One of the joys of planning a GSOC field trip is pre-running a trip itinerary to find the best sites of geological interest. Janet and Doug Rasmussen recently returned from scouting Southeastern Oregon for Janet's Steens Mountain 2015 field trip and all indications are that GeeSockers will be in for a treat next summer!
Read MorePresident Sheila Alfsen called the meeting to order at this year’s annual picnic site at Guy Talbot State Park. Other board members in attendance constituting quorum were Janet Rasmussen, Dawn Juliano, Paul Edison-Lahm, Bev Vogt, and Marty Muncie. Also in attendance were GSOC members Dave Olcott, Bart Bartels, Carol Hasenberg, Doug Rasmussen and Peregrine Edison-Lahm. The minutes of the June 21, 2014 board meeting were approved.
Read MoreEver since the mud started spewing from the Lumpur Sidoarjo (aka “Lusi”) mud volcano in the subdistrict of Porong, Sidoarjo on East Java Island, Indonesia, on May 29, 2006, an opportunity to study the feature and, fortunately or unfortunately, become embroiled in the political controversy over it opened in the geological community. Newly appointed Assistant Professor Maxwell Rudolph of Portland State University was involved in studies related to this phenomenon during his doctoral years at UC Berkeley ending in 2012, and spoke to GSOC at the June Friday night lecture describing his work.
Read MoreNARG (North American Research Group) will be going to Wallowa Mountain this July 24-31. The trip will visit 5 fossil sites and other activities in the Wallowa Lake area. GSOC members may join this trip by joining NARG and contacting Larry Purchase (360-254-5635).
Larry reports that NARG members are also involved in a project called FOSSIL, which is building bridges between the amateur and professional paleontological communities, and creating more field opportunities for fossil enthusiasts. For more information see the website www.myfossil.org.
In the past six months GSOC members may have noted some dramatic changes in the way we are communicating to our members. I’d like to outline what has been happening and the reasons and advantages for those changes. Broadly, we are making these changes so that we can disseminate upcoming events as well as our archival information to all of our existing as well as potential members. We think that this is the way to keep our club vigorous and long lasting....
Read MoreThe meeting was called to order at the home of Bev Vogt and Bart Bartels. Vice-president Janet Rasmussen chaired the meeting in President Sheila Alfsen’s absence. Board members in attendance constituting quorum were Janet, Dawn Juliano, Paul Edison-Lahm, Bev Vogt, Bo Nonn, Marty Muncie, and John Piccininni. Also in attendance were GSOC members Dave Olcott, Larry Purchase, Bart Bartels, Carol Hasenberg, and Tara Schoffstall. The minutes of the April 12, 2014 board meeting were approved....
Read MoreA potential downside to any GSOC field trip is information overload. At every stop and around every bend, our expert guides tell us far more than we can possibly store in our brains. That's what books are for — and for our recent Lewiston trip, the book to read is Islands and Rapids by Tracy Vallier. Our trip guide Keegan Schmidt recommended it as the best book on Hell’s Canyon available....
Read MoreInterested in sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge about Geology this summer?
Kids at Home in the Wild is a summer program in the Portland area that is seeking interested people to share their knowledge with school age children ages 7-13. They want to show children the rock cycle with rock specimens and lead small groups (3-12) on afternoon field trips.
Read MoreWhen PSU hired Dr. Curt Peterson twenty-five years ago, one of the tasks they gave him was to research the geographic extent and stratigraphy of the Lower Columbia River channel. Prior to charging this task to him, Portland State University had not conducted any geologic research into this important local geologic feature, and the only geologic section that had been done of the channel was at the Astoria Bridge....
Read MoreDave Olcott led this Spring's field trip to Lewiston Basin during the week of April 30th, 2014. Keegan Schmidt gave the orientation on Wednesday April 30th at Lewis & Clark State College. Dean Garwood, and Roy Breckenridge of the Idaho Geological Survey at University of Idaho have documented the trip in their beautifully illustrated Lewiston Basin Field Trip Guide.
Read MoreNick Zentner, Senior Lecturer at Central Washington University, Ellensburg, gave a riveting lecture on the geology of the Kittitas Valley at our 79th Annual Banquet this March. Starting out with an old fashioned “chalk talk” on a large blackboard that he rolled in specially for the occasion, Nick first depicted the location of Ellensburg on a hasty but accurate drawing of Washington State. He noted that the subject of his lecture was in the center of the state, using letters to represent other points of reference such as Seattle, Spokane and Tri Cities.
Read MoreAfter outgoing GSOC President John Piccininni gave his farewell address, President Sheila Alfsen was presented with the GSOC memorabilia- the pick axe, gavel and the copy of The Two Islands by Thomas Condon that each GSOC president has signed since GSOC’s inception. Sheila then introduced the 2014 board members.
Read MoreMary Turner
Lucy Barnet
Jennifer Frykman
Jim Johnson
Clair Klock
Holly Olseon
Tim Kirkpatrick
The meeting was called to order at the home of Rosemary Kenney. Board members in attendance constituting quorum were Sheila Alfsen, Janet Rasmussen, Dawn Juliano, Paul Edison-Lahm, Bev Vogt, Bo Nonn, Marty Muncie, John Piccininni, and Jane Walpole. Also in attendance were GSOC members Dave Olcott, Larry Purchase, Bart Bartels, Carol Hasenberg, Tara Schoffstall, and Doug Rasmussen. The minutes of the February 15, 2014 board meeting were approved.
Read MoreTom Pierson’s talk to GSOC focused on his study of the aggradation and erosion of volcanic sediment that occurred in the Rio Chaiten valley as a result of the December 2008 and February 2009 eruptions of the Chaiten volcano in the southern region of Chile. Pierson, who has worked at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory since 1981, has traveled the Pacific rim studying hydrologic and geomorphic responses to volcanic eruptions.
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(March/April/May 2024)
Nate Angell
Peter and Nancy Ballerstedt
Daniel Becraft
Steve Bergerson
Brittni Bishop
Stephen Blackstone and Jill Engler
Eric Brurud and Hannah Schroetlin
Nancy Buchanan
Claire Buhler
Kat Bundy
David Chapin
Ann Chetock
Satya Chitty
Bryan and Molly Corbett
David and Anne Coulter
Tim Crump and Diana Meisenhelter
Owen Daly
Robert Devey
Jamie Dunn
Adam Ellwood
John Gale
Anthony Greene
Randy "Ran" Hammock
Alan Hargus
Nicole Hartsough
Kyle Hersey
Glen Hess
Rick and Kathy Hickerson
Cliff Hutchens
Alisa Joaquin
Michael and Laura Joki
Eric LeVan
Zach Lewis
Kiran Limaye
Pepper (Stephanie) March
Ed McNamara and Andrea Vargo
Kathleen Myers
Deb Nye
Liz Paulus
Thomas Peterson
Randall Radmer
Diana Reeck
David Richter and Dominique Garnier
Cynthia and Claire Robinson
Brit and Jeremy Schnyder
MacNeale Smith
Grayson Smith
Asa Stein
Jeremy and Elizabeth Stout
Jack Swisher
Richard Thalhammer
Ben Wagner
Kirk Warner
Hunter Wyndham
Interested in geology news and casual conversation with other geology fans? Attend our Monthly Meetups!
Our monthly lectures and local field trips are open to all!
Want to come on in-depth overnight field trips led by professional geologists? Become a GSOC Member!
Questions about Geology? Ask in our Facebook Group!
Concerned about earthquake preparedness? Arrange for public speaking on Cascadia Earthquake Preparedness.
Portland State University Department of Geology, our gracious host since 1971, offers undergraduate and graduate programs in geology, as well as free auditing for seniors.
Interested in Gems and Minerals?
In the Bend area? Visit our sister club Central Oregon Geoscience Society!
Interested in fossils? Check out the North American Research Group.
GSOC • P.O. Box 80133 • Portland, OR 97280 • communications@gsoc.org
