Friends of Oregon Ridge Speaker Series
The Long-Gone Ocean Beneath Baltimore
George Guice, PhD, Assistant Professor, Towson University
Tuesday, April 21; 7 - 8:30 p.m. (in the Oregon Ridge Nature Center Auditorium)
500 million years ago, the rocks under Baltimore sat beneath a great ocean known as the Iapetus. But how did these rocks end up here? And why does the Earth no longer have an ocean called the Iapetus? And how do we know? Join us to learn how the rocks beneath our feet in Baltimore help us to understand the Earth.
The Appalachian Mountains are perhaps best known for the legendary Appalachian Trail, which traverses 14 US states and passes through areas of famed natural beauty, such as the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway. But much of the story of the formation of these mountains lies in the rocks of the Appalachian Piedmont, the region east of the Appalachians, which hosts several major US cities, including Baltimore. The Piedmont is underlain by crystalline rocks formed during the formation of the Appalachian Mountains 500–350 million years ago. These rocks contain clues to understanding the tectonic processes that formed these spectacular mountains. This presentation will highlight “ultramafic” and “mafic” rocks, the types of igneous rock that have helped us unravel a part of the tectonic story. We will discuss how some of these rocks—including rocks that underlie the city of Baltimore – are fragments of the long-gone ocean known as the Iapetus.
George Guice, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geoscience at Towson University, joining the faculty in Fall 2023. He teaches Structural Geology, Tectonics, Introductory Geology and Volcanoes & Earthquakes. A native of the United Kingdom, Dr. Guice moved to the US in 2019 for a postdoctoral position at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and later worked at Johns Hopkins University and the American Museum of Natural History.
Dr. Guice’s research focuses on understanding how and when plate tectonics started on Earth, and how it has evolved through geologic time. His work has taken him to four different continents, having conducted research fieldwork in Scotland, Finland, Italy, South Africa, Brazil, Canada and the US.
Dr. Guice was educated in the UK and holds a BSc in Geology with Physical Geography from Keele University, an MSc in Mining Geology from the University of Exeter, and a PhD in Geology from Cardiff University. Outside of academia, he is a keen amateur soccer player and loyally supports his local soccer team in the UK (Coventry City).
Adults
$10 per person (FREE for Friends of Oregon Ridge Members)
Registration for this program closes on Monday, April 20 at noon.
Members may only register guests who are covered by their membership. All other guests must register separately as a non-member. This program will be presented in-person at Oregon Ridge Nature Center.
