Nick is a national treasure. A smart man who can speak to an audience of multiple educational levels. He never talks down or uses “tech” speak. What a skill.

I could listen to Mr. Zentner's lectures and discussions for hours on end without losing interest or focus! He was born to teach and many are blessed to attend in person but many more are blessed to attend here as I am one. I hope and pray that anyone finding their selves the opportunity to "attend" will take full advantage. I promise you will not regret or forget! Thank you so very much, Mr Zentner, for your time you spend teaching us students! Much love and admiration, God bless.

I thought I found a Documentary. Found a lecture. Was not disappointed. This was way better!

This guy is a phenomenally engaging teacher.

It's 2:45 AM. I just finished another of Nick's lectures. I should know better than to start watching so late because I can't turn them off. I'm so glad I found these.

The way that he describes 1980 Mt Saint Helens eruption... this, is EXACTLY what we saw and felt in Moses Lake, WA. We watched the birds die. Painful. Unforgettable.

It's cool to see someone so excited and not afraid to nerd out while they teach! Passion is a great asset to teaching.

If I'd had Nick as my prof for first year geology I would have stayed as a geology major -- great lecturer!

I am a truck driver and have been amazed by the rock formations for the last 20 years. Your explanation explains many of the questions I have wondering how these formations formed. It has taken your lifetime of learning to explain my wonderment of nature.

I get lots of random recommendations from KZfaq. Most of them aren't worth the effort to click the mouse button. Every once in a while, though, one pays off. This was one of them. Professor Zentner is obviously in love with his work and his enthusiasm is wonderful to see. Now I need to watch the rest of his lectures.

So good, no computers, no pie charts, just a teacher wise and enthusiastically full of ALL the knowledge. Love this !!! He's engaging and dynamic, but not gratuitously, he's specific, excited and a wonderfully dynamic communicator, imparting his teachings to us plebeians, can listen all day...... Thanks good sir, kind professor......

My late wife was a Geologist (sedimentary and carbonate) and watching this video brought back so many memories of her. Although I am a 73 year old engineer I took a number of geology courses (in self defense) and this was one of the best presentations ever. I also really appreciated the emphasis on the difference in scale between a super volcano and other types. I just subscribed and will be back for more.

I wish there was more geology content like this on youtube.

#586 I'm 71 years old and I just learned something new! Thanks, Professor!

3 years on and I still watch Mr Zentner explaining the previously impossible to comprehend features of so long ago. The University is privileged to have such a fantastic teacher and communicator on its staff.

I dated this amazing profs son when I was in 10th grade for a month or so. He's this funny all the time and a popular professor amongst the many Ellensburg youths. Such a good lecture.

Just discovered these lectures. Nick Zentner is a national resource!

I am watching this from Australia. No doubt Nick Zentner is one of the best geology lecturer, if not the best. I find his lectures compelling and really informative. I am being re educated .

I love your teachings of the volcanoes, I had a hard time in school learning, but now at 50 I want to learn everything that I can. You are a great teacher. Kids have no idea how lucky they are to have you. Keep up the great work. God bless you!

Probably the only person on earth who can make geology downright exciting. Thanks for the upload!

the accretionary lapilli part was INCREDIBLE! Fossilized hail... amazing

Hello Nick, I am a Merchant Marine on a ship in the Salish Sea... in between driving, I found your lecture... you are a gem sir... Jim

I could listen to this guy all day, and I'm not even a geologist. I really learned a great deal today. "Know Your Volcanoes!", indeed!

1980 was 40 years ago-----wow how time flies,but hardly a moment in the scale of the volcanic timeline

It makes my day when a Nick Zentner lecture gets uploaded.

This lecture is one of Nick’s finest. Within the first 30 seconds his story sets a hook that’s impossible to escape. I’ve never grown weary of this presentation. It’s gold. :-)

I wish all professors had this guy’s enthusiasm. I love learning from people who get excited about what they do.

Great lecture. Easy to understand and entertaining. It really kicks ash.

the fact that there are calderas even bigger than yellowstone is absolutely terrifying

What a wonderful example of why everyone should love learning, love science, love their existence.

he is so excited and engaging he doesn’t even have time to grab the eraser.

I am so glad I found this video. I've been a hobbyist geologist, volcanologist, and seismologist for 20 years. I consume as much as I can on these topics and track earthquakes and eruptions worldwide. I am happy to say I knew nearly everything he presented from various other sources, but his presentation beats everyone else I've read or watched.

As a 68-year old person who was raised in the Boise, Idaho area I have driven the Snake River Plateau on Interstate 84 for decades; even over to Yellowstone Park. l I have flown over the Bruneau-Jarbidge area in a small airplane at low altitude. I have also driven through Yakima and Ellensburg. With this wonderful lecture, I now have answers to the varied geology of the great northwest. Thank you.

I love all of your lectures, but I think this one is my favorite. "That's why Yellowstone is such a freak show!!"

Being a great professor is a skill. Not just know the material - but also present it in a way that is engaging and easier to learn. This gentleman is very good. He is so into it that he got chalk stains on his cheek and just keeps teaching.

I'm glad I clicked on this. Wow. Just, wow.

Mr Zentner throwing his chalk at 28:34 was the nerd version of a mic drop.

Oh that was SUPER cool! Being an Inland Northwest resident, I sure do appreciate these lectures. Something about knowing what has happened with the ground I stand on; it's for whatever reason very important to me. Nick, Chris, and Central are doing a great thing with these. I can tell that they're having an impact with people the world over, and the time and effort and money that goes in; it's all free for the general public. It's amazing, and extremely important. So, thank you!

I have no idea why KZfaq recommended this video to me, but I loved it.

He could give a lecture n how and why paint dries and the audience would be enthralled.

how can you not get infected by Nick's enthusiasm ? I wish my professors would have been like that ! thanks for a wonderful presentation !

I’m only a layman but I understood this and enjoyed it. Great stuff ;)

His vocal inflection is so unique. I love it

I'm a meteorologist from Colorado and just found this channel, (and this is the first video I watched). Whenever there is a geologic event, who do the TV and Radio people turn to? The meteorologists. I've had one semester of (extremely) basic geology. This lecture is absolute gold, especially the petrified hail. Professor Nick is amazing.

How is this guy not a PHD? Oh right, he's too busy discovering things and sharing things to join the frat. Excellent lecture.

It's been so long since I was at college I'd almost forgotten how utterly engrossing a good lecture from a good professor could be. Thank you, Nick Zentner!

Fascinating. Going from Los Angeles up to Mammoth Lakes on 395 you pass some cylinder cones that look like they are from another planet. I've been a fan of geology all my life. Great talk. His enthusiasm is catching.

What I like most about Nick Zentner's lectures is that he always seems to bases his lectures around recent findings in geology. He gives the audience access to research that is mostly hidden behind pay walls. Much of what he has presented over the last decade has only reached popular literature since 2016. Keep up the good work, Nick.

I reside in Oregon and a native to the US Pacific Northwest.. Because of your on-line lectures, my trailhead hikes and roadside travels to the Oregon coast, the Columbia Gorge, the Oregon high desert, and into Washington State take on a completely new lens and appreciation for Geology. Congratulations for being an effective advocate and educator of Geology to an ever growing regional, national, and global audience. Geology matters. You make talking about rocks a very cool thing.

Ever since my semester ended, I've been craving something new to learn. This guy reminds me of my Genetics professor, who used the lecture hall black boards and told a story every lecture. I sure miss that class.

I’m 60 yr old SW Wa. resident & always been interested in geology but listening to professor Zentner’s lectures gets me excited. Every trip I take I’m examining the landscape with a better understanding.

I'm bingeing on the best geological info ever! When I was in university the prof put us to sleep(then we got a new one) but they never made it so informative or easy to understand! At 64 I'm officially a Nick Zentner fan.

I have friends in Vancouver. At one point they had barrels of ash stored in the garage that was scooped up off the lawn and out of the driveway. Later they would mix it with the garden in spring. On another note, my elder bro's wife was talking to her dad on the phone later that day (she in CA, he in Bozeman MT). She teased him about being in the path of the ash. He poo-pooed it, considering that Bozeman is on the fringes of the Yellowstone Plateau, then left his wife on the phone w/my SiL. A few minutes later, SiL's mom burst out laughing. Dad had gone out front for some reason, and found a thin dusting of ash on the the front step and on the sidewalk. He was not thrilled.

I love his enthusiasm - passion makes a good teacher

Nick Zentner. A master teacher. Worth the watch for the mastery alone.

Super-volcanoes make big Earth-shattering kabooms.

Awesome lecture - thanks for posting.

"That's a lotta ash...." --- I am gonna have to give extra points for the solid nerd jokes.

Fantastic! I learned more in 1 hour watching this than in my 41 years looking at tv in Europe

As a recent Texan transplant, I really enjoy these lectures. So informative and presented in a vivacious (animated, if vivacious is too feminine) manner by a very intelligent man with a love for his subject. I, too, enjoy having the updated material included, and I am sure they are not easy to add to already taped material. Thank you to CWU and Nick Zentner!

I learned more from this YT channel,then I ever learned at school, subscribed.thanks and greetings from CZ

One inescapable conclusion suggests itself to me thanks to Prof. Zentner and this brilliant (as usual) video: _Marching Calderas_ would be a great name for a rock band. 😎

Wow, what a great lecturer Nick Zentner. Phenomenal talent. I'll be searching for more of his videos.

This guy grabbed my attention with some dates, then captured my attention with some teaching. Holy shit... I thought this subclass of human was extinct?

I'm 74 years old and have more than the average layman's interest in volcanology and i learned more from this lecture than from all my previous sources. Fantastic AND easy to understand .

You're so entertaining while you teach! Thank you for these lectures!

I've been meaning to make my evening coffee while watching this, but I just can't pull myself away from the screen; that's how good it is

Why are we no longer seeing Nick's wonderful geology lessons!?! I miss them!! ❤🖒❤

Only Super Humans can produce like that, thank you very much Nick.

This is the coolest thing I've watched all week.

For all the college lectures I fell asleep in as a student many years ago, I must say that Professor Zentner's presentation was fascinating. I learned several new facts from this lecture. Very entertaining and informative.

This gentleman’s presentation should be a template for teaching methods, totally engrossing .

Fascinating. First thing I've ever seen from Nick Zentner, but definitely not the last!

This man is a wonderful speaker! If I could I would take classes from him!!

Nick is changing the world by enlightening minds !

Great information along with a superb presentation. Good to know how our Continent works. Learned about Volcanoes I never new existed. Time to take a field trip. Thanks Prof.Nick

Wow, this gentleman is an extremely good Presenter. Kudos, thanks for posting.

Yes! Another excellent presentation by Nick!

Nice to have the updated material added to this presentation, it is important to have these new discoveries added. Thank you.

Wow, what information. Love his 'this ain't bs' statement.

We just don't have science instructors like this anymore.. Sad. I would loooove to teach a course like him. He's what I would completely aspire to be like. Amazing guy.

The most worthwhile thing I have seen this morning ( sure to include many hours forthcoming since my 'work' has nothing to do with my passion, the History of the Earth )

Thanks, Nick. Geology is WAYYY more interesting now than when I was an undergrad.

There was an era when the BBC programme "Horizon" (and some others here in the UK), educated and entertained in this way. Prominent scientists explained some feature of their field of study - sometimes with a photograph or other visual aid, but not with so many of those as to clutter the exposition, dilute the expertise, or treat the lay viewer as a child (even if s/he happened to be one). I learned so much. Then came the slide into Generic Celebrity Science Presenter travels the world (at my expense), to gaze in insincere awe at some phenomenon outside their own field of study (which is probably The Public Understanding of Science - second-hand knowledge at best), accompanied by bangs, booms, zooming visuals, infantile animations, and every conceivable distraction from the story being told and the scientific achievement revealed. I no longer watch them - for there is little to learn and nothing worth seeing. Thank God for KZfaq. And thank you, and others like you Mr Zentner for doing this here.

I swear this is AL Bundy with a high honking I.Q. very good presentation

Thanks Nick. Very informative. When you showed the Paleozoic limestone rocks embedded in the tuff, I realized the inconceivable amount of energy involved in these eruptions. One wonders how high in the atmosphere those rocks flew before falling back to earth.

What a presentation! 👍👍👍 Born in Tacoma Washington, I awoke every morning viewing Mount Rainier from my bedroom window. If you love nature, well, be envious! We visited it and Yellowstone National Park very often. Thanks mom! If not for her we would have never gone to anything out west. (Military Brat 😊) She took my sister and I to every sight seeing worthy location. So, if you can, go! Go to Yellowstone for sure!

I love geology. I can learn a lot listening this Gentleman and never tire of his lecturers.

What a great story! Been hooked watching your lectures and teachings about the crazy earth/geological events in the PNW. The videos and images help to tie it all together. The students are lucky to have you. Hi from southern Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦

I would love a talk on Mt. Adams and the lesser known mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Thank you so much!

This man was born to teach.

Great video! I was still living at my parents ranch, Vian, Oklahoma. There was volcanic ash from the Mt. St. Helens eruption on top of their cars, about 2 days after it went off. I thought 'whoa, baby!', 'that must have been a monster!'. Who can forget that? It affected everyone! Great video!

Definitely a different style of entertaining program than the Dog & Pony Show staged by Nadler & Mueller. Thank You, Nick!

"We erased the cascades. They're there, we could do a lecture on them. But we're not doing it tonight." Damn, bde. Love the enthusiasm!

This man is one of the best lecturers since sliced bread. awesome, and thank you for your time invested in this subject you are so passionate about. ROCK ON!

I’ve listened to many lectures from Nick. What a fine speaker. From taking two semesters of geology in the 80’s, I can’t tell you how fascinating I find these lectures are to me. I have learned so much from this guy. Thank you Nick and CWU.

I was not disappointed. Another great lecture. Excellent!

Love the ending of the xenoliths....Great stuff Doctor Zenter, This retired geologist is viewing many of your vids getting ready to take a group of first/second year students to SW Texas next year. The Big Bend National Park tuffs and ash flows take on an entirely new perspective.

This is what makes KZfaq great. Great lecture. I learned so much.

Thanks. Incredible. I live at the foot of the southern Colorado Rockies. Amazed every single day at what our rocks show me. Seashells, sea horses, fossils, and fuels - all found at 8,000' plus.