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Quest Lecture to explore how volcanoes and glaciers shaped the Sea to Sky

Dr. Steve Quane's free talk takes place in Whistler tonight at 7 p.m.
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GLACIERS AND VOLCANOES: Whistler's Black Tusk is one of the local geological features that will be discussed in Wednesday's Quest Lecture, "Spires, Columns, Tables and Lakes: How volcanoes and glaciers shaped our land.". UNSPLASH.COM

Whistler is defined by its landscape. The surrounding mountains, forests and lakes aren;' just what drew the community here—they're why this town exists in the first place.

But have you ever wondered how all those natural amenities came to exist?

Tomorrow's Quest Lecture, titled "Spires, Columns, Tables and Lakes: How volcanoes and glaciers shaped our land," should have at least some of the answers for you.

The talk will be delivered by Dr. Steve Quane, a professor of physical sciences at Quest University in Squamish. The free event—presented by Whistler Public Library and Quest University in partnership with the Resort Municipality of Whistler—is set to take place at the Maury Young Arts Centre from 7 to 8:30 p.m., tonight , Nov.14.

As Quane explained in the event notice, much of the Sea to Sky corridor's, "young landscape is sculpted by fire and ice: the dynamic interplay between erupting volcanoes and glacial ice."

Some of the region's rare geologic features include, "precipitous pinnacles and curved pillars of rock as well as flat-topped mountains and bodies of water in odd locations." Attendees will be taken on "a virtual field trip" during the presentation to locations like Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk, Loggers Lake and Mt. Fee, while Quane will present new research findings on the local features.

Quane's research focuses on young landscapes, like the Sea to Sky's, that have been sculpted by volcanic eruptions and the associated geologic hazards.

His recent research includes mapping the bathymetry, or the depth, of Garibaldi Lake's floor using sonar. According to his bio, Quane, "is continuing to elucidate the timing of volcanic and glacial events that created this stunningly beautiful and geologically unique feature with the use drone-based aerial photography and good old boots on the ground field mapping."

While tickets are not needed for Wednesday evening's free talk, seating in the theatre is limited. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for the lecture's 7 p.m. start.

For more information, go to https://www.whistlerlibrary.ca/events/quest-lecture-series-steve-quane-2018.