Atlanta Geological Society...
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Next meeting of the Atlanta Geological Society is February 28, 2012 Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Clifton Road) Social begins at 6:30 pm – Meeting begins at 7:00 pm February 2012 Atlanta Geological Society Newsletter ODDS AND ENDS Ben Bentkowski, Newsletter Editor Even though February is 1/28 th longer than normal, it still seems like it’s over before it barely got started. I read a blog about Leap Day and all the arcane machinations that folks go through to keep our clocks timed up with the Sun.( http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/ ) I didn’t know that years that end in two zeros will have a Leap Day even if they would not fall into the normal four year cycle. Additionally, that rule does not apply if the year is divisible by 400, not that we’ll be here in 2400 to check. Blogs can be a source of some interesting information. I found a list of the top 25 geology blogs. http://www.invesp.com/blog- rank/Geology I found the one for the Geologic Society of London to be pretty interesting. http://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/ The Green Gabro blog posed the question the question asking if geophysists are geologists. I thought it was a bit silly at first but it turned out to be a discussion about professional registration. After reading a few of these, it seems like what I’m doing with this newsletter does have some blog-like qualities. In any case, I hope you find it informative and entertaining. See you Tuesday. B. B. Keep on Rockin’ FEBRUARY MEETING Join us Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 760 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta GA. The pre-meeting social starts at 6:30 pm and the meeting will start at 7 p.m. The speaker for the evening will be Scott Harris, speaking on a new impact crater discovered in Georgia. The title for the presentation is: Evidence for an Ancient Astrobleme in the Pine Mountain Terrane of Georgia. Mr. Harris, soon to be Doctor Harris, has an interesting and varied background as seen in his biography on page 2. His dissertation and thesis both focus on impact structures. He prefers to be identified as a planetary petrologist and crystallographer. Please come and enjoy the social time and an interesting presentation on Tuesday, February 28, 2012.
Transcript of Atlanta Geological Society...
Next meeting of the Atlanta Geological Society is
February 28, 2012
Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Clifton Road)
Social begins at 6:30 pm – Meeting begins at 7:00 pm
February 2012
Atlanta Geological Society Newsletter
ODDS AND ENDS Ben Bentkowski, Newsletter Editor
Even though February is 1/28th longer than
normal, it still seems like it’s over before it
barely got started. I read a blog about Leap
Day and all the arcane machinations that folks
go through to keep our clocks timed up with
the Sun.( http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/ )
I didn’t know that years that end in two zeros
will have a Leap Day even if they would not
fall into the normal four year cycle.
Additionally, that rule does not apply if the
year is divisible by 400, not that we’ll be here
in 2400 to check.
Blogs can be a source of some interesting
information. I found a list of the top 25
geology blogs. http://www.invesp.com/blog-
rank/Geology I found the one for the Geologic
Society of London to be pretty interesting.
http://blog.geolsoc.org.uk/ The Green Gabro
blog posed the question the question asking if
geophysists are geologists. I thought it was a
bit silly at first but it turned out to be a
discussion about professional registration.
After reading a few of these, it seems like what
I’m doing with this newsletter does have some
blog-like qualities. In any case, I hope you find
it informative and entertaining.
See you Tuesday.
B. B. Keep on Rockin’
FEBRUARY MEETING
Join us Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at
the Fernbank Museum of Natural
History, 760 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta
GA. The pre-meeting social starts at
6:30 pm and the meeting will start at 7
p.m.
The speaker for the evening will be
Scott Harris, speaking on a new impact
crater discovered in Georgia. The title
for the presentation is: Evidence for an
Ancient Astrobleme in the Pine
Mountain Terrane of Georgia.
Mr. Harris, soon to be Doctor Harris,
has an interesting and varied
background as seen in his biography on
page 2. His dissertation and thesis both
focus on impact structures. He prefers
to be identified as a planetary
petrologist and crystallographer.
Please come and enjoy the social time
and an interesting presentation on
Tuesday, February 28, 2012.
Page 2 AGS FEBRUARY 2012
Speaker’s Biography
R. Scott Harris is currently employed as an Aggregate Geologist in the Office of Materials
and Research, Georgia Department of Transportation.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. (ABD). Scheduled completion Spring 2012. Geological Sciences. Brown University,
Providence, RI. Dissertation title: The Pampean (Argentina) impact record— Evidence for
and consequences of hypervelocity collisions in soft sedimentary targets. Advisor: Dr.
Peter H. Schultz.
M.S. Geology. 2003. University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Thesis: Evidence for impact-
generated deposition on the late Eocene shores of Georgia. Advisor: Dr. Michael F.
Roden.
B.S. Geology. 1997. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Emphasis in Planetary Geology.
Research Advisor: Dr. Ronald Greeley.
CARRER HIGHLIGHTS
1993-1997 NASA Space Grant Intern and Research Assistant with Dr. Ronald
Greeley. Investigated the process of thermal erosion by tube-fed lava flows on the
terrestrial planets. Primarily involved in fieldwork on ancient and active basalt flows
in the Pacific Northwest, Hawai’i, and Queensland, Australia. Also involved in
analyzing spacecraft data for studies of volcanic processes on the Moon, Venus,
Mars, and Europa. Compiled the ASU/NASA Global Lava Tube Database.
International Circumnavigators Club Foundation Scholarship 1994 (83 day self-
organized and directed field studies of basaltic volcanism in Iceland, Sicily, Australia,
New Zealand, and Hawai’i)
Meteorite Association of Georgia (honorary member) http://www.meteoriteassociationofgeorgia.org/
President Georgia Geological Society. 2010-2011
Advanced experience in optical petrography including Universal stage work;
Advanced experience using X-ray diffraction for mineralogical and crystallographic
studies; Advanced experience using SEMs and electron microprobes for quantitative
and semi-quantitative microanalyses of geologic materials; Advanced experienced
using μ-transmission and μ-reflectance FTIR analyses for measuring volatiles in
melts and for phase identification; Experience using μ-Raman spectroscopy and
more.
Publications too numerous to mention in the space available here (just a few of the items pulled from an 11 page C.V., Ed.)
AGS FEBRUARY 2012 Page 3
.
AGS Members… Geology Enthusiasts Needed!!
If you are an AGS member and would like to contribute to the Professional Registration Committee by
leading a lecture on one of the subjects listed below, then please contact me either by e-mail or at the
monthly AGS meetings. The lecture should be for one hour followed by a Q&A session. We need
different speakers for each workshop. Your volunteering to teach on one of these subjects is essential to
the success of the Professional Registration Committee – we need more widespread participation by the
AGS membership. Speakers can be compensated for expenses and will receive certificates to
acknowledge their participation.
The following content domains are covered in the Georgia Professional Geologist exams:
A. General Geology B. Mineralogy, Petrology, & Petrography
C. Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, & Paleontology D. Economic Geology & Energy Resources
E. Structure, Tectonics, & Seismology F. Hydrology & Environmental Geochemistry
G. Engineering Geology
H. Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology, & Surficial Processes
We do not "teach the test" our aim is to review fundamental concepts of the earth sciences and acquaint
candidates with industry specific information not easily obtainable from the literature. Please inform
anyone who might be interested in becoming a professional geologist of our workshop. Please consider
joining us even if you are not a P.G. candidate. The workshops are interesting and informative.
Ken Simonton, P.G., Chair
Professional Registration Committee www.atlantageologicalsociety.org
Geophysicists Discover Slippery Secret Of Weaker Underwater Earthquakes October 1, 2007 — Seismologists investigating undersea earthquakes have found that molten rock
lubricates faults. This decreases the amount of friction between sides of the fault and decreases the intensity of earthquakes. They also found that the fragmentation of fault lines along the seafloor contributes an earthquake-dampening effect. In December 2004, an underwater earthquake triggered a string of tsunamis along the Indian Ocean with devastating effects. Now, scientists have found ways nature is preventing some deep ocean earthquakes and save lives. Strong underwater earthquakes start off silent -- until their tsunami waves roar on shore, destroying property and lives. But now, geophysicists and oceanographers have found a break in studying sea floor faults. Faults aren't one continuous line. Instead, they are broken up into sections and the edges of the faults are full of cracks as the earth's crust on both sides of the fault slides past each other. "Large scale earthquakes don't occur on the sea faults," explains Patricia Gregg, graduate student from M.I.T. and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography in Woods Hole, Mass. Molten rock -- or magma -- from under-sea volcanoes lubricates the fault, reducing the amount of friction that could cause another earthquake. By analyzing data collected by sea vessels, they discovered volcanic activity may be weakening fault lines. The hot rock could be serving as a geological lubricant, making the fault line more malleable. Less friction means less of a quake. "So, the scale of the earthquake is smaller because the volcanism warms up the fault line and makes it more difficult to break rocks," Gregg says. http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/1007-underwater_earthquakes.htm
B.B. …and if you ask me, those fracking fluids just might be lubricating the subsurface, too.
Page 4 AGS FEBRUARY 2012
From the New York Times
Long-Term Global Forecast? Fewer Continents
Kiss the Mediterranean goodbye. Ditto the Red Sea and its wonderland of
coral reefs and exotic sea life. And prepare for the day when San Francisco has
a gritty new suburb: Los Angeles. Indeed, much of Southern California,
including the Baja Peninsula, will eventually migrate up the west coast to
make Alaska even more gargantuan.
Kiss the Mediterranean goodbye. Ditto the Red Sea and its wonderland of
coral reefs and exotic sea life. And prepare for the day when San Francisco has
a gritty new suburb: Los Angeles. Indeed, much of Southern California,
including the Baja Peninsula, will eventually migrate up the west coast to
make Alaska even more gargantuan. (Please follow the links to read the rest)
Scientists predict that in 25 million years,
The Gulf of California will widen into a
narrow seaway. Click on the image for
more predictions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/science/09geo.html
Follow the link to
Pangea Ultima
Dance of the Continents
AGS FEBRUARY 2012 Page 5
Now Showing in the Fernbank IMAX movie theater: (Check our website for special screenings)
Martinis & IMAX has resumed in January and there are two new IMAX movies, Born
to be Wild and The Greatest Places.
Membership Dues Payment Status:
Professional Student Corporate* Complimentary
2003 62 22 5 15
2004 81 3 8 15
2005 26 0 3 16
TOTAL 168 22 14 15
* 14 corporate sponsors with329 of 56
individual memberships in active use
Finances:
The AGS account balance is
growing as we receive new 2005
dues payments, advertising, and
sponsors.
Account Balance
as of January 10,
2005 - $ 8,017.69
UPCOMING EVENTS:
.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History Upcoming Public Programs and Events
(All programs require reservations, including free programs)
Homeschool Day Monday, March 5
Immerse your child in a hands-on learning adventure at Fernbank’s Homeschool Day.
Choose from three educator-led programs, designed for different grade levels: Fascinating Food
Webs, Fossil Investigations and Animal Adventures. You can also enjoy a chance to socialize
with other homeschool parents, experience the new special exhibition, Wildlife Rescue, or see
an IMAX® film (additional ticket).
WILD ABOUT: Nature Saturday, March 10 from 10am - 2pm
You’re invited to a celebration honoring the 1st anniversary of Fernbank NatureQuest. Join us for
a day of nature-themed activities. Cost: Included with Museum admission and free for members.
Wild About: Archaeology Saturday, March 24 from 10am - 2pm
Dig in for a day of family fun and discover how archaeology works through hands-on activities,
displays and demonstrations. Cost: Included with Museum admission and free for members.
Page 6 AGS FEBRUARY 2012
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
767 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, GA 404-929-6400
Special Exhibits On View: http://www.fernbankmuseum.org/explore-
exhibits/special-exhibitions
Wildlife Rescue
Through May 6, 2012
Immerse yourself in compelling stories of animal rescue from around the world.
Explore the efforts of everyday people who dedicate their lives to helping animals
survive. Fly in an ultralight plane to lead whooping cranes to their wintering
grounds. Discover how waterfowl are being saved from oil spills to how orphaned
elephant calves and baby orangutans are being raised and released back into the
wild. Join the rescue efforts and experience the innovative science supporting these
achievements.
Learn more.
Georgia Natural
Through April 29, 2012
Witness the natural beauty and diversity of Georgia’s landscapes in this of 35
framed photographs (a mix of black-and-white and color photos) by local artist
Diane Kirkland.
Learn more.
For tickets and details on exhibits, films, and events, please visit the website at
www.fernbankmuseum.org Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for the latest news
and updates! Please see the website for details about Martinis and IMAX on Friday
nights.
AGS FEBRUARY 2012 Page 7
AGS Committees
AGS Publications: Allison Keefer
Phone (404) 657-8642
Career Networking/Advertising: Todd Roach
Phone (770) 242-9040, Fax (770) 242-8388
Continuing Education: Currently Open
Fernbank Liaison: Chris Bean
Phone (404) 929-6313 [email protected]
Field Trips: Josh Jenkins
Phone (770) 421-3412
Georgia PG Registration: Ken Simonton
Phone: 404-825-3439
Teacher Grants: Bill Waggener
Phone (404)355-7377
Hospitality: Tom Watson
Phone (678) 358-6943
Newsletter Editor and Membership
Ben Bentkowski
Phone (404) 562-8507
Web Master : Kathaleen Bentkowski
www.atlantageologicalsociety.org
AGS 2011/2012 Meeting Dates
Listed below are the planned meeting dates for
2012. Please mark your calendar and make
plans to attend.
February 28 AGS – Scott Harris, see pg 1
March 27 AGS –TBA
March 31 PG Study Group - TBA
April 24 AGS –TBA
April 28 PG Study Group – TBA
May 29 AGS
June 26 AGS Annual Social
AGS Officers
President: Nils Thompson
Phone (678) 486-2766
Vice-President: Cassidy Evans
Phone (770) 492-8230
Secretary: Rob White
Phone (404) 463-0679
Treasurer: Stacey Durden-Phillips
Page 8 AGS FEBRUARY 2012
You can’t stop there as there are signs and video surveillance. Perhaps they are worried about jumpers
(or geologist wandering into traffic). But, if you take the first exit north of the river and go west, you are
on a county road that winds down to the river. You can cross over to the south side of the river over a
sturdy one lane bridge and work your way up the section. Passing under the bridge you will find
roadcuts on the left that look like the photo above.
These rocks are of the Lower Ordovician Camp Nelson Formation and are the oldest exposed rocks in
Kentucky. This area is on the southern end of the Cincinnati Arch and therefore has the most section
eroded off the top. There are some normal faults associated with the river and the southside is the
downthrown side making it older still. The lower rocks are shaley siltstone and muddy the day we were
there. There are small fossiliferous slabs with abundant brachiopods, as pictured above
(Rafinesquina, Platystrophia, and Hebertella) from the firmer upper layers. Didn’t see any trilobites but they
are reported to be present. It is a picturesque area and I had a chance to explain Bouma weathering
profiles to the engineer I was traveling with this trip. Again, I’m glad to have had the chance to stop by
and get a sample.
B. B., Keep on Rockin’
RECENT OBSERVATIONS
My travels have recently taken me to eastern
Kentucky up and back along I-75. I was very
nicely surprised to find that the Kentucky
Geological Survey has a publication No. 1505
Roadside geology along Interstate Highway
75 in Kentucky which is quite useful. We’ve
all looked at outcrop zooming along the
highway but here is a book that does a very
good job in helping out the traveling geologist.
I had an interest in stopping along the
Kentucky River about 15 miles south of
Lexington. I-75 goes over the Kentucky Gorge
and it is perhaps 150 to 200 feet to the river.
AGS FEBRUARY 2012 Page 9
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
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CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP $100 (Includes 4 professional members, please list names and emails below)
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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, Stacy Durden-Phillips, Treasurer,
1925 Vaughn Road NW, Suite 100, Kennesaw, GA 30144-4560.
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