THE GEOCHEMICAL NEWS Quarterly Newsletter of the Geochemical Society
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THE GEOCHEMICAL NEWS Quarterly Newsletter of The Geochemical Society NUMBER 101 ISSN 0016-7010 OCTOBER 1999 Life Keeps Getting Better - page 19 In this issue: Of Knights and Barons.....................................6 ISSOL ‘99 Meeting Report..............................7 Minutes of the Annual GS Board Meeting.......8 A Portrait of Sir Keith O’Nions A Portrait of Professor Sir Keith O’Nions.....10 Life Keeps Getting Better...............................19 - page 10 Astrobiology: A New Science........................22 Meetings Calendar .........................................23 Goldschmidt 2000 GS Special Publications..................................26 Oxford, U. K. GS Membership Application .........................27 September 3-8, 2000 http://www.campublic.co.uk/science/conference/Gold2000 2 The Geochemical News #101, October 1999 THE GEOCHEMICAL SOCIETY The Geochemical Society is a nonprofit scientific society founded to encourage the application of chemistry to the solution of geologi- cal and cosmological problems. Membership is international and diverse in background, encompassing such fields as organic geochem- istry, high and low-temperature geochemistry, petrology, meteorit- ics, fluid-rock interaction, and isotope geochemistry. The Society produces a Special Publications Series, The Geochemical News OFFICERS - 1999 (this quarterly newsletter), the Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochem- istry Series (jointly with the Mineralogical Association of America), PRESIDENT Michael J. Drake, University of Arizona and the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (jointly with the Meteoritical Society); grants the V.M. Goldschmidt, F.W. Clarke VICE PRESIDENT and Clair C. Patterson Awards, and, jointly with the European Michael F. Hochella, Jr., Virginia Polytechnic Institute Association of Geochemistry, the Geochemistry Fellows title; spon- sors the V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, held in North American PAST PRESIDENT Alex N. Halliday, ETH Zurich in odd years and elsewhere in even years, jointly with the European Association of Geochemistry; and co-sponsors the Geological Soci- SECRETARY ety of America annual meeting and the American Geophysical Union David J. Wesolowski, Oak Ridge National Laboratory spring meeting. The Society honors the memory of our first Presi- dent, F. Earl Ingerson, and our first Goldschmidt Medalist, Paul INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY S. Ross Taylor, Australian National University W. Gast, with the Ingerson and Gast Lectures, held annually at the Geological Society of America Meeting and the V.M. Goldschmidt TREASURER Conference, respectively. The Geochemical Society is affiliated Donald Elthon, National Science Foundation with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the International Union of Geological Sciences. CHAIR, ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY DIVISION Michael D. Lewan, U. S. Geological Survey Members of the Organic Geochemistry Division are individu- als with interests in studies on the origin, nature, geochemical sig- SECRETARY, ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY DIVISION nificance, and behavior during diagenesis and catagenesis of natu- Steve A. Macko, University of Virginia rally occurring organic substances in the Earth, and of extraterres- trial organic matter. GS members may choose to be affiliated with the OGD without any additional dues. The OGD presents the Alfred E. Treibs Award for major achievements in organic geochemistry, DIRECTORS and Best Paper awards (student and professional) in organic Jochen Hoefs, Universität Göttingen geochemistry. Albrecht W. Hoffman, Max Planck Institut f. Chemie Alexandra Navrotsky, University of California - Davis R. Keith O’Nions, Oxford University Editor’s Corner K. Vala Ragnarsdottir, University of Bristol Everett L. Shock, Washington University Happy New Millennium! Lynn M. Walter, University of Michigan Neil C. Sturchio, Editor Phone: 630-252-3986 The Geochemical News Fax: 630-252-7415 Argonne National Laboratory Email: [email protected] EDITORS 9700 South Cass Ave., ER-203 Argonne, IL 60439-4843 U.S.A. GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA Karl K. Turekian, Yale University ASSOCIATE EDITORS GEOCHEMICAL NEWS David Cole, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Neil C. Sturchio, Argonne National Laboratory Yoko Furukawa, Naval Research Laboratory John M. Hanchar, University of Notre Dame INTERNET COORDINATOR Kenneth Johnson, Texas Tech University Mark Bloom, rocketGeoscience Mitch Schulte, NASA Ames Research Center SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS AND Angelina W. M. G. Souren, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam REVIEWS IN MINERALOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY (CO-EDITOR) Scott Wood, University of Idaho ASSISTANT EDITOR Dolores Sturchio, Oswego, Illinois Newsletter of The Geochemical Society The Geochemical News #101, October 1999 3 President’s Corner One of the most important things our Society does is confer awards on its most accomplished members. Awards honor Dear Colleagues: both the individual receiving the award and the Society by point- 1999 was another great year for geochemistry, capped ing to the importance of our field. Please be proactive in nomi- off by the scientifically-invigorating Goldschmidt Conference in nating individuals for the Clarke, Goldschmidt, Treibs, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our thanks go the local organizers, Patterson medals of our Society. There are many more deserving led by Stein Jacobsen, and to the Lunar and Planetary Institute candidates than there are opportunities to honor. Pay special at- who provided their usual sterling support. We have a lot to look tention to overlooked groups, by discipline, gender, age etc. forward to in 2000, especially the next Goldschmidt Conference, This is my last message as President of the Geochemi- to be held in Oxford, England from September 3-8, 2000. Check cal Society. On January 1, 2000, Mike Hochella will take over as http://campublic.co.uk/science or details or contact Keith O’Nions President and I will be put out to pasture as past President. The at [email protected]. I encourage all of you to attend transition should be seamless. It has been my great pleasure to what promises to be a fine meeting. work with Mike over the past two years and I can assur e you that As you know, Frank Podosek will be replacing Karl the Society will be in firm, wise hands under his Presidency. Turekian as Editor of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, effec- We will also have our first female and also European- tive January 1, 2000. Frank started receiving manuscripts on Oc- based Vice President in the person of Judith McKenzie. This tober 1, 1999 and the overlap will continue until the last manu- election represents a conscious effort to internationalize the gov- script handled by Karl has been accepted. The Society owes a ernance of our Society and to increase the gender diversity of its vote of thanks to Karl for his strong leadership. leadership. Becky Lange is incoming Treasurer, and I am sure The Geochemical and Meteoritical Societies have been will fill the shoes of our very capable Don Elthon, who is retiring fortunate to have attracted outstanding editors to the helm of from trying to stop the President spending money after six years. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, and next Editor is no excep- Thank you, Don, for a job well done. tion. We are most fortunate that Frank Podosek has agreed to Best wishes for the New Year and all of 2000. Here’s to serve. Frank is a broad and deep scholar with significant contri- an outstanding meeting in Oxford! butions in low temperature, high temperature, and planetary geochemistry, and is unusually well placed to edit a journal of Mike Drake such breadth. He intends to return to the system of Associate Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Editors used by Denis Shaw and Gunter Faure, and has a capable University of Arizona international group of scholars to assist him. I welcome Frank to Tucson, AZ 85718 USA his new role, and wish him the success that I am sure he will voice: 520-621-6962 achieve in maintaining and improving Geochimica et FAX: 520-626-6647 Cosmochimica Acta as one of the world’s pre-eminent earth and email: [email protected] planetary science journals. Geochemical Society Business Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Free Electronic Access Please address all inquiries and correspondence concern- through December 31, 1999* ing memberships, subscriptions, address changes, and charitable at www.elsevier.nl/locate/gca contributions to the Geochemical Society’s Business Manager: (*and thereafter as well, if your library holdsa paid paper subscription to GCA) Lee Mobley 1350 West Fifth Avenue Suite 219 Columbus, OH 43212, USA phone: (614) 487-8290 fax: (614) 486-7065 e-mail: [email protected] visit the Geochemical Society website http://www.geochemsoc.org Central Oxford , England - see page 10 Newsletter of The Geochemical Society 4 The Geochemical News #101, October 1999 V.M. Goldschmidt Award Kurz (1986), E. Takahashi (1987), F.M. Phillips (1988), R.J. Walker (1990), D. Sherman (1991), E. Klein (1992), Y Zhang (1993), C. Agee (1994), R. Lange The V.M. Goldschmidt Award shall be made for major achievements (1995), P.M. Dove (1996), J. Blundy (1997), M. Humayun (1998), A.M. in geochemistry or cosmochemistry, consisting of either a single out- Scheidegger (1999) standing contribution, or a series of publications that have had great Nominations for the 2000 F.W. Clarke Award should be submitted be- influence on the field. The award will normally be given annually at the fore December 31, 1999, to: V.M. Goldschmidt Conference. Current members of the Geochemical Society Board of Directors