Beach Exploration: Rock

 

"Earth and Sky, Woods and Field,

Lakes and Rivers,

the mountains and the seas,

are excellent schoolmasters,

and teach some of us

more than we can ever learn from books."

Sir John Lubbock

 

Each beach is different, one from the other, but in a singular way they are the same. Where water meets land the shore is covered by sediment - sand, gravel or larger rock fragments. Sometimes mud. Here, amid loud roar of incoming waves and quiet hiss of outgoing tides, signs of the earth's vast history may be found - if one knows how to read them.

 

“I do not know how I may seem to others,

but to myself I am only a small child

wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge,

every now and then finding

a small bright pebble to be contented with.”

Plato

 

 

It begins with awareness, and then careful observation. Rocks and water have been here for longer than we can comprehend and the tug-of-war between them is ongoing and endless.

The tiniest grains of sand were once mighty boulders, which themselves were once part of the bones of the earth.

Dynamic and restless, this sphere shakes, buckles, and changes through the action of tremors, eruptions, and tumultuous weather.  Heat and pressure from inside shift and move huge chunks of rock upward, forming plateaus and mountains.

On the surface, wind and water are relentless, slowly wearing away the rock and moving it to other places. What began in the fiery bowels of the earth is worn down and its pieces eventually re-formed into layers of new rock.

With enough layers, enough weight, and enough time, much of the surface rock will be pushed back down into the earth where heat and pressure re-form it yet again.

Often, when this new rock finally emerges to the surface again, evidence of the mixing of different rock pieces is evident.

In the end, all is recycled - for the rock and the water have always been here, although the form may change countless times.
 

“River stones remain, while water flows away.”

Romanian Saying

 

They are here still, although we may pay no attention to their form or function. And here - at the very edge of the water and the land - life clings to both.

 

 

 

“When all the water has gone,

only the largest stones

will still remain in the riverbed.”

African Saying

 

 

"Water is fluid, soft and yielding.

But water will wear away rock,

which is rigid and cannot yield.

As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding

will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.

This is another paradox: what is soft is strong."

Lao-Tzu

 

 

"A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth.

The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water.

Even so, life is but an endless series of little details,

actions, speeches, and thoughts.

And the consequences whether good or bad

of even the least of them are far-reaching."

Sivananda

 

Truly, we are all connected...

Unsettling Business

One year ago I took a leap of faith
and dove into the world of blogging with both feet. 

While the "splash" I make is probably minute,

I continue to enjoy the journey

and hope you enjoy riding along.

Your comments are much appreciated.

Perhaps it is coincidence, but exactly one year ago I wrote of my personal experience with earthquakes because there had recently been massive ones in Haiti, then Chile ......and now Japan. It is, yet again, one of those times when the earth takes on a life of its own and spins out of control, leaving massive destruction and human agony in its wake.

Frank Slide, Alberta, Canada

There are those who would say that we deserve this - that all signs have pointed this way and that God or "the gods" is/are angry. We are, after all, measly humans who are bound for "Hell in a hand basket". The end is surely near and it is only a matter of time.... Perhaps - but who is to say?

Life on earth is risky and highly dangerous - always has been and always will be. Deep down inside we know this to be true, but somehow in the everyday business of living we shove all thoughts of such aside, unless (or until) we are forced to look them straight in the eye. For this most recent tragedy, as with most events nowadays, that means video on the nightly news or computer screen, and it's impossible to look away. Human misery is eerily compelling and the overwhelming feeling of helplessness - both in Japan and in our living rooms here - is staggering. So much damage, death, and destruction - how can things ever be put back as they were? What can we do? How can life go on?

The answers are both extremely complicated and simple. Much depends on support and outlook and one depends upon the other, both here and half a world away. Choose to concentrate on the stories of rescue, goodwill, and compassion, not the terrible death, crime, and hopelessness of the people involved. Act - decide in what ways you are best equipped to help, and do so. Some people are trained and have the means to travel to disaster areas to lend valuable service on the spot. Most of us, however, are not, so need to contribute in other ways. Usually, contributing money is the best way to help, but be sure to take your time and thoroughly check out the group or agency you are contributing to. Don't be concerned with how little or how much you can afford - sometimes the things that mean the most cost very little. Clean water, fresh bandages, packaged meals, hugs, and reassuring attitudes are invaluable. Offer support here to those you know who have family or friends in the disaster area.

It will be a long road to recovery, for things will never be as they were. Nature is a powerful force and humankind has yet to accept the fact that we are often helpless against it. But as we have seen, time and again throughout history, life will go on. Things will be different, lives will have been changed and much will have been lost. But much will ultimately be gained in the way of knowledge about living here on planet earth and about how we care for each other. Since we are such a tiny pin-prick in the universe, perhaps our real strength lies well outside of ourselves...

They were snatched away before their time;

their foundation was washed away.

Job 22:16

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

Click HERE to read my first post on earthquakes.

Mountains May Quake

Lituya Bay is a T-shaped fjord on the west edge of Glacier Bay National Park, along the Gulf of Alaska coast. The head of the bay lies along a fault line; on a July night in 1958 a 7.9 earthquake along this fault loosened 40 million cubic yards of rock high above the NE shore of the bay. The mass of rock plunged from 3000 feet down into the waters of an inlet where the impact generated a local tsunami that crashed against the opposite shore. The wave hit with such power that it swept completely over the spur of land that separates the inlet from the main body of the bay, continued down the entire length of the bay, over a spit, and into the Gulf of Alaska. This tsunami, the tallest ever measured in the world, reached over 1700 feet high. It uprooted and swept away millions of trees and all vegetation from the hillsides, destroyed 3 fishing boats, and killed two people.

72 miles SE of there, in Haines, those of us on a youth mission trip were relaxing in our dorm on the 3rd floor of an old army building. We'd had a practice fire drill so it came as no surprise when the alarm went off and we quickly rushed out the door and down the outside fire escape. On the ground, I looked up to see the tall brick chimney of the old building whipping back and forth in slow motion reminiscent of a cobra doing its slow dance. Strangely, it did not fall. It slowly dawned on me that this was no fire drill.

That was before computers and cell phones, so it was the next day before our minister's wife called home to let everyone know we were all OK. As we worked, clearing the woods and building a root cellar, we felt the ground shake from time to time reminding us of this tremendous force of nature. It was not until long after we returned home that we learned of the terrible damage in Lituya Bay.

One year later, in August of 1959, I was returning home from a date around 11:30 PM. Walking up the sidewalk I was aware of the sound of wind through the trees - but there was no wind. My dad met us at the front door, something he had never done before, and told us there'd just been a large earthquake. Our plate-glass living room window creaked loudly, but did not break.

Glued to the radio the next day, we learned the quake occurred 290 miles away around Hebgen Lake in the Madison Canyon near Yellowstone National Park in Montana. At 7.5, the quake caused parts of the lake to rise eight feet and surrounding landscape to drop as much as 20 feet. Landslides carried 80 million tons of rock, mud and debris into the valley, creating hurricane force winds strong enough to toss cars. 28 people lost their lives when a campground was buried. We knew that my sister and her family, on their way for the summer's visit, were camping and might be in that area. The river was blocked, water rose and formed a new Quake Lake. In Yellowstone the quake created fault scarps nearly 20 feet high, causing extensive damage to roads and buildings. Telephone lines were knocked out; new geysers and cracks sprouted up all over the park. Old Faithful became erratic. Thankfully, our loved ones arrived safely the next day - they had been nowhere near the quake area.

I will always remember those teenage summers and how I gained new respect for the raw power of the earth. For me, it was only a tiny glimpse and my heart goes out to the people of Haiti and Chile. God bless them all.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm 46:1-3