GSW: 2001 MEETING MINUTES

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1336th Meeting, Wednesday, January 10th, 2001, Warne Lounge, Cosmos Club

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:03 PM. 

A moment of silence was observed in honor of Chuck Withington and Louis Pribyl who recently passed away.

The minutes of the 1335th meeting were accepted as read.

New member Paul Cutler was announced to the meeting.

Visitors consisted of:

   Todd Radenbaugh, The George Washington University

   Larry Woodfork, West Virginia State Geologist

   Guixing Hu and Peiling Wang, Geophysical Laboratory

   Mary Patterson, AGI Intern

No announcements were made and there were no informal communications 

The first talk was by Margaret Leinen of the National Science Foundation, “Geoscience in the 21st century, the best is yet to come.   Dr. Leinen discussed changes in Geosciences in the future with examples from oceanography, solid earth, and the internet, and the role of Earth Scope in these areas.  Questions were from Moto Sato, Mac Ross, Dave Applegate, Mark McBride, and George Helz.

The second talk was by Frank Pazzaglia of Lehigh University, “Evolution of the Applachian landscape: new insight from geomorphology and thermochronology”.  Dr. Pazzaglia discussed the geomorphology and tectonic evolution of landforms in the Appalachians and tried to emphasize that although this might not be as exciting as continents colliding, it is nonetheless interesting to study.  There were several references in the talk to discussing certain topic over beer after the talk.  There was also an appeal to the first speaker from NSF that this research might fall under the umbrella of Earth Scope. Questions were from Bill Nelson, John Hanchar, and at least two questions by Doug Rankin.

The third talk was by Ho-Kwang (David) Mao of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Geophysical Laboratory, “High pressure – A new dimension in the studies of Earth and Planetary Interiors”. This was an overview of high pressure research over the past 70 or so years, with a discussion of developments in experimental equipment, spectroscopic techniques, the materials that have been studied over this time, and what we have learned about the interior of the Earth.  There was also an appeal by this speaker to the first speaker from NSF that this research might also fall under the umbrella of Earth Scope.  Questions were from George Helz, Gene Robertson, Moto Sato, and E-an Zen.

It was refreshing to see that everything from tectonics and geomorphology to high-pressure geophysics might be fundable by Earth Scope.

Attendance was 63.  President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:50 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1337th Meeting, Wednesday, January 24h, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:05 PM. 

A moment of silence was observed in honor of Sam Goldich and Bill Diment who recently passed away.

The minutes of the 1336th meeting were accepted as read.

New members Adam Davis and Larry Drew was announced to the meeting.

Visitors consisted of:

   Heather Richie and Tracey Centobi, University of Maryland

   John Heritage, freelance journalist

   Wayne Newall, USGS

No announcements were made.   Steve Shirey made in informal communication in reading a memorial to Sam Goldich.

The first talk was by Milan Pavich of the USGS, “Cows, climate, and chaos: Challenges to interpreting Southwestern landscapes.”  Dr. Pavich discussed the developments of landscapes in the southwestern United States and in particular the formation of arroyos in New Mexico.  He also discussed the measurement of erosion rates on the modern time scale and on the geologic time and presented new results using cosmogenic isotopes in his work with Paul Bierman. Questions were from Cy Galvin, Dallas Peck, E-an Zen, Blair Jones, and Owen Bricker.

The second talk was by James Rougvie of the Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Natural History, “Cathodoluminescence records of low-temperature K-metasomatism: Socorro, Creede, and Harcuvar Mountains”.  Dr. Rougvie discussed using cathodoluminescence as a tool to study K-metasomatism using three examples of volcanic rocks from the southwest United States.  Dr. Rougvie also discussed other major element chemical variations in his rocks and how those variations are observed in cathodoluminescence images, and how they can be used to better understand fluid-rock interactions.  Questions were from Jane Hammerstrom, Cy Galvin, and Owen Bricker.

The third talk was by P. Patrick Leahy of the USGS-Reston,  “Future roles and opportunities for geology at the USGS”.  Dr. Leahy presented an overview of future roles, challenges, and opportunities at the USGS based on the findings of an NRC outside review of the USGS. Several areas including societal needs, science and technology, international access, opportunities for partnerships, and availability and of USGS information were discussed. 

It was also interesting during Dr. Leahy’s talk to have been treated to the full experience of a Power Point presentation.  According my to count, the audience saw each of the figures in the talk six times during the talk while the slides were advanced or retracted during the talk in an attempt to find the right slide at the right time in the talk. 

One question was from Dallas Peck

Attendance was 81.  President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:58 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1338th Meeting, Wednesday, February 28, 2001, Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:03 PM.  The minutes of the 1337th meeting were accepted with one correction.

Gordon Nord made an announcement requesting more judges for science fairs.  There are six science fairs in the area that need judges, and eight more judges are needed.

At 8:10 a harried-looking group arrived after having been delayed at Peter’s Passion, a new Dupont Circle restaurant that hasn’t quite mastered its bill-generating software. 

Visitors consisted of Virginia Sisson, Rice University; Steven Laue, soon to be at the University of Maryland; Carrie Moore, National Research Council; and Alan Taylor, University of Virginia.

There were no new members or informal communications.

Three papers were presented:

Earthquakes: What's shaking?, Yumei Wang, Office of Senator Edward Kennedy.

The speaker was the Oregon Geological Survey’s lead person on earthquake issues.  This talk was moved first on the agenda, since the speaker needed to return to Oregon on account of the earthquake that occurred today.  The earthquake was an intra-plate quake with a magnitude of 6.8, associated with the subducting Juan de Fuca plate.  Damage was expected to be widespread.  Fortunately, Oregon is better prepared than most states, being the first state to complete a statewide study of earthquake risks.  This study included mapping of areas where soils pose the greatest risk.  The Willamette Valley is at particular risk because of its soils.  The biggest threat would be from a Cascadian quake.  An assumed magnitude 8.5 is expected to cause about 12 billion in building damage, and 13,000 casualties.  About 5,000 casualties are expected from tsunamis and unreinforced masonry buildings.  The Oregon Geological Survey is working with other state agencies to reduce the vulnerability of state buildings.  The legislature is considering bills that would provide for reinforcing schools, hospitals and fire stations for earthquake safety. 

Questions by Sorena Sorensen, Moto Sato, Pete Toulmin, Dan Milton, Peter Lyttle, Judy Ehlen, and Fred Simon. 

Minerals of the Hutter Mine, James Beard, Virginia Museum of Natural History.

The Hutter Mine is a former iron mine located in the Blue Ridge, in Pennsylvania County, Virginia, about 50 miles north of the North Carolina border.  A few years ago, the speaker was invited to inspect the mine while the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources was sealing old mine shafts.  This trip revealed the presence of a huge mine dump, one area of which contained a wide variety – which is to say about a dozen – of manganese minerals.  Surprisingly, this part of the dump had never been discovered by mineral collectors.  The iron deposits were in pelitic schists of the muscovite to sillimanite facies.  The manganese minerals apparently represent a single manganese-rich pod within the deposit.  Some of the features of the deposit suggest higher temperatures than is implied by the overall metamorphic features of the region.  The minerals include curiosities such as manganosite (MnO), which was mistaken at first for a green spinel, and the world’s purest kinoshitalite, a barium analog of biotite.  The speaker elegantly summarized his talk in a song (included as an appendix), “Tale of the Huttter Mine or Everybody Needs a Hobby”, to be sung to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “When I Was a Lad”. 

Questions by Moto Sato, Dan Milton, and Mark McBride. 

Low-grade metamorphism of clastic sediments: Can equilibrium thermodynamics be applied? Ken Livi, The Johns Hopkins University.

“Metamorphic petrologists consider disequilibrium a ‘disease’” – so when can we describe a rock as being in equilibrium?  More particularly, if we look at low-temperature sedimentary rocks such as shales, we want to know what is the scale of chemical reactions, what is the “active” part of the shale, and whether we need kinetic models to understand what is going on.  The talk centered on micro-scale studies of Liassic black shales from Switzerland.  Three things are expected as rocks approach equilibrium: (1) crystals become larger, clearer, and better separated, (2) the number of phases approaches what it should by according to the phase rule, and (3) chemical potential approaches equality among the phases present.  Transects across detrital crystals showed that the Al/(Si+Al) ratio, for example, varied systematically, being lowest near the edges and highest near the center of the grain.  This indicates imperfect equilibration.  The main conclusions of the study are that equilibration occurs only on a small scale around 100º C, but is fairly widespread by 350º C; and that the active region for equilibration is primarily the fluid-saturated grain boundaries.

Questions by E-an Zen, Sorena Sorensen, Moto Sato, and George Sellers.  

Attendance was 50.  President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:49 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

John Hanchar, Meetings Secretary

Appendix:

Tale of the Hutter Mine or Everybody Needs a Hobby

(to the tune of “When I was a lad” and with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan)

In the years that followed the Civil War, they went to dig above the River Pigg for iron ore

The grade was good and the market fine, so they formed a corporation and began to mine. (they formed a corporation and began to mine)

They formed a corporation called Hutter Inc. to mine iron ore, not copper, silver, gold or zinc.

(They formed a corporation called Hutter Inc. to mine iron ore, not copper, silver, gold or zinc.)

The Hutter Mine was a first-rate lease, its only flaw was excess manganese.

This was set aside in its own spoil heap, they aimed to get a train load and then sell it cheap (they aimed to get a trainload and then sell it cheap)

They aimed to get a trainload of manganese that would fortify the iron of the Carnegies.

(They aimed to get a trainload of manganese that would fortify the iron of the Carnegies.)

For twenty-five years the ore carts rolled, they filled the hills with shafts and glory holes.

But they closed the mine ere the ore was spent, at the Pittsville Grange they knew just where the business went. (at the Pittsville Grange they knew just where the business went.)

According to the gang down at the Pittsville Grange, the Hutter was shut down by the Mesabi Range.

(According to the gang down at the Pittsville Grange, the Hutter was shut down by the Mesabi Range.)

As time went by, many kids and calves had to be extracted from the old mine shafts.

At last the townsfolk had had enough, and decided to call in the State Geolojust. (they decided to call in the State Geolojust)

So the state guys came and we went along, and this is why you’ve been subjected to this song.

(So the state guys came and we went along, and this is why you’ve been subjected to this song.)

According to Watson (page 604), magnetite was Hutter’s brand of iron ore.

And, so, it came as no great shock when magnets stuck to nearly every rock. (when magnets stuck to nearly every rock)

The magnets stuck, but we did record that this was awfully black and dusty iron ore.

(The magnets stuck, but we did record that this was awfully black and dusty iron ore.)

We took them home, and it soon appeared that the Hutter rocks were just a little weird.

A little microanalysis showed that all the minerals were manganiferous. (all the minerals were manganiferous)

The minerals were all so manganiferous, that only using Dana could their names be guessed.

(The minerals were all so manganiferous, that only using Dana could their names be guessed.)

The “green spinel” that had charmed us so, turned out was manganosite (MnO).

And the stuff that made the magnets stick, Mn-Fe oxide (jacobsite), a clever trick.

(Mn-Fe oxide (jacobsite), a clever trick)

The jacobsite’s extensive miscibility with galaxite and magnetite could mean high T.

(The jacobsite’s extensive miscibility with galaxite and magnetite could mean high T,)

The tephroite’s a curiousity, it grades into Mn-humites incrementally.

Alleghanyite, on the other hand, has started on the long descent to M-A-N. (has started on the long descent to M-A-N.)

M-A-N is what we seek in Hutter’s humite stew, and maybe, if you’re nice, we’ll name it after you.

(M-A-N is what we seek in Hutter’s humite stew, and maybe, if you’re nice, we’ll name it afier you.)

One final phase, then I’ll say good night, the brittle, Ba-analog of biotite.

The type’s from Iwate prefecture, but the Hutter kinoshitalite’s the world’s most pure. (the Hurter kinoshitalite’s the world’s most pure.)

The Hutter kinosbitalite is pure, by gum, its interlayer is almost all barium.

(The Hutter kinoshitalite is pure, by gum, its interlayer is almost all barium.)

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1339th Meeting, Wednesday, March 14th, 2001

John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:02 pm.  The minutes of the 1338th meeting were accepted as read.

No announcements were made and there were no informal communications.

No new members were announced.

Visitors consisted of Sandra Herbert of UMD-Baltimore County; Julio Freedman, UMD-College Park;  Dmetri Yanov, Free University of Brussels; Boris Burkov, V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia; Chris Cahill, GWU; Fraukje Brouwer, Geophysical Laboratory, Carl J. Smith, WVa Geol. Survey

Three papers were presented:

The first talk was by Hermann Zimmerman of the National Science Foundation, “New directions for the Earth Sciences”.  Dr. Zimmerman presented ideas about new directions for research funding in the Earth Sciences Division at NSF.  These include Earth Scope, BioEarth, GeoInformatics, and EAR Centers.  All of the talk focussed on Earth Scope with examples about large-scale projects about fluids in the crust and investigation of the continents.  The comment was made that the success for funding by Congress is questionable under the present political climate in Washington.  Questions from Bob Taylor, (three), Moto Sato, and George Helz,.

The second talk was by Steven Lev of Towson University, “Solving the mystery of the dead cat: Using geochemistry to provide a context for understanding complex geologic systems”.  Dr. Lev discussed what trace elements and radiogenic isotopes can tell us about the evolution, source area, and diagenesis, of black shales from the Welsh Basin?  The idea was presented that diagenesis, not provenance, of sediments, controls the REE and U composition of these black shales.  Questions by Blair Jones, Moto Sato, Jane Hammerstrom, Amelia Logan, and Bob Taylor.

The third talk was by Dr.  Roberta Rudnick of The University of Maryland, "Osmium isotope investigations of continental lithosphere stability".  Dr. Rudnick discussed early models for the composition and formation of the continental crust, and what sorts of materials may have been melted to form the Earth's continental crust.  Using Re/Os isotopes obtained from lower crustal and mantle xenoliths a model for the formation of the lower crust in the Sierra Nevada region was discussed.  Questions from Julio Freedman, Brooks Hanson, Joe Boyd, E-an Zen, Steve Shirey, and Dmetri Yannov.

Attendance was 63.  President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:45 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1340th Meeting, Wednesday, March 28th, 2001

John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 7:58 pm.  The minutes of the 1339th meeting were accepted as read.

President Lyttle announced that Laura Gamse, a sophmore at Arlington’s Yorktown High School and a GSW award winner at the Northern Virginia Regional Science Fair, was at the meeting and invited her to make a brief presentation on her project  “The Effect of Air Pollution Particulate Size on Precipitation by Day of Week” Following her presentation, there was a short break for ten minutes to allow GSW meeting attendees to examine the poster she brought from the science fair.

No announcements were made and there were no informal communications.

There were no visitors

Two papers were presented:

The first talk was by Dr. Paul Silver of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, “Which way is the mantle flowing beneath western North America”.  Dr. Silver presented results from his geophysical research involving geodetic and anisotropic measurements in California in an attempt to determine what drives the movement of the plates. He presented the idea that the mantle beneath California is moving, albeit slowly, to the west and leading the continental plates in movement .  Questions from Cy Galvin, Dallas Peck, Chris Neuzil, Gene Robertson, and Dan Milton.

The second talk was by Dr. Robert J. Finch of Argonne National Laboratory, “Mineralogy and geochemistry at Yucca Mountain, Nevada”.  Dr. Finch briefly discussed the general geology of the proposed high-level radioactive waste facility in Nevada, and he presented some of his results on alteration of proposed glass and ceramic waste forms and how those alteration products might affect the safe immobilization of high-level waste at Yucca Mountain.   Questions by Gene Robertson, E-an Zen, Dallas Peck (2), Hat Yoder, and Moto Sato.

The third talk to be given by Eileen McLellan was cancelled.

Two new members were announced. Chris Cahill of the George Washington University, and Al Taylor, President of Nomad Geoscience.

Attendance was 47.  President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:37 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

John Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1341st Meeting, Wednesday, April 11, 2001

John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 7:57 pm.

President Lyttle invited Gordon Briggs, an 8th grader in Arlington, Virginia, and GSW award winner at the Northern Virginia Regional Science Fair, to make a brief presentation on his project, "The effect of Jupiter's position on solar activity." Following his presentation, there was a 10-minute break to allow GSW meeting attendees to examine his science fair poster and ask questions.

President Lyttle then called the meeting back to order. The minutes of the 1340th meeting were accepted as read.

Following this, President Lyttle called for a moment of silence to mark the passing of Glen F. Brown, USGS.

Two new members were announced: Jurate Landweir, USGS; and Karin Victorio, University of Maryland College Park.

Two visitors were introduced: Jim Winterle, Southwest Research Institute, and Gordon Jacoby, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory

There were 3 announcements:

1. President Lyttle announced that the next meeting of the Potomac Geophysical Society will be held April 19th, and Cy Galvin will be the guest presenter.

2. President Lyttle announced that the Washington Academy of Science is looking for a GSW member who is also a WAS member to be their GSW delegate. President Lyttle asked if anyone in the audience was a WAS member. No one came forth.

3. Carl Smith, West Virginia Deputy State Geologist, invited meeting attendees to attend an energy summit to be held at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, on Monday April 23rd.

There was one informal communication by Rosalind Helz, U.S. Geological Survey, who presented an update on recent volcanic unrest in Cleveland (Cleveland volcano, Alaska, that is).  By comparing 1996 pictures to pictures taken in January and February of this year by a slightly off-balance Alaska bush pilot, she highlighted a new flow from the summit crater which has reached shore and, as of mid-March was still growing. She also discussed the substantial impact of ash plumes produced during this recent unrest on Anchorage-based air travel. Questions by Linda Rowan, E-an Zen, and Moto Sato.

Three papers were presented:

The first talk was by Neil Pederson, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, "Tree rocks! The value of tree-ring research in studying Earth and environmental history". Mr. Pederson provided a short description of the nature and quality of tree-ring records, and presented a number of case studies of the application of tree-ring research in earth and environmental science including: the record of an 1812 earthquake along the San Andreas Fault, a tree-ring record of dune migration due to surges of a nearby glacier in Alaska, pre-Holocene records from dead trees held in glacial ice and exposed during glacier retreat, the use of tree-ring records as monitors of change in the vicinity of individual trees in a forest (referred to as disturbance ecology, or "when a tree dies in a forest, do other trees fell it?"), tree-ring record of changing discharge over time along the Colorado river, the use of tree-ring record to confirm recent climate variations, such as a medieval warm period, the Little Ice Age, and rapid warming since the mid-1800's. The speaker also pointed out the usefulness of tree-ring data in providing a long-term record on which to base environmental planning and policy decisions. Questions from George Helz, Moto Sato and Mac Ross.

The second talk was by George Hornberger, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, "Variation of the chemical composition of stream waters with discharge in Shenandoah National Park". Dr. Hornberger presented results from recent work aimed at understanding the principal controls on loss of alkalinity in streams of the Park. Using concentration vs. discharge (or 'c-Q') diagrams, he showed that observed variations in acid neutralizing capacity in several park streams during storm events are complex. He presented the results of model predictions of c-Q evolution during a precipitation event, and showed that relatively small changes in the relative magnitude of base flow, storm (or sub-surface storm) flow, and overland (or event) flow result in different c-Q behaviors, and that this may account for the complex nature of c-Q curves for Shenandoah Park streams. He and his colleagues are currently developing three-dimensional models of topographically-driven flow for park streams in order to predict the relative magnitudes of the flow components, to be used to model the evolution of alkalinity in these streams over time. Questions by E-an Zen and Jim Winterle.

The third talk was by David Menzie, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, "Changing patterns of mineral consumption: Some implications for sustainability". Using demographic and resource consumption data, Dr. Menzie explored the question of the relationships between development and demographic trends. In particular, by comparing birth rate trends to trends in consumption of aluminum, copper and cement in developed and developing countries, he showed that developed countries, with relatively low population growth also have relatively stable consumption of these commodities, and that developing countries, generally with high population growth rates, see rapid increases in consumption of cement, then of copper, then of aluminum, which are related to specific developmental breakthroughs. He discussed implications of enhanced consumption as large countries such as China develop further, for sustainability and environmental impact, and the expected effectiveness of mitigating approaches such as reduced consumption, recycling, and legislated conservation measures. Questions by Cy Galvin, Hal Gluskoter, Dick Fiske, Mary-Jo Baedecker, and E-an Zen.

Attendance was 51. President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Nathalie Marchildon

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1342nd Meeting, Wednesday, April 25th, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:04 PM. 

The minutes of the 1341st meeting were accepted as read.

New members Steven Lev of Towson University and David Menzie of the USGS Minerals Information Team were announced to the meeting.

Visitors consisted of:

   Angela Boxer, National Geographic

   John Price, State Geologist of Nevada

   Warner North (unaffiliated?)

There was an announcement by Mike Ryan about the upcoming field trip across the Culpepper Basin on May 19th.  Flyers were available for information about the field trip.

Three talks were given.

The first talk was by Lucy Flesch, SUNY at Stony Brook, “Dynamics and kinematics of the western North American plate boundary zone.”  Ms. Flesh discussed her results of her study in understanding the driving forces that deform western North America.  She presented dynamic and kinematic models that considered plate boundary forces, buoyancy forces, and basal traction, and that the cumulative deformation in western North America cannot be attributed to a single force.  Questions were from Cy Galvin, Mike Ryan, Brooks Hanson, and Bill McDonough.

The second talk was by Thomas Zack of the University of Maryland, “What does subducted crust really look like? A rare glimpse from a new lawsonite-eclogite find in the Dominican Republic”.  Dr. Zack discussed some occurrences of lawsonite-eclogite, why lawsonite might be so rare in nature, the petrology, and the P-T conditions under which these rocks form.  A new occurrence from the Dominican Republic was discussed in which the lawsonite occurs as inclusions in garnet cores and in the rock matrix.  The question why lawsonite-eclogites might be so rare, may be due not to lack of preservation, but rather by the extreme pressure-temperature conditions required during subduction.  One question was from Robin Brett.

The third talk was by Wallace Broecker, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, “The big climate amplifier: ocean circulation-sea ice extent-storminess-dustiness-cloud albedo.”  Dr. Broecker discussed an overview of the past 120,000 years of the Earth’s climatic record, in an attempt to explain why large glaciations occur on Earth using data obtained from Greenland ice cores.  Can we use changes in the recent geologic record to predict the future?  It was proposed that atmospheric dust may play a key role in affecting the Earth’s climate, and that the dust may be linked to natural climatic cycles and that modern burning of fossil fuels may be effecting these cycles. The current natural trend towards getting cooler may be suppressed by burning of fossil fuels, and that the Earth’s climate is an “angry beast”. Questions were from Moto Sato, Bill Hurton, and Bill McDonough.

  Attendance was 63.  President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:46 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1343rd Meeting, Wednesday, May 9th, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:06 pm.

President Lyttle invited Nellie Darling, a 6th grader at Earl B. Wood Middle School, in Montgomery County, Maryland and GSW science fair award winner, to make a brief presentation on her project, "A survey of water quality in Rock Creek as it runs through its watershed." Following her presentation, there was a 10-minute break to allow GSW meeting attendees to examine her science fair poster and ask questions.

President Lyttle then called the meeting back to order. The minutes of the 1342nd meeting were accepted as read.

New members Diane McDaniel of the University of Maryland and Bill Keene of the Museum of Natural History were announced

Visitors John Price (Nevada State Geologist) and Dana Price, and Rob Wapwell (unknown affiliation) were introduced.

There was one announcement: Michael Ryan and Joe Smoot of the USGS will lead a field trip on Saturday, May 19, 2001 to investigate Compartmentalization and Fracture Flow of Fluids in the Culpeper Basin. The trip will emphasize the role of fractures in the flow of ground water within an Early Mesozoic rift basin.

There was one informal communication by Margaret Chancy, of the Maryland Department of Conservation who said that her organization is looking to hire up to six geologists. 

Three papers were presented: The order of the talks differed from the original agenda due to technical problems with PowerPoint! Also known as Attack of the Power Point presentation: There were two victims on this night at no fault of the GSW. These were self inflicted!

The first talk was by A. Hope Jahren of The Johns Hopkins University, "What can fossil plants tell us about the carbon cycle". Dr. Jahren provided a short description of how we can use changes in the carbon isotopic composition of plants to reconstruct the Earth's atmospheric composition of the Aptian Age in the Cretaceous. The question was posed, what happened in the Aptian to cause a -5 per mil deviation delta 13C over 1 Ma.  The idea was posed that methane hydrates sequestered CO2 during that time. Questions from Jay Kaufman, Dallas Peck, George Helz,  Hal Gluskoter, Moto Sato, and Mac Ross.

The second talk was by N. Gary Hemming, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University "What boron isotopes in cultured corals tell us about temperature and pCO2 in the ocean". Dr. Hemming, without the use of any audio-visual aids due to a glitch with his Power Point presentation, (at the urging of Dallas Peck) discussed how measurements of boron isotopes in carbonate rocks may be used to constrain Earth's paleoclimatology. By assuming that the oceans and atmospheres were in chemical equilibrium, we can extract information about the Earth's past atmospheric composition. The idea was presented that Boron isotopes act as a paleo pH proxy in carbonates. Questions by Jay Kaufman, George Sellers, and Brooks Hanson.

The third talk was by Sidney Hemming, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, "Chronology of the Wilson Creek Formation, Mono Lake, CA, and implications for global correlations in the late Quaternary". Dr. Hemming also had a brush with PowerPoint during her presentation. Dr. Hemming discussed her work on the geohydrology of Mono Lake in understanding the Quaternary glacial history of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The levels of closed lake basins of western North America’s Great Basin are known to have increased substantially during the Quaternary glacial intervals, and constraining the timing of this is crucial to understanding the paleoclimatology on a local and global scale. She investigated this using the 14C dating method and constrained the age of the Wilson Creek Formation to approximately 40,000 years. One question by Rich Walker.

Attendance was 56. President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:50 pm

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1344th Meeting, Wednesday, September 12, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club

Due to the events of September 11th, 2001, the 1344th meeting of the GSW was not held.

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1345th Meeting, Wednesday, October 12th, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:02 pm.  This was followed by a moment of silence in honor of Doug Carter of the USGS, Dottie Stout of NSF, and Dick Goldsmith of the USGS who recently passed away.

President Lyttle then called the meeting back to order. The minutes of the 1343rd meeting were accepted as read.  There was no 1344th meeting of the GSW so no minutes were read.

Three new members were announced: Allen Shaw, URS Corporation, Elizabeth L. Rowan, USGS, and Catherine McMullen, Greenpeace.

There were 3 announcements:

1. President Lyttle announced an upcoming field trip to be lead by Rick Deccio. "A Trip Through Time: Geologic Transect of Northern Virginia". Led by Rick Diecchio, George Mason University. Saturday, November 10, 2001 8AM-5PM. Flyers were available at the meeting.

2. Bret Leslie of the NRC announced coop opportunities for undergraduates, and that the NRC is looking to fill several introductory positions.  Bret also mentioned that DOE is seeking public comments on the licensing of Yucca Mountain.

3. Gene Rosbloom announced a USGS retirees luncheon at the Marco Polo restaurant in Vienna, Virginia.

Several visitors were introduced.  These included Susan Landon of Thompson Associates, Catherine Roue of AGU, John Price the Nevada State Geologist, Heidi Westal unaffiliated (potter), Jim Jenning (unaffiliated), Rashi Becker, (unaffiliated), Chris McCarth (unaffiliated), Michael Wiedenbeck from the GeoForschungZentrum, Potsdam, Germany and several Congressional Fellows, Skip Watts GSA and USGS, Ann Unruh American Meterological Society, Karen Whelen AGU, David Curtis AGI. 

There was an informal communication by Cy Galvin about Salvage Archeology and Salvage Geology.  The idea was presented that fresh road cuts, construction sites, power line construction paths, and beaches are often excellent places to collect geological samples and to see fresh geological exposures, and that this has to be done quickly before the new exposure is destroyed, covered, etc.

Three papers were presented:

The first talk was by Richard Fiske, and Timothy Rose of the Smithsonian Institution, and Don Swanson of the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, "Kulanaokuaiki 3 tephra: Kilauea Volcano's nasty little secret".  This was analog talk using 35 mm slides. While working on leveling and EDM measurements on Kilauea a thin tephra layer containing ash, lapilli, and blocks was observed and noted to be extremely well preserved. The question of the source of this layer was raised and a study of the distribution of lithic fragments was done.  The distribution of the lithic fragments in the tephra layer indicated that the summit of Kilauea was the source of the K 3 tephra layer.  Questions from Moto Sato (2), Dallas peck (2), Pete Toulmin, E-an Zen, John Pallaston, Dan Milton and Rosalind Helz .

The second talk was by David Applegate of AGI, "Building congressional concern for natural hazards". David considered using PowerPoint but took a safer route with just slides.  Dr. Applegate discussed how and why members of Congress need to be made more aware of natural hazards.  He also discussed the status of White House-AGU, AGI, IRIS caucus that is intended to educate and make recommendations to members of Congress in order to be better prepared for natural disasters. Questions by Julio Freedman, Dallas peck, Cy Galvin, Bevan French (2), E-an Zen, Marlo Kingston, Marilyn Sutter, Blair Jones, Jim Smith, and Kathlyn Gong.

The third talk was by John Filson, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, "Real-time seismology".  Dr. Filson gave a flawless, and complex, PowerPoint presentation.  Our faith in PowerPoint presentations has been restored.  Dr. Filson discussed how real-time seismic data acquisition may be used to better understand earthquake hazards on a local, regional, continental, and world scale.  Seismic data are collected and transmitted into a central data center and then and processed, analyzed and distributed in real time. The limiting factor in this endeavor is the propagation of the seismic waves through the earth and not our ability to collect and process the data.  Questions by Skip Watts, Gene Robertson, Bevan French, Marilyn Sutter, Dallas peck, and E-an Zen.

Attendance was 88. President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 10:03 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1346th Meeting, Wednesday, November 14th, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:02 pm. The minutes of the 1345th meeting were accepted as read.

No new members were announced.

There was one announcement:

President Lyttle announced that the field trip led by Rick Diecchio, on November 10 was a success, but that at one point on the trip the keys to the van were locked inside, and a "geologic" solution had to be employed to retrieve them to continue with the trip.

Two visitors were introduced.  Laura Webber of the Baltimore Symphony, and Sahill Alsinawi, ITT industries.

Three papers were presented:

The first talk was by S. Julio Friedmann, Department of Geology, The University of Maryland, "The geoscience research potential of 3D seismic data sets".  3D reflection seismic data sets are now routinely collected across most continental margins around the world. Due to their high resolution and large volume, they are ideal for solving a number of stratigraphic, structural, and oceanographic problems. Examples presented ranged from range from complete mapping for fault networks to calculations of sediment flux over short and long time scales.  Questions from Dan Milton, Gene Robertson, Chris Neuzil.

The second talk was by Teofilo (Jun) Abrajano of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, " Carbon Isotope Discrimination of Organic Contaminant Sources in Sediments ". Incomplete combustion of organic matter or spillage of petroleum and petroleum related by-products are the primary sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the environment. Input of PAH to aquatic systems is primarily controlled by deposition of airborne particulates, surface runoff from roads and land surfaces, or direct inputs from industrial and sewage effluents, and fossil fuel products. Examples from the Hudson upriver from NYC and in the New York harbor and St. John's, Newfoundland harbor were discussed.  Questions by Bob Burruss and Mac Ross.

The third talk was by Alberto Saal, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia Observatory, "Pb isotopes in melt inclusions from oceanic basalts".  The question, "what is the Pb isotopic composition of the silicate Earth" was posed and data from oceanic basalt bulk rock samples and in situ Pb isotopic determinations by ion probe analyses of primary melt inclusions preserved in olivine were presented.  The Pb isotopic composition of the melt inclusion showed a much wider range than the bulk rock samples analyzed from the same localities, and the idea that multiple mantle sources of the basalts may exist was presented.  Questions from Amelia Logan, Steve Shirey, and Moto Sato.

Attendance was 52. President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:37 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 1347th Meeting, Wednesday, December 12th, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:02 pm.  The minutes of the 1346th meeting were accepted as read.

No new members were announced.

No guests were announced.

No visitors were announced.

President Lyttle gave his Presidental Address talk (in Power Point!), “The geologic map: A 200 year evolution”.  Peter’s career at the USGS has focussed on geologic maps, an interest that began in his childhood.  Following a brief overview of the history of the early days of geologic maps, with a mention of the recent popular book by Simon Winchester, on the geologic map made in England by William Smith, a few details about the development of map construction were discussed (e.g., hand coloring, and eventually multi-color lithography).  Peter then discussed the development of geologic maps in the United States at state geological surveys in North and South Carolina, and in Canada.  Next, Peter discussed the evolution of geologic maps at the USGS with a few examples of how the mission of geologic map making has evolved over the past 122 years.  Lastly, Peter explained the current state of geologic mapping at the USGS with examples from a few of the mapping programs such as Fedmap, Edmap, Statemap, and some of the implications of the digital revolution and how that affects geologic mapping.

Following tradition of the GSW there were no questions asked after Peter’s talk.

Attendance was 62. President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary

 

Geological Society of Washington

Minutes of the 109th Annual Meeting, Wednesday, December 12th, 2001, John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club.

President Lyttle called the meeting to order at 8:50 pm.

President Lyttle thanked Paul Tomascak, Bill Burton, Jingle Ruppert, and all of the people who volunteered to judge the science fairs. A special thanks went to Nathalie Marchaldon for initiating, and carrying out, the idea of bringing three of the science fair participants to the GSW to present their projects.  Bill Burton was given a copy of the “History of the Geological Society of Washington” book.

Mark McBride read the minutes of the 108th annual meeting.  The minutes were accepted as read.

John Hanchar read the Meeting’s Secretary annual report for the 2001 meetings.

Mark McBride, Council Secretary read the minutes for the 2001 Council Meetings.  Mark presented a summary of the various discussions that were held during the year such as kegs versus bottle beer, what sort of awards (e.g., mineral specimens) should be given to the to the winners of the various GSW awards, and the status of the different GSW investment funds.

Rama Kotra read the 2001 Report of the Treasurer and informed the meeting that the financial state of the GSW is very good and that there was a healthy, gradual, rise in the GSW investments.

Bruce Lipin read the 2001 Report of the Auditing Committee and verified that the information presented by the Treasurer is in order.

Allan Kolker presented the Membership Report. We have finished the 2001 calender year with 442 GSW members. This includes 287 area members, 140 non-DC metro area members, seven students, nine complimentary members, and eight non-members.  Peter Lyttle’s campaign to bring in new members was very successful this year; 15 new members joined the organization.

Bret Leslie, Awards Chairman, informed the audience that the Bradley Prize, which was formerly a cash prize, is now a mineral specimen with a plaque on a base.  Bret discussed the high-lights, low-lights, and no-lights of the year’s presentations at the GSW.  There were good and bad PowerPoint presentations.  Three notable talks were mentioned.  Julio Freedman’s talk was highlighted because of the massive amounts of information that can be manipulated and presented, Jun Abrajano’s talk was highlighted because it shows a future direction of isotope ratio mass spectrometry, Roberta Rudnick’s talk was mentioned because of her innovative work on Os isotope geochemistry, and John Filson’s talk was noteworthy because of the presentation of real-time seismology data.

No Great Dane award was awarded for 2001.

The Second Best Paper award went to Yumei Wang for presenting a report of an earthquake that occurred that day!  Abandoning her prepared talk, she pulled together a talk on the new earthquake.

The Bradley Prize for the best paper went to Dick Fiske for his memorable presentation of,  "Kulanaokuaiki 3 tephra: Kilauea Volcano's nasty little secret".  This talk was presented at an appropriate level and scope for the GSW.

The Sleeping Bear Award was read by Sandy Neuzil, on behalf of John Keith who could not attend the meeting, informed the audience that the Sleeping Bear Committee is so secretive that found out just two weeks ago that she was on the committee. The winner of the Sleeping Bear Award for 2001 was Doug Rankin.

President Lyttle asked for motion to approve slate by acclamation. The motion was approved for 1st vice president David Applegate,  2nd vice president Jeff Grossman, Treasurer Rama Kotra, Meeting Secretary Paul Tomascak, and Councilors Sonia Esperanca, Rick Deccio, and Bob Burriss.

President Lyttle passed the gavel and the Roberts Rules of order to incoming President Nick Woodward.

President-elect Woodward congratulated outgoing president Lyttle, and informed that part of his platform for 2002 involved, “getting more members and better beer”.

 Attendance was 55. President Lyttle adjourned the meeting at 9:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

John M. Hanchar, Meeting Secretary