Nick on the Rocks

Science and Nature Series / 5 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.

6m 17s

Drumheller Channels

S5 E1 / 6m 17s

Outside Othello, Washington, a labyrinth of canyons conjure images of the desert Southwest, but these channels weren’t carved by rivers. Join Nick as he examines this surreal landscape for evidence of massive Ice Age floods.

Saddle Rock

S5 E2 / 6m 8s

High above the city of Wenatchee, Washington, a group of spires made of a unique type of 44-million-year-old rock tell the story of extreme volcanic activity and ancient vents of magma older than the Cascade volcanoes.

Moses Coulee

S5 E3 / 6m 33s

A broad canyon with steep walls and no river at the bottom, geologists believe Moses Coulee was created by Ice Age floods just 16,000 years ago. But the ghostly hanging valleys on the canyon walls tell a different story.

Big Four Mountain

S5 E4 / 5m 39s

There’s a basic rule in geology: Sedimentary rock layers build up horizontally. So how did the slabs of Big Four Mountain in Western Washington end up with nearly vertical layers, tilted 82 degrees away from their original positions?

Mount Shuksan Greenschist

S5 E5 / 5m 8s

Greenschist is a special type of rock that gets its green tint from minerals compressed long ago deep under the ocean. Join Nick as he explores how the entire top of mighty Mount Shuksan is made of this unique green stone.

Mount Baker Volcano

S5 E6 / 5m 49s

Over thousands of years, the glaciers of Mount Baker carved away rock to reveal a surprising history: Not just one, but three ancient and distinct volcanoes have lived and died in the volcanic field over the past million years.

Waterville Plateau

S5 E8 / 5m 58s

Just north of Withrow, Washington, the pancake-flat farms and fields are dotted by massive mysterious basalt boulders. These rocks, picked up and moved by ice sheets in the last Ice Age, help Nick visualize the moraine of a giant bygone glacier.

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