Saturday, February 21, 2009

Call for Submissions! Accretionary Wedge #16: What Would Be On Your 100 Places List?



I'm pleased to be hosting the February 2009 edition of the Accretionary Wedge Geoblogospheric Carnival (#16)! I hope you have some fun with it!

A few months ago I posted a list of 100 places that a geologist should see in his or her lifetime, based on a 1990 article in Geotimes by Lisa Rossbacher, and a subsequent web page posted by Terry Acomb. The post took off in ways I never imagined; I got dozens of comments, and Chris at Highly Allochthonous took up a running total of how many places everyone had visited. The best part was the stories; everyone enjoyed describing their adventures while facing down lava flows and climbing mountains, and retreating from floods. Even as I posted the list though, I knew it was missing a lot of important places and experiences. Some people felt like they were breaking the "rules" if they counted an important feature like a BIF on their list, but that it wasn't actually in Michigan. It was North America-centric, too. I found myself wanting to revise the list in a few ways, and so I arrive at the subject of this month's Accretionary Wedge:

What are the places and events that you think should all geologists should see and experience before they die? What are the places you know and love that best exemplify geological principles and processes?

It would be great to have a truly international list. I also want to get a list of those places that don't always make the "must visit" lists. And why should this place be included? Pick one or three, or seven, and note them in the comments to this post, or e-mail me at hayesg AT mjc.edu, or send me a link to your blog, if you have posted something there.

A brief example from my own backyard. Yosemite Valley was on the 100 things list. And it is a truly wonderful place to visit, and I do so whenever I can. It is precious to me. But...if you want to truly understand the history of the Sierra Nevada, there is a another canyon in the California mountains that has a greater diversity of rocks, more evidence of glaciers, far fewer crowds, and get this: it is more than twice as deep as Yosemite Valley! It is pictured above, and will be one of my contributions to a new revised "100 Places List".

Please try to get your submissions in by February 25th. Happy hunting!

10 comments:

Terry's world said...

i gotta couople more.

saline valley hot springs and last chance thrust

victoria falls-zambezi river canyon, zimbabwe-zambia

darwins outcrop-capetown s. africa, where he proved the igneous origin of granite.

i have pix of these places, if youre innerested. pax t

terryw100@gmail.com
terrywrightgeology.com
terrysworld007.blogspot.com

Silver Fox said...

Here's mine! Kind of a short list.

Eric said...

And here's mine!

http://dynamic-earth.blogspot.com/2009/02/geological-holy-lands.html

Geology Happens said...

..and mine:

http://geologyhappens.blogspot.com/2009/02/accretionary-wedge-16-where-would-i-go.html

Julian said...

Here's mine!
Toeing the deadline, I know...

http://harmonictremors.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-then-two-more.html

Anonymous said...

10 UK sites ...

http://hypocentre.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/accretionary-wedge-16/

Lockwood said...

Here's my input! When I sat down and started messing, it turned out I had a lot more to say than I thought.

Mel said...

It's up at
http://ripplesinsand.blogspot.com/2009/02/accretionary-wedge-where-would-i-go.html

Chris R said...

Here's mine (late as usual).

Kim said...

Eek! I'm late, too!

Here's mine.