'Nick On the Rocks' star tours the Ginkgo Flow | Oregon Field Guide

Geologist Nick Zentner ‪@GeologyNick‬ (of “Nick on the Rocks” fame) takes us on an entertaining road trip to explore the Ginkgo lava flow that erupted in central Washington and flowed all the way to the Oregon Coast 16 million years ago.
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Find Nick on KZbin at / @geologynick
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#nickontherocks #ginkoflow #geology #lavaflow #OPB #Oregon #PacificNorthWest

[@GeologyNick]

Thank you, Oregon Field Guide! It was fun to be part of this episode. Special thanks to talented producer Jule and imaginative videographer Brandon. The three of us spent three days together in March of 2023 filming this video.

[@steveanimatrix3887]

Absolutely love your content and channel! Your passion is contagious!

[@SCW1060]

Nick, you keep getting better and better as time goes on.i I've been a sub of yours since when you only had your 4 Downtown Lectures. Keep Rockin the Rocks my friend

[@BAR162O]

You gotta love it!!

[@AvanaVana]

Didn’t know about this video…excellent as usual!

[@GregsGeologyChannel]

@GeologyNick Could you post coordinates or give directions to the Ginkgo dike (shown at 2:37)? I'd love to see it myself.

[@NotDrDre]

Nick is the real deal, one of the best science communicators out there. Zentnerds stand up!

[@mattcwatkins]

Standing up! I drive up to Ellensburg one Tuesday night for a lecture about the Bridge of the Gods (the geology version..not the steel bridge) and talked with him a couple of minutes before the presentation. He's like a professor, geology''s answer to Mr. Wizard, and giant cartoon version of a Weebelo all rolled into one.

[@BAR162O]

Zentnerds in the house!

[@DogWhoFilms]

Nick is what ALL teachers should strive to be like. He not only gets you excited to learn about said subject, but his excitement is contagious.

[@terraflora7030]

I totally agree.

[@ksea9146]

My greatest (and only) geologic find in the PNW was stumbling on Nick videos about 10 years ago. I fell into immediate fandom, and now he can't get shed of me. I truly never thought about geology until he unknowingly foisted it upon me; now I'm addicted to rock. I was fortunate to be able to attend his 2023 Downtown Lecture Series, which was a dream realized, and I'm counting the days to his 2024 Series. Two dreams in one lifetime, which is so more than my fair share, but I'll take it!

[@Unsolicited-Info]

He’s a certifiable national treasure. Love his lectures!

[@stevengeorge5605]

Cool-Nick Zentner (aka, Ned Zinger) featured in an OPB|Oregon Field Guide video! You gotta love it! Thank you OPB, and Nick. 😊

[@OPB]

Our pleasure!

[@UncleBildo]

Nick's a helluva guy, and one of the best lecturers I've seen.

[@davelane1773]

At this point in life I am able to look back and see the people that have made an impact on the way I view the world around me, most of these people were teachers. I can tell that this gentleman was one of those few that was made to educate others about something he has a great love of. I feel smarter every video of his I watch.

[@geargeekpdx3566]

Nick Zentner is the best. A local treasure! Also the most Oregonian person i know of.

[@jamesdriscoll_tmp1515]

It's a rare talent that can take the concepts, find the evidence, and present it in a manner so accesable. Thank you for your spirit Nick, my world is more interesting from having heard your stories. Thanks also to the folks that have invested in bringing these stories to the view of of the public. Just the information makes it worth while, but because of the interest it generates, it benefits the region and all who reside in it and enjoy its wonders.

[@Mephistopholies]

Like Carl Sagan...

[@bigfoot7.350]

Nick is the man!!! So much positive energy and information!!!

[@35ABSTRACT]

How can you not love Nick; he’s the best. He got me back into geology years after college. Thanks for doing this video!

[@Townie001]

We (Zentnerds) have ventured into Oregon a few times, but this is one of the best. Thanks, Nick and Oregon field Guide.❤

[@heathertaylor4677]

I'm always excited by a Nick Zentner video! He makes geology understandable and fun. Congratulations, OPB, on an excellent show! More, please!

[@RusTsea196T]

Her personality is a good foil for Nick's delivery. They make an interesting duo.

[@laraemitchell9064]

I love this information about the lava flows. All over the states of the PNW! My favorite part of the world - where I’m from. I would like learning more of this volcanic history!

[@OPB]

Geology is a regular feature of "Oregon Field Guide", so keep an eye out here for more.

[@RichGilpin]

I have begun watching Nick’s lectures on you tube this last year, they are great. He brings such energy and enthusiasm to the teaching and learning. I took a couple of geology classes with the wonderful John Allen at PSU in Portland a long long time ago. He changed forever the way I look at my native Pacific Northwest. Nick is doing wonders to enlarge our understanding of our surroundings and geologic times. Thank you for presenting this!

[@joshuakent6865]

Been watching Nick Z for a long time. He is the GOAT.

[@Steviepinhead]

Yaquina Head and the nearby town, etc., are named for the Yaquina native people. They spoke a dialect of the Alsean language, thought to fall within the Penutian language family. Nick and OPB captured this episode beautifully.

[@Engineer1980]

Love this new set of “Nick on the Rocks”!! Nick has matured and evolved from the original series and the video is stunningly beautiful! Thank you KCTS and Nick!! ❤❤

[@marsharose2301]

Love Nick explaining and demonstrating that lava flow!

[@Vickie-Bligh]

Nick is a powerful educator. I've learned so much from him over the past almost 4 years.

[@bothellkenmore]

"It's rock science" clever! Glad the OPB presenter got to go on a road trip(s) with him. The geology of Oregon and Washington, Idaho , BC are intertwined.

[@neebeeshaabookwayg6027]

Very nice, again, dear professor nick!!!! 🤗🥰🥳🥳🥳

[@brianruff1133]

Wow, two of my favorites together in one episode! Oregon Field Guide excells at showing the natural beauty of this wonderful area, and Nick's lectures excel at showing "what's behind the curtain", or , rather, what's under the ground, at the side of the road cuts, and right under our feet. Nick really helped me understand the depth and breadth of the ancient lava flows and how they changed the course of rivers.

[@SirFloofy001]

My favorite thing about Nick is just how much he takes away from his own teaching experiences. "whats that look like" "like coppery gems" "coppery gems, i like that" "whats that look like" "Kinda like a Christmas tree" "yeah it kinda does" You know hes going to use these to help describe what these formations look like in the future. Smart as heck scientists yest still always learning.

[@kidmohair8151]

Prof Zentner is a terrific teacher of things geologic! the very picture of a modern rockaholic...

[@majapa]

Fantastic host, interviews, footage, production. Thanks!

[@jkgardner1933]

I have been waiting for 5 months for this edition. Great job for all , thanks for the drawings, and effects. What a great job Nick does. I'm calling my friends and family to let them know.

[@oscarmedina1303]

A VERY enjoyable video. Thank you Nick and Oregon PBS for teaching us about the Ginkgo Flow.

[@Pidxr]

Yay Nick !

[@jimmymartinez9994]

My heart is melting! I love this so much!

[@gsansoucie]

Learned about Nick at Dry Falls SP on an Airstream caravan in 2023 and I’m hooked. Absolutely fascinating videos and information. Can’t get enough.

[@Mephistopholies]

Mr Zentner the ROCK STAR geologist on OPB! AWSM!!! Im subscribed now...

[@Azxnrjsle]

I am always awestruck at how Nick can take a bunch of rocks and make me feel so connected to the geologic history of the PNW. Incredible stuff.

[@Kevin-Tice]

You gotta love it, Nick!

[@pmgn8444]

Very interesting! Thanks Oregon Filed Guide and Nick Zentner.

[@sdmike1141]

Nicely done! That Ned Zinger seems to know his stuff! Thanks!!

[@davec9244]

SEND MORE thank you ALL stay safe

[@topher1332]

Ive been watching both Nick and OPB for a while. Its so cool to see them team up

[@dancooper8551]

Excellent content and production!🌋

[@nvskywalker651]

Excellent, Nick is why I got interested in Geology!

[@rogercotman1314]

Another geology educational video ................Thanks Nick ................

[@cmeyers3231]

Another awsome video, my mind got blown again, thanks Nick you always come thru.

[@CorndogJoe]

Some impressive great flood evidence.

[@zam6877]

I always love OFG, a cozy exploration of my NW home

[@Snappy-ut4bj]

I just finished reading roadside geology of Oregon. How cool to see those places that I just read about. Thanks!

[@Taskerofpuppets]

Very nicely done. Fantastic journey of discovery. Enjoyed your lecture in Portland earlier this month at OHSU.

[@zazouisa_runaway4371]

Great episode with Prof Nick Zentner! Love it! Thanks !

[@yourfeckinmom]

I would love to go hiking with Nick! This is so fascinating.

[@abegab]

Wow learn something every day

[@RoxnDox]

At Yaquina Head, when you descend those stairs they ended at, you're on a beach full of lovely black basalt cobbles eroded from the Gingko by the surf. As the waves shift the rocks around, it's almost musical listening to them. One of my favorite stops along the Oregon coast (we toured all the lighthouses a few years back).

[@williampacey9194]

Awsome, the earth is such an exciting place of how everything formed and eventually will be formed.

[@InzHills]

Well done well liked, great job!

[@noahb4225]

I didn't know I'd be a time traveler this morning. Thanks for the great video.

[@deannekwon6822]

Excellent!

[@amacuro]

Thank you for this. I have heard of the Ginkgo lava flow thanks to the petrified wood within it, but had never actually thought about the actual flow that petrified those trees. Fascinating!

[@cmpe43]

Yellow pants rattle snake video is still my favorite Nick flick but this is a close second!

[@spelunkerd]

This deserves its own Wikipedia page.

[@McSippy]

I love Nick on the Rocks!

[@TinkerinWithTim]

Found some of the same flow along the Molalla river!

[@Anne5440_]

How cool, I didn't know the Ginkgo flow was part of Silver Falls State Park. I got go there just one time but have remembered that park fondly. Seeing it at the ocean is a surprise, too. This is a wonderful video. I'm very glad to have watched it.

[@wendygerrish4964]

Delightful.

[@irenewaldron9802]

Great video adventure.

[@c.f.7408]

Can't wait to watch this we were just there on the coast

[@francesacoy4730]

He deserves a BIG rock🎉 menorial

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Wow. I've collected pieces of that rock from all my trips to Newport. (Not knowing the story behind it) This was such a well put together video. Nick is doing amazing content on geological activity in the Pacific Northwest. It's insanely refreshing to see it covered in such detail and with genuine curiosity and passion

[@theck672]

Thanks for this educational video!

[@SirFloofy001]

9:30 half expected him to say "lets go hop in the submersible and take a look" yall went all over the place for this!

[@joshnorthwoods]

Wow I want to take classes from nick. Super interesting

[@rcnyoplait]

Excellent

[@joeleoleo]

I’ve wondered for a while if this is the same basalt that forms the bedrock underneath the Luckiamute River north of Hoskins. Next time I’m there in the summer I’ll bring a rock hammer to look for the orange crystal.

[@BP_in_OR]

The geology of the Luckiamute River is its own thing compared to the flood basalts and totally worth diving into on its own! kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5auq51mot2gmdk

[@willybrisbois5926]

Amazing

[@markg1490]

Very cool

[@wayneyd2]

We all just saw this happened in Iceland couple of weeks age.

[@brandonholt6717]

Similar in some respects and different in others. The biggest difference is that these flows were mind bogglingly massive in scale. The lava flowed for hundreds of miles across the land. They filled valleys miles deep and buried mountain ranges.

[@briane173]

@@brandonholt6717 Yes, the SCALE of these fissure eruptions is hard to wrap your head around. It has an apparent connection to the Yellowstone hotspot, so the entire PNW has been a busy place geologically for about the last 50 million years or so. Initially I couldn't believe that a flow of this magnitude could travel 300 or so miles without cooling enough to harden and stop flowing; but while that might be true for the top fringe of the flow, the lava flowing BELOW that top "rind" was able to maintain its soupy, runny nature for all that distance. It IS a relatively thick flow (almost 200 ft on average), so plenty of volume as long as it maintains its white-hot temperature the whole way out to the coast.

[@user-lh5fp7bf2c]

That eruption had to be extremely consistent. I think were still possibly in doubt in how so much very hot very fluid magma could continue to assend and erupt over such a large area.

[@richb2229]

There must have been tremendous volume of lava for this flow to reach so far.

[@jonathanblubaugh5049]

> 167,000 cubic kilometers per Dr. Ho's dissertation on the Ginkgo Flow. All I can get my hands on so far is the abstract. Ho (1999)

[@lorenzosegote]

Nick looks a bit younger in this video. I am curious as to when was this produced?

[@garysmith1381]

Wonderful presentation. Are the Gingko flow dikes along the Snake River accessible to the public?

[@robertjmillerma1059]

Pretty cool 👍

[@JohnDoe-jq5wy]

SR 263....KAHLOTUS AREA .... MP 5.... DOMINATE VENT DURING THIS VOLCANIC CYCLE.... PROBABLY, THE BEST DEMONSTRATION OF SHEET VOLCANICS

[@markschluter8015]

From the sequence and graphics I now wonder how would lava encounter ginkgo trees as it rose up UP thru other layers of the "cake"?

[@briane173]

1:20 Hey, my bald head made it on OPB! I want residuals.

[@jamiewilson8338]

Silver Falls (Silverton, Oregon) State Park offer’s a excellent a GIFT SHOP & Eatery.

[@watchthe1369]

Hope you stopped at Moe's for the clam chowder.

[@PhilTomson]

So what are the orange crystals? Are they pieces of petrified gingko?

[@scottowens1535]

👍

[@LotsofStuffYT]

Is the cave behind the waterfall a lava tube? What are the orange crystals? Peridot? Olivine?

[@jonathanblubaugh5049]

my question exactly!

[@MrCounselorman]

I didn't catch what the gold crystals actually are and why the Gingko flow is characterized by them as opposed to other flows?

[@ChrisAnnasMom]

Please forgive me if I missed this. But, did Nick ever say what the orange crystals are made of and how they came to be in the basalt flow? I went back through the transcript and I can't find that information.

[@jonathanblubaugh5049]

Great question. I went to Google and found we need to purchase Dr. Ho's dissertation on the Ginkgo Flow. Her abstract mentions plagioclase phenocrysts from .5 to >3mm. That's about the right size range from the video, but the orange color throws me. It doesn't really match the specimens illustrated in the Wikipedia article on plagioclase. More research required I guess. Maybe Dr. Ho can be contacted directly? Her dissertation on the Ginkgo Flow was 25 years ago.

[@patinsley]

Proud to say i have the same hammer. Wish i had his same brain

[@CoIoneIPanic]

Actually Nick will be the first to tell you hes rather a moron. But a very very enthusiastic moron.

[@russellzauner]

Next day: *Nick receives approval for SCUBA gear and drysuits for his team*

[@TheCaphits]

This guy ginky.

[@nengthao5618]

Silver falls is awesome. No dogs on the trail though. Very narrow trails and lots of people during the warm seasons