GSW: 1988 MEETING MINUTES

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1170th Meeting, January 13, 1988

President Rumble called 89 attendees to order for the 1170th meeting at 8:08 PM. The minutes of the 1169th meeting were called for, read, and approved with one correction. Guest John Carpenter of NSF was introduced by E-an Zen. Peter Lyttle tried to introduce three "guests" from the Air and Space Museum who turned out to be members of the Society. New members Ross Angel, Robert Finkleman, Ken Sargent, Robert Lowell, Clifford Nelson, and James Underwood were announced. There were no other announcements, informal communications or old or new business.

The first speaker was Bruce Fegley from MIT, an institution which President Rumble seemed to have confused with Sing-Sing. Fegley's talk, "Impacts, acid rain and the extinction of the dinosaurs," focused on killing off plankton. Most plankton species with carbonate tests vanished at the K-T boundary, which coincides with a large meteor impact. Bugs with siliceous tests survived. This selective extinction may be evidence for acid rain. A large meteor can shock-heat vast regions of the atmosphere and generate nitrogen oxides. These oxides could form acids and produce anything from reddish brown smog to a catastrophic global acid rain that would acidify upper layers of the ocean and dissolve the tests of carbonate-shelled organisms. George Wetherill, E-an Zen, and George Helz asked questions.

The second speaker was Bjorn Mysen of the Geophysical Laboratory, with a talk entitled "Rock-forming processes in the early solar system: Results from experimentally-determined vaporus surfaces of oxides and silicates." High vacuum, high temperature evaporation and condensation experiments were conducted in a model system for chondritic meteorites. Congruent and incongruent evaporation were observed. Ca- and Al-rich phases condensed in a temperature gradient in a sequence that mimics the crystallization sequences of chondrites. These results depend strongly on the oxygen fugacity. George Helz asked two questions, Glenn MacPherson one.

The third speaker was James B. Garvin of NASA/Goddard, with a talk entitled, "Remote Probing of Impact Craters on the Earth." There are fewer known impact craters on the Earth than predicted. Remote sensing techniques can identify shocked rocks, the most reliable indicators of impact, from space, and thus permit those searching for impact craters to avoid hazards such as monitor lizards in their quest for target sites. Advanced remote sensing aided Russian geologists in mapping a crater of unusual impact geometry, and identified the rock quarries in the Ries Basin. A global tour of probable impact craters with interesting names was followed by Robin "Crocodile" Brett's colorful observations that the reptile in question is properly termed "goanna", that the most frightening sight he and a female Australian geologist had seen at an Australian impact structure was a field geologist working in his underpants, and that anyone who is frightened by a monitor lizard is a wimp.

President Rumble summed up the evening: "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs," and broke up the meeting at 9:47 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1171st Meeting, January 27, 1988

President Rumble called 84 sociable attendees to order at 8:06, 8:07, and 8:09PM. The minutes of the 1170th meeting were called for, read, and approved. Guests Terry Massoff, Phil Piccoli, Liu Hui Fang, Soe Aung, Mike Costa, and Vanessa Santos were introduced. The report of Dan Appleman, also known as the Audit Committee, was read by President Rumble and approved. Dan Milton moved that the Society vote on the Treasurer's Report. It was accepted. The appointment of Rob Wesson to the Council was announced. The deaths of Hans-Peter Eugster and Quentin Singewald were announced, and a moment of silence was observed. President Rumble announced the Mediterranean Basin Conference and Exhibition. Bill Leo, chairman of the Public Service Committee, announced the impending season of high-school science fairs, and asked volunteer judges to call him at 648-6927. George Helz informed us that January 27, 1988 was V. M. Goldschmidt's 100th birthday, and asked that we raise our glasses to salute this illustrious geochemist. E-an Zen interjected that Goldschmidt was born in Europe, where it was by this time January 28th, but no one can stop the Society in the middle of a toast. Tom Dutro noted that the date of the 1171st meeting was listed as January 27, 1987 on the meeting card, but nothing could be done about it.

The first speaker was Owen Bricker of the U.S.G.S., with a talk entitled "Acid rain: History and current research." Acid rain has a lengthy and complex history. Much acid rain is anthropogenic in its origin. The impact of acid rain upon watersheds is related to the acid buffering ability of the terrane. Both the low pH and the sulfur compounds that occur in acid rain are extremely harmful to the environment. No questions of this exceptionally thorough speaker were recorded.

The second speaker was David Veblen of Johns Hopkins University, with a talk entitled "Electron microscopy and crystal chemistry of deep crustal pyroxenes." Deep crustal pyroxenes deviate from the ideal pyroxene. Their horror stories can be read with a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The worst case scenario for pyroxenes includes: crystal defects, multiphase micron-sized assemblages of respectable minerals such as pyroxenes, amphiboles, plagioclase and oxides, lamellae of mixed layer garbage unworthy of our attention, and intergrown triple, quadruple, or more-ple chain silicates. Questions by Dan Milton, E-an Zen, and Phelps Freeborn.

The final speaker was James D. Webster of the U.S.G.S., with a talk entitled, "Fluid-melt equilibration and the geochemical evolution of topaz rhyolite at Spor Mountain, Utah." The origin of F, Cl, U, Th, Rb, Ta, Nb, Be, Li, Y, Ga, Pb, and Sn-rich topaz rhyolites is attributed to processes of crystal fractionation and to fluid-melt interaction. Enrichment of alkalis, Y, and Nb is attributed to fluid-melt interaction. Questions by Phil Candela and E-an Zen. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1172nd Meeting, February 10, 1988

President Rumble called 84 attendees to order with the aid of his ceremonial gavel at 8:08 PM. The minutes of the 1171st meeting were called for, read, and approved. Guests Pat Castillo, David Gerlach, R. Martin Tillach, Dave Spiedel, Don Burt, and Bjorn Jamtveit were introduced. E-an Zen solicited reviewers for competitive papers on the earth sciences written by high school students. President Rumble described the Volunteers for Science program of the U.S.G.S., announced a meeting of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade, and belatedly introduced guest Don Hickmott. The first "stand and deliver" notice to those delinquent in paying their dues from Treasurer Dick Tollo was relayed by President Rumble. The death of Hubert Norman was announced, and a moment of silence was observed. There were no other announcements, and, for the third meeting in a row, no informal communications.

The regular program began with a talk by Martha Scott of Texas A & M University, entitled "Radium and rivers: the Mississippi estuary." Concentrations of radium in water were measured across a salinity gradient in the Mississippi estuary. Variations of radium concentrations with salinity and mass balance considerations indicate that 2/3 of the radium in the waters of the Mississippi estuary is desorbed from clays when salt water is encountered. Mn-rich organic compounds evidently can incorporate radium and release it over a range of salinities, thus slowly adding radium to the ocean. Questions by Tom Cramer, Phelps Freeborn, Milan Pavitch, Gene Robertson, and E-an Zen.

The second speaker was John Brady of Smith College, who gave a talk entitled, "Hydrothermal metamorphism or Do metamorphic rocks stew in their own juices?" Thermal modeling calculations indicate that fluids cannot transport enough heat to significantly warm up regional metamorphic terranes, with the possible exception of subduction zones and the New Hampshire Hot Spots. Peter Lyttle played a minor role in the presentation as a scale bar. A comment by Doug Rumble concerning the New Hampshire Hot Spots was followed by questions from E-an Zen and Bob Lowell. Dave Stewart, who despite protestations to the contrary must like having the Sleeping Bear trophy on his mantelpiece, remarked that in his opinion, the distance between hot spots in New Hampshire was rather greater than the 5 km President Rumble reported. Nervous laughter was heard.

The third speaker was Marsha McNutt, from a Massachusetts educational institution that President Rumble does not appear to be acquainted with. Her talk was entitled "The South Pacific Superswell." President Rumble delivered his most memorable introduction to date, remarking that although he had not looked up Dr. McNutt in "American Women of Science," whatever education Dr. McNutt had, she certainly did it justice, as evidenced by her charm and vivacity as a dinner companion. The South Pacific superswell is a region of the seafloor that is anomalously shallow, displays thermal anomalies, is of unusual isotopic composition, exhibits the slowest seismic velocities in the Pacific, and is underlain by anomalous mantle. It is apparently a cross between a superplume and a region of mantle upwelling. The ubiquitous Peter Lyttle played an out-of-focus cameo role in the presentation. Questions by Phelps Freeborn, Dave Stewart, E- An Zen, and Bob Lowell. Robin Brett delivered his obligatory Australian ethnic slur by commenting that until tonight, he had thought a South Pacific Superswell meant either Rupert Murdoch or Ted Ringwood. Mild amusement ensued.

President Rumble thanked the National Research Council for unknowingly providing travel expenses for all of the speakers on the program, and adjourned the meeting at 10:02 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1173rd Meeting: February 24, 1988

President Rumble called the 1173rd meeting of the society to order at 8:04PM, and the members seated themselves with unwonted promptness. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and probably would have been approved had the President asked the membership to do so. Several guests were introduced, including Stephanie Martin (daughter of the third speaker), Dan Sandhouse (of Environmental Stratagies), Jeff Doell (student), and Lisa Wainger (from AGU). Bill Leo then announced the impending High School science Fair season and asked members to help judge the various fairs. There were, as usual, no informal communications.

The first formal talk of the evening, by Samuel T. Pees, was entitled "Early days along Oil Creek, Pennsylvania, 1859-1865." Pees, having grown up near Drake's original oil well, has had a life-long interest in the early history of the petroleum industry at Oil Creek. It seems that Drake's original well was strictly a fluke, as he hit a small, isolated pocket of oil-bearing sand way above the main oil-bearing horizons in the area. Drake sold the oil from this first well for $40 a barrel, a price beyond the reach of OPEC, even in 1988 dollars. Then somebody drilled the deeper Empire well, which became one of the biggest producers in the field, and the price dropped to 10 cents a barrel. Even at that price, however, oil was worth drilling for, and a total of 898 producing wells were put in along Oil Creek. Much of this early production was sold abroad (oil was used chiefly for lubrication in those days), so much so that the export taxes on this unique product contributed significantly to keeping the Federal Treasury solvent during the civil War. Questions by George Helz, Anonymous, and Gene Robertson.

The second talk, "Plate boundaries for the Senegal microplate, West Africa," was given by Ramesh Venkatakrishnan. The Senegal microplate, a small chunk of West Africa, is the mirror image of the Appalachians geologically. Continental reconstructions generally show the Senegal plate opposite the southeastern U.S., prior to the opening of the Atlantic. One difficulty is that while the Senegal plate underwent Hercynian deformation, Florida, which started out as part of Africa, and should have been next door, shows no Hercynian overprint. To solve this, the speaker suggested that the Senegal plate moved into its present position along a NW to SE trajectory, rather than W to E. The new inferred plate margins are overlain by younger sediments, but can be recognized on Bouger anomaly maps of the region. The talk was illustrated with an impressive set of (computer generated?) block diagrams. Question by Pees.

The last talk of the evening, by Robert Martin, was entitled, "Melt inclusions in quartz in rhyolites: a key to the evolution of silicic magmas." The speaker reported on his study of silicate melt inclusions in the topaz rhyolites of Spor Mountain (Utah) and in compositionally similar, but much older, rhyolites from New Brunswick. The silicate inclusions consist of fresh glass and a variety of minerals. Some of these minerals, including aluminous pyroxene, a Ca-Y silicate and britholite (a REE-phosphate), have not been found in the rhyolites outside the quartz crystals. It was Martin's contention that voluminous rhyolites are subject to such extensive hydrothermal alteration during cooling that their compositions and mineralogy no longer reflect magmatic conditions. He suggested that the inclusions in quartz provided better samples of liquid compositions, and a more accurate inventory of the early-crystallizing phases present prior to eruption. Questions by Brooks Hanson, Roger Nielsen, Doug Rankin, Ralph Haugerud, and a comment from Doug Rumble.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:35PM, attendance was 73.

Respectfully submitted,

Rosalind Helz, acting for Sorena Sorensen.

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1174th Meeting, March 9, 1988

President Rumble called the 1174th meeting to order at 8:04 PM. Guests were R.A. Khan Tahirkheli, Claudia Owen, Doug Nebert, Remzi Akkok, Wan Hu Zhi, John Wycoff, and 11 nameless students Pete Stifel rounded up in the halls of the U. Maryland Geology Department. Bill Leo announced that the G.S.W. field trip to Bear Island will be led by Jack Reed and Avery Drake on May 21. For more information, call 648-6927. President Rumble announced the death of Bob Garrells, and a moment of silence was observed. As is now customary, there were no informal communications.

The first formal talk of the evening replaced one cancelled because the speaker was ill. Standing in was the absolutely wonderful, praiseworthy, loyal, clean, brave, reverent and somewhat embarrassed John Slack, who presented a paper entitled "Boron Isotopic Studies of Submarine Hydrothermal Systems, Modern and Ancient." M.R. Palmer and J.M. Edmond of MIT were the first and third authors of this progress report. Boron isotopes may yield information about the composition of the source rocks, of the water-to-rock ratio, of the temperature of crystallization of tourmaline, of seawater entrainment, and of metamorphic fractionation of tourmalinized submarine hydrothermal ore deposits. Questions by Anonymous, Bruce Hanshaw, George Helz, Julie Morris, Robin Brett, Ralph Haugerud, Bill Hauser, and Phelps Freeborn.

The second talk, by self-proclaimed weekend stratigrapher Marcus Kay, was entitled "Paleoenvironmental gradients in Ordovician Bryozoans: no place but Cincinnati." Correlations of between versus within colony variations of trepestome bryozoans reflect environmental stability. A multivariate analysis of several morphologic characters of these creatures reconstructs a sedimentary environment for three Ordovician formations located near Cincinnati that agrees with sedimentological study. Questions by Phelps Freeborn, John Repetsky, Ralph Haugerud, and Pete Stifel.

The final speaker was Cliff Nelson, with a talk entitled "Regional geologic mapping by the 4 1/2 'Great Surveys of the American West,' 1867-1879." Nelson was accompanied by a furry stuffed miniature proboscidean of uncertain species, fiber content, and relevance to the presentation. The 4½ great surveys of the American West were led by Hayden, King, Powell, Wheeler, Jenney and Newton. Wet plate photography was the principal technological advance of the time. Topographic mapping was more complete than geologic coverage, except in the case of the Wheeler survey, which was primarily a geographic study. The surveys varied in their geology-to-topography ratios and in the style of geologic mapping. The discontinuation of these surveys in 1879 left many talented individuals unemployed and thus available for appointment to the newly-formed U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Geological Survey was able to selectively hire talented geologists tested by the earlier Surveys. Questions by George Helz, Gene Robertson, Bill Burton, Ray Rye, Robin Brett, Doug Rankin, and two by Ellis Yochelson.

President Rumble adjourned the 80 attendees at 9:38 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1175th Meeting, March 23, 1988

President Rumble called the 1175th meeting of the Society to order at 8:08 PM. Guests Li Zheng and Li Mingde (both from the Chinese Embassy), Robin Ling, Pat Okita, Jeff Thole, Barrie Wall, and Tom Chase were introduced. There were no announcements. Ellis Yochelson presented the first informal communication of the year. Ellis traveled to the Sinyang (Xinjiang) autonomous region of China to study the Late Permian non-marine Wolong Go formation. A small limestone horizon in this shale sequence yielded 2 genera of pelycypods and 1 gastropod genus. The pelycypod shells consist of aragonite. This occurrence of Paleozoic fresh water aragonite is probably also the first occurrence of Paleozoic aragonite in China. A question was asked by Fred Simon.

The first speaker on the program was Charles Cunningham of the USGS in Reston. His talk was entitled, "Relationships between disseminated gold deposits, paleothermal anomalies, and Precambrian cratons in the U.S. and China." Disseminated gold deposits of the Great Basin also contain As, Th, Sb, and Hg, and are locally silicified. The deposits are associated with a regional paleothermal anomaly that is apparently related to the buried edge of the craton. Disseminated gold deposits in China have similar characteristics. Questions by Gene Robertson, Anita Harris, Moto Sato, and John Slack.

The second talk, by Erchie Wang and Jean J. Chu of the Academia Sinica and the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, was entitled "Collision tectonics in the Cenozoic orogenic zone bordering China, India, and Burma." The arcuate orogenic zone is 6000 km long and 150-500 km wide. An E-W geologic transect in its southern portion reveals a fan-shaped pattern of 17 nappes, many of which are ophiolitic. Structural style varies from brittle (on the internal, Chinese side) to ductile (on the external, Indian side). The talk was dedicated to the Chinese scientists who lost their lives performing the field work. Questions by Dave Stewart, Moto Sato, Bernard Hockstetter, Bill Burton, and Dave Gardner.

The final talk, by Edward Chao of the USGS in Reston, was entitled "Characteristics of the Bayan Obo Fe-Nb-REE deposit of Inner Mongolia, China." This unique strata-bound deposit occurs in Proterozoic dolomite. Hydrothermal, metasomatic mineralization predates folding and metamorphism. The deposit contains about 40 Wt % REE, which are found in 22 REE minerals (so far). Na, Fe, and Nb are also enriched in the Bayan Obo deposit. Questions by George Helz, Mac Ross, Anonymous, and Ralph Haugerud.

President Rumble adjourned the 93 attendees at 10:03 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1176th Meeting, April 13, 1988

President Rumble called the 1176th meeting of the Society to order at 8:06PM. Guests Charles Tesaylawn, George Ulrich, Susan Garbini, Dave Murchison, and a contingent from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that included Bob Browning, Don Chery, Susan Bilhorn, Joel Grimm, Harold Le Fever, Mike Blackford, and a few members of the Society were introduced. Bill Leo presented an update on the field trip to Bear Island to be led by Jack Reed and Avery Drake on May 21. This included a warning about the rugged and demanding trails of the field area, a point hotly debated by someone in the second row, starboard.

The second informal communication of the year, presented by Bruce Wardlaw, compared the biostratigraphy of Eniwetok Atoll with ages estimated by an unspecified Sr-isotope technique. Wardlaw presented two portraits of the Three Stooges, Curly, Moe, and Larry in an attempt to fully express his opinion of the laboratory skills and geological insight of geochemists. After completing his introduction by insulting the rest of the audience, Wardlaw noted that results of a Sr isotopic dating technique applied to the carbonate rocks of Eniwetok Atoll don't match the rock column or the paleontology. Evidently the technique doesn't work on weathered shallow water carbonates. Questions by Bruce Hanshaw and Dave Murchison.

The first talk was by Luther Carter, author of "Nuclear Imperatives and Public Policy: Dealing with Radioactive Wastes." The talk was entitled, "Geologic isolation of nuclear waste: last stand in Nevada-the importance of gaining public trust." Carter traced the tortuous history of attempts to study and solve the linked problems of containment of spent fuel and safeguarding of the plutonium contained within it by some means of geologic isolation. High level radioactive waste is now kept in cooling ponds at reactor sites, some of which are in or near populated areas. From the first proposal of the National Academy of Sciences 1955 for containment in salt formations, to field studies of rocks at the Hanford and Nevada test sites, to hearings and public outcry that finally eliminated all alternative sites except Yucca Mountain at the Nevada test site, to the "Bribe Nevada Bill," and its successor, the "Screw Nevada Bill," the political and technical issues of long term storage of high level waste has finally left only one participant in the "lottery no one wants to win." Questions by Mac Ross, Bill Benson, and Anonymous. Tom Messinger commented that he would rather see high level waste stored in the Rotunda of the Capitol than in the wilderness of the once-proposed Lavender Canyon site in Utah. Dave Stewart invited the speaker to share in a bottle of wine of the speaker's choice on the day the first depository for high level radioactive waste in this country opens.

The second talk, entitled "Geoscience concerns related to design and performance issues at Yucca Mountain," by Stephan Brocum of D.O.E., was presented by Kathy Mihm, also of the Department of Energy. Geoscience concerns at the Yucca Mountain site are evaluated both for the preclosure period of about 100 years and for a postclosure period of 10,000 years. Preclosure concerns regard design; postclosure concerns relate to the performance of the depository. Geologic factors to be evaluated for performance of the site include the unsaturated hydrologic zone geochemical and hydrologic characteristics of the rocks, the tectonics of the site, in particular regarding future potential for earthquakes and volcanism, the possible effects of climatic change, and human intrusion. Questions by Anonymous, 2 by Gene Robertson, by Ross Angel, Ray Rye, 2 by Phelps Freeborn, by E-an Zen, Gene Rooseboom, and Mark Shultz.

The final talk of the evening, by Philip S. Justus of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was entitled "Geoscience issues at Yucca Mountain: the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission perspective." The N.R.C. is charged with assessing the data gathered on the Yucca Mountain site in order to present the case for licensing the proposed high level waste facility. Yucca Mountain is not a perfect site, but the N.R.C. must show that it is an adequate site in meeting the statutory requirements for public safety. The licensing process is constrained by Congress, and the N.R.C. is obliged to interact openly with D.O.E. regarding geoscience issues concerning the hydrology, geochemistry, geology and geophysics of the Yucca Mountain site. Both qualitative and quantitative assessments of adverse and favorable geologic conditions at the site are to be addressed prior to licensing. Questions by Anonymous, John Repetsky, Gene Robertson, Anonymous, George Helz, E-an Zen, Mac Ross, Ike Winograd, Dave Stewart, and Jon Snider. In answering a question, the speaker noted that a particular solution would take an act of Congress, but "don't quote me on that." Dave Stewart remarked that concern is justified, because we are all beneficiaries and potential victims of the decisions to be made in the next few years.

President Rumble adjourned the 93 attendees at 10:17PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1177th Meeting, April 27, 1988

It was a dark and stormy night. President Rumble called 83 attendees to order at 8:03PM. Guests Marilyn Suter, Susan Cox, and Gene Shoemaker were introduced. Avery Drake presented the final instructions for the field trip to Bear Island to be held May 21. Trip participants were to meet at the tavern in Great Falls Park on the Maryland side at 9:00 AM. The hike was described as 2.4 rugged, buggy, poison ivy-infested miles. Avery was asked when the tavern opened, but alas, it has been out of business for several years, and is of historic interest only. There were no further announcements or informal communications.

The first speaker was Carol Simpson of the Johns Hopkins University, who presented a talk entitled, "The objectivity of kinematic indicators to the subject of fault movement history: the example of the Fries thrust zone, southwestern Virginia." Dr. Simpson pointed out that, contrary to President Rumble's introduction, she had studied with John Ramsey, not John Rodgers, although she was sure that Dr. Rodgers visited the ETH at one time or another. Deformational features of the 680 m.y. old Striped Rock pluton in the footwall of the Fries fault zone indicate that the southeast side of the shear zone which borders the pluton and the Freis fault zone is faulted down. This sense of shear on the SE dipping fault zone records late Precambrian extension, with some superimposed inversion during the late Paleozoic. Questions by Doug Rankin, E-an Zen, Gene Robertson, and Brooks Hanson.

The second paper, by Dave Stewart, J.D. Phillips, J.D. Unger, and B.E. Wright of the U.S.G.S., Reston, replaced a scheduled paper by Jack Oliver. Stewart, who hails from a legendary institution on the Cambridge River in Charles, presented, "New images of the Maine crust from Geographic Information Systems." A set of surface geology, seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, and magnetics data for a test area in a Maine Coast to Quebec transect were digitized, and analyzed by the computer overlay and interactive surface management techniques of the geographic information system. Alternative views of the Moho included seismic and long wavelength magnetic data, both of which suggest a cold sialic crust about 37-41 km thick. The combined data sets reveal features such as overall pluton densities in the crust, and deep traces of various faults. The bottom contact of the Lexington Pluton, which consists either of stoped blocks or really messed up country rocks, can be imaged by the interactive surface management technique. Questions by Roger Nielsen, Dave Speidel, George Helz, Peter Lyttle, Gene Robertson, Phelps Freeborn, and E-an Zen. Zen began, "Suppose you can't tell one rock from another .... ," which he amended to "Suppose you are a physicist." Stewart appeared flattered. In response to Stewart's statement that the data for such a transect could all be put on a CD ROM and sold for $10, George Helz remarked "...at a considerable loss."

The final talk of the evening, by Sue Kieffer, U.S.G.S., Flagstaff, was entitled, "Old Faithful Geyser: Could 100 ppm CO₂ be important?" Following a modest earthquake a few years ago, Old Faithful has all but abandoned eruptions of 2.5 minutes duration at 50 minute intervals for ones of 4.5-5 minutes duration at 80-90 minute intervals. The play of the geyser hasn't changed. The temperature distribution in the Old Faithful conduit is identical to that measured in the 1940's, and measurements by the high tech device G.O.L.L.U.M. reveal that the geyser is 10 degrees underheated, or 0.2 bar off the boiling curve. Could fluctuations of 100 ppm CO₂ in the reservoir for the geyser make a difference in the behavior of Old not-quite-so Faithful? "Maybe to yes," the speaker concluded. Questions by Phelps Freeborn, Ray Rye, Bruce Doe, and a comment by Gene Shoemaker.

After intoning the geologist's summer benediction, "May all of your field problems be solved," President Rumble adjourned the final meeting of the Spring at 9:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1178th Meeting, October 12, 1988

President Rumble called 68 attendees to order at 8:07 PM. Pre-meeting festivities at our temporary quarters included two lost souls setting off alarms while searching for the Men's room, and a long and confused dry spell waiting to learn whether we were permitted to consume pre-meeting beer in the hall, in addition to the advertised post-meeting beer on the roof.

The minutes of the 1177th meeting were read and approved. Visitors Dave Murchison, Dave Lambert, Fred Voner, Greg Dipple, and Tom Williams were introduced. New members M. Frank Ireton and Brenda Bohlke were announced. Dan Milton, on behalf of Bill Leo, announced an all-new field trip to the Baltimore Gneiss Dome, to be led by George Fisher on November 19. Andy Kole of the A.C.S. announced that administrators of the Petroleum Research Fund are looking for a part-time assistant to help with the peer review process for PRF grants. President Rumble pronounced the PRF ,'good, clean, efficient money." Jack Epstein is looking for student volunteers for IGC-related chores such as registration, projection, go-fors, and driving vans. Rewards may include waiving the IGC registration fee, and Mount Saint Helens Punch. With only two meetings left in the 1988 Great Dane season, there were no informal communications.

The first speaker was Anita Harris of the U.S.G.S., who we were informed, needs no introduction but certainly deserves one. Dr. Harris declined to clip on a lapel microphone, saying that no one had ever complained about her decibels. Her paper, co- authored by John Repetsky and J.A. Dumoulin, was entitled, "The tropical Ordovician of arctic Alaska." The geochemists were given a politically-tinged short course in the use of conodonts: cosmopolitan species are used for global correlations, provincial species for intracontinental correlations, and endemic species are of little use in correlations, but proclaim their latitude of origin. Endemic species are useful for global paleogeographic reconstructions. Ordovician conodont assemblages throughout Alaska demonstrate the tropical paleolatitude of Laurentia and place the Siberian Platform close to the west side of Alaska--not an ocean away from it. Easternmost Alaska was near western Alaska and proximal to the miogeocline of western North America. Questions by Dan Milton, Anonymous, Tom Dutro, and E-an Zen.

The second paper, by Michael Max of the Naval Research Laboratory, was entitled, "Terranes in the north circum-Atlantic area." The navy, we were assured, is interested in what is on the bottom of the oceans. A new project at NRL will employ terrane analysis to produce a structural reconstruction of the north Atlantic region that will extend the geology of the continents onto the areally significant continental shelves. Terranes are handy integrated geologic descriptors with good geophysical signatures. The latter property will be exploited by compilation of magnetic and seismic data for continental shelves. The innovative maps to be produced by the study will have data on both sides. Questions by Anonymous, Bob Gair, and Gene Robertson.

The third talk, by Robert Wintsch of Indiana University and U.S.G.S., was entitled, "Thrust nappes versus fold nappes in the Avalon terrane of southeastern Connecticut." Detailed mapping, petrologic, geochemical and geochronologic study of Lundgren's appendix, near the proposed suture between Avalon and North America in southeastern Connecticut, indicate that the Chester Syncline probably doesn't exist. One limb of the syncline is Precambrian and its correlative limb is Ordovician. This latest New England nappe-endectomy means that Massachusetts need no longer be overturned. Avalon probably was accreted to North America in the late Paleozoic. Questions by Ralph Haugerud, Sorena Sorensen, E-an Zen, and Anonymous.

After soliciting comments and suggestions, and a brief tribute to the nice neighborhood and 40 parking spaces that go with our current meeting place, President Rumble adjourned the meeting at 10:01 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1179th Meeting, October 26, 1988

President Rumble called 74 attendees to order at 8:01PM. The minutes of the 1178th Meeting were approved as read. Guests were: Craig Schriffries, Tom Patches, Tom Moldan, Mary Lou Callas, Walt Deane, Hugh Davis, Joost Herweyer, John Brooks, and John Wycoff. John Wycoff announced that (SEE FOP) SEFOP, the Southeast Friends of the Pleistocene, will hold a field trip to the Upper Cenozoic and Surficial Geology of New Jersey from 11-13 November. For further information, please call 648-6951. President Rumble announced that the 1989 AAPG Eastern Section meeting will be held in Bloomington, Indiana, September 10-13, 1989. Bill Leo announced that participants in George Fisher's field trip to the Baltimore Gneiss Dome should meet at Exit 29 of I-695, the Cromwell Bridge exit of the Baltimore Beltway, at 9AM sharp on 19 November. President Rumble announced the slate of nominees for 1989: President, Penny Hanshaw, 1st Vice President and President Elect, Tom Simkin, 2nd Vice President, Fred Simon, Treasurer, Dick Tollo, Meetings Secretary, Brooks Hanson, Council Secretary, Sorena Sorensen, and for councilors, Julie Morris, Glenn MacPherson, and Judy Ehlen. Although President Rumble knows all six of the 1988 GSW councilors by name, he wasn't sure which three of the six were to continue serving in 1989. Dave Stewart announced that he had been locked out of the AGU headquarters building when he attempted to attend the 1178th meeting. His cries for assistance and his subsequent remarks went unheeded and unheard on the eighth floor. Once again, with only one meeting left in what might well be called the 1988 Sleeping Dane season, there were no informal communications.

The first talk, by Joseph P. Smoot of the USGS, Reston, was entitled "Sedimentary processes in playa basins: a comparison of modern Australian basins and the Early Mesozoic Newark Supergroup in the USA." Sedimentary features of the Newark Supergroup in part resemble those of basins of the US Great Basin, and also have analogs in the Lake Ayr Basin in Australia. However, no modern basin exactly models the processes recorded in the Newark Supergroup. Questions by Dave Stewart, Phelps Freeborn, Dick Fiske, Anonymous, E-an Zen, and Doug Rumble, and a somewhat murky "Ayr Fall" pun by Dave Stewart.

The second talk, by David R. Sollet, USGS, Reston, was entitled, "Three-dimensional analysis of glacial sediments in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains." Digitized information in a GIS database on the character of surficial glacial deposits and the thickness of glacial sediments, is being used to produce a series of 1:1,000,000 maps showing geological features of the continental glaciation of eastern North America. Questions by Louis Baldear, Mike Ryan, Bill Burton, Bob Schneider, and Gene Robertson.

The third talk, by J. Steven -spelled Hue-pronounced Hee- Huebner and Marta J. Flohr, both of USGS, Reston, was entitled "Protoliths and possible origins of banded manganese formations." Huebner provided program notes and a pronunciation guide by way of a script for President Rumble's introduction. Let the record show that although Huebner has been a member of the Society since 1967, this was his first acceptance of an invitation to speak at a meeting, that Huebner collected some of the samples used in the study 25 years ago, and that co-author Flohr is to be complimented for publishing her results after only three years on the project. Mineralogic, geologic and geochemical data for manganese ores of the Buckeye Mine, California indicate gel-like material deposited at the water-sediment interface was derived from components from detrital, chert, seawater and hydrothermal sources. Huebner apologized to Gene Robertson on behalf of his rare-earth element diagrams. Questions by Dave Stewart, Joe Smoot, George Helz, Dave Spiedel, Gene Robertson, and E-an Zen.

President Rumble adjourned the meeting at 9:52PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1180th Meeting, November 9, 1988

President Rumble called 95 attendees to order promptly at 8:01PM. The minutes of the 1179th meeting were called for, read, and approved with one correction. Guests Alexandra Savo, Raymond Oteido, Chris Newhall, Shirley Watt, Ronald Girdler, Roberta Dillenberg, Dave Usher, Wenda Culipher, and Sean White were introduced. E-an Zen deviously introduced new member M. Frank Ireton as if he were a visitor. President Rumble introduced new members Fred Voner, Steven L. Bouton, Phillip M. Piccoli, Oliver Jones, Daniel J. Sandhouse, John S. Wycoff, David D. Lambert, Mark Tepperman, John T. Brooks, Tom Williams, Ted Maxwell, Charles Prewitt, Lori Lapp, Dave Moecher, and Don Buck. The final announcement concerning the fall field trip, led by George Fisher, was made. President Rumble added to the nominations for new officers the three carry-over councilors that had been omitted from the list at the 1179th meeting. They are Rob Wesson, Pat Taylor, and Fred Wilson. President Rumble reminded us that additional nominations may be presented to the council by five or more members prior to the annual meeting, and that nominations may be moved from the floor at the annual meeting, if seconded by four other members.

E-an Zen presented an informal communication concerning the unusual textural occurrence of zircon in peraluminous granites from Cornwall and Nova Scotia. Beads of zircon encircling necks of biotite suggest that zircon crystallized late in these magmas, but not as late as the association of cordierite, andalusite and the latest biotite.

The first speaker on the program was Robert G. Coleman of Stanford University, whose title was "Emplacement of the Semail Ophiolite." President Rumble informed us that Bob is a great guy, we were lucky to have him, and that Bob, formerly of the USGS, is currently at that august institution, Stanford University. Dr. Coleman complimented the society for maintaining arcane meeting traditions such as keeping and reading minutes, and thanked both the USGS and the NSF for supporting the many mistakes he and many others had made in the study of the Semail ophiolite. What happens when you emplace a large slab of oceanic crust on a continental margin by closing a young ocean basin?

Nappes, crust-doubling faults, partial melting, detachment faulting and gravitational tectonics, freight train metamorphism, blueschist metamorphism, and obduction of ophiolite, among other things. Questions by Anonymous, Doug Rumble, Sorena Sorensen, E- An Zen, Anonymous, Brooks Hanson, and E-an Zen. When questioned about the term "freight train metamorphism," Dr. Coleman encouraged the audience to develop their own funny words for this geologic phenomenon.

The second speaker was George Erickson of the USGS, Reston, with a talk entitled "Metalliferous deposits in Neogene-Quaternary volcanic centers of the central Andes." President Rumble introduced Dr. Erickson as the man who, in 1971, presented the most riveting talk he had ever heard at GSW. Erickson's topic then was the 1970 Peru earthquake, which killed 50,000 people. President Rumble also announced that Dr. Erickson holds the Bernardo O'Higgins medal, awarded by the Chilean government, observing of O'Higgins, the George Washington of Chile, that the Irish certainly get around, and he, Rumble, should know. Believe it or not, Dr. Erickson was able to top President Rumble's effusive if somewhat perambulatory introduction, by remarking that he, too thought he had given the prize winning talk of 1971, until Wendell Duffield presented movies of the Kilauea eruption and won the best paper award without uttering a word.

At that point, Dr. Erickson said, he decided that there was no use trying to give a good talk at GSW. Dr. Erickson then presented an overview of the youngest mineralized volcanic fields on Earth, as exposed in the central Andes, a region characterized by major gold and silver deposits in young volcanic rocks, and concentrations of most of the economically interesting elements found in the periodic table. Highlights included 1.2 m.y.-old silver veins and a "magnetite flow." Questions by Steve Huebner, Julian Hemley, Gene Robertson, Mike Phillips, Phil Candela, Juan Perona, and E-an Zen.

The final talk of the evening, entitled "Remote sensing of temporal changes of deserts," was presented by Ted Maxwell of the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Maxwell, who was elected to membership in the Society only a few hours before his talk, began by wishing he had known in advance that there was a cash prize awarded for the best talk. Remote sensing of the El Ghorabi dunes of the Abu Muharik dune system of southern Egypt reveals chevrons, features that are just how you picture them. On the ground, chevrons are composed of moving sand dunes interspersed with stationary pebble gravels. The ripples of sand that form the dunes are 20 cm high, but the wavelengths of chevrons range to kilometers. Chevrons are dynamic features that record several hundred meters of ripple movement per year. Questions by George Erickson, Dan Milton, and E-an Zen.

President Rumble announced the program of the annual meeting, declined to give directions to the Carnegie Institution Building because "it doesn't make sense if I explain it," mused that he had been re-reading the outline for the annual meeting in the GSW constitution and still didn't understand it, and adjourned the meeting at 9:56 PM. Inspired, no doubt, by 1 hour and 55 minutes of contemplating deserts located in three separate continents, attendees finished off the remainder of five cases of beer during the post-meeting festivities and asked for more.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena Svea Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

1181st Meeting, December 14, 1988

President Rumble called 100 attendees to order at 8:14 PM. The minutes of the 1180th meeting were read and approved with one correction by Tom Dutro. Visitors and guests Paul Williams, Peggy Oakum, Nick Oliver, Rebecca Eskew, Karen Rumble, Ruth Miller, Catherine Wycoff, Courtney Wilkerson, Martha Gerdes, and Sue Cox were introduced. The meetings secretary read the names of new members Catharine Toulmin and Craig Schriffries, who had been elected to the society about two minutes prior to the opening gavel. George Helz announced that a sign up list was available for those interested in participating in a "Bed and Breakfast" program for foreign attendees of the International Geological Congress. Ray Rye announced that 1989 dinosaur calendars are on sale at the gift shop of the National Museum of Natural History.

President Rumble then called upon President-Elect Hanshaw to introduce him. President-Elect Hanshaw obliged, but had made her biographical notes for President Rumble on the bill from a Rug and Upholstery cleaner. This briefly confused matters. Dr. Rumble was born in Georgia, which is why he talks funny. He received his B.A. from Columbia University, and his Ph.D. from Harvard. The latter degree was granted for single-handedly wearing out the Clough Quartzite in New Hampshire. After a postdoctoral stint at the Geophysical Laboratory, Dr. Rumble spent two years as an assistant professor at U.C.L.A., and then joined the staff of the Geophysical Lab in 1973, where he has been ever since.

Dr. Rumble's Presidential Address was entitled, "Fluid flow in metamorphism." Crustal fluids in general and metamorphic fluids in particular are important current topics of research. Metamorphic fluids can transport both mass and heat, and many metamorphic regimes and processes are now described in terms of their fluid-to-rock ratios, and fluid-rock interaction. In New Hampshire, hydrothermal graphite vein deposits occur in a high-T metamorphic environment. Isotopic and phase equilibrium data indicate graphite deposition results from local mixing of oxidized, H₂O-CO₂-rich fluids in equilibrium with siliceous metacarbonate rocks, and reduced, H₂O-CH₄-rich fluids in equilibrium with black shales. Metamorphic isograds, thermal modeling, and geochronologic data indicate that the graphite veins are localized in "hot spots" of granulite facies conditions. The graphite-forming fluids may have been hot and focused, and thus agents of heat as well as mass transport in the region. In keeping with the traditions of the Society, there were no questions, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:14PM.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena S. Sorensen]

MINUTES OF THE 96th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

December 14, 1988

President Rumble called the 96th annual meeting to order at 9:35 PM in the Elihu Root Hall of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Raymond Rye read the minutes of the 95th annual meeting. I read the annual report of the Meeting Secretary. Raymond Rye read the Council Secretary's annual report. A voice from the back of the hall demanded that we move and second acceptance of both reports, which were then accepted as read and ad-libbed. President Rumble waved his one-year-older, but as yet unused copy of Robert's Rules of Order at the audience, which seemed to affect some attendees much as a matador's red flag inspires a bull. From this point onward and for the duration of the meeting, random motions, slurred seconds and scattered voice votes were heard at irregular intervals, in the antiphonal manner of a Greek chorus after an ouzo-drinking contest.

Treasurer Dick Tollo was not afflicted by the giggles. He reported a slight surplus for 1988, but cautioned that solvency might well be a temporary condition for the Society unless meeting expenses were carefully regulated in 1989. The treasurer's report was seconded, approved and so moved. Undaunted by this pre-approval of our credit, President Rumble then called for the report of the audit committee. Tom Wright, with liquid refreshment in hand, made a "Caribbean Cruise" joke at the Treasurer's expense, and reported that the books balanced. Membership committee chairperson Liz Cron reported that 52 new members had joined the Society in 1988. She then read the names of those who had been members of the Society for 50 years. Two 50-year members were in attendance, and Charles Milton and Michael Fleischer were applauded. Public service committee chairperson Bill Leo reported on Science Fairs, field trips, and other activities of 1988.

The next report was by John Slack, chairperson of the traditionally secretive Best Paper Committee. The identities of committee members Julie Morris, Brooks Hanson, Anita Harris, and Dan Milton were revealed. The Great Dane Award, given to the best informal communication of the year, was presented to E-an Zen for his informal communication on the sequence of crystallization of zircon in some peraluminous granites. This presentation was followed by that of the W.H. Bradley award, which is given each year to the speaker who presents the best formal paper. Honorable mentions for the W.H. Bradley Award were: Marsha McNutt, Joseph P. Smoot, and Robert Wintsch. Second runner up for the Bradley Award was a tie between Carol Simpson and David Veblen, both of the Johns Hopkins University. The Bradley Award for 1988 went to David Stewart, who, in a paper co- authored by J.D. Phillips, J.D. Unger, and B.E. Wright, all of the U.S.G.S., presented applications of the Geographic Information System to a geologic transect across Maine. Stewart, winner of last year's Sleeping Bear Award, traded that coveted trophy, in a plain brown wrapper, for the Tiffany silver bowl

trophy of the Bradley Award.

Bruce Wardlaw, representing the Sleeping Bear Award Committee, assaulted and took the stage. He appeared to be full up of some high octane fuel, as he ceremoniously dressed himself as a species of poultry. Following an unwholesome and mercifully largely incomprehensible speech that borrowed stylistic elements from Jimmy Swaggart, Steve Martin, and PeeWee Herman, Wardlaw presented the Sleeping Bear Award to President Rumble, for unconscious humor in the line of duty. The lack of intent to commit humor on the part of President Rumble was judged to exempt him from the traditional rule that neither the President nor the Meeting Secretary should be given the Sleeping Bear award, because their humor is, by definition, not spontaneous. President Rumble accepted the award with grace and alacrity, presumably because it's not safe to argue with someone 6 feet, 3 and 3/4 inches tall who is wearing a Donald Duck hat. President Rumble introduced President-Elect Hanshaw and presented her with the ceremonial Budweiser gavel. President Hanshaw announced the program for the January 11, 1989 meeting and adjourned the annual meeting at 10:38, without using the ceremonial Budweiser gavel. About 100 persons attended.

Respectfully submitted,

[signed Sorena S. Sorensen]