GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2009

LOCATION: The University of Minnesota:  

Room 3-210, Computer Science/ Electrical Engineering Building, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus, east bank.

Geological Society of Minnesota - Lecture Series

Volcanic Events & Human Interactions

Kent Kirkby, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota

Date:  Monday, November 2, 2009,  Lecture Begins:  7:30 PM

ABSTRACT:  Volcanism in Our Past

Volcanic eruptions include some of the most spectacular events in our past. All too often though, eruptions are treated as historic oddities, unusual events of limited importance in the greater scheme of things. Typically only violent eruptions make it into history books and even then the mention is brief, focusing on the eruption itself and any immediate death toll. This myopic approach grossly underestimates the long term impacts volcanism has played in human history and the way it shaped our society. Fixating on short term destruction also obscures the many benefits volcanism has provided us over a longer time frame. So this talk will be an opportunity to acknowledge, perhaps celebrate, the role volcanism has played in human history.

EDUCATION:  

Ph.D. 1994, University of Wisconsin - Madison 

INTERESTS: 

Helping my wife raise two inquisitive boys, interpreting and teaching Earth Systems, 

and slowly rebuilding my brother-in-law's farm as an unpaid, unskilled laborer.

Sent by Bill Robbins  

651-739-1146  robbins.wb@comcast.net

GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2009

LOCATION: The University of Minnesota:  Room 3-210, Computer Science/ Electrical Engineering Building,  200 Union St SE,                                                          on the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus, east bank, same location as last Spring.

Geological Society of Minnesota - Lecture Series

Rock Elm Meteorite Impact Structure, Wisconsin

William S. Cordua, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Plant and Earth Science, University of Wisconsin, River Falls

Date:  Monday, October 5, 2009    Lecture Begins:  7:30 PM

ABSTRACT:  

The Rock Elm Structure is a geologically anomalous, nearly circular region 6.3 km. in diameter in west-central Wisconsin. It is interpreted as formed by an extraterrestrial impact during the middle Ordovician 430-505 Ma. Both gold and diamonds are found in unusual quantities in the alluvium of streams draining the feature. The talk will outline the geological features there, and review the evidence for its interpretation as an impact structure. It will also discuss how the feature affects local land use, and provides an opportunity for developing some of the unique local geological resources for geo-tourism.

Education:
B.A. in Geology, George Washington University, 1969 
M.A. in Geology, Indiana University, 1971
PhD. in Geology, Indiana University, 1973

Interests:

Mineralogy, Petrology, Oceanography

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**REMINDER**
GSM LECTURE MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008

Harvey Thorleifson, Ph.D., Director of the MN Geological Survey ,

will talk to us about the "Search for Diamonds in Minnesota"
Monday, January 28, 2008 at 7:30 P.M.
Room 3-210 Computer Science / Electrical Engineeriing at U of MN (same room as last fall)

Dr. Thorleifson is head of the Minnesota Geological Survey and a world renowned diamond geologist.  About a dozen years ago, no diamonds were mined in Canada.  Now Canada is the third largest producer of rough gem quality diamonds by value in the world, after Botswana and Russia.  Dr. Thorleifson was a leader in that search effort and now has brought his sampling techniques to Minnesota—with exciting results so far!  Dr. Thorleifson will update us on the latest field work and its implications.  Free cookies and a question & answer session will follow the graphically illustrated lecture.  Technically appropriate for enthusiastic learners from secondary school students to adults.  May permit extra credit for students and CEU credits for teachers.

Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Geology, University of Colorado, 1989
Master of Science, Geology, University of Manitoba, 1983
Bachelor of Arts, Honours, Geography, University of Winnipeg, 1980

Employment
Director, Minnesota Geological Survey, 2003-present
Professor, Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Minnesota, 2003-present
Senior Member, Graduate Faculty, Water Resources Science, University of Minnesota
Research Scientist, Geological Survey of Canada, 1986 – 2003

Bill Robbins

GSM LABORATORY, THIS SATURDAY, FEB. 9, 2008
AT 10 AM

Saturday, February 9th Lab at Macalester College:  
Igneous and Sedimentary Rocks with their Metamorphic Equivalents
Olin Rice Science Center at Macalaster College, St Paul at 10 AM MAP

Jeff Thole will give an introductory lecture in the main lecture hall
for about 30 minutes, where he will review the rock cycle.  
We will divide into two groups, one area Sedimentary Rocks
and their Metamorphic equivalents, the other Igneous rocks
and their Metamorphic equivalents, then switch locations and
repeat the labs, so everyone sees and does everything.

from:
Bill Robbins

GSM LECTURE,  MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008

Sarah Titus, Ph.D., Carleton College, 
will discuss:  Recent work along the San Andreas Fault of California
Monday, March 10, 2008 at 7:30 P.M.

U of MN, Minneapolis Campus/ East Bank 
Room 3-210 Computer Science / Electrical Engineering 
(same room as last fall)   For map or directions, visit: www.gsmn.org

Abstract: 

The San Andreas fault system in California is probably the best studied plate boundary zone in the world.  After recognition of the seismic hazard posed by the San Andreas fault following the destructive San Francisco earthquake in 1906, a wide variety of geological and geophysical tools have been applied to understand plate boundary deformation. This talk will cover the tectonic evolution of the plate boundary system over the past 30 million years and what we know about historical earthquakes such as the San Francisco earthquake. More recent work on the fault will also be discussed, including new data from a drill hole that pierced the San Andreas fault near Parkfield this past summer and some of the surprising new findings that have come out of this work.  

Bio:

Dr. Titus teaches introduction to geology, tectonics, structural geology and geophysics. Her current research is focused on lithosphere and mantle dynamics, including using GPS to investigate the San Andreas fault in central California, and looking at strain gradients preserved in mantle shear zones in New Caledonia.   
    * Ph.D., University of Wisconsin - Madison (May 2006)
      Thesis: Deformation rates across the San Andreas fault system, central California determined from geology and geodesy
      Advisor: Dr. Basil Tikoff
    * M.S. in Geology, University of Wisconsin - Madison (December 2002)
      Thesis: Geologic and geophysical investigation of two fine-grained granites, Sierra Nevada, California: Evidence for structural controls on volcanism
      Advisor: Dr. Basil Tikoff
    * B.A. in Geology and Environmental Studies, Oberlin College (May 1999)
       Thesis: Olivine Petrofabric Analysis from the Leka Ophiolite Complex
       Advisor: Dr. Steven Wojtal
    * Studied ecology at Jaeren Folkehogskule, Kleppe, Norway (1994-1995) 

from Bill Robbins

GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2008

Martin Saar, Ph.D., University of Minnesota 
will tell us about “The Role of Fluids in Geology”
Monday, March 24, 2008 at 7:30 P.M.

U of MN, Minneapolis Campus/ East Bank 
Room 3-210 Computer Science / Electrical Engineering 

Abstract:

Fluids play an important role in geologic processes. In this presentation, 
I will discuss some of the fluids that are being studied in the Geofluids 
Research Group which include groundwater in aquifers and karst (cave) 
systems, magma/lava, and gases (e.g., volatiles in magmas). The types of 
questions the Geofluids group tries to answer are: 

1) How much groundwater is flowing from where to where at what rate 

    with implications for drinking and irrigation water supply? 

2) Where is renewable geothermal energy usage possible? 

3) Can the greenhouse gas CO2 be stored in saline aquifers? 

4) How fast do caves form in Minnesota's SE karst system and 

    how fast do water and contaminants move through karst caves? 

5) What are the effects of magma permeability on volatile 

    degassing rates and related volcanic eruption dynamics? 

At the end of this talk I hope to have conveyed that there 

are more fluids in geology than one commonly considers 

and that they play an important role in many geologic processes.

Positions Held   
08/2006-date        Graduate Faculty, Water Resources Sciences (WRS)                       University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN, USA.  
01/2005-date        Assistant Professor, Geology and Geophysics                              University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA.   
01/2005-date        George and Orpha Gibson Chair of Hydrogeology and Geofluids  University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA.  
09/2003-12/2004 Turner Postdoctoral Research Fellow                                           University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.      

Education    
2003  Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences    University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States   
          Dissertation Topic: Geological Fluid Mechanics Models at Various Scales 
1998  M.S. in Geology, University of Oregon – Eugene, OR, United States 
Thesis Topic: The Relationship Between Permeability, Porosity, and Microstructure in Vesicular Basalts 
1995  Vordiplom (~B.S.) in Geology, Albert-Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany 

Martin O. Saar
Assistant Professor and Gibson Chair of Hydrogeology and Geofluids
Department of Geology and Geophysics
Winchell School of Earth Sciences
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
310 Pillsbury Drive S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455, U.S.A.
Phone: +1 612-625-7332
E-mail: saar@umn.edu
Geofluids Site: www.geo.umn.edu/orgs/geofluids
Hydrocamp Site: www.geo.umn.edu/orgs/camp/hydrocamp

GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008

Kate Pound, Ph.D., Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department 
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN, 

will describe ANDRILL:  Antarctic Geological Drilling 

on Monday. April 7, 2008 at 7:30 P.M.

At the U of MN, Minneapolis Campus/ East Bank 
Room 3-210 Computer Science / Electrical Engineering 
(same room as last fall)   For map or directions, visit: www.gsmn.org

ANDRILL:  Antarctic Geological Drilling 

Sediment Cores from the Floor of McMurdo Sound Provide Twenty Million Year Record of Climate and Glacial Change in Antarctica

In its second season (2007/08) the ANDRILL (Antarctic Geologic Drilling Project, www.andrill.org ) recovered a 1138 m sediment core from beneath the sea floor in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Together with the 1285 m core recovered the previous season, these cores provide a sedimentary record of climate and glacial change in Antarctica over the past 20 million years. The Middle Miocene Portion of this time interval has long been held as a critical time interval for the development of the modern Antarctic ice sheets, marking the change from a warm climatic optimum, to the onset of major cooling. In this talk I will provide background information about the geological context, drilling logistics, core recovery, and life in Antarctica.

Kate Pound, associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, spent October through January in the coldest, windiest, driest place on earth – the Antarctic.  She was one of eight educators nationwide who worked with a drilling firm that collected sediment core samples from the sea floor beneath the Antarctic ice shelf in order to learn about the continent ’s past and probable future.  The team drilled back in time to recover a history of paleoenvironmental changes, which will aid understanding of glacial changes in the region and may be helpful in evaluating global warming.

A geologist, and faculty member since 2002, Pound is helping develop lab/classroom activities for teaching K-12 teachers, blogged about her experience for the benefit of K-12 science students and was a Science Museum of Minnesota correspondent while in Antarctica.

FROM: Bill Robbins

GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2008

Geological Society of Minnesota - Seminar Series

The Permian Extinction Event

Ray Rogers, Ph.D., Macalaster College, Professor of Geology, Chair Geology Department

Date:  Monday, October 6, 2008      Lecture Begins:  7:30 PM

Location:  The University of Minnesota, East Bank, Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Bldg., Room 3-210

ABSTRACT:  

The Permian–Triassic (P–Tr) extinction event, was an extinction event that occurred 251.4 million years ago, forming the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods.  It was the Earth's most severe extinction event, with up to 96 percent of all marine species and 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct; it is the only known mass extinction of insects, with 57% of all insect families and 83% of all insect genera being killed. Because so much biodiversity was lost, the recovery of life on earth took significantly longer than after other extinction events.  This event has been described as the "mother of all mass extinctions".   The pattern of extinction is still disputed, as different studies suggest one to three different pulses. There are several proposed mechanisms for the extinctions; the earlier peak was likely due to gradualistic environmental change, while the later was probably due to a catastrophic event. Possible mechanisms for the latter include large or multiple bolide impact events, increased volcanism, or sudden release of methane hydrates from the sea floor; gradual changes include sea-level change, anoxia, increasing aridity, and a shift in ocean circulation driven by climate change.

RESUME:

B.S. from Northern Arizona University, M.S. from the University of Montana and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. 

Raymond P. Rogers is a sedimentary geologist and taphonomist interested in studying terrestrial and marginal marine depositional systems, especially those with abundant fossils.  Current research focuses on understanding how fossilization of vertebrate remains transpires in different depositional settings (lakes vs. rivers vs. soils). To this end, Ray and his students have been exploring the diagenesis of vertebrate fossils from the Cretaceous of Montana (specifically the Two Medicine and Judith River Formations) and Madagascar using a variety of analytical techniques, including SEM-EDS, LA-ICP-MS, and standard petrographic microscopy.  Additional on-going research interest is the reconstruction of terrestrial ecosystems using sedimentological and taphonomic lines of evidence. This work has taken Ray to the Cretaceous foreland basin of Montana, the Triassic Ischigualasto Basin of Argentina, the Triassic-Jurassic Karoo-equivalent rocks of southern Zimbabwe, and the Mahajanga Basin of Madagascar.  Rogers teaches a selection of courses at Macalester College that relate to his research interests, including: (1) History and Evolution of Earth (GEOL 155), (2) Paleobiology (GEOL 300), and (3) Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (GEOL 265).  A significant part of his time is spent mentoring of student research, working with students both in the laboratory and in the field.

Sent by Bill Robbins  

651-739-1146  robbins.wb@comcast.net 

Geological Society of Minnesota 

GSM LECTURE, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

At The University of Minnesota

Glaciers and Mountainous Landscapes 

Kelly MacGregor, PhD, Assistant Professor, Glacial Geomorphology, Macalester College

Date:  Monday, November 3, 2008      Lecture Begins:  7:30 PM

Location:  The University of Minnesota, East Bank, Electrical Engineering/Computer Science Bldg., Room 3-210

ABSTRACT:  

Glaciers are key geomorphic agents in mountain landscape evolution. Cirque glaciers dominate present-day alpine environments, and may be important in creating relief at the highest elevations. Field measurements of cirque glacier dynamics can provide constraints on rates of subglacial erosion; measurements of suspended and bedload sediment in proglacial streams are relevant for quantifying supraglacial and subglacial transport. Sediments from glacial landscapes can be deposited in proglacial lakes, and records of glacial activity and environmental change can be examined.   I will be summarizing my work in the glacial environments of Glacier National Park, MT (Grinnell Glacier and Swiftcurrent and Josephine Lakes), as well as my work on West Washmawapta Glacier, British Columbia.

EDUCATION:

1996-2002  Ph.D., Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz 

                                  Dissertation: Modeling and Field Constraints on Glacier Dynamics, Erosion, and Alpine Landscape Evolution 

1995-96  Post-baccalaureate studies, Baruch and Hunter Colleges, New York, New York  

1989-93  B. A., Geology, with Highest Honors, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 

                                  Thesis:  Late Pleistocene History of Glacial Lake Atwood, San Juan Mountains, Colorado   

RESEARCH INTERESTS: 

As a geomorphologist, I study the forces that shape the physical surface of our planet. I measure active processes in the field (such as glacier motion, subglacial erosion, water velocity, and sediment transport), and use these data to constrain numerical models of landscape evolution over geologic timescales. My current research focuses on understanding the role of glaciers in shaping alpine landscapes. I use tools such as GPS, stream gauging stations, and good old-fashioned shovels to understand how glaciers behave over daily to annual timescales, and numerical models to examine their role in creating the fantastic mountainous landscapes we see today.  In addition to my work on glaciers, I am interested in the effects of dams on sediment and water transport in river systems. By looking at historical data and making measurements of current river dynamics, we can quantify changes in sediment transport, which has important implications for riparian habitats over time. I teach a wide range of classes, including Geomorphology, Rivers and the Environment, Environmental Geology, History and Evolution of the Earth, and Glaciers and Climate.

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