CSUN to Display Area Geologic Map

The unveiling of a mural depicting the Miocene Epoch and the display of a geologic map of the Valley and surrounding areas will be part of an open house at Cal State Northridge sponsored by the geological sciences department Saturday.

Artist John Iwerks and CSUN geological sciences professors collaborated on the mural project to create a panorama of what the Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains would have looked like 15 million years ago during the Middle Miocene Epoch.

Iwerks’ work, titled “MioScene Mural,” is painted on a 6-by-13-foot wall facing the geological sciences department office.

“It’s dramatic and shows a good expanse of ocean, which covered much of the area at the time, a delta being formed by a river coming in from the north and shows active volcanism, which produced large volumes of volcanic rocks which can be seen exposed in the Santa Monica Mountains,” said Dr. Peter W. Weigant, geological sciences professor at CSUN.

Thomas W. Dibblee Jr. will display a map, also 6 by 13 feet, showing the geology of the Valley, Santa Monica Mountains and portions of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Dibblee has mapped the geology of 40,000 square miles of the state of California.

Exhibits on Mars, meteorites and various minerals will also be on display at the open house, which is free to the public. In addition, there will be a children’s workshop on making fossil impressions.

The event will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the second floor of the Science I Building located on the southeast side of campus.

For more information, contact the geological sciences department at (818) 677-3541.