Nick on the Rocks

Science and Nature Series / 6 Seasons

Nationally recognized geologist Nick Zentner, Senior Geology Lecturer, Central Washington University, leads viewers on adventures through WA's diverse landscapes, from massive lava flows and the planet's biggest Ice Age waterfall to wandering mountains and a flank of Mt. Rainier that traveled to Tacoma. Special thanks to CWU as the original creator and collaborator for Nick on the Rocks.

7m 38s

Battle of the Batholiths at Washington Pass

S6 E8 / 7m 38s

Towering walls of granite stand sentinel over Highway 20 at Washington Pass deep in the North Cascades. The surrounding peaks are made of two distinct types of granite that formed far away from each other before dramatically colliding in the Northwest.

The Remains of an Ancient Volcano at Beacon Rock

S6 E7 / 7m 1s

Sitting right on the edge of the Columbia River near Vancouver, Washington, Beacon Rock shoots 800 feet straight up from the valley floor. While it’s made of the same type of rock as the gorge’s surrounding walls, it tells a much newer story.

The Giant Ice Sheet That Shaped Seattle

S6 E6 / 8m 48s

From the hills and ridges that all run north to south to the huge freshwater lakes that define the region, the geography of Seattle is a direct result of a huge ice sheet that scoured the landscape just 16,000 years ago.

3,000 Years of Ice and Floods at Pateros

S6 E5 / 8m 27s

The town of Pateros, Washington, sits at the confluence of the Methow and Columbia rivers in a landscape that has been dramatically shaped by ice and water over the past 20,000 years, including a terrace that mystifies geologists to this day.

The Secret Summit of Mount Index

S6 E4 / 7m 40s

Index granite was used to build the iconic Smith Tower in Seattle, and it is known by climbers all over the world for its grippy quality. And while Mount Index consists mostly of the famous granite that shares its name, its peak is made of much older and more mysterious rock.

Ancient Lakes at Potholes Coulee

S6 E3 / 8m 4s

Just north of the famous Gorge Amphitheatre are two enormous lake-filled canyons that appear to feed into the Columbia River. But the canyons of Potholes Coulee weren’t carved by rivers, and the lakes at the valley floor might not be so ancient after all.

The Massive Mudflows of Glacier Peak Volcano

S6 E2 / 7m 57s

Washington’s most remote stratovolcano stands high in the Cascades, 50 miles from the waters of Puget Sound. In the not-so-distant past, its eruptions sent huge mudflows all the way down to the Skagit Flats, and it could happen again!

Record of a Massive Glacier in Anacortes

S6 E1 / 7m 50s

How could 160-million-year-old bedrock from the bottom of the ocean end up smashed together with sand, gravel and rock brought down from Canada 15,000 years ago? The evidence is there in Anacortes, Washington, if you know where to look.

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