California is renowned throughout the world for our biological diversity, but the geologic history of the region is just as fascinating as our plant and animal life. The geology of California is highly complex, with numerous mountain ranges, substantial and historically intense tectonic activity, and rich natural resources that have made the state a mining hotspot. But what exactly happened all those millions of years ago that shaped California as it is today? To find out, join the Conservancy and Eric Cathcart as he describes the very unique conditions that created the geologic wonders of Southern California.
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Eric Cathcart, M.S. is a professor of environmental and ocean sciences at the University of San Diego. Cathcart earned his Masters of Science from USD in 1996, and is also a licensed California Professional Geologist, California Registered Environmental Assessor and an environmental consultant. In terms of scholarly work, Cathcart has published multiple re-
ports and articles for government regulatory agencies and professional journals, with the majority of his work focused on isotope geochemistry, micropaleontology, sedimentology,
hydrology, and metal contamination, among others. Currently, Cathcart is researching the geogenic concentrations of metals in formations throughout San Diego County, which will be utilized by local government, researchers and regulatory agencies to establish background and health risk-based thresholds for remediation of contaminated properties. Cathcart is also actively involved with community science education and outreach, and is involved with organizations like SeaCamp, Ocean Discovery Institute, and Tecolote Canyon Natural Park and Nature Center.
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Video chapters
00:00-3:00 - Introduction
3:00-1:08:40 - Presentation
1:08:40-1:25:18 - Q&A and Outro
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During our ExperTalk series, you'll get to meet members of the Huntington Beach, Orange County, and greater scientific communities as they share and teach you about topics related to Bolsa Chica and the greater natural world. Topics can vary from plants and wildlife to the local history, so there are a variety of topics to suit many tastes and interests!

Want to learn more about our ExperTalk series? Call us at (714) 846 - 1114 or email one of our program coordinators:
Kenneth Perez: [email protected]
Kirsten Haltman: [email protected]

Music courtesy of BenSound.com.