Geologists to meet at the junction of the northern and southern Appalachians
Geoscientists from across the northeastern U.S. and beyond will convene in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, on 23-25 March to discuss new science, expand on existing science, and explore the unique geologic features of the region. Situated between the classic Valley and Ridge province of the Appalachians and the geologically complex Piedmont, Lancaster has lately become an important focus for studying the effects of climate change and human influence on its verdant and productive landscape.
Topics on Sunday include service learning in the geosciences, gaining a greater understanding of Mars, and abandoned mine drainage remediation.
A special plenary session on Sunday afternoon (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.) will address "Tracking the sequential deformation and erosion of mountain belts through coupled kinematic and thermal modeling," with speaker Nadine McQuarrie from the University of Pittsburgh. Following McQuarrie's talk, the GSA Northeastern Section will hold a town hall meeting on the future of undergraduate geoscience education (5:30-6:30 p.m.). The focus of discussion will be the outcomes of a NSF-funded summit in January at the University of Texas.
Monday's sessions include a talk on "When applied hydrogeology, fiduciary duty and professional ethics collide"; paleontological discoveries in the U.S. northeast; and the Marcellus and Utica shales.
Tuesday includes a session on the EarthScope arrival on the East Coast, with a talk on the relative locations of earthquakes and potential driving mechanisms of seismicity along the northeast U.S. Atlantic margin.
Selected Highlights of the Scientific Program
The scientific program is composed of oral and poster presentations organized into two symposia, 25 themed sessions, and an array of research in general discipline areas. Go to http://www.geosociety.org/Sections/ne/2014mtg/techprog.htm to learn more.
SUNDAY, 23 MARCH
Service Learning in the Geosciences: Deep Learning through Critical, Reflective Thinking and Civic Responsibility Steve Winters of Holyoke Community College and Lori Weeden of the University of Massachusetts–Lowell, presiding. 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. (session 4).
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34172.html
- Paper 4-1 (8:05 a.m.): Project-oriented geoscience service learning: Tannery Brook as urban laboratory and science-team builder. Author: Steve Winters of Holyoke Community College: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Paper235962.html.
Gaining a Greater Understanding of Mars from Gale Crater and Beyond
Rebecca M.E. Williams of the Planetary Science Institute, presiding. 8 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. (session 3).
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34169.html
- Paper 3-7 (10:20 a.m.): Supervolcanoes in the Arabia Terra region of Mars and their relationship to layered sedimentary units. Lead author: Jacob E. Bleacher of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Paper236345.html.
Abandoned Mine Drainage: Impacts, Treatment and Developing Novel Uses for AMD
Jennifer K. Whisner of Bloomsburg University and Cynthia Venn of Bloomsburg University, presiding. 1:30 to 3:50 p.m. (session 18).
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34187.html
- Paper 18-5 (3:10 p.m.): Recovery of the West Branch Susquehanna Watershed. Lead author: Amy G. Wolfe of Trout Unlimited: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Paper236622.html.
MONDAY, 24 MARCH
Dr. Allan M. Thompson: Honoring His Legacy as a Geologist and Educator
John A. Conrad of Conrad Geoscience Corp. and Ralph R. Leon of Exxon Mobil Corp., presiding. 8 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. (session 37).
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34434.html
- Paper 37-4 (9:05 a.m.): When applied hydrogeology, fiduciary duty and professional ethics collide: Role of the consultant in developer-funded public groundwater supply projects in bedrock terrain. Author: Mark Eisner of Advanced Land and Water Inc.: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Paper235927.html.
Significant 21st-Century Paleontological Discoveries in Northeastern North America (Posters)
Roger D.K. Thomas of Franklin & Marshall College and Roger Cuffey of Penn State, presiding. 8 a.m. to noon, with authors present 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34764.html
- Paper 44-3 (poster): Mazon-Creek-like soft-bodied preservation in northwestern Pennsylvania—The first-known fleshy-branched Ctenostome bryozoan in the fossil record (mid-Pennsylvanian). Author: Roger J. Cuffey of Penn State: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Paper235363.html
Marcellus and Utica Shales: Geology, Natural Gas Production, and Water Resource Issues
Dru Germanoski of Lafayette College and David Brandes of Lafayette College, presiding. 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (session 53).
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34188.html
- Paper 53-3 (2:15 p.m.): Fracture, vein and fault interrelationships within the Utica Shale, Mohawk Valley, New York: Implications for tectonic models. Lead author: Alex P. O'Hara of University at Buffalo: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Paper236151.html.
TUESDAY, 20 MARCH
EarthScope Arrives on the East Coast
Charles K. Scharnberger of Millersville University of Pennsylvania, presiding. 10:35 a.m. to noon (session 60).
Abstracts: https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/Session34173.html
Paper 60-2 (time): Relative locations of earthquakes and potential driving mechanisms of seismicity along the northeast U.S. Atlantic passive margin. Lead author: Vanessa J. Napoli of Boston College: gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webp … ram/Paper236137.html.
More information:
View the complete session schedule by day or search the program by keywords at gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014NE/webprogram/start.html. Click on session titles for a list of presentations, and click on presentations for the individual abstracts.
Find complete meeting information at www.geosociety.org/Sections/ne/2014mtg/index.htm.
Find local contact information at www.geosociety.org/Sections/ne/2014mtg/contact.htm.
Provided by Geological Society of America