GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS NEWS Yale University I Department of Geology and Geophysics Spring 2007 Chairman’s Letter David Bercovici The Department of Geology and Geophysics continues to be a vibrant community of scientists with a tremendous diversity of interests. Our student body, both graduate students and undergraduate majors, is truly impressive and increasingly international. This year’s entering class of graduate students includes people from Denmark, Japan, China, and even Lowell, Massachusetts. Our growing postdoctoral program numbers nearly 20 scholars and we have plans to Living Fossil Garden Planted in Front of KGL increase it considerably in the next few years; this A garden of ancient living plants has been planted in program draws scientists from around the world, front of the KGL on a small plot formerly graced by including Australia, Korea, Israel, Japan, France, blacktop and dumpsters. Each of the plants (except for Ireland, Canada, and Russia. the inevitable weeds) belongs to a species or genus Our young faculty colleagues continue to win that has survived for tens of millions of years. Unlike awards and bring distinction to the Department. animals, plants evolve very slowly. Thus, the otherwise Most recently Jun Korenaga was awarded the unremarkable yew shrub in this garden belongs to Macelwane Medal, the outstanding young scientist a genus that dates back some 175 million years and award, by the American Geophysical Union. We may have provided graze for the sauropod dinosaurs. are also presently running two faculty searches, Several other genera, like the plum-yew, the kadsura in isotope geochemistry and mineral physics, tree, and the pachysandra that forms the ground cover, and so by this time next year we hope to have survived the gigantic asteroid impact that incinerated even more new young colleagues. Given the the dinosaurs and about 80 percent of terrestrial life- outstanding students, postdocs, and colleagues in forms at the end of the Cretaceous. Several of the this department, it is truly a privilege to have been species, like the dove tree, date back some 55 to 65 asked to serve as Chairman. million years to the time when earth’s vegetation was I also report with great pleasure the promotions regrouping after the catastrophe. of Ruth Blake, David Evans, and Mark Pagani to The species were selected because fossil or Associate Professor on term. Regretfully, I must molecular evidence points to their longevity. They also report the departure of Peter Reiners, who in also have to be able to survive the rigors of our New the late summer of 2006 accepted a position at England climate and not grow too large for the space. the University of Arizona. We were sad to see Peter continued on page 2 leave but wish him well in his new position. One of our distinguished senior colleagues has Inside this Issue decided to retire. Bob Berner stepped down from Professor and up to Senior Research Scientist at Faculty News . 2 year’s end. The department held a symposium in Recent Graduate Students . 3 Bob’s honor, the details of which appear later in this Paleomagnetism at Yale . 4 newsletter. The Black Dog . 6 I close with two bits of sad news. First, the The Deep Scaly Project . 7 death of Betty Waage on August 4, 2006. Betty Alumni News . 9 was the wife of the late Karl Waage, longtime The George Gaylord Simpson Prize . 11 continued on page 2 Centennial of Economic Geology . 12 GeoloGy & Geophysics News spring 007 Letter continued from page 1 faculty News faculty member, former Director of Peabody Museum, and former Symposium “Changes on Earth” Honors Bob Berner Chairman of the Department. Second, the passing of Albert Robert A. Berner, the Alan M. Bateman Professor of Geology and Lincoln (Linc) Washburn G ’42, Geophysics, joined the faculty in 1966 and retired December 31, 2006. and former faculty member, on Bob has pioneered in several topics during his career; most recently January 30, 2007. Our sympathies the geologic history of atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide. In go out to the family members of recognition of his seminal studies he was honored with a two-day these former colleagues. symposium December 8 and 9, 2006. The symposium, titled “Changes on Earth: Processes and Records,” included presentations by past About the New Chairman students and collaborators. All of the papers are available at http://www. geology.yale.edu/seminars/bernersymp.html. David Bercovici assumed the role Widely known for his modeling of the carbon and sulfur cycles, of Chairman of the Department of Bob has calculated the evolution of atmospheric CO and O over the Geology and Geophysics on July 1, 2 2 Phanerozoic era. His studies 2006. His appointment is for three have encompassed the years. He joined the Department effect of CO on climate in January 2001 as a professor of 2 and the atmospheric geophysics. greenhouse effect, and David’s tertiary education the effect of changing commenced at Harvey Mudd College, O on animal evolution. Claremont, California, where he 2 Among the topics of his earned a BS, with a major in Physics current research, Berner and a minor in History, in 1982. His studies weathering and graduate studies were at UCLA the resulting effects on the where he earned a PhD in 1989 in Geophysics and Space Physics. geochemical carbon cycle. Bob Berner and former student Bernie Boudreau G ’85 His mentor at UCLA was Gerald His recent work has also Schubert, and his thesis was on interfaced with paleobiologists who study the emergence of vertebrates convection in the mantle of the Earth as land animals. Field studies over the course of his career have taken and other solid planets. him to such disparate locations as Hawaii, Bermuda, Iceland, New From UCLA David moved to Hampshire (Hubbard Brook), and the Pacific Cascades. Woods Hole for a year as a postdoc, Bob is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow then it was on to the University of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the recipient of of Hawaii for ten years where he the Doctor Honoris Causa from the Université Aix-Marseille (France). He eventually became Chairman before has also been awarded the Huntsman Medal in Oceanography (Canada), leaving in December 2000 to come the Goldschmidt Medal of the Geochemical Society, the Arthur L. Day to Yale. (Yes, that’s right, he left Medal of the Geological Society of America, and the Murchinson Medal Hawaii in December to move to New from the Geological Society of London. Recently the Geochemical England). He has received several Society dedicated an issue of its journal, Geochimica et Cosmochimica prestigious awards, including a Acta, to his long career in geochemistry. Macelwane Medal from the American A festive dinner on December 8 provided the opportunity for Geophysical Union in 1996, the same remembrances of Bob’s long career from graduate school days to the year he was elected to Fellowship in present. The chief roaster and master of ceremonies was Pat Wilde ’57, the Union. David’s research interests a graduate-school classmate. continue to be focused on mantle convection and geophysical fluid Garden continued from page 1 dynamics and he has attracted a very active group of graduate students A set of permanent labels introduces the plants and tells a little of and postdocs to work with him. their history. If you come to visit the department, take a few moments You can learn more about David’s to get acquainted with these incredible survivors or just to relax on activities on his web page at www. the bench in their midst. The garden was planned by Leo Hickey, our geology.yale.edu/~dberco. paleobotanist, with design and layout by Walter Debboli, Jr., Manager of Yale’s Grounds, whose department maintains it by their dedicated labor. GeoloGy & Geophysics News spring 007 faculty News Recent Graduate Students petrology of the province, and with The following have received Tom he looked hard at the data graduate degrees over the past Andrew Scott, the and drew conclusions, a real tour three years, or will get a degree Professor of Applied de force. at Commencement 2007. Paleobotany at the Royal Holloway Mathias Bernet, now Assistant University of Professor of Tectonics, University London, is with us as Visiting Stephen Sparks, of Grenoble, France. Professor for parts of 2006 and the Director of the Christopher Breeding, Research 2007. Andrew is a specialist on the Research Center Scientist, Gemological Institute of role of fire in the environment and for Environmental America, Carlsbad, CA. especially the past, present, and and Geophysical Jason Downs, Postdoctoral Fellow, future of wildfires; the entombment Flows at the University of Bristol Philadelphia Academy of Sciences. and preservation of plants by in the UK, is visiting for six months volcanic processes; and geological in 2006 and 2007. Steve’s position Walter Joyce, Collections Manager, uses of charcoal. While at Yale, he at Yale is the Edward P. Bass Vertebrate Paleontology, Peabody is interacting particularly with Bob Distinguished Visiting Scholar. Museum, Yale University. Berner on issues of climate and Steve was formerly the Chief Yuhong Liang, Postdoctoral Fellow, composition of the atmosphere Scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Emory University, Atlanta, GA. and on paleontology issues with Observatory; his research interests Rebecca Masters, Teaching at Leo Hickey and Derek Briggs. range from the generation of Collegiate School, Richmond, As we were going to press magmas and the role of fluids in VA and parttime Instructor, word came in that Andrew is to the crust, to nonlinear dynamics of Mary Washington College, be awarded the 2007 Gilbert H. volcanic eruptions, and the effects Fredericksburg, VA.