Information about the Society
The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893 to
promote
the increase and dissemination of geological knowledge. GSW provides a
forum for geological interchange through a program of regularly
scheduled
formal talks, informal communications, opportunities to meet
colleagues,
field trips, and public service. Members represent a wide cross-section
of the local geologic community including geoscientists from federal
(U.S.Geological
Survey, NASA, NSF, military, DOE, EPA) and state government, Congress,
Carnegie Institution of Washington, local universities, museums,
consulting
firms, earth science educators, and others interested in the geological
sciences. Guests are welcome.
List of Officers and Committee Chairs
Constitution and Bylaws
Directions to Meeting Location
(PDF; also available in Word
format)
Membership Dues for 2009: $35/year ($15 for students); add $6
to receive meeting notices by post rather than e-mail.
Membership Application Form
(Word document
to print and mail)
Membership Renewal Form
(Word document to print and mail)
For further information and inquiries about address changes or your
membership status, please call, send mail, or e-mail to:
J. A. Speer
Geological Society of Washington
3635 Concorde Pkwy Suite 500
Chantilly, VA 20151-1125
(703) 652-9950
j_a_speer@minsocam.org
Speaker Suggestions and Queries: 2009 Program Committee contact:
Rick Wunderman, Chair
GSW Historical Documents
Search the GSW archives, including meeting minutes (Google search):
Search the GSW databases:
Browse the GSW minutes:
An archive of Secretary's
minutes back to the late 1940s is available here.
Anniversary speeches:
Speech by T. W. Stanton on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of GSW in 1943.
Speech by Hugh D. Miser on the occasion
of the 800th meeting of GSW in 1959.
GSW founders:
A list of the Founders of GSW is
available here. GSW Archivist Jeff Grossman has initiated a Wikipedia
entry for GSW, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_Society_of_Washington.
The Centennial History of the Geological Society of Washington
tells about the history of Earth Sciences in Washington, D.C. as well
as
the development new ideas in earth science and the evolution of the
U.S.
Geological Survey. The 165-page paperback volume contains stories about
the intellectual and social life of scientists in Washington, and about
the good-natured banter that has always characterized GSW meetings. As
one reviewer put it, " Bonhomie has been a feature of the Society". A
former
Chief geologist of the USGS said, "The best $10 I ever spent!". The
price
is still $10, and the book can be purchased from:
Geological Society of Washington
3635 Concorde Pkwy Suite 500
Chantilly, VA 20151-1125
OR
Order by phone: (703) 652-9950
Payment must be prepaid by check (in US dollars drawn on US bank) or
money order payable to the Geological Society of Washington (TIN
52-6049239).
GSW cannot be responsible for cash sent through the mail. Cost includes
postage by surface or book rate. Publications may not be returned for
refund
or credit. Damaged books will be replaced.
Announcements
GSW Spring 2009 Field Trip (Sunday, May
17th): The Potomac Gorge -- An
Extraordinary Meeting Place of Geological and Biological Diversity
Click here for PDF
announcement of this field trip, which will be led by Tony Fleming,
Natural Areas Geologist, and Gary Fleming, Vegetation Ecologist, VA
Dept. of Conservation and Recreation
Virginia Museum of Natural History
field trips: For more information, visit this
link.
GSW Volunteers Needed as Science Fair
Judges! February marks the start of the science fair season and
the Geological Society of Washington is looking for volunteers to serve
as judges for the Earth and Environmental Sciences projects at science
fairs around the region. No experience is needed! Just come
with your enthusiasm for getting students interested in the
geosciences. If you are interested in serving as a judge, please
contact Charna Meth.
Click here for details on fairs
and dates:
- Howard County, Saturday,
Feb. 21, 2009, Centennial High School (Ellicott City MD)
- Northern Virginia,
Saturday, March 7, 2009, Wakefield High School (Arlington VA)
- Prince William -- Manassas,
Saturday, March 14, 2009, Grace E. Metz Middle School (Manassas VA)
- District of Columbia,
Saturday, March 14, 2009, McKinley Technical High School (Washington DC)
- Loudoun County, Thursday,
March 19, 2009, Briar Woods High School (Ashburn VA)
- Montgomery County,
Saturday, March 21, 2009, Reckord Armory Building (Univ. Maryland
College Park)
- Fairfax County, Saturday,
March 28, 2009, Robinson Secondary School (Fairfax VA)
- Prince George's County,
Saturday, March 28, 2009, Prince George's Community College (Largo MD)
********************
At the September 24th meeting, Callan Bentley gave a talk on "The rise
of the geoblogosphere". Here are links
to Callan's recommended geoblogs.
********************
GSW
Fall 2008 Field Trip: Tidewater Geomorphology at George
Washington’s Birthplace National Monument, Westmoreland County, VA,
will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2008 led by Wayne L. Newell
(USGS), Ben DeJong (USGS), Adam Benthem (UVA), and Rijk Morawe (NPS).
Geologic mapping of the Colonial Beach, South 7.5’ Quadrangle sets the
stage for interpreting the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene
evolution of Coastal Plain upland sediment source areas, fluvial
transport systems, and sediment storage on the landscape and in an
enlarging small estuary environment. Cores from Popes Creek
estuary provide a history of Holocene sea level rise, changing small
estuary dynamics, and legacy sediment from early agricultural
practices. Serial surveys of the modern Potomac River and Popes
Creek coastal environment have captured the impact of recent large
storm events (including Hurricane Isabelle). Locally, the storm
erosion–accomplished by tidal funnel processes in the Potomac during a
single tidal cycle–is equal to the cumulative effects of 20 years of
average erosion rates. These results suggest that even
small parks that are primarily focused on preserving history can be
used as sites for long term monitoring of the effects of land use and
climate change.
Meeting time and place: The field trip met at the George
Washington Birthplace National Monument Visitors’ Center. (This
is about 1 hour east of
Fredericksburg, VA on Route 3.) After orientation at the picnic
ground at Duck Hall Point, they traveled across private property to
Muses Landing on the Potomac, for a walk along the beach at the mouth
of Popes Creek. Walking is level, but due to a noon high tide
some spots will be wet. Insects, poison ivy, and sun should also
be anticipated. Lunch, snacks, and drinks are appropriate as are
binoculars and camera. A second beach walk at Bridges Creek
Landing at the west end of the Park will be optional depending on the
time, tide, and weather. Both sites are within the park and
fossil collecting is not permitted.
***********************
Jim
O'Connor Memorial Field Trip
Guide: Building Stones and Geomorphology of Washington, DC.
To honor Jim O'Connor's legacy, Norrie Robbins and Myrna Welter
compiled this guide in 2001 from Jim's published field guides and
unpublished notes of his many fieldtrips in and around Washington. A
PDF version of the field trip
guide is available by clicking here.
***********************
GSW Spring 2003 Field Trip Guide: Geomorphic Evolution of
Great Falls
and Mather Gorge
Last May, E-an Zen graciously agreed to lead a group in studying the
geomorphic story behind the formation of Mather Gorge of the Potomac
River,
which terminates headward at Great Falls. A PDF version of the field
trip
guide is available by clicking here. Many
thanks to Bill Minarik for putting the guide together from E-an's
material!
***********************
Volunteers are needed
to lead occasional geology walks
for
the
public out of the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center of the C&O
Canal
National Historical
Park. Walks are usually held on Saturday mornings of your choice. If
interested, please contact Margo Kingston, USGS Retired, at
home (301) 657-8818 or USGS
(703) 648-6369. The home email address is preferred.
Jobs
Geophysics Job Opportunity. Energy
company opportunity. More information.
U.S.
Geological Survey Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.
The Mendenhall Program provides opportunities to conduct research in
association with selected members of the USGS professional staff.
Opportunities for research are available in a wide range of topics. The
postdoctoral fellowships are 2-year appointments. Research
opportunities are typically announced in July. Application
closing
date is in the November-December window. Offers are typically made
during February. Appointments will start the following October or
later, depending on availability of funds. The program contact is: Dr.
Rama K. Kotra, rkotra@usgs.gov,
703-648-6271. A description of the
program, current or recent research projects or opportunities, and the
application process are available at http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc.
The USGS is an equal opportunity employer.
GSW maintains a roster of potential
employers
in the fields of geology, geophysics, and associated disciplines in the
Washington, D.C. area. To add to this list or announce specific
job/post-doc
opportunities in our area , contact: David Applegate.
The American
Geophysical
Union (AGU) and EARTH
magazine
list available jobs that may be of interest to the earth science
community.
The American Geological Institute's Geoscience
Careers Site has links to job postings and other career-related
information.
Other Geoscience Talks in the Area
The USGS Eastern
Mineral Resources Team holds a regular seminar series at USGS
headquarters
in Reston that is open to the public.
The Association of Engineering
Geologists
Baltimore-Washington-Harrisburg Section holds monthly meetings with
dinner and a speaker.
The Potomac
Geophysical Society
meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month from September through May for
dinner
and a presentation.
The Paleontological Society of Washington usually meets on the third
Wednesday of each month, from September though May, for dinner and a
talk in the Cooper Room of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History.
The Carnegie
Institution
of Washington holds public Capital
Science Lectures, and both the Geophysical
Laboratory and Department
of Terrestrial Magnetism hold regular seminars.
Seminar series are held at the University
of Maryland Department of Geology (including the Geochemistry
seminar series) and the George
Washington University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Both the Department
of Mineral Sciences and Department
of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History hold series of monthly seminars on a variety of earth science
subjects.
GSW is a founding society (1898) of the Washington
Academy of Sciences, which maintains a calendar of meetings of its
60 member organizations.
In addition, several other area universities and organizations
hold
geoscience talks. ** If calendars for any of these are available on the
web, please let us know and
we
can add them to this list. **
The Geological Society of Washington thanks the American Geological Institute for
providing web hosting.
Please send any comments or questions about this web site to David
Applegate.
Updated May 30, 2009.