GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
Secretary's Report
January 11, 1956
The 755th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hail
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, January 11, 1956, at 8:00 P.M.,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 754th meeting were read and approved.
The President announced that the Society, by action of the
Council, had contributed the sum of $50 to the Washington Academy of Science to
be used toward defraying expenses of the National Science fair.
The Secretary announced the election to active membership of
the following: Verl Wilmarth,
USGS; Robert C. Stephenson, Amer. Geol. Inst.
The regular program followed:
D. J. Varnes - Landslide types and
processes. Discussed by Coates, Bronner, Sharp and Mussig.
C. F. Erskine - Use of piezometers in understanding the effect of a rising water
table on landslides in the
J. T. McGill - Landslides and residential building sites in
Attendance: 136
The meeting adjourned at 9:35 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
Secretary's Report
January 25, 1956
The 756th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, January 25, l956, at 8:00 P.M.,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 755th meeting were read and approved.
The President made the following announcements: l) the
membership list of the Society is being revised and statements of dues will be
sent out in February; 2) by action of the Council, a meeting of the Society
will not be held on February 22, but an extra meeting has been scheduled for
May 9.
The Secretary announced the election to active membership of
the following: L. T. Aldrich, Dept. Terrestrial Magnetism; W. R. Thurston,
National Research Council; J. A. Miller, U. S. Bureau of Mines; M. R. Brock, U.
S. Geological Survey.
The regular program followed:
G. R. Tilton - The interpretation of lead age discrepancies by
acid-washing experiments. Discussed by Larsen.
G. E. Adreasen and W. C. Rasmussen -
The hydrologic budget in relation to the climate and geology of the Beaverdam Creek Basin, Maryland. Discussed by Whitmore, Dempsey and Pecora.
J. B. Mertie - The recognition of paragneiss with examples in
Attendance: 96
The meeting adjourned at 9:50 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
Secretary's Report
February 8, 1956
The 757th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, February 8, 1956, at 8:00 P.M.,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 756th meeting were read and approved.
The President called attention of the members to the fact because
February 22 is a holiday, no meeting is scheduled and that an extra meeting has
been scheduled for May 9.
The Secretary announced the election to active membership of
the following: George W. Brett, U. S. Geological Survey; Henry Coulter, U. S.
Geological Survey; Richard E. Eggleton, U. S.
Geological Survey.
The regular program followed:
G. M. Knebel, President, American
Association of Petroleum Geologists - Some of the habitats of oil. Discussed by
Cerkel, Goldman, Ball, Duncan, Byerly,
and Miller.
Henry Faul, U. S. Geological Survey
- The age of the earth. Discussed by
Tilton.
Attendance: 303.
The meeting adjourned at 9:36 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
Secretary's Report
March 14, 1956
The 758th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, March 14, 1956, at 8:00 P.M., President
J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 757th meeting were read and approved. The
Secretary made the following announcements:
1. The election to active membership of the following: Charles
J. Gose, Jr., U. S. Geological Survey; H. G. Thomasson, U. S. Geological Survey; Henry Faul, U. S. Geological Survey; Adelaide Marble, 3221 Macomb
St., Washington, D. C.; Jack Kratchman, Atomic Energy
Commission.
2. The Geological Society of America has copies of the Guide
to the Geology of the Southeastern States (1955) at $3.00 which can be procured
by writing to the Secretary of the Society, 419 West 117 Street,
3. The Secretary of the Council and the Treasurer combed the
membership list and by action of the Council 70 were dropped from membership
because there were in arrears more than 2 years in their dues. The new
membership list, which will be ready in about a month, will not include the
names of those dropped.
An informal communication on "Land shells from the
sea" was presented by Harry Ladd.
The regular program followed:
Tilley, C. E., Professor, Department of Mineralogy and
Petrology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England - Present state of
research on the Scottish Precambrian. Discussed by Lovering,
Pecora, White, Gilluly, Bronner, and Lasky.
Pommier, A. M., U. S. Geological Survey -
Oxidation potential studies on a vanadiferous uranium
ore.
Terman, M. J., U. S. Geological Survey -
Prediction of ground water conditions in island or coastal areas. Discussed by
Murata and Altshuler.
Attendance: 155
The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
Secretary's Report
March 28, 1956
The 759th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, March 28, 1956, at 8:00 P.M., President
J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minute's of the 758th meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary announced the election to active membership of
the following: James H. Benn, U. S. National Museum; Catherine Schilk, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission; Helen R. Mark, U.
S. Geological Survey.
The regular program followed:
Bean, R. K., U. S. Geological Survey - The Orthophotoscope
and its possible applications to geology. Discussed by Byerly,
Joesting, White and Thayer.
Joesting, H. R. and Byerly,
P. E., U. S. Geological Survey - Regional geophysical surveys of the Uravan district,
Graham, J. W., Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie
Institution - Rock Magnetism-retrospect and prospect. Discussed by Joesting, Guild, Coulter, Faul
and White.
Attendance: 105
The meeting adjourned at 9:40 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
Secretary's Report
April 11, 1956
The 760th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, April 11, 1956, at 8:00 P. M., President
J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 759th meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary announced the sale of tickets for the coming
Pick and Hammer Show to be held on April 27th.
The regular program followed:
H. A. Meyerhoff, Scientific Manpower
Commission - Manpower shortage's. Discussed by Hawkins, Whitmore, Rozanski, Berman, Guild, Bronner,
and
Harry Bastron, (speaker), and K..J.
Roberta Dixon, U. S. Geological Survey - Layered gabbros on Seiland in northern
L. C. Conant., U. S. Geological
Survey - Origin of the
Attendance: 140
The meeting adjourned at 9:50 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
April 25, 1956
The 761st meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, April 25, 1956, at 8:00 P.M., President
J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 760th meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary announced the election to active membership of:
Harry C. Starkey, U. S. Geological Survey.
The regular program followed:
White, W. S., U. S. Geological Survey - Regional structural
setting of the Michigan Copprt disstrict.
Discussed by Gilluly, Thayer, Beers, Albers, Stewart,
Goldman, Lasky, Murata and Sainsbury.
Milton, Charles (speaker), Axelrod,
J. M. and Grimaldi, F. S., U. S. Geological Survey -
Authigenic mineralization in the Green River
formation, Utah. Discussed by Albers,
Smith, Rubin and, Coats.
Movie, Hawaiian Volcanoes - Introduced by B. T. Gale, National
Park Services.
Attendance: 168
The meeting adjourned at 9:40 P. M.
Marjorie Hooker
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
May 9, 1956
The 762nd meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, May 9, 1956, at 8:00 P.M., President J.
Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 761st meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary made the following announcements:
1. The election of membership of: Holly C. Wagner, U. S.
Geological Survey.
2. The membership list of the Society is ready for
distribution and any member desiring a copy may obtain it at Marjorie Hookers
office, room 3201, G. S. A. Building.
3. Dr. Thorson, the speaker tonight, will give an illustrated
lecture "The Relationship between Prey and Predator on the sea
bottom" in the auditorium of the Natural History Building, National
Museum, at 8:15 P.M., Thursday, May 10.
The regular program followed:
Gunnar Thorson, Zoological Museum,
Copenhagen, Denmark - Animal Communities of the shallow seas. Discussed by
Cloud,. Bates, Lohman, Deul
and Murata.
Attendance: 112
The meeting adjourned at 9:20 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
October 10, 1956
The 763rd meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, October 10, 1956, at 8:00 P.M.,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 762nd meeting were read and approved.
The President announced the death of the following members of
the Society: N. L. Bowen, W. F. Foshag, C. K. Leith, Marie Stadnichenko, H.
Kirk Stephenson.
The Secretary made the following announcements:
1. Copies of the G.S.W. membership list are available as long
as the supply lasts.
2. Please send to the Secretary any changes of address.
3. Letter from Texas A & M College inquiring about
underwater movies was referred to the Society.
The regular program followed:.
W. E. Swinton, British Museum,
London, England - Birth of the Dinosaurs.
Discussed by Smith, Gazin and Woodring.
Attendance: 172
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
October 24, 1956
The 764th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, October 24, 1956, at 8:00 p.m.,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 763rd meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary made the following announcements:
1. By action of the council, the following were elected to
active membership: A. B. Campbell, U. S. Geological Survey; Herbert C. Crandell, U. S. Geological Survey; Robert B. Fulton, New
Jersey Zinc Company; Mary C. Grier, Geological Society of America; D. A. Jobin, U. S. Geological Survey; Robert Thurrell,
Irex Corporation; Thomas N. Walthier,
Bear Creek Mining Co.
2. Read a letter from the General Chairman of the Committee on
Awards of Scientific Achievements for 1956 of the Washington Academy of Science
soliciting assistance in bringing to the attention of the Society that nominations
for the annual awards of the Academy should be received not later than November
15.
Lloyd G. Henbest gave an informal
communication describing new films for photomicrography and lantern slides
using Polaroid film. The use of Polaroid film for various purposes is
convenient and provides economy of time and expense.
The regular program followed:
Y. K. Bentor, Director of the
Geological Survey of Israel - Geology of Israel. Discussed by Pecora, Woodring, Conant, Sohn, and Chayes.
Attendance: 203
The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
November 14, 1956
The 765th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, November 14, 1956, at 8:00 P. M.,
Vice-President J. J. Fahey presiding.
The minutes of the 764th meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary made the following announcements:
1. By action of the Council, the following were elected to
active membership: Robert B. Ryan, Operations Research Office, The Johns
Hopkins University; Delmar W. Berry, Reginald R. Blankenship, Alice E. French,
Arthur R. Levey, J. C. Miller, Mary H. Miller,
Roger G. Miller, Raymond C. Nace,
Mary Catherine Reed, Paul E. Soister, all U. S. Geological
Survey.
2. Announced the symposium on Man and Radiation to be held by
the Washington Academy of Sciences on November 15, 1956 at the Cosmos Club
Auditorium.
3. Announced the program, Frontiers in Earth Sciences,
sponsored by the Washington Junior Academy of Sciences, to be held December 1,
1956, at the Dept. of Commerce Auditorium.
In place of the program originally scheduled for the evening,
Vice-President Fahey announced that Professor S. E. Hollingworth
of University College, London, England, would speak on the subject
"Broader implications of the Pleistocene permafrost in Great
Britain." After the talk, discussion by Benninghof,
Thayer, Byerly, Warren, and Ray followed.
Attendance: 151
The meeting adjourned at 9:40 P.M.
Marjorie Hooker, for George V. Cohee,
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
November 28, 1956
The 766th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, November 28, 1956, at 8:00 p.m.,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding.
The minutes of the 765th meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary made the following announcements:
1. By action of the Council, the following have been elected
to active membership in the Society: Mason G. Walters, Federal Power Commission;
Richard H. Barnard, Oscar J. Ferrians, Jr., Harold A.
Hubbard, Dorothy A. Rainsford, Henry Schmoll, Richard A. Wilkens,
Cynthia J. Wooster, Lynn Yeahle, Daniel Appleman, all
U. S. Geological Survey.
2. A meeting of the Pick and Hammer Club is to be held
December 5 at 8 p.m. at the Ambassador Hotel; subject, discussion of
Geochronology (by Zircon or any other excellent method).
Copies of the membership list of the Society are still
available from the Secretary.
Henry Faul gave an informal
communication describing age determinations of a Kammgranite
of the Vosges Mountains by various methods.
The regular program followed:
I. A. Breger and J. M. Schopf, U. S. Geological Survey - Geochemical studies of coalified wood.
Discussed by McKelvey and Abelson.
W. E. Davies, U. S. Geological Survey - Bay of Whales,
Antarctica 1899-1955. Discussed by Milton and Conant.
A. R. Loeblich, Jr. and Helen
Tappan, U. S. National Museum and U. S. Geological Survey - Planktonic
Foraminifera and Paleocene - lower Eocene correlation. Discussed by Benson,
Goldman and Neuman.
Attendance: 108
The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF
WASHINGTON
Secretary's Report
December 12, 1956
The 767th meeting of the Society was held in the Assembly Hall
of, the Cosmos Club, Wednesday evening, December 12, 1956, at 8:02 and 20
seconds p.m., according to the 15-inch wall clock on the rostrum for the
benefit of they speaker for the evening, and specifically noted for the minutes
by former President K. E. Lohman. Vice-President
Joseph J. Fahey presided.
The minutes of the 766th meeting were read and approved.
The Secretary announced the election to active membership of
the following: R. G. Arnold, H. L. Barnes, W.
G. Ernst, H. P. Eugster, Philip Orville, E. H. Roseboom, J. R. W.
Vallentyne, Geophysical Laboratory; Gracemary E. Denegar, Atomic
Energy Commission; W. P. Williams, Helen F. Ranson,
Harold Kirkemo, U. S. Geological Survey.
The regular program followed:
Presidential Address: J. F. Schairer
- The crystallization of rock-forming minerals from magmas and the nature of
the residual liquid.
The address ended in a clanging of bells amid the applause for
the speaker who was then presented with a shiny new imported hourglass in
recognition of his uncanny ability not only to hold other speakers to their
allotted time-limits, but to remain within an unspecified limit himself.
Attendance: 173
The meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m.
George V. Cohee
Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
64th ANNUAL MEETING
December 12, 1956
The 64th Annual Meeting of the Society was held in the
Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, Wednesday, December 12, 1956, at 9:25 P.M..,
President J. Frank Schairer presiding. About 120
members were present.
The minutes of the 63rd Annual Meeting were read and approved.
The annual report of the Secretaries for 1956 was read and
approved.
The annual report of the Treasurer for 1956 was presented by
the Treasurer, Mary E. Mrose who stated there was a
net increase of $70.80 in the Treasury for the year, in spite of the honoraria
presented guest speakers and the expenses for two additional meetings during
the year. The report of the Auditing Committee consisting of Earl Ingerson, George V. Cohee and
Marjorie Hooker, Chairman, was presented by Marjorie Hooker, who stated that
the records were in good order and that the Committee commended the Treasurer
who "amid clamor and commotion, by cajoling, coaxing, and commanding had
continuously and courageously compelled colleagues to contribute cold cash to
the coffers." Henry Faul solemnly remarked that
we have now witnessed the ending of an era – namely, the free beer era. The
Treasurer hurriedly replied that as she gazed over those assembled, she believed
she could recognize several free-loaders in the audience. The President then expressed appreciation to
the Treasurer, Mary Mrose, and the Secretary,
Marjorie Hooker, for the excellent work on the membership records.
The report of the Awards Committee, consisting of Jim Balsley, Chairman, Phil Guild, and Harry Ladd was
presented. The first prize of $20.00 was awarded to Henry Faul
for his paper on "The Age of the Earth"; second prize of $10.00 to J.
W. Graham for his paper "Rock Magnetism - Retrospect and Prospect";
and honorable mention was given to Walter S. White for his paper "Regional
structural setting of the Michigan Copper District." The Sleeping Bear Cup
was awarded by the traditionally anonymous committee to Louis C. Conant for a discussion of his own paper "Origin of
the Chattanooga shale." Jim (Barrymore) Baisley
made the award, with a resounding citation delivered in characteristic style.
At one point in the citation the speaker was carried away
completely by his quotation from Tennyson.
[note in margin: the following was
copied for the record but not read at the 65th Annual Meeting. Gwc.] In the four years of its existence the Sleeping Bear
Cup has been awarded for informal communications and for discussions of a paper
presented by another. Tonight an unprecedented opportunity has come to us; we
are able, for the first time, to award the cup to a man for discussion of his
own paper. If this statement is
incorrect, I have no fear that I won't be contradicted. Tonight we award the
cup to a man for his singularly sparkling and spirited defense of a paper in
which he had reconstructed before our eyes a placid upper Devonian sea. He had
painted a picture of a super-Pacific ocean, only knee deep - to a grasshopper,
that is - with its mirror surface reflecting nothing but sky, with no
cloud-bearing breeze ruffling its surface to create even the smallest ripple
that-might disturb the even lamination of muds
deposited in its shallow waters, and with no currents breaking the continuity
of the paper thin layer of ash which had floated down gently from volcanoes
erupting far from this peaceful scene.
Not even a brainstorm disturbed its pacificity. No doubt it was this remarkable body of water
that Tennyson had in mind when he wrote "There where the long street
roars, hath been, the stillness of the central sea."
When in the quiet of this idyllic
scene the assembled host rose as one to ruffle the quiet sea, to muddy its
limpid waters did this gallant knight waiver, did he quaver? Never!
In fact, when with a small clear voice crying in the wilderness, a lone
meteorologist rose to defend our hero's position with other evidence, did he
weaken and accept this succor? No! He flung down the gauntlet to him also, and
stood alone, the sole defender of the faith.
Surely he deserves great honor.
If it were in our power, he should be awarded the Order of the Embattled
Knight of the Placid Sea. But lacking
this, we present the GSW's high award, the Sleeping
Bear Cup, appropriately named in this instance I might say, if I'm allowed to
change my metaphor, for like the quiet, unruffled, hibernating bear, our hero
has risen with a roar and savage ferocity to protect his quietly sleeping
offspring. And so to Louis C. Conant, the Sleeping
Bear of 1956, we award this cup.
As a matter of new business, Mr. Woodring
announced that from 1919 to 1947, the proceedings of the Society were published
in the Washington Academy of Sciences, but none has been published since. It
was stated further, that the editor of the Washington Academy of Sciences had
expressed a willingness to resume the publication of the proceedings. In the
discussion of the question as to why the publication of the proceedings had
been discontinued, it was pointed out that one of the big difficulties was
obtaining the abstracts of the papers for publication. As a result of the discussion,
the following motion by Mr. Woodring was seconded and
passed: That the officers and council of the Society take the necessary steps
to resume publication of the Proceedings of the Geological Society of
Washington in the Washington Academy of Sciences and that the Junior Secretary
prepare the proceedings and submit them to the editor of the Washington Academy
of Sciences, and that the council draw up specifications for abstracts of
papers to be submitted by the authors. A proposed amendment to the motion
calling for the Junior Secretary to request press notices to be sent to the
local newspapers was voted down.
The Society then proceeded with the election of officers for
1957, the President announcing that the Nominating Committee had presented a
single slate for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary and
Treasurer, but that nominations from the floor were in order. It was moved and
seconded that the nominations be closed. Motion carried and it was further
moved and seconded that the Secretary be instructed to cast unanimous ballots
for those nominated. The motion carried and the following were elected to
office:
President: W. D. Johnston, Jr.
Vice-Presidents: J. W. Greig and
Paul Averitt
Secretary: Donald C. Duncan
Treasurer: Mary E. Mrose
It was assumed that the Vice-Presidents would follow their
predecessors in determining who should be first and second Vice Presidents by
flipping the coin. (Secretary's note: or corn, according to their wishes.)
For election of Vice-President, Washington Academy of
Sciences, the Nominating Committee had presented a single slate with E. T.
McKnight being renominated. It was moved, seconded
and passed that the nominations be closed and the Secretary was instructed to
cast a unanimous ballot for the election of Mr. McKnight.
The election of the councilors was called to order. Three
additional nominations - H. S. Yoder, H. P. Eugster,
and Gordon Lill - were made from the floor before the
nominations were closed. The President announced that four councilors were to
be elected, one for a one-year term to replace A. J. Boucot
who had moved from the Washington area. Tellers for the balloting were Charles
Milton (Chairman), Jane Titcomb, G. J. Jansen, and
Marjorie Hooker.
The following councilors were elected: F. W. Cater, Jr.,
Gordon Lill, M. G. Wolman, 2-year terms; Robert B. Guillou, 1-year term
The meeting adjourned at 10:30 P.M.
George V. Cohee
Secretary