Join us for our upcoming lecture series!
Porter House March Lectures Focus on Local Geology
In two March 2026 lectures, speakers at the Porter House Museum will focus on Decorah’s unique geological history.
On Tuesday, March 17, Laura Peterson will present "Decorah Rock and Fossils," and on Tuesday, March 24, Birgitta Meade will give a lecture titled "The Decorah Crater and Its Fossils."
David Faldet, Porter House board president, says the lectures’ focus on geology fits the museum well.
“The most distinctive feature of the Porter House is its rock wall,” Faldet says. “People see that amazing construction when they drive by. It catches the immediate attention of visitors, and it’s open for up-close inspection 24 hours per day, seven days a week, all year round. Bert Porter spent 20 years collecting those rocks. He designed and constructed that wall in his distinctive way. He just loved rocks!”
Peterson, whose expertise is paleoclimatology and paleoceanography, teaches courses on geology, soils, climate and energy as professor of environmental studies at Luther College. Her introductory geology course relies on regular field trips to local sites.
"The rocks we see around the Decorah area are part of a fascinating interval of Earth history,” Peterson says. “It was marked by dramatic volcanic eruptions, climate change, meteor impacts, and twists and turns in the evolution of animal life.”
Peterson’s lecture will review this deep history and how it relates to Decorah area rock formations.
Meade, who has taught science and science education at North Winneshiek School and Luther College, has developed a particular interest in the Decorah impact crater, and is known for her accessible explanation of its formation and evolution.
“A massive explosion and a gigantic sea scorpion coupled with intriguing mysteries, but all removed enough in time to not be immediately scary,” Meade says. “What's not to like?"
Meade’s lecture will explain the impact event and its consequences, including fossil finds.
An additional highlight of the lectures will be a display of a six-foot sea scorpion model, created to duplicate the fossil remains of Pentecopterus decorahensis, discovered near Freeport. The model, completed last summer, is on loan from Nan and Steve St. Clair.
Because of the limited size of the Porter House venue, each lecture will be given twice on the same evening, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The lectures are free and open to the public, with no advance ticketing.
The lectures are supported by the museum’s Kurtich Foundation Stay Curious Grant.
Also check out other Performances in Decorah, Workshops in Decorah, Arts events in Decorah.
