{"id":231921,"date":"2020-05-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/mission-trails-geology-video-debuts-online\/"},"modified":"2020-05-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T07:00:00","slug":"mission-trails-geology-video-debuts-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/mission-trails-geology-video-debuts-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Mission Trails geology video debuts online"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note: MTRP Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Morrissey contributed to the reporting for this story.]<\/em><\/p>\n

On March 31, the Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Foundation debuted its new film about the geology of Mission Trails based on the work of SDSU geology professor Dr. Patrick Abbott.<\/p>\n

The 20-minute film titled \u201cRise and Fall of the Mountains at Mission Trails Regional Park\u201d was set to be part of an educational attraction in the Visitor Center. However, due to the closure of the park during the pandemic, the foundation released it on YouTube. Since its debut, the video has had over 5,000 views.<\/p>\n

Abbott, who has served as an MTRP Foundation board member in the past, said his interest in studying and sharing the geologic history of Mission Trails began when the foundation wanted to create educational panels about the park\u2019s geology that could be installed on the fence of the Visitor Center patio.<\/p>\n

\"Mission<\/a>
Rock formations at Climbers Loop in Mission Trails Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMe being a geologist, who better to write it up than me?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But when Abbott looked at the research that had been done on the park\u2019s geology, he found an incomplete record and some conflicting conclusions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I spent a lot of time doing original research to pull together a geological history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His research for the educational panels lead Abbott to write a book titled \u201cGEOLOGY \u2013 Mission Trails Park,\u201d which is sold in the Visitor Center. All proceeds go to the park.<\/p>\n

What Abbott found studying Mission Trails is that the oldest formations in the park are 126 million years old and that the park went through four categories of geologic transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a very simple sense, the four categories are: one, the mountains being built; then it goes through an interval where we\u2019re simply eroding, destroying them; then we\u2019re burying everything under an alluvial fan; and then we\u2019re uncovering it again,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Abbott credits MTRPF executive director Jennifer Morrissey for the idea to make a short video of the book\u2019s main findings.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe located and signed up a director, who incidentally was nominated for an Oscar last year \u2014 so really a talented guy,\u201d Abbott said.<\/p>\n

Director Alexander Juutilainen filmed Abbott explaining Mission Trails\u2019 geology throughout the park over three days. Some of Abbott\u2019s explanations were made into script and read by a voice actress for the video \u201cto give it some balance,\u201d Abbott said. Along with the scenes of Abbott explaining the geology of Mission Trails, the video also has animation sequences, file footage of volcanic eruptions and some aerial drone footage of Mission Trails.<\/p>\n

\u201cRise and Fall of the Mountains at Mission Trails Regional Park\u201d was finished and ready to be shown at regular intervals in the Visitor Center when the COVID-19 outbreak forced park closures throughout the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Visitor Center closed, [Morrissey] talked the foundation into streaming it, putting it online and I\u2019m shocked that in the first two weeks, there were more than 4,300 views,\u201d Abbott said.<\/p>\n

One of those now over 5,000 people who have viewed the video on YouTube is science teacher Todd Linke.<\/p>\n

\"Mission<\/a>
Mount Miguel High School science teacher Todd Linke on top of Cowles Mountain (Photos courtesy MTRP Foundation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe video contains earth science concepts that I teach at Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley,\u201d Linke said. \u201cI will definitely share this with my students through distance learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Linke discovered the video, the Grossmont Union High School District sent the film\u2019s link to all of the district\u2019s science teachers. Linke also took the film and embedded a quiz so he could test what they learned in the video in real time.<\/p>\n

At the end of the quiz, Linke asked students whether they\u2019ve been to Mission Trails. Though the students live in nearby Spring Valley, most haven\u2019t been to the park. Here are some of their thoughts:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I were to visit Mission Trails, I would hike to find the interesting rock formations. Snakehead Rock and the rounded boulders seem like fun things to explore, especially now that I know how these rocks formed over many years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I have learned about Mission Trails, I want to go so I can take a look at the rocks and their different colors and layers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t been to Mission Trails Regional Park but if I ever go there, I want to see how it changed. I would also walk around to just admire the park.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In the past, Linke has had the opportunity to bring a few classes to Mission Trails, and plans are underway to take students there again, once groups are permitted to gather in the park, and as funding allows.<\/p>\n

Morrissey pointed out that donations to the MTRP Foundation underwrite school field trips and also funded the geology film.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can provide enriching education programs to local students, restore habitat, improve trails, and support a host of other park initiatives by making a gift of any amount to the MTRP Foundation,\u201d she said, adding the contributions can be made at mtrp.org or by mail; checks can be sent to the MTRP Foundation, 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, CA 92119.<\/p>\n

With \u201cRise and Fall of the Mountains at Mission Trails Regional Park\u201d now completed, there are no current plans for more geology education projects, Abbott said. With the down time created by the quarantine, he is instead working on completing a 12th edition of the college textbook on geology he wrote for McGraw-Hill that is used in schools around the world, including SDSU. Abbott is, however, about to start another video project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be set in Texas,\u201d he said, adding that he received his doctorate from the University of Texas. \u201cThere\u2019s a very fascinating geologic story down there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sort of found where I fit in the world,\u201d Abbott continued. \u201cYou call them work projects, but for me this is fun and pleasure. I have those ideas lined up in my head and I just keep going from one to another and it adds a lot of value and enjoyment to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

To view \u201cRise and Fall of the Mountains at Mission trails Park,\u201d visit bit.ly\/2W8m1B8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

- Comun\u00edquese con el editor Jeff Clemetson en jeff@sdnews.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note: MTRP Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Morrissey contributed to the reporting for this story.] On March 31, the Mission Trails Regional Park (MTRP) Foundation debuted its new film about the geology of Mission Trails based on the work of SDSU geology professor Dr. Patrick Abbott. The 20-minute film titled \u201cRise and Fall of the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":231922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11558","_seopress_titles_title":"Mission Trails geology video debuts online","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11558,11551,11550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-231921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-mission-times-courier","category-news","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}