Grand Canyon

Dividing the Earth

With his divide and conquer, scorched Earth rhetoric, President Donald Trump likely would take credit for plate tectonics if he could. He would boast at how oil and gas companies introduced ideas of continental drift in the 1960’s that made America great. How Big Oil discovered several features of the Earth using evidence like similar fossils found on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean and magnetic changes in basaltic rocks that showed how continents were once together have been moving apart.

However, President Trump would not give much detail to his claims because it’s just a scientific theory that may have begun over three billion years ago as the Earth cools, driven by heat released into the crust, with a similar relative thickness as a peach skin, from the deeper mantle and core (with respective thicknesses of the peach fruit and pit to follow the analogy). But this takes an understanding and trust in the scientific method which obviously is antithetical to Trump and his millions of ignorant supporters who prefer Nazi tactics, as former Trump Defense Secretary General Mattis eloquently stated this week.

To further divide and conquer America, and perhaps as an insult to World Environment Day celebrations by the United Nations since 1974, the lawless Mr. Trump signed an Executive Order three days ago to reverse existing environmental laws and hard fought court battles that have taken place for over 50 years! This is the latest rollback despite Trump claiming to be an Environmental president by using the Covid-19 pandemic and economic disaster, according to the NY Times as reasons to “streamline” environmental laws including Clean Air and Water Acts, NEPA and ESA, Talk about draining the swamp? Do you recall as do I the “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” campaign on caring about clean air and water? Here’s documentation about one year ago from the LA Times that fact-checks Trump’s claim:

“From day one, my administration has made it a top priority to ensure that America has among the very cleanest air and cleanest water on the planet.”

Actions speak louder than words! The list of regulatory changes is being tracked by Harvard Law school’s Environmental and Energy Law Program.

Working in the Trump Administration until 13 months ago, here are a few of the big projects that I heard people talking about inside and outside the government:

Oil and Gas Drilling and Pipelines running through National Parks

Uranium Mining expanded by the Grand Canyon National Park

Uranium Mining on or near Native American lands including former Bears Ears National Monument

Nuclear Power without dealing with Nuclear Waste Spent Fuel

Coal Mining and Power Plants

Burning More Gasoline by reducing fuel economy standards

The list goes on and on. As a student geologist about 40 years ago, we learned a term that when rocks undergo so much change features are not recognizable, such as metamorphic folds in many directions. We called this type of rock: FUBARITE which stands for F***ed Up Beyond Recognition.

Perhaps that can be added to Trump’s Four More Year’s Dictatorial Campaign: The FUBAR President!

Update 6/17/2020

Axios reported yesterday that a Supreme Court ruling is a boon to natural gas pipelines, “At issue was what federal agency controls the land the pipeline would traverse, the U.S. Forest Service or the Interior Department's National Park Service….Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, said under the lower court ruling that Monday’s decision overturned, any pipeline crossing at similar "footpaths" controlled by the Park Service would need an act of Congress for approval.”

Fall Camping

Last night we slept in a tent outside for two reasons. Despite fall temperatures reaching 46 degrees at night, we are motivated to get outdoors. One reason for sleeping on the ground, actually initially on our deck out back, is due to getting a new kitchen tile floor. Our home is only eight years old built on a cement slab, which settled right down the middle of the kitchen, leaving a large crack! So we have sealed off the kitchen to the rest of the house to keep the concrete dust from circulating.

The second reason for fall camping is for a geology tour of Utah and Arizona. I’m leading a consulting project to study the water quality of San Juan County in southwestern Utah that will take us south of Moab, past Arches National Park, down to the San Juan River. We will be looking at geologic features like rock outcrops that dip below the ground surface combined with precipitation (infiltrating rain and snow melt that can be tens of thousands of years old) forming springs and underground aquifers. In some areas the water is naturally clean but in other areas the water is polluted from extensive uranium mining and milling. This is especially a concern to Native American tribes living in the area and we are working together with federal government scientists to compile information and collect new data on the regional water quality. I gave a presentation on this topic last month at the San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference and here are the video presentations. Depending on our camping experience, including my 11 year old son, we may get all the way to the Grand Canyon.

Many camping experiences in my past have ranged from calm to calamity. My first memories as a Boy Scout were not fun being away from home (it’s lonely being a Momma’s boy), long 10-mile hikes along the C&O Canal, and we even camped out in the winter snow in icy Virginia. I did not start liking camping until going on Guilford College geology field trips to North Carolina mountains and beaches that were a blast.

In grad school at the University of Wyoming, I tried camping by myself in the Snowy Range west of Laramie by getting dropped off in the mountains. It was a beautiful summer’s day and after hiking several hours and not seeing anyone I found a place to camp by a lake. But before I could even unpack and get out the tent, an afternoon cloudburst rained and hailed. I tried to use my backpack for shelter but cold water collected beneath me and I got soaking wet. So I hiked out and hitch hiked a ride back home. Also, I was lucky there was no lightening in that storm.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates on our adventures and with God’s Grace we will reconnect with nature, be inspired by the Great Outdoors, or at least be more appreciative of a warm, soft bed!

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