stanforddoerr's video: Stanford Earth scientists explore ancient submarine canyon remains

Tourists flock to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve near Monterey, Calif., for its breathtaking coastal views and glimpses of the playful sea otters and other marine mammals that can be found among its waters. But the site has long attracted geologists for a very different reason: The weathered rock cropping and loose gravel that line its shores are actually the remains of an ancient, uplifted submarine canyon that served as a mighty conduit for sediments flowing from beaches and rivers into the deep ocean 55 million years ago. For close to 30 years, Stanford Earth geologists Stephen Graham and Donald Lowe have been bringing students to Point Lobos for the insights provided by the site into the powerful but cryptic geologic processes that help shape the Earth’s seafloor. The site is also of interest to energy companies, because submarine canyons are ideal “petroleum traps” where organic matter can, through time and pressure, be converted into pockets of oil and natural gas. Point Lobos provides a rare opportunity to study the geologic circumstances that enable this transformation, and the findings could help make oil and gas exploration more efficient and safer, both for workers and for the environment. See the uplifted geological features of the deep sea floor in this video for yourself.