Our Backyard Geology in Orange County, CA

Tuesday, October 10 • 10:15 a.m.-11:45 a.m. • Auditorium

There are few places in the world that provide a better geological laboratory than Orange County. From our neighborhoods to the city streets, geologic features and processes are all around us. Orange County has been affected by each earthquake we feel or rainstorm that washes our cars. The landscape around us has undergone drastic changes in a relatively short span of geologic time. Where we now have parking lots and tract homes, an ocean once existed, erupting volcanoes dotted the landscape and huge mammoths walked. Earthquakes eventually caused the land to rise out of the ocean forming the local hills and mountains. Even today, our “backyard” geology influences our everyday lives. This can be observed by where we build homes and roadways, how we mitigate geologic hazards and where we search for resources. This seminar will explore the major rock units, structures, geologic hazards and conclude with the geologic development of Orange County.

Instructor: Richard Lozinsky     Coordinator: Ellie Monroe