The rock whisperer

Cover image credit: Free AI image generated using Microsoft Designer.

The geologist

When Jalo Monivilja was examining the eclogites and their parent rock near Cabot Fault in northeastern Newfoundland, he did not expect his research to take him to Chibougamau (Québec) where he led the first-of-its-kind study of the potential for carbon mineralization in basaltic rocks.

Injection of high-pressure fluids into basaltic rocks can promote subcritical cracking over time at stress levels way below the rock’s failure point. Creep deformation, reactivation of existing faults, and leakage pathways are stealth geomarkers of real hazards.

A few years later, he finds himself listed as the foremost authority on eclogites and their protoliths by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and is asked to lead a decade-long research on the eclogites found in the Canadian Cordillera.

The first site is the Pinchi fault area in Central British Columbia, which is where Jalo meets his schoolmate, Aaranya Susipetonen. She is an Albertan magizoologist and a permafrost researcher studying the paleohabitat of the Thestrals in the Yukon.

Image credit: Free AI image of Jalo Monivilja generated using Microsoft Designer.

The scene that led to this alumni reunion took me down several rabbit holes. I found myself reading papers on basalt reactivity and mineral alteration mapping.

• Why is this alumni reunion important?
• What is the secret of the chosen rock?
• How should Jalo and Aaranya meet again?
• What routes should connect or lead my characters astray?

The parent rock

When I started writing the fictional story of the chosen rock, I didn’t realize how much this occupation helped accelerate my journey from sorrow to strength. You are born resilient, and it is your responsibility to harness your true potential.

• What is the potential of a basaltic rock?
• How must fluid interact with such a rock formation to harness its true potential?
• In eternal timelessness and on a geological scale, which actions uncover creep deformation patterns and which ones conceal leakage pathways?

Jalo is a rock whisperer, and this is his story of enthusiasm for the things that are hiding in plain sight. Who inspired this character?

The metric switch

Snow and rain went metric in September 1975 when Canada switched from the Imperial to the Metric system. Jalo was back at Witless Bay in Newfoundland, home to the largest Atlantic puffin colony, after examining an anomalous thermal gradient at Rainbow Lake in Northwestern Alberta.

It probably has some geothermal potential, but it is too early to tell. Besides, many of his colleagues at the Geological Survey of Canada are more concerned about avoiding metrication errors. A friend of his was updating a report on the discharge rate of the Stikine River when she noticed one measurement in cubic feet per second (Alaska gage) and the other in cubic meters per second (British Columbia gauge).

Change is the only constant, but it comes with a price tag that varies.

Northern trails

We had a warm winter last year in Fort Nelson, but this community of about 3300 is even warmer. From Tracy at the rec center to Todd and Lorie at Dalex Auto Services, each person at Fort Nelson is super stoked to meet you. They are a loquacious bunch up north, way more than I had imagined!

We experienced a cold snap in January, which knocked out my Subaru’s battery and brought me to Dalex Auto Services. I was chatting with another customer who was driving home from Montana to Alaska when Todd heard me ramble about Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). After that customer left, he asked how I know so much about NL.

I was hesitant to share that I was writing a fictional story on the geology of the Northern Canadian Cordillera and that one character is a geologist from NL, so I told him that I was reading William Long’s book titled Northern Trails. He told me that he relocated from Newfoundland to Fort Nelson about 20 years ago and was happy to hear a stranger speak so highly of a place not many would talk about.

Image credit: Shot by the author when she was in Fort Nelson, British Columbia.

When I was creating this fictional school with its four houses, founders, mascots, and theme songs, Long’s book on the wilderness of Newfoundland and a documentary on the wolves of Labrador helped me imagine this unseen province. But Todd’s warm and friendly nature helped me appreciate the locals of Newfoundland.

The Atlantic puffin of NL is the patronus of the MeriPelle house and William Long is the founder. Meri means sea in Finnish and Pelle means clown, and the Atlantic puffin is known as the clown of the sea. Jalo Monivilja, our geologist from NL, belongs to the MeriPelle house.

Updated on: September 19, 2024

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