Visiting Geologist Program at State Parks

Don't miss the opportunity to hear the story of how the state's mountains and minerals formed and their importance to our economy. From June through August, West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey staff work with the West Virginia Division of Tourism and State Parks to hold the Visiting Geologist Program at state parks. Survey staff present an easy-to-understand evening geologic slide show and lead a relaxed-pace morning geologic walk at several parks.

The lively and informative evening slide show focuses on how the land we now know as West Virginia originally formed. Slides taken around the state illustrate the importance of West Virginia's hundreds of millions of years of geologic history to our present mineral wealth, economy, breathtaking scenery, and the geology of the particular park.

The presentation answers questions such as: How did the mountains form? Can dinosaur remains be found in West Virginia? Can I find gold here? Did glaciers ever cover the state?

On display before and after the talk are maps, geologic articles, and books about the park along with general information about West Virginia's rocks and fossils. Our free publication sales catalog is also available at those times, and questions about West Virginia's geology, including rock and fossil identification, are encouraged.

Take a closer look at the area's rocks, fossils, and terrain the next morning on a guided geologic walk. In one or two hours, the visiting geologist points out how the history of the ancient rocks can be deciphered from the clues the rocks themselves reveal. Although rocks in the parks cannot be collected, when armed with the information gained from the visit, participants can create their own collections from the rocks at home and have a better understanding of the area's ancient history.

The parks and number of visits varies each year. Please check back during late spring for the Visiting Geologist schedule.

View the 2011 Visiting Geologist Schedule NEW!

And, as always, it is recommended that you check your local paper or call the state park for specifics regarding meeting places and times for the geologist's visits.

Page last revised: June 22, 2010

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            West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey
  Address:  Mont Chateau Research Center
            1 Mont Chateau Road
            Morgantown, WV  26508-8079
Telephone:  304-594-2331
      FAX:  304-594-2575
    Hours:  8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday

Permission to reproduce this material is granted if acknowledgment is given to the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey.