Geology for Tourists

Join us for a FREE presentation open to the public on Friday, June 3, followed by a field trip on June 4. (Registration is required for the field trip ONLY.)

Here in the Northwoods, we take our unique environment for granted. But this land of lakes is the result of billions of years of geological processes. Sometimes incredibly violent, these geological actions have left evidence in plain sight. In fact, geologists from around the world come here to study.

In Geology for Tourists, you will not be asked to identify and name rocks. Rather, you will be exposed to the processes of geological cycles and to the main types of rock and formations which give evidence of our violent geological past.

Friday, June 3, 10:00-Noon: FREE, two-hour presentation at the Mercer Community Center, open to the public, sponsored by the Mercer Public Library. The presentation with Richard Thiede will focus on the main events and processes of our geological history from a molten ball to shallow ocean to a mountain range not unlike the Tetons to our beloved Northern Highlands and the geological basis of our thousands of lakes. Examples of the main rock and mineral types will be available and discussed. Sponsored by FeU and Mercer Library. Registration is NOT required.

Saturday, June 4, 9:00AM-3:00PM: On a 6-hour tour led by Richard Thiede and Tony Stella, you will stand on a 2.8-billion-year-old rock formation, part of the first stable earth crust and see evidence of powerful erosive processes. You will see an amazing rock formation, startlingly demonstrating the power of explosive volcanic activity. You will search a rock outcrop for evidence of the exact timeframe of the arising of life on earth. You will observe the results of the rending of the earth’s crust and its healing. You will learn of the cataclysm which ended the deposition of Iron County’s name mineral and tour the last remaining evidence of our mining heritage.

You will also get a bus ride from Mercer to northwest Iron County and Copper Falls State Park, plus a box lunch. Please register for the field trip below. Friday free presentation is recommended for field trip participants. (You do not need to register for Friday’s presentation, only for Saturday’s field trip.)

Instructors: Richard Thiede and Anthony Stella

Offline Registration: Download PDF Registration Form, complete and mail in with payment.

Registration Questions? Contact us or call (715) 862-0201 or (906) 285-7517.