1. Natural History of Puget Sound

Geological History:
"Geology of Puget Sound" (Pacific Science Center)
"Nestled between the Cascade and Olympic mountains in northwest Washington, the Puget Sound basin covers more than 16,000 square miles of land and water. The basin's surface area is roughly 80 percent land and 20 percent water. Puget Sound offers a breadth of landscapes unique in the world..." (more)

"Tectonic plate motions, crustal blocks, and shallow earthquakes in Cascadia" (USGS)
"What causes earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest? Motions of earth's tectonic plates cause earthquakes along plate boundaries..." (more)

Glaciation

 

"Puget Sound Under Ice" (Washington State Dept. of Ecology)

 

"Imagine Puget Sound under a mile of ice. 20,000 years ago, glaciers covered everything in between the Olympics and the Cascade mountains and spread as far south as Olympia. The ice over Seattle was higher than five Space Needles (3,412 feet)..." (more)

 

 

"Frasier Glaciation" (Olympic National Park)

 

"The Fraser glaciation lasted about 10,000 years and consisted of 3 stades (periods of ice expansion) and 2 interstades (ice recession)..." (more)

 

 

"Reconstructing the last (Vashon) continental glaciation of the Puget lowland" (Pacific Science Center)

 

A twenty second movie recreating the event. (view)

 

 

"Glacial History of Puget Sound" (University of Washington)

 

A glacial advance map. (view)

 

 

The Shoreline

 

"Puget Sound Shorelines: Tour - Land and Sea" (Washington State Dept. of Ecology)

 

"Along Puget Sound, exploring a labryrinth of inlets, coves, and bays, we witness the work of natural forces on the terrain: rocky headlands, steep bluffs, forested slopes, deltas, estuaries, salt marshes, tide flats, spits, and beaches made of rocks, silt, and sand..." (more) 

 

 

2. Biology and Ecology:

The biology and ecology of Puget Sound are also complex and interesting. Remnants of the natural ecology can still be seen in a few places of old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest, but the climax ecology of the rain forests of Puget Sound has been altered almost beyond recognition by human activity since the mid-nineteenth century.

The marine environment has also been altered, but it is still rich and diverse.

Life in Puget Sound: A photo collection of marine life

Department of Ecology: Puget Sound Shorelines