Arizona Geological Society
2026 Speaker Series
Tuesday, 6 January 2026 | 5:30 - 8:00 PM
Location: Hexagon Mining Division Office
40 East Congress Street, Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701
Parking: On the street or parking garage (Old Pueblo Parking)
Social Hour - Sandwiches from Beyond Bread (5:30-6:20 PM MST), Presentation (6:20 PM MST)
AGS and SEG Publications will be available
for sale at Tuesday's meeting.
Will need cash or check (no credit cards
For those planning to attend the event, please register by 6:00 PM on Sunday, January 4, 2026
The Arizona Geological Society thanks Hexagon
for generously providing the venue and drinks
Corridor of Cataclysm: The Perilous Geologic Journey of the Owyhee River
P. Kyle House, Arizona Geological Survey
Abstract: The lower Owyhee River corridor of southeastern Oregon captures a remarkably dynamic story of how rivers respond to repeated disruption in volcanic and landslide-prone terrain. Ongoing mapping and synthesis reveal a spectacular landscape shaped by lava dams, frequent landslides, transient lakes, and episodes of spillover and integration that governed the pace and tempo of incision and canyon development over the last ~2 million years. These overlapping events produced a geologic pathway marked by detours, impoundments, catastrophic releases, and stepwise reconstruction of the drainage system. The result is an uncommon long-term record of how coupled lake–river systems reorganize in the face of a repeated onslaught of catastrophic processes. Drawing on field mapping, high-resolution topography, and paleoflood evidence gathered over more than two decades, this presentation highlights the Owyhee’s perilous journey through time and how its story contributes to a broader understanding of how rivers work.
Bio: Kyle House is a geologic mapping specialist with the Arizona Geological Survey at the University of Arizona, specializing in surficial geologic mapping, fluvial geomorphology and landscape evolution. House joined AZGS in November 2025, following 15 years with the U.S. Geological Survey (2010-2025) and 12 years with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (1998-2010), where he taught field mapping in UNR's field camp for seven years. This marks his return to AZGS, where his career began as a Geologist from 1989-1996.
House earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. He received the Kirk Bryan Award for his work on the origin and evolution of the Lower Colorado River. House uses detailed mapping to understand landscape evolution and has expertise in geologic flood studies, catastrophic floods, hazard assessments, and paleoflood hydrology. His research across the Southwest and intermountain west includes over 100 publications, including the "Ancient Floods, Modern Hazards" monograph (AGU).
Hexagon Mining Division Office - 40 East Congress Street,
Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701
