EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
and
TENNESSEE SECTION of the
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS
In this issue...
ETGS/AIPG December Meeting
December Presentation
November Meeting Summary
ETGS Officers for 2001
Membership Bonus
November Geotimes
American Geological Institute (AGI)
Contact Information
EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
and
TENNESSEE SECTION of the
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS
ETGS/AIPG MEETING
Monday, December 4, 2000
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Sunchase Apartments
(Clubhouse)
790 North Cedar Bluff Road
Knoxville, Tennessee
Please note we are meeting in a different
location this month!
CLICK HERE FOR A MAP!
Snacks & soft drinks will be
provided.
Join or renew your membership at the meeting to be eligible for
fabulous door prizes!
Seismic Refraction and Dozer
Trenching to Estimate Borrow Quantities
at Casitas Dam Borrow Site 'A', Ventura, California
Richard A. Hopkins , Richard D. Markiewicz ,
Jeanne Major , and Curtis P. Cain
Speaker: Richard A. Hopkins
Abstract
From May 5 to May 12, 1998, personnel from Reclamation's Technical Service Center (TSC), Denver Federal Center completed approximately 5,280 line feet of seismic refraction surveys at the Casitas Dam Borrow Area A, near Ventura, California. The seismic refraction surveys were concentrated in areas identified as potentially having 3.3 million cubic yards of borrow material for the proposed remediation. The seismic refraction surveys were conducted to provide information about the configuration of the top of bedrock for both the Tertiary age Sespe and Vaqueros Formations (limestone, siltstone and sandstone) and possible weathered zones above the bedrock interface. Of concern were both the depth to bedrock and the velocity of the bedrock as both parameters affect borrow material volume calculations. Sixty-eight existing drill hole locations and end and middle refraction line locations were located with the Global Positioning System (GPS).
After reviewing the interpretations of the seismic refraction data acquired, four locations for bulldozer rippability testing were selected. The test sites were selected to evaluate rippability conditions for both the Sespe and Vaqueros Formations. A single site was selected within the Sespe Formation. Two Vaqueros site locations were selected to determine the quality of the rock exposed at the surface and to evaluate the lower and higher bedrock velocities interpreted from the seismic refraction data. During the rippability test, it was determined that the third Vaqueros confirmation test site was not feasible due to accessibility. A decision was made to select an alternate, more accessible, Vaqueros site at a location that did not have seismic information but did have exploration drilling information.
Judgements about rippability are formed by comparing the interpreted seismic velocity and published ripper performance charts and refer to the deepest seismic layer interpreted (e.g.; seismic layer 3). Subsurface condition information gained from the rippability testing would also be used to quantify the seismic refraction interpretations in areas not ground-truthed.
by J. Brad Stephenson
Once again during November, turnout was high to hear Harry L. Moore present a very interesting case study on the discovery and protection of the Gray Fossil Site. As a geologist and manager of geotechnical engineering services for Tennessee Department of Transportation, Mr. Moore and his staff were directly involved in discovery and recognition of this treasure earlier this year. Mr. Moore presented slides and displayed three well-preserved specimens from the site. An abstract and photograph from the November presentation are available at http://www.discoveret.org/etgs/news0011.htm#nov. Additional photos are available at http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/new.htm. Several news reports are also available at http://www.discoveret.org/etgs/events.htm. If you missed this excellent meeting, please refer to these sites for more information.
by J. Brad Stephenson
Congratulations to the following ETGS members, who were elected as officers for 2001! Please welcome them to their new positions and lend them your support.These folks are to be commended for shouldering the responsibilities that go with these offices.
However, they cannot do everything themselves. Just like you, they have jobs and other commitments. Your active participation is essential to continued success of ETGS. Recommend a speaker for a monthly meeting. Help organize a field trip. Summarize a relevant issue for the News Klippe. Suggest a useful addition to the web site. Invite friends and colleagues to our meetings and encourage them to join. If you will do just one of these things one time during the year, you will be making a valuable contribution to the entire society.
President
Tony Tingle, The IT Group (E-mail: geofolks@worldnet.att.net)Vice President
This position continues to remain unfilled. Although the VP is primarily responsible for arranging monthly presentations, the other officers have agreed to share this duty if someone will kindly volunteer for this role. (Surely ETGS can select a VP before Florida does!)Secretary/Treasurer
Loren Demaree, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (E-mail: loren.demaree@jacobs.com)Newsletter Editor/Webmaster
Carla Sparks, GoTrain.net (E-mail: csparks@tenera.com)Field-Trip Coordinator
Mark Joop, The IT Group (E-mail: mjoop@theitgroup.com)Membership Committee
Jim Morgan, ARCADIS Geraghty & Miller, Inc. (E-mail: jmorgan@arcadis-us.com)
Mark Joop, The IT Group (E-mail: mjoop@theitgroup.com)
MEMBERSHIP
BONUS
Join or Renew Now for
Fabulous Door Prizes at December Meeting/Holiday Party!
by J. Brad Stephenson
If you have not already done so, please join or renew your membership at the December meeting. Doing so will extend your membership through the end of 2001. Membership dues remain a bargain at just $15 per individual, $20 per couple, and $5 per student.
Companies are encouraged to submit dues on behalf of geoscientists in their East Tennessee offices. Check to see if your company will support you, your colleagues, and the local geological community in this manner.
Please be sure to complete a membership form so that we can keep the society's records updated. In particular, we need at least one current e-mail address. Membership forms are available at each meeting, as well as online at http://www.discoveret.org/etgs/member.htm.
Several DOOR PRIZES will be awarded at the December 4 meeting and holiday party. To be eligible to win, you must be present and have paid your dues for 2001 at or before the meeting. Door prizes to be awarded include each of the following.
Dinner for Two at the Italian Market & Grill
A Geologic Trip across Tennessee by Interstate 40 (1994, 339 p.) (autographed by author and ETGS member, Harry L. Moore)
A Roadside Guide to the Geology of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1988, 178 p.) (autographed by author and ETGS member, Harry L. Moore)
Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology of Sinkholes and Karst-1999: Proceedings of the Seventh Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst (edited by ETGS members Barry F. Beck and Arthur J. Pettit)
Door prize donated to ETGS by
P.E. LaMoreaux & Associates, Inc(PELA)
Multidisciplinary Conferences on Sinkholes and…KarstMini Mag-Lite flashlight
by J. Brad Stephenson
The November 2000 issue of Geotimes includes several items that may be of interest to geoscientists in East Tennessee. Some of these articles are accessible online via http://www.geotimes.org. Others are only available in the printed version. E-mail me at jbrad@ispchannel.com if you need additional information.
Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
http://www.geotimes.org/current/rocks.html
This article provides a brief description of the research applications of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which is currently under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee.
The Natural Arches of Big South Fork
http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/nov00/geomedia.html
Geotimes announces the publication of The Natural Arches of the Big South Fork: A Guide to Selected Landforms by Arthur McDade (University of Tennessee Press, 2000, 144 p., ISBN 1-57233-074-0, Illus., Paperback, $12.95). ETGS members took a field trip to some of these features during November 1999. See http://www.discoveret.org/etgs/fall99.htm for photos and additional information.
Grassroots AP Geology
The Geoscience Education column reports on a proposal to develop a nationwide Advanced Placement (AP) course for geology. High school students who take AP courses and score high enough on College Board exams are eligible for college credit. The supporters of this proposal hope to elevate geology education to the levels enjoyed by physics, chemistry, and biology. They also hope to attract gifted students into the field before they are "lost" to the other disciplines.
For additional information and/or to provide input to the process via a survey, please see the following web sites.
http://www.agiweb.org/education
http://www.bedford.k12.ny.us/flhs/science/apgeohome.html
National Water-Quality Assessment
(NAWQA) Data
http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/nov00/geomedia.html
This article summarizes the water-quality data collection efforts of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, administered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The NAWQA program database is accessible via the following web site:
http://infotrek.er.usgs.gov/wdbctx/nawqa/nawqa.home
Positions Available
http://www.geotimes.org/ads.html
Geoscience career opportunities are listed
in the Classifieds section. Several academic positions are
available in the region, including Tennessee, Kentucky, North
Carolina, and Virginia.
AMERICAN
GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE (AGI)
by J. Brad Stephenson
The American Geological Institute (AGI) is a nationwide federation of geoscience societies. AGI sponsors the annual Earth Science Week public outreach program; produces GeoRef, the largest and most comprehensive geoscience bibliographic database in the world; and publishes the monthly geonews magazine, Geotimes.
During the October 1999 meeting, there was a brief discussion about ETGS joining AGI as an Associate Member society. (See http://www.discoveret.org/etgs/news9910.htm#agi.) At that time, the members in attendance agreed to postpone any decision for the time being.
Based on membership levels for the past two years, and the health of the treasury, ETGS can easily afford the $125 annual fee. Joining AGI would have several benefits to ETGS. Perhaps most important for ETGS members would be a 40% discount on a subscription to Geotimes, AGI's monthly news magazine. As an Associate Member of AGI, each member of ETGS would have the opportunity to subscribe to Geotimes for $22.20 per year, a savings of $14.80 off the regular price. Any member taking advantage of this offer would effectively recover his or her $15 ETGS dues in savings. (Note that AIPG is already an Associate Member, and that students can subscribe for $12.95 per year.)
Other benefits to ETGS include a one-year subscription to Geotimes (a $45 value); a customized set of mailing labels (for promoting ETGS membership, field trips, etc.) from AGI's annual Directory of Geoscience Departments (a $150 value); and a member-society link to ETGS from the AGI Associates web site.
Joining AGI would enhance the connection between ETGS and the larger geoscience community. Moreover, if ETGS spends the equivalent of eight individual ETGS dues payments, it would provide more than 100 ETGS members with the opportunity to effectively join two organizations for the price of one.
Let's discuss the possibility of joining AGI during our December meeting to determine if there is enough interest among the membership and the newly elected officers. If you would like to comment but cannot attend, please send an e-mail to Tony Tingle (geofolks@worldnet.att.net) and me (jbrad@ispchannel.com).
For additional information on AGI, see their web site at http://www.agiweb.org.
EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (ETGS)
Post Office Box 6193
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6193
http://www.discoveret.org/etgs
| President | Tony Tingle | The IT Group | 865-690-3211 | geofolks@worldnet.att.net |
| Vice President | Your Name Could Appear Here | NEED VOLUNTEER!! | ||
| Secretary/Treasurer | Loren Demaree | Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc | loren.demaree@jacobs.com | |
| Newsletter Editor/WebMaster | Carla Sparks | Tenera Energy | 865-560-0354 (ext. 118) | csparks@tenera.com |
| Field Trip Coordinator | Mark Joop | The IT Group | mjoop@theitgroup.com | |
Membership Committee |
Jim Morgan | ARCADIS Geraghty & Miller | 865-481-3000 | jmorgan@arcadis-us.com |
| Mark Joop | The IT Group | mjoop@theitgroup.com |
TENNESSEE SECTION of the
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS (AIPG)
http://www.aipg.org
President, Chris Maner, Tenn Dept of Env and Conserv (TDEC),
cmaner@mail.state.tn.us
Secretary/Treasurer, Ken Haislip
ETGS/AIPG Liason, John Hofer,
jhofer@theitgroup.com
Page updated May 20, 2018 |
