Geo 365: May 6, Day 126: Otter Crest Ring Dike

It may not be immediately apparent, but there's another one of those puzzling invasive dikes in the above photo, taken in March, 2012 by Dana Hunter.

The above annotation should make matters more clear. Dana will be coming into town in a couple hours, and this is our target for this afternoon. Also, the new tsunami awareness/interpretive exhibit at the Hatfield Marine Science Center is open, and I think we're going to have time to fit that in. Oh, yes, and also another "puzzle outcrop." This one is very simple, it's just that the clues to solving it are not terribly obvious. The first time I visited, it was clear that there was more going on than I perceived, but I left scratching my head. The second time, I walked to an unexplored spot and had that headdesk/D'oh! moment everyone who does geology is familiar with. (If you're not familiar with that sensation, you don't really do geology.) My own puzzle on this visit will be how to get photos and other documentation to gradually lead to a solution for readers, rather than either frustrating them, or giving away the answer too quickly.

So that's what's on my plate today. How about you?

Photo by Dana Hunter. Unmodified other than annotation. March, 7 2011. FlashEarth Location (Cross hairs are on the spot where we were standing; the ring dike is visible as the arcuate line around the cove south of the point labeled as Otter Crest State Park.)