The Geologic History of Laguna de Santa Rosa and Coastal California Presentation with geologist Dr. Jane Nielson

Thursday, April 23, 7:00-8:30pm
Location: Heron Hall, Laguna Environmental Center, 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
FREE. No RSVP necessary.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa connects the lowest elevations on the Santa Rosa Plain, an elongate depression separating ridges of California’s Coast Ranges Province. The rocks beside and beneath the Laguna once were part of a great ocean basin. Irresistible forces of this highly mobile Earth welded them to the edge of the growing continent of North America. Another great transition created the San Andreas Fault, and one result was the formation of California’s Coast Ranges, including the Laguna de Santa Rosa. This process has not ended; it continues today!

Jane Nielson holds B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in geochemistry and petrology, and is a California-licensed Professional Geologist. She worked 18 years as a field and research geologist for US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA, and has taught a wide range of undergraduate geology courses. In retirement, she co-wrote The American West at Risk, published in 2008 by Oxford University Press, which co-founding the Sebastopol Water Information Group (SWiG) and Sonoma County Water Coalition. In 2010 she was named Sonoma County Environmentalist of the Year.

This free program is made possible through a partnership between the Laguna Foundation, LandPathsand the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. The District permanently protects the diverse agricultural, natural resource and scenic open space lands of Sonoma County for future generations. It is funded through a quarter-cent sales tax that was voted in by the residents of Sonoma County.