Tate Talk: ‘Soft-sediment Deformation in Fine Volcanic Ash’
Rita Douglas, museum exhibit specialist, will present the May Tate Talk, “Soft-sediment Deformation in Fine Volcanic Ash,” on Wednesday, May 6, at Casper College. (Casper College photo)
The May Tate Talk “Soft-sediment Deformation in Fine Volcanic Ash” will be presented by Rita Douglas, museum exhibit specialist. The talk will be held at the Tate Geological Museum on Wednesday, May 6, at 6 p.m.
“Soft-sediment deformation is the process by which sediments are deformed before they lithify into sedimentary rocks,” said Douglas. When water-saturated ash is involved, the process becomes more than a little complicated because of the Oobleck-like behavior of wet ash. Douglas will focus on a research project examining ash from an early Yellowstone eruption at Ashfall Fossil Beds. There, more questions were raised than answered.
Douglas worked with vertebrate paleontology and zoology collections in museums around the world. She earned two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln: one in Russian and the other in geology. She later earned a master’s degree in paleontology and global change from the University of Helsinki.
Douglas’ talk is free and open to all and will be live at the Tate or available to watch on the museum’s Facebook page. The Tate Geological Museum is located at the southern end of the Casper College campus, near the T. rex sculpture.
At a Glance:
- Event Focus: Rita Douglas presenting research on “Oobleck-like” behavior in Yellowstone volcanic ash
- Key Participants: Rita Douglas, museum exhibit specialist
- Logistics: Wednesday, May 6, at 6 p.m. at the Tate Geological Museum
- Admission: Free and open to all; in person or via Facebook Live