Union College Fall 2009 Newsletter Geology Department

A Letter from the Chair Special points of interest: Dear Alumni and Friends, these life- Things are going well here in the Geosciences at changing field  Blown away in Montserrat Union. As a result of our recently completed programs. external review, the Department entered the Analytically we  Union joins the Keck Consortium Keck Geology consortium. This move validated moved forward our progress at becoming one of the leading with the acqui- geosciences departments at a liberal arts col- sition of a new  Hollocher studies Big Garnets lege. Our focus on building a research-rich envi- Scanning Elec- ronment has resulted in an exciting field pro- tron Micro-  Fly fishing in Tibet gram and world-class laboratory facilities. Keck scope, which Geology consortium is a cluster of 18 highly se- allows for  Students “Living on the Edge” in lective liberal arts colleges with leading geology quantitative Alaska programs. As a member of the consortium, our elemental John Garver, Chair top students are accepted to the fantastic re- mapping and search programs offered every summer. Last cathode luminescence. Support for this in-  Understanding Climate Change summer the consortium ran projects in Mongo- strument came from the National Science in Peru lia, Svalbard, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, and Foundation, and it is a welcome addition to others. Recently ExxonMobil has helped fund the specialized arsenal of analytical tools  Geology on YouTube part of the Consortium efforts, which is a wel- available to our students. come interest from industry. Students entering Union with an interest in We welcome the addition of Holli Frey Environmental Science has become a major (University of Michigan) and Jackie Cockburn component of our student population. It is (Queen University) to the Department. Holli is a not surprising that the students entering Un- volcanologist/petrologist/geochemist and she ion with a declared interest in the geosciences comes to Union as a tenure track professor. Her has remained flat (near zero), and this trend PhD research involved a detailed understanding reflects the national situation. In fact nation- of Volcan Tepetiltic, Nayarit, Mexico. She re- ally there has been a decrease in students in cently led an interesting departmental trip to the sciences overall, so we are lucky that this Montserrat, where students were blown away by has not dramatically affected our student en- several volcanic eruptions (article in this news- rollment. letter). Jackie studies watershed hydrology and Nonetheless it feels like there has never been the impact of climate change on watershed proc- a better time to be a student in the geo- Inside this issue: esses and she is with us as a visiting assistant sciences given some key pressing national professor. Her PhD work involved understanding issues: Global Climate Change, Energy, Natu- sediment transport in the Cape Bounty Arctic ral Resources, Natural hazards, and Water Faculty Updates 2-9 Watershed Observatory, Nunavut, Canada. She resources. Right now and for decades to has been very involved with the Environmental come, Global Climate Change and Energy Science program here at Union and is a major Resources will be the defining issues of our Mohawk Watershed Research 9-13 driver in the effort to form cohesive group of time, and our research efforts and curriculum Group, Mini-terms & Field trips students and faculty looking into the Mohawk is starting to reflect this shift. In response to Watershed. student interest we have developed a number Keck Consortium 13-15 The Department finds itself as a clear leader on of courses and focal points in the curriculum campus in terms of integrating research into the aimed at understanding these crucial issues. classroom and providing a rigorous ongoing field Enjoy the newsletter. It is the result of the Fly Fishing in Tibet 16-19 program. Last summer 23 of our students went hard work and editorial skill of our new Ad- into the field, a Departmental record and a ma- ministrative assistant, Deb Klein who has jor achievement that reflects strong growth and been with us for less than a year. She has Gifts, Awards & Geoscience 20-21 a commitment to the field sciences. We ran taken on this job with gusto and she will be Video Project exciting programs on Climate change in the An- very glad to hear from you about what you des, and Geologic hazards in Alaska. Individual are doing, and if you have industry contacts Recent Union Graduates 22 Keck projects took students and faculty to look for our graduates. at water-rock interactions in the Oregon Cas- Cheers, cades, and terrane evolution in SE Alaska. Vir-

Alumni News 23-27 tually all of the students had some sort of finan- cial support from the Geology Field Fund, which is a permanent endowed fund supported by you, our alumni. This newsletter highlights the suc- cess of a few of our students who participated in Page 2 Union College

Holli Frey our newest faculty member Holli Frey is the newest faculty member in The inclusions appear to be affected by our department and specializes in igneous boundary layer enrichments and deple- petrology and volcanology. She was an tions during rapid crystal growth, fol- undergraduate at Franklin & Marshall Col- lowed by diffusion of different elements lege and did her doctoral work at Univer- at different rates. sity of Michigan. Her research has taken Holli’s new research efforts are based in her from Maine to Mexico and involved central Oregon, examining the physical petrography, geochemistry, electron mi- and chemical breakdown of volcanic rocks croprobe analysis, argon chronology, and in the eastern Cascades and how these GIS. She has recently led field trips to processes affect soil and water chemistry. Montserrat (see pg. 12) and Iceland, and She led a Keck project (see pg. 15) to the visited classic volcanology sites in Hawaii, area this summer, coordinating the re- Scotland, and Chile. search projects of seven undergraduates. Holli has involved students in her research Matthew Kissane ’10 and Rebecca Gronc- at Union and took two senior geology ma- zniak ’11 worked on this project and jors (Leigh Mastin ’08 and Danielle Wine- collected ~75 rock samples for weather- Holli Frey, Mt. Cook in the background. berg ‘08) to western Mexico, where they ing studies. They will be using a variety examined and sampled tephra deposits of analytical techniques, including de- from Volcan Tepetiltic. Using deposit thick- tailed petrography, ICP-MS and SEM. Recent scholarly products from Holli: nesses and pumice and lithic clast sizes, In addition to teaching Natural Disasters, Lange RA, Frey HM, Hector J (2009) A they determined the airfall distribution and Senior Seminar, Mineralogy, and Petrol- thermodynamic model for the plagioclase height of the eruption column. Their geo- ogy, Holli has developed a new volcanol- -liquid hygrometer/thermometer. Ameri- chemical analyses showed that the explo- ogy course. The course examines the can Mineralogist, 94, 494-506. sive eruption had at least two distinct science of volcanic eruptions and moni- Frey HM, Manon MRF (2009) Montserrat: pulses, tapping different levels of the toring, but also delves into the effects of The classroom to the field and back magma chamber. eruptions on societies. The interplay of again. Geological Society of America Ab- Holli has also been continuing work looking volcanoes and society was exemplified in stracts with Programs, Vol. 41, No. 7, p. at phenocryst compositions in crystal-poor the December field trip to Montserrat 601 lavas and how they act as a proxy for wa- (see pg. x). The trip was a once in a life- ter content in the pre-eruptive magma. time experience, in which the students Crabtree S, Lange RA, Frey HM (2009) A She has developed a plagioclase hygrome- had the opportunity to witness explosive Kinetic barrier to plagioclase nucleation in ter/thermometer, which utilizes the anor- eruptions and pyroclastic flows. While degassing andesite and dacite liquids thite component of plagioclase and the she can’t promise the same spectacle on during rapid ascent. Geological Society of bulk rock composition to calculate water every trip, Holli hopes to continue to America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. content. The initial findings were published bring students into the field for a more 41, No. 7, p. 416 in April in American Mineralogist. A follow- hands-on approach to volcanology. Lange, R.A., Frey, H.M., Hall, C., Delgado up paper demonstrating the application of In November Holli will be going to New -Granados, H., 2007, Evidence From a the hygrometer on several cinder cones in Zealand to lead the field trip portion of Crystal-Poor, Zoned (Rhyolite-Andesite) Mexico was submitted to Contributions to the Australia/ New Zealand term abroad. Pyroclastic Deposit From Volcan Te- Mineralogy and Petrology in August. She She’s excited to share her knowledge of petiltic, Western Mexico for Rapid Gen- is now looking at the composition of melt volcanology on the North Island at White eration of Silicic Melt by Partial Melting of inclusions in plagioclase and challenging Island, Taupo, and Ruapehu, but is Granitoid and not by Segregation From a the idea that melt inclusions can be used equally excited to re-visit the spectacular Long-Lived Crystal-Rich Mush, Eos Trans. to infer magmatic liquid compositions. scenery around Aoraki/Mount Cook. AGU, 88 (52)

John Garver Much of my research effort is focused on date grains with very high track densites, three main projects. The first is using our which are otherwise not countable using newly developed approach to Fission Track an optical microscope. Using this new (FT) dating to understand the thermal technique, we’ve determined the late history of the Cambro-Ordovician platform Proterozoic thermal evolution of the Adi- deposits in NY State. This research has rondacks, and that the Paleozoic cover been a long-term effort that is aimed at rocks were heated in the Alleghanian and the analysis of detrital zircon from the were affected by hot fluids in the Taco- Potsdam Formation, which sits above the nian. In fact, the Union FT lab has de- Great Unconformity with the Grenville termined the oldest zircon FT ages on the basement rocks of the Adirondacks below. planet with this new technique (>2.0 Ga). In doing this study we have developed a This work is primarily funded by the Pe- better understanding of radiation damage troleum Research Fund and by the NY John Garver cores a spruce tree in in zircon, and how that radiation damage State Energy Research and Development Saskatchewan, part of a project to under- affects crystal properties and annealing of Authority. The funding sources reflect fission tracks. In the process of doing this the fact that our new dating technique stand lake levels through time. research we developed a new approach to can date subtle thermal events in the FT dating whereby we use the new SEM to upper part of the Oil/gas window. Union College Page 3

Continued 2007 (CURRENT: American Chemical So- (Chugach/St Elias Range, southern The second research area is in under- ciety - Petroleum Research Fund) Dating Alaska), Tectonics, 27, TC4003, standing terrane accretion and Alaskan low-temperature thermal events using doi:10.1029/2007TC002168. tectoncis. Much of this work has been part radiation damaged zircons ($90K). 2007 Gombosi, D.J., Barbeau, D.L., Garver J.I., of the NSF funded St. Elias Tectonic and (CURRRENT: NYSERDA) Dating the ther- 2009. New thermochonometric con- Erosion project (STEEP), which is a multi- mal maximum of the Beekmantown straints on the rapid Paleogene exhuma- institutional project focused on under- Group using fission tracks in radiation- tion of the Cordillera Darwin complex standing the collision of the Yakatuk ter- damaged detrital zircon ($74) . related thrust sheets in the Fuegian An- ane and the thermal history of the conti- des. Terra Nova (in press). nental framework affected by this collision Recent Peer-reviewed scholarly prod- Marsellos, A.E., Kidd, W.S.F., and Garver, (southern Alaska, mainly the Chugach ucts : J.I., (in press). Extension and exhuma- Range). Much of our focus here has been Draper, S., Evans, J., Garver, J.I., and tion of the HP/LT rocks in the Hellenic on the outboard syn-orogenic strata (those Kirschner, D. and Janecke, S.U. 2009, foreare ridge. American Journal of Sci- sitting on the Yakatuk), and on the Paleo- Arkosic rocks from the San Andreas Fault ence, in press. cene-Miocene strata that are part of the observatory at Depth (SAFOD) borehole, Montario, M.J., and Garver, J.I., 2009 (in Mantanuska-Cook inlet basin (and their central California: implications for tecton- press) The thermal evolution of the Gren- correlatives). ics along the San Andreas Fault. Litho- ville Terrane revealed through U-Pb and Finally I have been very busy with re- sphere 1; p. 206-226. Fission-Track analysis of detrital Zircon search in the Mohawk watershed. This Enkelmann, E., Zeitler, P.K., Pavlis, T.L., from Cambro-Ordovician quartz arenites work has been ongoing over the years and Garver, J.I., Ridgway, K.D. 2009. Intense of the Potsdam and Galway Formations, started with looking at the effects of ice Localized Rock Uplift and Erosion in the vol. 117, no. 6 2009. jamming during winter break up floods. St. Elias Orogen of Alaska. Nature Geo- Kirstein, L., Fellin, M., Willett, S., Carter, Recent work has been on determining the science 2, no. 5, 360-363. A. Chen, Y-G; Garver, J.; Lee, D.-C., timing and mechanisms of landslides using Garver, J.I., 2008, Fission-track dating. (submitted) Onset of rapid erosion in tree rings in Eastern Hemlock as what are In Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Taiwan during the Late Pliocene con- essentially biologic strain meters. This Ancient Environments, V. Gornitz, (Ed.), strained by detrital thermochronometry; fascinating work has shown that the Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series, Basin Research (BRE-101-2008. – sub- change in rainfall over the last decade in Kluwer Academic Press, p. 247-249. mitted 4 Nov. 2008). this part of NY State has resulted in local Marsellos, A.E., Garver, J.I., Thomas, ground instability and landsliding. Part of Enkelmann, E., Garver, J.I., and Pavlis, J.B., Kidd, W.S.F., 2008. A Raman Spec- this work is done in conjunction with T.L., 2008, Rapid exhumation of ice- troscopic Study of zircons with low to Schenectady County offices of Economic covered rocks of the Chugach-St. Elias medium uranium content. In: Garver, planning, Emergency management, and Orogen, Southeast Alaska. Geology, v. J.I., and Montario, M.J., (eds.) Proceed- Engineering. The overall effort is part of 36, n.12, p. 915-918. ings from the 11th International Confer- a new Mohawk Watershed Working group Bernet, M., Brandon, M.T., Garver, J.I., ence on thermochronometry, Anchorage that includes a number of faculty and stu- Balestieri, M.L., Ventura, B., Zattin, M., Alaska, Sept. 2008, p.165-167. dents looking into scientific and engineer- (in press), Exhuming the Alps through ing issues in the Mohawk and its tributar- time: Clues from detrital zircon fission- Montario, M.J. & Garver, J.I., 2008. Using ies. track thermochronology; Basin research. Scanning Electron Microscopy for high density fission track dating. In: Garver, I’ve also been busy with a number of pro- Guo-Can Wang, Robert P. Wintsch, John J.I., and Montario, M.J., (eds.) Proceed- fessional duties. I am currently vice chair I. Garver, Mary Roden-Tice，She-Fa ings from the 11th International Confer- Geoscience Education Committee for the Chen,Ke-Xin Zhang, Qi-Xiang Lin, Yun- ence on thermochronometry, Anchorage Geological Society of America and I will Hai Zhu, Shu-Yuan Xiang and De-Wei Li Alaska, Sept. 2008, p.171-173. chair this committee next year. I was the (in press) Provenance and thermal his- General chair for FT2008, which was the Bucci, A., and Garver, J.I., 2009, The tory of the Bayan Har Group in the west- temporal pace of landslide movement 11th international Conference on Thermo- ern-central Songpan–Ganzi–Bayan Har chronology, in Anchorage Alaska, in Sep- determined from growth asymmetry in terrane: implications for tectonic evolu- Tsuga canadensis, Bowman Creek, Mo- tember 2008. Last March Jackie Cockburn tion of the northern Tibetan Plateau. The and I co-chaired the first ever Mohawk hawk River watershed, NY. In: Cockburn, Island Arc, Volume 18, Number 3, Sep- J.M.H. and Garver, J.I., Proceedings from Watershed Symposium. Finally I am on tember 2009, pp. 444-466(23). the Board of Directors for Dam Concerned the 2009 Mohawk Watershed Sympo- Perry, S.E., Garver, J.I., and Ridgeway, Citizens, a advocacy group working to en- sium, Union College, Schenectady NY, p. K., 2009, Transport of the Yakutat Ter- sure the safe rehabilitation of the aged 8-11. rane, southern Alaska, evidence from Gilboa Dam in Schoharie County. sediment petrology and detrital zircon Grant activity: fission-track and U/Pb double dating. 2007-10 (Current) IGCP Project 543 Journal of Geology. V. 117, n. 3. p. 156- (UNESCO and IUGS). General coordinator 173. John has taught Sed. Strat., Earth through Massimilino Zattin (Univeristy of Bolgna. Hourigan, J., Brandon, M.T., Soloviev, Project leaders: J. I. Garver (Union Col- A.V., Kirmasov, A.B., Garver, J.I., Ste- Time, Structure, Natural Disasters, and co lege, USA), Vitaliy A. Privalov (Donetsk venson, J., and Reiners, P.W., 2009. Eo- - taught the summer mini term in Alaska : National Technical University, Ukraine), cene arc-continent collision and crustal Living on the Edge (see LOTE article). Alexei V. Soloviev (Russian Academy of consolidation in Kamchatka, Russian Far Sciences), Cornelia Spiegel (University of East. American Journal of Science. v. When he’s not teaching or working on his Tuebingen, Germany), Maarten de Wit 309: p. 333-396. (Cape Town University, South Africa), research you might find him fly-fishing. Meigs, A., S. Johnston, J. Garver, and J. Massimiliano Zattin (University of Bologna, Spotila, 2008, Crustal-scale structural (see Fly-fishing in Tibet) Italy), Dewen Zheng (Institute of Geology, architecture, shortening, and exhumation China Earthquake Administration). of an active, eroding orogenic wedge Page 4 Union College

Kurt Hollocher Kurt has been teaching Physical Geology, indicates considerable fluid flux through tions at a quantitative trait locus (QTL) Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry. the big garnet amphibolites. They seem affect development of behavior in lead- This past spring Kurt’s Petrology course to have formed after granulite facies exposed Drosophila melanogaster. Neuro- had a record number of 14 students en- metamorphism at pressures of 7-9 kbars Toxicology. rolled. The Petrology class takes 3 day and temperatures of ~750°C, during iso- A major research effort of Kurt’s over the long field trips. The class visits the Green thermal decompression, when water en- last 5 years has been the tectonic devel- Mts. & the Adirondack Mts. tered the rocks along faults. The garnets opment of the Norwegian Caledonides, Kurt received a Union College grant for X- appear to have grown in the presence of focusing on the region west and north- ray elemental standards for the scanning aqueous fluid and silicate melt at ~4.5 west of Trondheim. This work involves electron microscope. He was also awarded kbars and ~750°C. several workers from Norway and one Denney, A., Hirsch, D., and Hollocher, K., other in the U.S. Work centers on tracing 2008, Determination of the duration of the tectonostratigraphic units from Swe- retrograde metamorphism at Gore Moun- den and eastern Norway, where the rocks tain, NY: Geological Society of America are relatively undeformed, into the Abstracts with Programs, 43rd annual coastal region where the rocks are highly Northeastern Section Meeting, Buffalo, deformed and, in some cases, metamor- NY, v. 40, no. 2, p. 21. phosed. They have successfully traced Hollocher, K., 2008, Origin of big garnets one unit which is up to 2 km thick in in amphibolites during high-grade meta- Sweden, into deep synclines in the West- morphism, Adirondacks, NY: Keck Geol- ern Gneiss Region where the same unit is ogy Consortium, 2008 meeting at Smith as little as 1 meter thick. College, Symposium v. 21, p. 129-134. Hollocher, K., Robinson, P., Walsh, E., Hollocher, K., Stack, K., Denney, A., and Terry, M., 2007, The Neoproterozoic Emerson, E., 2008, Petrology of big gar- Ottfjället dike swarm of the Middle Alloch- thon, traced geochemically into the Scan- Kurt Hollocher at the new NSF supported net amphibolites, North Creek- Warrensburg area, Adirondacks, NY: Geo- dian Hinterland, Western Gneiss Region, scanning electron microscope. logical Society of America Abstracts with Norway. American Journal of Science, v. Programs, 43rd annual Northeastern Sec- 307, p. 901-953. tion Meeting, Buffalo, NY, v. 40, no. 2, . Regel, M.E., Walsh, E., Gehrels, G., Hol- a grant for a field trip: A Tectono- 21. locher, K., and Robinson, P., 2008, Zircon stratigraphic transect across the cen- geochronology of migmatites and pegma- tral Scandinavian Caledonides which Stack, K., Hollocher, K., Wobus, R., tites from the Western Gneiss Region, led to a publication. 2008, Comparative analyses of the War- rensburg and Gore Mountain big-garnet Norway: Geological Society of America Kurt led a Keck project done in coopera- amphibolites, Adirondacks Mountains, Abstracts with Programs, 42nd annual tion with three faculty from Colgate Uni- NY: Geological Society of America Ab- North-Central Section Meeting. versity. The project was in the Adirondack stracts with Programs, 43rd annual Robinson, Peter, Solli, Arne, Hollocher, Lowlands, near the St. Lawrence River. Northeastern Section Meeting, Buffalo, Kurt, Osmundsen, per Terje, and Roberts, The purpose of the work was two-fold: 1) NY, v. 40, no. 2, p. 22. David, 2008, Day 5: Scandian geology of to better understand the structural geol- the outer Trondheimsfjord region. In ogy of the area especially related to strain Fruit flies? Robinson, Peter, Roberts, David, Gee, D. along the Black Lake shear zone, which Fruit flies serve as an important model G. and P. G. Andréasson, Editors. Guide- might be recording movement of a buried for many higher organisms, including book: A tectonostratigraphic transect plate tectonic suture; and 2) to better humans. A long-term project at SUNY across the central Scandinavian Caledon- characterize the geochemistry of granites Albany, under the direction of Helmut ides, 33rd International Geological Con- on either side of the Black Lane shear zone Hirsch, has been studying many aspects gress, Oslo, Norway, Day 5-p.1-37. to better understand the geochemistry of of the effect of heavy metals (Pb, Hg, U) the deep crustal source regions from which on fruit flies. Work has included location the granites came. and concentration of lead in fruit fly adult Catalano, J., Hollocher, K., and Wong, M., and larvae bodies, microstructural neuro- 2009, Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility logical development, and behavioral char- and geochemistry of the Hyde School acteristics. This work is unique in looking Gneiss and Rockport Granite, northwest at metal concentrations well below those Adirondack Lowlands. Geological Society of of previous studies, made possible by the America Abstracts with Programs, v. 41, very low detection limits of our ICP-MS no. 3, p. 109. (Poster presentation) instrument. Kurt is the analytical arm of The following two publications are part of this project and has analyzed many thou- Kurt’s Keck project in the Adirondack sands of samples. Kurt also suggested Highlands. Big garnet amphibolites are the new research line into uranium, which common in certain parts of the Adiron- has implications for reports of uranium dacks, most notably at Gore Mountain. toxicity following the Gulf War in Iraq. Their origin has been a puzzle for a long Hirsch, H.V.B., Possidente, D., Averill, S., time, despite considerable research. The Despain, T.P., Buytkins, J., Thomas, V., goal was to use modern analytical tools Goebel, W.P., Shipp-Hilts, A., Wilson, W., Petrology field trip Spring 2009: Pine and thermodynamic modeling to better Hollocher, K., Possidente, B., Lnenicka, Cobble, Williamstown, on the southern tip of understand their origin. Geochemistry G., Ruden, D.M., (in press 2009), Varia- the Green Mountains. (Photo: K. Hollocher) Union College Page 5

Continued graphic transect across the central Scandi- sund. In Robinson, Peter, Roberts, David, navian Caledonides, 33rd International Gee, D. G. and P. G. Andréasson, Editors. Robinson, Peter and Kurt Hollocher, Geological Congress, Oslo, Norway, Day 6, Guidebook: A tectonostratigraphic tran- 2008, Day 6, Part II: Geology of Troll- Part II-p.1-7. sect across the central Scandinavian heimen. In Robinson, Peter, Roberts, Robinson, Peter and Hollocher, Kurt, 2008, Caledonides, 33rd International Geologi- David, Gee, D. G. and P. G. Andréasson, Mafic dikes and basement cover relation- cal Congress, Oslo, Norway, Day 7, p.17- Editors. Guidebook: A tectonostrati- ships, southern coast of the islands of Mid- 22.

Don Rodbell I typically teach three courses with labs spectacular mountainous terrain in the German Shepherds about. Our daughters each year. For the past few years these world, coring carbonate lakes from central are growing up far too quickly, and Ce- courses have been Geomorphology, Peru to near the Bolivian border. In the cilia and I are finding it hard to believe Lakes and Environmental Change, and process, we’ve stumbled across some very that we’ll soon be starting the college Environmental Geology. Occasionally I high quality records (and a few remote teach Glacial and Quaternary Geology coca plantations), and the Core Lab at and Global Climate Change. This past Union has been processing samples (of summer I also led a mini-term course to lake mud, that is!) at record speed. Sev- the Peruvian Andes, which is described eral students have participated in this pro- later in this newsletter. ject, and we are now working on publish- ing our results. Several of the cores pro- vide records of climate change with annual to decadal resolution spanning nearly 10,000 years. These cores rival ice cores and speleothems in terms of resolution, age control, and clarity of the climate sig- nal. It is really exciting research to be part of! A second area of research interest contin- Coring in Lake Yanacocha, Peru; July 2009. ues to be the chronology of glaciation in the tropics. This work has been carried out with several collaborators, and I am search with Erika! All the best to all of pleased to finally be finished with a major you! review paper to be published in late 2009 Recent Peer-reviewed scholarly products in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews. from Don: I am also working with the International Hupe, B., Smith, J. A., Rodbell, D. T., and Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) to drill Graber, N., 2008, Sediment record from Lake Junin, Peru. This is a most unusual bog cores in the southernmost Cordillera Don Rodbell describing glacial deposits in carbonate lake in that it predates the most Blanca, Peru: Geological Society of Amer- the Peruvian Andes. recent glacial cycles. We have already ica Abstracts with Programs, v. 40, no. 2, obtained a 60-foot-long core from the Abstract 32-3. [student presentation on It is indeed an exciting time to be teach- edge of this large lake, and this core spans independent research project] ing environmental geology as increasingly more than 50,000 years. There are most Smith, J.A., Mark, B. G., and Rodbell, D. Union students are well versed in and certainly hundreds of thousands of years T., 2008, The timing and magnitude of passionate about the environment. My of record preserved in the Lake, but ac- mountain glaciation in the tropical Andes: other duties at Union include directing the quiring the full record will take more than Journal of Quaternary Science, v. 23, p. Environmental Science and Policy Pro- our hand-powered portable coring appara- 609-634. gram. This Program is one of the oldest tus. Our initial proposal to ICDP has been and most popular at Union, and it has approved in concept, and now we need to Rodbell, D. T., 2008, Demonstrating the been largely restructured in the past dec- build an international team of researchers stratification of dimictic and meromictic ade. Now we have two separate majors to take on this large project. lakes in a fish tank: Journal of Geological Education, v. 56, p. 247-250. within the Program—a BS in Environ- For the past 5 years I have served as mental Science and a BA in Environ- North American editor of the Journal of Rodbell, D.T., Seltzer, G. O., Mark, B. G., mental Policy, and the number of majors Quaternary Science. This has been a re- Smith, J. A. and Abbott, M. B., 2008, in the Program (now ~50 students) has warding and challenging undertaking, and Clastic sediment flux to tropical Andean increased dramatically in the past few I have learned a lot about the scope of lakes: records of glaciation and soil ero- years. Quaternary science and the publishing/ sion: Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 27, My research continues to be focused on editing process in general. My annual trips p. 1612-1626. the Peruvian Andes. I am in the last year to London to meet with the editorial board Rodbell, D. T., Abbott, M. B., Besonen, of a 4-year NSF grant to document re- of JQS (and to sneak in a few side trips) M., and Smith, J. A., 2008, Lake Junin cords of pre-historic droughts in the high- have been fun and really educational. Five (Peru) as a potential ICDP site: Interna- lands of Peru. This grant is a collabora- years of editorial responsibilities for about tional Continental Drilling Program Work- tive effort with Mark Abbott at the Uni- 20 manuscripts per year have left me a bit shop, Potsdam Germany—Acquiring high versity of Pittsburgh, and it is aimed at burned out to be sure, and it will be nice to ultra-high resolution records of past carbonate lakes and the oxygen isotope to focus on my own (and my students’) climatic change by scientific drilling records that they contain. We’ve trav- manuscripts in the future. (September 29—October1, 2008). elled along the spine of the Andes, All is well on the home front, chaotic at through some of the most remote and times as it is with two teenagers and two Page 6 Union College

George Shaw I have continued to teach several courses in to use these results for planning purposes. conferences covering various aspects of the Geology Department. At last glance I During the study two Union Geology stu- my new interpretation. I have also pre- have now taught Physical Geology, Environ- dents worked on senior theses as part of sented various aspects to seminars at mental Geology, Mineralogy, Geophysics, the project. I am hoping to publish some the University of Hawaii, U. of Arizona, Great Moments in the History of Life, Struc- of the more scientifically relevant parts of U. of Washington and U. of Minnesota. tural Geology, Natural Resources, and En- the study in future. There has not been overwhelming ac- ergy Resources and Policy. In the latest A second project has been mostly com- ceptance of the ideas, but given time I version of the latter course, taught last pleted, but there remain some possibilities expect that will change! Winter Term, I tried a new a approach. I for future work as time permits. This was Finally, two years ago while on the had a very diverse group of students rang- a study of bentonite layers (altered vol- Australia-New Zealand Term abroad I ing from engineers and geology majors to canic ashes) in rocks of Devonian age in found a previously undescribed occur- political science majors, and even a classics New York, Pennsylvania and Quebec, and rence of peridotite xenoliths in basalts major. For the first half of the course I lec- Late Jurassic to Cretaceous age in the in Carnarvon National Park in Central tured on basic background in energy re- Central Valley of California. One student Queensland. I returned in August 2008 sources and for the last half of the course worked on an aspect of this project for a with a permit to do field work and col- the students divided into groups to formu- senior thesis. The results of the NY-PA- lect specimens. I have been working on late several proposals for a national energy Quebec work have been published in GSA the chemistry and mineralogy of these policy. The students were very much en- Bulletin. A paper has been prepared dis- interesting rocks and have prepared a gaged by this approach and worked up cussing the CA work, but has not yet been display for the park including a poster some interesting ideas. I hope to repeat published. describing the locality and specimens, this approach, with more time given to pol- The third project is one I have been work- a polished xenoliths, and a thin section icy formulation, during the coming Winter ing on sporadically for the past 30 years! and viewer so visitors to the park can Term as a senior seminar course for Envi- This project is to develop a computer see some unusual rocks. ronmental Science/Studies majors. Two model that simulates the development of On a somewhat different note, I have years ago, Don Rodbell and I were the fac- stream networks. I have had several com- been working on another project con- ulty on the Australia/New Zealand Term puter science students work on aspects of cerning a very practical problem that is abroad. At the moment (October 2009) I the project during summers over the past attracting increasing attention world- am back in Australia teaching the geology 10 years, adding features to the program wide, namely the increase in atmos- part of this year’s OZ-NZ term. to more realistically model the complexi- pheric carbon dioxide due to burning of ties of the evolution of drainage networks. fossil fuels, and the possible conse- We have now reached the point where we quences of that increase. I have been can simulate stream capture successfully, working with a former graduate stu- an important occurrence in the develop- dent from the U. of Minnesota, who is ment of major drainage systems, espe- now working for an international con- cially when they are disturbed by tectonic sulting company. I have identified an events. This past summer we made approach to capturing carbon from the enough progress to run the program sev- atmosphere that can theoretically not eral hundred times to evaluate the extent only remove a significant fraction of to which it produces realistic geometries. I anthropogenic carbon production, but hope we will soon be able to publish some can do so in a very cost-effective man- of these results. ner. This is not yet ready for publica- The fourth project is another I have been tion, but I hope to put something to- thinking about for a rather long time, since gether with my colleague in the near my early days as a faculty member at the future. This project will require at least University of Minnesota. About 4 years ago one, and probably two pilot studies to at a GSA meeting I heard a paper that confirm that it can work on the large provided a key piece of information about scale necessary to impact global cli- Earth’s early atmosphere, namely a con- mate change. We are currently trying crete value as to the time when free oxy- to interest one or more companies in George Shaw on a rhyolite outcrop on the gen became present in the atmosphere the idea to get a pilot study started. I flank of Mt. Greville, Australia; a rhyolite plug (about 2.2-2.3 billion years ago). With this have designed such a study for an esti- approximately 25/MY old. Lake Moorgerah is key piece of information I was able to bet- mated cost of $1M, which is very mod- in the background. ter define a critical problem in Earth his- est considering the nature of the prob- tory: the time delay between the start of lem. Interestingly, if the carbon fixed cyanobacterial oxygen-producing photo- by the pilot works at the level predicted Since the last newsletter I have been work- synthesis and the ultimate oxidation of (hoped!) the carbon credits associated ing on five research projects. The Town of Earth’s surface environment. As a conse- with the capture would very quickly Wright project was a contracted study of quence of my analysis I have been able to pay off the investment. Stay tuned. the groundwater hydrology of the Town of develop a model for the early atmosphere Recent scholarly products from George: Wright in northeastern Schoharie County. A that is in stark contrast to the prevailing final report was submitted to the town and I Earth’s Atmosphere – Hadean to early view, but which solves several contradic- Proterozoic, Invited Review, Chemie made a presentation at a public meeting in tions between the accepted model and the the town. The project revealed several fea- der Erde, 68 (2008) 235-264. was pub- geologic record. I have now been able to lished in May 2008. tures of the groundwater system, especially publish these ideas as part of a review Climate transition on Mars: a simple in the karst areas of the town, but also in- paper I was invited to write: “Earth’s early solution, Eos Trans. AGU,89(53), Fall cluded detailed chemical information on atmosphere: Hadean to Early Proterozoic”. Meet. Suppl., Abstract U23E-0091. over 100 water wells. The town will be able I have also presented eight papers at four Union College Page 7

Continued Primordial Degassing of Terrestrial Plan- Carbon Isotopes, Carbon Cycling and the ets: the Case for Reduced Carbon Com- Early Evolution of Carbon Reservoirs, Eos Sept. 2008 pounds on the Early Surfaces, Eos Trans. Trans. AGU, 90(22), Jt. Assem. Suppl., AGU, 90(22), Jt. Assem. Suppl., Abstract Abstract V72B-05. May 2009 The Delay in Oxidation of Earth's Atmos- U21D-01. May 2009 Climate Transition on Mars: Solution and phere Following the Emergence of O2- The Faint Young Sun Paradox: a Resolu- Implications, Eos Trans. AGU, 90(22), Jt. producing Photosynthesis: an Explana- tion, Eos Trans. AGU, 90(22), Jt. Assem. Assem. Suppl., Abstract P21A-03. May tion, Eos Trans. AGU, 90(22), Jt. Assem. Suppl., Abstract P23A-07. May 2009 2009 Suppl., Abstract U21D-03 May 2009

Jaclyn Cockburn visiting Watershed Hydrologist Jackie is a visiting Assistant Professor physical process studies from cold re- off and event flow dynamics for several who teaches Environmental Studies in the gions (e.g., Canadian High Arctic and large summer storms from summer 2009 fall, Global Climate Dynamics and the alpine watersheds). I am also interested (record rainfall events in the Capital Dis- senior seminar in Environmental studies understanding how science and non- trict). This project involves characterizing in the winter. This past spring she taught science students learn and engage in the watershed land use, soil moisture and infil- a new course that she developed, Water- natural sciences. tration rates, as well as sub-surface event shed Hydrology which included a joint Mohawk River Watershed flow contributions. Using GIS and physical project and poster session with an Ana- Recently, I have focused on watershed hydrological modeling techniques we hope lytical Chemistry class. Living on the to present to the city and the county, in- process work in the Mohawk River, Scho- Edge is co taught by Jackie with John formation that can help emergency re- harie Creek and several smaller tributar- Garver during a summer mini term (see sponse personnel and planners mitigate ies in the Lower Mohawk Basin and potentially avoid damage to infra- (Schenectady County) to understand structure and property. what drives the majority of sediment transport, what scales these processes Bed-load transport dynamics in Mohawk Wa- contribute to watershed evolution and tershed what if any impact is there on infrastruc- This past summer a major bed-load trans- ture. Establishing sensors and monitor- portation study was initiated. Large parti- ing points were the focus of my field ef- cle transport can potentially block or dam- forts through the last year. Several as- age stream banks and block drainage sys- pects of this work are in collaboration tems causing damage to surrounding with John Garver and other members of property. Understanding the mechanisms the Mohawk Watershed Working Group at and processes that drive large particle Union College. Students have been in- transport in tributaries along the Mohawk volved with this work as well, through River will allow mitigation and emergency class projects in Introduction to Environ- response personnel to plan for potentially mental Studies and in Watershed Hydrol- damaging events. The study is currently ogy, in addition to student project work working to monitor fall storms (possible for summer and senior research projects. hurricane or tropical storm remnants) and Impacts of climate change on flow patterns will be used to monitor major snow-melt and volume through the last century runoff events in the spring. Jackie Cockburn lectures here on the Cast- Climate change impact assessment re- Thermal characteristics of streamflow the ner glacier in Alaska. ports predict more precipitation for the Schoharie Valley northeast over the next century. My re- The Schoharie Creek, a major tributary of the LOTE story in this newsletter). search investigates the trends in dis- the Mohawk River, has the potential to Research interests: charge through the last century using support a diverse fishery. At present it is USGS gauging records, weather records believed that high water temperatures Broadly I am in interested in understand- and historical accounts to understand the during late summer low-water level condi- ing the impacts of climatic change on recent changes and trends in discharge. tions prevent establishment of trout popu- surface processes. Recent climate change The initial aspects of this work were pre- lations in several parts of Schoharie Creek. is altering typical processes and patterns sented at the Mohawk Watershed Sympo- of the past and results in changes in sium this past spring. transfer and ultimate deposition of sedi- ments in these systems. Sediment trans- Urban stream response to intense summer fer and deposition are important to un- storms derstanding ecosystem diversity and Although climate change impact assess- landscape evolution. Furthermore, ment reports indicate more precipitation changes to sediment transfer and deposi- for northeastern United States, the in- tion can pose threats to infrastructure crease in precipitation is not equally dis- and other activities within a watershed. tributed across the hydrological year and My research aims at understanding this will occur as more rain-on-snow events problem by monitoring watersheds for during late winter, early spring and as discharge, suspended sediment transfer intense summer rainstorms. The latter and deposition, and bedload movement event has important implications for ur- as well as through sediment core analy- ban streams particularly prone to flash- ses. In previous work, I have focused on flooding. My research (in conjunction Jon Griffith ’11 along side his poster for high-resolution (annual, sub-annual) with my Watershed Hydrology class and a sedimentary records and season-long senior thesis student) aims to model run- Watershed Hydrology, Spring 2009. Page 8 Union College

Continued water level reports from the Union Col- development and communication of sci- Initial work this summer established water lege boat house on the Mohawk River. ence to the community. As well as pro- temperature sensors in key points along Geoscience and Environmental Science vide opportunities for secondary school the creek, along with air temperature sen- Education students to be involved with research. In sors to monitor the warmest part of the My interest in methods and suc- addition to the CCLI Mohawk Watershed hydrological year. This project is currently cesses in getting students involved and proposal, I am working on a project that the focus of an ENS senior thesis, Ashley engaged with geoscience and environ- evaluates the use of real-time data in Kavack (2010). mental science problems motivated the teaching hydrological processes to inter- mediate Geology students (to be submit- submitted proposal to NSF’s Course, Cur- Ice-jamming in the Schenectady Basin of the ted June 2010). Mohawk River riculum and Laboratory Initiative (CCLI) in May 2008. In many instances this Recent peer-reviewed scholarly products Water level sensors were deployed prior to from Jackie: the 2009 ice-jam in the Schenectady Basin interest in successful student mentorship, of the Mohawk River. These sensors class activities and encouragement to Cockburn, J.M.H., Lamoureux, S.F. Snow- stayed in place during the event the data pursue education in the discipline dove- fall variability and post-19th century arc- were used following the event to evaluate tails with my previously mentioned re- tic landscape disturbance from paired flood run-up and post-event flood-wave search interests in climate change im- varved sedimentary records, IN: Proceed- pulse processes. This work is of particular pacts on the environment and related ings from the 2009 Arctic Workshop, interest to the country and city of hydrological processes. The CCLI pro- Bates College, Lewiston ME. p. 15-17. Schenectady Emergency Response person- posal aims to use the Mohawk Watershed Cockburn, J. and Lamoureux, S. 2008. nel. By spring 2010 we hope to have in- as a focus point (both physically and Inflow and lake controls on short-term frared cameras in position to monitor jam- mentally) in a variety of disciplines (e.g., mass accumulation and particle size in a ming processes in real-time and poten- Geology, Environmental Science/Policy/ High Arctic lake: implications for inter- tially link the water level sensors into the Engineering, Chemistry, History, English). preting varved lacustrine sedimentary Union College intranet to allow real-time If successful the grant will improve op- records, Journal of Paleolimnology. 40, portunities for student research, course 923-942

Ashraf Ghaly, Soil Mechanics (engineering division)

Ashraf Ghaly has taught Environmental Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “A GIS Study of the Geotechniques, Geographic Information Mohawk River Watershed Using Digital Systems, and waste management. This Elevation Models,” Mohawk Watershed course explores the natural characteristics, Symposium, Union College, NY. techniques of coring, methods of classifi- Ghaly, A.M. (2009). "A GIS Approach to cation, and testing of soils as a material Waste Management and Recycling in New impacted by the surrounding environment. York State," 24th International Confer- The utilized methods of testing are those ence on Solid Waste Technology and standardized by the American Society for Management, Philadelphia, PA. Testing and Materials (ASTM). Basic topics Ghaly, A.M. and Ferry M. (2008). “To covered are soil exploration, composition, Dam Or Not To Dam: An Insight Into The flow and permeability, compaction, com- Environmental Politics Of Rivers,” Ameri- pressibility, strength, slope stability, and can Society for Engineering Education environmental geotechnology with focus ASEE, Zone I Conference, United States on the Environmental Protection Agency's Military Academy, West Point, NY. (EPA) testing and design specifications. Ghaly, A.M. and Azar, N. (2008). Relevant Publications (2008-09) “Correlations between Health Conse- Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “The marriage of Li- quences of Smoking and Behavioral, Eco- DAR and GIS helps divorce soil from ero- nomical, and Environmental Indicators,” sion,” Geospatial Technologies in the Lib- 24th Annual NYS GIS Conference, Syra- eral Arts, Skidmore College, NY. cuse, NY. Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “Spatial Examination Ghaly, A.M. (2008). “American and of America’s Infrastructure Challenges,” Global Perspectives of Infrastructure 25th Annual NYS GIS Conference, Lake Needs and Expenditures,” 24th Annual Placid, NY. Ashraf Ghaly in the new soil testing lab in NYS GIS Conference, Syracuse, NY. Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “Patterns of Scour and the Olin building. Ghaly, A.M. (2008). "An Examination of Methods of Remediation of Impacted In- the Environmental Impact of Electronic frastructure Facilities,” Mohawk Watershed Waste Disposal," 23rd International Con- Symposium, Union College, NY. Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “Cartographic Maps ference on Solid Waste Technology and Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “Mapping Waste in Facilitate Appreciating World Energy and Management, Philadelphia, PA. NYS for Better Management and Sustain- Water Problems,” Geospatial Technolo- Supervised the following GIS projects (2008- gies in the Liberal Arts, Skidmore College, ability,” NITLE, Mapping for Sustainability, 09) Webinar Workshop. NY. Mountain lions in the USA. Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “Engineering applica- Ghaly, A.M. (2009). “An Insight into the A GIS Study of Flow Pattern and Flooding tions of LiDAR technology,” COLLOQUIM: Socioeconomic and Behavioral Patterns of in the Mohawk River Basin. Value-Added Applications of LiDAR, Cur- the 2008 Presidential Election,” 25th An- rent Research, Future Directions, SUNY nual NYS GIS Conference, Lake Placid, Seismicity, Volcanic Activity, and Fault Albany. NY. Lines in California Union College Page 9

Bob Fleischer Researcher Professor My research has particle radiation that is given off by ra- from the explosion itself. been mostly in the don. The result is that the total track Work is also beginning on a non- area of radioactivity density (the sum of alpha-particle decays geological issue – whether radiation can in the environment. from radon) gives the average radon ex- be used to treat a rare, but serious group In recent times pro- posure over the time that the lenses have of diseases in which certain protein mole- jects have included been used. Most of the personnel expo- cules proliferate and cause trouble in one measuring radon sures that we measured were not major, or more of several human organs. The exposures of indi- but the exception was a worker at, and method being considered – localized ra- viduals and neutron owner of, an underground uranium mine; diation – has much in common with the exposures at ground her dose was major indeed, but her techniques applied to the subjects de- zero at the time of health is excellent, presumably attribut- scribed above. the Hiroshima able to her genetic make-up. Two related publications: bombing. These Jon MacDonald was a prime contributor “Personal Radon Dosimetry from Eyeglass studies make use of also in our project to measure the neu- Lenses”, R. L. Fleischer, S. A. Hadley, N. Bob Fleisher damage tracks that tron dose near the Hiroshima bomb ex- R. are made by plosion. Man-made glasses are usually charged particles and revealed by holes virtually free from natural nuclear tracks Meyer, J. MacDonald, and A. Cavallo, that can be etched along the damaged of uranium. However, if glass has typical Radiation Protection Dosimetry 97, 251- regions created by the particles. incidental concentrations of uranium, 258 (2001). In studies with students Nick Meyer, Steve neutrons can induce fission – leaving a “Use of Glazes on Porcelain from Near Hadley, and Jon MacDonald eyeglass record of the exposure. Our most useful Ground Zero to Measure Hiroshima Neu- lenses were found to be useful radon do- results came from the glazes on four tron Fluence,” J. MacDonald, R. L. simeters. This is possible because most fragments of porcelain. The neutron Fleischer, S. Fujita, and M. Hoshi, Health such lenses in the U. S. are made of a numbers were significant, but were less Physics 85(4), 428-432 (2003). plastic that is sensitive to the alpha- than those from other radiations and Mohawk Watershed Research Group The Mohawk Watershed Research Group at canals, and strategies for floodplain res- in the Mohawk River Basin Isaiah Bu- Union College is focused on a number of toration; chanan, Samuel Rothblum. problems related to watershed analysis, (6) Water rights, including issues that Monitoring bed and suspended sediment floods, the effect of climate change on the that explore the balance between munici- transport during episodic precipitation water budget, erosion and sedimentation. pal water use and how this might conflict events in lower Mohawk River tributaries Our effort includes developing a network for with demands by power generation, in- Tyler Izykowski, J. Cockburn. monitoring the health and flow of the river dustry, drilling, ecosystem management, Participating faculty include: J. Garver and the analysis of real-time data. and sustainable ecosystems. (Geology), J. Cockburn (Geology), L. In 2009, the GEOLOGY FIELD FUND will (7) Synoptic evaluations of the watershed Macmanus-Spencer (Chemistry), Ashraf support the first effort to approach a num- including basin-wide overviews and com- Ghaly (Engineering), A. Morris (History), ber of problems in the Mohawk River basin. pilations using GIS, databases, and other H. Frey (Geology), V. Barr (Computer Part of that effort has been brought to- methods of integrating and analyzing Science), D. Rodbell (Director of Envi- gether in the Mohawk Watershed Sympo- regionally significant data. ronmental Science and Policy). sium, held on 27 March 2009. This effort (8) Water budget, including aspects of establishes our research priorities in the climate change, precipitation patterns, basin. and weather-related phenomena. The central focus of this group is on under- Work presented at the 2009 Mohawk Water- standing the Scientific, Engineering, and shed Symposium and Summer 2009 work Policy issues in the Mohawk Watershed. This interdisciplinary group has just formed includes: and will continue field and laboratory stud- Geologic conditions that result in unique ies this summer. Central themes include: Ice Jam hazards in the Lower Mohawk (1) Water quality, including nutrient load- John Garver, Jaclyn M.H. Cockburn. ing, the effects of agriculture and industry Patterns of Scour and Methods of Reme- on water quality, and contaminant fluxes; diation of Impacted Infrastructure Facili- (2) Floods, including flood frequency, ties Ashraf Ghaly, Ph.D., P.E. causes of flooding, and flood mitigation Current trends and future possibilities: strategies; monitoring for the future and how water- (3) Habitats, including biocomplexity, inva- shed dynamics may be affected by global sive species, analysis of benthic communi- climate change Jaclyn Cockburn, John ties, and the distribution of fish and other Garver, Amanda Kern. vertebrates; A GIS Study of the Mohawk River Water- (4) Sediment yield, including transport and shed Using Digital Elevation Models Ash- deposition through the watershed, bank raf Ghaly, Ph.D., P.E. Students measuring tree scars from ice erosion and potential hazards, and sedi- Failure of the Bowman Creek landslide, jamming from the 1996 flood. This is part ment budget; Schoharie Creek Amanda Bucci, J.I. of an ongoing effort to understand water- (5) Impact of watershed processes on infra- Garver. shed hydrology (Photo: JI Garver). structure, including bridges, dams, locks, A GIS Study of Flow Pattern and Flooding Page 10 Union College

Living on the Edge: Alaska 2009 by Jackie Cockburn For the third consecutive summer, Profes- above tree-line, deep into the Chugach wards a common goal. The pipeline sors Cockburn and Garver led Living on Range, over and around glaciers, through stretches from the northern coast of the Edge: Alaska, a three –week mini-term coastal waters brimming with marine life, Alaska to the port of Valdez in south- that logs over 2000 miles of south central past rivers with thousands of spawning central Alaska. The potential for disaster Alaska. This past summer we had ten salmon, and through the heart of the is everywhere, and yet because pipeline lively students who had just completed 1964 earthquake and tsunami rocked engineers heeded the advice of geologists their first or second year at Union College. region of Alaska. who were working to survey the pipeline, Some of the students on the trip were We spend the entire time camping and the pipeline was built with the ability to certain Geology was in their future others living outdoors, so before we acquire that withstand the shaking and movement were less certain. However, all shared a unique attribute of field work (eau d’ associated with earthquakes along the passion for understanding the environment camp fire) we visited two important Denali Fault (strike-slip fault, similar to and in particular the challenges that face monitoring centers. The Alaska Volcano the San Andrea Fault in California). societies ‘Living on the Edge.’ Observatory (AVO) run in partnership In three weeks it is amazing what we are ‘Living on the Edge’ is the field study of with federal and state organizations, able to accomplish with respect to under- earthquakes, volcanoes, and other hazards monitors the activity of more than 50 where tectonic plates collide. In Alaska our historically active (since the 1700s) vol- studies focused on understanding the sci- canoes that potentially threaten air traffic ence behind natural hazards that lead to over the north Pacific and air quality in catastrophic events and subsequent loss of population centers. There are more than life. In addition we spent time discussing 130 volcanoes in Alaska. When we vis- policy and engineering decisions and the ited AVO, they were at a heightened alert frameworks these decisions are imple- level and had mandated 24 hour watches, mented in with local. Taking our students due to the activity at Mt Redoubt, ap- to Alaska offers an exciting and varied proximately 100 miles south-west of An- landscape that is perfect for studying chorage. Through the spring eruptions natural hazards. Students learn to identify from Mt Redoubt had dropped several aspects of landscapes formed in this active inches of ash and dust over the Kenai environment. Peninsula and parts of Anchorage. Stu- dents saw the observation operations room and were able to speak with Allison Ed Milde (2011) describes soil from Middle Payne (one of the scientists at AVO) Bay on Kodiak Island, Alaska. These depos- about the monitoring and response pro- its have a sand sheet deposited by tsunami cedures. We also visited the West Coast/ waves during the 1964 Good Friday Earth- Alaska Tsunami Warning Center quake. (WCATWC) and were hosted by Dr. Paul Huang a geophysicist working at the cen- standing hazards and societies’ way of ter. Paul discussed with us the impor- living with these hazards and with respect tance of rapid earthquake detection and to personal experience and growth. For a the models that are developed to esti- number of students, the Alaska trip is a mate the potential for tsunamis to occur. trip of firsts. First time seeing a grizzly These two stops, where the science was bear or a bald eagle, first time seeing a put into action were important for our humpback whale, first time getting 100 Shabana Hussein (ENS 2011) prepares a students to see and experience before we mosquito bites! First Geology trip, first tree core of a Sitka Spruce that was tilted headed into the wilderness for three time seeing and walking on glaciers, first and leaning on part of the Copper River weeks. time camping and starting campfires. To Delta in southern Alaska. Only a few days after leaving Anchorage say this trip is life-changing may sound there was a small earthquake just north- like a cliché to an outsider, but if you ask This year’s class was an excellent mix of west of the city, no damage was re- anyone from the trip, their parents, their Geology, Environmental Science and Envi- ported. Although we never felt it, and friends or anyone who has ever done ronmental Policy majors and minors, who only heard about it because Union Col- something similar and they would say ‘it had at least one introductory Geology lege called the group, it was still some- doesn’t get any better than this’ and yes course and a significant drive to under- what fascinating to be there when it hap- it was life-changing. stand the varied environments of Alaska. pened. Quick phone calls home put eve- To read and see more about Living On When we met in Anchorage in mid June we ryone at ease and as we continued on our the Edge: Alaska 2009 (LOTE) and previ- immediately headed to an overview point way towards the Denali Fault and the ous trips, visit the class blogs at the fol- to set the scene for the first week of the pipeline, we were glad to know that peo- lowing web addresses. trip. As if on cue, a huge bull moose made ple like Allison and Paul were watching LOTE 2009 – http:// an appearance for our cameras and out for everyone. lotealaska2009.blogspot.com seemed to make us forget that there was For many students, one of the highlights a 4 hour time difference in Anchorage of our trip is visiting the Trans-Alaska LOTE 2008 – http://lote2008.blogspot.com compared to the east coast! We leave Pipeline and in particular, where the pipe- LOTE 2007 – http://lote2007.blogspot.com Anchorage to complete over a 2000 mile line crosses the Denali Fault. This is truly loop that takes us through the Central an incredible example of science, engi- Alaska Range, across the Denali Fault, neering and policy working together to- Union College Page 11

Impacts of Climate Change—mini term course to Peru by Don Rodbell In late June seven students and Professors had ever seen. The valley is breathtaking Rodbell and Smith met at the Newark Air- both literally due to its elevation, and port to board a non-stop flight to Lima figuratively due to spectacular clear views Peru. Arriving at midnight with all but one of hundreds of glacier clad peaks, many of our students’ luggage, we met up with of which exceed 20,000 feet in elevation, two other students who arrived from Los that can be seen from nearly every van- Angeles. Negotiations over the missing tage point. luggage and a long van ride through the After a few days of acclimatization in inky Lima night left only a few hours to Huaraz that included a trip to the site of recuperate before the next morning’s bus the 1970 Yungay disaster, where at least 20,000 people were buried alive by a rock and snow avalanche from the ~22,000 foot-tall Nevado Huascaran, we headed up to the headwaters of the Rio Students on an Incan roadway on trek to the Santa for about a week’s worth of glacial eastern side of the Cordillera Blanca. geology and lake coring. Students learned how to describe stratigraphic sections of glacial deposits, to map mo- and the green Amazon basin below cou- raines and to use relative weathering pled with the experience of hiking features on erratics to subdivide mo- through roadless villages clinging to the raines by age. Our activities also in- steep mountain slopes made for a memo- cluded coring a moraine dammed lake to rable trip. Unfortunately, a stomach bug obtain an ~ 10,000 year record of glacia- that visited several in our group earlier in tion and climate change. Thanks to our the trip made one in our group so ill that cook, Freddy, we ate like Incan royalty, we had to evacuate her via horseback Students and faculty in the Callejon de Huay- and the clear and cold night skies pro- and 4x4 truck. Thanks to our satellite las valley with Nevado Huascaran in distance. phone and a good local clinic with lots of experience dealing with gringo stomach ride that would take us from sea level to ailments, she was back in action within a over 13,400 feet in the span of 8 hours. few days. We were fortunate to get seats on the Our trip concluded with a bus trip back to second “floor” of what was to many of us Lima. We were fortunate to spend a few the biggest bus we had ever seen. Our hours at the pre-Incan Banduria archeo- perches afforded us an excellent view of logical site a few hours north of Lima the enormous and sprawling city of Lima where we received a private tour by the with its colonial architecture surrounding Peruvian archeologist in charge of the th plazas that date to the 16 century, mod- excavation. This site is one of the oldest ern neighborhoods and strip malls with sites in Peru, and it was a real treat to American chain stores, and 10 million or see an active archeological excavation. so inhabitants. On the outskirts of Lima An overnight trip north had us all back in we saw the barren hillsides speckled with the US to tell the tales of our adventures cardboard shacks thrown together by im- and to show the hundreds (thousands?) migrants from the highlands who have Students on 2009 mini-term in Peru with of photographs taken. As always photos come to Lima in search of jobs and oppor- Cordillera Blanca in the background. can’t tell the whole story, but we can be tunities. It is indeed a city of striking con- sure that these field courses have an trasts. vided a brilliant celestial display. enduring impact on our students. For the Our “base camp” was the city of Huaraz on After a trip back to Huaraz for two days students’ account of the trip, visit http:// the western side of the Cordillera Blanca, of report writing and R&R, we headed to unionperu2009.blogspot.com/. and there we settled comfortably into the a nearby glacial valley to study the ef- pensión of the Peruvian glaciologist Alcides fects of the famous Cordillera Blanca nor- Ames and family, with whom Professors mal fault on lakes and glacial deposits in Rodbell and Smith have worked for many the region. Here we measured the fault’s years. The Cordillera Blanca (literally offset of dated moraines and calculated “White Range”) is home to more tropical average slip rates. We also studied the glaciers than any other mountain range on stratigraphy of exposed lake deposits Earth, and is thus a perfect site to study that record the catastrophic draining of a the many natural archives of climate glacial lake caused by fault movement change that are provided by glaciers and thousands of years ago. One of the high their deposits, and to study the impacts of points of the trip was a two-day hike, global warming and ice retreat on the wa- partly on Incan footpaths, over the Conti- ter supplies, natural hazards, and human nental Divide at ~16,000 feet and down occupation of the region. The next 3 into the upper Amazon Basin to the vil- weeks were based almost entirely in the lage of Chavin and the famous pre-Incan valley of the Rio Santa that is known as ruins there. The hike was long and chal- the Callejon de Huayllas, one of the most lenging for most of us, but the views of Typical mini-term campsite in Peru. spectacular alpine settings that any of us the eastern side of the Cordillera Blanca Page 12 Union College

2008 Montserrat Field Trip by Holli Frey

During Union’s winter term break in were supposed to meet up with scientists 2008 Prof. Holli Frey and her husband, from MVO to discuss our itinerary for the Matthew Manon, a geology research week. Around 9 pm that evening, we associate at Syracuse University, led a heard a rumble that sounded like thun- group of ten Union students on an der. However the sound didn’t dissipate, eight day field trip to the island of and continued for more than a minute. Montserrat in the Caribbean. The Sou- We went outside and saw ash clouds bil- frierre Hills volcano in southern Mont- lowing from the summit, several km into serrat has erupted intermittently since the atmosphere, with localized lightning 1995 and has been monitored by the storms. The western flanks of the vol- Montserrat Volcano Observatory cano had an incandescent glow, which we (MVO), established in 1997. Due to later learned was from a pyroclastic flow the monitoring efforts and evacuations that had reached the ocean. The locals mandated by the MVO, only 19 fatali- said the volcano was just “waking up” ties have occurred since the resurgence and were happy to share stories with the in activity. However, the island has students about other eruptions and even suffered great economic and population ashfall in the town of Salem. Talking losses, with the abandonment and sub- with the people who live on the island sequent destruction of the capital city about their experiences and how they of Plymouth in 1997. The volcanic his- cope with an imminent potential disaster tory of the island (outcrops from 2.6 on a daily basis was an invaluable experi- Ma – present), the ongoing volcanic ence for the students. activity, and the effects of volcanism In addition to witnessing several explo- on daily life made Montserrat an ideal sive eruptions, the students spent several location for students to learn about days studying older tephra deposits. physical volcanology. Based on observations in the field, stu- “We went outside and saw ash clouds bil- dents worked in groups to infer past vol- canic processes. One of the highlights lowing from the summit, several km into was walking through a house that was the atmosphere “ partially buried by lahars in the Belham Valley. Our visit to the exclusion zone had to be abandoned due to the volcanic activity, so instead we took a boat tour to and being able to witness numerous erup- view the remains of Plymouth from the tions was truly a once in a lifetime unforget- sea. We also had the opportunity to table experience for both students and fac- snorkel and see the corals that had de- ulty. veloped on the volcanic debris. The trip Following the trip, students continued to visit the MVO website to keep abreast of the vol- canic activity. They also prepared posters for the Steinmetz Research Symposium and the entire experience was captured on film by Jon Campano ’09. Shannon Brady ’11 did Students enjoy the view from the sec- a summer research project, trying to unravel ond floor of a house buried by mud- the petrography and geochemistry of sam- ples collected in the field. Her work will be flows in the Belham Valley. used as the basis for a lab in GEO-255 (Volcanology) or GEO-250 (Origins of Igne- The goals of the trip were to examine ous and Metamorphic Rocks). outcrops to determine past volcanic Student participants included Brandon Boldt processes and to interface with the ’09, Jonathon Campano ’09, Joseph Catalano scientists at MVO to learn about the ’09, Doug Merkert ’09, Matthew Kissane ’10, monitoring of the volcano. We had also Shannon Brady ’11, Kaitlin Clark ’11, Re- hoped to visit Plymouth and the Bram- becca Gronczniak ’11, Tyler Willey ’11, and ble airport, two sites in the exclusion Steven McDermott ’12. The trip was made zone, an area off-limits to the public possible by student contributions, funds ob- due to past activity, including lahars tained from Union College by Prof. Holli Frey and pyroclastic flows. The group ar- and Jackie Cockburn for teaching and re- rived in the late afternoon on Dec. 2 search activities, and the Alumni Sup- and settled into the accommodations at ported Geology Field Fund. the Hot Rocks Hostel in Salem, a small town ~6 km north of the main edifice of the active volcano and only 0.5 km from MVO. The following morning, we Students taking notes in Montserrat. Union College Page 13

OZ Field Trip to Mt. Greville by George Shaw With the assistance of the Geology Field small volcano that formed as Australia Moogerah has benefitted from the rains Fund we were able to add a one day moved northward over a hot spot. Similar that Queensland experienced last geology field trip to the Australia Term plugs occur along much of the eastern (northern hemisphere) spring, and is now this year. The field trips we take in Aus- margin of Australia, along with larger ba- nearly full, compared to less than 20% tralia are mainly ecological, so adding a saltic shield volcanoes and lava flows. Mt. full two years ago. This is a great illustra- little extra geology before the major ex- Greville lies to the northwest of Lamington tion of the role of drought in Australia. cursion in New Zealand helps students National Park, the site of the Tweed vol- get attuned to geological observation. Mt cano. The scenic photo shows Mt. Greville Greville is a rhyolite plug approximately from O’Reilly’s on the north side of Lam- 25 MY old, an erosional remnant of a ington. It is locally known as “Elephant Rock” because of its profile. We hiked up a narrow gully (Palm Gorge) on the south- east side of the mountain. The microcli- mate due to the protected nature of the gully supports sub-tropical rain forest with the eponymous palm trees, epiphytic ferns and orchids, and tree ferns. We did not climb to the summit, but were treated with an expansive view to the south, including a rhyolite dike exposed as an erosional remnant on the hill across the valley. A short hike to the east gave us another excellent view into another gully filled with sub-tropical rainforest vegetation, as well Group of students perched at the top of a Mt. Greville across Lake Moogerah to the east. Lake cliff of rhyolite overlooking a gully. Union Joins the Keck Geology Consortium

The Geology Department at Union College Tectonic and Climate Forcing of the Alps. Keck Member Schools: is now a member of the prestigious KECK Thesis focus: Exhumation History of the GEOLOGY consortium, which is a group of Lepontine Dome in the Southern Swiss Alps small liberal arts colleges focused on de- (Advisor: Garver) Amherst College College of Wooster veloping and maintaining a research-rich ERICA ERLANGER (2008) Project: Develop- Beloit College Colorado College teaching and learning environment. This ment and Analysis of Millennial-Scale Tree Carleton College Trinity University 18-school consortium has one of the Ring Records from Glacier Bay National Colgate College Union College most distinguished track records of re- Park and Preserve, Alaska. Thesis focus: search in an undergraduate setting and Franklin & Marshall Washington and Reconstructing the Sitka, Alaska tempera- College Lee University they have been repeatedly funded by ture record using tree-ring widths from Keck, US National Science Foundation eight chronologies in the Gulf of Alaska Mt Holyoke Wesleyan Univer- and now ExxonMobil. The Keck Geology (Advisor: Cockburn). Oberlin College sity Consortium is focused on enriching un- DOUG MERKERT (2009) Project: Paleoecol- Pomona College Whitman College dergraduate education through develop- ogy and Paleoenvironment of Early Tertiary Smith College Williams College ment of high-quality research experience. Alaskan Forests, Matanuska Valley, Alaska. As an independent organization, currently Thesis focus: Fission-track ages of detrital housed at Franklin & Marshall College, zircon from the Paleocene-Eocene Chicka- Learn more at: Keckgeology.org the Consortium establishes its program loon and Wishbone formations, Mantanuska priorities based on the educational phi- Valley, Alaska (Advisor: Garver) losophies of the member colleges: dedi- cation to excellence in undergraduate JOE CATALANO (2009) Project: Identifying education, offering students comprehen- Tectonic Assembly in High-Grade Gneiss sive and rigorous educational opportuni- Terranes: Case Study in the Adirondack ties that promote intellectual growth, Lowlands, NY. Thesis focus: Anisotropy of integrity, responsibility, and a sense of magnetic Susceptibility of and Geochemis- both individuality and membership in try of the Hyde School Gneiss and the community. Rocksport Granite, Northwest Adirondack Lowlands (Advisor: Hollocher). At Union College we use endowment In- come from the GEOLOGY FIELD FUND to MATTHEW KISSANE (2010) - Project Title: cover costs of transportation and logisti- Source to Sink – Weathering of volcanic cal expenses beyond what is currently rocks and their influence on soil and water covered by the Consortium. This in- chemistry in Central Oregon (Advisor: cludes, in a limited way, analytical costs. Frey). Doug Merkert along side his poster which Union and all member schools have two LENNY ANCUTA (2010) – Project Title: Ex- was presented at the Annual Keck Geology students each year participating in this humation of the Coast Mountains Batholith Symposium at Franklin & Marshall College nationally recognized program. Here are during the Greenhouse to Icehouse transi- in Lancaster PA; April , 2009. (photo: J. the current, future, and recent projects. tion in Southeast Alaska: A multidisciplinary Garver) ROSALBA QUEIROLO (2008) Project: study of the Paleogene Kootznahoo Forma- Page 14 Union College

Keck Project, 2007: Gore Mountain Garnets by Kurt Hollocher In the summer of 2007 I had three Keck sented their work at the Northeastern Sec- partial melt and strongly channelized flow students working with me on the hows tion Meeting of the Geological Society of of watery fluids. Cumulate layering can and whys of big garnets in amphibolite America, Buffalo, NY in March, 2008. All be traced from the corona gabbro into from the Gore Mountain region in the of the students presented their work in the garnet ore, leaving no doubt that the Adirondacks. The students were a first- April at the Annual Keck Undergraduate garnet ore is derived from the gabbro. rate bunch from Williams College, Mt. Continued uplift and cooling over about 3 Holyoke College, and Western Washing- million years dropped the temperature to ton University. During field work we col- 600°C, and eventually this spectacular lected from four big garnet localities, ore body made it to the surface. There is including Gore Mountain (the original much more to this story, much of it Barton Mines ore body, mined from 1887 based on thermodynamic modeling as to 1983), Willamsburg, the active Barton well as standard geologic methods, but Mines garnet pit on Ruby Mountain, and that is the gist of it. the old Hooper Mine just south of Ruby The Barton Mine site is now a summer Mtn. We were given a fabulous tour of tourist attraction and rock shop, and I the Ruby Mountain pit, the crushing and strongly recommend that anyone visiting separation facility in the pit, and the siz- the Adirondacks add it to their itinerary. ing operation in North River. All told, we It is still spectacular, and you can still collected roughly 800 pounds of samples. collect the abundant garnets by the We also visited several other field trip Field party on the summit of Mt. Jo, high pound! sites in the Keene Valley-Lake Placid area, and the in the eastern Adirondacks. peaks area, Adirondacks. Over the next three weeks at Union Col- lege we crushed, separated, and made Research Symposium, Smith College. polished thin sections of over 100 sam- As far as results go, the Gore Mtn. mine ples, and analyzed many by SEM-EDS for site is located on the edge of a pre- preliminary estimates of metamorphic Grenville gabbro body. Early Grenville conditions for growth of the big garnets. granulite facies metamorphism at 750- Back in their home institutions the stu- 800°C at a depth of about 28 km turned dents pursued more specific research the gabbro into a mineralogically pyroxene projects with their advisors. These pro- granulite. Granulite facies metamorphism jects included garnet Mössbauer spec- was followed by rapid uplift with very little troscopy, thermal diffusion modeling in cooling. At a depth of about 15 km, after the garnets, and comparative petrology about 13 km of uplift and erosion, a fault and geochemistry of two big garnet sites. in the mine area allowed water to enter Gore Mtn. garnet ore, now an open pit rock Two of the three students, and me, pre- the gabbro margin, allowing the big garnet shop and spectacular tourist attraction. amphibolite to form in the presence of

Keck Project, 2008: Northwest Adirondack Lowlands by Kurt Hollocher In the summer of 2008 Union Student Joe’s project had two parts. First, he col- largely confirmed previous work, but in- Joe Catalano ’09 joined a Keck Geology lected structural data from granitic cluded some unusual rocks not previously Consortium team of nine students led by gneisses that are extensively exposed on known. three faculty from Colgate University. both sides of the St. Lawrence River. The Joe presented his work as a poster at the The work included two weeks in the structural data included field measure- Northeastern Section Meeting of the Geo- northwest Adirondack lowlands, and two ments, quartz grain measurements on cut logical Society of America, Portland, weeks processing samples at Colgate. I slabs to determine strain ellipses for the went into the field with them for a day, rocks, and magnetic anisotropy measure- and was Joe’s thesis advisor. ments done at the University of Massachu- setts, also to evaluate rock strain. He used this data to better understand the Black Lake Shear Zone, a region of en- hanced strain parallel to and just east of the St. Lawrence River, and possible bur- ied suture between the bulk of North America and the continent that collided during the Grenville Orogeny. The second part of Joe’s project was to mineralogically and chemically analyze granite gneiss samples to help evaluate the geographic distribution of granite types. We combined his 20 new major Joe (left) with Colgate Professor Bruce Sel- and trace element analyses with every leck, looking at and collecting samples and rock analysis from the region we could structural data from a large granite gneiss Joe presenting his poster at the Symposium scour from the literature. The mineralogy outcrop on Wellesley Island in the St. Law- and chemical composition of the rocks rence River. at Franklin and Marshall College. Union College Page 15

Maine, and as a poster and oral presenta- vania. Overall, Joe’s work does not sup- Grenville structural interpretations which tion at the Annual Keck Undergraduate port the concept that the Black Lake Shear Joe’s work will help address as it is inte- Research Symposium at Franklin and Zone is a major suture. This conclusion, grated into a better understanding of the Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsyl- however depends on syn- and post- Grenville Orogeny.

Keck Project, 2009 in Oregon by Holli Frey

After some reconnaissance fieldwork late This summer, Kathryn and Holli led a the larger scale questions we have de- last summer, Holli Frey began a new pro- group of seven undergraduates Livia Ca- vised for rock-soil-water interactions in ject in earnest, understanding the weath- paldi (Oberlin College), Rebecca Gronc- the Deschutes Basin. ering and breakdown of volcanic rocks and zniak (Union College), Matthew Harward This research is ongoing and is Hollis’ how that affects the chemistry of soils and (UNC-Charlotte), Matthew Kissane (Union primary focus in the coming year. Fund- waters in the Deschutes Basin, central College) Ashley Melendez (Cal State Full- ing to continue this project is currently Oregon. This project is in collaboration erton), Julia Schwarz (Carleton College), being sought from Research Corporation with Kathryn Szramek, an aqueous geo- and Lauren Werckenthien (DePauw) to for additional fieldwork, a portable XRF chemist, formerly at Washington & Lee our field area, as part of a funded Keck unit to do analyses in the field, and sum- University and now at Drake College. Geology Consortium Project. The stu- mer support for students. Weathering of rock into regolith or soil is dents spent 2.5 weeks in the field, devis- an important process that links the geo- ing individual research projects within our sphere with the biosphere, atmosphere, larger framework of research and collect- and hydrosphere. The rates and mecha- ing samples. Three students are examin- nisms of soil formation depend on how ing different aspects of weathering using these spheres interact and contribute to petrography, bulk rock geochemistry, and many important processes such as nutri- mineral texture and chemistry. One stu- ent and carbon cycling. Integrating the dent is doing soil studies, looking at rates of physical and chemical changes to changes in chemistry and grain size of bedrock over long time scales is one com- soils derived from different parent mate- ponent of understanding the evolution of rials and in different geomorphic settings. landscapes and part of recent NSF initia- Three students are looking at the chemis- tives to study processes in the critical zone try of springs and streams, discharge, - “ the heterogeneous, near surface envi- and the effects of the bedrock material on ronment in which complex interactions the watershed. After their fieldwork, involving rock, soil, water, air, and living students spent 1.5 weeks at Union, doing organisms regulate the natural habitat and sample preparation, some preliminary determine the availability of life-sustaining analyses, and refining their research resources” (National Research Council, questions. All will do senior projects at 2001). In August 2008, 20 rock samples their home institutions and contribute and 35 water samples were collected for abstracts and presentations to the annual analysis. The rocks were analyzed for Keck Conference, held in mid April in major and trace elements with ICP-MS and Houston this year. Holli will be coordinat- Matt Kissane ‘10 sampling an outcrop in the water chemistry was determined via ion ing the research efforts of the petrology chromatography and ICP-MS. students and use their results to address Deschutes Basin (photo: B. Gronczniak)

Kat Compton (Whitman College) and Jeff Rahl (faculty at Washington and Lee) review a geologic map of gran- ites in the central Alps of Switzerland. This was part of Rocks and Rain a Keck Project led by John Garver. The project benefits from interaction be- tween colleagues of different schools. Page 16 Union College

This is not about fly-fishing, but it is jor target for development. The Yarlung Fly-fishing in Tibet about Tibet. Actually, it is about the geo- Tsangpo is among the biggest rivers that logic evolution of Tibet and why the Pla- originate on the Tibetan plateau. Start- teau and the Himalaya are important ing at Mt. Kailash, one of the most holy By John Garver scientifically. My research focuses on the sites in Asia, the headwaters pick up evolution of mountain belts around the steam fast because they capture dis- world, and because all mountains have charge from glaciers of the high Hima- rivers, I typically do a little fly-fishing laya, including Qomolangma (Mt. Ever- while I do my fieldwork. So, it turns out est). that in my line of work I'm able to find a We drove upriver for days, and although nice balance between work and non- the river is only about 500 km long at work. My recent travels in Tibet took me this point, it is already massive. As the to some of the most dramatic rivers and river works its way eastward across lakes in the world. Prior to departure I southern Tibet it continues to pick up asked my Chinese colleagues if there steam and then it turns on a dime and would be an opportunity to fish while we heads down off the plateau and into India did field work. The response surprised and Bangladesh where it is renamed the me: they told me that native Tibetan Bramaputra. Because southern Tibet is people "will not eat fish because they relatively arid and much of the water flow respect fish very much and treat them comes from glacial laden waters, the like Gods. But, we don’t, we eat them." I sediment load of this river is massive. soon came to realize that this statement We see evidence of this on our trip as about how fish are treated revealed some terrace deposits of coarse sand and Space shuttle astronauts take plenty of pho- of the crucial differences between native gravel that cling far up on the valley tographs of Earth's surficial features. Here a Tibetans and the Chinese, who now run walls. Locally, huge sedimentary basins things. I've never experienced a culture seem to have filled old now smothered shuttle photo shows Southern Tibet and the that didn't fish, so the concept was for- valleys. The other aspect of the river is Himalaya (looking south). Everest is in the eign to me. Because I practice catch and that the discharge is highly variable, with center of the photo (Source: NASA). release, I figured I was somewhere in the nearly 80% of the flow coming during the middle, so I packed my 8 weight fly rod three-month monsoon in the summer. and a simple selection of flies. Downstream, where the river plunges off The Tibetan Plateau is the highest ele- the Plateau, it forms the deepest and vated crustal block on earth, and its most spectacular canyon in the world. In southern margin is the Himalaya Range, 200 km it plunges more than 3 km, and which is the direct result of the smash-up at the most dramatic point - the Big Bend between India and Asia. It is some 1.2 - it wraps around Mt. Namjaqbarwa million square kilometers and it has an where there is 5 km of vertical relief from average elevation over 4000 meters or canyon bottom to flanking summits. about 13,000 ft. There is little debate in Unfortunately, plans to dam this river the geosciences that the Tibet Plateau with a super dam may ruin it forever. The was formed by crustal thickening driven attraction is the huge potential energy of by the collision of India with Asia. But the river as it falls off Tibet. The current the details of how Tibet and the Himalaya plan is to dam the river in eastern Tibet rose to their current heights are debated near the big bend where it drops off the partly because it has been difficult for Plateau. This plan is focused on a 40,000 geologists to access many of the key re- megawatt power plant - about twice the mote locations that hold the geologic anticipated power generation of the soon- secrets of its evolution. The uplift of the to-be-completed Three Gorges Dam in plateau is of interest to climatologists China. In addition to power generation, a because it has been demonstrated that significant amount of water will be di- there is a link between the uplift of Tibet verted out of the drainage basin to drier and climate change. Indeed, it seems as areas to the north. There are a number of though the dynamics of the modern high basic environmental and cultural issues Himalaya and the plateau affect global associated with the impact of this project, climate and atmospheric circulation pat- but scientifically, the important variables Digital elevation model (DEM) of the Tibetan terns. So, this is one of the few places are the highly seasonal discharge of the Plateau showing the main features of relief on earth where there is a clear link be- river, the seismically active setting, and and topography. The plateau is the highest tween tectonic processes that make the high sediment load. Any one of these elevated crustal block on earth, and its south- mountains and the global atmospheric variables would probably kill a dam plan ern margin is the Himalaya Range, which is system that makes our climate what it is. in the US, and in fact they have. Most of So, with a fistful of government permits the direct result of the smash-up between the year, discharge is low, so much of the and a Land Cruiser with an extra spare water will be retained, which is one of the India and Asia. It is some 1.2 million sq kilo- tire, we set off down the dusty Tibetan meters, and it has an average elevation of major objections that downstream India back roads with our Chinese colleagues to has made. Unlike the infamous Three 4000 m, or about 13,000 ft. (Source: UCLA). visit two key areas. Gorges Dam on the relatively stable part Dam the Yarlung-Tsangpo. Tibet is a of China to the east, this super dam will source of a number of major rivers that be situated on one of the least tectoni- supply most of the fresh water to Asia. cally stable areas on Earth. It is hard to Because China is facing both a water cri- imagine them building such an inappro- sis and an energy crisis, rivers are a ma- priate dam, but it's even harder to imag- Union College Page 17 ine what will happen downstream when it valley glacier coming off the mountain. bursts in a big earthquake. No wonder We look up nearly 4 kilometers to the India and Bangladesh are nervous. With summit. It is breathtaking, as is the alti- an anticipated construction start date of tude that forces us to move slowly with 2009, it seems like there is little time to periodic rests. It is hard to imagine how stop this environmental calamity. humans can climb it. Himalaya. We work our way up the Yar- In 1865 the Royal Geographic Society lung-Tsangpo River along poorly traveled supported the suggestion that the moun- dirt roads for several days. We are tain take the name of Sir George Everest, forced to take what are essentially back who had been head of the Great roads because the main road -- the Trigometric Survey, which was responsi- Friendship Highway -- is closed for con- ble for mapping and measuring the Hima- struction. We spend the night in Shegar laya in the mid-1800's. This was certainly (or New Tingri) and sleep in a colorful not the first time one culture imposed its Tibetan guesthouse. The next morning will on another, but nonetheless most we set off over several high mountain know the mountain by its English name, passes to the Rongopo Monastery and not by its Tibetan name. In 1999, an then on to Everest Base Camp. Having expedition by the National Geographic spent most of my professional career Society re-measured the elevation of studying the tectonic evolution of high Everest using GPS technology, which is mountain belts, I was particularly pleased based on fixing a precise position from that I was about to see the big one, satellites orbiting the Earth. Although the which had always been a dream of mine. new results are controversial, they One of the great pleasures of working in pegged the mountain at 8850 meters, a Tibet is the food, which seems to be full two meters higher than the previously Everest base camp at 5200 meters. Nestled dominated by Szechwan-style Chinese. accepted value. They also announced However, in small rural towns, it is possi- that it is moving sideways, or northeast- among glacial-strewn boulders, this is one of ble to be served food of questionable ward at about 6 cm a year (about twice the highest places on earth where you can sit integrity and suspect provenance. Our the rate your fingernails grow). This lat- and have tea at a local guesthouse. Qomo- lunch that day was fairly typical, but one ter measurement is easily accounted for langma peaks out above the glacial moraine added delight on the menu was Yak by plate tectonic movements due to the on the left (photo: J.I. Garver) meat, raw Yak meat. Actually at the mo- collision of India into Asia. So, techni- ment my chopstick intersected a chunk it cally, because the China/Nepal border is didn't look raw, I only figured that out fixed on the summit, Nepal is getting a once it was in my mouth. I can't say little bigger each year and Tibet is getting what made me sick that evening, but it a little smaller, but they will barely notice was quite possibly the Yak meat. Any- the difference. In 2005, Chinese scien- way, it seems particularly ironic that, tists re-measured the mountain and came having spent most of my professional up with an exact elevation of 8,844.43 m career focused on the origin and evolu- ± 0.21 m for the rock below the snow on tion of high mountains I lose my lunch the summit, but they noted that consid- when I see the highest of all, Mt. Qomo- ering the 3.5 m of snow on the summit langma. My internal distress wore on their measurement gave an elevation of deeply into the evening and I spent the about 8848 m, the long-accepted value. most of the night with cold shivers and So, the debate about its exact elevation too frequent trips to the pit toilet. In the apparently continues; but either way it's morning I can function, thanks to a solid still one big mountain. dose of antibiotics. Railroad opens the west. Two trans- Qomolangma is the widely recognized portation arteries are about to change Tibetan name of the highest mountain in Tibet, the Wild West of China, forever. the world that most westerners call Mt. One is the Qinhai-Lhasa Railway and the Everest. Qomolangma (or Cho-mo-long- other is the Friendship Highway. The ma) is Tibetan for "the highest snowy Friendship Highway, which connects Bei- mountain" and the Tibet name clearly has jing with Katmandu in Nepal, has been a precedent over the later given name of massive multi-year effort scheduled for Mt. Everest because it has been Qomo- completion in a couple of years. When langma in Tibet for nearly 300 years. In it's done, it will open up southern Tibet Nepal it is called Sagarmatha ("Forehead like never before, and a paved road will of the sky") but this Nepali name was connect Lhasa with Katmandu. It will invented in the early 1960's and it is a allow routine travel in an area that has Typical Tibetan house with the new Qinhai- relative newbie to the name game. At only been really accessible by 4WD. Pre- Lhasa Railway that opened the next day. 8848 m (29,000') it is the highest point viously remote and isolated villages will Here this Tibetan house displays prayer flags of rock on the planet, but when you gaze now be accessible by camera-toting tour- on bamboo poles and a red Chinese flag up at it you realize that it is just one of ists with money in their pockets. The first (photo: JI Garver). many very high peaks that make up the few years are bound to be awkward be- high Himalaya. From Everest Base Camp cause the tourist infrastructure isn't really on the north side, we climb a small gla- in place yet. cial moraine to get a better view. We are The new state-of-the-art railway was just standing at about 5200 m, and the broad completed with great fanfare (1 July flat Rongphu valley leads up to a massive 2006). The new rail line will open Tibet Page 18 Union College

up whether Tibet is ready or not. The most related to global climate. impressive part of this line is from Gol- A burning question for climate scientists mund in northernmost Tibet (Qinhai prov- is when the Asian Monsoon started, be- ince) to Lhasa. Powered by new GE en- cause this event changed climate glob- gines, the Tibetan part of the line has over ally. One major problem for geoscientists 900 km of track over 4000 m elevation, is measuring uplift, which is tricky be- and it has several passes over 5000 m, cause Nature has left us few clues. The making it the highest rail line in the world. most promising approach is to measure It has a cutting-edge design molded to the subtle shifts in oxygen isotopes preserved difficult terrain it crosses. For example, as fossilized precipitation in basin depos- oxygen is mixed into the air-conditioning, its. A greater percentage of the lighter and passengers have their own oxygen isotope of oxygen (oxygen 16) means the mask if need be because, at those alti- air was probably higher at the time it fell tudes the air contains only about half the from the sky. These studies are slow and oxygen of air at sea level. The develop- tedious, but progress is being made, and ment of the rail is a calculated strategy of we will soon have a fuller picture of how bringing economic opportunity to China's and when Tibet rose. western frontier. "The building of the rail- Assimilation by domination. The proc- way is of major significance for accelerat- ess of the Hanification of Tibet does not ing the economic and social development seem to have been particularly sensitive of Tibet and Qinhai" noted President Hu to Tibetan culture, and it seems that the Jintao at an opening ceremony for the rail current approach is essentially assimila- line. This is part of the plan, which is to tion by domination. One of the most keep Tibet happy with money and eco- crucial yet delicate aspects of Tibet's fu- nomic development. It seems to be work- ture should be the careful preservation of ing. Tibetan mill workers, grinding barley to Tibetan culture, which seems mainly cen- Raising the Roof of the World. One of tered on Buddhism, bilinguism, and pres- make flour. the biggest scientific puzzles in the geo- ervation of the rural Tibetan way of life, sciences has to do with understanding the especially the nomads who herd goats, uplift of the Tibetan plateau, and its effect sheep, and yaks. It is clear to us that on global climate. The Tibetan Plateau is there is tension, mostly subtle, but ever 2 over 2.5 million km (about one third the present. Here in the US we see "Free area of the continental US), with average Tibet" bumper stickers: this will never elevation of about 4300 m: it is the big- happen. gest piece of elevated real estate on the In Gaydnse we stop at a small mill where planet. The timing and mode of uplift are barley is ground into flour. We enter an hotly debated, but almost everyone agrees unlit one-room building that has four that the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau was large stone grinding mills turning in uni- caused by the collision of India into Asia son driven by a small river that runs un- since the Eocene epoch some 55 million der the building. Four jovial Tibetan mill years ago. In this spectacular continental workers greet us. It is dusty work that collision, a big chunk of the Indian conti- involves turning puffed barley into flour. nental crust went under Asia, in effect We see the process of flour transforma- doubling the thickness of the light buoyant tion and start chatting with these guys. continental crust that sits on dense mantle We are obviously foreigners and they rock below. The excess crust that is now soon learn that we are Americans. With under Tibet - part of India - has caused a big smile the most talkative of them the plateau to rise. However, the way it launches into a long story that is briefly rose, and when it rose, are a different translated by our Tibetan guide. He tells matter, and this is the topic of one of the us, with a smile that America is rich, and great scientific puzzles of our time. they are very happy for that. We feebly One idea is that the entire plateau rose at try to explain that although America is one time like one big crustal plunger. An- rich, not all people in America are rich. other idea is that uplift of crustal blocks But we soon learn that he means America progressed northward like a series of mas- is powerful and rich. But he really means sive piano keys moving upward one after that America is powerful and it has used Children in Tibet are fascinated by western- another - south to north. In this latter its power to the benefit of Tibet. For this ers and digital cameras that allow instant scenario, the last of these crustal blocks to reason he and his jovial colleagues are visualization of their image. For many it is move upward are the ones in northern happy to meet us and they tell us they the first time they have seen an image of Tibet, and evidence suggests that they are appreciate what American has done. themselves. still going up today. Does it matter how They are happy because America has and when Tibet rose? Some geoscientists been the most influential in keeping the suggest that the uplift of Tibet and the political pressure on China about Tibetan resulting global climate shift was the big- issues. We are happy to learn that Ameri- gest change is the history of the planet in can are still appreciated somewhere on the last 65 million years. The mass of the planet. land at such a high elevation strongly af- When it rains, it pours. Our field-work fects atmospheric circulation, so the timing extends into July and weather conditions of uplift is a crucial variable in global cli- deteriorate rapidly. Rain, then snow, mate science. Tectonic uplift is intimately more rain; the rainy season has arrived Union College Page 19 early this year, and unfortunately this cent past. We know from studies of gla- means we will have trouble working in cier deposits in the Nyenchen Tanglha that the Nyenchen Tanglha Range with its this high lake level and this wet period was soaring peaks in excess of 7000 m (about probably about 30,000 years ago, a little 16,000 ft) that trap rain clouds. One of before the peak of the last glacial epoch, the distinctive aspects of the current cli- which is generally referred to as the Last mate situation in SE Asia is the domi- Glacial Maximum (or "LGM" as it is almost nance of the Asian Monsoon, and this universally referred to in geologic circles), year it started early, so we have an extra which occurred about 21,000 years ago. element to deal with. The onset of the During this wet period many of the lakes Asian Monsoon, geologically speaking, is in Tibet were significantly higher than they another important piece of the climate are now. Recent hypothesis about this wet puzzle and it is clear that the tectonic period link it to a time when the solar ra- activity that caused the uplift of the Hi- diation received in the northern hemi- malaya and Tibet also drove the estab- sphere was the greatest it has been in lishment of the Monsoon. A big question quite some time. Researchers have sug- is when. The Plateau is like a big heat gested that the high solar radiation in- engine that pulls and pushes adjacent air creased evaporation in the western Pacific, masses. As the Plateau heats up in the and that this moisture was then converted summer, warm air rises and this pulls to increased precipitation in Tibet, growing moist air off the ocean, which results in the lakes and glaciers. the heavy summer monsoon. In the win- Tashi Dor monastery, which is the main ter the opposite occurs, and the sinking destination on the lake, is really quite sim- cold air off the Plateau prevents signifi- ple and includes a number of limestone cant precipitation in the adjacent low- caves that are hermitages for Tibetan Pil- Yak-riding on Namtso Lake, one of four sa- lying areas. Most geological evidence grims. The Namtso Peninsula is composed cred lakes in Tibet. This is the thin edge of points to the onset of the monsoon at of Cretaceous limestone that juts out into the tourism wedge that is about to change about 10 million years ago (in a time the lake and is connected to the main allu- this part of Tibet forever (photo: JI Garver). geologists call the late Miocene), where vial plain by curved sandy beach deposits. there was significant change in Asian This peninsula is sacred to Tibetans, and it aridity as indicated by thick and exten- is a major destination for pilgrims. At the sive deposits of windblown sediment base of the jagged limestone cliffs are (loess) and a change in upwelling pat- horizontal sandy ridges that mark former terns in the oceans. higher lake levels that step downward to Namtso Lake, the highest major lake in the current lake level. The upper levels of the world, sits at 4718 m (15,500 ft), and the sand ridges are the biggest, and this is it is one of the four holy lakes in Tibet. where the makeshift pilgrim village sits. The evolution of the lake is undoubtedly Dogs, cows, and people wander in and out related to the uplift of the soaring peaks of white canvas wall-tents with colorful of the Nyenchen Tanglha (Tangula) trim: it's wonderfully chaotic. Sitting Range, which is the focus of our atten- among the white wall pilgrim tents are tion. It is likely that the mountains went brown octagonal tents of the pastoral no- up, and the lake basin went down, so, mads. One such tent contains the tender like a giant seesaw, one side of the crust of the outside toilets. We wander around moved up to form the mountains and one the tents and the pilgrims. They seem to side moved down filling with sediment be having the time of their lives. and the lake. Our focus was to deter- Down at the water a local Tibetan has a mine the timing of the upward movement yak that one can sit on for a small fee and of the mountain range because this tec- have a picture taken. A small herd of Chi- tonic movement is probably a movement nese tourists crowd around the lone Yak; that is related to tectonic forces that one woman gets on, holding an umbrella drove the Himalaya. to shade her from the sun. She frantically After crossing the Nyenchen Tanglha grips the saddle as the yak is slowly led Range, we drop down onto a broad green into the gin-clear water. Everyone takes a alluvial plain that gently descends into picture, including me: this is something the lake. The emerald and turquoise you don't see every day. She is the first Typical travel in southern Tibet. Spare tires water or the lake is striking, and it is of the wave of tourists who are about to and a Land Cruiser. Some road junctions clear why this is a major destination for arrive like the monsoon. My Chinese col- are so poorly marked you need to ask locals pilgrims. We note that the lake basin is league shakes his head in wonderment. which direction to drive to get to your desti- ringed with sediment terraces that look He turns to me and says; "This will all nation. With the new highway, things will like dirty bathtub rings marking succes- change when the train comes, it will never soon be very different. sively lower lake levels as the basin has be the same." Indeed, the simple life in been progressively drained. I measure this part of Tibet is about to get compli- the difference between the highest ter- cated. race and the modern lake level as being I look out at the clear water of Namtso about 25 meters (about 80 feet), and we Lake and consider my fly rod lying idle in calculate that since the highest lake level, the back of the Land Cruiser. I decide to the lake has lost about 50 cubic kilome- leave the rod packed and just enjoy the ters of water, undoubtedly due to the fact view. I suspect that fly-fishing will come that climate is now drier than in the re- to Tibet, eventually, but I'll wait for now. Page 20 Union College

The Union College Geosciences Video Project by Jonathan Campano ‘09 In the spring term of my Junior year at Australia and including digital photo- Facebook, a group was created called Union College, I took on the task of creat- graphs taken by students and faculty) “Union College - Geology and Environ- ing a video to promote the Geology and and produced 40 video segments. Some mental Science & Policy,” which hosts the Environmental Studies Programs. I was of these segments include “About Union videos and currently has over 35 mem- essentially given unrestricted freedom as College,” “Goals of the Geosciences,” bers. On YouTube, I created an account to the approach of this project, so I de- “Engineering Meets the Geosciences” and called “UnionGeosciences” which hosts cided that the final product should consist “Field Work”. To distribute these videos, the videos and currently has five sub- of a variety of short videos that would it was decided that a DVD would be cre- scribers. Various sites have linked to the each focus on a certain topic related to ated and that the videos would be up- videos, including; Geology.com (http:// Union College and the Geosciences. This geology.com/articles/what-is- way, instead of watching one long video in geology.shtml), Keck Geology Consortium which only parts may interest the viewer, (http://keckgeology.org/), College Majors the viewer could choose what topic most 101 (http://www.collegemajors101.com/ interests him or her. For example, a po- environmental_science_major.htm), and tential student may choose to check out Union College ( http://www.union.edu/ the “Opportunities to Study Aboard” sec- academic_depts/geology/ tion, where he could learn about the sci- Geoscience_Videos/index.php ). Thanks ence that he could study through the Geol- to the link from Geology.com, the most ogy Department in Alaska and New Zea- popular video on YouTube, “The Rele- land, while parents of the potential stu- vance of Geology”, has been viewed over dent, who may be troubled by the financial 7,000 times. aspect of sending their child to college, Selected segments, focusing on the Union could watch the “Financial Aid Opportuni- College Geology Department, were edited ties” video to learn about the benefits of together and submitted to the Electric Wold Scholarship. City Film Festival in October 2008 under To start the process of creating the video, the “Why Schenectady?” documentary I interviewed 25 alumni, students and category, winning third prize. Segments professors related to the geosciences at focusing on Union College were entered Union College in the spring of 2008. I Jon Campano ‘09 in October 2009, again under the “Why asked open ended questions so that each Schenectady?” documentary category, interviewee could give me their individual loaded to YouTube and Facebook. and are currently being evaluated by the perspective. In total I recorded approxi- The DVD was created and the videos judges. The video will be shown and the mately 20 hours of footage. In the sum- were uploaded to the internet in the fall winners will be announced in Proctors mer of 2008, I edited the footage of 2008. Over 500 copies of the DVD Theater on November 04. (including the 12 hours of footage from my were produced so that they could be previous trips to Alaska, New Zealand and handed out to potential students. On

Wold Geoscience Scholarship and Wold Geology Field Fund Established

The Geology Department is proud to announce the estab- lishment of the Wold Geoscience Scholarship and Wold Geology Field Fund that were recently established by a gift from John S. Wold, Class of 1938, and his wife, Jane Wold. The endowment from this gift will be used to strengthen the reputation and profile of the Geology Department at Union. The purpose of Wold Geoscience Scholarship is to attract and maintain scholars in the Geosciences, and will be a four -year scholarship to recipients. The Wold Geology Field Fund supports the general effort to get faculty and students into the field. The donors recognize that many of the best students of the Earth Sciences are those who have seen and studied rocks, sediments, and/or geological processes in the field. This gift is transforming the Department as we hope is demonstrated in this newsletter.

John Wold (38), in his Casper Wyoming office, July 2009 (J.I. Garver) Union College Page 21

The Edward S. C. Smith Prize The Edward S.C. Smith Prize was first awarded in 1961 to William Kirchgasser. The prize was established by Smith’s former students as a way of honoring him upon his retirement in 1960. Currently, the Prize is awarded annually on Prize day marking the culmination of the Steinmetz Symposium. “The E.S.C. Smith Geology Prize is awarded annually for outstanding performance and high probability of success in the geosciences” The 2009 Smith Prize recipient is Brandon Boldt, currently studying Geology at Brown University.

William Kirchgasser ‘61 Michael Bullen ‘97 William Crowley ‘62 William Chazey ‘98 Charles Welden ‘63 Peter Castiglia ‘99 Jon Broderick ‘64 Stefan Bagnato, Jamie Garrand, and Sarah Shoemaker ‘00 Stephen Egemeier ‘66 Nicholas Balascio ‘01 Jeffrey Smith ‘68 Jeff Alan Hoffman ‘02 Richard Sack ‘70 Daniel Ruscitto ‘03 Peter Schiffman ‘73 Stephanie Perry ‘04 Daniel Jahne ‘92 Christopher Kassel ‘06 T. Jeffery Scott ‘93 Bethany A. Spence ‘07 Craig Prunier ‘95 Erica Erlanger ‘08 Adam Goodman ‘96 Reflections of Union and Edward S.C. Smith:

My memories of Doc Smith are those of a typical callow undergraduate in the late 1950s when we always made a lot of jokes about our professors. That said, I do remember the funny bits, as well as the fact that he got me firmly started in geology because it seemed to be the love of his life, just as it became mine. In my case, the picking up quartz crystals in Vermont as a child, and my prowling around in the many gravel pits in what I only later learned were Pleistocene kame terraces, were my beginnings, which were later cemented in place so to speak when 'Smitty' took me under his wing. He was of rather diminutive stature so I do remember a student cartoon of him behind his lecture podium with only a hand raised above the lectern top. I also remember those blue three-piece suits, coupled with what I think was a Phi Beta Kappa key on his watch chain, and what we called "high- button shoes", which were probably actually laced instead. He seemed like a nineteenth century figure of great antiquity to me. I also recall when one of my fellow freshman from the Catskills asked some rather inane question about 'stones' and Prof Smith went ballistic over his choice of terminology. "STONES?" said Prof Smith, "stones - young man we do not ever refer to rocks, min- erals, or fossils as stones, and don't you forget it!" A duly chastened Mr. Hirsch, mumbled some words of apology for his poor choice of terminology. The rest of us giggled behind our sleeves at the wrath expressed by Prof. Smith and hoped that we would escape unscathed from his intro class. Professor Smith retired a little later and his place was assumed by Phil Hewitt, who with Leo Hall was working on the Taconic problem all along the Vermont-New York state border. The two worked their way up into Vermont along Mount Equinox and Dorset Mountain, where from my home I could accompany them in the field in the summer. Eventually I ended up working on a Master's Degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and Leo Hall came over there to a new job as well. But my first love of the glacial geology I learned from Prof. Smith was the field I was most comfortable with, so that is what I concentrated on at the University of Utah where I did my doctoral work. By this time in the mid-1960s, however, I moved into studies of mass movement for my dissertation. I've been working on mass movement and glaciers ever since, mostly in the Himalaya and Hindu Kush. Thank you, Prof Smith.

Cheers, Dr. John (Jack) Shroder ‘61

Awards The Geology Faculty Prize was awarded to place for undergraduate posters at the Jon Campano ’09 for outstanding contribu- Northeast Geological Society of America tions to the morale and intellectual climate meeting in Portland, Maine, recently. of the Geology Department. Her research used tree ring asymmetry Alumni Supported Geology Field Fund in hemlock trees on a landslide in west- scholarships were awarded to the following ern Schenectady County to determine students to help them participate in the the last 200 years of movement and summer ‘09 mini terms Living on the Edge slope stability. She documented a new in Alaska or Impacts of Global Climate phase of hill slope instability in this area Change in Peru: Damon Byrne, Kaitlin due to high precipitation. Bucci and Clark, Sarah Conner, Shaban Hoosein, Ty- Chair of Geology John Garver are co- ler Izykowski, Edward Milde, Nicholas authors of “Timing of slumping deter- McTurk, Elizabeth Morgan, and Tyler Willey. mined from growth asymmetry in Tsuga canadensis, Mohawk Watershed, NY.” Amanda Bucci ’09, an environmental sci- Amanda Bucci ‘09 extracts the core from a ence and policy major, was awarded second hemlock tree and slides it into a plastic straw as part of her research. Page 22 Union College

Recent Senior Thesis Several of our recent graduates have Vermont Tree-Ring Chronologies submitted updates which are included Warnick,J., 2006, Thermohaline Cir- Kern, A., 2008, Study of 20th cen- in the Alumni News section but while culation: Climatic Implications in the tury trends in stream flow for West they were still here at Union they Past, Present and Future Canada and Schoharie Creeks of the were hard at work on the following Bargnesi, E., 2007, Zircon Fission Mohawk-Hudson Rivers watershed. thesis: Track Ages of Detrital Zircon in Kielb, C., 2008, Stream Gradient and Rocks of the San Andreas Fault Ob- Knickpoint Development and Evolu- Canniff, P., 2006, Tropical Glacial Ex- servatory at Depth (SAFOD) Main tion of the Plotterkill Creek, Rotter- tent and Retreat Based on Sedimen- Hole Between 3161 and 3912 Meters dam, New York tation Rates From the Cordillera Brady, S., 2007, Zircon Fission-Track Mastin, L., 2008, Petrographic and Huavhuash, Peru Dating of the Upper Cambrian Mosh- geochemical evidence for multiple Gombosi, D., 2006, (U-Th)/He Sys- erville Sandstone Member of the Gal- eruptive episodes of Volcan Te- tematics in Rutile Through Empirical way Formation (Beekmantown petiltic, Nayarit, Mexico Calibration from Examples in the Group) in Eastern New York Phelan, A., 2008, Flood Severity and Western Gneiss Region (Norway), Spence, B., 2007, A One Thousand Changes in Floodplain area Along Bronson Hill Anticlimorium (New Year Paleoclimate Record of Laguna Urban Sections of the Mohawk River Hampshire), and the Adirondacks Yuraicocha: Analyses of Stable Iso- through the 20th Century 18 13 (New York) topes O and C in Lake Core Sedi- Queirolo, R., 2008, Zircon Fission- Kassel, C., 2006, Holocene Proxy Re- ments Track Thermochronology of the Le- cords of Hydrologic Variability From Wilson, P., 2007, Thermal History of pontine Dome, Swiss Alps Two Carbonate Lakes, Cordillera, the Potsdam Formation in the East- Wineberg, D., 2008, Risk assess- Huayhuash, Peru ern Adirondacks Determined by Fis- ment and the distribution of tephra Rubinchuk, M. 2006, Multiple Epi- sion Track Dating of Detrital Zircons deposits from Volcan Tepetiltic, sodes of Magmatism, Deformation, Erlanger, E., 2008, Reconstruction of Nayarit, Mexico and Metamorphism in the Green Sitka, Alaska Temperatures (1569- Mountain Massif at Stratton Mountain, 1991) Based on Eight Gulf of Alaska

June 2009 Department Graduates

In June the following Seniors graduated GAKIK SLOUGH, COPPER RIVER Rodbell for her thesis titled AN EN- from Union with a degree in Geology &/ DELTA, ALASKA. ERGY AUDIT OF BEUTH HOUSE AND or a Geo related Environmental Science RICHMAN HALL . Joseph is working on his Master and Policy degree: Brandon Boldt, Degree in Geology at Syracuse Amanda Bucci, Jonathan Campano, Jo- University , his focus in on geo- Congratulations Graduates! seph Catalano, Jennifer Hewitt, Douglas chemistry and petrology. His the- Merkert, and Jordan Silletti. sis advisor was Kurt Hollocher and Brandon is currently at Brown Univer- the title is ANISOTROPY OF MAG- sity pursuing a PhD. Brandon thesis NETIC SUSCEPTIBILTY AND TRACE advisor was Don Rodbell and is titled ELEMENT GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE LATE HOLOCENE CLIMATE OF THE CEN- HYDE SCHOOL GNEISS AND ROCK- TRAL ANDES IDENTIFIED FROM SEDI- PORT GRANITE, NW ADIRONDACK MENTARY, GEOCHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGI- LOWLANDS, NY. CAL PROXIES . Jennifer went to the College of St. Amanda is pursuing a career in the En- Rose to obtain a master degree to vironmental sector Amanda’s thesis ad- teach Earth Science and Special visor was John Garver and was titled Education. Jennifer’s senior paper TIMING OF SLUMPING DETERMINED was Investigations into Clean Coal FROM GROWTH ASYMMETRY IN TSUGA Literature and was advised by Holli CANADENSIS, BOWMAN CREEK, MO- Frey. HAWK RIVER WATERSHED, NY . Douglas is looking for employment Jonathan is at SUNY College Environ- in the field of Geology. Doug’s the- mental Science and Forestry working on sis was titled DERTITAL ZIRCON a Master of Professional Studies in Envi- FISSION TRACK AGES OF THE PA- ronmental Policy and Democratic Proc- LEOCENE-PLIOCENE STRATA OF Seniors receive their Rock Hammer at the esses. His thesis advisor was Jaclyn THE MATANUSKA-COOK INLET BA- annual Geology Picnic, June 2009. From Cockburn and the title is DENDROGEO- SIN, SOUTHERN ALASKA . and was left to right, Amanda Bucci, Doug Merkert, MORPHOLOGY AS A MEANS TO MEAS- advised by John Garver. Brandon Boldt, Jon Campano, Joe Catalano URE INTERSEISMIC SUBSIDENCE, ALA- Jordan Silletti was advised by Don (not pictured Jen Hewitt). Union College Page 23

Afghanistan. I am an assistant dean of coveries of at least five species of Sauro- Alumni News International Studies at the University of pods have been made and numerous Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). I'm active Allosaurus and Camarasaurus speci- Lou Martucci ‘56 in research in the Himalaya and Hindu mens. In all, over 300 specimens have After graduating from Union, 1956, I served Kush, Editor in Chief of a book series on been found of high museum quality. It's in the US Air Force as an Officer for 20 Earth Surface Processes for Elsevier, a ways from my home in East Greenwich, years performing imagery analysis and editorial board of journal Geomorpholgy, Road Island, but I love the adventure and technical intelligence, along the way picking and Director of UNO National Intelli- reviving my knowledge. up an MS & PhD in Geodetic Science with a gence Consortium for the Office of Na- Mark Dobday ‘75 focus on Photogrammetry. After military tional Intelligence. . After 21 years running the lab at Haley & retirement in 1978, I joined the Pacific Aldrich in Boston, I changed jobs about a Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, year ago. Now I work at Geocomp Cor- WA), acquiring an MBA and MA poration in Boxborough, MA as one of the (Organization Management) in the course of the last 31 years. Presently, I have “retired” to Professional Hourly status at the Lab and perform self-paced project management,

Dr. John (Jack) Schroder ‘61 in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Jeffry Smith ‘68 Mark Dobday ‘75 at Castle Geyser, Yellow- I used to enjoy the department newslet- stone National Park. ters. I'm still in Midland, Texas working as a consulting geologist. I have a num- company’s Lab Managers. My main con- ber of clients but two of the main ones centration now is in rock mechanics. We live three doors from each other in still live in Medway, MA. My wife contin- Greenwich, Conn - they both own inde- ues working at the Medway and Medfield pendent oil companies. For a number of town libraries. My daughter finished grad years I handled Exxon's rigs in Colorado school and is working in Brooklyn. One Lou Martucci ‘56 and Wyoming - Piceance Basin and son is taking his Junior year abroad at western overthrust belt in the Green the Volgograd State Pedagogical Univer- business development, and coaching/ River Basin. Challenging geology and sity in Russia. My other son is a High mentoring younger science & engineering beautiful scenery - it doesn't get much School Senior and looking for schools researchers. My wife and I enjoy our Pasco better for a consultant! Alas, I resigned with majors in historic preservation. WA home on the Columbia river, and as I now have grandchildren living in Joshua Holden ‘89 spending time with our three adult children Midland ( 4& 2 ) and I prefer to be near I work for New England Power Company and a collection of 14 grandchildren sur- them. Still love the business and enjoy (a national grid company) in the environ- rounding us in various Northwest loca- assisting others with their field opera- mental permitting group. I am responsi- tions. My favorite geology phenomena in tions and getting my own prospects ble for transmission line permitting in this area include the Columbia River Gorge, drilled as well. I will look forward to re- New England, and I am serving as the the Cascade Mountain Range volcanoes, the ports on the department and research expert witness for 3 new transmission Lake Lewis Ice Age Flood Plain, and the by faculty and students. Thank you! line. I have a great little boy named Columbia Plateau/Basin underlain by 6000+ Robert Stone ‘70 Joshua. feet of basalt. I believe I have the distinction of hold- Keith Correia’94 William Kirchgasser ‘61 ing the final BS in Geology conferred by "The Late Devonian goniatites of New York Union upon the closure of the depart- State," is a newly published monograph by ment in 1970. House & Kirchgasser. The goniatite sub- For almost 30 years, I pursued a career species "Koenenites lamellosus kirchgas- in finance and financial manage- seri" from West Virginia and the conodont ment. Since I retired, I have become species "Polygnathus kirchgasseri" from involved with the Burpee Museum of France and Germany are named in the Rockford, Illinois. For the past three honor of Dr. Kirchgasser. Dr. William years summers, I have participated in Kirchgasser graduated from Union College dinosaur fossil expeditions, first in Hell in 1961. Creek, Montana, and, for the past two John (Jack) Schroder ‘61 years in Hanksville, Utah. I was with the first group to explore the newly dis- Class of 61 - days of Edward Staples Cousin covered Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Smith, Phil Hewitt, and Leo Hall. I have Quarry. This find is larger than Dino- spent years of effort mapping geomorphol- Keith Correa ‘94, Caroline (Degenhardt) saur national Monument and will provide ogy in Asia, particularly in Pakistan and exploration for the next 50 years. Dis- Correia ‘94, Mathias, and Liam. Page 24 Union College

encourage all grads who are interested in Alumni News continued working in the field of sustainable design to check out our website I presently reside in West Hartford, CT. (www.bioengineering.com) and to contact Married to Caroline (Degenhardt) Cor- me. Early next year, I am planning to reia’94. I am presently the Vice President visit Tanzania and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro of Operations for American Dairy Queen with my Dad (Bruce Lederer, '71). We Corporation (Dairy Queen brand). Caro- have carefully selected a guide and outfit line is currently a stay at home mom tak- that prides themselves on their commit- ing care of 6 year old Mathias and 3year ment to the protection of the fragile natu- old Liam. ral resources and environment in the Jason Baker '95 park and their commitment to treating their guides and porters well through Presently, I am an Oral and Maxillofacial their involvement in the Kilimanjaro Por- Surgeon (OMS) working in two ter's Assistance Program (KPAP). I can't places. About 7 months ago, with 2 wait to go! The diverse and extensive friends from residency, I opened South fieldwork I experienced while at Union Bedford Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in has certainly given me confidence that I Mt. Kisco, NY. I also work half-time at will do well on this trek (especially with Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein Prof. Garver in Kamchatka!!!). College of Medicine as a Clinical Instruc- tor/ Attending OMS where I teach and Matt Montario ‘01 train OMS residents. After graduating in 2001, I went to work Joel Cooper '99 for AMEC Earth & Environmental for a little over a year. In 2003, I returned to I received a PhD in Toxicology Stefan Bagnato and Amy Conway, spelunk- the academic world to pursue my MS in (neuroscience) from Rutgers University/ Geology. My masters project focused on UMDNJ in New Brunswick, NJ in 2007. ing in Mammoth Cave in KY . using thermochronolgy to understand the Currently I work for Wyeth/ Pfizer Re- timing of river incision in the Northern search as a preclinical study director Peruvian Andes. I'm currently finishing within the Drug Safety group. My work Mammoth Cave in KY, for some hard-core caving. I hope all is well with everyone. my PhD at SUNY Albany/Union College, involves design, management, and writing studying the thermal history of New York up of preclinical toxicology and safety David Barnet ‘00 State and radiation damage in zircon. My pharmacology studies to asses safety of I am an exploration geophysicist for Ana- first paper, co-authored with Dr. John the compounds (ie new drugs), prior to darko Petroleum working out of Houston Garver, will be published in the Novem- running the first in human trials. This role Texas. I am currently exploring in the ber 2009 issue of the Journal of Geology. requires interaction with everyone from deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. discovery scientists, to the clinical physi- Sarah D. Newell ‘02 cians, and regulatory agencies such as the Nicholas Balascio ‘01 Since relocating from CA back to the FDA and EMEA (European Medicines Nicholas Balascio (‘01), a doctoral candi- great state of New York in 2007, I’ve Agency). Thus far it has been a great ex- date at the University of Massachusetts - been working at an engineering firm perience, learning the fundamental science Amherst was awarded a Fulbright Schol- (CHA) in Albany as a project geologist. I behind drug development and the process arship. He will use the scholarship to enjoy both the company and the work to get new medicines to the market, and continue analyzing lakes and lake sedi- I’m doing, which includes everything from to people that need them most. Also, on a ment in Lofoten, Norway. Lofoten is a water supply to remediation and back more personal note, I will be getting mar- rather an interesting place since it is with again. I have the pleasure of working ried to Elissa Rosen in the Spring of 2010 in the Arctic circle yet average winter closely with my esteemed colleague, Ms. in Martha's Vineyard, MA. temperatures are around 30 degrees Sarah Johnston (Union Geology ’02), who Kathleen (Ruggiero) Vela ‘99 Fahrenheit. The climate is temperate due was hired here last September. We’ve to the Gulf Stream but it’s unique charac- had quite a bit of fun already, including I am teaching earth science at Pelham ter makes the location sensitive to cli- overnight pump tests with bears and Middle School, in Pelham, NY. mate change and therefore a perfect lo- landfill-tromping. Never a dull mo- Stefan Bagnato ‘00 cation to study the effects of climate ment! On the personal side, my beau I am still living in Albany, and have been change as recorded in lake sediment. Christopher and I bought a house in working for Malcolm Pirnie for nearly 5 See the story at : Burnt Hills last February and spend most years now. Most of my work involves re- http://www.nj.com/news/local/ of our free time on home improvements medial investigations and feasibility stud- index.ssf/2009/05/ and spoiling our five year old (golden retriever), Maya. ies at hazardous waste sites, mostly in can_the_future_of_climate.html New York State. Being in Albany gives us Celia Schiffman ‘03 Jason Lederer ‘01 easy access to the mountains to support I have just started a PhD in geophysics at I am currently a Project Manager and our adventures, from rock climbing (did the University of Colorado at Boulder. I Associate Geologist with the Bioengineer- some close-up investigation of Adirondack am working with Roger Bilham. Before ing Group in Salem, Massachusetts. We High Peaks anorthosite with Ian White that I was working at UNAVCO, also in specialize in ecosystem restoration, sus- (’00) this summer), to telemark skiing (the Boulder, doing geology-related education tainable land use planning and develop- annual Union/Geo free-heel ski day with and outreach for EarthScope and the ment, sustainable stormwater manage- Don may become a growing tradition; all Plate Boundary Observatory. Education ment and of course bioengineering for are welcome!). Amy and I have been on and outreach included working with inland and coastal banks, slopes, etc. I some spectacular summer vacations the teachers on how to use GPS data in the love the work I do and recently became a past couple of years, visiting Glacier Park classroom, designing museum displays, LEED AP and Certified Professional in in MT for tons of hiking through textbook and creating educational materials. glacial geology, and most recently to Erosion and Sediment Control. I certainly Union College Page 25

keting/Advertising. I currently work in trying to more precisely nail down the Alumni News continued Stamford for Digitas timing of when South America and Ant- (www.digitas.com), a global digi- arctica rifted apart and how the southern Kathryn Stevens McCowan, ‘04. tal interactive agency where I manage Andes/Antarctic Peninsula mountain belts I graduated with a geology major and an my client's marketing programs. Prior to evolved. I have a paper focusing on the economics minor. Since graduating, I have this, I worked at GE and Velocity Sports South American side of the story coming worked in a number of fields, including en- & Entertainment, focusing on marketing out this winter in Terra Nova entitled New vironmental consulting, mold remediation, communication initiatives. Geology/the thermochronometric constraints on the coaching and real estate sales and develop- outdoors is still one of my big- rapid Paleogene exhumation of the Cor- ment. Currently I’m working as a real es- gest passions and I travel as often as I dillera Darwin complex and related thrust tate salesperson based out of Waltham, MA can. Within the past year I've made a sheets in the Fuegian Andes. Since then and I am having an unusually successful few trips out west and have to say, I’ve moved back up to the snow belt of year. Two years ago I got married to Derek Colorado is one of my favorite places!" upstate New York and enrolled as a PhD McCowan, class of 2002. We’ve dated since Erin Kane ‘05 student at Syracuse University working college and we settled in Waltham a few on two problems, the first is determining years ago. We don’t have much free time I am currently living in Dunedin, Florida argon diffusion properties in lunar impact (just north of Clearwater), working as a glasses as part of RPI’s NASA Astrobiol- Senior Project Geologist at HRP Associ- ogy Institute. The second is developing a ates, Inc. Our home office is located in new method utilizing the electron micro- Farmington, Connecticut, and I was probe to fission-track date zircons which transferred (and promoted too!) from should allow the dating of much older that office to our Tampa Bay area office (and higher Uranium) zircon than previ- this August. ously possible. I hope everyone else is I am loving it here, and I tell everyone doing well and while I can’t make home- that it reminds me of Queensland, Aus- coming or GSA this year I look forward to tralia, where I spent a term abroad at seeing you sometime soon! If you find Union! Its very tropical, the beach is yourself in Syracuse and ever want to only moments away, and everyone is so grab a beer please drop me an email! friendly and welcoming. I work both locally, thoughout Florida, and I also Jessica Warnick ‘06 travel throughout the southeast and I am teaching Earth Science and Ecology midwest. The work is technical, hands in Central Virginia after getting my mas- Kathryn Stevens McCowan ‘04 and Derek on, and requires a great deal of knowl- ters in teaching at UVa. McCowan ‘02 traveling in St. Lucia edge and familiarity with both Federal Evan Bargnesi ‘07 and State environmental regulations. I do both environmental compliance work I am currently pursuing a Masters Degree and hydrogeologic investigations, as well at the University of Kansas. My thesis these days, but the time we do have we as environmental site assessments and project is Detrital (U-Th)/He Thermo- spend with our black Labrador (Boomer) screening level property studies. I do a and with our family and friends. lot of technical writing, and am thankful Anna Packard ‘04 that I had such a vigorous writing I am living in Norwalk, CT, working as a preparation in college. I also do a great Sustainability Consultant for Steven Winter deal of marketing for HRP, as we are Associates. We are a building sciences con- trying to grow the Tampa Bay of- sulting firm focusing on energy efficiency fice. Strangely, my career has proved and green buildings. I work mainly on that a double major in Geology and Psy- Leadership in Energy and Environmental chology is the perfect combination of Design (LEED) projects from individual technical and practical experience, and buildings to large neighborhoods. I found also a great conversation piece! It did- an amazing company to work for and would n't make sense at the time, but its not be here without my Geology degree… working out great! I am coming up on even though I don’t necessarily use it on a my five year anniversary in graduating daily base! from Union, and I look forward to visit- Larissa Powers ‘04 ing this spring. I'm currently teaching 8th grade science at Brian Lindenberg ‘05 Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day I have been living and working in Man- School in St. Louis, Missouri. We are busily hattan since I graduated from Union. I reinventing the science program from currently work for Shorenstein Proper- scratch and I am pleased to be developing ties in an Asset Management group. We an earth science and ocean literacy curricu- own large commercial only office build- lum for all grade levels. In addition to ings around the country, and broadly teaching eighth graders, I coach varsity speaking, I am responsible cycling in the upper school. I would be for increasing the value for our assets happy to share my experiences with any before we sell it. We're actually the Evan Bagnesi ‘07 measuring a fault plane in Union geology students interested in teach- largest landlord in Portland, OR - have Paros, Greece. ing science in private school. fun at the annual meeting! Genevieve Sandoli ‘04 David Gombosi ‘06 chronometry in the Hanging Wall Basin of the Paros Metamorphic Core Complex, Upon graduating in '04, I've been living and I finished my M.S. at the University of Central Aegean, Greece. I have com- working in CT exploring my career in Mar- South Carolina in the fall of 2008 on pleted two field seasons in the Cyclades Page 26 Union College

company named Firstgold Corp. in Love- funded through a NSF EPSCoR (National lock, NV. I logged rock chips, sat on a Science Foundation Experimental Pro- continued Alumni News drill rig, and did some soil sampling and gram to Stimulate Competitive Research) Islands totaling more than five field mapping. This was my first geo job grant researching the effects of climate weeks. Last summer I completed an in- change in the Salmon River watershed, ternship with Chevron North America Ex- central Idaho. My focus is on using the ploration and Production in Bakersfield, isotopic signature of water at different CA. I am very much enjoying working with phases of the hydrologic cycle to deter- Dr. Daniel Stockli and living in Lawrence, mine dominant source waters for Salmon KS. River tributaries and ultimately the Salmon River itself. Albert Vanderlaan ‘07 Last school year I was awarded a TA I'm currently in my third year of law (Teacher's Assistant) position but this school at Vermont Law School. I am the year I applied for and received an NSF Senior Managing Editor of the Vermont GK-12 Fellowship. My fellowship requires Law Review and the President of the Men's me to assist a local middle school earth Rugby Club. After graduation I plan to science teacher, bringing more inquiry practice environmental litigation and busi- based learning into the classroom and ness planning. increasing student interest in STEM Pete Wilson ‘07 Silver ore veins in the Sunshine Mine. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Currently I am living in Coeur d'Alene, ID subjects. after graduating from Union and I learned and work as an exploration geologist for a For fun I ski, a lot, and travel. Last spring a tremendous amount about the mining small garnet mining company in Fern- spent a week in Death Valley, traveled to industry, and industry that I will probably wood, ID called Emerald Creek Garnet. I South Africa, London and just a week ago remain in for the rest of my professional lay out drilling programs, run the assay returned from studying along the Oregon career. lab, and conduct field studies. and Washington coasts. Also I just Last November I worked for SRK consult- Erica Erlanger ‘08 adopted a puppy and named her Alta. ing doing geo-technical core-logging on My Masters research focuses on the tec- Catey Kielb ‘08 the Pebble Project in Illiamna, AK. I sat tonic geomorphology of southern Africa, I began working for the Environmental using cosmogenic nuclide burial dating. Remediation Firm AECOM in Latham NY a Southern Africa is located on a passive year ago as a geologist. I currently con- margin, although it possesses anoma- duct oversight for excavations, tank pulls, lously high topography. A 1 km-high es- well construction, installation, and devel- carpment borders the coastlines of six opment, and collect groundwater, surface countries, including South Africa. The water, and soil samples for numerous uplift history of this escarpment is poorly contaminated/previous remediated sites constrained, and uplift rates vary an or- in the capital district (esp in Glenville). I der of magnitude in the primary litera- also work on reports following sampling ture. I am dating several flights of river and investigation. I just bought a house terraces along the Sundays River, located in Albany for me and my 8 month old in South Africa, whose upper reaches puppy. drain the escarpment. These ages will allow me to calculate river incision and ultimately, uplift rates for the Great Es- Pete Wilson ’07 in Sunshine Mine Kellog, ID carpment. Finally, these data will allow me to assess previous hypotheses on talking with a miner at the 2700 foot level of uplift rates and gain further insight on the the mine. uplift history of this region. on a drill rig and logged the core as it Amanda Kern ‘08 came out of the hole. It was an interest- After leaving Union I matriculated at ing experience because it was my first Idaho State University in Pocatello, time at a job where you live in a camp in Idaho. For my masters thesis I am the middle of nowhere. I worked for 20 days straight up there before they closed the operation for the winter. SRK never renewed their contract with Pebble so I never got to go back. Catey Kielb ’08 onsite in Mechanicville,NY. Last year, from May to September, I worked for Sterling Mining Company as a Kelly Owings ‘08 mine geologist in the Sunshine Mine in After leaving Union, I headed out west to Kellogg, ID. I walked through certain por- attend law school at Gonzaga University tions of the mine each day and sampled in Spokane, WA. I am now in my second veins, for silver content, directed miners, year and am enjoying the opportunity to mapped stopes, and logged drill core. take more environmentally-oriented When the price of silver dropped and the classes, like Water Law and Environ- Sterling Mining went bankrupt the mine mental Dispute Resolution. This past was closed and I was laid off. summer, I worked at a non-profit law Amanda Kern ‘08 atop the highest peak in firm in Spokane called the Center for Jus- Before coming up to Idaho, I was in Ne- tice. One of my first assignments there vada working for a junior gold exploration Idaho, Mt. Borah. Union College Page 27

sent, and future viability of liquid water. ized the benefits of being a student. I Alumni News continued look forward to applying to and complet- In addition to satellite data, terrestrial ing a masters program in agriculture/ soil analogues provide valuable information was working with the Idaho Lands Council geochemistry, which will prepare me to and clues to processes that occur on Mars. on environmental issues surrounding a contribute to society in my new role as a I will begin a three-month field season in company’s plan to build a marina near geologist. I am confident that the Union the Antarctic Dry Valley in late October. Blackwell Island on Lake Coeur d’Alene in College Geology Department and faculty During this field season I will help collect Idaho. I researched and presented infor- have prepared me to successfully fulfill ice cores from Mullins Glacier mation at a town meeting for public com- my future goals and dreams. (hypothesized to be the oldest ice on Earth ments concerning whether the company at ~8 Ma), measure soil temperature, wa- had met all the necessary requirements Danielle Wineberg ‘08 ter content, and salinity to study microcli- for obtaining a Section 404 Permit under Currently, I'm getting my Master's at mate zonation, and collect spectral data as the Clean Water Act. I am excited that I UMASS-Lowell in Atmospheric Sci- a method of providing ground truth to am now getting the chance to combine ence. I'm also working as the teaching calibrate satellite data. The Antarctic Dry my law school experience with my ex- assistant for three Astronomy Labs in our Valley is a relevant terrestrial analogue for perience at Union as an Environmental department. Surprisingly, I really enjoy Mars because both are hyperarid cold de- Studies major! teaching the labs; I had never thought of serts. This research will help to quantify myself as the teaching type! I just found rates of geologic processes on Mars such Rosalba Queirolo ‘08 out that one of my advisers is a Union as glacial flow, sublimation of water ice, Immediately after graduation I moved alum! I'm not sure of the year he gradu- and weathering. out to the dusty, desert, town of Taft, CA, ated, but he was a Physics major and is Jon Campano ‘09 chasing my dreams of becoming a profes- now teaching Geology classes at UMASS- sional, adult geologist. I am presently an Lowell. Such a small world! I am currently attending the SUNY College on-site, petroleum geologist, more infor- of Environmental Science and Forestry in mally known as a Mud Logger extraordi- Brandon Boldt ‘09 Syracuse, where I am completing a M.P.S. naire. I learned of this job when Scott As a first year PhD. Student in the Plane- in Environmental Science with an area of Brady, a 2006 Union alumnus, gave a tary Group of the Department of Geologi- study in Environmental Policy and Democ- presentation to the Geology Department cal Sciences at Brown University, my ratic Processes. Before graduation in 2011, about his new life as a Mud Logger. I research focuses on the interpretation of I will be completing an internship at a cur- was very excited by his tales of the law- geomorphic features on the Martian land- rently undetermined environmental agency less “wild west” and lenient schedules scape. Specifically, I am using CTX, and hopefully I will take a trip to the Car- allowing for travel opportunities. It has HRSC, HiRISE, MOLA, THEMIS, and SHA- ibbean island of Dominica where I would been a year and a half since my gradua- RAD data to interpret deposits on the study tropical ecology. I have also submit- tion in 2008, and all my dreams have western flanks of Olympus Mons, Mars. ted a video about Union College to the come true. I have gained invaluable ex- Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in Electric City Film Festival, which features perience in the oil fields, including an the solar system and was formed in the Union geology professors and alums, that MWD engineering certification with Baker Tharsis Region of Mars in the Amazonian will be shown early November. (1.8 Ga BP-present). The western flank Hughes INTEQ. I have traveled far and Joe Catalano ‘09 wide, and I am lawless. Some may even deposits are an area of interest because say I am at the forefront of a female infil- there is much evidence for volcano-ice I am currently working toward my masters tration into field work, petroleum profes- interactions. Research pertaining to vol- degree at Syracuse University with Suz- sions. It is empowering to be one of a cano-ice interactions on Mars will help to anne Baldwin. The goals of my pro- handful of women in my line of business. reconstruct the Martian paleoclimate, the ject aim toward a better understanding of Other than learning many important les- location and volume of debris covered/ the thermochronology and geochemistry of sons in professionalism, I have also real- subsurface ice, as well as the past, pre- the volcanics of the D’Entrecasteaux Is- lands, Papua New Guinea.

John Dreier ’64 stopped by last spring on Alumni weekend. John spent some time with current students and recent graduates outlining the state of the mining and minerals industry. We also enjoyed seeing John Fauth ’59, Barbara Fauth, Matt Montario ‘01, Joel Cooper ‘99, Elissa Rosen, Matt Smith ’07 and Rosalba Queirolo ’08 at our Alumni Tour and Reception during Reunion Weekend on May 29. Thanks for coming in and meeting our seniors.

Thanks to all the Alumni who responded so well to our request for Newsletter updates and photos. You are a fasci- nating group.

See you at the GSA annual meeting in Portland, OR. An Alumni Pole Reception will be held on Monday October 19; 7:00 –9:30 p.m., at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower. Otherwise, we would love to see you at ReUnion weekend May 27-30, 2010.

We hope you enjoyed the Newsletter! To help with next year’s issue of the newsletter please keep us informed on what you are doing and where you’ve been. Take a moment and send Deb Klein ([email protected]) a note with your current email and address or mail your photos and news stories to Deb Klein, Union College; Geology Depart- ment; F.W. Olin rm. 310; 807 Union St.; Schenectady, NY 12308. Thanks for your help.

Union College

Geology Department F.W.Olin Center room 310 807 Union St. Schenectady, NY 12308

Geology Funds and Support

Contact info: Donations to the Geology Department can be made Deb Klein to two dedicated funds: Phone: 518-388-6770 1. The Geology Alumni Fund is a relatively small, Fax: 518-388-6417 continuing fund that is used by the Geology Depart- E-mail: [email protected] ment for items not covered by the normal Depart- mental budget, grants, or other sources of funds. This fund is used to sponsor speakers, fund geologic symposiums, and Geology Club. This year, for ex- ample, it helped us sponsor the inaugural Mohawk Watershed Symposium which was held in March.

2. The Geology Field Fund is an endowed fund dedicated to supporting student field work, includ- ing field camp, long course-related trips, and sum- mer research work. This year this fund helped de- We are on the web at: fray costs for the trip to Montserrat and for many students doing Geologic summer mini terms. http://www.union.edu/academic_depts/geology/ Together, these funds help us to help our students have the opportunities they need to excel in gradu- ate school, the geoscience industry, and in any other field to which they wish to apply themselves. We thank all those who have so generously donated to the Geology Department.