From Upper Estuaries to the Deep Sea

Good to see OSU’s REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) “Oregon Marine Science: From upper estuaries to the deep sea” at Westwind.

On Saturday afternoon, July 30th, OSU students and faculty paddled Westwind canoes upstream to a heavily eroded spot along the estuary. Sedimentary layers from the 1700 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami are exposed and easy to see. Students could see firsthand the landscape changes brought by the massive magnitude 9 earthquake that struck Oregon on January 26, 1700. Particularly evident was the black peat layer of soil formed from marsh grasses and other plants buried under the sand and mud brought in by the tsunami.

Other schools or groups interested in canoe tours of the Salmon River Estuary please email Westwind at info@westwind.org.