Australia’s Gold Coast

Australia’s Gold Coast

By Hannah Glover

The expression, “the best geologist is the one who has seen the most rocks,” captures a concept at the heart of geology. It is a field where seeing and touching and experiencing are an important part of the scientific process. Each new location, outcrop, and rock gets added to a mental library, and we draw on these past observations to understand new environments. So, the best geologist may not have literally seen the most rocks, but will have the largest mental library of geologic observations.

This past week I have been building my library of coastal environments! As a coastal geomorphologist, I try to understand why coastlines look the way they do and how vegetation interacts with the landscape. Australia’s Gold Coast has been a beautiful and fascinating addition to my mental library. Deb and I spent a few days monitoring turtle migration in Yuraygir National Park. In between turtle surveys we walked across a tombolo to an island and checked out the intense swell breaking at the mouth of the Sandon River. And, we saw some kangaroos sunning themselves on the beach!

Now we’re heading to New Zealand, where the real work begins. Stay tuned for updates on Waikaraka Estuary.

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