Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Geo 365: July 23, Day 204: Looking Back

Looking back at the fence where I took yesterday's photo, and the shelter behind it. The weather was really pretty nice on this March day, not too cold, and mostly sunny. The problem, as is often the case, is that it was windy. 50 isn't too bad when it's still, but with a brisk wind, it can quickly suck the heat out of you. The shelter was a gratefully found spot for a quick lunch. It's also a good location for whale watching when they're migrating. We didn't see any, though.

The question to be pondered here is why the horizontal platform and vertical cliffs? The platform, or terrace, was once at sea level, and relentless pounding by waves beveled it flat. Then vertical motion caused by Cascadia's ongoing subduction raised it to its present height, and waves started cutting into it again, leading to today's landscape.

Photo unmodified. March 8, 2012. FlashEarth location.

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