8:22 a.m., Oct. 13, 2010----Edward Evenson, a professor of glacial geology at Lehigh University, will present a talk titled “Charles Darwin and the Origin of 'Darwin's Boulders,' Tierra del Fuego” at 3:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 22, in Room 209 Penny Hall.

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Evenson is a glacial geologist who works extensively -- and almost exclusively -- at high latitudes and high elevations.

His recent research has taken him to Alaska, Iceland, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, and to high elevations in the mountains of Wyoming, Argentina, Chile and Argentina.

“Most people consider Darwin a biologist and associate him almost entirely with the theory of evolution. In reality Darwin was first, if not foremost, a geologist,” Evenson says. “Darwin published extensively on geologic subjects and was especially interested in the origin of 'erratic boulders.'”

In the course of geologic mapping in Tierra del Fuego, Evenson said researchers have discovered two boulder trains of huge erratic boulders. The Bahia San Sebastian Boulder Train -- that known as “Darwin's Boulders” -- is located on the Atlantic coast just south of Bahia San Sebastian and consists of approximately 500 large, angular boulders. Except for these two boulder trains, the area is devoid of boulders.

Evenson will discuss Darwin's classic 1841 paper on the origin of how "Darwin's Boulders" traveled to the location of San Sebastian Bay, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

The talk is sponsored by the UD Department of Geography and the Department of Geological Sciences.