Ben Bugno has been spending his summer hiking to waterfalls along the North Shore of Lake Superior, and while it might sound like leisure, it’s actually part of his studies in the Water Resources Science program at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD).
Joined by two undergraduate students, Bugno wades across a section of the Lester River just five miles from UMD’s campus. He moves with practiced precision, carefully securing his footing before taking each step. The group stops at the riverbank to observe the steep, rocky cliff on the opposite side. It looks like the inside of an ice cream cake, with alternating layers of color and texture. It looks fragile, like the entire mass could sluff into the river at any moment. Bugno’s eyes track from one section of rock to the next, observing the layers that mark the area's geological history.
About ten thousand years ago, Bugno says, lake levels dropped significantly, causing vertical erosion that resulted in the formation of waterfalls. Bugno’s research is focused on those areas, looking at rock characteristics and how they influence the “rate of incision,” or the speed of erosion in a riverbed.
“I think this is just a beautiful area to do outside work as a geologist,” he says.
Bugno grew up in Illinois and, after his undergraduate studies, decided he wanted to continue his education in an environment with more unique geology. Duluth was the perfect fit. From the professors to the environment, Bugno says, “This has been a great experience for me.”
