Field trip to Beach 4, Olympic coast

Dear friends, At long last, I’ve added a new field trip. This one investigates an angular unconformity, a disconformity, and turbidite layers at Beach 4, just north of Kalaloch in Olympic National Park. You’ll find the full story here. This field trip is an excerpt from the book I’m writing, Geology Underfoot in Western Washington, […]

Beach 4, Olympic Coast: folded rocks, overturned turbidite beds, an angular unconformity, seastacks, and a great beach walk.

By Dave Tucker With thanks to Dr. Chris Suczek, WWU Geology Department, for reviewing the geology. Any errors are mine. Beach 4, north of Kalaloch on the wild coast of Olympic National Park, rewards the geologically-minded with some outstanding geology. The well-exposed, tightly-folded rocks are very unusual for western Washington. Also, with a little effort […]

Clayton Beach access CLOSED!! Public safety, or anti-COAL TRAIN protest?

Washington State Parks has closed access to Clayton Beach (south end of Larrabee State Park). This is a great geologic area, as well as one of the finest PUBLIC BEACHES in the region. (Read a field trip description here.) The explanation from the Parks website says: “Clayton Beach access closed: The access to Clayton Beach […]

Erratics on the beach at Seattle’s Discovery Park

A new field trip to visit some erratics on the north shore of Discovery Park is here. These were measured and photographed by Sandy Bowman and Consuela Larrabee. I confess I’ve been sitting on this report for months and months. This trip requires a hike on the North Beach Trail, and provides a nice excuse […]

BEACH ERRATICS AT DISCOVERY PARK, SEATTLE

Notes and photos submitted by Sandy Bowman, Seattle. Several erratics dot the cobbly northern beaches of Seattle’s Discovery Park, the site of the former Fort Lawton and just south of Shilshole in Seattle. One Panoramio photo shows a collection of these erratics. (Panoramio is the  website that shows all those photo icons on Google Earth.) Click […]

Beach erratic in Des Moines (the one in Washington, not Iowa!)

Last spring I put out a call for intrepid readers to investigate a reported Jackass conglomerate erratic on the beach at Des Moines, between Burien and Federal Way. Thanks to Sandy Bowman and Bud Hardwick for independently investigating. Turns out the large rock is granitic, not conglomerate. Read the article. Consuelo Larrabee at the Des […]

Des Moines Beach erratic

Article sent in by long-time reader Bud Hardwick with additional material by Dave Tucker. Photos submitted by Bud Hardwick and Sandy Bowman. An 8 ft x 6 ft x 4.5 ft high granitic erratic squats on the beach at Des Moines Beach Park. (Don’t mistake this for the French term that is coincidentally spelled the […]

Ribbed microtopography at West Beach, Lummi Island

Take advantage of the fine weather and ride your bike across Lummi Island to beautiful West Beach facing Rosario Strait. There you’ll find a lovely cobble beach and fine examples of alternating sandstone and conglomerate beds in steeping dipping rocks of the Chuckanut Formation. Take your swimsuit- or don’t! Go to the West Beach page.

Frank’s Beach, Lummi Island: steeply-dipping Chuckanut Formation layers

By Dave Tucker August 2, 2011 If you are enjoying Lummi Island, stop by the lovely Frank’s Beach to see steeply dipping beds of Chuckanut Formation sandstone and conglomerate. (Aug 5, 2011: I originally called this place ‘West Beach’. I have changed it to the local name. See comment below.) This is a great destination for […]

Beach walk geology trip at Marrowstone Island, Jefferson County.

A field trip written by Dan McShane is now posted. Originally appearing on Dan’s Reading the Washington Landscapes blog, I got his permission to post it on Northwest Geology Field Trips, and you’ll find it here. This looks like a fine low tide beach walk, south of Port Townsend. A unique feature on the trip […]