2026 FOP Pacific Cell in Mono Basin
Topics: The Mono Basin: lakes, lava, and tectonics, home to:
- Climate change and lake level fluctuations!
- Some of California’s youngest volcanoes!
- Earthquake hazards and distributed faulting!
Leaders: Genna Chiaro, Scott Stine, Lauren Harrison, Marith Reheis, Greg Stock, Jorge Vazquez, Guleed Ali, Sidney Hemming, Bill Hammond, Bartshe Miller, Fred Phillips, Michael Oskin, Zachary Smith!
Where: Brown’s campground, Owens River, California (https://brownscampgrounds.com/owens-river-campground-2/) in the middle of Long Valley Caldera. Campground has already been reserved and payment for the campground will be included in the registration costs.
Dates: Friday, Oct. 2, through mid-day Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Campground available Oct. 1 after 4 PM. Registration will open in August.
Guidebook contribution deadline: September 1, 2026
Contact: Zachary Smith (zachary_smith at berkeley.edu) or Kim Blisniuk (kimberly.blisniuk at sjsu.edu) for contributions, logistics, or questions
Final Final Final Notification
Dear Friends,
We’re getting excited to see everyone at the Mono Basin Friends of the Pleistocene Field Trip! With the trip almost here, we wanted to share some detailed campground information and a few guidelines to help make the weekend fun and comfortable for everyone.
Campground Address:
Brown’s Owens River Campground
6766 Benton Crossing Rd.
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Campground Website:
https://brownscampgrounds.com/owens-river-campground-2/
Please note that campground facilities will be somewhat limited because it is the off-season, and the main campground store will be closed.
Cell Service: Cell service can vary considerably depending on your provider, so we recommend knowing your route to the campground before you head out.
Check In: Beginning at 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 1. Please check in with Zach Smith or Kim Blisniuk when you arrive. Once you have found a camping spot, please let us know where you are set up.
Check Out: 11:00 AM on Sunday, October 4. We checked with the campground about a late checkout, but unfortunately they are unable to accommodate one. Please plan to have your campsite packed up before leaving for the field trip on Sunday morning.
Pets: Dogs must be on leash and cleaned up after.
Campsites: If you registered before September 22, we guarantee that you will have a place to camp at Brown’s Owens River Campground. However, we cannot guarantee individual campsites for individual people. This is a group camping event, and the campground includes a combination of group camping areas, larger RV/camper spaces, and individual sites.
In the spirit of Friends of the Pleistocene, please come prepared to share the space! The campground includes a large grassy area along the Owens River with interconnected camping areas, so there should be plenty of room for our group to spread out and enjoy the weekend together.
Water: Potable water is available on site.
Bathrooms and Showers: The campground has a central bathroom and shower facility with hot showers. Shower tokens are $2 and can be purchased from Kim or Zach. Portable toilets will also be available throughout the campground.
Access: After the first day, the campground gate will remain closed but unlocked. If you enter or leave the campground, please remember to close the gate behind you.
Fires and Firewood: We will have a central group campfire area where everyone is welcome to gather. Some individual campsites also have fire rings, but we cannot guarantee that every campsite will have one. Please do not move fire rings. If you would like your own fire, please bring your own firewood.
Quiet Hours: The normal quiet-hours rule has been waived for our group in the main group campfire area so that we can enjoy our evenings together. If you are camping farther away from the group fire, please be considerate of your neighbors and generally observe quiet hours from 10:00 PM–6:00 AM. This includes limiting generators, music, and other loud noise away from the main gathering area.
RV and Vehicle Hookups: There are no hookups available, and there is no dump station.
Insects: The campground is located directly along the Owens River, so insects may be present. Bringing insect repellent is a good idea.
Weather: Eastern Sierra weather can be unpredictable! Please come prepared for warm days, cold nights, and the possibility of significant wind.
Trash and Cleanup: Please help us take care of the campground by keeping your campsite clean throughout the weekend and leaving your camping area clean when you depart.
Damage: Campers are responsible for any damage they cause to campground facilities.
Drinks: We will provide both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for the group in the evenings.
Food: You are responsible for your own food. Bring something good!
Most importantly, we’re looking forward to a great weekend of geology, camping, and spending time together in and around the Mono Basin!
See you very soon!
Best,
Zach and Kim
Final Final Notification
Hi Friends,
We wanted to share a few additional announcements regarding travel and transportation logistics for the field trip.
First, we strongly encourage everyone to carpool whenever possible. This will be especially important for accessing several of our field trip stops, where parking is limited. Please fill out this Google Sheet if you would be willing to share a ride or are in need of transportation. This can include transportation during the field trip and to and from the field trip.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pvb2QZ2GU-8HYTapf56rS0pBu8j-cmm73pwbnKO1H38/edit?usp=sharing
Second, a few stops have very small parking areas, so most participants will need to park along nearby roads and walk to the site along access roads. The hiking is not difficult, but at some locations this may involve walking 2–3 miles round trip.
If walking this distance would be difficult for you, please let us know in advance so we can arrange a carpool. We are happy to make arrangements so that a limited number of vehicles can drive directly to or closer to the stop. This is particularly important for the Panum Crater and Mono Lake Boat Launch stops which can only hold around 10 cars in the parking area.
Thank you for helping us keep transportation organized and make the field trip accessible for everyone!
Best,
Zach and Kim
Final Notification
The guidebook for the Mono Basin 2026 Friends of the Pleistocene Field Trip is now available: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18am3WOl1GiSTA1bkpRh2k2R7BLxERphp
We are providing the guidebook as a Google Document that may be updated over time and a more polished pdf for anyone who may want to download or print the guidebook. The guidebook will be posted to the FOP field trip website.
GUIDEBOOK
https://www.fop.cascadiageo.org/pacific_cell/2026/2026_pac_cell_FOP_guidebook.pdf
We are very grateful to all those who have contributed to the guidebook and for those that will be sharing their interesting work with all of you!
We are incredibly excited to welcome participants to the Mono Basin for what should be an amazing weekend of geology, discussion, field stops, and time together in one of the most spectacular landscapes in the West. We have a fantastic group of presenters lined up, an incredible campground along the Owens River, and a great few days planned!
The official meeting area for the field trip each day is at Brown’s Owens Valley Campground at 8 AM on Friday and Saturday, and 9 AM on Sunday [Jay thanks the trip leaders for this!]. We will aim to follow the itinerary in the guidebook as closely as possible, but adjustments and delays to the itinerary are likely. The campground is reserved through 11 AM on Sunday, so please plan to pack Sunday morning, as we will not return to the campground.
Campground Information
We will be staying at Brown’s Owens River Campground:
https://brownscampgrounds.com/owens-river-campground-2/
**Important Note: The campground includes a mix of group areas and smaller individual campsites. In the spirit of Friends of the Pleistocene, the entire campground will be shared by our group rather than divided into assigned campsites. Please plan to be flexible and share space with fellow participants.
The campground will be available beginning Thursday, October 1 at 3:00 PM.
Do I need to pay registration if I am staying with friends or family at Brown’s Owens River?
Yes! All adults planning to stay at Browns Owens River Campground need to pay registration of $90. If you plan to stay elsewhere, but would still like a t-shirt and join the group for drinks then registration is just $30.
With nearly 160 participants pre-registered, things will be lively! Please carpool whenever possible and plan to camp in groups so that we can make the best use of the available space.
SONGBOOK
The 2026 Songbook is located here.
Itinerary
Field Trip Start
The field trip officially kicks off at:
8:00 AM on Friday, October 2
Please plan to be ready to go on time — we have a packed day of Mono Basin geology ahead of us! [Even though Jay Patton will complain about starting so early!]
A Few Frequently Asked Questions
Is there still space at the campground?
- The campground is now completely full. If you have already registered, you have a spot at the campground. The campground gate will be closed during the day. You can still come and go, but please close the gate behind you.
- No new onsite camping registrations at Brown’s Owens River Campground will be available because we have reached capacity.
- If you have not registered but would still like to attend the field trip, you are welcome to join us! There are several nearby Forest Service and private campgrounds where you can arrange your own accommodations.
Are there bathrooms and showers?
- Yes! The campground has a central bathroom and shower facility. Shower tokens are $2 and can be purchased from Kim or Zach. Portable toilets are also dispersed throughout the campground.
What is open at the campground?
- Because this is the campground’s off-season, the campground store will be closed, so please arrive with the food, drinks, ice, supplies, and other necessities you will need for the weekend.
Weather?
- The weather is unpredictable! Please come prepared for heat or cold and the possibility of significant wind.
- We can’t wait to see everyone and spend the weekend exploring the lakes, lava, glaciers, and tectonics of the Mono Basin!
Itinerary Overview
Day 1 – Records of Volcanism and Lake-Level Change at Mono Lake
We’ll kick off the field trip with a deep dive into the spectacular late Pleistocene and Holocene volcanic and lake history of the Mono Basin. Through visits to shoreline sequences, tufa formations, and young volcanic features—including the iconic South Tufa and Panum Crater—we’ll explore the dynamic interplay among volcanism, climate, and changing lake levels. Discussions will highlight exciting new age constraints for Paoha Island and the Mono-Inyo volcanic domes, evolving records of Mono Lake levels, and active conservation efforts shaping the future of the Mono Basin.
In the afternoon, we’ll continue exploring the connections between lake-level change and volcanism at exceptional exposures of the Wilson Creek Formation and Black Point volcano, bringing together evidence for dramatic environmental change across the basin.
Day 2 – Tectonic and Glacial History from Lee Vining to Tioga Pass
Day 2 takes us from active tectonics to the spectacular glacial landscapes of the eastern Sierra Nevada. We’ll begin at offset glacial moraines, where we’ll explore evidence for tectonic deformation from the Pleistocene to the present. Discussions will connect paleoseismic records with modern geodetic observations and seismicity, providing a long-term perspective on active deformation in the region.
In the afternoon, we’ll travel through the dramatic landscapes of Lee Vining Canyon and Tioga Pass to investigate how glaciers carved the eastern Sierra—and how this landscape continues to evolve today. We’ll examine exposure dating of glacial erratics, rates of deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum, and evidence for complex shifts in ice-flow direction preserved by cross-cutting glacial striations and exotic erratics at Tioga Pass.
Day 3 – Mono Basin Highstands and Long-Term Lake-Level Change
On our final day, we’ll step farther back in time to explore ancient shorelines marking major Mono Basin lake high stands. These stops will bring together the major themes of the field trip—climate, volcanism, tectonics, and lake-level change—to examine how the Mono Basin has evolved through time and how its remarkable landscape records the interaction of these dynamic Earth processes.
Note: Itinerary subject to change. Final itinerary will be shared prior to the field trip.
2026 Friends of the Pleistocene Pacific Cell Trip Update!
We are looking forward to the 2026 Friends of the Pleistocene Pacific Cell trip! We wanted to share a few items for clarification regarding the campground and registration.
First, we have already reserved the entire Brown’s campground, Owens River, California for our group. Payment for the campground will be included in the registration costs. No need to make reservations on your own. For those of you who have made reservations, Brown’s campground will refund you.
REGISTRATION!
Register Now for the 2026 Mono Basin Friends of the Pleistocene Field Trip
Dates: October 2-4, 2026
Early Registration by September 1: $70
Late Registration After September 1: $90
Registration includes: camping fees, T-shirt, beverages
Registration and Payment Link: https://forms.gle/bxctM3SBRPRC47pt5
Field Trip Organizers:
Zachary Smith, Kim Blisniuk, Marith Reheis, Ian Pierce
Location:
Brown’s Owens River Campground: https://brownscampgrounds.com/owens-river-campground-2/
Dates: Friday, Oct. 2, through mid-day Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Campground available: Oct. 1 after 4 PM.
Contact: zachary_smith at berkeley.edu