Atlanta Geological Society Newsletter Next meeting of the Atlanta Geological Society is January 31, 2012 Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Clifton Road) Social begins at 6:30 pm – Meeting begins at 7:00 pm

January 2012

ODDS AND ENDS JANUARY MEETING Ben Bentkowski, Newsletter Editor

We all know that old saying ‘What you don’t Join us Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at the know, won’t hurt you’. To turn that around a Fernbank Museum of Natural History, bit, what you don’t know, you can’t benefit 760 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta GA. The from. Earlier this month, I clicked on the Google doodle because it looked like pre-meeting social starts at 6:30 pm and stratigraphy. This led me to the story of the meeting will start at 7 p.m.

Nicolas Steno, one of the very early founding fathers of geology, which I apparently had The speaker for the evening will be never heard of in my studies. See some very Rochelle I. Routman, LEED,AP O+M, interesting details of this 17th century scholar an Environmental Specialist with in the following pages.

Georgia Power who will be speaking on Then there’s the story of how geothermal heat EPAs proposed rules for coal could generate 1,000 times more power than it combustion, Georgia Power’s response, does now. There’s certainly an interesting idea and the EPA ash pond inspection at the core of this resource development story process that took place 2009-2011. but would it make any difference to the Earth Please join us for what undoubtedly be if we tapped into this heat source? Would our human endeavors make a difference in this an interesting presentation. area? The sponsor for January’s meeting is Moving from the unknown to the known is the John Salvino, P.G. and Salvino story of several recently discovered elements Environmental Services, LLC. Please that now at least have names, honoring the see the additional details about this European history of early physics research. month’s sponsor in the following pages. Lastly, it’s not too late to volunteer as a judge We thank John for his support and wish for the DeKalb Science Fair. Details within. him continued success. B. B. Keep on Rockin’

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Speaker’s Biography

Rochelle Routman Environmental Specialist

Georgia Power

Rochelle Routman has been employed with Georgia Power since 2001. Over the years, her responsibilities have included ash landfill permitting and

compliance, as well as leading the EPA ash pond inspection effort that took place in 2010 and 2011. Ms. Routman has also been involved in various aspects of sustainability program development, management, and leadership throughout her career. She Routman developed a step-by-step process for implementing a corporate sustainability program, which is now copyright registered, and was launched by the company in 2009.

Ms. Routman previously worked as a Program Manager for the Sustainability Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and also in the aeronautics industry where she was charged with implementing green program initiatives and corporate compliance programs. Prior to that, she was employed with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

She holds a B.S. from the University of Georgia and an M.S. in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a registered Professional Geologist, a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager, and a LEED Accredited Professional. She is the Education Chair of the Georgia Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association, and is a Board Member of The Green Chamber of the South. Rochelle is also associated with the Georgia Solar Energy Association and has supported that organization through her sustainability role at Georgia Power. She has also served on many community-oriented committees, including the City of Atlanta greenway acquisition board, and the Morningside Nature Preserve Steering Committee.

AGS JANUARY 2012 Page 3

AGS Members… Geology Enthusiasts Needed!!

If you are an AGS member and would like to contribute to the Professional Registration Committee by

leading a lecture on one of the subjects listed below, then please contact me either by e-mail or at the

monthly AGS meetings. The lecture should be for one hour followed by a Q&A session. We need

different speakers for each workshop. Your volunteering to teach on one of these subjects is essential to

the success of the Professional Registration Committee – we need more widespread participation by the

AGS membership. Speakers can be compensated for expenses and will receive certificates to

acknowledge their participation.

The following content domains are covered in the Georgia Professional Geologist exams:

A. General Geology B. Mineralogy, Petrology, & Petrography

C. Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, & Paleontology D. Economic Geology & Energy Resources

E. Structure, Tectonics, & Seismology F. Hydrology & Environmental Geochemistry

G. Engineering Geology

H. Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology, & Surficial Processes

We do not "teach the test" our aim is to review fundamental concepts of the earth sciences and acquaint candidates with industry specific information not easily obtainable from the literature. Please inform anyone who might be interested in becoming a professional geologist of our workshop. Please consider joining us even if you are not a P.G. candidate. The workshops are interesting and informative.

Ken Simonton, P.G., Chair Professional Registration Committee www.atlantageologicalsociety.org

JANUARY AGS SPONSOR Salvino Environmental Services, LLC Currently, Salvino Environmental Services, LLC is providing technical and field support services to remediation contractors and supplemental geological and environmental field support services as companies bridge the labor and human resource gaps between their current available staff resources and their project work load. Should you be in need of field staff to install monitoring wells, complete soil borings or collect surface soil, subsurface. soil groundwater or waste material samples, you can call on Salvino

Environmental Services, LLC for short term or long term projects. Contact us at: 678-237-7329 or [email protected] Additional information and recommendations can be found on LinkedIN. http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsalvino

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Geothermal Mapping Report Confirms Vast Coast-To-Coast Clean Energy Source in U.S. ScienceDaily (Oct. 25, 2011) — New research from SMU's Geothermal Laboratory, funded by a grant from Google.org, documents significant geothermal resources across the capable of producing more than three million megawatts of green power -- 10 times the installed capacity of coal power plants today. Sophisticated mapping produced from the research, viewable via Google Earth at www.google.org/egs, demonstrates that vast reserves of this green, renewable source of power generated from Earth's heat are realistically accessible using current technology. The results of the new research, from SMU Hamilton Professor of Geophysics David Blackwell and Geothermal Lab Coordinator Maria Richards, confirm and refine locations for resources capable of supporting large-scale commercial geothermal energy production under a wide range of geologic conditions, including significant areas in the eastern two-thirds of the United States. The estimated amounts and locations of heat stored in Earth's crust included in this study are based on nearly 35,000 data sites -- approximately twice the number used for Blackwell and Richards' 2004 Geothermal Map of North America, leading to improved detail and contouring at a regional level. Based on the additional data, primarily drawn from oil and gas drilling, larger local variations can be seen in temperatures at depth, highlighting more detail for potential power sites than was previously evident in the eastern portion of the U.S. For example, eastern West Virginia has been identified as part of a larger Appalachian trend of higher heat flow and temperature. Conventional U.S. geothermal production has been restricted largely to the western third of the country in geographically unique and tectonically active locations. For instance, The Geysers Field north of San Francisco is home to more than a dozen large power plants that have been tapping naturally occurring steam reservoirs to produce electricity for more than 40 years.

Retrieved January 29, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025135936.htm

AGS JANUARY 2012 Page 5

FernbankMembership Museum Dues Paymentof Natural Status: History

Professional Student Corporate* Complimentary Upcoming Public Programs and Events 2003 62 22 5 15 (All programs require reservations, including free programs) 2004 81 3 8 15 2005 26 0 3 16 UPCOMING EVENTS: TOTAL 168 22 14 15 WILDLIFE RESCUE OPENING WEEKEND CELEBRATION

Saturday,* February14 corporate 4 sponsorsand Sunday, with329 February of 56 5 individual memberships in active use Join us for a WILDLY exciting weekend adventure featuring puppet shows, crafts,Finances: special animal guests and more. Learn more  The AGS account balance is growing as we receive new 2005 dues payments, advertising, and sponsors. WILD ABOUT: ANIMALS  Account Balance Saturday, February 25 from 10am – 2pm We are WILD about animals and hope youas are too!of JanuaryJoin us for a special 10, day celebrating animals and animal-conservation, inspired by the special exhibition Wildlife 2005 - $ 8,017.69 Rescue. Cost: Included with Museum admission and free for members

.

N ow Showing in the Fernbank IMAX movie theater: (Check our website for special screenings)

Martinis & IMAX has resumed in January and there are two new IMAX movies, Born to be Wild and The Greatest Places.

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Fernbank Museum of Natural History

767 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, GA 404-929-6400

Special Exhibits On View: http://www.fernbankmuseum.org/explore- exhibits/special -exhibitions

Coming Soon

Wildlife Rescue Opens February 4, 2012

Immerse yourself in compelling stories of animal rescue from around the world. Explore the efforts of everyday people who dedicate their lives to helping animals survive. Fly in an ultralight plane to lead whooping cranes to their wintering grounds. Discover how waterfowl are being saved from oil spills to how orphaned elephant calves and baby orangutans are being raised and released back into the wild. Join the rescue efforts and experience the innovative science supporting these achievements. Learn more.

Georgia Natural Opens February 2, 2012 Witness the natural beauty and diversity of Georgia’s landscapes in this of 35 framed photographs (a mix of black-and-white and color photos) by local artist

Diane Kirkland. Learn more.

For tickets and details on exhibits, films, and events, please visit the website at www.fernbankmuseum.org Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for the latest news and updates! Please see the website for details about Martinis and IMAX on Friday nights.

AGS JANUARY 2012 Page 7

AGS Officers AGS Committees

President: Nils Thompson AGS Publications: Allison Keefer

[email protected] Phone (404) 657-8642 Phone (678) 594-9893, Ext. 202 [email protected]

Vice-President: Cassidy Evans Career Networking/Advertising: Todd Roach Phone (770) 492-8230 Phone (770) 242-9040, Fax (770) 242-8388

[email protected] [email protected]

Continuing Education: Currently Open Secretary: Rob White Phone (404) 463-0679 Fernbank Liaison: Chris Bean [email protected] Phone (404) 929-6313 [email protected]

Treasurer: Stacey Durden-Phillips Field Trips: Josh Jenkins [email protected] Phone (770) 421-3412 [email protected]

Georgia PG Registration: Ken Simonton

AGS 2011/2012 Meeting Dates Phone: 404-825-3439 [email protected]

Listed below are the planned meeting dates Teacher Grants: Bill Waggener for 2011/12. Please mark your calendar and Phone (404)355-7377 make plans to attend. [email protected]

January 31 Rochelle Routman, P. G. Hospitality: Tom Watson Phone (678) 358-6943 LEED,AP O+M Georgia Power [email protected]

Newsletter Editor and Membership February 25 PG Study Group - Ben Black Engineering Geology Ben Bentkowski Phone (404) 562-8507 February 28 AGS - TBA [email protected]

Web Master : Kathaleen Bentkowski March 27 AGS –TBA [email protected]

March 31 PG Study Group - TBA www.atlantageologicalsociety.org

April 24 AGS –TBA

April 28 PG Study Group - TBA

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Researchers Confirm Origin Of Stonehenge Rocks The researchers — geologists Robert Ixer of the University of Leicester and Richard Bevins of the National Museum of Wales — have matched fragments of stone from the 5,000 year old monument with rocks found in southwest Wales more than 150 miles away. The actual site of the source is Craig Rhos-y-Felin, near Pont Saeson in north Pembrokeshire.

Bevins and Ixer have spent nine months collecting and identifying samples of rock outcrops in Pembrokeshire to try to find a match to the rocks of Stonehenge. By detailing the mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock, they were able to find 99 percent of the samples could be matched to the rocks found in the Pembrokeshire outcrop. The rhyolitic rocks at Rhos-y-Felin differ from all others found in South Wales, the team said, which helps locate all of Stonehenge’s rhyolites to within hundreds of square feet. The rocks in Rhos-y-Felin differ from one another even on a scale of tens of feet, allowing Bevin and Ixer to match some of Stonehenge’s samples even more precisely to the extreme northeastern end of Rhos-y-Felin.

The find is ‚quite unexpected and exciting,‛ said Ixer. ‚Being able to provenance any archaeologically significant rock so precisely is remarkable.‛ ‚However, given continued perseverance, we are determined that we shall uncover the origins of most, if not all of the Stonehenge bluestones so allowing archaeologists to continue their speculations well into a third century,‛ he told BBC News. With the location of the source now revealed, archaeologists will now be able to unearth how the stones from Pembrokeshire reached Stonehenge.

‚Many have asked the question over the years, how the stones got from Pembrokeshire to Stonehenge,‛ Bevins told BBC ‚Was it human transport? Was it due to ice transport?‛ ‚Thanks to geological research, we now have a specific source for the rhyolite stones from which to work and an opportunity for archaeologists to answer the question that has been widely debated. It is important now that the research continues,‛ Bevins told BBC News.

SOURCE: http://www.redorbit.com/news /science/1112443648/researc hers-confirm-origin-of- stonehenge-rocks/

…and thanks to Pat Anderson for the suggestion

AGS JANUARY 2012 Page 9

ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE Mark your calendar. On Sunday, May 20th, the sun is going to turn into a ring of fire. It's an annular solar eclipse--the first one in the USA in almost 18 years. An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the sun, but the lunar disk is not quite wide enough to cover the entire star. At maximum, the Moon forms a "black hole" in the center of the sun. The ‚path of annularity‛ is a strip about 300 km wide and thousands of km long. It stretches from China and Japan, across the Pacific Ocean, to the middle of North America. In the United States, the afternoon sun will become a luminous ring in places such as Medford, Oregon; Chico, California; Reno, Nevada; St. George, Utah; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lubbock, Texas. Outside of this relatively narrow zone, the eclipse will be partial. Observers almost everywhere west of the Mississippi will see a crescent-shaped sun as the Moon passes by off-center. "I like to compare different types of eclipses on a scale of 1 to 10 as visual spectacles," says NASA's leading eclipse expert, Fred Espenak of the Goddard Space Flight Center. "If a partial eclipse is a 5 then an annular eclipse is a 9." This event should not be confused with a total eclipse. In a total eclipse, the Moon covers the entire surface of the sun, bringing an eerie twilight to observers in the path of totality and revealing the sun’s ghostly corona. The next total eclipse in the USA is in the year 2017. Until then, May 20th of this year will have to do. Annular eclipses have a special charm all their own. During an annular eclipse, sunbeams turn into little rings of light. The best place to see this is on the sun-dappled ground beneath a leafy tree. Hundreds of circular shadows can be found there. (CTRL/Click now!, its cool, B. B.) http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/27jan_annulareclipse/ For more information about this eclipse, including maps and timetables, please visiteclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Page 10 AGS JANUARY 2012 DeKalb County School System is proud to announce it will host its regional science fairs for middle and high school students Saturday, February 11th, 2012. Students from our region will be displaying their research projects for competition in 17 categories representing fields in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. As a judge, you will have the opportunity to provide an objective measure of what an exemplary science fair project should look like and assist students in refining their research skills. It is our hope to secure the best field of judges to review our students' projects at the DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Therefore, we are seeking your assistance to fulfill this goal.

The fair will be held at Clarkston High School (address: 618 North Indian Creek Drive; Clarkston, Georgia 30021). A stipend will be provided for individuals who serve as judges for the fair. Please use the link below to sign up to be a judge: http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us/~CHRISTOPHER_J_ROBINSON/?OpenItemURL=S0F2E2D2A Thank you for your participation in the DeKalb Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Christopher J. Robinson, Ph.D. Department of Teaching and Learning K-12 Science Coordinator 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083 Office: 678-676-0136 [email protected]

New Elements

Elements 110, 111, and 112 on the Periodic Table of Elements were discovered some time ago, but their names in the Periodic Table of Elements have been the difficult to pronounce names Ununnilium, Unununium, and Ununbium. They’re part of the systematic placeholder names used by the a joint group of members from the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). These organizations help to maintain standard terminology for chemistry and physics, and also recognize the discoveries of chemical elements.

When a group of scientists is successful in discovering a new element, IUPAC/IUPAP review their data and either confirm or deny the discovery. Then the group that discovers the element is asked to provide a name and abbreviation for the element. Then the names are confirmed by a vote.

The IUPAP recently approved the names of Elements 110, 111, and 112.Element 110 is now (Ds), which was named for the city Darmstadt, , located near the lab where it was discovered. Element 111 is now (Rg), which is named for Wilhelm Rontgen, the German physicist who discovered X-Rays. Finally, Element 112 is now (Cn), named for the astronomer who developed the heliocentric model of the universe.

Last summer, the discovery of elements 114 and 116 was confirmed by IUPAC, and they should be the next to have confirmed names. The group in that discovered them aims to name them , after Russian physicist Georgy Flyorov and , after .

AGS JANUARY 2012 Page 11

A PRETT COOL VIDEO FROM SPACE: http://vimeo.com/32001208

Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011, who to my knowledge shot these pictures at an altitude of around 350 km. All credit goes to them.

HD, refurbished, smoothed, retimed, denoised, deflickered, cut, etc. All in all I tried to keep the looks of the material as original as possible, avoided adjusting the colors and the like, since in my opinion the original footage itself already has an almost surreal and aestethical visual nature.

Music: Jan Jelinek | Do Dekor, faitiche back2001, w+p by Jan Jelinek, published by Scape Publishing / Universal, janjelinek.com | faitiche.de

Image Courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth eol.jsc.nasa.gov

Shooting locations in order of appearance:

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night 2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night 3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia 4. Aurora Australis south of Australia 5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night 6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean 7. Halfway around the World 8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East 9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East 10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night 11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay 12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night 13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam 14. Views of the Mideast at Night 15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea 16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night 17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean 18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night

Page 12 AGS JANUARY 2012 Nicolas Steno From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Nicolas Steno (1 January 1638 – 25 November 1686 [NS: 11 January 1638 – 5 December 1686] was a Danish Catholic bishop and scientist and a pioneer in both anatomy and geology. Steno was trained in the classical texts on science; however, by 1659 he seriously questioned accepted knowledge of the natural world.[9] Importantly he questioned explanations for tear production, the idea that fossils grew in the ground and explanations of rock formation. His investigations and his subsequent conclusions on fossils and rock formation has led scholars to consider him one of the founders of both modern stratigraphy and modern geology, together with James Hutton. Steno, in his Dissertationis prodromus of 1669 is credited with three of the defining principles of the science of stratigraphy: the law of superposition: "... at the time when any given stratum was being formed, all the matter resting upon it was fluid, and, therefore, at the time when the lower stratum was being formed, none of the upper strata existed"; the principle of original horizontality: "Strata either perpendicular to the horizon or inclined to the horizon were at one time parallel to the horizon"; the principle of lateral continuity: "Material forming any stratum were continuous over the surface of the Earth unless some other solid bodies stood in the way"; and the principle of cross-cutting discontinuities: "If a body or discontinuity cuts across a stratum, it must have formed after that stratum." These principles were applied and extended in 1772 by Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle. Steno's ideas still form the basis of stratigraphy and were key in the development of James Hutton's theory of infinitely repeating cycles of seabed deposition, uplifting, and erosion then Preliminary discourse to a dissertation on a undersea again. solid naturally contained within solids, 1669

Steno made additional contributions to science in the areas of anatomy, crystalography and paleontology. For example, it was a belief at the time that fossils naturally grew within the rocks. Steno's contemporary Athanasius Kircher, for example, attributed fossils to a "lapidifying virtue diffused through the whole body of the geocosm", considered an inherent characteristic of the earth. Steno’s contribution was twofold; that fossils were the remains of once-living organisms and that the chemical composition of fossils could be altered without changing their form. 350 years later we may marvel at the quaintness of these ideas, but science has to start from some original thought. (Wikipedia, ed by B.B.)

AGS JANUARY 2012 Page 13

RECENT OBSERVATIONS

My travels have recently taken me to Western North Carolina to Swannanoa, just east of Ashville. I reacquainted myself with a fellow geologist, Robert Hastings, which some of you may remember from his time in Atlanta, perhaps 10+ years ago. Robert suggested I stop by a nearby outcrop of meta-basalt. Not knowingly ever seen meta- basalt before, I made time to visit this location on Old Hwy 70 just west of Warren Wilson Road.

The outcrop is 15 feet tall and maybe 150 feet wide. As you can see from the second photograph, a new crop of trees obscures the rock face. There is a pretty good set of fractures as one might expect when such ancient rocks make it to the surface.

The rock has a greenish hue with multiple shades due to iron weathering. The most distinctive feature is the relic olivine crystals. These crystals have weathered to a brown mass and continued exposure allows the olivine to weather away completely leaving the distinctive pocked marked surface. I don’t know the details of this rock history but I’m glad to have had the chance to stop by and get a sample. B. B., Keep on Rockin’

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ATLANTA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY www.atlantageologicalsociety.org

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FORM Please print the required details and check the appropriate membership box.

DATE:

NAME:

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STUDENT $10

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CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP $100 (Includes 4 professional members, please list names and emails below)

NAME: EMAIL:

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For further details, contact the AGS Treasurer: [email protected].

Please make checks payable to the “Atlanta Geological Society” and remit with the completed form to: Atlanta Geological Society, Stacy Durden-Phillips, Treasurer, 1925 Vaughn Road NW, Suite 100, Kennesaw, GA 30144-4560.

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