Thursday Night at the Center: Geological Mapping with Drew Downs

Have you ever looked at a geologic map and wondered how the different colors are determined and what they mean? Geologic mapping has been one of the most fundamental mandates of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since its establishment in 1879. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologic mapping on the Island of Hawaiʻi focuses on volcanic vents (such as fissures and scoria cones) and their associated lava flows and tephra deposits divided by age. Geologists use different criteria to tell these deposits apart, requiring countless hours of field work and lab analyses, and the deposits are represented on geologic maps by different colors. Join Drew Downs, geologist at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, as he describes the art and science that goes into creating a geologic map for the USGS. (This presentation will be repeated at UH-Hilo on January 29.) USGS map: Geologic map units of lower Puna District, Island of Hawaiʻi.  

Start time: 6 p.m.

Location: Volcano Art Center Niaulani Campus Dieterich Varez Hall, 19-4074 Old Volcano Road, Volcano, 96785 (https://volcanoartcenter.org)