Volume 49, Number 2 Number 49, Volume Joint Meeting NORTHEASTERN/NORTH-CENTRAL Sections Meeting 19–21 March 2017 Omni William Penn Hotel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Joint Meeting Northeastern & North-Central Sections 52nd Meeting for the Northeastern 51st Meeting for the North-Central 19–21 March 2017 Omni William Penn Hotel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania http://www.geosociety.org/ne-mtg Shale Gas Production Views from the Energy Rollercoaster Meeting Committee Co-Chairs ....................................Patrick Burkhart (NE), Timothy Fisher (NC) Vice Chair .........................................................James Harrell(NC) Technical Program .............................Wendell Barner (NE), Richard Becker (NC) Treasurer ............................................................Patrick Burkhart Field Trips ........................................Kyle Fredrick (NE), Joe Hannibal (NC) Sponsorship .....................................Patrick Burkhart (NE), Mark Camp (NC) K–12 Weekend ........................Karen Rose Cercone (NE), Polly Root Sturgeon (NC) Exhibits ............................................................Sarah McGuiness Work Shops ...........................................................Timothy Fisher Special Events ..........................................................Maraina Miles Student Volunteers ................................Daniel Harris (NE), Don Stierman (NC) Mentoring ...................................Jonathan Warnock (NE), Don Stierman (NC) Posters ..................................................... Hannah Smith, Adam Rak Northeastern Section GSA Officers Chair ....................................................................Gary Solar Vice Chair .............................................................Janet R. Stone Secretary-Treasurer ......................................................David P. West Past Chair ..........................................................Gale C. Blackmer Past Secretary ..................................................... Stephen G. Pollock Student Representative ...................................................Sean P. Regan Members-at-Large ..........................................Hal Bosbyshell, Cynthia Venn GSA Councilor ........................................ Tim Bralower, Stephen G. Pollock 50% Total Recovered Fiber 2 2017 Program Book 30% Post-Consumer North-Central Section GSA Officers Chair ................................................................Timothy Fisher Vice Chair ............................................................. James Harrell Secretary ..........................................................Nancy S. Williams Past Chair ..........................................................Stephen E. Brown Past Vice Chair .................................................... Yu-Feng Forrest Lin Student Representative ...............................................Elisabeth Schlaudt Members-at-Large .............................Ben Datillo, C. Renee Sparks, Tina M. Niemi Sponsors (as of mid-January 2017) We are grateful to those groups and individuals recognized below for their generous support of the many valuable meeting activities! Logos can be seen on page 49. Please, thank them when you meet them. Sapphire Level ($2,500–$4,999) Pittsburgh Geological Society Pennsylvania Council of Professional Geologists Topaz Level ($1,000–$2,499) University of Pennsylvania, MSc in Applied Geoscience DiGioia, Gray & Associates, LLC Sensors and Software, Inc Pennsylvania Drilling Inc. University of Toledo, Environmental Science and Studies Emerald Level ($500–$999) Barner Consulting, LLC Billman Geologic Consultants, Inc. Dr. John Harper, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, Emeritus Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists Dr. Paul Rizzo, Professor Emeritus of Geography, Slippery Rock University Dr. Charles Shultz, Professor Emeritus of Geology, SRU SEPM – Society for Sedimentary Geology - Global Amethyst Level ($100–$499) Dr. Patrick Burkhart, Professor of Geology, Slippery Rock University Department of Geography, Geology & Environment, Slippery Rock University Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists Dr. Timothy Fisher, Professor of Geology, University of Toledo Richard Gray, DiGioia and Gray Associates Ohio Geological Survey SEPM – Society for Sedimentary Geology – Eastern Section SEPM – Society for Sedimentary Geology – Great Lakes Section Brian Greene, PhD, PG Falcede Energy Consulting GTech Inc. NOTICE By registering for this meeting, you have acknowledged that you have read and will comply with the GSA Code of Conduct for Events (full code of conduct listed on page 12). If you need to report unacceptable behavior, please contact: GSA Executive Director, Vicki McConnell, [email protected] GSA Past President, Jonathan Price, [email protected] You may also stop by the GSA registration desk or the GSA Bookstore to have them directly contacted via phone. 2017 GSA Northeastern/North-Central Section Meeting 3 General Information The 2017 GSA Northeastern/North-Central Joint and Ridge abuts against the Appalachian Plateaus, and which Section Meeting promises to be a smashing success. Thank presented a substantial engineering and cultural impediment you for your participation! The meeting will convene at for the westward expansion of our country. Not far to the the Omni William Penn Hotel on William Penn Place, at north, one finds the terminal Laurentide Ice Sheet moraine. the corner of 6th Avenue and Grant Street. All events will The region is rich with oil, gas, coal, aggregates, and a wealth convene there, including the departure and return of field of additional natural resources, all overprinted with myriad trips. (Note: there is a PAESTA activity at the Squaw Run geotechnical hazards. The theme of the meeting: Shale Gas Park on Saturday morning. Please do not confuse this event Production—Views from the Energy Roller Coaster is an with a GSA field trip. Meet at the park, 9 a.m.) Your meeting entirely appropriate descriptor of recent events. The jarring committee is delighted to continue the rich history of hosting ride is also reflective of the economic and environmental the Geological Society of America in the City of Pittsburgh. challenges that characterize life in these parts throughout Please enjoy the action-packed technical program, mentoring its history of industrialization. Pittsburgh is a model city programs, short courses, banquet with keynote address, and for renaissance. You will find that the hotel sits in a bus- an extensive roll of additional events! tling urban landscape that features great dining at all price points, hoping bistros, a range of shopping options, numerous Directions museums, and some obscure sports teams. If you had time to The hotel is readily accessible by the Interstate System, explore, you would find rich cultural diversity within a city air travel, Amtrak, and buses. that celebrates the caveats of peoples, cuisine, and architec- From the west, if on I-80, take I-76 toward Pittsburgh, then ture delivered by waves of immigrants arriving from distant I-79 south. Follow directions from the north. If on I-70, take lands, spanning the globe. Enjoy your stay! I-79 north toward Pittsburgh, then follow directions from the south. Accommodations From the north, take the I-279 exit (left lane) from I-79 All events occur at the Omni William Penn Hotel, southbound, and then exit across the Veterans Bridge to 6th William Penn Place, 6th Avenue and Grant Street, Pittsburgh. Avenue. Turn right onto 6th Avenue and the William Penn is Call 1-800-THE-OMNI. ADA accessible rooms are present. the tall red brick high-rise on the left side of the street. Follow Please speak with a hotel representative to confirm availabil- 6th Avenue to the far side of the hotel, turn left on Wm Penn ity. We suggest you arrive on Saturday, park your vehicle in a Place to the Bellman’s Station. The Mellon Square parking nearby garage, and remain pleasantly lodged for the duration garage is below ground under the park on your right. of the meeting. From the south, exit I-79 northbound at I-376, travel five miles across the Carnegie Valley, over Greentree Hill, and Parking through the Fort Pitt Tunnel. Take the Liberty Avenue exit; The Mellon Square underground garage of the Pittsburgh th turn right onto 6 Avenue; turn right onto Wm Penn Place Parking Authority is located directly in front of the hotel. hotel is on the left, underground parking on the right. Valet parking is available. Self-park costs $19 for Weekdays From the east, exit the PA Turnpike, I-76, at Monroeville. and $5 for weekends. Parking from Saturday through Tuesday Take I-376 west to the Grant Street exit. Turn right on Grant would cost $48. Full size vans exceed this garage’s height th Street, left on 6 Avenue; turn left on Wm Penn Place, hotel restriction, however, the Oliver Street Garage, a few blocks is on the left, underground parking on the right. distant, can accommodate them. Please ask the Bellman at the front door for directions. Setting Pittsburgh is a thriving city with vibrant communities, Registration great restaurants, and many museums. The Three Rivers— All participants in the GSA meeting events must be the Allegheny and the Monongahela merge to form the official registrants. Pre-registrants may retrieve their badges Ohio at Point Park—are deeply incised into the Allegheny at the registration booth on the 17th floor. Student and K–12 Plateau, with surrounding neighborhoods draped across flood professionals must show current identification