May 2017 Volume 71, No. 2 Promoting public interest and educational support in the geological sciences THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF MINNESOTA News From the President’s Desk… Volunteer Thank goodness, it’s summer again! And once again, it’s time to get out and see Minnesota geology up close and personal! opportunities, Although the GSM lecture series takes a break during the summer we have many field trips, activities for members looking for geological things to do. These activities are all covered in this newsletter and/or on our website at www.GSMN.org: lectures, and Minneapolis area field trips conducted by Randy Strobel public service, More distant field trips conducted by various experts since 1938 Solar eclipse field trip to Nebraska conducted by Dave Wilhelm Minnesota geological marker self-guided tours GSM booth at the Minnesota State Fair Once again, our lecture series for 2016-2017 was a smashing success. The average attendance was 93 people per lecture! Of special note were the “astounding” attendance of 145 at Dr. Randy Strobel’s January lecture on Geology of the Mississippi River Gorge of the Twin Cities and Dr. Howard Hobbs’ lecture titled: Minnesota Glacial Geology in Song and Story. Who knew that there was a song out there about Mothers not letting their sons grow up to be soils engineers? FYI, the lecture series will start up again at the Fall Banquet 18 September. See you there! As you know, the GSM is an all-volunteer organization. We were proud to recognize Joanie Furlong, Alan Smith and Theresa Tweet at the Spring Banquet for their dedication and commitment to the GSM. Along with our thanks, all received a rock hammer with the GSM logo. Thanks again! If you have any interest in supporting the GSM as a volunteer please contact me, Theresa or any Board Member. We are looking for a Board Secretary and we’ll need 2 new Board Members next year. Try it, you’ll like it! GSM President, Dick Finally, all members are invited to attend our board meetings. The remaining Bottenberg meetings this year are 18 May, 10 August and 9 November. See our website for details. Have a safe and adventurous summer!!! Dick Bottenberg www.gsmn.org Upper photograph: GSM Field Trip, Mark Ryan May 2017 Volume 71, No. 2 GSM News turnover of perspectives and ideas. The Board typically meets quarterly, on the Inside this issue: Officers: second Thursdays of February, May, Dick Bottenberg, President August, and November, or a different Presidents message 1 Theresa Tweet, Vice President date if conflicts arise. We typically meet Board Membership and New 2 Members Mary Helen Inskeep, Treasurer from 7 to 9 PM at the Minnesota Geological Survey at 2609 W Territorial Positions Available 2 Open Position, Secretary Rd, St. Paul MN 55114. Member Spotlight 2 Board Members: Kate Clover, Dan Board meetings are open to all Notes from the Past 3 Japuntich, John Jensen; Ruth Jensen; Deborah Naffziger; and Dave members of GSM. So, whether you are 2017 MESTA Report 3 Wilhelm a new member of GSM or have been a Spring Banquet Report 4 member for many years, if Board Editors: Theresa Tweet; Mark Ryan; Lecture Attendance 4 membership is something that might Harvey Thorleifson; Rich Lively interest you, or you are just curious to State Fair 2017 5 Web Site: www.gsmn.org see what our Board does and how it GSM Marker Update 5 works, we encourage you to attend a The Geological Society of Minnesota is a GSM Trip Info 6 meeting. And, if you have a topic you 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The Trip to AET concrete testing would like the Board to consider, 6 purpose of this newsletter is to inform please contact Theresa Tweet at SAFL Tour 8 members and friends of activities of [email protected]. 1979 Solar Eclipse 9 interest to the Geological Society of Minnesota. N.H. Winchell 10 Position Notice: The GSM is seeking Send all GSM membership dues, change Steve Erickson, Banquet 12 of address cards, and renewals to: Joanie a Secretary willing to take notes at Furlong, GSM Membership Chair, P.O. four Board meetings per year. Box 390555, Edina, MN 55439-0555; Also, later on in the year we will need Membership dues are: $10 Full-time two new Board members as well as a Visit us on students; $20 Individuals; $30 Families new Treasurer. Facebook! GSM News is published four times a Please contact Theresa year: February 15, May 15, August ([email protected]) to discuss 15, and November 15. Deadline for your potential willingness for any of article submission is the first of the the positions, any of which will be month, before the date of publication. fun! Newsletter contributions welcomed Member Spotlight; Roger Benepe Of interest to our GSM enthusiasts: While out and about enjoying your vacation time – when you visit a site that you find interesting, please consider sharing your experiences with us by writing up a few words and sending it to Theresa Tweet at [email protected]. Thank you in advance! from the GSM archives: Field trip the Black Hills, New GSM Members! South Dakota, circa 1947 Caleb Nelson, Faribault Tom and Marcie Hamel, Edina Agnes Tan, Falcon Heights Thomas Erickson, Minneapolis D.L. Irish Rowe, St. Louis Park GSM Board Membership Roger leading a field trip at the Science The GSM Board consists of members Museum of MN who have a special interest in advancing the goals of our society, 1. How long have you been a GSM including lectures, field trips, and member? community outreach. The Board I have been a member for about 10 to currently has nine members. Our 12 years. After a certain amount of time bylaws limit the terms of Board the years just run together. members to four years, to encourage a www.gsmn.org 2 May 2017 Volume 71, No. 2 2. How did you get interested in geology? 2017 MESTA Conference My interest in geology started when I was a little The Minnesota Earth Science Teachers’ Association kid. I would go up to the lake to visit Grandma, (MESTA) Annual Conference was presented as an and I would find all these wonderful rocks on the opportunity to “Get to know your fellow Earth shore. I would bring them in her house and my science teachers from across the state”. Concurrent father (he was a Science teacher), would help me breakout sessions featured master Earth science figure out what they were. Then I would place educators and noted geoscience professionals. them on the window sill. The next time I would go Classroom resources were given to all attendees. up to the lake; the rocks on the sill were gone, so I According to the registration form, the conference would start my rock collecting all over again. supports the teaching of the MN Earth and Space Strange, but I would find very similar rocks, to the science benchmarks articulated in the MN Academic missing rocks every time. It was always puzzling Standards in Science. The meeting, the 31st Annual to me how the rocks always looked the same. It MESTA Conference, was held on February 3rd, 2017, was not until years later that I figured out that at the District 287 Conference Center in Plymouth. Grandma would throw them back on Science teachers from around the greater Twin Cities the shore after we would leave. area and beyond came together to hear professionals 3. What do you dig about the GSM? in the earth sciences talk about their field of study. A chance to visit the “New” Minnesota Geological The best thing about the GSM is the people that I Survey took place Thursday night, with host being have met over the years! Dr. Harvey Thorleifson. This year’s keynote speaker was Jennifer Anderson of Winona State University, a Notes from the Past planetary geologist who spoke on the “Geology of From the Fall 1999 issue of GSM NEWS Other Worlds”. Breakout sessions were on the GSM ROCKERS SET NEW RECORD! subjects of groundwater issues, geologic mapping, watersheds, and the upcoming solar eclipse which A special “thank you” to Mother Nature for the just- should be visible on August 21, 2017 from various in-time delivery of a heat-wave crushing cold front locations throughout the country. The Geological the night before the GSM rock-box building party! Society of Minnesota has been privileged to be a part The morning of Saturday, July 31 was actually of this event for many years, providing information, beautiful. What a change from the over 100 degrees pamphlets and rock boxes as donations for the of the day before. It was a great temperature for massive drawing that is held at the end of the working…and boy, did the rocks fly! Aside from the conference. Those of you who are in the field of recent weather, this year was especially worrisome education can check out the MESTA web page because the Mn/DOT rock crusher is broken and we containing past events at: http:// were short of sample-sized pieces of several types of mnearthscience.weebly.com/ , then mark your rock (including hematite, which is tough to break). calendars for the first Friday in February 2018 for the Thankfully, our GSM line-up of heavy hitters kept next MESTA Conference and sign up! the malls busy. Those major-leaguers were: Bill Robbins, Roger Knutson, Tom Schoenecker, and Steve Erickson. Smashing job guys! The rest of the team prepared the plastic boxes, and after a while everyone got a chance to fill the boxes.