Spring 2021 Vol. 64 No. 2

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Vol. 64, No. 2 – Spring 2021

AEG 2021

Getting back to Normal

Slowly…

AEG 64th Annual Meeting

The Westin Riverwalk September 18–26, 2021

www.aegannualmeeting.org

Guest Tours

Hill Country Wine Tasting & Fredericksburg Shopping San Antonio Missions World Heritage Tour San Antonio Riverwalk Walking Tour Natural Bridge Caverns

The Westin Riverwalk Situated on the Riverwalk’s quiet end, this upscale hotel is near the Pearl District, home to downtown restaurants, bars, shopping and entertainment. Walk to the historic Alamo or the Spanish Governor’s Palace to admire its white adobe architecture. Enjoy beautiful indoor and outdoor venues overlooking the Riverwalk. The hotel rooms and suites feature pillow-top mattresses, marble bathrooms and room service. As you revel in Riverwalk views from a private balcony, feel the energy of downtown San Antonio at The Westin.

Field Courses

San Miguel San Antonio River Improvements Project Karst Cave – Cave without a Name San Antonio Water System H2Oaks Facility – Keeping San Antonio Drinking Canyon Lake George Houston Drainage and Subsidence

Technical Program

ABSTRACTS DUE by May 1, 2021.

SYMPOSIA TOPICS Dams Landslides NOA Coastal Hazards Environmental: Topic 1,4 Dioxane Geologic and Seismic Hazards Geophysics GeoUAS (drones) Tunneling Diversity

TECHNICAL SESSION TOPICS Urban Drainage (Surface Water) Urban/Water Topics (Groundwater) Faulting/Subsidence Drilling and Logging Technologies/Topics Groundwater/Fracking and more…

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Vol. 64, No. 2 – Spring 2021

AEG News (ISSN 0899-5788; USPS 954-380) is published by the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG), 3053 Nationwide Pkwy., Brunswick, OH 44212, four times a year in April, July, and December with the Annual Report and Directory in March. The Annual Meeting Program with Abstracts is published only digitally, in September, and the digital copies are distributed at the AEG Annual Meeting. Association members receive an electronic copy of all five issues of the AEG News as part of their dues. Print subscription for Association members, which includes all three regular issues of the AEG News and the Annual Report and Directory issue, is $40 in addition to annual membership dues. Nonmember annual subscription is $50. Back copies of AEG News regular issues are $12 each. Inquiries should be sent to AEG Headquarters: Association Manager, 3053 Nationwide Parkway, Brunswick, OH 44212 330-578-4900.

Periodical Postage paid at Brunswick, OH, and additional mailing offices: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AEG News, 3053 Nationwide Pkwy., Brunswick, OH 44212. © 2021 Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists—All Rights Reserved Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those officially representing the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists except where expressly stated.

AEG News Editors Outgoing Acquisitions Editor: Visty P. Dalal, Sr. Engineering Geologist, Maryland Dam Safety Program, news@aegweb.org Incoming Acquisitions Editor: Martha Whitney, Principal Engineering Geologist, Whitney Geologic, news@aegweb.org Content Editor: Bill Roman, Chief Geologist, Gannett Fleming, Inc., wroman@gfnet.com Managing Editor/Production: Andrea Leigh Ptak, Communicating Words & Images, 206-300-2067, andrealeighptak@me.com, www.andrealeighptak.com

Index to Advertisers

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From the Editors 4 Your Questions & Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 The Acquisition Editor’s Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 In This Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 News of the Association 6 The President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vice President’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Treasurer’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Secretary’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 AEG Welcomes New Acquisitions Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 AEG Member Profile: Rebekah Bieber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Taking Hold of Opportunities: A Student Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 In Memory of Roy H. Spitzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Field Notes: Next Steps

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Professional Contributions 27 Layser Cave: A Geological and Archeological Mystery of the Cispus River (WA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Building a Bridge Spanning Karst Subsidence in Palmyra, Pennsylvania . . .19 Rehabilitation of Historic Lake Roland Water Supply Dam, Baltimore, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Field Trips 31 Southern Nevada Field Trip to Sand Dike Near Anniversary Narrows . . . .31 The HomeFront

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On the Cover

Submission Information In order of preference: 1. Send files via email, preferably as attachments, to both email addresses above.

Optimum file format is MSWord. Users of other software programs should convert their file to ASCII or text only. Photos and other images, charts, graphs, etc.) should be sent as separate images but may be included in the Word.doc for placement purposes.

2. Images should be sent as high-resolution (250 dpi at 4” wide or larger) jpeg or tiff files and should be named with a strong identifier such as HF-Texas-John Jones —NOT P204679.jpg. Corresponding photo captions should be included in the text along with an attribution of the source/photographer.

3. The policy of AEG News editorial staff is to limit the credentials of an individual to two. No effort will be made by the AEG News editorial staff to determine if individuals whose credentials are missing from the submitted copy actually have academic or professional credentials, nor will the staff verify the existence or correctness of the credentials submitted.

For detailed guidelines visit: https://aeg.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/aeg_news_style_guide_0713.pdf

Advertising in the News Contact AEG Headquarters at advertising@aegweb.org.

Jerry King on the sand dike near Anniversary Narrows, discussing its possible origins during a recent field trip by the AEG Southern Nevada Chapter. See story on page 31.

PHOTO BY LOUIE HENDRICKX

The association 2020–21 Officers President: WILLIAM GODWIN Consulting Geologist, Carmel, California, president@aegweb.org Vice President/President Elect: MADDIE GERMAN Atlantic Coast Consulting, Atlanta, Georgia, VP@aegweb.org Treasurer: NATHAN SARACENO Senior Geologist, DiGioia Gray and Associates, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, treasurer@aegweb.org Secretary: SARAH KALIKA Consulting Geologist, DiabloGeo Environmental, San Ramon, California, secretary@aegweb.org Past President: CYNTHIA PALOMARES Texas Engineering Extension Service, Texas A&M University, Caldwell, Texas, PP@aegweb.org

Association Contacts

Submission Deadlines https://aeg.memberclicks.net/aeg-news Canada Agreement number: PM40063731; Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54; Windsor, ON N9A 6J5; Email: returnsil@imex.pb.com

AEG News welcomes your feedback. Letters should be sent with the writer's name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to news@aegweb.org. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Spring 2021

Table of Contents

Headquarters: Association Manager: SHERI MASKOW J&M Business Solutions 3053 Nationwide Parkway, Brunswick, OH 44212 330-578-4900, manager@aegweb.org AEG Foundation—President: WILLIAM FLANIGAN, president@aegfoundation.org Communications Co-Directors: BILL ROMAN, wroman@gfnet.com and ISAAC POPE, Pi2017earthscience@outlook.com

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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FROM THE EDITORS Q2) Why is there an International Region 11 in AEG when there is another organization called the International Association of Engineering Geologists?

Your

Questions &Answers

IAEG is considered an affiliated geoscience organization to AEG and was formed in 1964, seven years after AEG. They are a completely separate organization with a different organizational structure made up of seven regions, 59 national groups, and various technical commissions and are more than twice the size of AEG. One of the regions is North America. AEG has an international region that represents all members outside of North America and whose Director, Oliver Barker, resides in South Africa. Many geoscientists are members of both AEG and IAEG.

Get answers and information from AEG members on your industry and associationrelated questions.

Q3) Are there going to be any Professional Forums in 2021 where members can get Professional Development Hours (PDHs)?

In each issue, questions sent by any member will be posted along with the response from the official to whom it is addressed. If the questions are general in nature, then the AEG News editorial staff will research it and post the response, otherwise a specific AEG official will respond to the question.

Please send your questions, comments, input, or suggestions to Martha Whitney, AEG News Acquisitions Editor at news@aegweb.org.

This issue’s questions are answered by AEG President Bill Godwin…

Q1) What does the AEG Executive Council (EC) do and how are they different from the AEG Board of Directors?

The EC conducts and is responsible for the day-to-day business of AEG. It is a standing Board Committee composed of the President, Vice President/President Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past-President, who are elected by members. They interact with the Association management company and Committee Chairs. They meet four times a year and propose changes to operations in accordance with AEG bylaws. Major changes that impact budget, bylaws, or related issues require a vote by the Board of Directors. The Board is made up of the eleven Regional Directors and the five members of the EC. The Board normally meets twice a year.

Currently AEG is planning several forums. These include a Karst Hazards Forum that will focus on recent advancements in karst and karst-like hazards, and investigation and mitigation. It will be a virtual forum held on separate days in March and April (see https://www.aegmeetings.org/). Another forum will be a joint meeting between AEG and the United States Society of Dams (USSD). The forum is titled Best Practices in Specialty Geotechnical Construction Techniques for Dam Exploration and Remediation and will be held (hopefully) as an in-person event in early December 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There is not currently a website but check the AEG website for updates.

Another forum focusing on Sea Level Rise and Coastal Geohazards is being discussed for 2022. If PDHs are needed, AEG offers twice-a-month webinars, which can provide PDH credits.

Photo from the Field…

o t x e d In vertisers Ad

AEG Corporate Sponsor Listing . . . . . . .23 University of Arizona . . .Inside Back Cover UPenn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover AEG 2021 Annual Meeting . . . . . .Inside Front Cover

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Progress on construction of new Labyrinth Weir in the Emergency Spillway for the Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project.

AEG Future Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

PHOTO BY WILLIAM GODWIN, MARCH 1, 2021

To advertise in AEG News, contact AEG Headquarters at advertising@aegweb.org

See your field photo in a future issue of AEG News. Details on page 30.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

HERE FROMHEADER THE EDITORS

Acquisition Editor’s Pen Visty Dalal, AEG News Acquisitions Editor All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.

– William Shakespeare

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his quote appropriately describes my feelings about my tenure as the Acquisitions Editor with AEG News since October 2019. All good things must come to an end and so this is my final post as a member of the AEG News editorial board.

I thoroughly enjoyed making new contacts and learning from you about your areas of research and the projects that you were affiliated with. AEG is bestowed with great talent and knowledgeable professionals who are eager to share their experiences and expertise with others. It is this quality that makes the AEG family so unique and desirable.

With my transition to working with the Strategic Initiative Committee (SIC), I will continue to interact with a lot of you on several committees that the SIC members “sit-in.” This gives us a holistic view of what is going on several AEG committees and how we can assist the committees as well as be their proponents to the upper management. I am still learning about the functions of the SIC from Renee Wawczak.

Martha Whitney, a fellow AEG member residing in France, has kindly agreed to volunteer as the new Acquisitions Editor and is looking forward to interacting with fellow AEG peers.

With Bill Roman and Martha at the helm of the AEG News, I feel confident that they will take this magazine to new heights and bring in a lot of changes. Please welcome Martha whenever you interact with her. I wish her the best in this new endeavor!

So long my AEG friends and family! Please keep in touch and I hope to see you in San Antonio, Texas, in September.

Ever grateful for the opportunity to serve you!

In this issue…

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Bill Roman, Content Editor

he editors welcome you to the Spring 2021 issue of AEG News, which is chock-full of the optimism and opportunity the new year brings us. On our cover, we are delighted to share a photo from AEG’s Southern Nevada Chapter’s January 2021 field trip—one of the first field trip photos received by AEG News since the advent of COVID-19. Ann Backstrom provides details of the Southern Nevada Chapter’s field trip to Sand Dike near Anniversary Narrows in her story on page 31.

AEG’s officers optimistically explore a variety of AEG and geoscience tangents in their reports. President Bill Godwin shares the results of some geoscience web surfing while also imploring us to get outside with others to explore the real world. Vice President Maddie German envisions a soap opera (As AEG Turns), which all AEG members have the opportunity to help script. Treasurer Nate Saraceno summarizes AEG’s 2020 year-end financial condition, which can be improved by increasing membership. Secretary Sarah Kalika reflects on the successes of 2020 and shares her optimism for the opportunities 2021 offers us, especially for AEG becoming more diverse and inclusive.

Deb Green’s column (Field Notes) echoes Sarah’s optimism as Deb provides a personal reflection on her odyssey and invites us to join her on the path to conquering all forms of discrimination and oppression. Isaac Pope shares experiences Spring 2021

from his fantastic journey through 2020 and offers us an optimistic student perspective on the value of seizing opportunities.

In this issue, we are also pleased to feature a reflection by Rebekah Bieber (Member Profile), introduce Martha Whitney, who has generously seized the opportunity to succeed Visty Dalal as AEG News’ Acquisitions Editor, and pay homage to AEG member Roy Spitzer, who passed in January.

In our technical contributions, we celebrate 2021 as the International Year of Caves and Karst by offering two cave and karst-related papers. Isaac Pope discusses the interesting geological and archeological aspects of Washington’s Layser Cave, and Bill Roman describes the repair of a Pennsylvania roadway so notorious for sinkholes that an adjacent watering hole calls itself the Sinkhole Saloon & Grille.

Visty Dalal rounds out our technical contributions with his paper on the rehabilitation of historic Lake Roland Water Supply Dam in Baltimore, Maryland.

In addition to the Southern Nevada Chapter report, our HomeFront section presents reports from the Oregon, St. Louis, San Francisco Bay Area, and Texas Chapters. So, while we hope you enjoy this issue, we also hope that you seize the opportunity to submit your own and/or your group’s news and experiences to share in the Summer issue of AEG News.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE HEADER

There Is a Wealth of Geoscience Information Out There William Godwin, 2020 –21 AEG President

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s I am sure a lot of you can relate, I have Applied Technology. This is a wonderful resource. I been reflecting on how my day-to-day encourage you to make a contribution on behalf of the life has been impacted by the pandemic.

AEG Foundation.

By the time you read this column and this issue of https://glat.aegfoundation.org/the-geoscienceAEG News, it will have been well over a year since library-of-applied-technology/ the initial shelter-in-place directives were issued.

Our Webinar Series has been successful on And closer to AEG, we had to curtail our Chapter many levels. A variety of topics from engineering meetings, field trips and short courses. My column geology, groundwater contamination, geologic today focuses on how I am dealing with this and how I’ve hazards and case studies, prepping for the ASBOG® come to realize there is an abundance of topics and interests exam, and landscape photography. I encourage you to regavailable to share. Talk about all things geologic. ister for these bi-monthly webinars, which are free if you are My eldest daughter turned me on to a town hall meeting to a member. Please contact me if you have a topic you would discuss Earth Source Heating at Cornell University. This plan is like to share. If not on the national level, many of our to harness geothermal heat at depth in Central New York using Chapters have been hosting webinars. injection and extraction wells to heat the Ithaca, New York, https://www.aegweb.org/webinars campus. While ambitious, there are a number of issues to Lastly, if not inside doing research, managing projects, resolve. https://www.cornell.edu/video/earth-source-heator conducting online conferences, please get outside and community-forum-january-2020 explore. Geology is an observational applied science. EvaluMy youngest daughter, who will be returning home after ating landforms, especially those in dynamic environments, four years in Japan, alerted me to the recent M7.3 earthis key to our understanding of the world we live in. Take quake off the east coast of the island of Honshu. I told her someone else (provided they are in your pod) with you to that the epicenter was offshore and very close to the one of share in the experience. Being outside is one of the healthiest the Great Tohoko Earthquake of March, 2011. It turns out the things we can do in this pandemic. latter event is an aftershock of the former temblor. This is fascinating, and a bit frightening. I also learned that Japan has a different intensity scale than that used in the United States. https://bit.ly/3wvAnf1 My wife pointed me in the direction of an LA Times article on the 50th anniversary of the Sylmar Earthquake. While practicing geologists refer to it as the San Fernando earthquake, the damage it inflicted in urban Los Angeles led to the enactment of some significant laws. These include the Alquist-Priolo Act, a California law that limits construction near fault traces and the Federal Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act, which is now a well-respected program led by the USGS. https://www.usgs.gov/news/50thanniversary-san-fernando I later stumbled upon the AEG Foundation website and found the Bill Godwin pointing to seismite exposure in the Dead Sea link to The Geoscience Library of 6

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – VICE PRESIDENT’S HEADER REPORT HERE

As AEG Turns…

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Maddie German, 2020 –21 AEG Vice President

oday we travel across the United States as him well. The committee had grown so rapidly and various Committee Chairs contemplate what covered so many aspects, that now there were just needs to happen for a successful year on this not enough committee members to continue to get episode of… As AEG Turns. (cue dramatic music) the work done. This was something that needed his Greg set down his phone beside his cold attention, and he would get to it soon. coffee; it had not been his intention to talk with Deb smiled as she closed her email for the day.

Duane about the legislative tracking system for over Just this week there were two more requests to join an hour. Being respectful of everyone’s time was the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. The comimportant, and Greg was diligent about his time and tomittee was new this year and to her excitement was do list. Now that all 50 state legislatures were in session, he growing rapidly. Their monthly calls were productive; everyone was spending significantly more time managing bills than was active, motivated and engaged. It was as if the stars had expected and, evident from the talk with Duane, this was typical aligned to provide her with exactly the people and tools she across the board. This could have been positive had many needed to help her be successful. Years of writing allowed Deb states been promoting licensure for professionals, but in reality, the ease to be precise with words, giving her space to discuss it seemed things were heading the other way. His mind was a difficult issues without entering the political arena. Since her tour battleground with questions and ideas competing for his attenas Jahns lecturer, Deb had become passionate about the cause. tion: How can we reach legislators in states without chapters? If She knew with so many people involved and wanting we get more information on social media, we can reach geoscito help, more children would learn about the entists in all 50 states. He stepped away from his desk and geosciences and more young adults A long sigh headed towards the fragrant aromas wafting from the kitchen would realize how many career options escaped his lips; down the hall; his priorities, for the moment, were redirected. were available.

Curt was out of ideas Curt was excited. The Chapter Support calls were much Morley rubbed her eyes as she on how to reach improved from where they were this time last year. Most reviewed her notes to send to those groups.

Chapters were calling in and sharing information, even using Rebekah. The task list was long, but His calls and emails their small group of committed the tips and lessons learned each month to make their indiwent vidual Chapters stronger. These calls seemed be providing members were awesome. She had unanswered… improved benefits to local members and to strengthen the the utmost confidence they would bond among geologists. Curt began to review the list of strugsucceed at any task they set out to gling Chapters. He had not heard from several in months, and do. This year’s Annual Meeting was going to have for a couple, it was going on a year. A long sigh escaped his multiple events each day for the student and young profeslips; Curt was out of ideas on how to reach those groups. His sionals to attend for networking and education. There would be calls and emails went unanswered and requests to join the practice interviews, tips for job hunting, networking opportunimonthly Committee Meeting were ignored. There wasn’t going ties, and low-cost fun events and social outings designed to be an opportunity to interact personally with these Chapters specifically for students and recent graduates. The meeting until September at the Annual Meeting. He had unsettlingly low would also provide numerous opportunities to meet and rubexpectations even for that circumstance. With his Co-chair elbows with AEG’s past leadership. This year they had re-invigohaving recently resigned due to good fortune, added responsirated the mentor program and, despite its slow start, it was bility in his personal life, and in the local AEG Chapter, Curt was rolling full steam ahead. Still, the uncertainty from last year was left alone to ponder. lingering. As she clicked send, Morley thought, how many times Isaac was young but that had not stopped him from stepcan people recalibrate? ping up to become one of the most highly effective and motiAcross the country the sun was setting over the Pacific. vated Co-chairs AEG had seen in many years. The Eldon sipped a 2016 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet SauviCommunications Committee seemed to have their fingers in gnon from the Napa Valley, staring out from his patio at the seteverything AEG: from the publications, social media outreach ting sun over the ocean. He felt the tannins on his tongue and and webinars, to ensuring the website was streamlined and up pondered the next steps for the Advocacy Committee. Leading to date. This Committee assists the Chapters and other Comwas something Eldon had done in AEG for a long time; he had mittee Chairs in communicating effectively between themseen his share of challenges and success. Times were selves. He enjoys working with his Co-chair Bill, who is quick to changing and so was the membership. He and Dave had comshare sound advice for both AEG and life. The committee has pleted their current task list but needed new energies to help built itself up, from nothing only two years ago, to one of the direct their next intentions. strongest in AEG; Isaac felt a tinge of pride. His years plowing Want to know what happens next. Join us next issue to find through page after page, writing, and publishing had served out…. OR join one of AEG’s committees and help write the story.

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Spring 2021

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – TREASURER’S REPORT

Holding Strong

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Nathan Saraceno, 2020 –21 AEG Treasurer

ith this issue of AEG News, I am able to report the 2020 year-end finances.

Overall, it was a good year despite the unexpected events that took place. As many of you are aware, AEG’s revenue is based primarily on membership dues and our Annual Meeting and, to a lesser extent, association-level technical forums, sponsorships, the licensure fund, advertising (website & publications), and publications. The flexibility and ability to adapt to circumstances exhibited by AEG’s leadership and volunteers—from Headquarters through our Board of Directors, Chapter officers, and Committee volunteers—has really helped to maintain AEG’s ability to continue providing excellent member benefits and to do so while reaching new people and in new ways.

Membership The second primary income source for AEG is membership dues. Overall, membership revenue for 2020 was $191,888, down from $193,843 in 2019. This is reflective of continued declines in membership for many professional associations, and a trend which has continued over the past five to seven years.

2020–21 AEG Membership Statistics Jan 2020

Dec 2020

Jan 2021

1,181

1,715

1,476

813

1,223

1,040

Total* Full

Finances

Post Graduate

41

88

62

We ended 2020 with a total surplus of $45,194, which is great news considering the budgeted deficit for the year. A big shoutout to all our volunteers that make AEG run, and most especially to the Annual Meeting Contingency Committee that was able to plan and successfully run our first-ever Virtual Annual Meeting, which brought in a surplus of about $7,000!

The Treasurer’s Reserve remains fully funded, with a balance of $424,274 as of December 2020. Our Operations and Licensure accounts also remain stable at $149,523 and $100,035, respectively, as of December 2020.

As has been communicated in previous Treasurer’s reports, the Board of Directors (BOD) has approved the 2021 budget with a $27,845 deficit. While we are happy to have tackled 2020 head on and come Our Annual out ahead, we are Meeting in San Antonio remaining cautiously remains planned as an optimistic about 2021. in-person meeting, and we Our Annual Meeting in hope that circumstances San Antonio remains around the ongoing planned as an inpandemic improve so person meeting, and we that we can see all hope that circumstances of you there around the ongoing panthis year! demic improve so that we can see all of you there this year!

We’re also exploring new revenue sources, such as sponsorship opportunities on our now-regular webinars.

Teacher

33

55

45

Honorary

19

20

20

Emeritus

22

27

22

128

133

138

Life

53

52

52

Affiliate

30

43

35

International

42

74

62

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AEG News Disclaimer

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*Student, International Student, and Subscription-only membership not included.

The following table compares the January 2021 membership numbers to the January 2020 numbers. The numbers in these two columns are indicators of membership renewals and new memberships for the respective years. I’ve also included a column for December 2020 membership numbers.

As you can see, we still have work to do in order to increase membership to surpass last year’s total. However, it is extremely encouraging to see an increase in renewal rates of all paying member categories since last year. This undoubtedly illustrates that our members find value in being a part of the AEG community.

Thank you for being a member of our AEG family. As we continue to provide new opportunities for professional development, leadership, and camaraderie, please help us by continuing to share your ideas and experiences with us and your colleagues.

Check Out the AEG Job Board!

Authors alone are responsible for views expressed in signed articles.

Advertisers and their agencies are solely responsible for the content of all advertisements printed and also assume responsibility for any claims arising therefrom against the publisher. AEG and AEG News reserve the right to reject any advertising copy.

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Sr. Emeritus

The AEG Job Board is a terrific resource for employers and job seekers.

Discounted rates for AEG members to list opportunities for internships, contract positions, part-time and full-time positions. Ability for job seekers to search positions and post their resume. https://aegweb.mcjobboard.net/jobs

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – SECRETARY’S HEADER REPORT HERE

Optimism and Opportunities Abound in 2021

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Sarah Kalika, 2020 –21 AEG Secretary

his past year was a tough one for us. If you’re anything like me, I felt incredibly hemmed-in, forced to shift gears, avoided extended family and friends, and stayed close to home. This year AEG members found new ways to communicate, new methods to meet, gather virtually, and share information while keeping a safe distance. As geoscientists, we have continued to work outdoors while implementing increased distancing and wearing new PPE. We have supported science while leading by example. We have embraced creativity and mentored young professionals while working from the safety of our home offices. We became appreciative of the ways we learned geology—in the field, gathered among classmates and colleagues, building community—and we found creative ways to educate students remotely using technology, or by simply mailing each student a box of rocks!

What has AEG done for you? From implementing an online Webinar Series (free for AEG members) to transitioning our Annual Meeting completely online to keep our members safe, we shifted our focus and adapted to limitations imposed by this unprecedented global pandemic. Overnight, meetings and events were instantly available for participation from distant locations and many Chapters invited guest speakers from hundreds of miles away. For members typically unable to attend Chapter or Annual Meetings due to travel distance, financial concerns, or physical limitations, our online approach resulted in an effort toward greater inclusion of those with physical or locational limitations. Our next step is to ensure that all of our members and potential members feel welcome! Along with challenges came outstanding opportunities to participate and reach out across the country. AEG is working on ways to expand and improve upon these options in the future.

Things I’m Working on as Secretary: Following developments on the Legislative and Licensure fronts. In early 2021, AEG was informed of a proposal to deeply cut the budget of—with potential for elimination within two years—the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), a state agency that prepares geologic hazard maps, risk analyses, lidar maps, issues and regulates mine permits, and employs the State Geologist. AEG membership in the Pacific Northwest is working hard to publicize this proposed budget cut and continues to send messages to the Governor of Oregon and State representatives to clarify that geologists do not support the drastic downsize and potential removal of this important geologic agency. We must continue to be aware of these types of efforts and be ready to respond quickly. One method to get ahead of these situations is to join us as a State Legislative Tracker, let me know if you’d like to join us.

Spring 2021

Documenting and summarizing each meeting of the Executive Council and the Board of Directors.

Since the beginning of my term in September, I have documented one BOD meeting and two Executive Council meetings and am maintaining a running list of Action Items that are generated and updated during each meeting.

Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Association Secretary role. By developing a thorough description of my monthly responsibilities, the goal is to more transparently relay the specific duties of the position to future incoming Secretaries. I’ve also brought tracking spreadsheets into Google Sheets so the most current version is always accessible to members of the EC and the Association Manager.

Continuing my involvement in AEG’s Meetings Advisory Committee (MAC), Communications Committee, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC). I recognize that the work of AEG volunteers on individual committees is interconnected. A fantastic example of this is the committee teamwork beginning with a DEIC goal to recognize and encourage inclusiveness at our Annual Meeting by including badge-based personal pronoun identifiers. This is an example of a simple suggestion that began as a DEIC idea, will be implemented by MAC, and amplified to membership by the Communications Committee.

In Closing AEG has remained strong, with a clear path forward to be more inclusive and representative of our current and future members as we move into the post-COVID renaissance of the next “roaring 20s.” When it is safer to meet again, I look forward to sharing stories with you—my AEG friends and colleagues.

AEG Executive Council Statement on Diversity AEG supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Geosciences profession and in our organization. AEG leadership plans to further our efforts in promoting these values by challenging ourselves on what we can do better to encourage underrepresented populations to consider and obtain careers in the Geosciences and to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment within our Association and the Geosciences profession. We welcome and encourage you to join us as we strive to take meaningful, positive action. Please contact Bill Godwin AEG President, at president@aegweb.org if you would like to help further develop these efforts.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

AEG Welcomes New Acquisitions Editor

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he Association is pleased to announce that Martha Whitney is assuming the position of Acquisitions Editor for AEG News. As Acquisitions Editor, Martha will solicit and receive submissions, review submissions to confirm they are timely and include all the pertinent pieces (e.g., headlines, bylines, photos, captions, etc.), and follow up with contributors to remedy deficiencies. Martha will collaborate with AEG News Content Editor Bill Roman and Managing Editor/Production Andrea Ptak.

Martha is replacing Visty Dalal, who has served as Acquisitions Editor since October 2019 and received a 2020 AEG Outstanding Volunteer Award during the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting for his vision and work as Acquisitions Editor and for striving to make AEG News more beneficial to AEG members.

Visty will be continuing his efforts to improve the AEG member experience by joining Renee Wawczak and Curt Schmidt as an AEG Strategic Initiative Coordinator.

Martha studied geology at Humboldt State University. She has over twenty years of geological consulting experience that has taken her from the Franciscan mélange along the Cascadia Subduction Zone through the ferricrete of Western Australia’s Pilbara to the divergent plate boundary of the East African Rift. She is Principal Engineering Geologist at Whitney Geologic, an international geo-consultancy focused on providing geotechnical and geohazard desktop studies, site

Environmental & Engineering Geoscience MAY 2020

VOLUME XXVI, NUMBER 2

CALL FOR PAPERS

AEG’s journal Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (E&EG) is currently seeking articles for review and possible publication.

Martha makes an equatorial stop on her way to work in Uganda.

E&EG is dedicated to publishing peerreviewed, high quality, original research and case studies on environmental geology, engineering geology, geotechnical engineering, geomorphology, low-temperature geochemistry, applied hydrogeology, and near-surface processes. Visit https://www.editorialmanager.com/eeg, the Peer Track on-line submission platform, for Instructions for Authors, the Style Guide, and to login.

THE JOINT PUBLICATION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENGINEERING GEOLOGISTS AND THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA SERVING PROFESSIONALS IN

ENGINEERING GEOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY, AND HYDROGEOLOGY

Published quarterly and hosted at GeoScienceWorld (http://eeg .geoscienceworld.org/), E&EG publishes articles ahead-of-issue, as soon as they are ready. Current and past issues are available to GSA members who select the journal as part of their annual dues and subscriptions options and to AEG members as a benefit of membership.

For more information or to discuss possible special issue topics, please contact a co-editor: Abdul Shakoor (ashakoor@kent.edu) or Eric Peterson (ewpeter@ilstu.edu).

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investigations, construction supervision, and technical support to the oil and gas, mining, and civil engineering sectors.

Martha enjoys geology-based road trips, hiking, cycling, field work, attending conferences, and gathering with the Friends of the Pleistocene (FOP) Pacific Cell. She currently lives with her husband (and favorite paleoseismologist) in Montpellier, France.

A Note from Martha…

We hope members enjoy this edition's professional contributions which focus on highway engineering design for karst subsidence in Pennsylvania, pseudokarst features and archeology in the Cascade Mountains, and the fascinating history of the tribulations and rehabilitations of the historic Lake Roland Dam in Maryland.

We would like to propose a paleoseismology/active tectonics theme for the Summer Edition’s Professional (Technical) Contributions. Please contact Martha at news@aegweb.org. if you would like to submit an article on this (or any other) topic.

Members are reminded that items for AEG News should be sent to news@aegweb.org, and that submissions should be prepared in accordance with the AEG News Style Guide, which can be accessed at www.aegweb.org/assets/docs/aeg_news_style_guide_0713.pdf.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – MEMBER PROFILE

Growing Up with Geology

l

Rebekah Bieber

come from a family of geologists and am the third generation of my family to choose it as a profession. My grandfather started out as a petroleum geologist but ended up as an engineering geophysicist before he retired. Along the way he traveled the world as a consultant for various entities, including the United States government. Many of you know my father, David Bieber, who has worked as a petroleum geologist, environmental and engineering geologist, hydrogeologist, and most recently as a mining geologist. Watching my grandfather’s and father’s curiosity for geology and the world around them encouraged me to choose geology as my profession. I say “choose” like it was a choice, for most of my life I chased around after my father up and down mountains looking at cool rocks and finding my own curiosity for geology. I usually blame my being a geologist on him, but honestly, I am so glad that I was able to find a profession that I love and nurtures my curiosity. This profession has taken me all over the place and has introduced me to many amazing individuals and fascinating ideas.

From the time I was young, I have always viewed being a member of AEG as an honor and something that one does for the good of one’s career as well as the good of the profession.

My father was an AEG officer as I grew up, and I have been coming to meetings and events with him ever since I first became interested in geology and decided to pursue it as a career. The meetings and presentations I experienced through AEG have done much to help me in my choices in career as well as drive home my enjoyment of this profession.

When it came time for me to go to college, it was a tough choice between Montana and Alaska. Montana was lovely, but the rugged beauty of Alaska stole my breath and my heart.

Alaska won out and away I went up to “the great white north” for six years. While my road through school was not always smooth sailing, I feel that the way had been at least made smoother by the women who came before me. Those women had to fight to go to field camp and to be taken seriously in this profession. To them I will always be thankful, for I realize the struggle they must have been through. I worked full-time through the last few years of pursuing my degree as a materials tester and a geotechnical laboratory manager, something that would likely not have been possible for a woman twenty years earlier.

Once I finally graduated, I found a job at a geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing firm in Colorado.

As is so common in our profession, I moved from that firm due to changes in the industry and the economy, and eventually landed in my current role as an environmental consultant with ERM Consultants. I have enjoyed the challenges posed by the different aspects of environmental work. The different aspects of environmental geology have also highlighted for me just how important our profession is to the world at large.

I was a student member of AEG while in college, and the first Annual Meeting I attended was the Anchorage meeting in Spring 2021

2011. After I received my degree, I joined the Mile-High Chapter as a Post-Graduate Member, and then as a Professional Member of AEG. At the Ashville Annual Meeting I saw that there was a need in the organization for young professionals to become involved to help develop and pursue new membership opportunities for students and young professionals. With that in mind I joined the Students and Young Professionals Committee and have since become one of its Co-chairs.

I believe that AEG can benefit from the thoughts and opinions of young professionals like myself. I was fortunate to have the professional example and encouragement of geologists such as my grandfather and my dad. Unfortunately, most aspiring or new geologists don’t have the family background in our profession that I had. Therefore, it is our job as geological professionals to provide that encouragement to support the growth and development of our successors, and to ensure the quality of future geologists. I look forward to continuing to be a part of AEG and empowering other professionals. Young professionals are among those at the forefront of new learning and may have something new to share with those already well established in their career. Yong professionals help to remind us that we are never too old to learn.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION

Taking Hold of Opportunities: A Student Perspective Isaac E. Pope, Communications Committee Co-Chair and E&EG Book Review

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his past year has seen some astounding transformations. With the onslaught of a global pandemic, students and professionals alike have been challenged by the cancelling of internships and field camps and the job plummet during the economic gridlock. Despite what may be happening in the world, however, there is always the exciting prospect of opportunity, and geologists have always been in the midst of it. From peering over the chasms of deep time to mitigating hazards, geoscience is a field ripe with opportunity built by intrepid adventurers, both figuratively and realistically.

As I reflect on my short time in geoscience as a student, I see that the flame of opportunity flickers as readily as it ever has.

I have always been drawn to science, and my thirst for understanding Earth was unslakable. By fourteen I was reading graduate-level and took my first higher-ed course at Centralia College, a small community college in western Washington.

Having been raised in the Cascade foothills, I enjoyed every opportunity to explore with family or my mentors. It was not long before my knowledge could match my passion, and I began guiding tours to the Cascade Volcanoes for interested groups. As I gained experience, I began to take greater note of the area I was using as a classroom, and how each geo-discipline was intricately incorporated into a fascinating panorama of geoscience. On one particular tour in 2019, a participant asked what fueled my passion for geoscience. Indeed, what was special about the Cascade Volcanoes that drew me deeper into their history? Though I knew the answer, I was about to uncover another layer.

Less than a month later, I had the pleasure of shadowing geomorphologist and park ranger Taylor Kenyon in the field at Mount Rainier. There I saw a deeper complexity to understanding Earth and the variety in volcanic landscapes, showing me further instances of how each field of geology is represented in such an environment. After the exhilarating adventure, I wrote an essay to share with my mentors what I had learned, one of whom suggested I publish my report. I soon submitted it to the student issue of The Professional Geologist, a publication of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. To my delight, the essay was happily received by the editor, John Berry, who quickly became one of my closest mentors while guiding me through the submission process. In my essay, I continued to note the many relations between geoscience fields at the Cascade Volcanoes.

Not long afterward, I learned of AEG’s upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting then scheduled for Portland, Oregon, only two hours from my residence. After consulting with my mentors, I decided to expand upon my burgeoning ideas on the Cascade Volcanoes in an abstract for AEG, which would later be followed by another abstract on deposits potentially resulting from a Mount Adams lahar. The summer months soon brought 12

a whirlwind of activity, but my attention was once again brought to the upcoming AEG meeting as September approached.

Though virtual, the meeting offered a fantastic opportunity to meet practicing scientists from across the country, but like many students, I was nervous about presenting at my first conference.

After all, it is no light thing to address the leaders in your own field! I would soon find, however, that such concerns were unnecessary.

The meeting was a smashing success! Scientists from across the nation and, yes, across the world gathered for the opportunity to exchange information and revel in the latest research. My own presentation was readily accepted by the participants, and my poster tied for second place in the student competition. The interaction with and constructive comments from fellow attendees was a marvelous benefit, and the occasion to meet fellow students of geoscience (both young and old!) was exhilarating. My presentation became the foundation for my article in the winter issue of AEG News elaborating on a few of the many disciplines to be advanced from study of volcanic landscapes, which afforded me the pleasure of working with our editors Visty Dalal and Bill Roman.

Though an opportunity in itself, attending AEG’s Annual Meeting led to further occasions for service and learning. I was asked to serve with Bill Roman as a co-chair of the Communications Committee and was recently appointed Book Review Editor by the editors of Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, a joint publication of AEG and the Geological Society of America—all before the age of eighteen!

As I review the past year, I see that the prospect of opportunity is indeed strong. Fueled by my passion, I have followed a fascinating journey of learning in the field, writing, presenting, and meeting some excellent scientists along the way. By taking hold of available opportunities, I have been privileged to better myself both personally and professionally under the guidance of some of the best mentors. With passion to drive us and mentors to guide us, what discoveries await us?

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

NEWS OF THEHEADER ASSOCIATION HERE

In Memory of Roy H. Spitzer

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1948–2021

oy Henry Spitzer passed on February 3, 2021, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He leaves behind his beloved wife Debbie and three very successful grown children: Holly, Maggie, and Tom. Roy was the consummate consulting engineering geologist. He received a BS in geology from the University of Illinois (U of I) in 1971 and a MS in engineering geology, also from the U of I in 1977. His expertise included soil and rock mechanics. Roy’s forty-six-year career included several hundred projects throughout the Rocky Mountain West as well as the continental United States with international ventures in Africa and Canada. Roy was a registered engineering geologist

in Idaho and longtime AEG member. He authored multiple technical publications on both his project experiences as well as the engineering problems of clay shales.

His professional career began in Billings, Montana, with Northern Testing Services in 1971. His experience there gave him extensive knowledge in the practical aspects of soil, concrete, and asphalt testing, as well as drilling techniques. He was always enthusiastic to share this knowledge with young staff throughout his career.

After going back to the U of I, he moved to the Denver metropolitan area where he spent over 20 years of his career with several prominent firms in the area including Woodward Clyde Consultants, Chen and Associates, and Rocky Mountain Consultants/Tetra Tech. He closed the last twelve years as an owner and principal of Deere and Ault Consultants, Inc., of Longmont, Colorado, where he retired in December 2018. Roy’s expertise spanned investigation and design of dams, tunnels, rock and soil slopes, and foundations. Some of Roy’s favorite projects included investigation and stabilization of landslides at Aspen Mountain Ski Area and the rehabilitation of Standley Lake Reservoir, a major water supply reservoir for the Denver area suburbs.

Roy’s favorite hobbies included basketball, farming, ranching, fishing, hunting, and spending quality time with his family. He frequently took opportunities to fly-fish near Rio Grande Reservoir or visit other interesting places while traveling for work. His positive and unique perspective on the world made everyone’s day better. Roy had a grounded spirit that will keep those who knew him motivated for a long time.

Perhaps Roy’s greatest contribution to the profession was his mentoring and teaching of both staff and clients. He brought a calming assertive professional scientific approach to all his work. He shared his knowledge with everyone, and his honesty and integrity were a refreshing addition to the solution of any technical problem or technical team.

Recorded Webinars Available for AEG Members AEG is pleased to support our members by providing webinars on a variety of topics.

Webinars are recorded and available on our website. https://www.aegweb.org/webinars.

Spring 2021

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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HEADER FIELD NOTES HEREFROM THE GEOLOGISTWRITER

In this series, we present ideas, opinions, and, sometimes, ramblings of the author. The opinions are not necessarily those of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists or any other organization or entity.

Next Steps Deborah Green Deborah Green has 35 years of professional experience, and has been a self-employed consultant for 25 of those years. Now, semi-retired, she’s written a novel whose protagonist is an engineering geologist working on a dam with a problematic foundation. Her website, www.geologistwriter.com, is populated with short essays on geology, the natural world, and our interactions with them. She is a long-time, active member of AEG, joining in 1982 as a graduate student.

Deborah was awarded the Floyd T. Johnston Service Award in 2005, and traveled the country meeting students as the 2018–19 Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer.

“

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

l

James Baldwin

”

spend a lot of time putting one foot in front of the other, literally, on the trails in the Cibola National Forest. My daily hikes in the Sandia Mountain foothills are often like walking meditations, and help me find next steps in matters large and small—at work, in writing, and in life. But I feel almost paralyzed with respect to achieving equity, being more inclusive, and increasing diversity in the geosciences. This issue in our profession, as in our society, is just so big. How can I possibly make a difference?

Not putting one foot in front of the other on the path toward an equitable future is one sure way not to make a difference, so I keep searching for a way forward. My first step was speaking about the lack of diversity in the geosciences as the Jahns Lecturer in 2018 and 2019, and in an AEG Webinar in 2020 (here’s the link if you would like to see the webinar: https://www.aegweb.org/webinars-public#diversity). Many people are eager to have the conversation, and most want to find ways to open doors in our profession.

During the summer of 2020, I participated in the AEG Board of Directors’ workshop on the issue. Another step. That workshop led to adoption of the AEG Executive Council’s Statement on Diversity: AEG supports diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Geosciences profession and in our organization. AEG leadership plans to further our efforts in promoting these values by challenging ourselves on what we can do better to encourage underrepresented populations to consider and obtain careers in the Geosciences and to foster a welcoming

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and inclusive environment within our Association and the Geosciences profession.

It also led to the formation of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, a standing Operational Committee of the Association. And now I co-chair that committee. I must admit to feeling woefully inadequate in leading this effort, but I actually think that’s okay. I’d be deluding myself if I considered the undertaking an easy one.

As I was stepping into the committee co-chair role, I decided to do some personal exploration on the matter of biases, to be as clear as I could with myself, before attempting to lead others. I enrolled in a four-week (via Zoom) program called Radical Inclusion©—Uncover and Harness Your Unconscious Biases.

Eight White people concerned about racial justice enrolled in Radical Inclusion’s© pilot program. In the class, we delved into the beliefs embedded in our life stories. What behaviors were required of us to belong—in our families, at our schools, on our teams, in our communities, and in our country? How did our Whiteness, and the privileges that go with it, play out, or into, all that?

During one of the course’s many excellent exercises, I made a profound connection—about my own sense of belonging and the conditions of life for Black people in our country that could preclude a feeling of belonging. We were invited to reflect on memories of belonging, and of not belonging. I recalled high school days, working as a young professional woman in a male-dominated field, and feelings from my young and foolish first marriage (that even my closest friends in AEG probably don’t know about)—reconnecting with how painful it is to try, and keep failing, to belong. I let myself be present with that pain, and realized that I now have a built-in sense of belonging—within myself. The feeling is internalized, and that moment was the most solidly I had ever felt it. As I stayed inside the work, I understood that solidity depended not only on my own wholeness, but also on my stability, security, and, indeed, safety—things I can take for granted at this point in my life. In that same moment, I understood that too often Black people are not safe in this country, and without safety, how can there possibly be internalized peace and a deep sense of belonging? Those two understandings became linked in my body awareness and in my consciousness. The connection is now visceral for me, as well as intellectual, and oh so powerful.

For those of us in the dominant culture—in our Whiteness— we occupy a privileged position, and it is, both, our responsibility and in our power to provide safe spaces for all to flourish. As the creator of the work of Radical Inclusion©, Sara Eisenberg, says, “The inner work for a White person begins by seeing

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

FIELD NOTES FROM THE GEOLOGISTWRITER HEADER HERE ourselves as members of the dominant cultural group, not only as individuals. If we continue to avert our gaze from this truth, we deny others their humanity.” By accepting, usually without question, the unearned advantages of simply being born White, we are complicit in withholding opportunities from others.

We must open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to that reality—to stop accepting, to start questioning, and to be willing to share the freedoms we enjoy.

I invite Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ individuals to share their experiences, to help me do this work better, but it’s an invitation I will understand if they decline; the work of righting wrongs is White people’s to do.

“

Justice will not be served until those unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

Benjamin Franklin

”

But what to do? For me, a person who is used to moving meaningfully forward, an important point is to be at peace with not knowing for sure, and to begin anyway. To take steps like learning more by reading, so my pile of books grows higher.* Like journaling, letting myself struggle with despair or rip with rage or dare to hope in its pages. Like writing, in essays, but also in fiction, because my characters may uncover the essence of the truths I am seeking. Like volunteering for AEG’s effort to create true equity and inclusion in our profession, even if I’m uncertain how.

I will take steps—not letting the fear of doing something wrong stop me from doing anything at all. For me, courage does not mean not being afraid, it means facing fear and doing it anyway.

I hope to meet you on the path, as we take the next steps, whatever they may be for each of us, wherever they may lead, in conquering racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia (to name a few)—all discrimination and oppression—within ourselves, in our profession, and in the wider world with a sense of curiosity, determination, and courage.

Spring 2021

Fiction Options If you, like me, sometimes feel overwhelmed by that pile of books I rely on to inform me, and just want to lose yourself in a good story for a while, here are some novels in which racial and social justice issues are woven into the tales: Conjure Women/Afia Atakora The Vanishing Half/Brit Bennett The Water Dancer/Ta-Nehisi Coates Washington Black/Esi Edugyan Future Home of the Living God/Louise Erdrich The Night Watchman/Louise Erdrich Little Fires Everywhere/Celeste Ng There There/Tommy Orange Disappearing Earth/Julia Phillips The House of Broken Angels/Luis Alberto Urrea The Nickel Boys/Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad/Colson Whitehead Interior Chinatown/Charles Yu And here are some titles for you Science Fiction/Fantasy fans: Empire of the Wild/Cherie Dimaline Pet/Akwaeke Emezi The Peripheral & Agency/William Gibson Dread Nation & Deathless Divide/Justina Ireland The City We Became/NK Jemisin How Long ‘til Black Future Month?/NK Jemisin Mexican Gothic/Silvia Moreno-Garcia A Study in Honor/Claire O’Dell The Deep/Rivers Solomon

AEG Becomes a Signatory Organization to the AGI Framework for Addressing Racial and Ethnic Equity in Geosciences Professional Societies In February 2021, AEG’s Executive Council notified the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) that AEG would sign their Framework for Addressing Racial and Ethnic Equity in Geosciences Professional Societies available on their website. (https://www.americangeosciences.org/community/diversityframework) This is yet another step the Association is taking to make our organization, and our profession, more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Other steps have included the AEG Executive Council posting a Statement on Diversity in July 2020 (https://aeg.memberclicks.net/diversity) and forming the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in September 2020.

Stay tuned for updates as AEG implements projects to address this important and timely issue, or email DEIC@aegweb.org to join the committee and begin a project of your own.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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HEADER HERE CONTRIBUTIONS PROFESSIONAL

Layser Cave: A Geological and Archeological Mystery of the Cispus River (WA) Isaac E. Pope

An Archeological Wonder

Writing from western Washington, Isaac Pope is a freshman undergraduate fascinated by geoscience, sharing his passion through outdoor geoscience education and publishing his research. Isaac co-chairs AEG’s Communications Committee and is the Book Review Editor of “Environmental & Engineering Geoscience.”

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eaving through the coniferous forests of southwestern Washington State, the Cispus River reveals an intriguing geologic history. From its source in the Pliocene Goat Rocks Volcanic Complex, the Cispus River flows southward towards Mount Adams before turning west where it exits the Cascade foothills. Exposed along the valley walls above Mount Adams lahar deposits and Mount St. Helens ash along the river’s banks (Pope, 2020), the incised Oligocene to Miocene basaltic andesite records the volcanic turmoil that has dominated this landscape since the onset of Cascade volcanism. Located nearly 400 meters above Cispus River, Layser Cave holds clues to this region’s intricate geologic history, one that has long intrigued humans (Figure 1).

Rediscovered in 1982 by Forest Service employee Tim Layser, Layser Cave quickly became an archeological sensation when stone tools and faunal remains were excavated (Urness, 2017).

Amidst studies of Native American archeological sites along the Columbia River to the south (Strong, 1959) and hypotheses on Clovis migration following the Chehalis River to the west (Fladmark, 1979; Croes and Kucera, 2017), Layser Cave provides important clues to the mysterious archeological history of Washington. Containing “stratified deposits of tephra and angular basalt rich in mammal bone and hunting-associated artifacts dating to the middle Holocene” (Chatters et al., 2017), Daugerty et al. (1987a, 1987b) excavated nearly a dozen strata containing stone tools, charcoal, and bones, some of which was later used for radiocarbon dating (e.g., Chatters et al., 2017). The site was inhabited from approximately 7 ka until an eruption from Mount St. Helens around 3.9 ka, bridging the gap in Washington archeological history (Burtchard, 2003). Despite continued interest, Layser Cave was subsequently filled with aggregate to prevent concerns of looting of the Native American artifacts, though nothing has since been done to remedy the situation.

A Curious Geological History The archeological significance of the site has also stimulated geologic conjecture. Based on the original investigation by Daugerty et al. (1987a, 1987b), many authors classify Layser Cave as a lava tube (Burtchard, 2003). Also known as vulcanokarsts or pyroducts, lava tubes are frequently formed at the toe of advancing basalt flows (for a review, see Kempe, 2013).

Degassing of the lava results in continual production of vesicles that makes the front less dense than the replenishing lava. A subsequent advance of warm lava beneath this congealing lava will raft the previously formed lobe, thereby advancing the flow and adding another younger layer to the developing crust. After several pulses, the lava hardens into an insulating crust with youngest rock Figure 1. Located in the Cascade foothills of southwestern Washington, Layser Cave formed in Oligocene to Miocene basaltic andesites and volcaniclastics incised by the Cispus River.

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AEG NEWS 64(2)

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PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS HEADER HERE

Figure 2. After its rediscovery in 1982, Layser Cave yielded one of the most fruitful archeological excavations in the Cascade Range, though much of the cave has since been filled with aggregate. Though many consider Layser Cave a lava tube, the deformational nature of the pseudokarst suggests it resulted from folding during the Miocene uplift of the Cascade Range (see Sisson et al., 2014).

at the base and oldest at the top, one of the only exceptions to the law of superposition. Insulated by the crust on the surface, the advancing lava beneath may eventually form a network of subsurface lava streams feeding the advancing lava flow (hence the name “pyroduct” or “fire conduit”). Due to its shear-thinning nature, lava can behave much like water at high velocities, often eroding canyons or terraces into the walls of the nascent lava tube and rafting blocks of hardened lava. After the eruption abates and the tubes have drained, what remains is an impressive network of lava tubes complete with canyons, terracing, pahoehoe lava, and even lava speleothems.

Due to its basaltic andesite composition and oblate geometry, a lava tube interpretation seemed natural to the early researchers of Layser Cave. Opening along an ellipsoidal entrance nearly two meters high, the remaining accessible portion of Layser Cave terminates at ten meters horizontal depth. The host rock accommodates an extensive fracture network that is occupied by calcareous veins ranging from a few millimeters to several centimeters in width. Unlike most lava

Spring 2021

tubes, however, Layser Cave is devoid of pahoehoe lava and lacks the intricate terracing and lava speleothems typical of lava tubes. As little as a meter of hardened crust may represent a lava tube’s ceiling, yet at Layser Cave there is no discernible break in the meters of basaltic andesite overlying the pseudokarst. Instead, the entrance of Layser Cave shows gentle warping inclined eastward in what appears to be the western leg of an antiform, indicating deformation uncharacteristic with the presumed lava tube setting (Figure 2). If Layser Cave’s oblate geometry resulted from folding, a lava tube interpretation is unwarranted.

Similar structures occur at the same elevation across the Cispus River on the southern valley wall and as far as 20 km west along Goat Creek. Up to three meters wide and a meter deep, these ellipsoidal pseudokarsts are generally confined to the core of antiforms and can be seen repeatedly along a single plane, all showing similar degrees of fracturing and deformation (Figure 3). Found across such a broad region, the pseudokarsts are closely associated with regional deformation features incompatible with a lava tube interpretation. Instead, the relation between pseudokarsts and regional geologic structures suggests that Layser Cave and associated features are possibly a byproduct of regional deformation associated with late Miocene uplift of the Cascade Range (see Sisson et al., 2014).

Conclusions Exposed along the northern slopes of the Cispus River valley, Layser Cave holds important clues for the Neogene tectonic history of the region and offers unique insight into regional Holocene human migration. After the rediscovery of Layser Cave in 1982, archeological investigations of the preserved Native American artifacts led to conjecture on a lava tube origin of Layser Cave. Though the most well-known, Layser Cave is but Figure 3. A. and B. Photographs of similar structures occurring at the same elevation across the Cispus River on the southern valley wall. Note the similar degrees of fracturing and deformation.

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HEADER HERE CONTRIBUTIONS PROFESSIONAL one of many pseudokarst features found across the valley and in adjoining drainages as far as 20 km west. Its relation to regional geologic structures indicates that, despite early suggestions of a lava tube origin, Layser Cave is just one of many pseudokarsts that may have resulted from folding associated with Miocene uplift of the Cascade Range (Sisson et al., 2014).

Continued study of the Cispus River pseudokarsts can better relate the timing and kinematics of folding and potential hazards associated with the pseudokarsts.

References Burtchard, G.C., 2003, Environment, Prehistory & Archaeology of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington: National Park Service, Seattle, WA. Chatters, J., Brown, J., Hackenberger, S., McCutcheon, P., and Adler, J., 2017, Calcined Bone as A Reliable Medium for Radiocarbon Dating: A Test Using Paired North American Samples: American Antiquity, v. 82, no. 3, p. 593608, doi:10.1017/aaq.2017.27.

Croes, D.R. and Kucera, V.J., 2017, Entering the American Continent: The Chehalis River Hypothesis: Journal of Northwest Anthropology v. 51, no. 2, p. 164–183.

Daugherty, R.D., Flenniken, J.J., and Welch, J.M., 1987a, A Data Recovery Study of Judd Peak Rockshelters (45-LE-222) in Lewis County, Washington. U.S.: Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region Studies in Cultural Resource Management No. 8.

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Daugherty, R.D., Flenniken, J.J., and Welch, J.M., 1987a, 1987b, A Data Recovery Study of Layser Cave (45-LE-223) in Lewis County, Washington.

U.S.: Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region Studies in Cultural Resource Management No. 7.

Fladmark, K.R., 1979, Alternate Migration Corridors for Early Man in North America: American Antiquity v. 44, p. 55–69.

Kempe, S., 2013. Morphology of speleothems in primary (lava-) and secondary caves. In: Shroder, J. (Editor in Chief), Frumkin, A. (Ed.), Treatise on Geomorphology. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, vol. 6, Karst Geomorphology, pp. 267–285.

Pope, I.E., 2020, Poorly Sorted Terrace Deposits of the Cispus Valley: Glacial Drift or Mount Adams Lahar? [abs]: AEG News, v. 63, no. 4, p. 46.

Sisson, T.W., Salters, V.J.M., and Larson, P.B., 2014, Petrogenesis of Mount Rainier andesite: Magma flux and geologic controls on the contrasting differentiation styles at stratovolcanoes of the southern Washington Cascades: GSA Bulletin, v. 126, no. 1/2, p. 122–144, doi:10.1130/B30852.1.

Strong, E., 1959, Stone Age on the Columbia River: Portland, OR, Binfords & Mort, 248 p.

Urness, Z., 2017, This remarkable cave was a Pacific Northwest home 7,000 years ago: Statesman Journal: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/travel/outdoors/2017/11/29/lay ser-cave-hike-pacific-northwest-home-7-000-years-ago-mount-rainer-nationalpark/899995001/ (accessed February 2021).

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Building a Bridge Spanning Karst Subsidence in Palmyra, Pennsylvania Bill Roman Bill is a consulting Professional Geologist residing in the Susquehanna Lowland Section of Pennsylvania's Ridge and Valley Province. He serves as Co-chair of AEG's Communications Committee and is Content Editor of AEG News.

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ou know you are facing a unique and difficult challenge when you are summoned to repair a sinkhole affecting a busy thoroughfare and one of the adjacent establishments is a watering hole known as the “Sinkhole Saloon and Grille” (Figure 1). Such was the situation facing the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and its consultant in early July 2019 when sinkhole activity yet again forced the closure of US Route 422 in the Borough of Palmyra.

The highway is a main thoroughfare and carries about 16,000 vehicles per day through Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. This article describes PennDOT’s rapid design and repair of a section of roadway plagued by chronic karst subsidence.

Geologic Setting Palmyra is situated in the Great Valley Section of Pennsylvania’s Ridge and Valley Province (Sevon, 2000). In the Palmyra area, the Great Valley, known locally as the Lebanon Valley, has a width of about 11 miles and trends about N30°E. The southern part of the Lebanon Valley, including the Palmyra area, consists of a low karst terrain underlain by Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks (Sevon, 2000). Most of Palmyra, including the project location, is underlain by the Ordovician Epler Formation, which is characterized by thick bedded, strongly laminated, finely crystalline limestone interbedded with a medium to thick-bedded, laminated, grayishyellow weathering, crystalline dolomite (Geyer, 1970). Locally, thrusting from the southeast has so deformed the bedrock layers that they are overturned and dip about 40 degrees to the southeast (Figure 2). The overturned beds are part of the lower limb of a regional structure known as the Lebanon Valley nappe (Geyer, 1970).

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Figure 1. The long history of sinkholes affecting this portion of US 422 is reflected in the appellation of this adjacent restaurant.

Karst Development and Mining In Pennsylvania, the Epler Formation is particularly prone to sinkhole development in the Great Valley section of the Ridge and Valley province (Wilshusen and Kochanov, 1999). About eight miles southwest of Palmyra (along bedrock strike), the Epler Formation hosts Indian Echo Caverns, a commercial cave whose mouth on a meander of Swatara Creek is entered by multitudes of visitors each year. The Palmyra area has a

Figure 2. Project site is underlain by overturned beds of the sinkhole-prone Epler Formation.

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HEADER HERE CONTRIBUTIONS PROFESSIONAL relatively high density of mapped karst features, and sinkholes have caused not only road closures but also the condemnation and demolition of several residences (Kochanov, 1989; Kochanov and Reese, 2003; Miller, 2014; Barr, 2016; Moyer, 2018). The prevalence of sinkhole activity has led some residents to call Palmyra “the sinkhole capital of Pennsylvania” (Kochanov, 1995).

About 0.25 mile north of US 422, lies the Millard Quarry, which at more than 1,000 acres, is one of the largest active surface mining operations in Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Clear Spring Quarry when it opened in 1880, the quarry was acquired by Jacob Millard in the 1890s and operated by the Millard family until the mid-1960s. After changing hands several times, including a period of ownership by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation from 1966 to 1988, Pennsy Supply (a subsidiary of Oldcastle Materials) acquired the quarry in 2001 (Faiola, 2014; Fullmer, 2013). Underground mining began at the Millard Quarry circa 2013.

The quarry extracts dolomite from the Ontelaunee Formation and high-calcium limestone from the Annville Formation (Sims, 1968). The dolomite is used for construction products (hot-mix asphalt and ready-mix concrete), and the high-calcium limestone is used for steel making, industrial minerals, and cement. The quarry has been excavated from 450 feet above to 85 feet below sea level, extends three miles along bedrock strike and about one-half mile across strike. Much of the water pumped from the quarry is used in the manufacturing process and for dust-control (Faiola, 2014). Susquehanna River Basin Commission (2021) records indicate dockets are approved for consumptive water use at the Millard Quarry by Pennsy Supply (555,000 gallons/day) and Carmeuse Lime, Inc. (100,000 gallons/day).

Previous Sinkhole Activity The project site in Palmyra has a long history of sinkhole activity with sinkhole records dating back to the 1950s. A sinkhole closed the center lane of the roadway in 1979, and sinkholes occurred along the shoulder in 1982. A sinkhole at US 422’s intersection with South Green Street was repaired with concrete and aggregate in 1992. New sinkholes occurred adjacent to the roadway in 1993, and the roadway was closed in 2009 to repair sinkholes again with concrete and aggregate.

When sinkholes closed US 422 in 2014, a concrete-columnsupported bridge was constructed at grade in the affected area (Figure 3). The at-grade-bridge consisted of a 17-inch-thick structural concrete slab resting on a five-sided polygon of 40inch-wide by 38-inch-deep concrete beams supported by structural concrete caissons having a diameter of 30 inches in soil and 24 inches in rock and installed 5 feet into rock. The design called for five caissons, but during construction, a sinkhole was encountered at one of the caisson locations, so two additional caissons were installed.

In 2017, sinkholes developed in the shoulder of US 422 adjacent to the area of the at-grade-bridge. PennDOT opted to repair the sinkholes with a 30-inch-thick flexible sinkhole safety net consisting of multiple layers of geogrids, geotextiles, and 20

Figure 3. Schematic section showing 2014, 2017, and 2019 repairs of active sinkhole zone affecting roadway

soil (Figure 3). In 2019, a depression was observed to be developing in the westbound lane of US 422 in the area of the sinkhole safety net and adjacent to the 2014 at-grade-bridge.

PennDOT was again forced to close the roadway in June 2019.

2019 Sinkhole Repair Design After closing the roadway, PennDOT engaged Gannett Fleming, Inc. on July 2 to assist with the design of a solution. Due to the tight time frame for reopening the road, a standard subsurface investigation (e.g., test borings and lab testing of samples) was not deemed feasible. The design team had to rely on limited air track drilling data and geophysical information available from previous repair efforts. Within five days, including working through the July 4 holiday and weekend, the project team determined that the safest solution for the traveling public was a structural concrete slab supported by micropiles. The selected solution offered the advantages of easy installation, redundancy, and a low likelihood of catastrophic failure due to future sinkhole activity.

The micropiles were designed to meet American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and PennDOT Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) standards. Design details are shown in Figure 4. The design assumed the micropiles have a minimum 5-foot bond length in rock and are subject to compression loading only with no lateral loading and with no group effects or uplift on the micropiles. Material assumptions are listed in Table 1. Based on the design assumptions, the material assumptions, and parameters specified in the design references, the geotechnical resistance was calculated to be 363 kips, and the structural resistance was calculated as 701 kips for the cased length and 327 kips for the uncased length, so the uncased structural resistance controlled the design.

The design called for 84 micropiles in 21 rows, spaced about 15 feet apart, with four micropiles spaced about 10 feet apart in each row. The micropile grid was designed to support

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Figure 5. Load test setup showing test beam supported by reaction piles on each side of the test micropile

Figure 4. Micropile design details

a 2-foot-thick reinforced, concrete slab 280 feet long and 38 feet wide. Design of the slab thickness was controlled by punching shear. Even as sinkhole activity continues, each micropile will continue to support the slab provided the unsupported length is less than 25 feet. The design was redundant in that it assumed the loss of one micropile per row. The design called for thirty 7-inch-diameter covered inspection portholes to be installed in the slab with a maximum spacing of 45 feet, and a closer spacing in problem areas, in order to permit future monitoring of ground conditions below the slab and to provide potential access points for filling future cavities. Final plans were delivered to PennDOT on July 17, 2019.

Construction On August 7, 2019, Redstone International began drilling for installation of the micropiles as subcontractor to J.D. Eckman, the general contractor. Two verification load tests were performed to verify the design assumptions, particularly the bond length and the grout-to-ground bond resistance factor, and to assess the adequacy of the Contractor’s installation methods.

To pass, the test pile had to sustain the design load (i.e., service load) with no more than 0.75 inch of vertical movement and not fail at twice the design load. Because of the need to test at twice the design load, #24 (3-inch-diameter) bars were used in the test micropiles.

The contractor constructed two verification test piles to depths of 27.5 and 36.5 feet on August 8, 2019. The two load test micropiles were located between production micropiles, which served as reaction piles for the test. The reaction piles could still serve as production micropiles since the total load on them during testing did not exceed the design load. Foundation Test Group, Inc. performed the axial tension load tests on August 19, 2019 (Figure 5). The load tests indicated vertical displacements of 0.10 to 0.11 inch at the design load (220 Spring 2021

kips) and 0.25 to 0.27 inch at twice the design load (440 kips), with a net movement after unloading of 0.02 to 0.04 inch.

Redstone International drilled the micropile holes using the duplex drilling method and employing a bit with an outer diameter of 10.353 inches (Figure 6). Geologists or geotechnical engineers observed the drilling, logged cuttings, and terminated the hole after encountering 6 feet of competent rock, which was defined as 6 feet of continuous rock without soil/clay seams, voids, or highly weathered, broken rock. If 6 feet of competent rock was not encountered within 200 feet, then another hole was drilled within 3 feet of the abandoned hole and battered at 2H:12V in the direction where better rock was anticipated based on other drilling results.

After drilling, the contractor tremie grouted the hole until full return of good grout to the surface and then dropped the bar, with three centralizers attached, into the hole. If grout did not return to the surface after pumping twice the theoretical hole volume, then the contractor stopped grouting and allowed the grout to set a minimum of 12 hours before re-drilling the hole to the tip elevation, and re-grouting the hole. On-site grout testing consisted of monitoring grout temperature and measuring unit weight with a mud balance (API RP-13B-1) and viscosity with a Marsh funnel (ASTM C939). Laboratory compressive strength testing of 2-inch cube samples verified that the grout strength requirement of 5,000 pounds/inch2 was met (AASHTO T106).

A total of 89 micropiles were installed (the 84 designed production micropiles, the two test micropiles, and three abandoned micropiles). Micropile lengths varied from 17.5 to 179.5 feet with an average length of about 50 feet. The total length of drilling was 4,436.5 feet, which was about 20 percent less than the estimated quantity. Micropile construction was completed September 13, 2019, followed by construction of the structural slab (Figure 7) and re-opening of the roadway in November 2019, just 18 weeks after the highway’s closure and a week ahead of the scheduled completion date (Figure 8).

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Figure 6. Two drill rigs worked simultaneously to drill the micropile holes. Worker in orange shirt at left is using a yellow, flexible tremie hose to grout a drilled hole. In the foreground are completed micropiles, cut off to the final pile top elevation.

s

s Figure 8. Drone view of completed roadway repair

Figure 7. Inspection ports were set in place prior to pouring the concrete slab so that PennDOT can monitor the subbase and material under the slab to detect signs of further subsidence.

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Conclusion Carbonates and evaporites underlie about 16.1 and 1.9 percent of the United States, respectively, so about 18 percent of the area of the United States is underlain by soluble rocks having karst features or a potential for them (Weary and Doctor, 2014). Although data are sparse and incomplete, karstrelated damages in the United States are estimated to average about $300 million per year (Weary, 2015). In 2019, PennDOT spent $3.4 million to repair a 280-foot-long section of busy highway underlain by carbonate rock and plagued by chronic karst subsidence in Palmyra, Pennsylvania.

References (Pennsylvania Geological Survey 4th series publications are available online at https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Geology/PublicationsAndData/Pages/default.aspx.)

Barr, Barbara, July 25, 2016, Palmyra homes demolished because of sinkholes: WGAL News [https://www.wgal.com/article/palmyra-homes-demolishedbecause-of-sinkholes/5979922].

Faiola, Dino, February 17, 2014, Millard Quarry: Pennsy Supply YouTube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACXRS3D93ok].

Fullmer, Paul, 2013, Millard Quarry history: YouTube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-AgKsx6aB8].

Geyer, A. R., 1970, Geology, mineral resources and environmental geology of the Palmyra quadrangle, Lebanon and Dauphin County, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th ser., Atlas 157d, scale 1:24,000.

Kochanov, W. E., 1989, Sinkholes and karst-related features of Lebanon and Dauphin Counties, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th Ser., Open File Report 8802, scale 1:24,000.

Corporartse 2021 Sponso Kilimanjaro

Kochanov, W. E., 1995, Storm-water management and sinkhole occurrence in the Palmyra area, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, in Beck, B. F., ed., Karst Geohazards—engineering and environmental problems in karst terrane, Proceedings, 5th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, Gatlinburg, TN, April 2-4, 1995: A. S. Balkema, Rotterdam, p. 285–290.

Kochanov, W. E., and Reese, S. O., 2003, Density of mapped karst features in south-central Pennsylvania and southeastern Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th ser., Map 68, scale 1:300,000.

Miller, Barbara, June 11, 2014, “Demolition appears likely for Cherry Street houses condemned due to sinkholes in Palmyra”: The Patriot-News [https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2014/06/demolition_appears_likely_f or.html].

Moyer, Merriell, November 10, 2018, “Cherry Street in Palmyra re-opened to traffic after a 4-year closure”: Lebanon Daily News [https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/local/2018/11/10/east-cherrystreet-palmyra-borough-lebanon-county-reopened-sinkhole-stormwater-management-open/1929237002/].

Sevon, W. D., 2000, Physiographic provinces of Pennsylvania, 4th ed.: Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th ser., Map 13.

Sims, S. J., 1968, Millard Quarry, Annville, Pennsylvania, in The Geology of mineral deposits in south-central Pennsylvania: Guidebook for the 33rd Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists, October 4–5, 1968, pp. 52–63 [https://www.fcopg.org/download-guidebooks].

Susquehanna River Basin Commission, 2021, Water application and approval viewer – WAAV: https://www.srbc.net/waav [accessed January 4, 2021].

Weary, D. J., and Doctor, D. H., 2014, Karst in the United States: a digital map compilation and database: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014– 1156 [https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1156/pdf/of2014-1156.pdf].

Weary, E. J., 2015, The Cost of karst subsidence and sinkhole collapse in the United States compared with other natural hazards, in Doctor, D. H., Land, Lewis, and Stephenson, J. Brad, eds., Proceedings of the 14th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering Impacts of Karst: National Cave and Karst Research Institute Symposium 5 [https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sinkhole_2015/ProceedingswithProgram/] Wilshusen, J. P., and Kochanov, W. E., 1999, Land subsidence—carbonate terrane, Chapter 49A in Shultz, C. H., ed., The Geology of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th ser., and Pittsburgh Geological Society, Special Publication 1.

Kilauea Collier Collier Geophysics, LLC Phil Sirles, 7711 W 6th Ave., Suite G Lakewood, CO 80214 720-487-9200 https://colliergeophysics.com/

The University of Arizona College of Engineering (888) 658-2042 1209 East 2nd St., Room 100 Tucson, AZ 85721 onlineengineering@arizona.edu https://online.engineering.arizona.edu/online-eng-mining/

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Lettis Consultants International, Inc. Earth Science Consultants Ion Bazgan, 1981 N. Broadway, Suite 330 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (925) 482-0360 http://www.lettisci.com/

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Rehabilitation of Historic Lake Roland Water Supply Dam, Baltimore, Maryland Visty P. Dalal Visty P. Dalal is a Senior Engineering Geologist with the Maryland Department of the Environment, Baltimore, Maryland, where he has worked for the past 29 years, first as the Division Chief of the Dredging Coordination and Assessment Division and then with the Dam Safety Division for the past 19 years. He is responsible for regulating and overseeing over 100 dams in Maryland, working with the dam owners on maintenance and repairs of dams and conducting county-wide EAP tabletop exercises. He is an active ASDSO and AEG member and has published and presented several technical papers at the ASDSO & AEG conferences and in technical journals over the past 19 years. He is on ASDSO’s ‘Emergency Preparedness & Consequence Reduction Committee’; and AEG’s ‘Dams Technical Working Group and Strategic Initiative Committees’ and is also the Acquisitions Editor for the AEG News seasonal magazine since 2019. Visty has earned double master’s degree in engineering geology from India and the petroleum geology degree from Wichita State University, Kansas. He is an adjunct associate professor at several universities in the country as well as at a local community college. Currently, he is pursuing his doctoral degree research on ‘Characterization of the chenier structures in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the US.’

Historical Significance Lake Roland is also known as “Swann Lake” in honor of Mayor Thomas Swann, who began construction of Baltimore’s main drinking water reservoir by acquiring the land and buildings of the Bellona Gunpowder Mill and the Eagle Factory textile works.

The present name “Roland” stems from “Roland Run,” a stream that got its name back in 1694 from landowners Roland/Rowland Thornberry who owned a tract called “Selsed.” From 1804 to 1854, Baltimore’s population depended on the privatelyowned Baltimore Water Company for its water supply. The company had built dams in Maryland to meet its customers’ needs.

In October 1854, the city’s fathers bought the Baltimore Water Company and decided to build the Lake Roland Dam on Jones Falls (one of the three tributaries draining to Lake Roland). Lake Roland was Baltimore’s first effort to establish a citywide water supply system in 1861. Also, it was nation’s second installation of a hypochlorite water treatment plant, where chlorine was added to drinking water supply for the entire city. In 1915, the dam/lake were converted to a park/recreation facility for the

Figure 1b. Regional location map

City of Baltimore due to extensive sedimentation (~21,000 cubic yards/year) from tributaries Roland Run, Jones Falls and Towson Run (Figures 1a and 1b; Picture 1). In 1958, the water supply conduit was plugged.

Regional Geology of Baltimore County Lake Roland is in the Coastal Plain Physiographic Province of Baltimore County. The predominant geologic structures are the Towson Dome, Chattolanee Dome, and Laurel Belt (light gray to tan dense dolomitic limestone). Lake Roland dam is located on the western edge of the Towson Dome within the Baltimore Gneiss formation. The dam lies 0.2 miles east of the Ruxton Thrust Fault and 0.7 miles southwest of a minor thrust fault bordering the Laurel Belt. The Towson Dome consists predominantly of

Figure 1a. Site location map

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Picture 1. Lake Roland Dam

dark and light biotite-microcline-quartz-plagioclase gneiss.

These are highly foliated rocks striking N 70°-72° W and dipping 76°to 90°. The entire dam foundation, including the abutment area, was excavated 10 to16 feet to rock, which consisted of moderately weathered and fractured Baltimore Gneiss.

Most of the stones used in the 1861 construction of the dam were local metamorphic rocks from the Cockeysville Marble and the Baltimore Gneiss (Figure 2, MGS, 1976).

and 46-feet to the top of its wing-walls. The overflow section on top of the dam was 120 feet in length, and the dam base is 60-feet-thick. The core of the dam was built of heavy rubble work ground from neighboring stones. The overflow section (spillway) was constructed of blocks of Cockeysville Marble and extended to bedrock. The non-overflow sections were also constructed of Cockeysville Marble blocks, which measured 3 feet x 2 feet x 1.5 feet. The 16-foot-long stilling basin was located at the downstream toe (Figures 3a and 3b; Picture 1).

Figure 2. Geologic map of the site

Construction of Historic Dam in 1861 The city hired engineer James Slade, from Hartford, Connecticut, to design the dam. Initially, the dam was supposed to be built of earth and wooden cribs, but the decision was made to build an “indestructible” dam. The concrete/masonry gravity dam was built in 1861, about 0.6 miles north of Baltimore.

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Figure 3a. Plan view of Lake Roland Dam

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HEADER HERE CONTRIBUTIONS PROFESSIONAL were dislodged by flood flows. Seepage was observed between stone blocks at several locations of both sidewalls. Capping stones on the overflow sections (crest/apron) were missing or misaligned. Seepage also occurred from a round arch conduit outlet (flow of 10 gallons/minute). The right exit stream bank/overflow section was extensively eroded up to 250 feet downstream (Pictures 2a, 2b and 3).

Phase I Inspection by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) The Phase I inspection was performed pursuant to authority granted by The National Dam Inspection Act, Public Law 92367, to the Secretary of the Army, through USACE, to conduct inspections of dams throughout the United States. The purpose was to evaluate if the dam constitutes a hazard to human life or property. Site visits were conducted in March 1979 (pre-Tropical Storm David) and September 1979 (post-Tropical Storm David).

Figure 3a. Cross-section of Lake Roland Dam

Damage by Tropical Storms

The USACE Assessment Included the Following Observations

Tropical storms Agnes (June 1972), and David (September 1979) caused flooding and eroding of the earth and rubble fill on the downstream side of the abutments and non-overflow sections of the dam. During Agnes, flood runoff overtopped the non-overflow section by 3 feet (9 feet over the overflow spillway). Hurricane Connie (1955) caused an estimated discharge through the overflow section of 5,500 cubic feet/second (cfs), which was the maximum discharge capacity. This severely eroded backfill from the downstream non-overflow section slopes, exposing the stone block walls. Some capping stones

Dam classified as an “intermediate size,” “high hazard” with a recommended spillway design flood of 100% Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). Non-overtopping flood discharge capacity was only 10% PMF. Predicted failure of dam at discharge of 35% of PMF! At one-half and full PMF, the dam will be overtopped by 7 feet and 12 feet with flow durations of 9 and 10.5 hours, respectively. PMF inflow design flood is 61,500 cfs.

Substantial property damage and loss of life will occur in the Jones Falls floodplain – Bare Hills, Mount Washington, Hampden, Woodberry, and Baltimore City. Inoperable reservoir drain slide

Picture 2a. Damage to left over-flow section of lake 26

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Picture 2b. Damage to left over-flow section of lake

Picture 3. Damage to right overflow section of Lake Roland Dam

gates are inadequate in their present condition. The design is not in conformance with accepted engineering practice even though the performance history of the dam is reportedly good. Stability analysis: Factor of Safety (FS)–normal (overturning, 1.4); Tropical Storm Agnes (slide, 0.9), at 35% PMF (slide, 0.46).

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Phase II Inspection by Baltimore City The Phase I report recommended additional studies to extensively define the dam’s deficiencies. This is the responsibility of the owner and would be termed a “Phase II Investigations.” The city initiated more detailed Phase II studies and the purpose was two-fold: 1) to conduct a detailed, comprehensive engineering investigations and

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Picture 4. Restored Gate House at Lake Roland Dam

analyses; and 2) to determine how dam deficiencies should be corrected.

During Phase II, the Following Structural and Hydraulic Improvements Were Completed:

The City’s Engineers Observed the Following: Both non-overflow sections have a variable fill and consist of voids ranging from 0.2 to1.7 feet in size. Volume of mortar ranged from 20 to 85% of total. Dam and abutments had high permeability (10-3 cm/sec). Foundation had permeability of 106 cm/sec. Due to extensive development downstream, the dam must pass the PMF design storm. At PMF, with flow of 51,800 cfs, the overflow sections have 15.5 feet overtopping, and the non-overflow sections have 9.5 feet overtopping.

The City’s Engineers Provided the Following Recommendations in November 1985: Stabilize dam and construct a side channel spillway, or stabilize dam and lower the existing spillway, or reconstruct the dam to withstand the PMF, or remove the dam. Baltimore City, in consultation with their engineers and regulators, chose the first option.

Rehabilitation of Lake Roland Dam (1993–94) The rehabilitation was performed in two phases.

During Phase I, the Gatehouse was Restored as Follows: Gatehouse was restored to its 1861 condition and appearance (Picture 4). Walls were strengthened on the interior with reinforced concrete to withstand pressure of the design flood, and, new timber roof trusses (like the original ones) were fabricated and installed with vent fans.

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The new dam would receive only 78% of PMF discharge with a portion of the flow being naturally routed through a railroad cut through the hill north of the dam. Principal spillway lengthened by 50 feet, from 120 to 170 feet long. Slope of the principal spillway was flattened. Reinforced concrete slopes added to N/S non-overflowing surfaces to control flow during overtopping. Training walls built to the elevation of the PMF at both north/south abutments of the dam.

Stilling basins with chute and baffle blocks were added to the toe for energy dissipation. Downstream channel was widened on the north side of the dam and armored with gabion baskets and Reno mattresses to accommodate the longer principal spillway. Stability Analysis indicated structural improvements to the dam must involve grout injection, stabilization of existing structure; and mass concrete overlays for existing dam. Injection grouting on 5-feet centers was done on principal spillway, both abutments and 10-feet of underlying Baltimore Gneiss rock using cement grout.

Mass concrete overlays were keyed 10-feet into the Baltimore Gneiss formation. Concrete-capped sheet-pile cutoff wall was constructed just below the ground surface to prevent scouring behind the north training wall during periods of high waters. Concrete cutoff wall was constructed below the road between the gatehouse and south training wall.

Reinforced concrete armor was applied to the south nonoverflowing slopes below the gatehouse and above the original drain and raw water tunnels (Pictures 5, 6, and 7).

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Picture 5. Repairs to left non-over-flow Section of Lake Roland Dam

Picture 6. Repairs to overflow section of Lake Roland Dam continued…

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Picture 7. Repairs to right non-overflow section of Lake Roland Dam

The Following Aesthetic Considerations Were Factored into the Dam’s Rehabilitation: Gatehouse restored to its 1861 condition and appearance.

Formliners were used to replicate the pattern and texture of original stones used in building dams. To achieve the match, four original stones were removed and used to make molds for fabricating the Formliners. Sidewalks/new observation decks were stamped with slate patterns and chemically stained gray.

Replication of the original cast iron handrail end post casting.

Complete reconstruction of a stone wall removed for construction access. Construction of an observation deck on top of the south emergency spillway near the gatehouse. Resetting the dam’s original builder’s stone on the new observation deck.

Use of a natural rock formation exposed by construction as an energy dissipator for the north emergency spillway. The city was able to make improvements to the park’s entrance road, picnic area below the dam, landscaping, and parking areas. A new environmental center has recently been constructed in the park for children.

Present Condition The Lake Roland Dam is now used for recreational purposes to feed Gwynns Falls where the kayak/canoe races and annual events are held throughout spring and summer seasons. Fishing and boating activities are also predominant on the lake. Lake Roland Park and the newly constructed nature center educates children about the birds and wild animals that frequent the park. For more information, please visit: https://www.lakeroland.org/ 30

Acknowledgments Baltimore County, Maryland – (present owner); and City of Baltimore, Maryland – (past owner).

Author’s Information Visty P. Dalal, MSc (Tech), MS, Sr. Engineering Geologist, Dam Safety Program, Maryland, Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230, (410) 537-3655 (O); (443) 271-8122 (C), Visty.dalal@maryland.gov

Call for Photos from the Field…

Working on a project that has some great visuals but isn’t ready or big enough to warrant a technical paper?

We’d love to share those visuals with our readers.

Please submit a high-resolution photo (at least 300dpi at 3.657” [1100 pixels] wide for a onecolumn photo. If you’re taking a photo with a phone, email us your highest quality or “original.” A larger file— 300dpi at 7.5”—is always better as it gives us more options. You could even make the cover!

In addition to the photo, please include a brief caption describing the site and name of the project. And don’t forget to include a credit for the photographer.

We can’t guarantee you will get into an issue as photos will be published “as space allows.”

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

FIELD TRIPS

Southern Nevada Field Trip to Sand Dike Near Anniversary Narrows Ann Backstrom Ann Backstrom is a Geological Engineer, recently retired from a 30-year career with Kleinfelder, Inc., in Southern Nevada. She and her husband divide their time between Las Vegas, NV and Seattle, WA.

S

aturday morning, January 30, 2021, sixteen members and friends of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the AEG met for a half-day field trip to an unusual geologic feature in scenic Lovell Wash at the southern edge of the Muddy Mountains, east of Las Vegas, Nevada. The feature is interpreted as a one-meter-wide sand dike cutting Miocene strata due to liquefaction caused by an earthquake. The field trip was led by Chapter Chair and retired seismologist Jerry King, retired University of Nevada Las Vegas Geology Professor Steve Rowland, and Chapter Vice-Chair and semi-retired hydrogeologist Nick Saines. Although just outside the northern boundary of Lake Mead Recreation Area, the site was accessed by a scenic

Photo 1. Contact between top of sand dike and overlying limestone Spring 2021

morning drive through the park. In order to boost Chapter membership, all field trips are free to members and $20 to non-members. Covid safety protocols were followed.

Professor Rowland commenced the morning’s activities with a short trailside discussion of the geologic setting and stratigraphy of the Miocene Bitter Ridge Limestone Member of the Horse Spring Formation, a non-marine limestone deposited following the onset of tertiary crustal extension in the Lake Mead Region. Although body fossils are not associated with the Horse Spring Formation, fossilized mammal tracks have been found. On-going graduate research of canid tracks east of the field trip locale provide evidence of the transition between solitary ambush hunting to pack-hunting behaviors.

A half-mile hike up Lovell Wash followed, affording spectacular views of tilted layers of the thinly-bedded Bitter Ridge limestone. Numerous stops were made to observe and discuss microbial and other depositional as well as post-depositional features, including stromatolitic layering, salt “tepee” structures, and evidence of both large and small-scale, soft sediment deformation. The “down-section” hiking route also took the group past the historic Anniversary Mine, where the altered borax mineral colemanite was mined in the Horse Spring Formation in the 1920s.

PHOTO BY JERRY KING

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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FIELD TRIPS Jerry King led the discussion at the field trip destination: a large, tilted cylindrical mass of cemented fine sand over a meter wide and several meters long, exposed through erosion of the eastern Lovell Wash sidewall (see photo on the cover).

The cylindrical mass was oriented approximately perpendicular to the Bitter Ridge Limestone bedding and had a flat top, which was concordant with overlying limestone layers (see Photo 1, previous page).

This feature is interpreted to be a sand dike formed through earthquake-induced liquefaction of saturated, shallow sand layer(s) underlying the limestone. Increases in water pressure due to collapse of the sand structure during shaking are thought to have initiated forced flow upward through the overlying limestone layers. The vertical flow path likely enlarged through the process, leaving behind the massive, sand-filled conduit. A “volcano” of unconsolidated sand on the former lake bottom would have probably resulted, however it is thought to have eroded away prior to subsequent limestone deposition.

The size of the Lovell Wash sand dike suggests it may have formed due to a strong earthquake.

Following the official close of the field trip, many of the participants continued up Lovell Wash an additional few hundred meters to hike through one of the most spectacular slot canyons in Southern Nevada, the Anniversary Narrows (see Photo 2), serving as an adventurous conclusion to a morning filled with camaraderie, inspiring geologic scenery, and stimulating discussions.

e h t s e e v t Sa Da …for These Future AEG Events Photo 2. The Anniversary Narrows

PHOTO BY LOUIE HENDRICKX

AEG/USSD Workshop

AEG 2023 Annual Meeting

Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort

Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront – Portland, Oregon

December 6–8, 2021 This workshop will focus on Best Practices in Specialty Geotechnical Construction Techniques for Dam Exploration and Remediation.

Information will be posted soon on www.aegmeetings.org.

AEG 2022 Annual Meeting Planet Hollywood Resort – Las Vegas, Nevada September 13–17 Your fun begins on The Strip, Las Vegas’ main artery and home to bustling casinos, world-class restaurants, ornately designed resorts and over-the-top shows. Overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, our Annual Meeting hotel—Planet Hollywood Resort—is in the middle of everything you will want to experience. This Annual Meeting will be exciting, educational, and a great opportunity to reconnect with your colleagues and meet new ones.

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September 19–24 Portland sits on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Hood. It’s known for its parks, bridges, and bicycle paths, as well as for its eco-friendliness and its microbreweries and coffeehouses. The city hosts thriving art, theater, and music scenes. Surrounded by Portland hot spots, the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront hotel reflects the vibrancy of the city and is located directly on the waterfront in downtown, surrounded by more than 60 breweries. Wind down with friends by sampling some of the 150 types of whiskey at their on-site restaurant, Proof Reader. The hotel even helps you go green with complimentary car-charging stations, biodegradable straws and easy access to light rail from the nearby Morrison Subway Station. At night, retire to elevated guest rooms with 24-hour room service, waterfall showers, free Wi-Fi, premium channels and views of Portland. Don’t miss all of the exciting Field Courses, Guest Tours and the Special Event at the Oswago Hills Vineyard planned for this incredible Annual Meeting.

AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

Oregon Chapter

t n o r f e m o The H

Bryon Free, Chapter Secretary Hello from Portland, Oregon! As 2020 ends and 2021 begins, we are reminded about the resiliency that we as people have and the wonderful support that our chapter provides. We start this Homefront with the same story that every other Chapter has had to contend with. COVID-19 has put a damper on our usually benign meetings. However, it has also provided the opportunity for us to discover new ways to connect with our members. This is particularly exciting because we have been trying to figure out ways to reach further into the Oregon communities outside of Portland. Now that we have embraced the online/Zoom format this has become a reality!

This year is nothing short of exciting and full of opportunities to work together. On two separate occasions AEG Oregon and its members have had the opportunity to help turn budget issues around in a couple of prominent cases within the state.

The largest issue was the new state budget where the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) was almost absorbed into several different state entities. This would have caused several different issues as we can all imagine. In another budgetary case, Western Oregon University (WOU) almost eliminated their Earth Sciences program. This would have devastated the Oregon geology community and our ability to bring on new geologists within the region. In both cases we managed to mount community support and official letters from our Chapter and helped change the outcomes of the budget cuts, thus both programs were saved.

In other news the Oregon State Board of Geologists Examiners (OSBGE) has now implemented continuing education requirements for licensed geologists in Oregon. This is a great opportunity for AEG to attract new members because of the ability to gain continuing education requirements by attending our meetings and seminars.

Focusing on AEG Oregon and our meetings. We are excited to offer our next fully online Student Night this May. Needless to say, last year’s event was an adventure but moved very smoothly.

We are looking forward to this next Student Night to offer more opportunity for students to speak with professionals and to get a feel for the future relationships that they will cultivate.

Finally, we will be hosting the Annual AEG meeting in 2023!

It was unfortunate that COVID-19 caused such a stir with the 2020 meeting. But we are very excited to see it come back and are thrilled to have the opportunity to host again.

Dr. John Encarnacion of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Saint Louis University presented at the meeting on October 22, 2020. In his presentation titled New Ages from the Shackleton Glacier Area and Their Context in the Regional Tectonomagmatic Evolution of the Ross Orogen of Antarctica, Dr. Encarnacion discussed the formation of the Antarctic continent and surrounding region, and several expeditions that have added to this understanding.

On November 30, 2020, Derek Ingram of XDD Environmental shared a presentation titled In-situ Environmental Remediation Case Studies. Derek discussed the importance of bench studies and pilot testing to a successful in-situ remediation project due to the non-target demand in the subsurface environment. The discussion included several sites—from a Superfund site in South Carolina with a mixed contaminant plume to a Manhattan high-rise already under construction— where the only thing tighter than the working space available on site was the schedule to hit targets.

On December 16, 2020, Dr. Gennaro Marino of Marino Engineering Associates, Inc., presented Mine Subsidence – Cause, Effect, Mitigation. Dr. Marino focused on his work in coal mines, first describing the mine designs used for underground coal mines, then discussing potential stability problems that develop as a result after the operational life of the mine.

After describing the types of failures that can occur and the impact of groundwater status (dry, flooded, or dewatered), Dr. Marino discussed the potential risk and severity of effects that can appear at the surface.

Dr. John Encarnacion of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Saint Louis University presenting via Zoom at the St. Louis Chapter meeting in October.

San Francisco Bay Area Chapter

St. Louis Chapter

Courtney Johnson, Chapter Secretary

Jessie Goodwin, Chapter Editor The St. Louis Chapter held events virtually in October through December of 2020. January is the Chapter’s Winter Hiatus, and virtual events resumed again in February. We are very thankful to our speakers for adapting to the virtual format with us and look forward to when we can again meet in person.

Spring 2021

HEADER HERE

The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter held elections in the fall of 2020 to transition leadership with the new year, with introductions to all our Chapter officers below. This is an exciting group and we are enjoying working together!

Chair: Justin Lindeman, GIT, has previously served as the Field Trip Chair and Vice. Justin is a computational geologist

AEG NEWS 64(2)

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THE HOMEFRONT with Cal Engineering & Geology and manages their remote sensing services to collect data and then apply GIS and various scripting languages to geologic mapping, deformation analyses, statistical analyses, and 3D visualization.

Vice Chair: Kate Zeiger, PG, CEG (CA), is an engineering geologist at WSP USA in San Francisco with a focus on geotechnical investigations for improvement, replacement, or new construction of dams, tunnels, and freeways. Kate has been volunteering with AEG since 2017, and we are all excited about her move to become the Vice Chair!

Treasurer: David Abbott, PG, CHG (CA), continues as our longstanding and trusty Treasurer. David is a consulting geologist specializing in groundwater with over 46 years of experience. As well as working closely with AEG, David is the current Treasurer for the San Francisco Bay Area branch of the Groundwater Resources Association of California, which has led to great crossover meetings and experiences between the two associations.

Secretary: Courtney Johnson, PG, CEG (CA), is serving a second term in this role and prior to that was the Membership Chair. Courtney is an engineering geologist and one of the founders of Slate Geotechnical Consultants, a small, woman-owned, employee-owned company based out of Oakland, California.

Membership Chair: Rocio Briseno, GIT, is a geologist with Cal Engineering & Geology and has been serving in the volunteer position of Membership Chair for the last two years.

Past Chair: Julien Cohen-Waeber, PhD, PE, is a managing engineer with Exponent. Julien continues to work closely with the Chapter to provide insight from his experience as Chair.

Since handing off the duties as Chapter Chair, Julien is currently the United States Representative for IAEG. We can always use more assistance, so please reach out if you are within the region and interested in joining this group! Check out our website at aegsf.org for more information on the Chapter.

The Chapter capped off the year with a remote presentation titled Geology and Other Things GIS, Remote Sensing, and

Tech by Chapter Chair Justin Lindeman. Attendance was free and included an optional fundraiser for our recently established Chapter Scholarship Fund. We plan to hold as many more fundraiser events as we can in 2021!

Texas Chapter Skye Ibarra, Chapter Secretary In Summer 2020, the AEG Texas Chapter hosted a series of four webinars, including: Brian Hunt – Contrasting the Middle Trinity Aquifer in Hays and Southwestern Travis Counties, Texas: Same Aquifer, but Different Sources of Water?; Geary Schindel – Dyeing to Know – the Use of Tracers in Karst Hydrology; Rusty Branch – Applied Geophysics for Geoscientists and Engineers: A Case Study Review; Becky Johnson – Ethics Hour; and Rene Truan – TBPG Update.

The Chapter hosted two webinars for Winter 2021.

On February 2, Dr. Cheryl Hapke, as the 2020–21 Jahns Distinguished Lecturer, presented Development of a Statewide Program for Coastal Mapping and Implications for Coastal Hazard Adaptation Applications. This was a great look into Florida’s Coastal Mapping Program, the wide variety of uses for the program, and the similarities between the project and our own Gulf Coast.

The Chapter hosted a social mixer Zoom night for a small group the night before our second webinar of that season, Tunneling Geology Including the San Antonio Experience, led by Ross Webb on February 9. Ross shared how several pieces of tunneling equipment work, some of the risks and benefits to their use and discussed how differing geology can change the methods and equipment most useful on site. Both webinars were presented to groups of just over 30 professionals and students across the state.

The webinars with Brian Hunt and Geary Schindel are available to view on the AEG Texas website at https://aegtx.org.

Co-Editor Wanted Geology of the Cities of the World Project AEG is seeking an enthusiastic volunteer to serve as Co-Editor of the Geology of the Cities of the World publications. The series was founded by Dr. Allen Hatheway in 1980 in tribute to Dr. Robert Leggett, a geologist who helped develop the concept of urban geology as a specific field of practice. The 27 issues published to date provide practitioners, graduate students, university faculty, planners, engineers, developers, and government officials background information useful for discovering and highlighting geological issues unique to a city and in some cases its metropolitan area.

The Co-Editors review draft documents and provide direction to the authors about the technical content and presentation.

Attention to detail, patience and ability to visualize the finished product are required. The time commitment for the Co-Editor varies depending on the activities of the various lead authors and the reviewers. The Co-Editor should consider typically setting aside up to twenty hours per month. When a specific paper is under review, the time commitment may increase, to up to sixty to eighty hours per month.

For more information and to indicate your interest in this voluntary position, contact Co-Editor Ted Toskos at Theodoros.toskos@gmail.com.

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AEG NEWS 64(2)

Spring 2021

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