Slip-slide

East of Rock Springs, Wyoming, along I-80, the remains of an underwater landslide lie frozen in time. Eons ago sediments collected along a slope in a large body of water, gathering in even layers as seen in the first photo. Something triggered the sediments to slide a short distance, and when the sliding stopped, a section of the layers buckled as seen in the second picture. Since that time, mountains have risen, waters have vanished, and the sediments have turned to stone, leaving a permanent picture of past events.

Charlie Love, professor emeritus of geology and anthropology at Western Wyoming Community College, first showed this to me, and often stated that he wished there was a way to bring a section of that formation to display at the college. I learned much about the geology and the native people of the American West from him while living in Wyoming in the 1980’s. When we visited the college a few days ago to visit the fossil displays that Charlie had championed, we were saddened to hear that he had recently passed away. Rest in peace dear friend.

PS-I flew Charlie over the Wind River Mountains several times so he could photograph glaciers that he was studying and wrote a story about the last flight we took when I nearly pushed the envelope too far. See: https://eskildoodle.com/wings-in-the-winds/ See his obituary is at: https://wyo4news.com/obituaries-2/charles-matteson-love-july-3-1944-may-8-2024/

#slide #sediments #westernwyomingcommunitycollege #rocksprings #wyoming