School of Rock, operated by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, provides extraordinary opportunities for educators to experience deep sea drilling research firsthand.

Department of Geoscience

Joe’s talk, entitled “Neotectonics of the Greater Monterey Area, California,” discussed work that has been ongoing for years by Joe and colleagues mapping the geology of the Monterey area.

Abstract:

Clark, Joseph C. and Lewis I. Rosenberg

The greater Monterey area is situated within the complexly deformed Salinian block between the active San Andreas fault to the northeast and the active offshore San Gregorio fault to the southwest.

Field mapping and subsurface analyses reveal that faults of the offshore Monterey Bay zone continue onshore as the Seaside, Ord Terrace, and Chupines faults that extend southeastward to the Laguna Seca area. Late Pleistocene terrace deposits and Holocene colluvium are locally offset by thrust faults near Monterey and by through-going, near-vertical faults in Carmel and in Carmel Valley. Radiocarbon dating indicates movement along the Tularcitos fault within the past 7,780 years, along the Sylvan thrust within the past 4,890 years, and probable movement along the Hatton Canyon fault within the past 2,080 years.

The Garrapata fault to the south trends on land N 55° W, where it vertically offsets the lowest marine terrace by 1.7 m. Inland this fault locally juxtaposes along a near-vertical shear zone granitic rock with four colluvial units, the two youngest of which yield radiocarbon dates of 1,200+60 and 9,750+60 ybp, suggesting recurrence intervals on the order of thousands of years.

Although earthquake focal mechanisms are poorly constrained, they suggest right-lateral strike slip on northwest trending vertical faults. Field mapping, drill hole data, and focal mechanisms suggest that the shorter, discontinuous thrust faults splay off of the longer, through-going strike-slip faults.

Department of Geoscience

Outstanding Research Awards

Matthew Toland and Dan O'Hara

Best Presentation Award

John Kearney

Dean's Scholarship for Outstanding New Geoscience Student 2013

Savannah Irwin

Dean’s Scholarship for Early Career Geoscience Student 2013

Thomas Paronish

Department of Geoscience

The schedule includes talks by 13 students on subjects ranging from local stream water quality to craters on Mars. All are welcome to come for all or part of the student presentations.

Geoscience Day celebrations culminate with alumni guest speaker Scott McCallum (’00). Scott is currently a production geologist with EQT and will be speaking on the subject of “Regional Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretation of the Marcellus Shale.”

All presentations will take place in the IUP Planetarium, Weyandt Hall, room 134 and will run from 8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (full schedule)

Department of Geoscience

Each year, the Pittsburgh Geological Society, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh chapters of the Association of Engineering Geologists and the American Society of Civil Engineers, has sponsored a special meeting in Pittsburgh dedicated to student research in the earth sciences. This year, the meeting was attended by 95 earth science professionals and students from the tri-state area, a new record for attendance. This is the fifth year in a row that IUP geoscience students have presented their senior research projects at PGS.

Congratulations to Anthony and Matt!

Department of Geoscience

Dan will be working with Jian-Cheng Lee of the Earth System Science Program on active deformation in Southeast Taiwan. This work will be a natural extension of the research Dan has been doing with Jon Lewis on deformation offshore of Southeast Taiwan. Dan has been exploring the initial stages of arc-continent collistion by modeling earthquake data provided by Ruey-Juin Rau of the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan.

Department of Geoscience

The topic will be “The Late Heavy Bombardment,” talking about the large impact craters on the Moon and other planets. These large impact craters were thought to date from the beginning of the solar system, but a study of Apollo moon rocks revealed a surprise. Find out what it was, and the strange implications for the motions of the planets.

Following the show, weather permitting, there will be a telescope set up outside to look at the current stars and planets in the sky. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

Planetarium seating is first-come, first-seated; it is not feasible for us to take advanced reservations. If you want to bring a large group (i.e., 10 or more people), please contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited.

Department of Geoscience

Geoscience Participants (Awards):

• Aaron Blair: “Stream Remediation as an Essential Component to Healthy Watersheds”
• Aaron Brownley: “Unconventional Resources in the Appalachian Basin: Understanding the Utica Shale”
• Zachary Carr: “Total Dissolved Solids in Twolick Creek Watershed”
• James Harley: “Defining the Time Interval for the Formation of Pedestal Craters on Mars”
• John Kearney: “Refinement of Species Within the Lower Ordovician trilobite Genus Bellefontia”
• Kellie Kerner: “Sedimentological Analysis of the Black River Bay” (NSM Best Poster Award)
• Joy Kiefer: “Species Diversity of the trilobite Genus Paraplethopeltis in the Manitou Formation of Colorado and El Paso Group of New Mexico” (Sigma Xi Best Science Poster, Third Place)
• Erin McGowan: “GIS Analysis of Bathymetric Data and Accumulation Rates in Yellow Creek Lake”
• Nicole Dawn Mountain: “Investigating the Seasons” A New Method in Teaching Science”
• Daniel O’Hara: “Bootstraps and Planar Regression: An Algorithm to Identify Possible Faults Using Background Seismicity” (Sigma Xi Best Science Poster, Second Place)
• Adam Quinn: “Correlating Levels of Salt and Metal Contamination in the Beaver Run Reservoir to Hydraulic Fracturing of Nearby Marcellus Drill Site Locations”
• Matthew Toland: “Interpretation of Mass Transport Deposits on the East Scotian Rise, Eastern Canada”
• Anthony Vaiana: “Estimating the Amount of Total Organic Carbon in Devonian Shales of the Appalachian Basin Using Wireline Logs: A Case Study from Eastern Kentucky”
• W. David Watkins: “Small-Scale Folding Related to Detachment Tectonics - Northern Snake Range, NV”(NSM Best Poster Award)

Department of Geoscience

This event has women from throughout the college presenting their independent research projects in poster format. The women talked with others from across the college and university about their research methods and findings.

Geoscience Participants:

• Kellie Kerner: “Sedimentological Analysis of the Black River Bay”
• Joy Kiefer: “Species Diversity of the trilobite Genus Paraplethopeltis in the Manitou Formation of Colorado and El Paso Group of New Mexico”
• Erin McGowan: “GIS Analysis of Bathymetric Data and Accumulation Rates in Yellow Creek Lake”
• Katie Farnsworth: “Fluvial Line Source Delivery to the US West Coast Margin”

Dan has been very active in the Geoscience Department, acting as president of the Geological Society of IUP and working on independent research with Jon Lewis on the tectonics of Taiwan. His accomplishments include being selected to participate in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates Program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Summer 2011, being accepted to the McNair Scholars Program, receiving a scholarship from the NSF-funded S-COAM Program at IUP, and giving a talk at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco in December 2011.

Named for Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the Foundation supports the training of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 80 Rhodes Scholarships, 118 Marshall Awards, 110 Churchill Scholarships, and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

The focus of the conference was on education and outreach practices in communicating about Marcellus shale gas drilling and other polarizing issues. The Marcellus Shale will serve as a case study from which we can learn about energy education more broadly, including attention to the challenges of teaching the science of a controversial issue.

The conference was hosted by the Paleontological Research Institution and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marcellus Outreach Team and attended by a variety of educators from Pennsylvania and New York. More information about the conference and a list of resources for teaching and learning about Marcellus Shale and the broader energy system can be found at the Paleontological Research Institution website.

The publications cover a range of topics: mapping active faults in Costa Rica, understanding great earthquakes offshore SW Japan, and characterizing tectonic collision in western Taiwan.

The recent NSF award will support a new project in southern Taiwan.

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Cameron Baillie
• Megan Barlow
• Troy Berkey
• Sierra Davis
• James Harley
• Renee Heldman
• Savannah Irwin
• Melissa Jones
• John Kearney
• Kellie Kerner
• Jonathan King
• Christopher Kukic
• Joshua Master
• Erin McGowan
• Tyson Milbrand
• Nicole Dawn Mountain
• Daniel O’Hara
• Thomas Paronish
• Samantha Ritzer
• Zach Spangler
• Adam Steinbring
• Mike Stoehr
• Luke Tatarko
• Matt Toland
• Zach Tolbart
• David Watkins
• Jason Wolfe

The article can be read in full at the Penn website. More information about upcoming planetarium shows can be found on the Geoscience Department Planetarium website.

Department of Geoscience

The topic will be “Planets Way Out There,” talking about the several hundred planets that are now known to orbit other stars. How are they detected? What are they like, and are any like Earth?

Following the show, weather permitting, there will be a telescope set up outside to look at the current stars and planets in the sky. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.

Seating is first-come, first-seated; it is not feasible for us to take advanced reservations. If you want to bring a large group [i.e., 10 or more people], do contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited.

Lewis and alumna Ellen Lamont ’12 helped the research team conduct fieldwork and presented initial findings at several regional, national, and international meetings.

Taiwan is the result of a geologically young and continuing collision between the Luzon volcanic arc and the continental shelf of China. Among the enigmatic features of the collision are the curvature and abrupt southern termination of the Hsuehshan Range.

This research suggests a simple mechanism to account for these features: the collision has propagated over a relict fracture zone in the lower plate. The fracture zone was inherited from the opening of the South China Sea and its geometry provides a simple explanation for the presence of late-stage faults that are oblique to the trend of the mountain range and to mapped fault zones.

More detail may be found in the full abstract.

His report was based on research results stemming from the summer 2012 oceanographic expedition to the Line Island Ridge (central Pacific). This presentation was at the American Geophysical Union’s fall 2012 meeting, attended by more than 20,000 earth scientists from around the world.

Abstract

The central tropical Pacific is an ideal place to monitor changes in the Pacific Marine ITCZ, ENSO, and changes in equatorial productivity and upwelling. Previous work in Pleistocene and Holocene sediment in the Central Tropical Pacific has been hampered by carbonate dissolution and poor time resolution due to the depth of the sea floor at or below the carbonate compensation depth in this region. The Line Islands Ridge is a broad, relatively shallow feature spanning a latitude range of 0 to 10°N and topped in many areas with carbonate sediments.

During a cruise to this feature in May 2012 (MGL12-08), we surveyed selected areas of the ridge that appeared promising for collecting sediment cores using multibeam bathymetry/backscatter, 3.5 kHz single channel seismic reflection, and multi-channel seismic reflection surveys. Above 2,000 m water depth, the plateau is covered by mostly smooth sediments, cut by an occasional dendritic channel. In some places the sediments were as thick as 1.2 km, but volcanic features also protruded through the sediment surface. Evidence for strong current activity included the smooth surfaces, sediment waves, and large sediment drifts in the lee of volcanic features. Attempts to core these sediments suggested that these sediments are composed primarily of winnowed foraminifera sands.

The sediments below 2,000 m water are typically marked by erosion. The style of erosion varied, from gently stepping incised terraces near the equator to more mature looking dendritic channels further north. In general, the ridge tops between channels showed low backscatter on the multibeam suggesting recent sedimentation, and the sides and bottoms of the channels showed higher backscatter suggesting sandy/harder ground. Multi-channel seismic reflection surveys across the channels show them to be eroded into older sediment. Coring sites were chosen at water depths of 2,500–3,500 m on local highs or ridges in between the more deeply eroded channels. Multi-cores, gravity cores, and piston cores were collected. Sediments consist mainly of carbonate oozes dominated by foraminiferal and nanofosssil components.

The cores were analyzed on board with a multi-sensor track system. Regionally coherent signals in sediment density allow for stratigraphic correlation between core sites. Post-cruise oxygen isotope measurements on G. ruber foraminifera from selected cores indicate that most of the cores will provide suitable material for Late Quaternary paleoceanographic resconstructions. Sedimentation rates range from 3.5 cm per thousand years near the equator to 1.5 cm per thousand years at 6°N.

Department of Geoscience

A large portion of the funding will be used to develop a two-day summer workshop to further understanding of the rapidly growing shale gas industry among municipal stakeholders and community partners.

Faculty and regional industry representatives will use case study models to explain the tools, issues, and opportunities of Marcellus shale development and extraction in the area.

The schedule and more information on the workshop will be available soon.

His paper, titled "Small Scale Folding Related to Detachment Folding—Northern Snake River Range, NV" (abstract) is the result of research Watkins conducted last summer under the direction of Peter Hudleston at the University of Minnesota during a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, with supplemental funds provided by the IUP Geoscience Department and the Walt Granata Fund.  

The National Science Foundation anticipates awarding nearly $243 million in funding this year to highly qualified recipients in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This paper is part of ongoing work investigating the tectonic history of this region.

Abstract

Detailed analyses of cores from two drill sites landward of the Nankai trough provide constraints on the evolution of stress across the SW Japan subduction zone. Core-scale faults at Sites C0001 and C0002 suggest changing stress geometries that shed light on mechanical coupling across this plate boundary. Normal faults dominate the record of brittle strain in both the sedimentary cover and the upper accretionary prism, and these cut older shear zones and vein structures. Based on cross-cutting relations normal faults postdate thrust faults with the latter interpreted to be inactive. The normal faults, in contrast, are consistent with contemporary stress proxies such as borehole breakout and anelastic strain recovery data. Stress inversion for faults that are restored to original orientations using paleomagnetic data reveal that thrusting has accommodated trench sub-perpendicular shortening associated with interplate coupling. This phase of deformation is overprinted by normal faulting attributed to mechanical decoupling of the upper plate from the lower plate in response to the underplating of anomalously weak sediments between an out-of-sequence thrust and the décollement. These observations suggest that core-scale faults record a stress history that is, to date, not apparent from in-situ stress proxies such as borehole breakout data or anelastic strain recovery data. We conclude that the brittle faults provide a unique record of changing stress conditions that can be recognized only through coring.

• Dates: Monday, November 26–Friday, November 30
• Time: 900 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Joy Kiefer at J.J.Kiefer@iup.edu

Department of Geoscience

While on campus, Bangs will meet with students and faculty of the Geoscience Department and give two presentations. The first presentation will be geared for the general public, and the second will be more specialized and be part of the Geoscience Department Seminar Series.

Public Presentation

• “What Gives With Subduction Zone Megathrust Earthquakes?”
• Thursday November 15
• Sprowls Auditorium, IUP
• 7:00–8:00 p.m.
• All are welcome

Geoscience Seminar Presentation:

• “Deformation, Dewatering, and the Development of the Subduction Zone Megathrust”
• Friday November 16
• Walsh Hall, Rm. 104
• 12:15–1:15 p.m.
• All are welcome

This program was a great opportunity to learn about geology, biology, and climate change using sediment cores and data collected by deep sea drilling. The collaboration grew from the network of teachers and educators that attended shipboard experiences aboard the U.S. drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution when both Hovan and Lewis served as instructors for their School of Rock program.

“The Deep Earth Academy does an amazing job with giving students the experience of real scientific discovery,” said Hovan, “and we’re hoping to make this an annual visit.”

Commonwealth Connections Academy offers a cyber school program to students across Pennsylvania with this mobile classroom, a full-sized, 38-foot vehicle equipped with a satellite Internet capability, wireless Internet access, computers, digital media, interactive smartboards, microscopes, and all the equipment needed to conduct science labs and many other classroom activities.

Ken Coles, Geoscience faculty member and planetarium director, will present the program.

“Curiosity on Mars” will celebrate the successful Mars landing of the science lab Curiosity. Coles will discuss recent findings from Mars, known as the Red Planet, and other NASA missions.

If weather permits, telescopes will be set up outside the planetarium after the presentation.

The planetarium series is sponsored by the Department of Geoscience and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Giving the presentation will be geoscience faculty member Ken Coles. The program, in celebration of International Observe the Moon Night, will include discussion about findings from recent lunar missions and known plans for future missions. 

The program is free and open to the community. If weather permits, telescopes will be set up outside the planetarium after the presentation to observe the moon.

The planetarium series is sponsored by the IUP department of geoscience and the IUP College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Photo: Carolyn Kegler

The southern Central Mountain Rangeis characterized by relatively gentle landscapes seemingly perched within some of the highest mountains of Taiwan. Lewis and his students will focus on modeling earthquakes underneath this region to document how Earth's crust in this area might be deforming to accommodate these stranded landscapes.

The paper challenges the long-standing and widely accepted view that such mixed “siliciclastic-carbonate” cycles originated in the same way as cycles of similar size and age in pure limestone successions (without shale), which formed by progressive shallowing brought about either by falling sea level or accumulation of sediment upward toward the ocean’s surface over tens of thousands of years. The new model, which attributes the upward change from shale to limestone within a mixed cycle to a reduction in mud supplied to the ocean by rivers affected by rising sea level and/or climate change, is based on data collected over more than a decade by Taylor’s research group in Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Full Reference:

Myrow, P.M., Taylor, J.F., Runkel, A.C., and Ripperdan, R.L., 2012, Mixed siliciclastic-carbonate upward-deepening cycles of the upper Cambrian inner detrital belt of Laurentia: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 82, p. 216-231.  Abstract

Professor Gerber presented his work on “Modeling Seascape Evolution on Clastic Continental Slopes.”

MYRES is a community building effort for young Earth scientists that is centered on a biannual meeting. This year’s meeting addressed “The Sedimentary Record of Landscape Dynamics” and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Society for Sedimentary Geology.

This specialized professional association is responsible for examining science education programs across the country on behalf of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and making sure that all aspects of teacher preparation are being delivered effectively.

The Earth and Space Science Education accreditation effort was coordinated with the other natural science education programs at IUP under the leadership of Holly Travis, Biology, and with assistance from Mike Briggs, Chemistry; Ken Coles and Karen Rose Cercone, Geoscience; and Stan Sobelewski, Physics.

All four science education programs at IUP will now be listed as nationally recognized on websites and/or other publications of the NSTA and NCATE through the semester of IUP’s next institutional NCATE accreditation in five to seven years.

This show will celebrate International Observe the Moon Night, and discussion will include new findings from recent lunar missions as well as what future missions are planned. Weather permitting, telescopes will be set up outside following the show to observe the Moon.

The full schedule of shows offered by Coles in the IUP Planetarium will be up soon. All shows are free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Geoscience Department and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Rachael Austin
• Cameron Baillie
• Megan Barlow
• Caz Bejger
• Troy Berkey
• Patrick Boyle
• Sierra Davis
• Jules Dill
• Aleesandria Gonzalez
• James Harley
• Renee Heldman
• Alisha Johnson
• John Kearney
• Kellie Kerner
• Amanda Kirka
• Christopher Kukic
• Ellen Lamont
• Stephen Norair
• Daniel O'Hara
• Eric Peroli
• Samantha Ritzer
• Rebecca Smith
• Katie Snyder
• Zachary Spangler
• Nicole Steele
• Adam Steinbring
• Michael Stoehr
• Lucas Tatarko
• Matthew Toland
• William Watkins
• Matthew Wimer

The article is on submarine canyon evolution in the Northwest Mediterranean Sea and is titled, "The survival of a submarine canyon during long-term outbuilding of a continental margin."

The abstract and article can be found on the journal web site.

Full Citation:
Amblas, D., Gerber, T.P., De Mol, B., Urgeles, R., Garcia-Castellanos, D., Canals, M., Pratson, L.F., Robb, N., and Canning, J. 2012. The survival of a submarine canyon during long-term outbuilding of a continental margin. Geology, v.40(6), 543-546, doi:10.1130/G33178.1

Lewis will start work on May 20 on the island nation of Curacao, helping to lead a two-day onland and underwater field trip with Jon Snow of the University of Houston. From there the group sails to Bermuda as the ship prepares for a drilling expedition off the coast of Newfoundland.

A researcher with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Lewis will teach informal science educators who are developing a spectrum of education and outreach activities.

Follow Lewis and the School of Rock on the JOIDES Resolution web site.

The research presented by these students is independent work conducted under the guidance of a faculty member.

Awards:

• Dan O’Hara (Sigma Xi Research Award, first place)

• Renee Heldman (Sigma Xi Research Award, third place)
• Heather McGinnis (ECO Award for Sustainability)
• Ellen Lamont (Women in Science Best Poster Award, first place)

Geoscience Department

His presentation was during a session cosponsored by the Society of Sedimentary Geology: “Deciphering the Stratigraphic Record Through Measurements and Quantitative Analysis.”

Gerber’s work involved colleagues from the University of Minnesota and the Chevron Energy Technology Company, who sponsored the work.

Department of Geoscience

Immediately after the student talks, alumnus Steve Smith ’01, a geodetic earth scientist at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Virginia, will discuss his research on Alaskan volcanos in a talk entitled “Chronologic Multisensor Assessment for Mount Cleveland, Alaska, From 2000 To 2004 Focusing On the 2001 Eruption.”

Geoscience Day begins at 8:20 a.m. on April 27 in the Planetarium (Weyandt 134). The featured alumni presentation will run from 11:15 a.m. to noon in the same room. All are welcome to attend!

A student-sponsored banquet for students, faculty, and alumni will be held on the evening of April 27 at the Indiana Elks to honor the graduating seniors and hand out departmental awards for 2011–2012.

Dan has been very active in the Geoscience Department, acting as president of the Geological Society of IUP and working on independent research with Jon Lewis. This has resulted in his selection to participate in a summer research program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 2011, his acceptance into the McNair Scholars Program, and a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, a large international meeting.

Named for Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the Foundation supports the training of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.

The Pittsburgh Geological Society has selected Pat Boyle to present a talk on his senior research topic, “Basin-wide Synthesis of Thermal Maturation Indices of the Paleozoic Appalachian Basin.” Heather McGinnis has also been selected to present her senior research in a poster format, “Analysis of Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) impacts on Bear Run, Indiana County, PA, During Times of Abnormally High Precipitation in 2011.” Both students will present at the PGS Student Night event on April 18, 2012.

The PGS Student Night is a competitive local showcase for graduate and undergraduate students doing research in the earth sciences at Pitt, West Virginia, Kent State, and the University of Akron, as well as local PASSHE campuses such as IUP, Slippery Rock, and California University of Pennsylvania. Pat's selection as one of three featured speakers comes along with a cash award and complimentary membership in the Pittsburgh Geological Society.

Stemming from his work with the Ocean Drilling Program and its educational programs, Hovan will present the keynote address at NSTA’s Earth and Space Science Educators annual luncheon. His presentation, titled “Dust in the Wind—The Geological Record of Ancient Winds,” will summarize the important contributions that deep ocean sediments have made to our understanding of the global climate system. Later, he will participate with colleagues in a hands-on workshop about exploring Earth systems using ocean cores and geospatial technologies. Workshop participants will learn to use geospatial technologies and gigapixel image viewers in a scalable approach to investigate authentic Earth and ocean science data that they can incorporate into their classroom activities.

Department of Geoscience

The goal of the workshop was to prioritize pilot projects for informal educators to learn about the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) and to use the JOIDES Resolution as a platform for effective science education. The IODP, acknowledged as one of the most successful international research endeavors in history, strives to understand the subseafloor biosphere, including life in extreme environments; environmental change, including past ocean chemistry and past climates; and natural hazards, including Earth's biggest earthquakes and the tsunamis that they spawn.

Department of Geoscience

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The name is shared by a national civic-education program and publication of the Foreign Policy Association. The Great Decisions program highlights eight of the most thought-provoking foreign policy challenges facing Americans today which serves as the focal point for community discussion groups around the nation.

Department of Geoscience

Prior to his 2010 retirement, Cejka served as president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company and vice president of ExxonMobil Corporations. He brings more than 35 years of experience in geological exploration, development, and energy management.

His career as a geologist began in 1973 when he graduated from IUP with a B.S. in Geology, and it came full circle in 2005 when he was awarded an IUP Honorary Doctor of Science degree. His career with Exxon began in 1975 as an exploration geophysicist working offshore California. Later, he was promoted to geological and geophysical manager of the Gulf of Mexico. He then moved on to positions in strategic planning and as advisor to the upstream director for Exxon Corporation.

In 1993, when Exxon created the Exxon Ventures Company, he became the vice president of Exploration and traveled extensively in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. After the merger of Exxon and Mobil, he became vice president for the Caspian/Middle East Region for ExxonMobil Exploration Company.

In 2001, Cejka assumed the position of executive vice president for ExxonMobil Exploration with responsibilities for exploration and geosciences in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and the Caspian Region. He was named president, ExxonMobil Exploration Company, in May 2004.

Cejka is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, a member of the Baker Institute Energy Forum Advisory Board, a member of the Bilateral U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board, and a member of the University of Houston Energy Advisory Board.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cejka is married with two daughters. His wife, Debra, is also an IUP graduate (’73), holding a degree in English Education.

Department of Geoscience

The session has over 40 presenters from around the world discussing their ongoing research investigating the interactions between freshwater river systems and the saltwater ocean discharge into.

The Ocean Sciences meeting, with more than 4,000 attendees, is held every two years and is a joint meeting of the Oceanography Society, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and the American Geophysical Union.

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Rachael Austin
• Megan Barlow
• Caz Bejger
• Troy Berkey
• Patrick Boyle
• Sierra Davis
• Nicole Glackin
• Renee Heldman
• Elizabeth Hoffmann
• John Kearney
• Kellie Kerner
• Joy Kiefer
• Christopher Kukic
• Matthew Magill
• Tyson Milbrand
• Nicole Dawn Mountain
• Stephen Norair
• Thomas Paronish
• Alexander Patterson
• Samantha Ritzer
• Michael  Russo
• Rebecca Smith
• Zachary Spangler
• Katie Snyder
• Matthew Toland
• Zachary Tolbart
• William Watkins
• Matthew Wimer

The Penguin Bowl is the regional competition of the annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Many thanks to these students for volunteering their time.

From the Geoscience Department:

• Liz Hoffmann

• Joy Kiefer
• Nicole Dawn Mountain
• Zach Spangler

From the Art Department:

• Naomi Hoffmann

From the Biology Department:

• George Tickerhoof III

From the Physics Department:

• Caleb Newcome

O’Hara’s research reveals that the sea floor southeast of Taiwan is broken into a long sliver that has been moving to the south. The sliver is bound by large active fault zones, and O’Hara’s work suggests that one is connected to a major fault zone that traverses over 150 kilometers of the east coast pf Taiwan.

The results also appear to further our understanding of why the landscape of eastern Taiwan is dominated by extraordinarily linear topographic features.

It’s rare for an undergraduate student to present at such a prestigious meeting, and O’Hara’s work was well received by scientists working on similar questions.

O’Hara’s travel was supported by awards from AGU and the dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Geoscience Department, and McNair Scholars Program at IUP. His research is expected to be published in the coming year.

Along with colleagues from Dartmouth College and Virginia Tech, Dr. Poage studies soil chemistry variation in the Antarctic Dry Valleys and its effects on soil ecosystems, as well as the distribution and cycling of soil phosphorus.  This field season will involve continuing research on soil phosphorus and initiation of new field projects designed to understand the impacts of climate change on soil ecosystems in the Dry Valleys.

The Geological Society of IUP is a student organization that brings together students interested in the geosciences to build community. The group arrange geology-related trips, partakes in annual fundraisers and social events, and hosts outreach programs.

The results of the 2012 election are as follows:

• President: Dan O’Hara
• Vice President: John Kearney
• Secretary: Rachel Austin
• Treasurer: Joy Kiefer

Department of Geoscience

Although Hovan could not attend in person, he “Skyped” into the workshop presentation to serve with a panel of teachers discussing their sea-going experience aboard the drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution last fall. IUP Geoscience alumna Heather Renyck (B.S. ’99) helped facilitate the workshop, and currently teaches high school to students in New York.

Dr. Poage, along with Ross Virginia and Kelsey Johnson, colleagues from Dartmouth College, presented work entitled “Relationships Between Soil Geochemistry and Nematode Habitat Suitability, Taylor Valley, Antarctica.”

The full abstract can be found at the GSA website.

This workshop is sponsored by the Mathematics Department and the S-COAM program and is open to all, but there are limited seats, so reservations must be made by e-mailing Dr. Yu-Ju Kuo.

Details:

• Thursday November 3, 2011
• Stabley Library, room 201
• 7:15–8:45 p.m.
• Reserve your seat by contacting Dr. Yu-Ju Kuo at yjkuo@iup.edu.

Dan was selected to give a talk on his research, an extraordinary opportunity for an undergraduate student that reflects the high quality and compelling nature of Dan’s research. Dan will travel with his faculty collaborator, Dr. Jon Lewis, and fellow Geoscience student Ellen Lamont (’12).

This meeting serves as a focal point for cutting-edge science in fields as far ranging as seismology, planetary evolution, space weather, and paleoclimatology. Attendance at the meeting approaches 20,000, drawn from a truly international community.

Dan’s travel will also be supported by generous contributions from the Department of Geoscience, the School of Graduate Studies and Research, and the dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

IUP Geoscience faculty member Dr. Steve Hovan and alumnus Ms. Heather Renyck (B.S., B.S.Ed.’99) met with a team of educators aboard the U.S. scientific drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution for a workshop to develop future education programs for the U.S. Ocean Drilling Program’s School of Rock.

The School of Rock is an intensive training program for formal and informal educators to learn about ocean sediments and how they are used to learn about the fundamental geological processes in Earth’s history. Each year since 2006, a School of Rock has been held at sea aboard the drilling ship or at the main U.S. repository for ocean sediment cores at Texas A&M University. Educators are able to examine cores (columns of rock and sediment collected by the drilling ship) to learn about important topics in marine geology such as global climate change, plate tectonics, and earthquake hazards. Educators then develop and share curricular materials about these processes to help others learn about them, too.

The drilling ship is currently located in Caracas Bay, Curacao, until it departs for its next research expedition in September, but it served as an ideal place to hold the workshop, sponsored by Ocean Leadership, Inc. Participants collected assessment data and ideas from each of their cohorts in order to plan for future educational initiatives using the drilling ship.

The JOIDES Resolution is the only American ship dedicated solely to scientific ocean drilling. The research conducted on this ship and its predecessor, the Glomar Challenger, have greatly increased our knowledge of plate tectonics, sea floor spreading, ocean groundwater, and ancient climate and ocean conditions, to name just a few topics.

The JOIDES Resolution is fitted with a drilling derrick that rises 205 feet above the water line, making it easy to find when it is in port. The derrick can suspend drill pipe down 27,000 feet (about six miles!) below the ocean surface and find a predetermined drill site with amazing precision even while being pulled by strong ocean currents and knocked around by waves.

The Geoscience Department welcomes new faculty member Dr. Thomas P. Gerber.  Dr. Gerber brings with him considerable expertise and experience in understanding the development of hydrocarbon reservoirs.

His addition to the faculty greatly strengthens efforts to offer students research and classroom training associated with the local Marcellus Shale Gas industry.

Prior to his arrival on campus, Dr. Gerber completed his doctoral studies at Duke University in 2007, then joined a team of experts at Chevron Oil Company in Houston, Texas, where he helped develop models to better explain offshore oil deposit formation. Most recently, Dr. Gerber was teaching in the Department of Geology at SUNY Buffalo before we lured him to IUP, where he will play a key role in developing our new degree program in Energy Resources. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Gerber, his wife Lisa, and their son Wesley.

This course challenges the students to apply what they have learned in the classroom and laboratory setting to solving geological problems in the field. They learn important field skills that lead to the construction of a geologic map of the region they were studying. All Geology, Environmental Geology, and Energy Geology students are required to take a field methods course.

Pictured above are students Kellie Kerner, Mike Russo, Tyson Milbrand, and Josh Putt in the Little Molas Lake area of Colorado.

Full Citation:

W.G. Ernst, Uwe C. Martens, R.J. McLaughlin, J.C. Clark, and Diane E. Moore, Zircon U-Pb age of the Pescadero felsite: A Late Cretaceous igneous event in the forearc, west-central California Coast Ranges, Geological Society of America Bulletin, July 2011, v. 123, p. 1497-1512, first published on February 11, 2011, doi:10.1130/B30270.1.  Abstract 

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Corey Alukonis
• Rachael Austin
• Caz Bejger
• Cameron Baillie
• Matthew Harding
• Corey Fisher
• John Kearney
• Joy Kiefer
• Matthew Krafick
• Daniel O’Hara
• Thomas Paronish
• Alexander Patterson
• Daniel Romanelli
• Daniel Saftner
• Angela Saxon
• Kelsey Sevin
• Michael Stoehr
• Brandon Strittmatter
• Matthew Toland
• David Watkins
• Jason Wolfe

Joy Kiefer and Daniel O’Hara were selected to receive the special Dean’s Opportunity Scholarship for their deserving academic record and scholarly pursuits.

You may find out more information about scholarship opportunities at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics student scholarship page.

The workshop, titled “Early Career Geoscience Faculty: Teaching, Research, and Managing Your Career,” is one of the Cutting Edge workshops aimed at effective teaching and professional development.

It was attended by forty-two junior faculty members from Geoscience and related departments from across the country, including community colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, and research institutions.

Each day, the attendees participated in sessions that addressed specific aspects of their careers—effective teaching, incorporating writing in the classroom, getting their research started, securing extramural funding, and including undergraduates in their research.

For more information on this and other Cutting Edge workshops, including a vast archive of teaching resources, please visit the Cutting Edge website.

The show will be Thursday, May 12, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. in the IUP Planetarium.

We’ve all been hearing doomsayers claim that ancient calendars indicate an end to the world in December 2012. While we all know to be skeptical of such claims, a look at what the original ideas say (and don’t say) gives insight into astronomy and human nature. Weather permitting, we’ll set up a telescope outside afterward.

The planetarium is located on the first floor of Weyandt Hall. Seating is limited; doors will open fifteen minutes before each show.

Groups that wish to attend are asked to call in advance.

For more information, call 724-357-5626 or 724-357-2379.

Student presentations of their independent research projects start at 9:00 a.m. and are followed by Keith Rittle (IUP ’91) presenting the keynote address at 10:30 a.m.

• Where: IUP, Weyandt Hall Planetarium
• When: April 29, 2011, 9:00–11:45 a.m.

Student Presentations

• 9:05 a.m.—Matthew R. Harding: “Vein Structures and Faults in Core Samples from NantroSeize Expedition 315, Sites C0001 and C0002”
• 9:20 a.m.—Anthony J. LeDonne: “Fracture Orientations in Devonian Marcellus Shale Outcrops in the Valley and Ridge Province Adjacent to the Allegheny Front”
• 9:35 a.m.—Daniel M. Saftner: “Eolian Deposition Patterns in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean and the Paleo-Climate of the Late Cenozoic”
• 9:50 a.m.—Mark R. Smith: “Petrographic Characterization of Deformation Mechanisms and Kinematics in Post-Cleavage Faults Accommodating Differential Uplift of the Hsuehshan Range: Taiwan”

Keynote Speaker

• 10:30 a.m.—Keith A. Rittle (IUP ’91), Trihydro Corporation: “An Overview of the Vapor Intrusion Pathway at Environmental Sites”

All are welcome to attend.

Dr. Hovan met with the team of nearly seventy-five scientists from twenty-three different countries, who were part of two recent ocean expeditions in the equatorial Pacific, to share information about their studies.

This meeting was designed to strengthen international collaborations and develop insight about global climate systems and how they’ve evolved over long periods of time. Hovan and his co-author, Geoscience student Dan Saftner, are trying to identify ancient wind systems and better understand how they might influence and/or respond to major changes in Earth’s climate.

The VIMS internship program is a highly selective summer program that pairs undergraduate students with marine scientists. Students work closely with these mentors on an individual research project focusing on their area of interest (fisheries science, toxicology, ecology, physical oceanography, or geology).

O’Hara will be working closely with Dr. Tara Kniskern and Dr. Courtney Harris on three-dimensional sediment transport modeling on continental shelves.

Dr. Katie Farnsworth, Department of Geoscience, has coauthored a book on the fluvial discharge of water, sediment, and dissolved solids to the ocean.

Published by Cambridge University Press, River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean: A Global Synthesis, by John Milliman and Katie Farnsworth, contains the world’s largest database on rivers entering the ocean and includes detailed analyses on the controls of this discharge from both natural and anthropogenic activities.

The meeting, in Pittsburgh this year, attracts geologists from around the region to present their research on a variety of geological topics.

Senior Ellen Lamont was selected to give an oral presentation, while the remainder were selected to present posters.

Links to Abstracts

• Matthew Harding and J. Lewis, "Vein Structures and Faults in Core Samples from NantroSeize Expedition 315, Sites C0001 and C0002" (abstract)
• Ellen Lamont, et al., "Transient Upper Crustal/Kinematic Compatibility Structure Illuminated by the Chi Chi Earthquake: Results from Strain Inversions in the Luliao Region, Taiwan" (abstract)
• Anthony LeDonne and J. Lewis, "Fracture Orientations and Gamma Counts in Devonian Marcellus Shale Outcrops in the Valley and Ridge Province Adjacent to the Allegheny Front" (abstract)
• Heather McGinnis, et al., "Temporal Analyses of Abandoned Mine Drainage Effects on Bear Run, Indiana County, PA" (abstract)
• Daniel O'Hara, et al., "Strain Partitioning Offshore Southeast Taiwan: Evidence from Focal Mechanism Strain Inversions Near the Huatung Ridge" (abstract)
• Dan Saftner, "Eolian Deposition Patterns in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean and the Paleoclimate of the Late Cenozoic" (abstract)
• Mark Smith, et al., "Petrographic Characterization of Deformation Mechanisms and Kinematics in Post-Cleavage Faults Accommodating Differential Uplift of the Hsuehshan Range, Taiwan" (abstract)

IUP faculty experts will explain the scientific elements of this catastrophic event and answer questions.

Dr. Jon Lewis of the Geoscience Department will lead off with “The Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011: A Great Earthquake Primer for the IUP Community.” Dr. Lewis studies the seismicity of subduction zones and has done field work and ocean drilling near the site of the recent earthquake.

Dr. Katie Farnsworth of the Geoscience Department will follow up with a summary of what tsunamis are and how coastal topography shapes their impact. Dr. Farnsworth is the author of a recently-published book about the interaction of rivers and coasts around the world.

Dr. V.J. Wijekumar of the Physics Department will tell us how Japan’s nuclear reactors work and what a core melt-down really means for the region. Dr. Wijekumar is an expert in experimental nuclear physics and has done research at IUP in nuclear physics, radiation safety, and weapons of mass destruction.

Other IUP faculty members have been invited to join the forum and may also give presentations about the disaster. All presentations will be short (15–20 minutes), allowing plenty of time for questions and panel discussion afterward.

Attendance vouchers will be provided for students so this event can be assigned as a class activity.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Dr. Karen Rose Cercone at 412-373-1334 or kcercone@iup.edu.

Few universities in the U.S. have a course emphasizing the history of space flight and possible future directions for space exploration. Coles created GEOS 254, Human Exploration of Space, in 2008. Students who may know little beyond the year America landed on the moon learn about the US-USSR space race, past robotic missions, and how priorities for future missions are set and carried out.

The scientists and administrators who attend the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference are leaders in space exploration, but many do not have the opportunity to share what they know with non-scientists. Coles hopes both for "feedback on how I present the work they have done and a chance ask them what else I should present in this course."

The show will be Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. in the IUP Planetarium.

NASA’s Messenger spacecraft was launched in 2004 and has swung past Mercury three times. This month, the Messenger spacecraft will go into orbit around Mercury and image the entire planet. What surprises will it find? Learn what we do—and don’t—know about the closest planet to the Sun.

Another public planetarium show, on Thursday, May 12, will consider the predictions of doom in 2012.

The planetarium is located on the first floor of Weyandt Hall. Seating is limited; doors will open fifteen minutes before each show.

Groups that wish to attend are asked to call in advance.

For more information, call 724-357-5626 or 724-357-2379.

Abstract:

The accumulation of wind blown (eolian) dust in deep-sea sediments reflects the aridity/humidity conditions of the continental region supplying the dust, as well as the “gustiness” of the climate system. Detailed studies of Pleistocene glacial-interglacial dust fluxes suggest changes in accumulation rates corresponding to orbital variations in solar insolation (Milankovitch cycles). While the orbital cycles found in sedimentary archives of the Pleistocene are intricately related to glacial growth and decay, similar global orbital signals recognized in deep-sea sediments of early Paleogene age, the last major greenhouse interval, 65–45 million years ago, could not have been linked to the waxing and waning of large ice sheets. Thus, orbital signals recorded in early Paleogene sediments must reflect some other climate response to changes in solar insolation.

To explore the potential connection between orbital forcing and the climate processes that control dust accumulation, we generated a high-resolution dust record for ∼58 Myr old sediments from Shatsky Rise (ODP Site 1209, paleolatitude ∼15°N–20°N). The dust accumulation data provide the first evidence of a correlation between dust flux to the deep sea and orbital cyclicity during the early Paleogene, indicating dust supply responded to insolation forcing during the last major interval of greenhouse climate. Furthermore, the relative amplitude of the dust flux response during the early Paleogene greenhouse was comparable to that during icehouse climates. Thus, subtle variations in solar insolation driven by changes in Earth’s orbit about the Sun may have had a similar impact on climate during intervals of overall warmth as they did during glacial-interglacial states.

Complete citation:

Woodard, S. C., D. J. Thomas, S. Hovan, U. Röhl, and T. Westerhold (2011), Evidence for orbital forcing of dust accumulation during the early Paleogene greenhouse, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 12, Q02007, doi:10.1029/2010GC003394.

• Ellen Lamont, recipient of the Wienken and Associates Scholarship for an outstanding science major
• Renee Heldman, recipient of the Patricia Hilliard-Robertson Scholarship for an outstanding female science major
• Nicole Mountain, recipient of a special Dean’s Opportunity Scholarship for her deserving academic record and scholarly pursuits

You may find out more information about scholarship opportunities at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics student scholarship page.

Dr. Michael Poage, of the Department of Geoscience, recently returned from his sixth field season in Antarctica conducting research on soils in the Dry Valleys region.

Dr. Poage has worked in Antarctica with the McMurdo-Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program since 2003, collaborating with faculty from Dartmouth College and Virginia Tech. His work is broadly focused on geochemistry and nutrient availability in soils of the Dry Valleys.

At right: Dr. Michael Poage taking a break from fieldwork on a sunny day in the Dry Valleys Region of Antarctica

This season focused specifically on understanding the spatial distribution of soil phosphorous and the delivery and availability of phosphorus to the soil, stream, and lake ecosystems.

He is currently on sabbatical at Dartmouth, working with Dr. Ross Virginia and Ph.D. candidate Jennifer Bailard analyzing samples collected during their six-week trip.

Below: Remote field camp in the Dry Valleys Region of Antarctica

All seminars are in Walsh Hall, Room 104, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

Abstract

South-central Alaska, including Denali National Park, was shaped by a dynamic tectonic history that included terrane collision and unique episodes of volcanism during early Cenozoic time. Field observations show that volcanic systems ranged from complex composite volcanoes to small lava plateaus fed by fissures. One composite volcano complex formed the Paleocene Cantwell volcanic rocks that are preserved within Denali National Park. Cantwell volcanic activity included pyroclastic eruptions, the outpouring of lavas, and catastrophic debris avalanches analogous to those that formed during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The Cantwell volcanics filled a basin that formed by north-south shortening during Late Cretaceous terrane accretion. The Cantwell volcanics were subsequently deformed along the Denali fault system, a major strike-slip fault in southern Alaska that remains active today. Field relationships, radiometric ages, and geochemical data show that the Cantwell volcanics correlate across the Denali fault with granitic plutons that form the high peaks of the Alaska Range (including Mount Denali, the tallest peak in North America).

More regionally, radiometric ages and geochemical data for Cenozoic volcanic and plutonic rocks across south-central Alaska show that these igneous rocks did not form as part of a “typical” continental margin arc system. Instead they were formed during mantle emplacement and high heat flow following spreading ridge subduction and/or slab break off upon terrane accretion. While economic mineral deposits of southern Alaska are associated with Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic igneous rocks, there is a lack of basic understanding of the origin and geologic context of the host magmatic systems. This ongoing research will provide a geologic framework for magmatism that can be applied to better understand the plate kinematics that shaped southern Alaska and better predict the origin and distribution of mineral deposits.

• Patrick Boyle, Geology
• Renee Heldman, Earth and Space Science Education and Environmental Geology
• Joy Kiefer, Earth and Space Science Education
• Christopher Kukic, Earth and Space Science Education
• Erin McGowan, Geology

Further information can be found in the full news announcement of the 2010–2011 IUP Provost Scholars.

On the evening of Monday, December 20, the moon will pass through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. Come to the show on the night of the 15th to find out what you’ll see (weather permitting!) and why, as well as other objects in the current night sky.

The IUP Planetarium is located in Weyandt Hall. Shows are first-come, first-seated, and it is not feasible for us to take advance reservations.

If you would like to bring a large group (ten or more people), please contact us so we can discuss how to accomodate you, as seating is limited: 724-357-5626 or kcoles@iup.edu.

Ellen is working with Dr. Jon Lewis on an NSF-funded project that aims to understand active crustal strain in the central Taiwan mountain belt. This is an area where the Luzon volcanic arc is colliding with what used to be the continental shelf of China. Ellen’s work sheds light on how the youngest part of the westward propagating mountain belt mechanically links to the older, more mature part of the collision.

Abstract:

Transient Upper Crustal Tear Illuminated by the Chi Chi Earthquake: Results from Strain Inversions in the Luliao Region, Taiwan 
E. A. Lamont¹; J. Lewis¹; T. B. Byrne²; J. M. Crespi²; R. Rau³ 
1. Geoscience, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, United States.
2. Geoscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
3. Earth Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Modeling of earthquake focal mechanisms and coseismic GPS data from an area at the southern tip of the 1999 Chi Chi rupture suggests the existence of an evolving upper plate tear. The earthquakes occur in what we refer to as the Luliao seismic zone and define a steeply northeast-dipping tabular volume that extends from the surface to approximately 11 km. We find that the focal mechanisms from the six-month period following the 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake yield best-fitting strain tensors that suggest the dominance of strike-slip faulting. Our strain inversions, using a micropolar continuum model, reveal orogen-perpendicular (NW-SE) minimum stretching (i.e., shortening) and orogen-parallel (NE-SW) maximum stretching. Additionally, our inversions indicate plane strain with positive, non-zero relative vorticity values, suggestive of counter-clockwise (map view) block rotations. Published coseismic GPS data provide additional evidence that this tabular volume of crust is the locus of strike-slip faulting accompanied by block rotation. Preliminary 2D strain inversions for GPS stations that span the inverted focal mechanisms reveal negative (counterclockwise) rotation values and principal strain axes that are generally consistent with our focal mechanism inversions. We interpret our findings to reflect an accommodation zone that is activated by differential westward expansion of the foreland fold and thrust belt. In particular, this zone separates an area of greater westward propagation near Taichung from an area of lesser propagation to the south near Chiayi. Differential expansion of the orogen appears to be influenced by an eastward pointing, lower-plate promontory south of the Sanyi-Puli seismic zone. Unlike the Luliao events, the Sanyi-Puli seismic zone extends from the near surface to approximately 30 km and we have interpreted it as a reactivated continental margin fracture zone inherited from South China Sea rifting. The lower-plate promontory is coincident with the widest and most distal portion of the Taiwan foreland fold and thrust belt as defined by the westward curving traces of the Changhwa and Chelungpu faults. The Luliao seismic zone lies to the south of the promontory and links the southern tip of the Chi Chi rupture with the area where the Hsuehshan slate belt pinches out southward against the Backbone Range. These relations coupled with our inverse models suggest that lower plate architecture plays a role in exhumation patterns and the evolution of this upper plate accommodation zone.

All seminars are in Walsh Hall, room 104, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

Abstract

The Beacon sill, a 150m-thick diabase intrusion, is part of the Early Jurassic Ferrar group. Ferrar magmas were emplaced ~180 million years ago during the breakup of Gondwana, extend across Antarctica to SE Australia and Tasmania, and are synchronous with the Karoo flood basalts in southern Africa. Ferrar intrusions are exposed throughout the Transantarctic Mountains, particularly in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. While the lower sills frequently contain a central layered sequence, the upper sills (including the Beacon sill) are crushingly uniform on a field and macroscopic scale. This monotonous homogeneity, which is a common attribute of diabase sills, unfortunately relegates them to second-class status among igneous intrusions.

Because of their simple geometry, however, sills can be extremely valuable natural laboratories for the study of magmatic differentiation, or chemical evolution during cooling and solidification. Vertical sections through sills often illustrate the effects of crystal settling (e.g., the Palisades sill) or the assimilation of wall rock (typically concentrated near the contacts). In the Beacon sill, there is no mineralogical or chemical evidence to suggest that either crystal settling or wall-rock assimilation played significant roles. Rather, the dominant differentiation process involved in the post emplacement evolution of the Beacon sill was compaction-driven redistribution of slightly evolved interstitial liquid. Of special interest is the segmentation of the compaction-generated geochemical profiles. This chemical segmentation, together with textural irregularities, suggests that emplacement of this sill consisted of at least four injections of magma over a time span of approximately one hundred years.

Lacking large-scale geochemical or mineralogical variations due to modal layering, the Beacon sill provides an opportunity to examine the fundamental processes that occur during magmatic intrusion, processes that may be obscured in more exotic layered bodies. Ongoing work with SRU undergraduates is attempting to clarify the extent to which multiple injection and compaction play a role in the development of other sills. In particular, we are examining a continuous drill core through a 1.1 Ga Nipigon sill in Ontario. It is hoped that this study will provide additional insight into the range of igneous processes that occur in this sadly neglected class of intrusions.

The Division of Planetary Sciences of the AAS has organized a new effort in education and public outreach. Activities will include providing resources for astronomers visiting school classrooms, developing a clearinghouse of information on graduate education in astronomy, and coordinating activities to support the NASA Year of the Solar System program.

Students from the Planetary Geology course (GEOS 341) visited the Wagman Observatory near Russellton and the Mingo Park Observatory near Finleyville in September 2010. Students in this class are majors in Earth and Space Science Education and/or other science majors.

The observatories, operated by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, contain telescopes ranging from a 24-inch research-grade reflector to a historic 11-inch refractor originally commissioned by Andrew Carnegie.

The students enjoyed views of Jupiter, the Moon, galaxies, and other deep space objects as part of their coursework.

Powell’s talk is entitled “The Peak of the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient in Living and Fossil Marine Biotas.”

Abstract:

The latitudinal diversity gradient is the fundamental spatial distribution of living species, and, although data are somewhat limited, a gradient seems to have been present continuously throughout the Phanerozoic Eon as well. Data for several higher taxa, including brachiopods, bivalves, crinoids, and corals, show that peak diversity tracked the region of greatest continental shelf area as it shifted through time. This may indicate either that the present-day gradient, which is commonly assumed to peak at the equator, is an ephemeral feature of the biota that does not represent normative diversity dynamics, or it may indicate a substantial geographic bias in the fossil data.

We find that peak biodiversity of living organisms currently occurs between 10-20°N, even after correcting for a Northern hemisphere sampling bias. Moreover, this peak position is a global phenomenon: it is found across habitats, higher taxa, ecological groups, and evolutionary faunas and within all sampled ocean basins and on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

These results, first, suggest that the fossil record is not geographically biased, and, second, indicate that the position of peak marine diversity at 10-20°N should be considered a fundamental feature of the present-day latitudinal diversity gradient and factor into hypotheses of the gradient's origin.

More than 200 geologists attended the symposium on September 23. “Tectonics of the Susquehanna Piedmont” set the stage for the two-day field conference that followed on September 24–25, where participants visited numerous natural rock exposures and several quarries in southeastern Pennsylvania. The geologists were taken to these locations as they provided data that resulted in dramatic revisions to depositional and tectonic models for Cambrian rocks in this part of the Appalachians.

Taylor's presentation focused on improved time-control (age-dating) and refined correlations of limestones in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Newfoundland made possible by recovery of fossil assemblages from these areas.

Attendees of the symposium and field conference earned 75 percent of the continuing education credits required for renewal of their professional geologist certifications by Fall 2011. More importantly, they left with greater insight regarding the areal distribution of specific packages of limestone of considerable importance either as a valuable resource for recovery, or as problematic units prone to the development of sinkholes.

Lewis, and two other AGU colleagues from Pennsylvania, met with staff members in the offices of Senators Specter and Casey and later with staff members in the offices of Representatives Fattah and Doyle. They were also able to meet directly with Representative Altmire.

These meetings allowed Lewis to inform our public representatives about his current research and to discuss the state of Earth and Space Science research in the United States.

The sixty-minute live video conference will enable participants to find out about the current research expedition to the Cascadia Margin off the coast of British Columbia, as well as careers in the ocean sciences and life at sea. This video conference is coordinated by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's (IODP) Deep Earth Academy and the Geoscience Department at IUP.

This event will take place in Beard Auditorium, Stouffer Hall, on the IUP Campus on Thursday, September 16, at 7:00 p.m.

For more information, contact the Geoscience Department at 724-357-2379 or Katie Farnsworth kfarns@iup.edu.

All shows are put on by Dr. Ken Coles, Department of Geoscience, and are free and open to the public.

The IUP Planetarium is located in Weyandt Hall. Shows are first-come, first-seated, and it is not feasible for us to take advanced reservations.

If you would like to bring a large group (ten or more people), please contact us so we can discuss how to accomodate you, as seating is limited: 724-357-5626 or kcoles@iup.edu.

They will discuss the results of their summer work and a look into what energy interns do at EXCO on Friday, September 10, at 12:20 p.m. This presentation is part of the ongoing Geoscience Brown Bag Seminar Series.

More information about this and other events can be found on the Geoscience Department calendar.

The scientific purpose of the expedition is to install a new subseafloor observatory (ACORK) at Site 889 (see map below) that will mon­itor pressure at different depths in the ocean floor over time. The information recorded will be used to study a broad range of objectives and help us better understand gas hydrate formation in a region where sediments are being deposited at a convergent plate boundary.

At a later date, submersibles will be used to deploy additional instruments, such as sensors that record sea­floor and formation pressure, and downhole instruments that measure temperature, tilt, and seismic ground mo­tion. These will be connected to a fiber-optic cable for power and real-time communications from land.

Dr. Hovan will be serving as a guest instructor for the Deep Earth Academy “School of Rock” program. This year's School of Rock will bring together a diverse group of informal educators guiding the students through their own exploration of cores, CORKS, and logging data from the Cascadia region and beyond. Using the high-tech laboratories on board and their own observational and problem-solving skills, they will be challenged to integrate diverse sets of data from deep in the ocean floor to recreate the geology and history of the Earth. Much of their experience will also involve developing programs and products that focus on their experience, the JOIDES Resolution, and scientific ocean drilling.

This chapter reviews and presents new research describing patterns of soil geochemistry and hydrology in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, as well as possible mechanisms behind their formation. The authors briefly assess similarities and differences in the Dry Valley and Martian soil environments, and describe the contemporary and paleo-influences of surface water on soil geochemistry and distribution and activity of soil biota. They show that spatial variation in surface soil chemistry of the dry valleys can be used to interpret landscape history, and to provide context for the potential interpretation of ancient water bodies on Mars and their role in shaping the current extant landforms and surface geochemistry of the Red Planet.

Citation:

Barrett, J.E., Poage, M.A., Gooseff, M.A. and Takacs-Vesbach, C. (2010) The legacy of aqueous environments on soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: Contexts for future exploration of Martian soils: in P.T. Doran, W.B. Lyons, and D.M. McKnight, eds., Life in Antarctic Deserts and other Cold Dry Environments: Astrobiological Analogues, Cambridge University Press, Astrobiology Series.

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Caz Bejger
• Zachary Carr
• David Fulton
• Matthew Harding
• Christopher Hughes
• John Kearney
• Joy Kiefer
• Christopher Kukic
• Ellen Lamont
• Nicole Lang
• Anthony LeDonne
• Erin McGowan
• Alex Morgan
• Stephen Norair
• Daniel O'Hara
• Kiel Phillips
• Erick Randolph
• Daniel Saftner
• Gregory Strauss
• Surinder Tara

Their analyses indicate that the seismic activity in the zone is accomodating coseismic block rotations. The zone also appears to serve as a mechanical link between the core of the actively growing mountain belt in central Taiwan and the distal edge of deformation in western Taiwan. A full abstract can be found in the AGU Meeting Program.

While in Taiwan, Lewis also presented the findings of his work with student Dan O'Hara ('13) at an active tectonics research workshop held at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan. Their analysis of offshore earthquakes southeast of Taiwan suggests a mechanism for the formation of long-lived, strike-slip fault zones during the evolution of the mountain belt.

His talk, “Gray Wave of the Great Transformation: A Satellite View of Urbanization, Climate Change, and Food Security,” is sponsored by the IUP chapter of Sigma Xi, a multidisciplinary research society.

Imhoff works in the Earth Sciences Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center as the project scientist for Terra, NASA’s flagship Earth observing system mission. As Terra project scientist, Imhoff coordinates an international research team using Terra and other instruments to study Earth’s changing atmosphere, oceans, and land surface.

He has personally conducted research on a wide range of topics including the impact of urbanization on biodiversity and food security, urban heat islands and climate, and carbon accounting using remote sensing for the Kyoto Protocol. He was a primary developer of the nighttime satellite imagery showing Earth’s cities at night and pioneered the use of radar sensors for terrain and vegetation mapping.

Imhoff holds a B.S. degree in physical geography and an M.S. degree in agronomy from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University.

Imhoff was integral in the creation of the famous NASA image composite showing the Earth at night:

From NASA Earth Observatory

Department of Geoscience

These students have been working for the past year (or longer) with Geoscience Department faculty on their independent research.

Presentations

• Jason Ames: “Creating a Classification System for Lunar Crater Rays”
• Matthew Harding: “Vein Structures and Faults in Core Samples from IODP Expedition 315, Nankai Trough: Preliminary Observations” 
• Ellen Lamont: “Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Non-recoverable Strain Geometry as Documented by the Inversion of Earthquake Focal Mechanisms in West-Central Taiwan”
• Surinder Tara: “Constraints on 3-D Deformation at the Nankai Subduction Zone: Fault Kinematic Analysis of Core-Scale Faults at Site C0001 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 315”

See abstracts for all of the presentations in PDF.

The show takes place in the IUP Planetarium and will cover the revolution in science that was sparked by Galileo and his telescope.

Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and the show will run about forty minutes. Weather permitting, some telescopes will be set up outside to take a look at the night sky.

Seating for the shows is on a first-come, first-seated bases. It is not feasible for us to take advance reservations. If you want to bring a large group (ten or more people), please contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited: 724-357-5626 or kcoles@iup.edu.

The announcement from the Provost’s office follows:

Dr. Karen Rose Cercone, professor of Geosciences, has been appointed as Provost Fellow beginning this summer and through the 2010–2011 academic year. Dr. Cercone will work closely with the associate provost primarily on assessment projects, especially on work required in preparation for the Periodic Program Review Report due to be submitted to the Middle States Commission in summer 2011 as part of our reaccreditation process.

During her twenty-four years at IUP, Dr. Cercone has served on her department and college outcome assessment committees as well as the University Outcomes Assessment Committee. Her knowledge and expertise will be a great asset to Academic Affairs as we prepare for the next Middle States review.

For many years, Karen Rose has been encouraging her colleagues and students to use technology in the classroom. She uses many different types of technology in her teaching, including in-class clickers and a real-time classroom video system called Wimba.

This award is presented annually in recognition of geologists with distinguished service and achievement in public affairs. Dr. Harper has worked with the Pennsylvania Geological Survey for the past thirty years. His work has been integral in the understanding of oil and gas fields of Pennsylvania, including the Marcellus Shale.

The IUP Geoscience Department congratulates John on all of his achievements.

Farnsworth’s research on the spatial and temporal patterns of rivers draining the coastal mountain ranges of the U.S. West Coast has been done in collaboration with Dr. Tara Kniskern of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

Lamont’s research is part of her senior research project and has been done in collaboration with Dr. Jon Lewis (IUP) and colleagues at the University of Connecticut and the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan.

Links to Abstracts:

• Farnsworth and Kniskern 
• Lamont, Lewis, et al. 

“Pliocene records of ITCZ, wind field strength, and thermocline temperatures in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific”
S.A. Hovan, A. Ravelo, H.L. Ford

Abstract

The eastern equatorial Pacific region is particularly important to our understanding of paleoceanographic/paleoclimatic changes because of the role it plays in global heat transport and oceanic primary productivity. Strong connections exist between atmospheric (trade wind intensity, intertropical convergence zone location) and oceanic (surface currents, thermocline depth, productivity) systems, making it an ideal place to examine how these components change during important climatic transitions.

During the Pliocene for example, when global climates cooled from relatively warm unipolar conditions to a state dominated by glacial-interglacial cycles, records of eolian sediments suggest the Pliocene ITCZ was located farther north than its modern latitudinal average. At the same time, oceanic records suggest a permanent El Niño-like state with sea surface temperature reconstructions showing the eastern tropical Pacific 2-3 deg C warmer than today. We compare new high-resolution (temporal) multiproxy data generated from a latitudinal transect of cores from ODP Legs 138 and 199 to gain a clearer understanding about the timing and relationship of changes of several key components of the climate system: a) the location of the ITCZ, b) wind field strength, c) thermocline temperatures, and d) paleoproductivity as conditions in the tropical Pacific transitioned from the warmer Pliocene conditions into the cooler glacial cycles of the Pleistocene.

Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and the show will run about forty minutes.

Seating for the shows is first-come, first-seated; it's not feasible for us to take advance reservations. If you want to bring a large group (ten or more people), please contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited. 724-357-5626 or kcoles@iup.edu.

Another planetarium show is scheduled on April 22, 2010.

Dr. Jon Lewis and Ellen Lamont (’11), Department of Geoscience, traveled to Taiwan during January 2010. The purpose of the trip was to conduct fieldwork related to an ongoing project on the tectonics of Taiwan. Ellen also presented a summary of her ongoing senior research into the inverse modeling of the Luliao earthquake swarm to the laboratory of Dr. Ruey-Juin Rau.

While there, they also participated in the Frontiers in Active Tectonics in Taiwan Workshop held at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan. Jon Lewis's talk was entitled “The Transition from the Hsuehshan Range to the Sanyi-Puli Basin: A Field Report.”

Clark was pleased to join former IUP students John Harper, Gary Ball, John Berry, and Doug Stewart.

John Harper was editor of the guidebook for this year’s conference. The two-day field conference was concerned with the history and geology of the oil regions of northwestern Pennsylvania.

Lamont’s inverse models of earthquake data reveal that the southern termination of the Hseuhshan Range is experiencing active horizontal stretching parallel to the mountain belt. This stretching appears to be accommodated by faults that allow the mountain belt to collapse in response to gravity and to shear horizontally in response to tectonic forces. Lamont’s findings shed light on what happens when the lower plate in a tectonic collision has an irregular shape inherited from when the oceanic rocks adjacent to the Chinese coast were initially formed.

Lewis will present the results at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco on December 18, 2009. His talk will be part of a special session on subduction and tectonic collision.

Full Abstract:

Crustal extrusion of the hangingwall at the southwestern termination of the Taiwan orogen: Constraints from seismogenic strain inversions 
J. C. Lewis¹; E. A. Lamont¹; T. B. Byrne²; J. M. Crespi²; R. Rau³ 
1. Geoscience, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, United States.
2. Center for Integrative Geosciences, Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
3. Earth Sciences, National Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan City, Taiwan.

Partial strain tensors inverted from earthquake focal mechanisms in the Luliao region of the Taiwan orogen reveal relatively fine spatial-scale partitioning of contemporary, non-recoverable strain (i.e., seismogenic strain) at the southwestern termination of the Hseuhshan range. We show that the region is dominated by widespread orogen-parallel stretching, and subordinate subvertical stretching localized on western slope of the Hseuhshan range.

The modeled seismic events define an elongate NW-SE swarm with three easily identified spatial clusters; a diffuse northwestern subset, a tight central subset, and a diffuse southeastern subset. Each subset of focal mechanisms is inverted for a best-fitting partial strain tensor using an adaptation of the micropolar continuum model. Prior work shows that homogeneous strain yields a single, best-fitting model tensor, whereas heterogeneous strain is reflected by two or more preferred orientations for model principal strain axes. The events in the central subset yield a single stable solution. In contrast, the northwestern and southeastern subsets yield multiple viable geometries for the model principal strain axes. These data are therefore subdivided on the basis of kinematics, to separate events with one steeply plunging kinematic axis (P or T) from events with two shallowly plunging kinematic axes.

The central subset and each of the kinematically-defined subsets for the northeastern and southwestern areas are inverted for best-fitting strain tensors. The two populations defined for the southeastern subset yield strain tensors that are consistent with normal faulting and strike-slip faulting, both of which are characterized by generally NE-SW maximum stretching. The central subset yields a strain tensor consistent with normal faulting in a regime of NE-SW maximum stretching. The three populations defined for the northwestern subset each yield stable model tensors. Two of these are characterized by NE-SW maximum stretching, and as with the southeastern subset, one is consistent with normal faulting and one is consistent with strike-slip faulting. The third population is characterized by sub-vertical maximum stretching and is consistent with thrust faulting in a regime of WNW-directed shortening.

These results are interpreted to reflect crustal extrusion related to the southwestward propagation of arc-continent collision over continental crust footwall with an inherited irregular geometry. Magnetic anomalies suggest that the trend of the boundary between transitional and full-thickness continental crust in the footwall is oriented ~240° whereas the orogen is oriented ~200°. As a consequence, the southwestern termination of the Hseuhshan range is situated immediately outboard of this boundary, and the upper plate to the south is situated above increasingly attenuated footwall crust. This tectonic architecture appears to play a role in lateral extrusion of the upper plate along widely distributed normal and strike-slip faults within the orogen.

Seating for the shows is first-come, first-seated; it's not feasible for us to take advance reservations. If you want to bring a large group (ten or more people), please contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited. 724-357-5626 or kcoles@iup.edu.

Future planetarium shows are scheduled on February 24 and April 22, 2010.

The article highlights his participation in the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Show Lecture Series. On September 26, he presented a lecture on the “Life and Times in the Pennsylvania Coal Swamp: The Origin of Pennsylvania's Coal Deposits” to approximately fifty members of the public.

Steve joined thirty-five other international scientists in College Station for the week of October 12, 2009, to sample cores, edit the official science report from their expedition (IODP #320 and #321), and talk about their upcoming research plans. These sampling parties are much less of a party and much more of an intense week-long work session.

Steve also had the opportunity to meet with recent department graduate Ashley Hague (’09), a graduate student in the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M.

His presentation, “Significance of U-Pb Zircon Ages from the Pescadero and Cambria Felsites, West-Central California Coast Ranges,” was coauthored with W.G. Ernst (Stanford University), Use Martens (Stanford University), R.J. McLaughlin (USGS-Menlo Park), and Diane Moore (USGS-Menlo Park).

Their abstract can be accessed at the Geological Socity of America’s annual meeting website.

Abstract: The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and following tsunami were unprecedented in Aceh, the northernmost province of Sumatra. In this study, we use buried sand sheets on a coastal plain to extend tsunami history 1,000 years into Aceh’s past. The 2004 tsunami deposited a sand sheet up to 1.8 km inland on a marshy beach ridge plain. Sediment cores from these coastal marshes revealed two older extensive sand sheets with similar sediment characteristics. These sheets, deposited soon after AD 1290-1400 and AD 780-990, probably represent earlier tsunamis. An additional sand sheet of limited extent might correlate with a documented smaller tsunami of AD 1907. These findings, a first step towards a paleotsunami record for northern Sumatra, suggest that damaging tsunamis in Aceh recur infrequently enough that entire human lifetimes can elapse between them. Such recurrence adds to the challenge of preparing communities along the northern Indian Ocean shorelines for future tsunamis.

This seminar is part of an ongoing Geoscience Seminar Series that occurs most Fridays from 12:15 to 1:15 in Walsh Hall, room 104.

For further information regarding this event and future seminars, please contact the Geoscience Department at 724-357-2379.

The Faculty Moodle Showcase is being presented by the IT Support Center to highlight creative usage of the open-source Moodle software. Dr. Cercone will demonstrate the pedagogy she has created over the past summer and fall to engage students who prefer web surfing and text messaging to traditional pen-and-paper groupwork.

His talk, “Life and Times in the Pennsylvanian Coal Swamp: The Origin of Pennsylvania’s Coal Deposits,” will take attendees back in time to the Pennsylvanian Period (roughly 300 million years ago) and describe where and how the coal seams of western Pennsylvania formed in swamps near the equator. The talk will also introduce them to the remarkable animals and plants that inhabited western Pennsylvania at that time in Earth’s history.

When: October 14, 2009, 7:00–8:00 p.m.

Where: University Museum, on the first floor of IUP’s Sutton Hall

USAC is the national advisory committee for U.S. participation in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) and wider issues in scientific ocean drilling. Established through the U.S. Science Support Program, USAC is a peer-elected committee of twelve members intended to be broadly representative of the scientific community.

River deltas provide wetlands, biodiversity, industrial shipping lanes, and homes to more than 25 percent of the world’s people. This public
lecture explores the processes that build these deltas, the various shapes they take, and their vulnerabilities to global change.

What: “How River Deltas Work: The Patterns and Dynamics of Distributive Fluvial Systems”

When: Thursday, October 8, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Weyandt Hall, Room 32

Dr. Rudy Slingerland is a professor of Geology in the Department of Geosciences at the Pennsylvania State University. His research group studies the evolution of morphodynamic systems such as deltas, rivers, and shallow marine shelves by coupling theory, often in the form of dynamical models, with observations in the field and subsurface. The group’s ultimate goal is develop predictive theories for the behavior of these systems and the stratal record of their deposits.

The workshop in Bremen, Germany, called INVEST, is a multidisciplinary, international community meeting whose focus is to define the scientific research goals of a new ocean drilling program that is expected to replace the current Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) in late 2013.

The IODP is an international research organization that conducts seagoing expeditions to study the history of the Earth recorded in sediments and rocks beneath the ocean floor. Two drilling ships and a multipurpose drilling platform are currently used by scientists from more than two dozen countries. The U.S. operates the scientific drillship JOIDES Resolution on behalf of the National Science Foundation.

Read about Dr. Lewis’s recent time on board the D.V. Chikyu in IUP Magazine.

The seminar will take place from 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. in Walsh Hall, room 104.

For further information regarding this event and future seminars, please contact the Geoscience Department at 724-357-2379.

A two-year, worldwide network of observers will measure the changing brightness of the star Epsilon Aurigae. Every twenty-seven years, this star dims for two years, but the cause remains unknown. Coles made measurements of the star and join in outreach to the public to invite their observations of the star. Coles’s participation in the conference was supported by the National Science Foundation.

Joe Clark, emeritus faculty member of the Geoscience Department, recently hosted two Polish scientists for a visit to Western Pennsylvania.

Professor Stanislaw Ostaficzuk, University of Silesia, and Professor Joanna Pininska, University of Warsaw, had a short and busy visit with discussions and tours of some of the environmental issues facing Western Pennsylvania. One such stop was to look at abandoned mine remediation efforts by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission along Bear Run in Indiana County.

Their promotion was the result of recommendations by the department faculty, the department chair, a universitywide committee of peers, and the granting of the new rank by the university president.

The Evergreen Conservancy is a local nonprofit organization working to advance the preservation, protection, and stewardship of natural, cultural, and historical resources in and around Indiana County. Yvonne has taken an active role in the organization, serving as secretary of the board, as well as attending the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association Conference in State College, Pa.

This particular workshop is aimed at graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who are interested in pursuing academic careers. Discussions covered such topics as the academic job search, understanding how different students learn, effective methods for assessing learning, moving your research forward in a new setting, how to balance family and work, and many others. 

It is one of the many workshops of the “On the Cutting Edge” professional development program that is supported by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

The article focuses on the need for biostratigraphers to educate their colleagues on the importance of this field. PALAIOS “spotlight” articles are invited contributions that would be on a subject of interest to the broad PALAIOS readership.

View an extract of the beginning of article or contact John Taylor for full article.

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Sarah Elizabeth Blair
• Aaron Gilbert Bowser
• Patrick Ryan Boyle
• Ashley M. Hague
• Matthew Ryan Harding
• Renee Michelle Heldman
• Christopher Joseph Kukic
• Ellen Ari Lamont
• Anthony James LeDonne
• Christina Leigh Ritter
• Daniel Mark Saftner
• Matthew J. Sagi
• Shannon Aileen Stephens
• Ian Richard Stoneback

This scholarship is awarded to an outstanding science major enrolled in the college. Matthew has excelled academically since his arrival at IUP. The Geoscience Department extends its congratulations to Matthew on his achievements.

These scholarships are sponsored by ARAMARK, IUP’s food service contractor. This scholarship was awarded to Matthew for his outstanding academic record here at IUP. Congratulations to Matthew!

This special edition of the GSA Bulletin focuses on over twenty years of work done off the coast of Southern California. These two chapters specifically address the sources of sediment and how that sediment is then dispersed along and across the continental shelf in that region.

• Warrick JA and KL Farnsworth, 2009, Chapter 2.2 - Sources of Sediment to the Coastal Waters of the Southern California Bight. In: Lee, H and Normark, B (Eds). Earth Science in the Urban Ocean: The Southern California Continental Borderland. Geological Society of America Special Paper Number 454.
• Warrick JA and KL Farnsworth, 2009, Chapter 2.3 - Dispersal of river sediment in the Southern California Bight. In: Lee, H and Normark, B (Eds). Earth Science in the Urban Ocean: The Southern California Continental Borderland. Geological Society of America Special Paper Number 454.

His review of Glazed America—A History of the Doughnut by Paul R. Mullins brings to light his not-so-secret love of the breakfast confection. This review was done for the Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition, which notes that although he is not a nutritional anthropologist, he is a “devoted aficionado of doughnuts” and thus aptly suited to review this new work.

They were awarded one of the eight awards for their proposal "Improving Systems-Based Reasoning in Students Across Disciplines by Using Qualitative Reasoning Models.” The project aims to develop and bring to the classroom models that can be used by students to develop more fully their understanding of causal relationships in complex systems—for example, climate change. One of the main tenets of science education is instilling an understanding of causal theories of phenomena, including what happened when and what caused something to happen.

Participants discussed and created plans to build on the strengths of their own departments as well as the field of Geosciences as a whole. This workshop was funded by the National Science Foundation and sponsored by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the American Geological Institute, the Geological Society of America, and the American Geophysical Union.

They will be at sea for two months, and are drilling into the ocean floor in search of evidence of Earth’s climate history.

To find out more information, follow the ship’s blog, watch some YouTube videos, or become a fan on Facebook!

B.S. Geology, Geology Track

Aaron G. Bowser (Magna Cum Laude)

Ashley M. Hague (Summa Cum Laude)

Benjamin J. Stufft

B.S. Geology, Environmental Track

Chadwick P. Paronish

Christina L. Ritter (Summa Cum Laude)

Joseph J. Ruffini

B.S. Ed. Earth and Space Science

Michael L. Huff (Dec. 2008)

Minor in Geoscience

Matthew J. Sagi (Summa Cum Laude)

The student presentations start at 8:15 a.m. and run until 11:00 am. The keynote speaker, alumus Dr. Kevin Jones ’03, Ph.D. from Columbia University, will speak from 11:00 to noon. His talk is entitled “Neodymium Isotopes in the Ocean and Their Uses as a Tracer of Past Oceanic Conditions.”

More information, including exact times for talks and abstracts, can be found at Geoscience Day 2009.

Katie was recognized at the recent annual awards luncheon sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies and Research and the IUP Research Institute.

Congratulations to Katie for receiving this award!

Tina Ritter ’09 received the Patricia Hilliard Robertson Scholarship for the 2008–2009 Academic Year.

Her outstanding academic and research accomplishments were recognized at this year’s College of Natural Sciences Women in Science and Technology Proram. This award is given to an outstanding female science major in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at IUP.

Ashley and Tina presented their research on determing our planet’s paleoclimate using wind-blown dust from the seafloor in the equatorial Pacific. Ellen presented her work on the geologic strain in Taiwan determined from earthquake focal mechanisms.

Ashley's project was titled “ODP Eastern Equatorial Pacific Leg 138: Eolian Dust Providing Insight Into Paleowinds and Paleolocation of the ITCZ.” Tina's project was titled “ODP Eastern Equatorial Pacific Leg 138: Eolian Dust Provides Insight Into Past and Future Climatic Conditions.” Both Ashley and Tina have been working with windborn dust particles (eolian dust) from the Equatorial Pacific seafloor to understand past climates and atmospheric circulation patterns through Earth’s history.

• Tom Bondra: Biostratigraphic Correlation of the Laurentian Carbonate Platform Using Newly Discovered Trilobite Species
• Aaron Bowser: Jointing within the Marcellus Shale
• Ashley Hague: ODP Eastern Equatorial Pacific Leg 138: Eolian Dust Providing Insight Into Paleowinds and Paleolocation of the ITCZ
• Ellen Lamont: The Geometry of Non-recoverable Strain in the Taiwan Orogen as Gleaned from Earthquake Focal Mechanisms
• Chad Paronish: Precipitation Effects on Coal Refuse Piles
• Tina Ritter: ODP Eastern Equatorial Pacific Leg 138: Eolian Dust Provides Insight Into Past and Future Climatic Conditions
• Joe Ruffini: Hydrologic Comparison of Leachates Derived from Waste Coal and CFB Flyash
• Matt Sagi: Measuring Human Activity Levels at the Johnston Site
• Ben Stufft: The Effects of the Conemaugh Dam on Flood Plain Geomorphology

The program schedule is available on line from the Undergraduate Scholars Forum website.

This is an opportunity for educators to join scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution scientific drilling vessel and work alongside them as they conduct scientific research. The research expedition is to the Juan de Fuca Ridge off the Northwest coast of the United States investigating the tectonics, sedimentology, biostratigraphy, and much more about this interesting region of the ocean floor.

Congratulations to Heather!

They were introduced to well construction, environmental sampling techniques, monitoring equipment, and designing a drilling program. The workshop was offered to prepare students for jobs in the geosciences and to introduce them to professionals in the field today.

His grant will go towards the preparation of thin sections for petrographic study.

Telescopes will be set up for the public to join in on April 2, 3, and 4 from 7:30 to 9:30 each evening (weather permitting). They will be set up on the lawn to the west of the HUB parking lot.

Come join us as we participate in this global event.

For more information, contact Dr. Ken Coles by phone (724-357-5626) or e-mail (kcoles@iup.edu).

See the IUP Planetarium Website for more details about this and future events.

Sponsored by the Geoscience Department and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Date: April 3, 2009, 12:15–1:15 p.m.
Location: Walsh Hall, Room 104

For further information regarding this event, please contact the Geoscience Department at 724-357-2379.

The planetarium is in the east side of Weyandt Hall (the side away from the Oak Grove). Doors open at 6:45 p.m. If the weather permits, after the show we will take a small telescope or two outside for viewing the sky.

Seating for the shows is first-come, first-seated; it’s not feasible for us to take advance reservations. If you want to bring a large group (i.e., ten or more people), do contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited. Call 724-357-5626 or e-mail kcoles@iup.edu.

See the IUP Planetarium Website for more details about this and future shows.

Sponsored by the Geoscience Department and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Congratulations go to the following students on their accomplishments:

• Caz M. Bejger
• Sarah Elizabeth Blair
• Patrick Ryan Boyle
• Ashley M. Hague
• Matthew Ryan Harding
• Renee Michelle Heldman
• Michael L. Huff
• Stephen Gregory Norair
• Christina Leigh Ritter
• Daniel Mark Saftner
• Matthew J. Sagi
• Benjamin J. Stufft

• Who: Ross Virginia, Dartmouth College 
• Title: “Climate Change and Nutrient Cycling in a Polar Desert: The Dry Valleys of Antarctica”
• Date: February 24, 2009, 3:45 p.m.
• Location: Walsh Hall, Room 104, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

For further information regarding this event, please contact the Geosciences Department at 724-357-2379 or by e-mail at iup.geosciences@gmail.com.

The Penguin Bowl is a regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl held each year.

Congratulations and thanks go to Dr. Ken Coles, and his colleagues, for their hard work on the accreditation report.

Graduates of this program are certified to teach Earth and Space Science in grades seven through twelve and go on to teach in schools in Pennsylvania and many other states. 

View full list of authors, abstract, and additional information.

IUP Department of Geoscience

He will talk about what these energetic forms of light are, how they are observed, and what they show us about objects in the sky. A look at the current night sky will also be part of the discussion. The show is free to the public and runs about forty minutes in length. 

The shows are first come, first seated; it is not feasible for us to take advance reservations. If you want to bring a large group (i.e. ten or more people), do contact us so we can discuss how to accommodate you, as seating is limited. Contact information: 724-357-5626 or kcoles@iup.edu.

See the IUP Planetarium website for more details about this and future shows.

Sponsored by the Geoscience Department and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

Congratulations to Katie on receiving this award!

Dr. Clark was a faculty member at IUP from 1972 to 2004.  He taught courses in Environmental Geology and Subsurface Geology and contributed significantly to our understanding of California Fault Zone geology and earthquake hazards through his work with the U.S. Geological Survey.  He was a role model to faculty colleagues and students alike with his devotion to learning and his integrity to research science.  His mentorship guided many students into graduate programs and into professional careers as geologists.

Support the Geoscience Department.

Abstract:

Rivers provide the primary link between land and sea, annually discharging about 36,000 km³ of freshwater and approximately 18 x 10⁹ tons of solid and dissolved material to the global coastal ocean. Together with geomorphology and oceanographic setting, rivers help determine the character of the estuarine and coastal environment. Although discharged fluvial water and sediments are generally confined to the coastal zone, if the river is sufficiently large (e.g., the Amazon) or the shelf sufficiently narrow (e.g., western Java), plumes of sediment and water can travel to or beyond the shelf edge. The fate of the discharged material is important for understanding coastal sedimentary environments as well as playing a key role in the cycles of both carbon and pollutants introduced through this pathway. The controls on the delivery, and ultimately the fate of the delivered material, are local, regional, and global in scale. Quantifying these controls will lead to a better understanding of our earth’s past, as well as the future.

Schedule:

9:00–10 a.m. — Coffee and donuts with faculty and students (Walsh 117)

10:10–11:00 a.m. — Q&A with students in Physical Geology (Weyandt 134)

11:00–11:30 a.m. — Discussion about working for “Big Oil” (Walsh 117)

1:30–3:00 p.m. — Young Alumni Achievers’ Reception (Crimson Event Center)

3:00–4:00 p.m. — Careers opportunities with Exxon Mobil (Walsh 106)

Who: Karen Cohen of the U.S. Dept. of Energy
Date: October 20, 2008, 12:15 p.m.
Location: Walsh Hall, Room 104, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Contact: For further information regarding this event, please contact the Geosciences Department at 724-357-2379 or by e-mail at iup.geosciences@gmail.com.

Dr. Ken Coles will present an informational, free planetarium show. Come “See Space in 3-D” at an updated version of one of our most popular planetarium shows. The show is free to the public, and as this is Family Weekend, you must meet at the Hadley Union Building at 9:30 or 11:00 a.m. to get tickets (free) rather than at the Planetarium.

See the IUP Planetarium Website for more details about this and future shows.

Sponsored by the Geoscience Department and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics.

A full report and pictures will soon be available on the Geoscience alumni page.

Ashley Hague (’09) was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship from IUP’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics as well as a highly competitive scholarship from the Scholarship Alliance of the American Council of Independent Laboratories.

Tina Ritter (’09) was awarded the Patricia Hilliard Robertson Scholarship. This award is given to an outstanding female science major in the College of Natural Science and Mathematics here at IUP.

Ashley will present the results of her summer work on “The Natural Gas Potential of Deep Plays in Westmoreland and Indiana Counties, Pennsylvania” on Tuesday to employees and guests of EXCO-North Coast Energy. Her presentation will discuss the natural gas potential of certain deep plays in Westmoreland and Indiana counties, Pennsylvania. Included will be the Marcellus Shale Play and the Huntersville Chert/Oriskany Sandstone Play. Potential tests on EXCO-North Coast Energy leases will be proposed.

Those interested can find abstract and citation information at ScienceDirect.

View abstract and citation information.

Abstract in pdf format

Where: IUP, Weyandt Hall Planetarium

When: April 25, 2008 8:30 a.m. – noon

Presentations will include:

Sedimentology and Oceanography

• Nicholas Welsh: “Correlative Lithostratigraphy and Biostratigraphy of the Third Thrombolitic Interval of the Conococheague Fomration of Maryland and Virginia”
• Benjamin Schupp: “The Forces Involved in the Opening of California Coastal Lagoons”
• Matthew Bolyn: “Surf Zone Turbidity Near the Tijuana River Mouth in Southern California”
• Howard Manski: “The Long-Term Climate and History of the Southern Hemisphere 18MA to Present”

Structure, Tectonics and Geophysics

• Michael Jarvis: “Geometry and Kinematics of Contemporary Nonrecoverable Strain - Central Taiwan”
• Kalin McDannell: “Constraints on Pull-Apart Basin Formation from Tectonic Geomorphology”
• Jeffrey Dereume: “Electrical Imaging of a Triassic Fault System in Northern New Jersey”

Keynote Speaker

Dr. David K. Brezinski (IUP 1977): “Influences of Climate on Late Devonian Depositional Systems of the Central Appalachians”

See the IUP Planetarium Website for more details about this and future shows.

Sponsored by the IUP Geoscience Department and the IUP College of Natural Science and Mathematics 

Check out the submission page for more information.

Who: Julie Huber of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass.
Date: March 28, 2008, 3:30 p.m.
Location: Weyandt Hall, Room 32, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Contact: For further information regarding this event, please contact the Geosciences Department at 724-357-2379 or by e-mail at iup.geosciences@gmail.com.

Abstract of Talk

The world’s oceans are teeming with microscopic life forms, encompassing a staggering amount of diversity. Although they are largely invisible to the naked eye, microbial communities of untold diversity dominate nearly every corner of our oceans, from the deepest marine sediments to the sun-drenched coral reefs. Despite their crucial role in elemental cycling and earth’s evolution, the marine microbial world remains vastly undersampled, and our understanding of these microbial communities severely limited.

The deep sea is one of the least explored parts of the microbial world, and until only thirty years ago, scientists believed that, because it was devoid of sunlight and plants, there was no life there. The discovery of thriving animal and microbial communities at the Galapagos spreading ridge in 1977 changed our fundamental perceptions of life on planet Earth. The chemistry of hydrothermal vents creates many habitats for microbial and animal communities, all of which are intimately linked to and dependent on the geochemistry of their environment. These organisms encounter many conditions that we humans consider too extreme—too hot, too toxic, too little oxygen—but microbes seem to find a way and continue to push the limits of life.

An impetus for studying life at deep-sea hydrothermal vents is that life may have originated and evolved near hydrothermal systems and that organisms currently living in these likely analogues of early habitats may still harbor characteristics of early life. In addition, microbes unique to the hydrothermal vents could provide insight into metabolic processes, strategies for growth, and survival of life on solar bodies with a water history, such as Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa. With a sample size of only one, the search for life beyond Earth must begin with life as we know it on Earth. Using examples from research expeditions around the globe, we will explore this extreme life on Earth at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

For more information on Julie Huber, visit her homepage.

Congratulations to Jon on receiving this award!

The Geoscience Department seminar to be presented by Peter Flemings of the University of Texas, Austin, will discuss how sedimentation, combined with changes in climate and the associated sea-level change, can induce large submarine landslides.

Abstract of Talk

When fine-grained sediments are deposited unevenly above a confined aquifer, flow is driven laterally, effective stresses above the aquifer are reduced, and slope failure can occur. This process is like stepping on a water balloon: rapid sedimentation acting as the “heel” drives water toward the “toe,” where its high pressure causes large blocks of sediment to slide downhill. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 308, named “Gulf of Mexico Hydrogeology,” examined pore pressure, fluid flow, and slope stability at the mouth of the Mississippi delta—one of the great sediment dumps of the world. We found an abrupt jump in pressure immediately beneath a zone of large submarine landslides that span hundreds of square miles and conclude that sedimentation, driven by changes in climate and associated sea-level change, generates pressure, drives fluid flow, and induces landslides. In the Pleistocene, during sea level low stands, this process may have set loose significant submarine landslides around the world. Ultimately these studies may allow us to predict in what locations around the world submarine landslides are more likely—and hence what structures and local populations are at greater risk.

See more information about Peter Flemings.

Congratulations to Ken on receiving this well deserved award!

From the Geoscience Department:

Dave Frick
Ashley Hague
Tina Ritter
Joe Ruffini
Mallory Zelawski

From the Biology Department:

Tara Klos

Who:        John Harper of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey
Date:        March 21, 2008 3:00 p.m.
Location:  Indiana University of Pennsylvania
                 Weyandt Hall, Room 32
Contact:   For further information regarding this event, please contact the Geoscience Department at 724-357-2379 or by e-mail to iup.geosciences@gmail.com.

The Geoscience Department seminar, presented by John Harper of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, will discuss subsurface carbon sequestration as a proposed technology to allow for the long-term storage of carbon emissions.  This would result in a reduction in overall greenhouse gas released to the atmosphere, potentially having an impact on global climate. 

Abstract of Talk:

Removing greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂), from the atmosphere in order to affect climate change has become a long-term goal in this country as well as in many other parts of the world.  One of the ways to remove CO₂ is through carbon capture and storage (CCS), which involves removing CO₂ from flue gases and storing it in such a way as to keep it locked up indefinitely.  One of these ways is to sequester the CO₂ in underground rock reservoirs, or “sinks.”  The primary attraction of geological sequestration is the potential for direct and long-term storage of captured CO₂ emissions in close proximity to the CO₂ source.  It is a proven technology in many parts of the world, especially where it is used for enhanced oil recovery.  Geological sinks include a variety of reservoirs types, each having unique opportunities as well as problems that must be considered before storage begins. 

The Pennsylvania Geologic Survey, in conjunction with the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP), has been involved in geological sequestration studies since 2003.  MRCSP is a seven-state partnership led by Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, that includes government agencies, universities, environmental organizations, and industry from Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  MRCSP has been charged with assessing the technical potential, economic viability, and public acceptability of carbon sequestration within the region.  The region is a major source of CO₂ – more than 600 stationary facilities are considered CO₂ point sources, about half of which are responsible for emitting more than 800 million tons of CO₂ per year.  During Phase I, the geological team studied the regional geology of the area to delineate the most promising prospective geological reservoirs and sinks for CO₂ sequestration through data collection, interpretation, and mapping.  Initial results indicate that Pennsylvania’s rock reservoirs have the potential capacity to store an enormous amount of CO₂. 

In 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), parent agency of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, began efforts to study and make recommendations for managing carbon within the state.  The main objective is to develop a meaningful carbon management plan that is compatible with the core mission programs of the department.  During this process, DCNR and its multitude of partners hope to understand and effectively exploit both terrestrial and geological sequestration opportunities within Pennsylvania, initially through encouraging (and, perhaps, helping to fund) demonstration sequestration projects, and eventually through such mechanisms as carbon credit trading.  DCNR wants to offset at least a portion of Pennsylvania's greenhouse gas emissions while capturing any potential co-benefits such as enhancing the recovery of oil and natural gas and the growth of the state’s large forest and agricultural resources.

The show will be at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19, in the Weyandt Hall Planetarium. Following the information on the lunar eclipse, Dr. Coles will use the planetarium to talk about the current night sky and, weather permitting, will set up a telescope outside.

See the IUP Planetarium Website for more details about this and future shows.

“Teaching, learning, and scholarship represent the heart and soul of the university's mission," IUP President Tony Atwater said when he presented Steve with this award in June 2007. "Our faculty members reflect the very best of the teacher-scholar model, and it is most appropriate to honor the "best of the best" with this prestigious honor, which represents extraordinary instructional and intellectual success."

Congrats, Steve!