GSW 1459: Miocene Libya, CO2 outgassing from streams, Pluto

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Meeting Number 1459
John Wesley Powell Auditorium, Cosmos Club, 2170 Florida Ave NW
Wednesday, February 1, 2012;  Refreshments 7:30 pm; Meeting 8:00 pm
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Daryl P. Domning, Howard University — Recent studies on Miocene of Libya.

Daniel H. Doctor, U.S. Geological Survey — Carbon dioxide outgassing from streams: Carbon isotope fractionation and significance for the global carbon cycle.

Henry B. Throop, Planetary Science Institute — NASA’s New Horizons Mission to the Planet Pluto.

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Future meetings: 2012: March 14 & 28, May 9.
GSW Website: <http://www.gswweb.org>

Water research experiences for undergrads at Virginia Tech

Please see links to 2 Virginia Tech National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunities in water:

Dynamics of Water and Societal Systems: An Interdisciplinary Research Program at the Virginia Tech StREAM Lab
http://www.bse.vt.edu/streamreu

Interdisciplinary Water Sciences and Engineering
http://www.enge.vt.edu/Employment/fellowship2012.html

UMD Geology seminar: upper mantle velocity below East Africa

The first departmental colloquium of the Spring 2012 semester will take place this Friday at 2:00pm in room PLS 1130 (Plant Science building). Please note the new time!

The speaker will be Dr. Andy Nyblade from Pennsylvania State University. He will present “Upper mantle velocity structure beneath eastern and southern Africa: Implications for the origin of Cenozoic rifting, volcanism and plateau uplift.”

The department will host a reception in the foyer of the Geology Building immediately following the seminar.

NOVA Mineral Club: Kaas on Silver Mine

Meeting: January 23 Time: 7:30‐10 p.m.

Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Rd. Arlington, VA 22204

Program: Silver Hill, Presented by
Michael Kaas, Geologist U.S Bureau of
Mines

Micheal Kaas will start our year off with a
presentation on Silver Hill. Michael was a geologist
with the U.S. Bureau of Mines for many years, then
joined the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the
Mineral Economics group. He now volunteers at the
Smithsonian as “Miner Mike” to teach visitors about
the uses of minerals. He reprised this role at our
last club show. He also has an active interest in
mining history.

Michael is retired now but also had an
involvement in mineral land assessments during
part of his 20 years with the US Bureau of Mines
(until the lights were turned out).

Biography of Michael Kaas:
Michael Kaas’s interest in mining history started
when he was a kid in NJ. They have a lot of mining
history there, but no operating mines these days!
The Sterling Hill Mining Museum is the old NJ Zinc
Company operation in Ogdensburg (just south of
the more famous Franklin mining area). He worked
as a mining engineer at Sterling Hill briefly, before
heading to grad school. A real hidden treasure, only
about 5 miles away, is the remains of Thomas
Edison’s magnetite mining operations where he
nearly lost his fortune trying to perfect magnetic
separation. The extensive foundations in the woods
attest to the huge scale of the effort, decades
before Minnesota taconite mining really took off. It
also worth visiting before the urban sprawl takes
over the place.

You probably know about the Mining History
Association. It has a website,
www.mininghistoryassociation.org (Michael is the
so‐called webmeister). It is currently being
revamped to add more content about old mining
areas, especially those at which the group has held
past meetings. They are always looking for new
members. It was started by several western history
profs but now includes lots of miners, geologists,
amateur history buffs, etc. Take a look at the
website and see what you think. Next MHA
meeting is in June 2012 in Prescott, AZ.

NOVA Mineral Club field trip to JMU mineralogy lab

Field Trip ‐ Mineralogy Laboratories and
Museum at James Madison University
February 18, 2012 at 9:00 AM
By Tom Tucker
Dr. Lance Kearns has again invited MSDC, along
with the MNCA Micromounters and the Northern
Virginia Mineral Club to visit the mineralogy labs
and the fabulous mineral museum at James
Madison University, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. We’ll
“pass the hat” so everyone will have an opportunity
to make a small donation to the mineralogy
department for the furtherance of their activities
and acquisitions, and to pay for the hot coffee and
breakfast buns or donuts that Lance will have
awaiting our arrival.
The Museum alone is worthy of a trip to
Harrisonburg, being the finest collection of minerals
in the State. There are a dozen or so large wall
cabinets filled with minerals from around the world,
but with an obvious emphasis on Virginia
specimens, like the turquois from Lynch Station, or
apophyllite from Centreville or aragonite from
Buchanan. After your visit I’m sure you will have
selected your own favorites. There is also a small
room with a stunning fluorescent mineral display.
During the morning Lance will be available to
identify those unknown specimens you have
accumulated over the years. I’m sure he will
demonstrate the use of the x‐ray diffractometer for
crystal determinations and the Ramen
spectrometer. The lab has enough stereo
microscopes for all those interested to examine
their specimens, or perhaps those that others have
brought to share on a “freebie” table. Bring
anything you have to share.
There will be various mineral specimens in all
size ranges from micro to cabinet sized, and
numerous books available for purchase at unusually
reasonable prices or free will donations ‐ acquired
from various donations to the labs. Arrive early for
the best selections.
We will probably go out for pizza at lunch, and
return in the afternoon to visit the “micro probe”
and scanning electron microscope laboratory on the
other side of the campus. We might use it to
determine the chemical make‐up of our unknowns,
or to see close‐up the crystals at hand.
The mineralogy labs are in the Geology
Department which is in Memorial Hall (the former
Harrisonburg High School building), on South High
Street. For a map of the campus, go to the
University website: www.jmu.edu/map/. On the
index map, the Memorial Area is an inset at the
upper right. Click the small map, and a detailed area
map will appear.
Driving directions: It takes approximately two
and a quarter hours to reach JMU from the DC
Beltway. From the Beltway, go west on I‐66
approximately 65 miles to its intersection with I‐81.
Take the left fork, and go south on I‐ 81
approximately 54 miles to Harrisonburg. Take Exit
245, Port Republic Road, and go right about a mile
to High Street. Turn right, and proceed north about
a half mile to a light at Cantrell Avenue. Memorial
Hall will be to the left, with abundant parking. Being
a weekend, parking passes will not be needed, but if
you do have a problem, Lance can probably take
care of it.
If you plan to attend, please let Tom Tucker know the
number in your party, so that we can let Lance know
how many to expect for coffee and buns. Email:
threedogtom@earthlink.net, or phone: 540‐347‐9098.

Prince William Conservancy: Uranium in Virginia

Uranium in Virginia – From a Naturalist’s Point of View

When: Thursday, Feb 2, 7:30‐9:00pm

Where: Bull Run Unitarian Church, 9350 Main Street, Manassas

Speaker: Charlie Grymes, Chair, Prince William Conservation Alliance

Virginia has a uranium deposit worth as much as $10 billion. Other uranium deposits are concentrated east of the Blue Ridge, including in Fauquier County. The General Assembly and local officials are debating right now if mining is appropriate… or not. If we develop the natural resource, what’s the threat to Lake Manassas and the Occoquan Reservoir ‐ and to the water supply of Virginia Beach? Is it better for the environment (and/or the pocketbook) to get electricity in Virginia from coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy? Come learn about uranium in Virginia at our First Thursday Speaker series on February 2.

Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference

Registration is open!

Our early bird prices have been reduced from last year, making this conference more affordable than ever.

FEES:

	Early Bird Fee	After March 2nd
Speaker:	$379	$469
Student:	$149	$239
Attendee:	$429	$519
USM Staff/Faculty:	$379	$469

Price includes:  Breakfast and lunch on Monday and Tuesday, Networking Reception on Monday evening.

Register NOW at www.sustainability.umd.edu/content/community/SSCC_register.php

Pre and Post Conference Workshops

Enhance and extend your learning by participating in one or more of our pre or post-conference workshop.  Can’t attend the conference?  You are still welcome to come for a workshop.

1.       Professional Development for Campus Sustainability Practitioners, with Leith Sharp and Aurora Winslade

Sunday, April 15, 2012

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

This full day workshop is designed to build the capacities of participants to engage in successful change management for sustainability. Emphasis is on providing new conceptual frameworks, key insights, information-sharing, fellowship, mentoring, and problem-solving through a variety of activities, which will also build relationships for the future.

2.       Fostering Sustainable Behavior, with Doug McKenzie-Mohr

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Dr. McKenzie-Mohr will provide an introduction to community-based social marketing and how it is being applied throughout the world to foster sustainable behavior. Attendees will learn the five steps of community-based social marketing (selecting behaviors, identifying barriers & benefits, developing strategies, conducting a pilot, and broad scale implementation) and be exposed to numerous case studies illustrating its use.

3.       From Field to Fork, with Tim Galarneau

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

From Field to Fork will explore cutting edge procurement, green business practices, and educational models geared toward increasing the sustainability of our campus operations, programs, and food system based learning. In focus sessions and together we will identify barriers and share challenges, establish innovative solutions and best practices, and create a vision of how campus food systems will be transformed over the next ten years.

Record Number of Proposals Received

Thank you and congratulations!  The highest number of proposals, in the history of the SSCC, was submitted to the call this year.  Proposals will be peer reviewed in January and successful submissions will be notified in early February.

Student Scholarships

We are now accepting applications from currently enrolled college students interested in receiving a limited number of complimentary registrations to attend the conference.  Visit www.sustainability.umd.edu/content/community/SSCC_scholarships.php to find out more.

Lodging & Logistics

Book your hotel at the Marriott Inn and Conference Center.  Named the country’s first environmentally friendly hotel and conference center, this College Park hotel has received its LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.

Want to… Share a room?  Share a ride?  Recommend a restaurant?  Check out our conference Message Board.

NOVA Science Seminar: Evolution and the Structure of the Natural World

All Students, Staff and Faculty are cordially invited to a

Science Seminar

Friday, February 3, 2012, CE Forum

12 noon – 1pm

“Evolution and the Structure of the Natural World”

By

Ilya Temkin, PhD, NOVA Faculty
Research Associate at the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian) and the American Museum of Natural History (New York)

Abstract: Every general biology textbook begins with the exposition of the biological hierarchy, the enormous range of levels of biological organization extending from microscopic scale of molecules to the scale of the entire biosphere. It is typically used to show the incredible range and complexity of biological disciplines but adds little to the discussion of its significance. I will attempt to show that the hierarchical organization of life is essential for understanding of how life works and evolves. More specifically, I will examine striking similarities of biological processes across hierarchical levels–from regulation of gene expression to ecological interactions–and its relevance to the origin of species.

Dr. Temkin’s main scientific interest is how life evolves. His work on marine bivalves took him all around the world, including field work in Australia, Thailand, Mexico, and Mozambique among other places. His interest in evolution includes human cultural evolution, particularly the history of musical instruments: he has written a few scientific articles on the evolution of musical instruments. He also builds and plays different musical instruments based on archaeological finds and as a musician has played extensively, including recent performances at the Library of Congress and Hilllwood Museum in Washington DC.

Presented by the Math, Science & Engineering Division and the Lyceum

MISS: 3 axioms of rare earths

MINERALS INFORMATION SEMINAR SERIES

The Three Axioms of Rare Earths

by

Daniel J. Cordier
Mineral Commodity Specialist,
National Minerals Information Center,
U.S. Geological Survey

Date:        Thursday, January 19
Time:        10 a.m.
Place:        Room 3B452, USGS
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.,
Reston, VA 20192

Don’t miss MISS!

PGS: Marcellus Shale

The January meeting of the Potomac Geophysical Society will be held January 19^th at the Fort Myer Officers’ Club in Arlington, VA (http://www.fmmcmwr.com/maps.htm) in the Glassed-in room in the Fife and Drum (main dining room).

This month’s talk will be: “Geology of the Marcellus Shale – Valley and Ridge, Virginia and West Virginia,” by Cathy Enomoto.

Abstract:  Exposures of the middle Devonian Marcellus Shale in the Broadtop Synclinorium, located in Virginia, West Virginia, and southern Pennsylvania, have been utilized by the USGS for studies of the lithology, mineralogy, thermal stress, and organic carbon richness of this high-profile shale gas play.  Data from the Valley and Ridge locations will be examined in the context of the USGS revised assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachian Basin published in August, 2011.  For those of you who were unable to attend the 2-day field trip organized in affiliation with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Eastern Section meeting held in September, 2011, in Crystal City, Arlington, VA, many photographs of the Marcellus Shale outcrops in Virginia and West Virginia will be shown.

Bio.:  Cathy Enomoto is a research scientist with the Eastern Energy Resources Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, VA.  Before joining the USGS, Cathy worked as a geologist for the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources, which is the Virginia geological survey, in Charlottesville, VA.  And previous to that, Cathy utilized geological and geophysical data to explore for oil and gas in the petroleum industry in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas.  Most of her career in private industry was spent with Texaco Inc.

Cathy is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and the Geological Society of Washington.

New Meeting Room and Dining Arrangements: We now meet in the glassed-in room at the back of the main dining room—The Fife and Drum. We order individually from the Club menu, which has a nice variety of dinner offerings. We pay a single bill (I pay it with my Officers Club credit card), so we collect at least $25 from each diner with the agreement, that if one orders more than $20 in food and drink, he adds the amount over $20 to his contribution. The $5 overcharge goes to the Room Fee, Tax, Gratuity, and the Speaker’s Dinner. We collect on the Honor System. We did this for the first time in September, and it worked well. This room change and use of the menu have greatly reduced the loss that we have incurred in the past for having fewer than 20 people dining, and the change has preserved the viability of using the Officers Club for our meetings.

Reception at 6:00. Order Dinner at 7:00. Talk at 8:30 PM. Please note that the meal orders will be taken at 7:00. Allow 15 minutes for security entering Ft. Myer as all civilian vehicles are searched. To ensure access to and from Fort Myer use the Hatfield Gate, open 24 hours a day (http://www.fmmcmwr.com/directionsmyer.htm). Reservations are not necessary, however, we need a head count, so, if you wish to attend dinner ($25), please inform Bob Fraser at 540-888-3001 or via E-mail at fraser.robert@comcast.net. If you wish, please feel free to attend the talk without dinner. Non-members and guests are welcome. Visit the PGS web site at http://www.potomacgeophysical.com for new meeting announcements, etc. Please send changes of address or email to fraser.robert@comcast.net.