pet rock'
And Josh finds his own little piece of paradise...
Matt, Ryan, and Renee show off after jumping in the freezing cold Owens River water!
Michael discusses the history of the Bishop Tuff eruption with Lily, Josh, and Ryan.
The group starts the long hike back up the gorge.
Matt, Liz, and Sam stay protect themselves in style from the rain!
The SNARL dorm--our home away from home for the next couple of weeks.
Before dinner, Mia, Sam, and Renee work on their journal writing assignment.
We are greeted by a superb dinner prepared by our crack chef, Linda Dore.
After dinner, Mia and Renee grace the camera with their award-winning smiles!