Olympic National Park’s Perspectives Winter Speaker Series is hosted by the North Olympic Library System (NOLS) on Zoom. The free talks begin at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month through April.

Access the Zoom link at nols.org/ONP; no registration is required.

The series, which kicked off on Nov. 8 (“Olympic Cougar Project”), is sponsored by Olympic National Park, the Friends of Olympic National Park, and the North Olympic Library System.

The next in the series is “Geologic Mysteries of Rialto Beach” on Dec. 13, with Dr. Kathy Goetz Troost, who will provide a snapshot of methods and findings from a University of Washington-lead study at Rialto Beach.

Rialto Beach is one of the most spectacular beaches within the Olympic National Park but it holds many secrets from a wild geologic past including glaciers, landslides, erosion, major wind storms and earthquakes, program organizers say. Researchers have been trying to find all the puzzle pieces to unlock those secrets.

In addition to the geologic history, researchers say it’s important to assess how climate change will impact the beach. The team is evaluating rates of erosion using trees, frequency and types of landslides, landslide triggers, and whether or not the land was uplifted during a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake.

Save the date for Perspectives Winter Speaker Series presentations on Jan. 10, Feb. 14, March 14 and April 11; speakers and topics to be announced.

For more information about visiting Olympic National Park, see nps.gov/olym.

For more information about this and other upcoming library events, visit nols.org or email to discover@nols.org.