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August 2016 Meeting
Join us Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at
the Fernbank Museum of Natural
History, 760 Clifton Road NE,
Atlanta GA. The meeting social
starts at 6:30 pm and the lecture
starts shortly after 7 p.m.
This month the speaker will be Dr.
Anthony (Tony) J. Martin. His
presentation will be
The Holy Trinity of Ichnology:
Substrate, Anatomy, & Behavior.
The Speaker’s biography and the
abstract for the presentation are
presented on the following page.
View our sponsors on page 4. If you
or your company are interested in
sponsoring a future meeting, please
contact Shannon George at
shannonsgeorge@gmail.com, or by
phone at 717-343-4452
Please come out, enjoy a bite to eat,
the camaraderie, and an interesting
talk.
Next meeting of the Atlanta Geological Society is
August 30, 2016
Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Clifton Road)
Social begins at 6:30 pm – Meeting begins at 7:00 pm
Atlanta Geological Society Newsletter
ODDS AND ENDS
AGS 2016 Meeting Dates
Listed below are the planned meeting dates for
2016. Please mark your calendar and make
plans to attend.
www.atlantageologicalsociety.org
Meeting Schedule **last Tuesday of the month**
August 30 Dr. Anthony Martin
September 27 ***CANCELLED***
October 25 ***Officer Nominations***
Dr. Randy Kath, PG on the Geology of Indian Mountain,
Rock Run, and Borden Springs Area,
Georgia and Alabama: A New Paradigm
Sponsore TBD November 29 ***2017 ELECTIONS***
Speaker TBD, Sponsor TBD
PG Study Group meetings **last Saturday of the month**
August 27
Jim Kennedy, PhD, PG
Geohydrology and Contaminant Transport
Letter from the Editor
On Page 10.
Cultural and Philisophical Center
From your *New* Newsletter Editor and
former President, Shannon George.
Page 2 AGS AUGUST 2016
The Holy Trinity of Ichnology: Substrate, Anatomy, & Behavior
Ichnology, the study of modern and fossil traces, has been a useful tool in sedimentary
geology for more than 50 years, having expanded well beyond a narrow discipline within
paleontology. Traces are a result of a substrate preserving the products of behavior, and
those products often reflect the anatomy of their makers. Indeed, recent advances in
ichnology include better identification of tracemakers, sometimes to the species level,
belying the old cliché that most trace fossils are "worm burrows." A new and exciting
application of ichnology is in the environmental sciences, in which it can contribute
insights to hydrogeology and conservation biology. Ichnology will also likely prove
valuable in better understanding the effects of climate change on coastal and inland
ecosystems, using the past as the key to the present and future.
AGS August Speaker Bio:
Dr. Anthony J. Martin
Anthony (Tony) J. Martin is a paleontologist specializing in ichnology, the study of
modern and fossil traces (tracks, burrows, nests). He is a Professor of Practice in the
Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University, where he has taught for 26
years. He is the author of Dinosaurs Without Bones: Dinosaur Lives Revealed by Their
Trace Fossils (2014, Pegasus Press), Life Traces of the Georgia Coast (2013, Indiana
University Press), two editions of a college textbook on dinosaurs (Introduction to the
Study of Dinosaurs), and a book for teenagers (The Dinosaur that Dug Its Burrow) about
the first known burrowing dinosaur, which he co-discovered. His fossil discoveries have
been reported by The New York Times, the BBC, National Geographic News, and
Smithsonian Magazine, and he is often quoted in news articles about ichnology and
paleontology. In recognition of his significant contributions to paleontology and public
outreach, he was recently elected as a Fellow in The Explorers Club and a Fellow in the
Geological Society of America. He lives with his wife, Ruth Schowalter, in Decatur,
Georgia.
http://envs.emory.edu/home/people/faculty/martin_anthony.html
AUGUST SPEAKER’S ABSTRACT AND BIO INFORMATION
AGS AUGUST 2016 Page 3
Alabama Geological Society – 2016 Field Trip!
Our friends at the Alabama Geological Society are hosting their 53rd Annual
field trip!
November 17th – 19th, 2016
Geology of Indian Mountain, Rock Run, and Borden Springs Area, Georgia and Alabama: A New Paradigm
Field trip leaders: Randy Kath, Tom Crawford, and Karen Tefend
Department of Geosciences, University of West Georgia
DESCRIPTION: The focus of this year’s trip in Cherokee and Cleburne Counties, Alabama,
and Polk and Floyd Counties, Georgia, will be the Paleozoic rocks of the Indian Mountain
area and metamorphic rocks in the hanging wall of the Emerson-Talladega fault. Previous
AGS fieldtrips have visited the area (1973, 1977, and 1985) but recent detailed geologic
mapping of the Indian Mountain, Cedartown West, Borden Springs, Benedict, and Oak
Level USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles is the basis for a newly proposed stratigraphic and
structural interpretation of the area. This detailed geologic mapping has revealed a complex
structural relationship between slate of the lower Cambrian Chilhowee Group, rocks
previously considered to be middle Ordovician Rockmart Slate, and phyllite along the
metamorphic front, in the hanging wall of the Emerson-Talladega Fault. Rockmart Slate
was not observed during geologic mapping in the Indian Mountain area.
Additional Trip and Registration details can be found at the two links below:
http://alageolsoc.org/announcements.html
http://alageolsoc.org/uploads/3/4/4/4/34440427/fieldtrip2016-longdescription2.pdf
Page 4 AGS AUGUST 2016
ATLANTA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPONSORS
Click this link for more information
AGS AUGUST 2016 Page 5
Paleontologists Discover Major T. rex Fossil
Date: August 18, 2016, Source: University of Washington
Summary: Paleontologists have discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex, including a very complete skull. The find, which
paleontologists estimate to be about 20 percent of the animal, includes vertebrae, ribs, hips and lower jaw bones.
Paleontologists with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the University of Washington
have discovered a Tyrannosaurus rex, including a very complete skull. The find, which paleontologists
estimate to be about 20 percent of the animal, includes vertebrae, ribs, hips and lower jaw bones.
The team, led by Burke Museum Adjunct Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and UW biology professor
Gregory P. Wilson, discovered the T. rex during an expedition to the Hell Creek Formation in northern
Montana -- an area that is world-famous for its fossil dinosaur sites. Two Burke Museum paleontology
volunteers, Jason Love and Luke Tufts, initially discovered pieces of fossilized bone protruding from a
rocky hillside. The bones' large size and honeycomb-like structure indicated they belonged to a carnivorous
dinosaur. Upon further excavation, the team discovered the T. rex skull along with ribs, vertebrae, and parts
of the jaw and pelvis.
. rex was one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs to ever roam Earth. Measuring an average of 40-feet long
and 15 to 20-feet tall, T. rex was a fierce predator with serrated teeth and large jaws. Fossil evidence shows it
ate other dinosaurs like Edmontosaurus and Triceratops, with crushed bones from the animals even showing
up in the its fossilized poop. T. rex lived about 66-68 million years ago in forested river valleys in western
North America during the late Cretaceous Period.
The T. rex found by the Burke/UW team is nicknamed the "Tufts-Love Rex" in honor of the two volunteers
who discovered it. The skull is about 4 feet long weighs about 2,500 pounds in its protective plaster jacket.
Excavation in the field revealed the right side of the skull from base to snout, including teeth. Burke
paleontologists believe it is very probable the other side of the skull is present, but will need to carefully
remove the rock surrounding the fossil before they can determine its completeness.
"We think the Tufts-Love Rex is going to be an iconic specimen for the Burke Museum and the state of
Washington and will be a must-see for dinosaur researchers as well," said Wilson.
To continue reading: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160818165931.htm
From ScienceDaily: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original
item was written by Andrea Godinez. Note: Content is edited for style and length.
Page 6 AGS AUGUST 2016
New Study Maps Rate of New Orleans Sinking
May 16, 2016, NASA, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6513
Subsidence in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, from June 2009 to July 2012, as seen by NASA's
UAVSAR instrument. The measured displacements are a combination of movement of the
ground and of individual structures. The inset at lower right shows the parish location within
Greater New Orleans. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech, Esri
AGS AUGUST 2016 Page 7
New Study Maps Rate of New Orleans Sinking (continued)
New Orleans and surrounding areas continue to sink at highly variable rates due to a
combination of natural geologic and human-induced processes, finds a new NASA/university
study using NASA airborne radar.
The observed rates of sinking, otherwise known as subsidence, were generally consistent with,
but somewhat higher than, previous studies conducted using different radar data.
The research was the most spatially-extensive, high-resolution study to date of regional
subsidence in and around New Orleans, measuring its effects and examining its causes.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California; UCLA; and the Center for
GeoInformatics at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, collaborated on the study, which
covered the period from June 2009 to July 2012.
The highest rates of sinking were observed upriver along the Mississippi River around major
industrial areas in Norco, and in Michoud, with up to 2 inches (50 millimeters) a year of
sinking. The team also observed notable subsidence in New Orleans' Upper and Lower 9th
Ward, and in Metairie, where the measured ground movement could be related to water levels
in the Mississippi. At the Bonnet Carré Spillway east of Norco -- New Orleans' last line of
protection against springtime river floods overtopping the levees -- research showed up to 1.6
inches (40 millimeters) a year of sinking behind the structure and up to 1.6 inches (40
millimeters) a year at nearby industrial facilities.
While the study cites many contributing factors for the regional subsidence, the primary
contributors were found to be groundwater pumping and dewatering (surface water pumping
to lower the water table, which prevents standing water and soggy ground).
JPL scientist and lead author Cathleen Jones said study results will be used to improve models
of subsidence for the Mississippi River Delta that decision makers use to inform planning.
"Agencies can use these data to more effectively implement actions to remediate and reverse
the effects of subsidence, improving the long-term coastal resiliency and sustainability of New
Orleans," Jones said. "The more recent land elevation change rates from this study will be used
to inform flood modeling and response strategies, improving public safety.
Page 8 AGS AUGUST 2016
Special Exhibit: The World’s Largest Dinosaurs September 17, 2016 through January 2, 2017
What does it mean to be big? Go beyond the bones and explore the greatest, most
massive dinosaurs ever discovered as they would have looked hundreds of
millions of years ago. Examine life-sized bones, muscles, internal organs, and
more to discover the staggering anatomy of some of the biggest creatures that
ever lived.
Exhibition Highlights: Hands-on and computer interactive stations invite visitors to measure a femur,
simulate the force of a sauropod heartbeat, and more.
Touchable fossils and models include sauropod vertebrae and an array of dinosaur and
mammal teeth.
A 60-foot Mamenchisaurus features a multimedia projection of what’s going on inside
its body.
Life-like models showcase how much sauropods ate and the size of their bones.
Learn more
AGS AUGUST 2016 Page 9
Now showing in the Fernbank IMAX movie theater:
A Beautiful Planet Through September 15, 2016
See an awe-inspiring glimpse of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased
understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before. Made in cooperation with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this film features stunning footage of our magnificent
blue planet, captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Dinosaurs Alive! Through December 15, 2016
Embark on a global adventure of science and discovery—featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the
Triassic Period to the monsters of the Cretaceous “reincarnated” life-sized for the giant IMAX®
screen. Presented in conjunction with the special exhibition, The World’s Largest Dinosaurs.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History (All programs require reservations, including free programs)
Page 10 AGS AUGUST 2016
Also in Theaters…
Teenage Eagle Hunter Is Mongolia’s New Movie Star
A new documentary chronicles a 13-year-old girl's quest to join an eagle hunting competition. Watch the trailer below.
A photo of eagle hunter Aisholpan Nurgaiv went viral in 2014 and inspired a new film about
her life. Photograph by Asher Svidensky.
A 13-year-old girl stands proud in the mountains of western Mongolia, cradling the eagle she
has trained to hunt. She’s carrying on a legacy that has defined this region for centuries.
But the girl, Aisholpan Nurgaiv, is also challenging a tradition. Though she is not the first
female eagle hunter—there’s evidence of female eagle hunters from as early as tenth-century
Persia according to a report by Stanford University researcher Adrienne Mayor, and National
Geographic photographed Princess Nirgidma of Mongolia with her hunting eagle in 1932—
Nurgaiv is the first Mongolian woman to compete in the country’s Golden Eagle Festival
Source: National Geograhic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/teenage-eagle-huntress-movie-trailer-director-
interview/
AGS AUGUST 2016 Page 11
AGS Officers
President: Ben Bentkowski
Phone (404) 562-8507,
(770) 296-2529 BBENTKOW@gmail.com
Vice-President: Open
Secretary: Rob White
Phone (770) 891-0519
robeth@bellsouth.net
Treasurer: Lucy Mejia
Lucytaylor360@gmail.com
AGS Committees
Georgia PG Registration:
Ken Simonton, 404-825-3439, kws876@gmail.com
&
Ginny Mauldin-Kenney,
ginny.mauldin@gmailcom
Hospitality: John Salvino, P.G.
johnsalvino@bellsouth.net
Social Media Coordinator: Chris Gargan
Christopher_Gargan@golder.com
Newsletter Editor
Shannon George, PG
Phone (717)-343-4452
shannonsgeorge@gmail.com
Sponsor Management
also Shannon George, PG
Web Master: Ken Simonton
kws876@gmail.com
Teacher Grants: Bill Waggener
Phone (404)354-8752
waggener80@yahoo.com
Membership: Nils Thompson
nils.t61@gmail.com
Fernbank Liaison: Kaden Borseth
Phone (404) 929-6342
Kaden.Borseth@FernbankMuseum.org
Career Networking/Advertising: Open
Academic Liason: Open
Field Trips: Open
Continuing Education: Open
AGS Publications: Open
From the Editor
Dear AGS members,
Approximately seven months ago I moved to
Austin, Texas. I left swiftly and with little notice,
but I assure if was for only positive reasons
regarding matters of the heart and the pursuit of
new career opportunities. My only regret is that I
did not have more time to give you all a more
proper goodbye. It has been my pleasure to work
as an officer for the AGS the past three years.
From the moment I arrived in Texas I have been
exploring the geology. Palo Duro Canyon State
Park (the "Grand Canyon of Texas"), Dinosaur
Valley State Park, Waco Mammoth National
Monument, and Enchanted Rock State Natural
Area, Texas’ version of a monolith. It is similar in
morphology to Stone Mountain, but is not quite as
big and is actually granitic in composition (not
quartz monzonite).
Part of the reason I pursued an AGS officer
position is because I have been attending “Burns”
similar to Burning Man since my freshman year in
college. This sounds silly, but we “Burners” share
10 Principles that engender the ethos for the
Burns successes since Burning Man’s inception in
1986. It is hard for me to decide which of the 10
Principles is my favorite, but Participation is
highest on the list.
The Principle of Participation - Our community
is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We
believe that transformative change, whether in the
individual or in society, can occur only through
the medium of deeply personal participation. We
achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited
to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the
world real through actions that open the heart.
AGS turned 25 this year, and has been a
successful group because of the participation of
its Officers, Committee Members, and
Professional and Student Members. I encourage
you to think deeply about how AGS has enriched
your life. I ecourage you to Participate - nominate
yourselfs for one of the AGS committees.
ELECTIONS ARE COMING SOON – Nov. 2017!
Be well,
Shannon Star George, PG
Newsletter Editor, former President
Page 12 AGS AUGUST 2016
ATLANTA GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
www.atlantageologicalsociety.org
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FORM
Please print the required details and check the appropriate membership box.
DATE:
NAME:___________________ _
ORGANIZATION:____________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE (1): TELEPHONE (2):
EMAIL (1): EMAIL (2):
STUDENT $10
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP $25
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP $100 (Includes 4 professional members, please list names and emails below)
NAME: EMAIL:
NAME: EMAIL:
NAME: EMAIL:
NAME: EMAIL:
For further details, contact the AGS Treasurer: Lucy Mejia: telephone: 404-438-9584;
Lucytaylor360@gmail.com
Please make checks payable to the “Atlanta Geological Society” and remit with the completed form to:
Atlanta Geological Society, Attn: Lucy Mejia
2143 Melante Drive, Atlanta, GA 30324
CASH
CHECK (CHECK NUMBER: .)
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