UC Santa Cruz Geology Exploration
What do ancient seafloors, Swiss cheese and portions of the Santa Cruz Mountains have in common? Probably not much, but tell that to the bedrock. Portions of the UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus and adjacent Wilder Ranch State Park are characterized by a rare phenomena on the West Coast–karst topography. A karst landscape features sinkholes, streams that dive underground, springs, caves, and more.
Join geologist and retired UCSC Earth and Planetary Sciences Senior Lecturer Dr. Hilde Schwartz and UCSC Campus Natural Reserve Manager Alex Jones for an exploration of the fractured marble bedrock of Empire Cave and learn about the hydrological and geological processes that created it, as well as some of the biology that makes it an incredibly rare ecosystem.
About the Speakers:
Alex Jones has been an environmental educator for over 25 years, practicing natural history while leading students ranging from preschoolers to senior citizens. Alex currently works as the UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve Manager and supports education, research, and stewardship activities on campus natural lands. As part of his duties, Alex is responsible for monitoring and managing the campus’s Empire Cave.
Hilde Schwartz is an earth scientist who’s dabbled in both geology and paleontology. Her research always begins ‘in the field’, and her main field regions have been in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt) and the American southwest (including California). Participated in research with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History on dinosaur sites in New Mexico. In the late 1990s, she proposed a new class at UCSC called ‘The Natural History of Dinosaurs’, which she taught from 1999 until her retirement from the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department in 2024. Hilde maintains an active interest in dinosaur research and will always be a dinosaur enthusiast.
REGISTER HERE
Location: UCSC
Ticket Price: $30 General
Discounts: $5 member discount
Capacity: 17 adults
Age: 18+
Accessibility and Logistics:
Must be able to walk ~1.25 miles over hilly terrain(with some steep sections), uneven ground and descend/ascend a ladder into the cave.
Lights and Helmets will be provided.
