2010 ® GSA Medals & Awards Presented at the of the 122nd Annual Meeting Geological Society of America S 30 October 2010 Denver, Colorado 2010 MEDALS & AWARDS RIP RAPP archaeological flints made it to the pages of off Santra Cruz Island in the north Channel Nature. Erv was the first to date an Acheulean Islands where he calibrated CHIRP sonar data ARCHAEOLOGICAL biface for the site of Combe Grenal in France. with sediment cores. GEOLOGY AWARD While at MU, Erv incorporated TL in In 1992, Erv found himself heading a rescue excavation of the Shriver site, a to the University of Georgia where he Presented to Pre-Clovis site in NW Missouri; work that continues to hold joint appointments in the Ervan G. Garisson was later published in Science. Erv recalls Anthropology and Geology departments. Erv reconciling the TL dates with the midcontinent established a summer field school in shallow glacial stratigraphy as a key point in his geophysics, the first university-based course career trajectory. From that time on out he of its kind offered in the US. Since 1993, the sought to employ geology to help decipher the course has taught over 100 students, mostly archaeological past. undergrads, how to use magnetic, electrical Erv’s first foray into the field of and radar survey instruments. archaeological geophysics was in the late Erv’s research program at UGA includes 1970s while still at MU. While directing a an ambitious marine geoarchaeological summer-long excavation in the Meramec survey of the continental shelf that uses River Valley in the Eastern Ozarks, he and NOAA vessels and Georgia survey David Denmam, using the university’s new equipment. The studies have resulted in proton magnetometer and metal detectors, graduate theses and published journal located slag heaps and iron deposits from articles outlining the archaeological and the oldest bloomery forge in Missouri. Later paleontological potential of the continental Erv surveyed a steamboat wreck in the White shelf as a coast landform in the late Ervan G. Garisson River, the George Washington Carver National Pleistocene. Perhaps the most notable University of Georgia Monument, and a city-block of Mormon discovery of this work to date was the Nauvoo. discovery and subsequent excavation at J Erv’s academic job at Texas A&M Reef of a complete subfossil mandible of allowed him to focus his research and the extinct Atlantic gray whale, dated to 36 Citation by Scott H. Pike teaching on geoprospection of terrestrial and ka. The fossil is currently at the Smithsonian marine/estuarine sites. Erv designed a marine being cast for reference copies. Today I have the great pleasure of archaeology survey course where students Having now worked in archaeological reading the citation for the 2010 recipient of mapped known historic shipwrecks in the Gulf geology for over thirty years, Erv and his the Rip Rapp Archaeological Geology Award, of Mexico. In the 1980s, Erv received funding UGA colleague and former Archaeological Erv Garrison. This award is appropriate to from the Minerals Management Survey to Geology Division Award winner, Norman recognize the significant contributions that guide a major study of marine survey and Herz, pulled their vast and varied experiences Erv has made to the burgeoning field of mapping methodologies. During this work, he together and, in 1998, co-authored archaeological geology. Hidden within Erv’s and his team discovered and excavated a 19th the textbook “Geological Methods for laidback southern demeanor is a scholar and century French shipwreck in the Chandeleur Archaeology.” In 2003, Erv wrote a second educator who pursues his research with a quiet Islands off Louisiana. textbook “Techniques in Archaeological intensity and provides unwavering support In 1981, Erv began an international multi- Geology.” and opportunities for his undergraduate and year collaboration with the Archaeological I resist labeling this award a “life-time graduate students. Throughout Erv’s career Service of the Canton of Neuchatel in achievement award” because as I know Erv he has always been at the interdisciplinary Switzerland. Erv’s team carried out will continue to produce significant research crossroads between the physical sciences and geophysical surveys along Lake Neuchatel’s and train more students in the coming years. archaeology. north shore and eastern mid-lake sections. In With this award the Archaeological Geology Erv was first introduced to archaeometry concert with a systematic geophysical coring Division acknowledges Erv’s contributions to as a master’s student at the University of program, Erv characterized the post-Late the fields of archaeology and geology, yet we Arkansas, where he worked on nuclear fission Glacial Maximum lacustrine landscape and its also await his future valuable contributions to track and alpha-recoil dating on micas from relationship to prehistoric settlements on the our science. the Mississippian site of Hazel Mount and ancient lakeshore. Erv also led excavations published a dating sequence of the Hohokam of Neolithic and Late Bronze Age settlements in Archaeometry. funded in part by EARTHWATCH and the Response By Ervan G. Garrison Following his “archaeometric muse”, Canton of Neuchatel. In 1985, Erv’s team I would like to thank Scott Pike, my Erv pursued his dissertation training in discovered one of the largest bronze metal citationist, for finding 500 words to describe nuclear archaeometry at the University of troves ever discovered in Switzerland. my career in archaeological geology. It has Missouri. Studying under David Cowan and From 1990 to 1992, Erv began a three made me feel like I may have accomplished Ralph Rowlett, Erv learned the rudiments of year appointment with the National Marine something over the past 30 years. I thank my thermoluminescence dating techniques that Sanctuaries Program where he established a peers in this vibrant branch of GSA and the led to his dissertation on the electron spin base for their heritage programs. Following larger discipline of geology, for extending resonance dating of archaeological flints. a brief sojourn in DC, he conducted and this honor to me. It is both gratifying and Erv’s important work dating geological and published a marine geoarchaelogical study humbling, well-worn adjectives, in the sense THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2010 MEDALS & AWARDS of acceptance prose, but true, nonetheless. I reader for a luminescence dating system. Nor Without access to such a device I doubt am, likewise, moved to be accepting an award have I abandoned my abiding interest in the there would have been a doctoral study and named for a true gentleman and one of the application of shallow geophysical techniques subsequent Nature article on the ESR dating founding scholars of this field, George “Rip” in the service of archaeology. One can look of French Acheulean flints. Rapp. Having my name mentioned in the around my UGA lab and see more than a little As I say, MU was an eye-opener to a same context as Rip’s is an honor. I follow evidence for this passion. lab-rat like myself. People like Ray Wood my UGA colleague Norman “Norm” Herz in I have not been much of a “job hopper”. and his, then, students were out at Rodgers receiving this award. I was co-citationist on I have only worked at two great universities— Shelter, in western Missouri, rewriting the Norm’s award. UGA and Texas A&M. My only time book on paleoenvironmental studies in I am glad Scott mentioned, I’m not outside of the academy was my short stint Midwestern-Ozarks archaeology. I didn’t quite ready to go quietly into emeritus status. as archaeologist for the National Oceanic & get to work there but I “watched” over their Those of you who know me would probably Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Even academic shoulders. Without knowing it, I say Erv doesn’t generally go anywhere after I came to Georgia, in 1992, I never began to adopt their methodology in my own “quietly”. I think, as a teacher and researcher, completely “left” NOAA by virtue of their work—palynology/phytoliths; paleoclimate; I have a few miles left in my tank, and if generous support of my own and my students’ sedimentology; zooarchaeology; etc. etc. So anything energizes one to do more, it is to offshore marine geoarchaeological studies when I did work on a project that involved be recognized for their work on occasions of the continental shelf. NOAA’s research archaeological geology—the Shriver Site—I such as this. I am lucky, as I say, to be at a vessels and in-kind support has facilitated was conversant. At Shriver, a “pre-paleo” great Southern university, the University research leading to two UGA masters theses horizon was identified and subsequently of Georgia. It is a pleasure to work at an and, lately, an on-going doctoral study. described in a 1978 Science publication by institution and with earth science colleagues I would like to expand on each of Mike Reagan, et al. I did the TL and, in the who value a field like archaeological geology. these milestones in my career—Missouri, process, met many of the field principals on I wish more of our research universities did Texas, Washington, D.C. and Georgia—in the study not the least of which was KU’s so. Saying this, I can enumerate several such sequence, beginning with my introduction Wakefield Dort, Jr. Dort introduced me to the institutions who house previous awardees so to archaeological geology at the University Peoria Loess and how litho/pedostratigraphy I, and UGA, are in very, very good company. of Missouri. Few people enter a doctoral works. Artefacts found atop18 ka land Lastly, as I am so keenly aware, I owe my program with a brand new 6 week old baby surfaces, such as those at Shriver, by simple family for the love, patience and support they but the Garrisons did.