Teton Fault Topic of Presentation at UW Research Center July 7

The Teton fault and its potential hazards are the topic of the Harlow Summer Seminars Thursday, July 7, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Glenn Thackray, professor of geosciences at Idaho State University, will discuss “Earthquakes, glaciers and the evolution of landscapes along the Teton fault” at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Research Center at (307) 543-2463.

Thackray says the Teton fault is a major, active fault responsible for creating much of the dramatic Teton landscape of western Wyoming. New, highly detailed topographic images reveal the complexity of the fault zone and the magnitude of fault movement since glaciers occupied the Teton Range front during the last ice age -- average movement in those 15,000 years is about 40 feet, a rapid rate.

“Recent geophysical seismic wave studies reveal the characteristics of the fault and the surrounding rocks and soils in the subsurface,” he says. “The fault appears to dip steeply beneath Jackson Hole, a factor with important bearing on earthquake hazards.”

Thackray, who holds degrees in geology from Beloit College and the universities of Oregon and Washington, has been a member of the Idaho State faculty since 1994.

The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area.

For more information about the Harlow Summer Seminars, contact Michael Dillon at (307) 543-2463 or Michael.Dillon@uwyo.edu.