Meteorite Findings and “Greatest Hits”

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Meteorite Findings and “Greatest Hits”

Pictured: polished and etched silicate-bearing iron meteorite, with millimeter scale at left

Meteorites “Greatest Hits” from Dr. Ruzicka's May 8th lecture: (1) The solar system formed relatively fast, in only 10 million years; (2) Much early planetary material was either partly melted, evaporated, and/or dispersed in the early solar nebula; (3) Pre-solar grains are incorporated in the chondrite matrix; (4) Pre-biotic organic synthesis occurred as building blocks in the early solar system; (5) Decay of short-lived radioactive isotopes gave the heat source of silica-rich bodies in the early solar system; (6) Planetary rock swaps occurred throughout the history of the solar system. 

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Synopsis of Dr. John Bershaw's GSOC Friday Night Lecture, April 10, 2015

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Synopsis of Dr. John Bershaw's GSOC Friday Night Lecture, April 10, 2015

Using Fossil Teeth and Paleoclimatology to Bracket Duration of Andean Uplift 

Dr. John Bershaw, PSU Department of Geology, came to the GSOC Friday night lecture in April to discuss his research using fossils to determine information about past climate change. Specifically, Bershaw’s task was to use oxygen isotopes in fossil mammal teeth to bracket the age of formation of the Andean Plateau (Altiplano) in South America. 

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Synopsis of the 80th GSOC Annual Banquet with speaker Dr. Tanya Atwater, University of California Santa Barbara

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Synopsis of the 80th GSOC Annual Banquet with speaker Dr. Tanya Atwater, University of California Santa Barbara

Shaping the Tectonic World View 

by Carol Hasenberg 

Outgoing GSOC President Sheila Alfsen introduced Dr. Tanya Atwater by discussing the origins of GSOC and its name “The Oregon Country”. The first decades of exploration and research into the geology of the Oregon Country answered the questions of What and Where, she said. It was clear that Oregon contained a strip of volcanism that was present all around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. The big question left to answer was the Why. And that is what the work of Dr. Atwater and many other scientists did over the last 50 years. Plate tectonics has been one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all times. 

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BOARD MEETING NOTES

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BOARD MEETING NOTES

April 11, 2015 

President Janet Rasmussen called the meeting to order at the home of Rosemary Kenney. Other board members in attendance constituting quorum were Bo Nonn, Dawn Juliano, Paul Edison-Lahm, Marty Muncie, Kirben Smoody, Sheila Alfsen, and John Piccinnini. Also in attendance were GSOC members Doug Rasmussen, Dave Olcott, and Carol Hasenberg. The minutes of the February 14th, 2014 board meeting were approved. 

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When the Plate Tectonic Revolution Met Western North America: the Lure of Science and the Oddness of being Female

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When the Plate Tectonic Revolution Met Western North America: the Lure of Science and the Oddness of being Female

I was in high school in 1957 when the Russians successfully launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik. It is hard to explain to younger generations just what a profound event that was. To us, it was totally astonishing: that we humble humans could put an object into outer space. Until then I had planned to be an artist, but I thought “Wow! If scientists can do that, they can solve anything (ghettos, hunger, strife, …)”. So began my checkered studies in science.

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Mt. Lassen – a Geological Must-See

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Mt. Lassen – a Geological Must-See

About 100 of us gathered in Cramer Hall 53 to hear the very knowledgeable geologist Dr. Scott Burns talk about his newest adventure – first trip to Mt. Lassen National Park. This active volcano, the southernmost in the Cascade Mountains, last erupted in 1916. The mode of eruptions seems to be bi-modal – either quiet or violent. The volcano was named after Danish immigrant Peter Lassen who was a local blacksmith. The LA Times recently wrote that Mt. Lassen was California’s “most overlooked volcanic park” with only 400,000 visitors per year, as compared with Yosemite’s 4-million visitors per year.

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Board Meeting Notes - February 14, 2015

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Board Meeting Notes - February 14, 2015

President Sheila Alfsen called the meeting to the home of Rosemary Kenney. Other board members in attendance constituting quorum were Paul Edison-Lahm, Marty Muncie, Bev Vogt, Bo Nonn, and John Piccinnini. Also in attendance was GSOC member Bart Bartels, and Directors-elect Kirben Smoody and Larry Purchase. The minutes of the December 13th, 2014 board meeting were approved. The Treasurer’s report was approved by the board. 

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Welcome GSOC's New Public Outreach Coordinator Sheila Alfsen!

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Welcome GSOC's New Public Outreach Coordinator Sheila Alfsen!

The GSOC board has created at new Public Outreach Coordinator position to address our objective of supporting and promoting geologic study and research, Outgoing GSOC President Prof. Sheila Alfsen has volunteered to staff the position in keeping with her love of public education. She has given numerous public talks to civic groups and schools throughout her term as president — and looks forward to keeping the public’s interest and curiosity for Geology alive. Contact her for speaking engagements!

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Charter GSOC member Lon Hancock was first to discover vertebrate fossils in the Oregon's Clarno Formation

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Charter GSOC member Lon Hancock was first to discover vertebrate fossils in the Oregon's Clarno Formation

By Viola L. Obserson, GSOC President 1984. Reprinted with permission from Oregon Geology, Oregon Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries, December 1979.

Paleontologists the world over know of the work of Alonzo Wesley "Lon" Hancock (1884-1961). Professional men from the universities and museums of the world came to his door to study the fossils he found. He considered himself an amateur, attained no college degrees, and published no scientific papers, but the fossils his persistence enabled him to find have been the subjects of numerous papers, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations. And part of the geologic history of ancient Oregon has had to be rewritten because of his discoveries.

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Evolutionary Flight Paths (Dr Orr: "There were many")

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Evolutionary Flight Paths (Dr Orr: "There were many")

Over 100 of us gathered in Cramer Hall 53 – a big upgrade from the smaller classroom – to hear a former aeronautical engineering student now turned paleontologist share the geologic evidence on how the ability to fly has come to evolve.  He described the various modes of flight and the thresholds between what humans might define as “true flight” and all the ways evolution has developed gliding, falling, and powered flight.  The idea of flight is a major part of American culture, along with automobiles.  The idea of flight goes back to ancient times.  How did the wing evolve?  Unlike a simple airfoil, a bird-wing is a complex venetian-blind like structure and with an opening-and-closing folding motion. 

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Rhyolites, CRBs & the Yellowstone Hot Spot — Research by Dr. Martin Streck

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Rhyolites, CRBs & the Yellowstone Hot Spot — Research by Dr. Martin Streck

Martin Streck spoke to a standing room only GSOC crowd about the work that he and a number of his graduate students have done in advancing our knowledge of the Columbia River Basalt (CRB) flows of the Miocene. His team has focused upon the rhyolite flows that occurred as a result of heating by the basalt magma that produced the CRB.

Miocene rhyolite flows in eastern Oregon have long been studied by geologists. The relationship between the rhyolitic magma and the massive amounts of CRB basaltic magma is not precisely known, although they are spatially close so infer that the rhyolite is a result either of partial melting of the crust by or fractional crystallization of the CRB magma. In fact, the spatial distribution over time of the rhyolite can give geologists ideas about the origin of the CRB magma itself.

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Nominating Committee Results

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The following slate of officers has been selected by this year’s nominating committee:

President ............................... Janet Rasmussen

Vice President ......................................Bo Nonn

Secretary ............................ Paul Edison-Lahm

Treasurer .................................... Dawn Juliano

Director, 3 years ......................Larry Purchase

Director, 2 years ......................Martha Muncie

Director, 1 year........................Kirben Smoody

Nominations will be closed for this year’s slate of officers after the January meeting of the society. The slate of officers will be voted on and approved at the February monthly meeting.

The Nominating Committee members were Richard Bartels, Janet Rasmussen and Sheila Alfsen. Our thanks to the selected members and members of the Nominating Committee!

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Chris Carvalho's Killer Vegan Guacamole

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Chris Carvalho's Killer Vegan Guacamole

That was a fun holiday party!!! Thanks again to Carol for hosting and everyone who pitched in and who brought yummy dishes! Here is Chris's Carvalho's Guacamole recipe.

  • 5 medium avocados
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 4-oz. can La Victoria fire-roasted diced green chiles (mild)
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • juice of one lime
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Tabasco
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
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Rik's G.S.O.C. (Gooey-Seedy-Oatmeal-Cookies) Recipe

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Rik's G.S.O.C. (Gooey-Seedy-Oatmeal-Cookies) Recipe

Former GSOC President Rik Smoody's Holiday Cookie Recipe

I saw this recipe below open near the mixer and used it as a jumping-off point. I made a quadruple batch: why bother to heat the oven for only 15 cookies? *** REMEMBER ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY is next week Friday December 5th for GSOC Members and their guests, at 614 NE 114th Ave. Set-up starts at 6:00 p.m. More info at http://www.gsoc.org/field-trips/2014/12/12/annual-holiday-party. ***

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