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Tess Oldroyd-Johnson

@rocktalkswithtess

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A page where we talk about rocks ☺️
Geology & Volcanology PhD candidate ⚒️🌋
Documenting my outdoor adventures in geology 🏔️🥾

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I’ve had such an amazing time at GSA Connects 2026! This is always my favorite meeting of the year and yet somehow each year it keeps getting better!

To those of you I met this year, it was so amazing to meet you and learn from you. You are all doing such amazing things! And it is the highlight of my meeting when you come say hi to me, so thank you💛

I can’t wait to see you all again next year! 🥳

Btw, the last picture is very relatable for geologists I’m sure 🤣

P.S. Stay tuned for field trip content!! Coming soon😁

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One thing about me is I will always take tons and tons of photos! But that also means I forget to post them until months (or years) later 😅 So enjoy some GSA Connects photos from last October!

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Katmai Alaska: June 10-24, 2025 (post 1/2)

Earlier this month, I participated in the University of Alaska Fairbanks international volcanology field school in Katmai National Park, AK!

A group of 9 of us backpacked for 10 days into the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, bookended by nights spent at Brooks Lodge. Highlights include camping in a crater, sharing a tent with a very cool Australian, hiking more than 87 miles while backpacking, seeing so many volcanoes (see post 2/2!), being off the grid for two weeks, and learning a ton! Truly an incredible, life changing experience that I wish I could do everything over again. The people there made it all the more worth it :)

Photos
1-3: The hike through the Valley of 10,000 Smokes to Novarupta dome. Pack weighed 56 lbs!
4-6: Views from our hike to and from Mount Mageik lakes.
7: Collecting water at camp.
8: Textbook example of a volcanic bread crust bomb!
9-10 : Views from the hill above Novarupta Dome
11: Pumice floating down a small stream!
12-13: Mount Katmai caldera lake - easily the most scenic place I’ve ever been
14-15: “Lord of the Rings”-esque pictures of Mount Griggs and the surrounding peaks.
16-18: Tourist photos around Brooks Lodge to commemorate the trip and kayaking on Naknek lake with Juliana.
19-20: Obligatory wildlife videos! Both videos taken while respecting the animals and following all park wildlife regulations.

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i went to katmai, ak i and i did not get to hug a bear :(

in all seriousness though this opportunity was so amazing - i got to meet friends from all over the world and i learned so much about volcanism, specifically in alaskan volcanoes. by the end, we walked around 80 miles in 11 days, i summited my first mountain, and i have a newfound appreciation for indoor plumbing 🫡 all things considered, i’d call my first ever backpacking trip a success!!

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@rocktalkswithtess and @ichnology_jen are teaming up for today’s #tracefossilthursday!
Recently @rocktalkswithtess went hiking in Northern Idaho and took photos of some gorgeous deer beds in the fresh snow ❄️🦌

Snow can act as a substrate between an organism and their activity, thus preserving their behavior, even if it is preserved for a limited amount of time. Snow can affect the individual survival of many large herbivores, such as deer, by limiting resources through 1) a decrease in resource availability and 2) the hardness/density of snow cover influences the sinking depth of animals which in turn increases the energetic cost of walking. Although many deer species are able to cope with variable environments, they will bed if weather conditions exceed their range of thermal homeostasis.

Bedding during snow storms provides deer shelter from the cold, regulates their body temperature, preserves energy, and facilitates predator avoidance. Deer beds in the snow are great examples of showing how changes in the environment affect an organism and their resulting behavior!

Sources

Gaillard, O.F. et al. (2015). Snow sinking depth and forest canopy drive winter resource selection more than supplemental feeding in an alpine population of roe deer.

Smith, H.D. et al. (1986). Characteristics of mule deer beds.

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This past week has been incredible! I spent six days in Pittsburgh for the GSA conference. I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and totally felt like a kid again. I got to meet up with so many geology friends and crash some alumni dinners. I even gave my first GSA oral presentation! On the way back I got to visit the Parthenon in Nashville - something I've wanted to do for a long time.

All these amazing experiences were possible because I applied for and received student travel grants from @paleosoc, @sepmgeo, and @geosociety! Thank you!

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It was a long 12 hour drive, but we made it to GSA! At least the autumn colors made for a beautiful drive 🍂

I was so excited to run into @rocktalkswithtess tonight! We did our undergrad together at SUU!

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🎓✨Congratulations to Tess Oldroyd Johnson, who is graduating from East Carolina University with a Master of Science in Geology!✨🎓 #graduate2023 #womeningeoscience

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