Geology from the Air

The flight path from Sacramento to Seattle is full of volcanic wonders. First are the Sutter Buttes, proclaimed the smallest mountain range in the world. Next comes Mount Shasta, towering over Northern California and still, in late July, snow-covered. Into Oregon is Mount Hood, the astonishing Crater Lake, then approaching Seattle, Mounts Baker, and Tom in the distance, and Rainier to the east.

I know we live in a geologically active area of the world, but in Davis, you see little evidence of this. Today I had a good reminder that there’s a lot of geology all around.

Postscript: I do know it’s not a great idea to bring fountain pens on planes, but I do it anyway… Also, I wrote this before I heard about the 8.7 magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka, which reminds me also that yes, the Pacific Rim is a powderkeg.