Postcards from the Field
Stories and Insights from SZ4D Field Trip Participants
Meet the participants from the 2024 SZ4D International Field Trip in Ashland, Oregon.
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Over nine days, 17 geoscientists from around the world came together to explore the geology of southern Oregon in a collaborative SZ4D community sample and data collection campaign. The team focused on collecting integrated geologic and geophysical data from the Ashland Pluton—an exhumed, Jurassic arc-related formation that preserves magmatic and tectonic records. These records offer valuable insights into the processes beneath active volcanoes today.
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Their Postcards from the Field capture the discoveries, challenges, and camaraderie that made this expedition both scientifically enriching and personally rewarding. Dive in to hear their unique perspectives and reflections!
Field organizers: Madison Myers, Montana State University; Christine Regalla, Northern Arizona University; Cal Barnes, Texas Tech, Geoff Abers, Cornell
Education Leads: Samuel Cornelius Nyarko, Stuart Kenderes, Indiana Univ-Purdue Univ Indianapolis
Project team: Shubham Agrawal, U South Carolina; Marge Belcasto, Portland State University; Catalina Castro, Universidad de Concepción Chile; Alfredo Esquivel, Millennium Institute on Volcanic Risk; Cameron Essex, U Wisconsin-Milwauke; Lalo Guerro, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries; Hiroko Kitajima, Texas A&M U, Kelly Lascano, Universidad Central del Ecuador; Chloe Marks, U Michigan; Diana Mindaleva, Tohoku University; Jiale Mou, Rice U; Ekaterina Rojas Kolomiets, U South Carolina; Arnab Roy, U Idaho; Maria Tilman, Portland Community College
Shubham Agrawal
Post Doctoral Fellow
​University of South Carolina
Seismology
I love geosciences and being outdoors. The SZ4D field trip perfectly combined both, and with the addition of camaraderie, it made for a thoroughly enjoyable and productive 10 days. One of the most gratifying aspects of the trip was the active discussions and group collaboration. Identifying a research question, assessing its feasibility based on the expertise present, designing an experiment to collect data, and then actually going out to conduct it was fun, challenging, and engaging. Being perched at 7,000 feet, surrounded by blooming wildflowers and pines, was definitely not a bad setting for fieldwork. Most importantly, it was my fellow Earth scientists who made the experience truly memorable. As a seismologist, I’m often confined to working at a computer, so I especially appreciated the time spent outdoors doing science in such a beautiful part of Oregon.
Diana Mindaleva
Assistant Professor
Tohoku University, Japan
Metamorphic petrology, Fluids Transport, Hydration processes
Hi all, This is Diana Mindaleva from Tohoku University, Japan. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in my first field trip in the U.S., and it was an eye-opening experience. For the first time, I saw how geophysics, structural geology, and petrology can be studied together, which broadened my understanding of these interconnected disciplines. Despite the tight schedule, I was amazed at how much ground we were able to cover during the trip. What truly stood out, though, was the opportunity to meet scientists from different countries and disciplines, all working together on the same challenges. It was inspiring to see such collaboration in action!
Cameron Essex
Graduate Student
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
The Cascadia was fast paced during the nine days we had to come up with an interdisciplinary research question using geophysics, petrology, and structural geology to understand the geology of the Ashland pluton in southern Oregon. I found it difficult to keep up, but not impossible. Looking back, it was rewarding to work in large groups across disciplines because everyone was willing to help and solve problems that arose with their own expertise, whether that be data organization or fieldwork. I also enjoyed the field trips and outreach activities we did. We learned about the geohazards throughout southern Oregon, from tsunamis to violent volcanic eruptions, which was invigorating since I didn’t realize how much communities had to worry about these multi-hazard threats. To top it all off, some participants and field trip leaders presented the preliminary results of what we did on the field trip at the Ashland Public Library in Oregon. It was stimulating to discuss the geologic history of southern Oregon to a general audience, and how our new research questions are trying to understand the geohazards of the area better from multiple disciplines, which has not been done before. In the end, it was a great experience to gain new friends and colleagues across disciplines and around the world.
I am originally from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, but now live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where I recently graduated with my master’s in geoscience from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I actually heard about this program from a colleague I met at a Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) workshop. After the workshop, all the participants kept in touch on WhatsApp, and they sent this opportunity to the group chat. When I applied to the field trip, I expected I was going to receive more volcanic field work experience, and an opportunity to lead a new individual research project using a method I’m familiar with but would like more expertise on: Estimating magma depth using melt inclusions.
Not only did participants contribute to an overall group research question, but we created our own individual projects as well. As part of the post-field research objectives, I was interested if there were any fluid inclusions in the mafic enclaves and felsic dykes we collected for the Ashland pluton. If they do exist, they could be an important piece of the pluton puzzle since fluid inclusions preserve the original geochemical concentrations of the magma, which can also be used to calculate eruption depth. Constraining eruption depth could therefore tie into how dynamic magmatic processes like magma mixing that form in the Cascadia subduction zone.
Marge Belacastro
Undergraduate Student
​Portland State University
Geology, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hazards
Going into this field adventure, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was my first experience with any kind of field camp, aside from campus-led field trips. When I discovered I was the only undergraduate attending, I felt nervous about what I could contribute to the group. However, as soon as I arrived, I realized I would be fine. My education at Portland State University and my experience completing an undergraduate thesis had prepared me; I just needed to tap into my confidence. The group was approachable, easy to talk to, and always open to questions. I never once felt like a hindrance.
I learned about this opportunity through my mentor and generally through the university. I almost missed the application deadline, but I’m so glad my enthusiasm for the opportunity came through in my responses.
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I had the chance to engage in several areas where I had little previous experience by rotating through the different field groups (geo chem and seismic data collection), which really enhanced my understanding of what interdisciplinary fieldwork looks like. This experience enriched my research by deepening my understanding of the complexities of the Cascadia Subduction Zone and gave me valuable insight into what goes into large research group projects.
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Attached is a group photo taken on our last night together. Coming together as one big group and feeling a sense of belonging really solidified my decision to major in Geology. It also boosted my confidence, both socially and scientifically, in an unfamiliar environment.
Chloe Marks
Graduate Student
​University of Michigan
Structural Geology, Tectonics, Thermochronology
Hi, my name is Chloe Marks and I am a PhD student at the university of Michigan. I have a broad interest in the structural evolution of orogenic systems from subduction to continental collision. I applied because of my passion for working in the field and my hopes to learn more about subduction associated systems.
My experience on the SZ4D trip was great - it was so fun to meet so many people from such diverse backgrounds and be able to discuss science while also having fun. I learned a lot of new field techniques outside of my own expertise, and I was also able to teach the group some skills. Overall, it was a fantastic experience of being both a student and a teacher and I am excited to continue working on the data we collected.
Ekaterina Rojas Kolomiets
Graduate Student
​University of South Carolina
Isotope geochemistry
Hi! I am Ekaterina Rojas Kolomiets, a half Costa Rican-half Ukrainian PhD candidate at the University of South Carolina studying the Aleutian and Costa Rican subduction zones under the scope of stable isotope geochemistry. My interest in subduction zones started back home in Costa Rica, where numerous field trips during my undergraduate studies showed me the geological complexity that subduction zones entangle. From shaky grounds to ashy volcanoes, Costa Rica was not only my home but also a geological wonder that awoke many scientific questions. Now, while dissolving rocks with all sorts of acids in a clean lab tucked away in South Carolina, I found myself missing both the field and the volcanoes outside my window.
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Fortunately, the SZNet Cascadia field trip provided both things I was reminiscing about and more. So, once I came across the announcement, I immediately started to craft my successful application. Participating in the Ashland field trip provided me with an opportunity to remember and improve field skills, engage in interdisciplinary discussion, construct real-time hypotheses in the field and to learn both from the other participants and from the field leaders, one-of-a-kind experts in various geology disciplines. These interactions fruited in long-lasting and diverse learning outcomes: from field organizational skills to new petrological concepts and, as a young scientist, even confidence-building tools. Our time in Ashland was full of innovative scientific discussions. It was also an opportunity to build personal and professional connections with people from all walks of life and different parts of the world. At the end, such is the truest meaning of geology, to have many different voices, that have interacted with Earth in many different places, telling the story of our planet.
Arnab Roy
Post Doctoral Fellow
​University of Idaho
Geophysics
Being part of the Cascadia field trip was a transformative experience. Working in such an important geodynamically active area gave me some incredible insights into better understanding how the Earth moves and shakes (literally). The hikes to those remote spots, lugging heavy equipment? Let’s just say I discovered muscles I didn’t know I had! But honestly, every step was worth it because we gathered some seriously cool data that might just help us understand processes that occur beneath volcanoes. Plus, I got to know some amazing people working in subduction science—who needs a gym membership when you’ve got tectonic plates to chase and a great crew to do it with?
I’m Arnab, a numerical modeler working as a postdoc at the University of Idaho. Usually, you’ll find me in my office, deep in the world of computer simulations, far from the natural beauty of the outdoors. But recently, I swapped my keyboard for some field boots and got up close and personal with fieldwork in the Cascadia Subduction Zone—who can resist the chance to take a break from looking at endless lines of code?
Mariah Tilman
Faculty
Portland Community College
Volcanology, Petrology
What a great experience we all had meeting each other and collaborating to study the Ashland Pluton. It has been a little while since I did true field work and I found the experience to be inspiring; it was wonderful to see all the young energy and great people working hard to understand our planet and the hazards of subduction zones. I will carry what I learned with me to share with my students, sharing with them the exciting work that is being done and inspiring them to pursue their goals with the same enthusiasm.