EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
ETGS/AIPG Newsletter
September 2001
EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
and
TENNESSEE SECTION of the
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS
In this issue...
ETGS/AIPG September Meeting
September Presentation
May Meeting Summary
ETGS Fall FieldTrip
The Wilderness Center "Rock Walk"
UT Offers 1-hour Continuing Education Course
UT Fall 2001 Harry Klepser Seminar Series
Contact Information
EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
and
TENNESSEE SECTION of the
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTSETGS/AIPG MEETING
Monday, September 10, 2001
6:00 pm - 7:30 pmSPICY's
in the Old City
109 N. Central Ave.
Knoxville, TNDana Miller
dmiller9@utk.eduInvestigating Climate Change Using Soil Carbonate C and O
Isotopes and Organic Carbon Isotopes from Vertisols in Coastal TexasStable carbon isotopic compositions of soil organic matter (SOM) and pedogenic carbonate (PC) in modern Vertisols from the Lake Charles series of east coastal Texas (6 pedons) record systematic inflections, of similar magnitude, with increasing soil depth that can be interpreted as a coherent record of climate change over the past ~35000yrs. A depth-time relationship is inferred from previous Texas soil studies. The base of the profiles have low d13C values typical of C3-dominated ecosystems expected for the cool Late Pleistocene. At mid-profile, 13C is enriched suggesting a greater proportion of C4 plants, and interpreted to be a response to a mid-Holocene warming trend. At the top of the profiles, d13C values become more negative showing a greater C3-influence, also seen in isotopic studies of very young (100-1000yr) uncultivated Texas soils. Microhigh and microlow soil environments express the same trends, but at higher levels in the soil microhigh profile. SOM preserves isotopic trends more coherently and completely than PC. Deeper in the profiles, PC and SOM compositions trend together, but PC does not show the upper-most C3-ecosystems shift, likely due to the time lag for carbonate formation. The preservation of systematic carbon inflections is inconsistent with large-scale "self-mulching" of Vertisols.
by Carla Sparks
The May meeting of the ETGS and the The East Tennessee Chapter of AIPG was held at Sagebrush Steakhouse in Oak Ridge.
The Spring Field Trip was discussed, and plans were made to have the trip on June 16, 2001. Unfortunately, this trip was later delayed. The trip will now be a Fall Field Trip. For full discussion on the field trip plans, see the Fall Field Trip article below.
Angela Adams presented information on the freshwater lens on Andros Island, Bahamas. Ms. Adams discussed the importance of this freshwater lens as a potable water for its citizens and the more densely populated New Providence Island. Because of the possibility that fresh water in the aquifer is currently being depleted, it is necessary to observe the rate of salt water incursion in order to prevent salt water contamination of the freshwater aquifer. Fresh ground water lenses in the Bahamas were be mapped using electrical resistivity surveys utilizing the large contrast in resistivity between the freshwater and saltwater saturated carbonate rocks that make up the island. For a complete abstract, please see the May News Klippe.
by Tony Tingle
Lets look at some rocks (and maybe some flowers, too)!
Betsy Gorisch has volunteered to lead the ETGS fall field trip on one of the following Saturdays:
· September 22,
· September 29, or
· October 6.Cast your votes at Tonight's meeting at Spicy's in the Old City or send it in by e-mail to geofolks@worldnet.att.net . Votes must be in by close of business on Friday, September 14.
The trip will begin at Boyd Gap along US Highway 64 at the head of the Ocoee River and will proceed to Ducktown, TN where a visit to the mining museum is planned. From Ducktown, the trip will continue (generally) along Highway 64 and will include several stops at rock outcrops where the rocks have enjoyed a range of metamorphic conditions (green schist to granulite facies). The trip will culminate at Winding Stair Gap in NC where granulite facies rocks are exposed. Come on out to think about rocks for a Saturday.
If you still need persuasion, take a look at some of the pictures taken along the course of the upcoming trip. Cast your vote for a date by Friday the 14th.
Burra Burra Mine, Ducktown
Ducktown Museum
Biotite Staurolite Schist
Gneiss at Standing Indian
Outcrop at Winding Stair Gap
Flowers at Standing Indian
THE WILDERNESS CENTER "ROCK WALK"
by Carla Sparks
ETGS was contacted by Rudy Tekaucic in May, a representative of The Wildernes Center in Wilmot Ohio. He requested the assistance of ETGS in creating a "Rock Walk" at the Wilderness Center. Mr. Tekaucic provided a description of the Wilderness Center and their project; to review this information, please see the May News Klippe.
I recently contacted Mr. Tekaucic to see how the project was going. The "Rock Walk" premiers on Saturday, September 22nd. It currently has over 40 specimens, and the group hopes to add more in the next serveral months. Mr. Tekaucic plans to photograph the "Rock Walk" debut and send us photographs as a preview.
The Wilderness Center is still looking for samples. If you might be able to assist in this project, you can contact Mr. Tekaucic directly at:
Rudolph J. Tekaucic
email: tekaurj@sssnet.com
Project Leader 10771
Corundite, NW (Home address)
Massillon, OH 44647
330-833-3573 (Home telephone)
UT OFFERS 1-HOUR CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE
by Dr. Bill Dunne
edited by Carla Sparks
In consultation with members of the alumni Board of Advisors, the University of Tennesee Geology Department has developed a one-credit CEU to better serve the professional needs of local geoscientists in the Knoxville area. The CEU is approved by the University and has a requirement that a participant attends 10 Klepser Lecture Series seminars during the academic year (10 seminars from over 20 seminars offered from the Fall through Spring semesters. See the article below in the current News Klippe or visit http://geoweb.gg.utk.edu/Geology/News/News.html for the list of currently scheduled seminars in the Fall 2001 semester).
We know that many local geoscientists need to maintain professional registrations that require a certain number of CEU's per year. We hope that from a selection of over 20 seminars, including our student presentations (which I personally believe to be better than our outside speakers on average!!), you will be able to find 10 that interest you or relate to your work.
The seminars are on Thursday afternoon from 3:30 to 5:00pm, typically with cookies beforehand. They are located in the Walls Lecture Theatre (Room 302) in the Geological Sciences Building. The best bet for parking is probably the multistory carpark adjacent to the University Student Center (check the University webpage, www.utk.edu, for a map). CEU requirements are to attend 10 seminars, sign in for each one, and then complete a yellow registration card after the 10th seminar. The department will collect the yellow cards and then pay the $8 charge per card for processing.
We hope to see some of you attending these seminars and please spread the word to colleagues who might be interested in this option.
For further information, you may contact Dr. Bill Dunne at wdunne@utk.edu.
UT FALL 2001 HARRY KLEPSER SEMINAR SERIES
All seminars are held Thursdays at 3:40 pm in Room 302, Geology Building.
Date Speaker Topic/Title AUG 23 Department Head Welcomes the Graduate Students AUG 30
- Massimo Pigliucci
- University of Tennessee
Creationism vs. evolution: The twin dangers of religious and scientific fundamentalism SEPT 6
- Calvin Miller
- Vanderbilt University
Insights on the tectonics of the Southern Appalachians from the ion probe geochronology and geochemistry SEPT 13
- Edward Riply
- Indiana University
Isotopic constraints on the genesis of magmatic Cu-Ni-PGE deposits SEPT 20
- Chunmiao Zheng
- University of Alabama
Solute transport in flow fields influenced by decimeter-scale preferential flow paths SEPT 27
- John Philley
- Morehead State College
A national exit examination in geology: Helping graduates gain licensure as professional geologists OCT 4
- Alan Fryer
- University of Kentucky
Natural attenuation of contaminants at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant: A watershed perspective OCT 11 Fall Break - No Seminar OCT 18
- Peggy Ostrom
- Michigan State University
New insights into ancient proteins: Characterization of osteocalcin from modern and ancient bones OCT 25
NOV 1
- Gregory Retallack
- University of Oregon
Fossil soils and paleoclimate reconstructions NOV 8 GSA Annual Meeting, Reno - No Seminar NOV 15
- Malcolm Rutherford
- Brown University
Water in magmas NOV 22 Thanksgiving Holiday - No Seminar NOV 29
- Jack Farmer Klepser Lecturer
- Arizona State University
Exploration for a Martian biosphere DEC 6
- Harry Moore
Miocene fossils discovered on a Tennessee DOT road project
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 CommitteeJim 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.orgPresident, 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
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