Geological Society of America

Chapman et al. present new geologic mapping of the northern Chiricahua Mountains, SE Arizona, USA, in “Evidence for a Late Cretaceous to Paleogene basement-involved retroarc wedge in the southern U.S. Cordillera: A case study from the northern Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona.” https://lnkd.in/gJq4cpTy #Cordillera #Tectonics #StructuralGeology #GSABulletin #GSAPubs Jay Chapman Adam Trzinski Michael Daniel The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Earth, Environmental, & Resource Sciences University of Arizona Geosciences Univ. Wyoming Dept. of Geology & Geophysics Idaho Geological Survey University of Houston College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Image: Figure 3 from the paper.

Congratulations to the 2024 GSA President’s Medalist, Kathy Bancroft, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Reservation. Kathy Jefferson Bancroft is a Paiute-Shoshone community leader and environmental protector, is honored for her advocacy and education on water misuse and environmental degradation in the Owens Valley, California. Trained as a biologist and chemist, Kathy has worked to bring about meaningful environmental mitigation and raise awareness of the challenges facing her community. Kathy has worked tirelessly to educate her Tribe, the public, and policymakers to bring about meaningful environmental mitigation in a changing world. She is an exemplary voice for the acumen of local knowledge and a role model for earth stewardship. “We have all witnessed how our knowledge gets reinforced each time that Western science catches up with our way of thinking. They are standing with us, advocating for that knowledge to be taken into account in decision-making from the very start, not just through consultation after the fact.” – Kathy Jefferson Bancroft Learn more about how to nominate a colleague for the President’s Medal here: geosociety.co/AW All nominations are due by 15 February 2025. #GSAAwards #PresidentsMedal #GeologyRocks

With just two days until American Thanksgiving, I am feeling especially thankful today after receiving an incredible gift in my mailbox! I’m honored and humbled to share that our paper, “Global Magnitude-Frequency Statistics of the Failures and Impacts of Large Water-Retention Dams and Mine Tailings Impoundments,” led by Nahyan M. Rana, Ph.D., P.Geo. M. Rana, PhD, has been awarded the 2024 E.B. Burwell Award by the Geological Society of America. This recognition means so much to me. Our work analyzed historical, global failure rate statistics for tailings dams and large water-retention dams. I am deeply grateful to have been part of this important research, and I feel lucky to work on research that can make a meaningful difference. Here are some links to learn more about the paper: Link to full journal paper: https://lnkd.in/gCTEeQsS Link to supplementary database: https://lnkd.in/gmsjkwgP #engineeringgeology #tailings #dams #mining

New #GSABulletin: “Petrogenetic relationship of the variably Ni–Cu–platinum-group element (PGE)-mineralized intrusions of the Thunder Bay North Intrusive Complex, Midcontinent Rift, Canada: Implications for mineral exploration in mafic–ultramafic complexes,” by Matthew Brzozowski, PhD et al., https://lnkd.in/g_A-Rwgc. #EconomicGeology #OreDeposits #GSAPubs Peter Hollings Mike Hamilton Geoff Heggie Connor Caglioti Khalid Yahia Andrea Corredor Bravo Clean Air Metals Inc. Image: Figure 3 from the paper.

Panoramic view of the Taodonggou section, China, showing the transition from late Permian lacustrine mudstones and deltaic sandstones (bottom, gray-black in color, rich in organic matter) to Early Triassic fluvial red muddy siltstone and sandstone with bands of paleosols, which indicate a transition from a stable, humid climate to a more seasonal, drought climate across the extinction in the Turpan-Kumul Basin, Xinjiang, northwest China. See the #OpenAccess #Geology article “Diachronous end-Permian terrestrial crises in North and South China” by Daoliang Chu and colleagues at https://lnkd.in/gbtwWGRw. Abstract sample: “Climate breakdown driven by massive volcanic eruptions was the likely cause of the terrestrial Permian?Triassic mass extinction (ca. 252 Ma). However, establishing the relationship between climate factors and terrestrial ecosystem responses is difficult.” #Geoscience #China #Extinction #Eruptions #GSAPubs UTA Science Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Jacopo Dal Corso Mitali Gautam Photo by Boyan Liu.

Great news! We are happy to announce that Dr. David Wang will join Dr. Isaack Kanda and Ms. Janelle Sherman Randle as a speaker at our December 12 webinar on Geothermal Energy. Register now for this important event! Geological Society of America Geological Society of Africa

Precariously balanced rocks belong to a category of landform called "fragile geological features". Some exist due to erosion, such as rock arches or tower-like pinnacles. Places like Arches National Park in Utah hosts thousands of these features, where rainwater or freeze-thaw action has weathered sandstone to the point of imminent collapse. All of these features are striking to look at, but precarious boulders are particularly photogenic. While tourists tend to visit precarious boulders for selfies, seismologists admire these rocks for different reasons – because they can reveal earthquake activity during the deep past. Learn more here: geosociety.co/PB #Seismology #GeologicTime #GeologyRocks

All large planets in our Solar System have rings and it has been suggested that Mars may have had a ring in the past. This raises the question of whether Earth also had a ring in the past. A team of international geoscientists recently examined the paleolatitudes of 21 asteroid impact craters from an anomalous ～40 m.y. period of enhanced meteor impact cratering known as the Ordovician impact spike and found that all craters fall in an equatorial band at ≤30°, despite ～70 % of exposed, potentially crater-preserving crust lying outside this band. Learn more here: geosociety.co/OI #OrdovicianImpactSpike #Geoscience #GeologyRocks Andy Tomkins Erin Martin Monash University

November marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton “Lucy.” She is referenced in the #GSABulletin article “Paleoenvironments of the earliest stone toolmakers, Gona, Ethiopia,” by Jay Quade and colleagues, at https://lnkd.in/gbpgpspf. #Paleontology #Ethiopia #Paleoanthropology #GSAPubs University of Arizona Geosciences Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Photo from the paleontological collections of the National Museum of Ethiopia, CC-BY-NC.

Are you interested in sharing your latest research at a premier geoscience conference that’s closer to home? GSA invites you to submit an abstract for one of our 2025 Section Meetings! With meeting locations throughout the United States, you can share your work with the geoscience community, network with colleagues and learn new skills right in your backyard. Find the meeting closest to you and submit your abstract today! -South-Central | 9–11 March 2025 | Conway, Arkansas -Southeastern | 19–21 March 2025 | Harrisonburg, Virginia -Joint Northeastern/North-Central | 27–30 March 2025 | Erie, Pennsylvania -Cordilleran | 1–4 April 2025 | Sacramento, California -Rocky Mountain | 18–20 May 2025 | Provo, Utah Learn more and submit your abstract here: geosociety.co/SM South-Central, Southeastern and Joint Northeastern and North-Central Section Meetings Abstract Submission Deadline 17 December 2024. Cordilleran and Rocky Mountain Section Meetings Abstract Submission Deadline 28 January 2025. #GSASectionMeetings #Geology #Geoscience #EarthScience #GeologyRocks