The Mineralogical Society of Southern California

Program Notes: Friday, January 9, 2026  at 7:30, join us for Nathalie Brandes presenting Introduction to the Colorado Plateau.

The Colorado Plateau is home to numerous national parks and monuments due to its spectacular scenery. Much of the grand vistas and long geologic history exposed in the rocks is due to its rapid uplift since the Mesozoic. The exact cause of this uplift is not known and still debated amongst geologists. Whatever the cause, the results are some of the most beautiful places in the United States. This lecture will visit some of the best-known locations on the Colorado Plateau, discuss the geology, and cover some of the fascinating human history of this rugged and remote region

Nathalie Brandes grew up studying geology from a very early age traveling around the world with her geologist father. She earned her BS and MS in geology at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech). After working at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, she pursued her doctoral studies at Michigan Technological University. She has taught at Michigan Tech, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, before accepting a position as Professor of Geosciences at Lonestar College- Montgomery, a community college in Texas, where she has been teaching for the past twenty-one years. Nathalie’s current research focuses on ancient mining techniques as well as the history and geology of classic mineral localities.

Nathalie is a member of the Management Team for Mindat.org, as well as on the Board of Directors for the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. She is an active member of the Geological Society of America, the Geological Association of Canada, the British Micromount Society, the Mining History Association, The Russell Society, and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration.

Her hobbies include travel, embroidery, reading, and writing. In addition to several novels, she has written two books about geology: New Mexico Rocks, A Guide to Geologic Sites in The Land of Enchantment, and Texas Rocks, A Guide to Geologic Sites in The Lone Star State.