GSW: 2001
MEETING MINUTES
Geological Society of
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
Larry
Woodfork,
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
Visitors consisted of Virginia Sisson,
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
Questions by Sorena Sorensen, Moto Sato, Pete Toulmin,
Dan Milton, Peter Lyttle, Judy Ehlen, and Fred Simon.
Minerals of the Hutter Mine, James Beard,
The Hutter Mine is a former iron mine located in the
Blue Ridge, in
Questions by Moto Sato, Dan Milton, and Mark
McBride.
Low-grade
metamorphism of clastic sediments: Can equilibrium thermodynamics be applied?
Ken Livi, The
“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
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
(According to the gang down at the
Pittsville Grange, the Hutter was shut down by the
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