atlanta geological society newsletter
TRANSCRIPT
JUNE MEETING
Join us Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 760 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta GA. The meeting social starts at 6:30 pm. This month is our annual June Social; dinner and a movie, as it were. We’ll have BBQ from Shane’s Rib Shack and the IMAX movie ’Island of Lemurs: Madagascar’. (See pg. 14) This event is for our paid members and marks the end of the first half of the year when we take a bit of a break. Our Social is supported by several generous sponsors; • TestAmerica Laboratories • Geolab • ASI Analytical Services • Piedmont Environmental Drilling • Lowery & Associates Please come and enjoy the social time, pay your dues if necessary, talk with our generous speakers and learn from an interesting presentation on Tuesday, June 24, 2014.
Next meeting of the Atlanta Geological Society is June 24, 2014
Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Clifton Road) Social begins at 6:30 pm – Meeting begins at 7:00 pm
June 2014
Atlanta Geological Society Newsletter
ODDS AND ENDS Ben Bentkowski, Newsletter Editor This week an email landed in my inbox; the announcement for the next field trip of the Tobacco Root Geological Society. This Society is based in Missoula, MT and I went to their sponsored trip last year in Salmon, Idaho. You may remember the grand pictures of the Sawtooth Mts. There is something to be said for a field trip without all that pesky vegetation getting in the way of seeing the geology. This year’s trip is in Northeast Washington State, centered in the small mining town of Republic. Metamorphic core complexes, mineral deposits, mining history, fossils & archaeology, and glacial/outburst flood geomorphology are the topics on tap for the conference. If you were looking for something completely different to do this summer, consider NE Washington between July 31st and August 3rd. http://www.trgs.org/ From Dr. Randy Kath: GeoDroid Mapper is a geological digital field notebook application that allows the user to collect and store lithologic, geotechnical, structural, positional, and datum information in a variety of input formats. Common lookup lists are used for lithologic and structural data (planar and linear features); a new lithologic manager allows custom, user-defined, lookup lists from an extensive library of igneous, metamorphic, and/or sedimentary rock types; text and camera inputs are available for recording additional observations and notes at each outcrop. Free at the Google Play Store, requires Android v.4.2 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.uwg.wolfbytes.geodroidmapper&hl=en
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LOWERY & ASSOCIATES
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• P.O. Box 1169
• Dacula, GA 30019
• (770) 868-5407
• Fax (770) 868-5408
• www.geolab.org
Geo Lab is a SBA Certified Woman-owned Small Business offering Drilling, Probing, and Remediation services across the Southeastern United States (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN). We offer our clients a range of services including Environmental and Geotechnical sampling of soil, vapor and groundwater using Direct-Push Technology (DPT) and Hollow-Stem Auger (HSA) systems. Subsurface investigation services including MIP and HPT direct imaging technologies. We provide a range of well installation services using DPT, HSA, DTH Air-Hammer drilling, Mud-rotary and Rock Coring technologies for the installation of monitoring, remediation system, and injection wells. Remediation services include the direct application of ISCO and Bioremediation materials into the subsurface via injection wells and networks of direct-push injection points. We offer this diversity of services without sacrificing quality, providing highly experienced technicians on every project.
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ASI Analytical Services Environmental Monitoring & Laboratory Analysis
Analytical Services, Inc. is an independently owned environmental testing laboratory providing complete chemical and biological analysis to clients throughout the United States. ASI offers comprehensive analytical capabilities with an emphasis on clearly defined markets. Within these markets, we continue to effectively demonstrate the knowledge necessary to ensure project success that has earned us an enduring reputation as one of the most dependable environmental laboratories in the country. Our goal is to play an important role in improving environmental quality through an innovative, economical product that exceeds client expectations in service.
Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, ASI provides public and private clients with a full range of laboratory testing and environmental monitoring services, including environmental investigation and remediation, groundwater and wastewater monitoring, and treatability studies, information technology, and method development.
Our stability is in our diversity. By balancing our project experience from serving globally known companies to small utilities, we offer the right combination of talent to insure your project’s success. In today’s ever-changing environmental laboratory industry, we remain proud of our independence and reputation for technical strength, customer services and client retention.
Main Laboratory Toxicity Laboratory 110 Technology Pkwy 120 Halton Road, Suite 13 Norcross, GA 30092 Greenville, SC 29607 (800) ASI-7227 or (770) 734-4200 (864) 297-0606
Contact: Win Jones http://www.asi-lab.com/
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BENEFITS OF AN AGS MEMBERSHIP • Location – AGS meets at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History,
which is a truly awesome facility central to most of our membership. • Cost – AGS membership ($25 general; $10 student) is the most
inexpensive for any geological society in the SE. • Active – AGS holds nine lectures a year and is one of the most active
geological societies in the SE. • AEG – For one of our lectures, AGS co-sponsors with the Association of
Environmental & Engineering Geologists to annually present the “Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer” while in Atlanta.
• PDH – AGS is recognized by Alabama, South Carolina, and other professional state boards to provide Professional Development Hours for our lectures, as well as field trips and workshops.
• PG Classes – AGS offers nearly monthly Professional Geologist development training classes in preparation for passing the ASBOG examinations and has been recognized by the Georgia State Geologist as enhancing PG test scores for participants.
• Free Food – AGS offers free pizza and Coke at all of our regular meetings, sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres at the Jahns lecture, and a sit-down BBQ dinner at our June social.
• IMAX – As part of the June social, AGS and Fernbank present a free IMAX movie.
• Networking – AGS meetings include professionals, academics, regulators, and others who all share the same interest in geological sciences.
• Resume – AGS membership and even involvement in one of our many committees will enhance any resume.
Annual membership dues for the Atlanta Geological Society are $25 for professional membership, $10 for students, and $100 for corporate sponsorship (which includes up to 4 professional memberships). Please complete the application form and submit with your payment to the AGS Treasurer. For further details about membership, please contact the AGS Membership Chairman – Ben Bentkowski
cell -770-296-2529 [email protected]
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AGS Professional Geologist Registration Study Class Date: June 28, 2014 Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Venue: Fernbank Science Center
156 Heaton Park Drive, N.E. Atlanta, GA 30307
Speaker: Dr. Christy Visaggi, Ph.D.
Subject: Paleontology
Christy Visaggi is a lecturer in the Department of Geosciences at Georgia State University. She received her PhD in Marine Biology (University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2012), Masters in Geology (Syracuse University, 2004), and Bachelors in Geology (Colgate University, 2002). She is the Chair of the Southeastern Section of the Paleontological Society as well as Vice-President of the Southeastern Section of the National Association for Geoscience Teachers. Dr. Visaggi additionally serves as the Co-Coordinator and Director of Education and Outreach for the Georgia Geographic Alliance sponsored by National Geographic. She specializes in paleontology, marine ecology, geosciences education, place-based learning, and conservation and is presently featured on the “Meet a Paleontologist” website for the National Park Service. Her research in the lab and field focuses primarily on modern and ancient marine invertebrates of the Western Atlantic in North and South America.
Dr. Visaggi will lead a class on concepts in paleontology, stratigraphy, and sedimentology. Major fossils groups will be covered for their utility in interpreting paleo-environments and as indicators of specific ages in the geologic time scale. In addition, she will review material on weathering and erosion, depositional environments, sedimentary processes and structures, stratigraphic principles, and geochronology.
Please join us and forward this message to anyone interested in becoming a professional geologist or that might be interested in the subject. Two professional development hours are available for attendees of the class. The classes are open to all, membership in the AGS is not required, but for $25 per year ($10 for students) it is quite a bargain! Please consider joining. The AGS is one of the most active geological organizations in the Southeast.
For more information contact:
Ken Simonton, P. G., [email protected] or John Salvino, P. G., [email protected]
Atlanta Geological Society
Professional Registration/Career Development Committee
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June 6, 1944: The Geology of D-Day By David Bressan | June 6, 2014
June 6, 1944 – in planning for D-Day –geology was also considered, as aerial photographs of the shores of Normandy were studied to find suitable landing sites for the invasion. The confluence of larger rivers with the English Channel between the harbors of Le Havre and Cherbourg created sandy shorelines were a landing with amphibious vehicles was possible. In January 1944 British divers risked their lives to collect samples from selected sites; geologists had to determine if the sandy shores could in fact support the heavy equipment and modified tanks needed to overrun the local German coastal fortifications. 44 years later, June 1988, Earle F. Mc Bride and M. Dane Picard, geologists and passionate sand collectors, collected some sand from one of the most contested landing sites – “Omaha Beach“. Studying the sand at first they didn´t find something unusual: the sand reflects the catchment area of the rivers and the marine environment – and is composed of grains of quartz, feldspar, limestone and fragmented shells. However the geologists found also magnetic grains and small spheres of iron and glass, realizing that those are particles generated from the battles during D-Day: fragments of the metallic shells and quartz sand melted by the heat of explosions.
Also the geology of the inland proved to be of strategic importance. The Calvados plateau, located northwest of the city of Caen, is formed by limestone of Jurassic age covered by a layer of loess deposited there during the last Ice Age. This flat and dry terrain was an ideal surface to build there the airfields to ensure the fast transport of troops by the British air force. After the successful invasion of Normandy, the military geologists had to identify suitable rocks for buildings and construction works. New boreholes were drilled to get to the local aquifers and provide the ever growing number of soldiers with enough drinking water. Geology didn´t play only a role in the past. Maybe the tiny metallic and glass particles in the sand and the bomb craters in the ground will survive some centuries or millennia before disappearing - the rocks as silent testimonies of human warfare… http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/history-of-geology/2014/06/06/june-6-1944-the-geology-of-d-day/?WT.mc_id=send-to-friend
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Four-billion-year-old rocks yield clues about Earth's earliest crust
ancient rock samples from the Acasta Gneiss Complex in the Northwest Territories, part of his PhD research to understand the environment in which they formed.
"The timing and mode of continental crust formation throughout Earth's history is a controversial topic in early Earth sciences," says Reimink, lead author of a new study in Nature Geoscience that points to Iceland as a solid comparison for how the earliest continents formed. Continents today form when one tectonic plate shifts beneath another into the Earth's mantle and cause magma to rise to the surface, a process called subduction. It's unclear whether plate tectonics existed 2.5B to 4B years ago or if another process was at play, says Reimink.
One theory is the first continents formed in the ocean as liquid magma rose from the Earth's mantle before cooling and solidifying into a crust. Iceland's crust formed when magma from the mantle rises to shallow levels, incorporating previously formed volcanic rocks. For this reason, Reimink says Iceland is considered a theoretical analogue on early Earth continental crust formation. Reimink spent his summers in the field collecting rock samples from the Acasta Gneiss Complex, which was discovered in the 1980s and found to contain some of the Earth's oldest rocks, between 3.6 and four billion years old. Due to their extreme age, the rocks have undergone multiple metamorphic events, making it difficult to understand their geochemistry.
Fortunately, a few rocks—which the research team dubbed "Idiwhaa" meaning "ancient" in the local Tlicho dialect—were better preserved. This provided a "window" to see the samples' geochemical characteristics, which Reimink says showed crust-forming processes that are very similar to those occurring in present-day Iceland. "This provides the first physical evidence that a setting similar to modern Iceland was present on the early Earth."
http://www.sciencecodex.com/fourbillionyearold_rocks_yield_clues_about_earths_earliest_crust-134571
(Photo Credit: Bryan Alary/University of Alberta)
It looks like just another rock, but what Jesse Reimink holds in his hands is a four-billion-year-old chunk of an ancient proto-continent that holds clues about how the Earth's first continents formed. The University of Alberta geochemistry student spent the better part of three years collecting and studying
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THE OLDEST FISH IN THE WORLD http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/06/12/oldest-fish-world-lived-500-million-years-ago/#.U6XWMPldXpZ
It looked more like the worm on an angler’s hook than any living fish we might recognize today but it still takes the record for the oldest known fish to date. The first fossil fishes are known from scant and often ambiguous fossil remains, and research published today in Nature gives us the first clear picture of exactly what these earliest fishes were really like.
The 518 million-year-old fish Metaspriggina walcotti was about 2 inches long, bore a pair of large protruding eyes and small paired nasal capsules. It breathed through seven pairs of external gills. It had a stout rod supporting its spine (notochord) enabling strong W-shaped muscle bands to develop along its entire body.
Its ability to swim fast was no doubt a key factor in its success while living in precarious seas inhabited by huge predators such as Anomalocaris. Metaspriggina was first discovered and named in 1993 as it was thought then to be related to Spriggina from the Ediacaran fauna of Australia, dated at 560 million years old.
The new fossils display rare soft tissue features such as stained impressions of the heart, liver, gut and circulatory vessels. The fossils came from the famousBurgess Shale sites in British Columbia, Canada, and were described by Simon Conway Morris of Cambridge University and Jean-Bernard Caron of The Royal Ontario Musuem based on more than 100 new examples.
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On the Origin of Fishes
The origins of fishes have long been shrouded in mystery due to the poor preservation of fossils lacking hard bony skeletons. Other fish-like creatures such as Myllokungmingia of the same age found in southern China have doubts cast upon their vertebrate nature.
But the new finds dispel doubt because they clearly show features found only in true vertebrates. This creature is therefore highly significant in being the first step on the long line of vertebrate evolution ultimately leading to us humans.
The very first step of this sequence is represented by chordates, or creatures with a notochord supporting their body. These include the sea squirts(ascidians) whose larvae have a tadpole-like shape and actively swim before settling into a sedentary life, and lancelets such as Branchiostoma which are almost like fishes without fins in many regards.
Getting a Head in Life
True vertebrates mostly have vertebrae and those with well-developed heads are called craniates. The first true vertebrate such as Metaspringgina may have lacked bony vertebrae but made up for it in having a well-formed head with paired eyes and nasal sacs. More significantly it had seven pairs of well-developed gill-arches that were external as in jawed fishes, not internally positioned as in modern jawless forms such as lampreys and hagfishes. Metaspriggina is hinted at even having well-formed front gill bars that presuppose the origin of jaws.
Pikaia, another fish-like creature from the Burgess Shale, was long thought to be the oldest ancestor of the first fishes, as discussed by the late Stephen Jay Gould in his book Wonderful Life. Recent work by Conway-Morris has replaced it as an early fish. Instead Pikaia is now considered a protochordate, a beast one step lower on the evolutionary ladder than true fishes and more akin to the modern lancelets.
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Whales: Giants of the Deep On view February 15 – August 24, 2014 Journey to the vibrant underwater world of the mightiest animals on Earth. Did you know that a blue whale is the same size as a 737 airplane, or that its tongue alone weighs more than a whole elephant? Did you also know that gray whales migrate over 12,000 miles a year, farther than any other mammal known? Plunge into the mysterious world of whales and explore their relationship with humans. Featuring a unique blend of science and storytelling, this interactive exhibition is filled with fun ways to explore whales from the inside-out. Highlights include opportunities to explore whale songs, traditional legends from the South Pacific, beautiful artifacts, enormous whale skeletons up to 58-feet-long, and unique experiences such as climbing through a life-sized model of whale heart (that’s as big as a car!). Read what critics have to say about Whales: Giants of the Deep. Tickets for Whales: Giants of the Deep are included with Museum admission and are free for members.
Birds of the Bali Aviary On view February 15 – August 24, 2014 Inspired by magazines including Life and National Geographic, photographer Frank Sharp developed a passion for both photography and travel. During his travels, he’s used his camera to record the cultures, landscapes and animals he’s encountered. This exhibition features color photos taken in the Taman Burung Bali Bird Park, situated in the Papua rainforest in southern Bali, Indonesia. The park plays a key role in protecting and conserving Indonesia’s endangered wildlife and also includes species from Africa, Australia and the Americas.
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Now Showing in the Fernbank IMAX movie theater:
Great White Shark Now showing through September 18, 2014 Run time: 40 min Misrepresented, maligned and misunderstood, the great white shark is an iconic predator: the creature we love to fear. Get closer than ever to the “king of the ocean” in this giant screen adventure and discover why this animal is not the menacing villain many believe it to be.
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar Now showing through August 14, 2014 Run time: 40 minutes A real place you could never imagine. Strange creatures you will never forget. Experience the incredible true story of nature’s greatest explorers in the NEW giant screen adventure, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar. The film takes audiences on a spectacular journey to the remote and wondrous world of Madagascar. Lemurs arrived in Madagascar as castaways millions of years ago and evolved into hundreds of diverse species. Now, these charmingly strange creatures are highly endangered. This film features trailblazing scientist Dr. Patricia Wright on her lifelong mission to help lemurs survive in the modern world.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Upcoming Public Programs and Events (All programs require reservations, including free programs)
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES – FAMILY and ADULT
SALSA DANCE NIGHT Every 3rd Friday during Martinis & IMAX® from 7pm – 11pm Monthly Salsa Dance Nights bring Salsambo Dance Studio to Martinis & IMAX®, offering incredible opportunities to enjoy Latin dancing (or appreciating the dance skills of others) with early-evening lessons for those who want a little practice before they heat up the dance floor. A special guest DJ provides the rhythmic beats. Standard Martinis & IMAX® ticket prices apply.
FINS & FLIPPERS DAY Saturday, June 28 from 10am – 2pm Splash into a day of family fun featuring puppet shows, big bubble demonstrations and ocean-themed hands-on activities. Learn more
FERNBANK FOREST BIRD WALK Saturday, June 28 from 7:30am – 10am Join a Neighborhood Nestwatch scientist and discover more about the feathered inhabitants of Fernbank Forest, both permanent residents and visitors. Learn more
REPTILE DAY Saturday, July 12 from 10am – 2pm Don’t this this opportunity to get up-close with dozens of live lizards, snakes, turtles, and even a few amphibians, including frogs. Learn more
WEEKENDS IN THE NATURALIST CENTER Ongoing Enjoy a variety of family-friendly activities every weekend in the Naturalist Center. Activities vary from animal encounters to science explorations and more, and will be available every weekend. Check the activity sign when you arrive to see what's happening. Included with Museum admission. Free for members.
WHALES EVENING HOURS Every Friday through August 22 from 7pm – 10pm Enjoy evening hours of Fernbank’s NEW special exhibition, Whales: Giants of the Deep, during Martinis & IMAX®! Be a kid again and enjoy an adult field trip, where chaperones aren’t required and adult beverages are available for purchase. Learn more
FERNBANK'S MARTINIS & IMAX® Fridays,* from 7pm – 11pm Shake it up with Atlanta's perfect mix of culture and cocktails. Films, menus and bands change regularly, so it's never the same experience twice! Standard Martinis & IMAX® ticket prices apply. Learn More
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AGS Committees
AGS Publications: Allison Keefer Phone (404) 657-8642 [email protected]
Career Networking/Advertising: Todd Roach Phone (770) 242-9040, Fax (770) 242-8388 [email protected]
Continuing Education: Currently Open
Fernbank Liaison: Chris Bean Phone (404) 929-6313 [email protected]
Field Trips: Josh Jenkins Phone (770) 421-3412 [email protected]
Georgia PG Registration: Ken Simonton Phone: 404-825-3439 [email protected] John Salvino, P.G. [email protected]
Teacher Grants: Bill Waggener Phone (404)354-8752 [email protected]
Hospitality: Currently open And in need of a volunteer or two. Social Media Coordinator: Carina O’Bara [email protected]
Newsletter Editor and Membership Ben Bentkowski Phone (404) 562-8507,(770) 296-2529 [email protected]
Web Master: Kathaleen Bentkowski [email protected] www.atlantageologicalsociety.org
AGS 2014 Meeting Dates
Listed below are the planned meeting dates for 2014. Please mark your calendar and make plans to attend.
June 24 Annual Social June 28 PG Workshop –
Dr. Christy Visaggi, Ph.D.
Subject: Paleontology No July meeting August 26 AGS meeting
AGS Officers
President: Nils Thompson [email protected] Phone (678) 486-2766 Vice-President: Cassidy Sutherland Phone (770) 492-8230 [email protected] Secretary: Rob White Phone (404) 321-5399 [email protected] Treasurer: Shannon George Phone (717)-343-4452 [email protected]
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ATLANTA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
www.atlantageologicalsociety.org ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FORM
Please print the required details and check the appropriate membership box. DATE: NAME:___________________ _
ORGANIZATION:____________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE (1): TELEPHONE (2): EMAIL (1): EMAIL (2):
STUDENT $10 PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP $25 CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP $100 (Includes 4 professional members, please list names and emails below) NAME: EMAIL: NAME: EMAIL: NAME: EMAIL: NAME: EMAIL: For further details, contact the AGS Treasurer: [email protected] . Please make checks payable to the “Atlanta Geological Society” and remit with the completed form to:
Atlanta Geological Society c/o Golder Associates Attn: Shannon George 3730 Chamblee Tucker Road Atlanta, GA 30341
CASH
CHECK (CHECK NUMBER: .)