AEG News Vol. 65 No. 3 - Summer 2022

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Vol. 65, No. 3 – Summer 2022

Special feature

AEG 2022 Las Vegas

AEG 2023 Annual Meeting

Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront

September 19–24 Portland, Oregon’s largest city, 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 Powell’s Books, its microbreweries and coffeehouses.

The city hosts thriving art, theater, and music scenes.

Surrounded by Portland hot spots and more than 60 breweries, the Marriott Portland Downtown Waterfront hotel reflects the vibrancy of the city and is located directly on the waterfront in downtown. 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 carcharging 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 Oswego Hills Vineyard planned for this incredible 2023 Annual Meeting.

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Vol. 65, No. 3 – Summer 2022

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. © 2022 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 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

Table of Contents

Index to Advertisers

12

From the Editors 4 In This Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 The Acquisitions Editor’s Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 News of the Association 5 The President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Treasurer’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Secretary’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 AEG Foundation Diversity Field Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Committee & Technical Working Group Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Results of AEG US Member Demographic Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Memorial: Joe de Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Special Feature 16 AEG 65th Annual Meeting “Geology in the Wild” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Professional Contributions 32 The State Rock of Illinois: Dolostone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Field Trips 33 Geologic Studies at Montrose Beach, Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 San Francisco Chapter’s Trip to Mt. Diablo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 The HomeFront 39 Carolinas Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 San Francisco Chapterr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Texas Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

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.

A hard-hat tour of Hoover Dam and the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge is just one of the informative and exciting field courses offered at this year’s Annual Meeting. Read all about it and more beginning on page 16.

PHOTO BY JAMEY STILLINGS PHOTOGRAPHY

The association 2021–22 Officers President: MADDIE GERMAN Consulting Geologist, Atlantic Coast Consulting, Atlanta, Georgia, president@aegweb.org Vice President/President Elect: NATHAN SARACENO Senior Geologist, DiGioia Gray and Associates, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, VP@aegweb.org

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

Treasurer: SARAH KALIKA Consulting Geologist, DiabloGeo Environmental, San Ramon, California, treasurer@aegweb.org

Advertising in the News

Secretary: RENEE WAWCZAK Hydrogeologist, Norridge, Illinois, secretary@aegweb.org

Contact AEG Headquarters at advertising@aegweb.org.

Past President: WILLIAM GODWIN Consulting Geologist, Carmel, California, PP@aegweb.org

Submission Deadlines

Association Contacts

https://www.aegweb.org/aeg-news-2 Canada Agreement number: PM40063731; Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54; Windsor, ON N9A 6J5; Email: returnsil@imex.pb.com

Headquarters: Association Manager: SHERI MASKOW J&M Business Solutions 3053 Nationwide Parkway, Brunswick, OH 44212 330-578-4900, manager@aegweb.org AEG Foundation—President: KEN NEAL, president@aegfoundation.org

Summer 2022

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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FROM THE EDITORS

In This Issue….

Bill Roman, AEG News Content Editor

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n this issue of AEG News, we are pleased to report on the first AEG Foundation DEIC Field Trip (News of the Association, p. 9). The field trip was supported by a grant from the AEG Foundation Diversity Scholarship Fund. Scholarships and grants from this AEG Fund are intended to support increasing the diversity of present and future ranks of AEG and geosciences professions. The Geosciences Youth Field Trip Grant specifically provides geoscience-related field experiences to underserved, historically disadvantaged junior and senior high school students. According to the Fund’s Charter, these experiences may occur in “parks, public forest lands, public open vistas, or other public natural environments that show geology and its processes, products, or professions.”

Outstanding field experiences like those supported by the Diversity Scholarship Fund attract students to geology who may

not otherwise be aware of the opportunity for a career in the geosciences. Minorities have long been underrepresented in the science and engineering occupations with environmental science and geoscience occupations having the lowest participation rates according to the American Geological Institute.1 To address the issue, AEG members Richard and Phyllis Steckel proposed establishing the Diversity Scholarship Fund and graciously founded it with a donation of $25,000 in 2021 and intend to add an additional $5,000 annually for the foreseeable future.

For more details on the AEG Foundation Diversity Scholarship Fund, visit the Foundation’s website at https://www.aegfoundation.org/funds/diversity.php.

1

Gonzales, Lelia and Keane, Christopher, 2020, Diversity in the Geosciences: AGI Geoscience Currents Data Brief 2020-023. https://www.americangeosciences.org/sites/default/files/DB_2020-023DiversityInTheGeosciences.pdf

Acquisitions Editor’s Pen Martha Whitney, AEG News Acquisitions Editor

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elcome to the Summer Edition of AEG News. This issue was a bit of a challenge to put together as we all become excessively busy. Perhaps we are making up for lost time, or perhaps we just can’t get enough of the work that we love. It is a little bit of both for me as I am currently on my second thirty-day rotation in Papua, New Guinea, and just absolutely loving it. It is such a beautiful country and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time here. Travelling from the Fly Camp to the work sites by helicopter and hiking up to drill pads via bush staircases (aka “bridging”) was a truly remarkable adventure.

I head home next week and look forward to some time off. My next adventure which will take me far from the Papuan bush.…I head back to the States and will visit Kodiak, Humboldt, the Siskiyous and finally onward to the concrete jungle of Las Vegas and the Annual Meeting. Having missed San Antonio last year, I am really excited to finally be able to meet everyone in person. I will be out and about throughout the meeting, field trips, and various events taking photographs for AEG News. If you see me running around Planet Hollywood like some kind of geo-paparazzi, don’t be shy…smile for the camera and say hi!

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE HEADER HERE

Looking Ahead

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Maddie German, 2021–22 AEG President

he concept of time is perpetually interesting to me. It lends itself to questions of perception and philosophy while also creating playful thought experiments. These exercises are healthy for your brain, which theoretically may earn us more time in this life while simultaneously providing enjoyment and interesting conversations along our journey. Sometimes we experience that amazing flow state where our present task feels effortless, while at other times, it feels like each passing minute consumes hours (especially on Friday afternoons before a long weekend).

Looking back over the past two years, AEG has been in a reactionary state with a short-term focus, as has most of the world. We have been fortunate that our past presidents were able to pivot and work successfully to keep AEG not only solvent but demonstrate continued growth! Right now, we are well-positioned to refocus back on our long-term strategy as folks’ work situations and accessibility to professional organizations stabilize. We are implementing strategies such as building Chapter resources, succession planning for Committee and Chapter leaders, and diversifying our income sources. We continue to maintain our Treasurer’s Reserve to ensure we have at least a year of operating expenses saved to help us weather any storm that time may bring. We are steering our communication strategies internally with current AEG members and primary contacts, as well as, strategically exploring opportunities outside AEG with affiliated societies, the general public, and legislators.

I have spent much of this year speaking with the leadership of our twenty-seven Chapters. I will admit the scheduling has been tricky, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every call, no two were the same. I also gained much timely information allowing AEG to I have spent make small adjustments as well much of this year as significant changes based speaking with the on these Chapter conversaleadership of our twentytions. It has been wonderful seven Chapters. I will admit to meet everyone, to experithe scheduling has been ence the enthusiasm for our tricky, but I have thoroughly local AEG Chapters, and to enjoyed every call, spread encouragement up and no two were down the Association ranks. At the same. the time of writing this article, I have a few Chapters left to engage, however, I am hopeful that I will have been able to speak with the last few Chapter holdouts by the time you read these words. It has truly been my pleasure to speak with each Chapter’s leadership, and I am encouraged to meet many of you in person—either at your local Chapter or at one of AEG’s amazing Annual Meetings, perhaps this September in Las Vegas!

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Summer 2022

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I believe AEG has been around, in one form or another, because we are adaptable, growing, and inspiring to other associations. Over the years AEG has been continually tested and survived, and we are now coming into our own. We know who AEG is and what we ultimately want to represent. We are striving to fine-tune our strategy as we grow and adapt as an organization. Obviously, we have no intention to stray from our roots of providing solid technical information, being small, friendly, and accessible to the geoscience community, and fostering Chapters that have the flexibility to run with their local whims—providing the best opportunity to do what works best locally.

A career as a professional geologist is an uncommon gift.

Please use the time and opportunity provided by your uniqueness to share something meaningful with your general acquaintances. For example, in those conversations where you are asked what you do, spend a moment to educate others on what geology is and why it is important. Or for those whom you know well, provide input on timely geologic issues.

The clock moves in one direction, however, our minds are always looking forward and back, helping us make decisions based on past success or failure. Not every attempt concludes how we hope, however, if we are testing properly, we move forward with new information at each effort. I encourage you to put yourself out there. AEG, like every other organization, is always seeking volunteers, if you are interested, we can use your interest, enthusiasm, and time to contribute to our association. Remember there are small things we can do each day that cost nothing, barely even a moment of time, but may dramatically influence the life of another.

Announcing an AEG Special Publication planned for release in Winter 2022:

Urban Landslide Hazard Mapping: A Case Study in Orinda, California, USA Authored by longtime AEG member and contributor Dr. J. David Rogers along with co-authors Dan Wang PhD and Rune Storesund D.Eng

AEG NEWS 65(3)

More details will follow in upcoming issues of AEG News and the AEG Insider.

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HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – TREASURER’S REPORT

Staying Strong

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Sarah Kalika, 2021–22 AEG Treasurer

y the time you read this, these numbers will be a little bit outdated, but as of the end of May 2022, our finances remain in outstanding shape, despite some recent volatility in the investment market.

Membership Numbers As of May 31, 2022, we have collected $226,584 in membership and licensure income (note that licensure funds are temporarily commingled within this amount until transferred at the end of the membership year in October). This income is above our budgeted amount of $199,440 (membership plus licensure fund income) for 2022.

AEG’s Financial Assets (as of May 31, 2022) $124,110.88 (Licensure Fund – updated annually in October)

Membership Comparison

$363,803.46 (Operations Account – where membership dues are collected) $421,095.81 (Treasurer’s Reserve – invested conservatively, per AEG policy) AEG Chapter finances are also in great shape, as collectively, they amount to approximately $301,497. Please remember to provide your chapter officer names and email addresses to me so we can continue to contact chapter leaders!

Affiliate

We have finally closed the UBS cash account, which has been an ongoing issue. These funds were invested in a short-term certificate of deposit (CD) in 2019. At fund maturity in late 2020, we discovered that the account manager assigned to us

by UBS was no longer employed at the bank and UBS had not assigned a new account manager. The problem is that only an account manager can reinvest funds on our behalf. It took nearly two years of calls, bank branch visits, complaints to the bank, and an angry letter before we were finally able to close this account and withdraw the funds back to the original location (our Operations Account). The Finance Committee is currently exploring options to reinvest cash equivalent funds and ensure future access.

Upcoming Meetings Our Annual Meeting will be at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas this September (see details in this issue of AEG News beginning on page 16), and we are currently in great shape with sponsorships and exhibitors as registration funds start to come in. As of May 31, we had collected $69,489 of income (including about $37,000 from sponsors and exhibitors) and spent $25,009.50, for a NET of $44,479.50 so far. We expect this number to grow steadily over the summer as more people register for the meeting. The majority of our Annual Meeting expenses occur in August, September, and October when we pay the hotel for meeting space, food and beverage service, and audio visual equipment. Remember to book your hotel room early, as our room block may sell out!

Base Dues 12/2019 Amount

12/2020

12/2021

Current 5/2022

$110

30

43

51

43

Early Career Full

$80

41

88

125

133

Emeritus

$50

22

27

33

30

$160

813

1223

1322

1286

$0

19

20

22

22

$25

42

74

84

70

International Student

$0

50

162

194

172

Life

$0

53

52

51

50

Senior Emeritus

$0

128

133

142

143

Student

$0

1055

985

893

801

Teacher

$40

33

55

76

78

2286

2862

2993

2828

49

49

30

30

Full Honorary International

Treasurer’s Notes

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Category

Total Membership Subscription Only (publication houses, libraries)

Sponsorships & Advertising Sales Heather Clark has done an outstanding job developing Corporate Sponsorships for AEG. To date, we have received $12,900 in AEG sponsorship funds. To see our most recent sponsors and to learn about joining their ranks, just turn the page.

As always, I am keeping a close eye on our financial situation and look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas in September!

Get Involved with an AEG Committee!

Visit aegweb.org for a full list of committees you can participate in.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION

AEG News Disclaimer 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.

e t a r o p r o C s r o 2022 s n o p S Kilimanjaro

AEG News Welcomes Your Feedback.

Comments, suggestions, or questions should be sent with the writer's name, address, and daytime phone number via e-mail to news@aegweb.org.

Mauna Loa University of Pennsylvania lps@sas.upenn.edu (215) 898-7326 https://www.lps.upenn.edu/degree-programs/msag

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The University of Arizona

DiGioia Gray

College of Engineering onlineengineering@arizona.edu (888) 658-2042 https://online.engineering.arizona.edu/online-eng-mining/

Nate Saraceno nsaraceno@digioiagray.com (724) 498-0984 www.digioiagray.com

Mount Rainier

Envirotech Drilling Services

Geobrugg Tim Shevlin Tim.Shevlin@geobrugg.com (503) 423-7258 www.geobrugg.com

Scintrex Bill Male bmale@scintrexltd.com (905) 669-2280 ext 343 https://scintrexltd.com

David Draybuck david@envirotech-services.com 713-423-5220 www.envirotech-services.com

Kilauea Earth Consultants International Eldon Gath gath@earthconsultants.com {714) 412-2653 www.earthconsultants.com GeoEngineers, Inc. Mark P. Molinari mmolinari@geoengineers.com (206) 518-5152 www.geoengineers.com

Consider Corporate Sponsorship as a way to support AEG… AEG is one of the very few organizations dedicated to supporting applied geology. Members include geologists specializing in engineering geology, environmental geology, and hydrogeology as well as other professionals in affiliated fields, such as civil and mining engineering, land use planning, public policy and education. Go beyond just advertising to constantly connecting with over 2,000 members online, in person, and through AEG’s publications. This is the best way to support the profession while growing disability for your business. Sign up for a sponsorship and start receiving benefits today! We are flexible and would love to work with you for a custom sponsorship that fits your exact needs.

Summer 2022

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – SECRETARY’S REPORT

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Navigating the “New Normal” Renee Wawczak, 2021–22 AEG Secretary back received during the workshop and are working diligently to revamp the Strategic Plan. If you have a passion for AEG and wish to participate in implementing portions of the Strategic Plan, please feel free to reach out to the SIC at sic@aegweb.org.

his year has been flying by and AEG leadership has been busy! AEG, along with the rest of the world, continues to navigate the ever changing idea of “normal.” We held a virtual Executive Council (EC) meeting in January and met in person in Kansas City, Missouri, at the end of May for the EC and Board of Directors (BOD) meetings. The EC is gathering virtually again for our Summer meeting.

We’ll be back in-person for the EC and BOD meetings during the Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in September.

2022 Annual Meeting

Strategic Planning Workshop During the Mid-Year Board Meeting held in Kansas City, the EC, Regional Directors, and several other leaders including those from the Strategic Initiatives Coordinators (SIC), Finance Committee, and Governance Committee came together to collaboratively engage in a Strategic Planning Workshop.

AEG’s Strategic Plan was adopted in 2018, and while many tasks have been completed over the past few years, it was time to revisit the vision of the plan and reprioritize the efforts of our hardworking volunteers. The SIC have taken the feed-

Now is the time to start planning your travel to this year’s Annual Meeting in Las Vegas! Whether you’re presenting as a speaker, looking to network and meet new friends, attending leadership meetings, or all of the above—we can’t wait to see you! The Annual Meeting is always a great way to stay involved with AEG and break out of the routine, especially during a time when we’re inundated with virtual meetings and webinars.

Whether it’s your first time attending an Annual Meeting or it’s a permanent fixture on your calendar, be sure to sign up for some of the great field trips and events to create even more memories and see some of our festive host city this year! They are all described in the Special Section the begins on page 16 of this issue.

Visit the AEG E-Store to Gear Up Before Heading to Las Vegas…

Shield your eyes from the hot desert sun with our classic cap in neutral tan and the AEG logo to go with whatever your attire. And, proudly show your affiliation while in Vegas by sporting the official AEG 2022 Annual Meeting T-shirt.

These are just two of the wide variety of items available to purchase at AEG's E-Store, including a black ceramic coffee mug with the AEG logo, past issues of AEG News, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience journal, AEG special publications and more!

AEG has worked in conjunction with the AEG Foundation to put together some quality AEG logo items for sale to members who want to show their AEG pride anytime—in the field, at the office, at professional events, or at play. Half of the proceeds collected from the sale of the items that are offered under the AEGF/AEG E-Store category will go to the AEG Foundation.

You can find AEG's E-Store online at https://www.aegweb.org/e-store 8

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – FOUNDATION HEADER REPORT HERE

AEG Foundation Diversity Field Trip Phyllis Steckel, RG; AEG Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

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n 2021, the AEG Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) established a grant resource for middle-school and high-school earth science teachers who teach students who have diverse backgrounds. The purpose of the grant is to provide an extra resource for those pre-college students and to introduce those students to the earth sciences before they begin planning their college coursework.

The AEG Foundation’s DEIC offered five grants of about $1,000 each. There were only two applications for these five available grants this year—and one of those applications did not meet the award criteria. However, the other grant application, prepared by Thomas Tokarski of Woodlands Middle High School in Hartsdale, New York, was spot-on. His field-trip grant application exactly met both the award criteria and the award spirit.

On Saturday morning, June 4, 2022, the first AEG Foundation DEIC Field Trip left Woodlands Middle High School in Hartsdale, New York. Their itinerary included a visit to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, time at Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall, and lunch and hiking at Bear Mountain State Park, near Bear Mountain. The students used topographic maps, saw evidence of erosion and weathering, and found glacial evidence along some trails. They identified rocks and minerals like those they had been studying in class, and began a field journal, complete with sketches and notes.

AEG Region 10 Director, Curt Schmidt, was able to join the field-trippers along their route. He was able to take a few photos along the way—and he also proudly walked over 9,400 steps that day to keep up with these kids!

The students of Woodlands Middle-High School with Mr. Tom Tokarski (6th from the right) and chaperones at the Lamont-Doherty Pond and sundial.

Summer 2022

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HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – FOUNDATION REPORT The AEG Foundation Diversity Field Trip grant covered the expense of school buses for transportation, topographic maps, and additional field-trip supplies. Lunch and snacks for the kids were provided by the school’s PTA group.

Grant Application Period Now Open AEG Foundation Diversity Field-Trip Grants will again be available later this year. The grants are for junior-high, high-school, earthscience or STEM teachers who teach Black, Hispanic or Latino/a, Pacific Islander (BIPOC) and/or American Indian/Alaskan Native students. The grant application is located on the AEG Foundation’s website (www.aegfoundation.org).

Please help pass the word. AEG Foundation DEIC Field-Trip grant applications are welcome from middle-school and highschool teachers whose classes include BIPOC or American Indian/Alaska Native students. If you know a teacher who may be interested—or if you know a teacher who may know another teacher—please let them know about this opportunity for the 2022–23 school year.

Michael Passow of Lamont – Doherty shows the students manganese nodules from the ocean bottom.

The students of Woodlands Middle-High School with Michael Passow of Lamont – Doherty

Curt Schmidt, PG Northeast Region Director walking with the Woodlands students along picturesque drives on the Lamont Doherty Campus of Columbia University. The bronze statue to the right is of a young Abe Lincoln reading while his horse grazed.

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION – COMMITTEE & TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP (TWG) HEADER REPORTS HERE

Committees Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Sarah Kalika

AEG Creates Progress Flag Logo Since its creation in 2020, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) has been coordinating efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in AEG and in the geosciences.

The Committee’s efforts have included monthly call-in meetings, compiling and sharing resources, hosting a symposium at the 2021 Annual Meeting, conducting a survey of AEG’s membership, and developing the AEG Foundation Diversity Scholarship Fund to support academic scholarships for qualified college/university students. As a way to display AEG’s support for inclusion of all genders and colors, the DEIC recently created a progress flag logo.

DEIC’s monthly call-in meetings are welcoming to everyone to share their stories and concerns, as well as a place to celebrate and elevate voices. DEIC has been one of AEG’s most active working committees, and AEG members can explore the committee’s activities and resources through DEIC’s webpage https://aeg.memberclicks.net/diversity.

The Student & Young Professional Support Committee Rick Kolb, Co-chair

ASBOG Seeks Volunteers for FG Exam Review Course The Student & Young Professional Support Committee has held three webinars on strategies and hints to prepare for and take the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology (FG) examination. During our last two webinars, one of the presenters was Dr. Jason Patton, the past President of ASBOG. Dr. Patton recently informed us ASBOG is planning to present an eight-part review course on preparing for the FG exam. This course will be presented for the first time in November, 2022. ASBOG is looking for three or four “subject matter experts” to each prepare and present one or two of these one-hour courses on each of the eight domains of the FG exam (as shown in the test blueprint website at https://asbog.org/documents/testblueprint2015.pdf).

According to Dr. Patton, the preferred requirements for these presenters are: 1) they are PGs, 2) they have teaching experience and are good presenters, and 3) they bring diversity to the presentation group. He said ASBOG expects each module will require forty hours of preparation and that they will offer a stipend of $4,000 per module. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Patton at jpattonasbog@gmail.com.

TWGs The colors in the progress flag indicate the following: Red = Life Orange = Healing Yellow = New ideas Green = Prosperity Blue = Serenity Violet = Spirit Black / Brown = People of Color White / Blue / Pink = Recognition of the Trans community The AEG logo was placed on top of the progress flag to intentionally touch each color of the flag and to provide a symbol of unity and support among the many ideas and communities represented within the flag’s colors.

The progress flag logo is intended for use by AEG members who wish to identify themselves as a safe space, ally and/or member of AEG’s DEIC. By displaying this logo (in an email signature, on a lapel pin for in-person events), the member agrees to be knowledgeable of the anti-discrimination policy already in place within AEG’s operating policies and serve as a trusted ally to the DEIC’s inclusion efforts.

Summer 2022

AEG Technical Working Group Tunneling Ike Isaacson, Paul Headland, and Mike Piepenburg Engineering geology plays a critical role in tunnel design and construction, but in recent decades the importance of the engineering geologist’s role in underground construction has been sometimes overlooked and/or underappreciated. Part of the Tunneling Committee’s mission is to work with other organizations and industry leaders to better re-engage engineering geologists in the tunnel design and construction process. Recently, a committee of industry leaders, chaired by Randall Essex, has been diligently working to revise a publication titled Geotechnical Baseline Reports for Construction: Suggested Guidelines, otherwise known as The Gold Book, published in 2007 by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). This revision is also Essex

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION – COMMITTEE & TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP (TWG) REPORTS being co-sponsored by the Underground Construction Association (UCA).

The Gold Book was an updated version of the original Yellow Book published in 1997 and also edited by Essex.

The purpose of the Geotechnical Baseline Report (GBR) is to establish baselines of anticipated subsurface conditions and contractually identify and allocate subsurface risks during construction.

The updated guidance on the GBR is projected to be published late this year and incorporates updated industry recommendations, which include engineering geologists as contributors/authors of the GBR as well as the key role engineering geologists play in developing the ground model to help predict anticipated ground behaviors baselined within the GBR. As the AEG Tunneling Committee continues its “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” keynote speaker series, we are excited to announce that Randall Essex PE will be our keynote speaker at this year’s Tunnel Symposium (Technical Session 2) on Wednesday, September 14 at 2:00 p.m. at AEG’s Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Randy is an advocate and champion of the importance of the ground model and the key role engineering geologists serve in the tunneling community.

We look forward to seeing you later this year.

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

NEWS OF THEHEADER ASSOCIATION HERE

Early Results & Lessons Learned AEG US Member Demographic Survey Maya Saldanha

E

arlier this year, AEG’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) surveyed the members of the Association in the United States. With respect to opening doors to diversity within the organization, how can we know how we’re doing if we don’t know where we’re starting from? We are still processing the data we collected but wanted to provide an initial update to the membership.

This survey was the first of its kind, but it won’t be the last. Within a few months, we’ll survey AEG’s international membership to establish baseline data for those members.

Please note, the United States survey wasn’t perfect, and we are learning from our mistakes in order to improve the survey of the international members.

We missed two Chapters in the Chapter affiliation question—Southern California and New England. We apologize to their members for those omissions. We also received helpful comments on how to pose specific questions to be more respectful of all who are answering them. Terminology will be improved, as will how we frame certain questions.

We appreciate those respondents who took the time to educate us in ways to align our questioning with our mission of inclusivity.

Nearly four hundred members completed this survey, more than 15 percent of the United States membership.

This is considered a good response. What we noted from the first question was that close to 90 percent of respondents felt “included within AEG and at AEG events.” This tells us that those who feel included are engaged enough with the organization to take their time and energy to fill out the survey. That’s both the good news and the bad news, as hearing from members who don’t feel so included

Q1: I feel included within AEG and at AEG events.

Answered: 393 Skipped: 5

0

10

20

30

40

Agree Disagree

50

60

70

80

90

may have given us more insight into what we could do better in that realm.

We are still comparing the survey results with some of the information we have in our membership database. One of the points we’re looking at is how the percentages of the survey respondents’ member classes compare to those of our overall United States membership. We noticed that how individuals define diversity overall impacts how they see diversity within the organization. Some may associate diversity strictly with age or gender or cultural/ethnic background, while others think it includes location, professional specialty, and where they are employed. More than three-quarters of survey respondents indicated that they thought AEG was either “very diverse” or “somewhat diverse” but this may be a function of how they are defining diversity. As one of the written comments submitted brought up, it is important to understand what “diversity” means in the context of the survey More than itself, and this work. However, three-quarters of survey based on the results we have respondents indicated that so far, it is evident that the they thought AEG was either reality of diversity within AEG “very diverse” or “somewhat is far less than the percepdiverse” but this may be a tion of those who responded function of how they to the survey. are defining In a recent DEIC virtual diversity. meeting, the question of what it means to be diverse and who is considered diverse came up. It was a challenging conversation, even among a group of people who are committed to DEI work. If those of us on the committee actively engaged in DEI efforts within AEG need to pause, listen, and work out misunderstandings, then we can assume we will need to do the same, only more so, on the organization level. We have a lot to learn. But we’re committed to doing that learning. This is a long-term commitment, and the survey is only one early step in the process.

We appreciate everyone who responded to the survey.

What is crystal clear is that nearly all who responded overwhelmingly support diversity, equity, and inclusion in AEG, and our profession. We got a lot more “Keep up the good work” and “I am grateful that you are making this effort!” comments than negative responses to our DEI efforts. And we will continue with those efforts. Thank you again to all the members who participated in the survey. Stay tuned for more analysis in the coming months.

“

”

100

Percent

Summer 2022

AEG NEWS 65(3)

13

HEADER NEWS OFHERE THE ASSOCIATION–MEMORIAL

Joe de Beer (Johannes Hendrikus de Beer)

J

April 6, 1938 – passed away peacefully on April 16, 2022

oe de Beer was born in the Eastwood Nursing Home, Pretoria, South Africa. His early schooling was in Pretoria. His family moved to Johannesburg where he attended high school, matriculating in 1955 at Helpmekaar High School for Boys. Joe majored in geology and geography at the University of the Witwatersrand, completing his BSc in 1959.

Joe commenced his working career in 1960 spending a year working for General Mining and Finance Corporation in the Free State gold fields before returning to Wits to complete an honours in Economic Geology in 1961. He returned to the world of mining, based at Stilfontein Mine where he worked underground. At this point, in 1964, he switched direction and, in 1965, completed an MSc in Engineering Geology with Dr Tony Brink as his supervisor. His thesis with hundreds of profiles around Johannesburg and his map, the Engineering Geological Map of Johannesburg, which resulted from his MSc is still used by many and was recently digitised (by Oliver Barker and SRK) so that it and the profiles could be made more widely available.

Having completed his MSc, Joe joined Ove Arup and Partners where he worked from 1965 to 1979. This period was important to him, and he believed it launched him into a solid career in engineering geology. Joe worked in South Africa and spent time in London being trained there. During this period he worked as an engineering geologist on some notable projects in South Africa including:

■ The Carlton Centre with its 30-m deep basement covering four city blocks,

■ The Standard Bank Centre, a tall building also with a

30-m deep basement, was built over old stopes on the Main and South Reefs (a first at the time),

■ The Hillbrow Microwave Tower, which is a 269-m-high concrete structure, and

■ The Vaal Reefs South Reduction works, which had complex foundations in dolomitic terrain.

During his time in the London office, Joe worked on investigations for hydro-electric projects in Madagascar as well as several projects in the UK. In April 1978, Joe was made a Partner of Arup. Joe left Arup to set up his own practice, JH de Beer and Associates but shortly thereafter, in 1981, joined Harold Weber to set up Weber De Beer and Associates. He was involved in some intensive work on dolomite in this period and also worked on the Lethabo and Majuba Power Station projects.

Joe left Weber De Beer and Associates to join SRK in 1987 and at the same time moved his career into the field of environmental geology which he practiced in for the next 24 years. Joe believed that his background in mining geology and engineering geology provided an excellent foundation for 14

working in environmental management. In this arena, he worked in many countries around the world including Russia, Yemen, Gabon, Madagascar, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and other parts of Africa too.

Joe was a committed member of the profession, believing strongly that it was important to put time into the professional bodies that supported engineering geology, as it is our profession that gives us our living. Joe became involved in the South Africa Section of AEG in the 1970s in the years before SAIEG came into being. He was chairman of the group for some years and, as such, represented South Africa at Annual Meetings in the United States in

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

NEWS OF THE ASSOCIATION–MEMORIAL HEADER HERE 1974, 1978, and 1984. Joe remained a member of AEG and in 2009 was offered Senior Emeritus Membership. In 2014, Joe was awarded SAIEG’s Gold Medal in recognition of his contribution to engineering and environmental geology. It is perhaps appropriate to note that the first time this award was made, it was Joe and Oliver Barker, then chairman of SAIEG, who presented the award to Tony Brink who was in hospital in Cape Town and died very soon after.

Joe has left an indelible impression in the field of engineering geology and his passionate interest in data banking kept not only his own records in order but also those of the companies he worked in, including both Arups and Weber De Beer and Associates. Joe was involved in setting up the Johannesburg Geotechnical Data Bank and worked on this with Tony Brink, then at Wits, as well as Des Biggs of the City EngiJoe was a neer’s Department. Joe was committed member of the profession, given time by Arups to work believing strongly that it was on this valuable project. This is perhaps the last funcimportant to put time into tioning data bank in the the professional bodies that country, although it has to be supported engineering said that it is not receiving the geology, as it is our support from the city that it profession that previously had. Joe compiled gives us our living. the contribution dealing with Johannesburg for the AEG Symposium on the Engineering Geology of Cities in South Africa in September 1981 in Pretoria. Given his involvement in the iconic Hillbrow Tower and Carlton Centre and his map of the city, this was indeed appropriate.

Joe married Paddy, a music teacher, on December 17, 1966, and they raised two children: Tamsen, born in November 1970 and Charl, born in August 1972. Paddy sadly contracted Alzheimer’s disease, which took her life not long after Joe moved them to Cape Town in August 2002.

Joe’s partner in recent years, Anna Batchelor-Steyn, has made many journeys around the world with him since he retired. These trips were often archaeological journeys as this was a growing area of interest to both of them. Joe clearly enjoyed these journeys into the past often seeking geological links and spoke much of them, memorably so in his speech at his Gold Award presentation.

Like any good geologist, Joe was an avid collector of rocks and succulents and would proudly show visitors to the family home in Bryanston the rockery near the entrance which, he claimed, had a rock from every site he’d worked on; it certainly looked like it! Joe was a total environmentalist. He was deeply informed about botany, loved indigenous trees, aloes and succulents and would rescue plants from sites if he deemed it appropriate!

Joe, you will be sorely missed by your family, friends and colleagues both in South Africa and in the United States.

Get jou lang rus, Joe

“

Summer 2022

”

The Role of Geoscience in Mine Site Regulation, Running, Rehabilitation, Repurposing, Retirement, and Reclamation Virtual Symposium — November 14–17, 2022 Registration Will Open Soon! https://www.minesymposium.org The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), which includes the world’s largest mining houses and many leading mining companies as part of its membership, has long recognized that economic growth should never be at the expense of people or the planet. In 2003, ICMM published its 10 Principles for sustainable development for mining to set a standard of ethical performance in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These ICMM mining principles cover all aspects of mining operations throughout the life-of-mine cycle.

In line with these principles, and cognizant of the value of geoscience in helping deliver and meet sustainable mining performance goals, AEG and the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society are convening this online symposium over four half-days in November, 2022. Life-ofMine activities cover everything from mine feasibility planning through to closure, with geoscience contributing practical assistance to the life-of-mine site key activities to sustain the mine and leave an acceptable legacy—the 6Rs: “Regulation, Running, Rehabilitation, Repurposing, Retirement and Reclamation.” Customized geoscience workflows contribute through implementation of the 4Ms: “Mapping, Monitoring, Modelling and Management.”

The symposium plans to cover this broad sweep with presentations on state-of-the-art aspects of principles, methodologies and case histories of the role of geoscience to assist and facilitate mine engineering, environmental, geotechnical, water and soil management, and regulatory approaches. The aim is to demonstrate the contribution of integrated geoscience to responsible progressive mine operation and monitoring, orewinning optimization and waste limitation, rehabilitation, repurposing of historical mines (e.g., reprocessing of mine wastes for critical minerals) and closure and reclamation planning and implementation.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

15

n o i t c e S l a Speci

HEADER HERE

Preview

AEG 65th Annual Meeting “Geology in the Wild” Las Vegas, Nevada – September 12–17, 2022

Geology of the Area Adapted from Alden, Andrew. “Las Vegas Geology Highlights.”

ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/las-vegas-geologyhighlights-1440698.

The Las Vegas Valley is a down-dropped basin typical of hundreds in the Great Basin of the Basin and Range province.

The Great Basin is characterized by numerous arid to semiarid basins separated by mountain ranges and extends over most of Nevada and a little beyond on all sides. Over the last 25 million years or so, the Earth’s crust here has been stretched in an east-west direction to around 150 percent of its former width, and the surface rocks have broken into strips of mountains running north to south. As a result, the hot material beneath has bulged upward, turning Nevada into a high plateau rich in metal ores and geothermal energy.

During this century, numerous earthquakes have been recorded as the area’s tectonic activity continues.

The high elevation and the upwind barrier of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges on the west have made the Great Basin a very dry place, one where the mountains remain bare and settlements sparse. The Great Basin is an endorheic basin where drainages do not reach the ocean and converge instead into lakes, swamps, or sinks that fluctuate in extent with

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hydrologic conditions. Typical desert landforms—playas, dunes, desert pavement, arroyos, alluvial fans, and bajadas—are plentiful, and bedrock outcrops and fault traces are well exposed.

Geologists love deserts. Las Vegas was once a small settlement named Bringhurst, but it got its current name from the grasslands (las vegas, the meadows) that once grew in the valley. In the desert, grass represents a shallow water table, and in the Las Vegas Valley, grass was a sign of the natural faults that force the water table near the ground surface there.

Las Vegas languished as a tiny railroad town, serving the nearby mines until the Colorado River was dammed to create Lake Mead in the 1930s. The city has also exploited the aquifers beneath the Las Vegas Valley so that even if the city vanished tomorrow, the meadows would not return. The availability of enough water to boat in and fill pools helped turn Las Vegas into the tourist destination it is today. While the Las Vegas Strip makes spectacular playthings out of water, the rest of the city tends to landscape itself in gravel and cactus. The University of Nevada campus here is an elegant example of this approach, and it’s worth a visit just for the grounds. The geology department building has hallways lined with display cases full of excellent rock and mineral specimens, too.

There are many beautiful places to see while you’re in town.

Three great national parks—Grand Canyon, Zion, and Death

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

About Las Vegas For more details visit www.visitlasvegas.com Good reasons to visit Las Vegas are plentiful—300 days of sunshine and world-class dining and accommodations are just a few things that have made Las Vegas the world’s top destination for the last twenty-six years. Las Vegas is located in Clark County, situated within a basin on the floor of the Mojave Desert, and surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides. Much of the landscape is rocky and arid, with desert vegetation and wildlife. It can be subjected to torrential flash floods, although much has been done to mitigate the effects of flash floods through improved drainage systems. The peaks surrounding Las Vegas reach elevations of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m), and act as barriers to the strong flow of moisture from the surrounding area. The elevation is approximately 2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level. After Alaska and California, Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the United States. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates a ten to twenty percent chance of an M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring within 50 km (31 mi) of Las Vegas over the next fifty years.

Valley—are within reach. Just west of the city is Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, a prime destination for rock climbers. You can just take a slow drive through the colorful formations if you like.

One of the geologic highlights is an excellent exposure of the dramatic Keystone Thrust, where ancient crustal motions 65 million years ago shoved great thicknesses of gray limestone on top of younger beds of red sandstone. An hour or so northeast of Las Vegas is Valley of Fire, Nevada’s first state park. The geologic setting is similar to Red Rock but in addition, this park features many ancient petroglyphs, rock art left by the local tribes (including the mysterious Anasazi). Both Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are places that display the Sevier Thrust Belt, a gigantic zone of tectonic upheaval that stretches from the Las Vegas area into Canada. The thrust belt records a continental collision far to the west, on the continent’s edge, during Cretaceous times about 80 million years ago. There are other places near Las Vegas where you can see its signs. To the north of Las Vegas is the understated Upper Las Vegas Wash, where locals come to get away from it all while geologists come to explore the rich fossil record.

Take a visit. To the south, you can take trails down to the Colorado River valley below Hoover Dam. Maybe a desert hot spring or an all-terrain vehicle tour is more to your liking.

Summer 2022

Climate/What to Wear Located in the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas has a hot, desert, subtropical climate that is characterized by arid and sunny conditions. In fact, Las Vegas weather is some of the sunniest in the world with an annual average of more than 3,800 hours— or 300 days—of sunshine, meaning there’s almost never a bad time to visit Vegas. Autumn, from September to November, and spring, from March to May, are wonderful times to visit as the days are warm and sunny and cooling in the evenings, making for rather comfortable conditions when it comes to being out in the desert. This is the perfect time for those wishing to enjoy outdoor activities. Las Vegas receives only approximately 4.2 inches (110mm) of annual rainfall, most of which occurs during twenty-six to twenty-seven days of the year. Much of Vegas’s rainfall occurs in winter, with February being the wettest month receiving an average of four days of rain. The best time to visit Las Vegas is from March to November as conditions are at

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW flat-screen TVs. Posh suites add separate sitting areas and panoramic views. Some have soaking tubs, walk-in showers, pool tables, and hot tubs. Dining options include an upscale steakhouse plus casual restaurants and bars.

Other amenities include a spa, two pools, and a shopping mall. In addition to the glitzy casino, there are live shows performed by famous entertainers.

their most comfortable—being neither too warm or too cool, however there really is no bad time to visit Las Vegas.

The meeting attire is business casual. The only event that is more dressy is the Annual Banquet where formal or semiformal attire is suggested but not mandatory.

Annual Meeting Hotel Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino Group Rate: $175* (includes resort fee)

Book your reservation now! *The group rate is only available until 8/11/22.

If you prefer to make reservations by phone, please call the Reservation Center at 1-866-317-1829. However, a processing fee per reservation will be incurred if you choose not to use the dedicated weblink. The group code is SMAEE2.

Overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, this sprawling high-rise casino resort is a five-minute walk from the Bellagio fountains and 1.2 miles from Madame Tussauds Las Vegas wax museum. Colorful rooms feature movie memorabilia and

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Field Courses Field Course Disclaimer: Field courses will be filled on a first-come/first-served basis, and registration will be limited to the number of spaces shown. The indicated minimum and maximum numbers of participants are based on a combination of factors, including: transportation, accessibility, and safety at roadside outcrops. Field courses are subject to cancellation if the minimum number of registrants is not met. Field course logistics (e.g., schedule, duration, route, transportation, location/number of stops, etc.) are also subject to change. Participants should be prepared for variable weather conditions and hiking on uneven ground. Field courses will proceed rain or shine. Additional information regarding the logistics of each field course will be provided to the paid registrants by the field course leader(s) at a later date, but well in advance of the course.

Field Course 1 Field Analysis of the Blue Diamond Landslide: Implications for Environmental and Engineering Geology in the Basin and Range Province

Field Course 2 Hard Hat Tour of Hoover Dam and the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge Date:

Monday, September 12

Time:

8:00am – 1:00pm

Date:

Monday, September 12

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Time:

8:00am – 1:00pm

Fee:

Leaders: Bryan Simpson, US Bureau of Reclamation and Jeffery Keaton, Wood, PLC

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby Fee:

$100.00 before 8/1/22, $115.00 after 8/1/22

$65.00 before 8/1/22, $80.00 after 8/1/22

Minimum to Run the Tour: 30, Max: 96

Leader: Daniel Sturmer, University of Cincinnati Minimum to Run the Tour: 30, Max: 48 Rock avalanches often have a catastrophic and long-lasting impact on infrastructure, society, and regional landscapes.

This half-day field trip will examine the Blue Diamond landslide deposit exposed in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in the western Las Vegas Valley. We will investigate sedimentological, stratigraphic, and geomorphic features of the landslide complex and discuss their engineering and environmental implications. This trip includes two short hikes over moderate terrain that could be strenuous for some participants.

Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, and personal water. We recommend hiking boots, leather gloves, and binoculars.

Need Professional Development Hours?

PDHs will be available for all Field Courses and Technical Sessions. This is a great way to earn your hours while enjoying an educational day in the Field.

Contact Meeting Manager, Heather Clark, after the meeting to get your PDH Certificate.

Summer 2022

Get up close with the inner workings of the Hoover Dam, originally Boulder Dam, and completed in 1936. For this field course, visitors will see the power generators, penstocks, and tailrace and outflow of the dam, getting VIP access to secured areas not offered to the public. This special tour is off the normal route and is conducted on the Arizona Wing of the Powerhouse. Closed-toed shoes are required, and hard hats will be provided. Hiking boots are recommended as there are steep hills to climb. Be sure to bring sunscreen, hat, and personal water. The bus will drop off passengers in a paved parking lot on the Nevada side where they will walk on a paved trail to the mid-point of the bridge. Note that canyon winds were the most significant dynamic load for design, even though earthquake design will be a topic for discussion on the field trip.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

19

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW Visit the Bypass Bridge and learn about the foundation conditions and seismic analysis for this high concrete-steel arch bridge completed in 2010.

Field Course 3 The Great Unconformity, Las Vegas Valley Shear Zone, and the Discovery of Extensional Tectonics

Field Course 4 Las Vegas Valley Water District Groundwater Recharge Well Field Date:

Tuesday, September 13

Time:

8:00am – 1:00pm

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby Fee:

$60.00 before 8/1/22, $75.00 after 8/1/22

Date:

Tuesday September 13

Leader: James Prieur, Southern Nevada Water Authority

Time:

8:00am – 1:00pm

Minimum to Run the Tour: 22, Max: 30

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby Fee:

$65.00 before 8/1/22, $80.00 after 8/1/22

Leaders: Steve Rowland, Professor Emeritus, UNLV and James Faulds, Nevada State Geologist Minimum to Run the Tour: 30, Max: 48 Difficulty Level – Strenuous The focus of this trip will be extensional tectonics and the history of the supercontinent cycle recorded in the rocks of the Frenchman Mountain Block. We will examine the Frenchman Mountain Fault (a low-angle normal fault), and the base of Frenchman Mountain, where we will examine the Great Unconformity, then view at a distance the Las Vegas Valley Shear Zone, and arm wave about regional geology and the Walker Lane. Also, we will examine Miocene rock-avalanche deposits that played a key role in the discovery of extensional tectonics in southern Nevada. We recommend personal water, sun protection, binoculars, hiking poles, and footwear suitable for a short hike on a steep, rocky trail.

We will visit the operating well field within the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. An Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) program was initiated in Las Vegas Valley in 1989 as a water resource management tool to provide a reserve water storage bank and to stabilize groundwater levels in the Principal Aquifer.

Since inception, over 365,000 acre-feet of treated Colorado River water has been recharged through seventy-three permitted dedicated recharge wells and dual use recharge/production wells during the off-peak season. Groundwater in the Valley was over-pumped extensively in the 1930s through 1970s resulting in declining water levels and subsidence bowls in certain areas. Well # 5 is a historic well which demonstrates the effects of subsidence. Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, walking shoes, and personal water. Participants will be transported around the well field via a tram with limited walking to the conference room and from the tram to tour sites.

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Field Course 5 Geologic and Hydrologic Cruise on Lake Mead Date:

Saturday, September 17

Field Course 6 Geology of the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon, Hualapai Nation, Arizona

Time:

8:00am – 1:00pm

(West of the National Park)

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby Fee:

$110.00 before 8/1/22, $125.00 after 8/1/22

Date:

Saturday, September 17

Time:

8:00am – 5:00pm

Leaders: Eugene Smith, UNLV and Dan Bunk, USBR

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Minimum to Run the Tour: 30, Max: 96

Fee:

$185.00 before 8/1/22, $200.00 after 8/1/22

Leader: John H Peck, Consulting Geologist Minimum to Run the Tour: 30, Max: 48 Travel to the west rim of the Grand Canyon and venture out on the glass-bottomed skywalk, cantilevered beyond the cliff at Eagle Point. The route will take us over the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge, through spectacular Basin and Range country to the Colorado Plateau. Engineering geology of the Skywalk and geologic hazards of the canyon walls will be highlighted.

Luncheon at the Skywalk is included for this all-day field course.

Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, and personal water. West Grand Canyon, outside of Grand Canyon National Park. Easy walking required.

Lake Mead was created by the construction of Hoover Dam in the early 1930s. Take a two-hour cruise on the lake on the Desert Princess. Features of the geology dominated by Cenozoic volcanics, will be discussed by Eugene Smith, volcanologist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. The construction of Hoover Dam, and the status of the Colorado River water supply system—including the effects of the drought—will be discussed by Dan Bunk, US Bureau of Reclamation geohydrologist. Enjoy spectacular scenery, interesting geology, and Colorado River history and hydrology. Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, binoculars (highly recommended), camera, and personal water. Snacks and drinks are available for sale on the ship.

Summer 2022

AEG NEWS 65(3)

21

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Guest Tours Guests of attendees are a special part of the Annual Meeting. The local committee takes great care to help make their time at the meeting pleasant and entertaining by offering a variety of activities while attendees participate in the daily sessions. Guest Registrations are a great value and include the Opening Welcome Icebreaker and unlimited entrance to the Exhibit Hall with all day coffee. (Must have an Annual Meeting or Guest Registration to attend Guest Tours.)

Guest Tour 1 Spring Mountains Tour

Guest Tour 2A Hoover Dam Tour

Date:

Tuesday, September 13

Date:

Wednesday, September 14

Time:

9:00am – 2:00pm

Time:

8:00am – 12:00pm

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Fee*: $100.00 before 8/1/22, $115.00 after 8/1/22 *Includes: Transportation and lunch

Fee*: $100.00 before 8/1/22, $115.00 after 8/1/22 *Includes: Tour and Transportation

Minimum to Run the Tour: 16, MAX: 23

Minimum to Run the Tour: 15, Max: 20 Our tour will begin with a brief stop for photos at the historic and world famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign. As we enter the beautiful Lake Mead National Recreation Area, we will stop at the Lake Mead Scenic View to admire the beauty and the amazing geographic features of Lake Mead basin. Our next stop will be the Mike O’Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (also known as the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge) for one of a kind views of Hoover Dam and the Colorado River Canyon. Our tour will culminate with a 1.5-hour visit to the dam including the Hoover Dam Express Tour and approximately one hour of free time to explore and take advantage of many more unique and spectacular photo opportunities. Bring your hat, sunscreen, water and snacks, if desired!

Escape the heat and bustle of the Las Vegas Strip to spend the day under majestic limestone cliffs and towering pines of the Spring Mountains. Catch a glimpse of the wild horse herd grazing in the lush Lee Meadows and be among the first to spot the changing aspens high on the slopes of the Lee Canyon terminus. Enjoy expansive views of the Mojave Desert at the Desert View Overlook, including atomic bomb detonation areas, and learn about the flora, fauna, and geology of the surrounding mountains and dry lake beds on the accompanying information panels. Continue your exploration of this special place with a visit to the Spring Mountain Visitor Center to experience the Silent Heroes of the Cold War Memorial, the Seven Stones Plaza celebrating the heritage of the Southern Paiute tribes, plus numerous diverse and engaging exhibits.

Our final stop is a relaxing box lunch picnic at the top of Kyle Canyon (elevation 7,600 feet!), followed by return to the hotel.

Bring your hat and sunscreen; water, snacks, and box lunch are provided

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Guest Tour 2B Emerald Cave Kayak Tour

Guest Tour 3A Red Rock Horseback Riding Tour

Date:

Wednesday, September 14

Date:

Thursday, September 15

Time:

9:30am – 2:00pm

Time:

7:00am – 11:00am

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Fee*: $195.00 before 8/1/22, $210.00 after 8/1/22 *Includes: Transportation, Equipment, Lunch, Snacks and Kayak Tour

Fee*: $165.00 before 8/1/22, $180.00 after 8/1/22 *Includes: Transportation and Horseback Riding Tour Minimum to Run the Tour: 10, Max: 15

Minimum to Run the Tour: 10, Max: 20 Experience the serenity of Emerald Cave, a picturesque natural attraction on the Colorado River. From the launch point at Willow Beach, enjoy a guided, small-group paddle for a fourmile, round-trip along a gentle section of the crystal-clear Colorado River stopping for snacks, swimming, photos and wildlife sighting along the way. A short fifteen-minute hike above the river on a bluff with amazing views is included, along with a history of the River Gaugers. Kayak fitting, paddle, personal floatation device, snacks, and bottled water are provided as part of this unique and safely adventurous tour offering. Be sure to bring your hat, sunscreen, bathing suit, and extra snacks if desired!

Take a break from the glitz and clamor of the Las Vegas Strip for a true western adventure on a two-hour early morning horseback ride through spectacular Red Rock Canyon. Climb atop a trusted mount and experience the thrill of the rugged desert landscape, while a friendly cowboy wrangler leads the way. Ride among natural wildlife and plants for a spectacular up-close look at Mojave Desert life. Learn about horses and the cowboy lifestyle from expert, professional guides including the basics of riding and proper riding techniques to make your journey not only safe and enjoyable, but educational, too. No riding experience necessary! Bring a hat, sunscreen and at least one liter of water, and wear walking shoes or hiking boots.

Summer 2022

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Guest Tour 3B Red Rock Canyon Tour

Guest Tour 4 Chocolate and Wine Tasting Tour

Date:

Thursday, September 15

Date:

Friday, September 16

Time:

8:30am – 1:00pm

Time:

12:30pm – 4:30pm

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Location: Departs from the Hotel Lobby

Fee*: $90.00 before 8/1/22, $105.00 after 8/1/22 *Includes Transportation and tour

Fee*: $89.00 before 8/1/22, $99.00 after 8/1/22 *Includes: Transportation, Snacks and Wine Tasting

Minimum to Run the Tour: 10, Max: 15

Minimum to Run the Tour: 18, Max: 23

In 1990, Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area. It consists of 200,000 acres, renowned for spectacular scenery and landscapes, as well as both natural and cultural resources. Join us for a morning guided bus tour of this remarkable place, where we will explore and learn about the unique geology and ecology, including Nevada’s first documented dinosaur track site, Native American archaeological sites, and the 19th and 20th Century history of the site, including its location on the Old Spanish Trail and the early homesteaders. Our tour will also include a visit to the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, as well as many excellent photo opportunities. There will be short walks/hikes to some of the sites. Bring a hat and at least one liter of water; wear walking shoes or hiking boots. Snacks will be provided. We will be back early afternoon.

Indulge your decadent side with an afternoon of chocolate and wine! The Ethel M Chocolate Factory has been producing the famous Mars’ family gourmet chocolates for over forty years.

We will visit the factory for a self-guided tour and chocolate shopping opportunity. The factory grounds are also the site of a three-acre Botanical Cactus Garden with over 300 species of cacti, succulents, desert trees, and shrubs. After chocolate, the rest of the afternoon will be spent at Las Vegas Valley’s first and only winery, where each of the Nevada-made wines has a story to tell. A winery tour is included to better understand the journey from vine to wine. Following the tour, a flight of five, one-ounce tastes will be offered in the winery tasting room, along with a light charcuterie accompaniment. Wine will also be available for purchase by the glass, as well as bottles of your favorites to take home.

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Special Event Join us for a “Night on the Town.”

As dusk falls, the city comes to life illuminated by the dazzling neon lights Las Vegas is famous for. We will be including a flyer on the website and in the registration bags with all the available activities along the strip.

HIGH ROLLER LAS VEGAS – Soar 550 feet above the center of the Las Vegas Strip on the largest observation wheel in North America. This stunning attraction provides the ride of a lifetime. Get ready to be wowed when you take a spin above the Strip. With sweeping 360-degree views, the wheel takes thirty minutes to complete one revolution. We have reserved three, spherical, Italian handcrafted glass, enclosed airconditioned cabins. Two of the cabins will enjoy a one-of-a-kind cocktail experience aboard the High Roller Observation Wheel, which includes an open bar and bartender for one full thirty-minute rotation of the wheel. Happy Half-Hour cabins can accommodate up to twenty-five guests aged 21 and over and are reserved from 6:30 to 7:00 pm. Or, enjoy the breathtaking views in an observation cabin without the bar at 6:45 pm. Be sure to make your reservations now before tickets sell out!

Cost is $40/person for the 6:45 pm cabin and $75/person for the Happy Half Hour cabins.

FREE SHUTTLE – Take in the Views of the Strip and Downtown from the Top Deck of our private BigBus Hop On Hop Off shuttle reserved just for AEG Annual Meeting attendees.

The shuttle will include four stops along the strip and the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

This will be a continuous shuttle loop from 6:00 – 10:00 pm and is free for all attendees.

Summer 2022

Here are just a few possible teaser activities to enjoy on your own.

The Bellagio Fountains are a must-see in Las Vegas at night.

This show is an impressive display of dancing water, colorful lights, and choreographed music that will amaze you no matter how many times you see it. It uses over 1,200 nozzles and jet sprayers to make the water twist, turn, and dance to the music, as high as 460 feet. The combination of graceful

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW Enjoying the nightlife at a club is one of the best things to do in Las Vegas at night. Sin City is known for its vast array of evening entertainment and party venues, so you’ll always have somewhere to go.

See a concert or show. As the entertainment capital of the world, you can find just about any kind of show in this city!

There are dozens of concerts and variety shows that you can see practically every day in Vegas.

movements and whimsy has made it one of the top night attractions in Las Vegas and it is FREE! You can catch the show every fifteen minutes from 8:00 pm to midnight.

Gambling at a casino is another must-do in Las Vegas at night; you must try it at least once. The feeling of hitting the floor of one of the casinos and trying your luck at a slot machine or table is something many people come to Vegas to experience.

The rush of excitement, the plinking sounds of the games, the enticing cocktails…it’s no wonder visiting a casino is one of the most popular things to do in Las Vegas.

The Mirage volcano is another amazing light show. Watching the volcano show is one of the most popular free things to do in Las Vegas, and it’s not hard to see why. The eruption includes elaborate explosions and fireballs that shoot up to twelve feet in the air. As you watch the show, you might feel the heat of the flames or smell the piña colada fragrance of the smoke effects. The volcano erupts every day on the hour from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

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If you want to see the City of Lights transform into the City of Love, then head to the Eiffel Tower Experience at the Paris Hotel. This Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas is a half-scale replica of the real one in France. Even so, it’s 460 feet tall, so you’ll get sweeping views of the Strip and surrounding areas. There is a fine restaurant at the top and having a date here would be a great thing for couples to do in Las Vegas at night.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Technical Sessions Keynote Speaker

Keynote Abstract

Colby Pellegrino Deputy General Manager, Resources Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Las Vegas Valley Water District

As the Colorado River Compact turns 100 years old, Southern Nevada aims to reshape its water future.

After joining the agency in 2003, Pellegrino served as an instrumental part of the Water Resources division supporting Colorado River modeling efforts to anticipate changes caused by climate change, reduced flows, and other inputs.

In her current capacity, she is responsible for the management of the Water Authority’s water resource portfolio, which includes protecting Nevada’s interests and rights to Colorado River water through interstate negotiations, developing regional water conservation programs, managing groundwater resources, and water resource planning.

Pellegrino also serves on the Board of Alliance for Water Efficiency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water and water conservation advocacy throughout North America.

A native of Las Vegas, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her Master of Business Administration from Mississippi State University.

Pellegrino has two children and is an avid cook, hiker, and outdoors enthusiast.

In the past 100 years since the Colorado River Compact was signed, the Colorado River Basin has seen many changes: dams, environmental protections, human impact, periods of high flows, and decades-long drought. Among its most remarkable, a decades-long megadrought affecting snowfall and runoff has resulted in significant water level declines at major system reservoirs, including Lake Mead and Lake Powell. For the seven states who depend on this river for municipal supplies and agricultural demands, these drought conditions present a looming threat to their economies, landscapes, and livelihoods.

The elevation of Lake Mead—the United States’s largest reservoir—has dropped by nearly 170 feet since 2000, prompting the Secretary of the Interior to make the firstever shortage declaration. The risk of shortage remains high in future years and the federal government is projecting a high probability that Lake Mead water levels will continue to decline. While the ongoing work of federal, state, and municipal water partners have helped to slow the decline of Lake Mead water levels, through the 2007 Interim Guidelines for the Coordinated Operation of Lakes Mead and Powell and the 2019 Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan, the Basin is reaching a critical point that requires more work and difficult decisions.

With the current state of the river system, the aridification of the southwestern United States, the 100-year-old Colorado River Compact, its framework and related agreements and policies will be at the heart of many discussions and debates in the coming months. At the center of the framework is the Interim Guidelines, the agreement that was signed in 2007 that shaped today’s Colorado River operations. These guidelines have provided the path forward to cooperation among the river’s users, but with the guidelines set to expire in the coming years and users facing unprecedented inflow projections, river users are facing an unchartered path forward.

Every user has a unique stake and perspective within the Colorado River system: from urban demands to meet the West’s growing population centers to expansive agricultural operations, and the states have been asked for additional conservation in an amount that yields between 2 million to 4 million acre-feet, representing nearly a third of the river’s total use.

In Southern Nevada, the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), the region’s wholesale water provider, and its member agencies have been reducing demands since drought effects were first realized in the early 2000s. For the past twenty years, Southern Nevada has reshaped how the community grew and continues to rewrite its future and to reduce the

Summer 2022

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW impacts of drought and climate change on water supplies and facilities through securing infrastructure, diversifying water resources, and reducing demands through a comprehensive water conservation program.

As the southwestern United States moves into the next decade and beyond, unprecedented changes will continue to occur, within municipalities and agriculture, to help secure one of the desert’s most precious resources.

Opening Session Outstanding Environmental & Engineering Geologic Project Award: Lake Mead Intake No. 3 and Low Lake Level Pumping Station

Join us for a symposium featuring speakers who are pioneers in representing diversity in our profession—starting decades ago through today. Others will address the issue from the level of the individual—to ways it is being handled in schools, companies, and organizations—to current initiatives across the geosciences.

Our speakers will tell their stories, lead exercises, and talk about how they have made a difference and how we can too. Come with your questions and concerns—the last 20 minutes of the symposium will be a panel discussion with all the speakers.

Tectonics and Seismicity of the Walker Lane: A Potential Incipient Plate Boundary Symposium

AEG/GSA 2021/22 and 2022/23 Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturers Technical Sessions and Symposia ■ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—Words Matter Symposium ■ Tunneling Symposium ■ Tectonics and Seismicity of the Walker Lane: A Potential Incipient Plate Boundary Symposium ■ Water Management in the Era of Climate Change Caused Megadroughts and Mega-Floods Symposium ■ Landslides, Parts I, II, & III ■ Naturally Occurring Asbestos Symposium ■ Wild Problems with Geophysics Solutions Symposium ■ Dams and Levees Symposium, Parts I, II, & III ■ Infrastructure and the Environment: Impacts on the Built World Symposium ■ Hydrogeology & Groundwater Recharge

The Walker Lane and eastern California shear zone currently accommodate ~20-25% of the relative dextral motion between the Pacific and North American plates. This zone of deformation poses significant seismic hazards to much of western and southern Nevada as well as eastern California. It has recently been responsible for several major earthquakes in the region.

In this session, we review recent seismicity and crustal deformation along the Walker Lane, including its long-term evolution and potential to eventually develop into the primary plate boundary (i.e., heir apparent to the San Andreas fault).

Dams and Levees Symposium Hosted by the Dams Technical Working group, this symposium will have a great lineup of wide-ranging talks including case histories, landslides impacting dams, instrumentation, paleoflood analyses, karst foundation issues, and erodibility studies of spillways. It will kick off with our Keynote Presentation on Hoover Dam—Past, Present, and Future, by Brian Simpson (Reclamation); plus a second keynote presentation on Mosul Dam Foundation and Emergency Grouting, by Georgette Hlepas (USACE).

Join us! You will not be disappointed.

Wild Problems with Geophysics Solutions Symposium

■ Geologic and Seismic Hazards, Parts I & II ■ Land Subsidence Symposium, Parts I & II ■ Geohazards and Site Characterization ■ Wild Problems, Unique Solutions, and Lessons Learned

Poster Presentations Posters will be presented on Wednesday, 9/14 and Thursday, 9/15.

We will be awarding winners of the Student Poster Competition at the poster reception on Thursday from 5:00–6:30pm.

A drink ticket is included for all full, Thursday-only, and student registrations.

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Select SYMPOSIUMS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion— Words Matter Symposium

Many standard and wild geological and geotechnical issues can be appraised inexpensively and relatively quickly with geophysics—but not “your father’s” geophysics! Geophysical methods have long been used for subsurface investigations. These methods have become the standard in preparation for engineering studies, such as infrastructure construction. The full breadth of geophysical investigations’ capabilities and applications, as well as the interpretation of geophysical results and their presentation in the clients’ jargon, can be utilized to answer some of the wildest problems geologists and engineers have seen. This symposium will present talks explaining newer concepts, providing case studies where novel geophysics methodology, applications, or complementary methods assisted in solving clients’ common problems in engineering, environmental projects, and beyond.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Select Technical sessions Hydrogeology & Groundwater Recharge Daily, communities across the world are faced with dwindling water resources and water shortages. The research and work being conducted by experts in hydrogeology and groundwater recharge are providing the tools to successfully address these issues. Share your research, experiences, and lessons learned in this session.

Geologic and Seismic Hazards This technical session, organized and convened by AEG’s Geologic and Seismic Hazards (GASH) Technical Working Group, showcases practical examples illustrating how data were collected and analyzed to evaluate a broad range of hazards in a variety of geologic and geographic settings. Presentation topics address analysis methods for prioritizing geohazard risks, including landslide and slope monitoring; rockfall hazard evaluations in Peru, Puerto Rico, Idaho, and California; February 2019 alluvial fan flood damage inferred from available information, Coachella Valley, California; seismic hazard assessment of the Musandam Region, Sultanate of Oman; seismic design criteria for the Southern Salton Sea, California; the California Earthquake Clearinghouse database for the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence; geologic characterization of the Healdsburg-Rogers Creek fault stepover in California, for mitigation and real estate evaluation; the role of erosion in development of ground fissures around Lake Ziway, Ethiopia; evaluation of geologic and seismic hazards for two nuclear power units in Georgia, the first to be constructed in the United States in more than three decades; geologic and structural engineering assessments for school buildings in Washington; geotechnical design of permafrost and wetland mitigation for Colorado State Highway 5; and updates to Quaternary fault maps for the areas of Carson City and New Empire, Nevada, with implications for the Basin and Range Province. By discussing the practical examples on data collection and analysis methods for evaluation of geologic and seismic hazards, speakers will inform session attendees about proven methods that can be applied for evaluation of similar hazards at other locations.

Geohazards and Site Characterization Earthquakes, sinkholes, tsunamis, sea level rise, and differing site conditions are all issues that challenge the best of our profession. Share your experiences, adaptions, and solutions for addressing and living with these issues. Tell us the good, the bad, and the ugly; we want to hear it all.

Wild Problems, Unique Solutions, and Lessons Learned Ever encounter a problem that seems to have no explanation; a problem that seems to redefine everything you know? The Wild Problems, Unique Solutions, and Lessons Learned is the session for you. Tells us about your problems, strategies, and resolutions.

Summer 2022

Student Opportunities Annual Meeting Mentor Program The Student and Young Professional Support Committee (SYPSC) is developing a mentor program to pair professionals that plan to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting with interested student attendees. We hope mentors can provide advice and support both before and during the Annual Meeting to make the meeting more relaxing, enjoyable, and beneficial for students.

Students interested in being aired with a mentor will identify themselves when they register for the meeting and will be provided with the contact information of a professional who has volunteered to be a mentor. The student can then contact the professional with questions ranging from “What should I wear?” to “Could we meet during the Ice Breaker?”

Student/Professional Networking Reception Tuesday, Sept. 13, 5:15 – 6:30pm Be sure to attend this fun and relaxed event as it is the perfect place for you to make new friends and meet future employers/ employees! You don’t want to miss it! Be sure to sign up on your registration form.

Young @Heart Student/Professional Special Event Tuesday, Sept. 13, 8:00 – 10:00pm Students Attend Free/All Others $15 This social event is a great way to start your week in Las Vegas. Make or to mingle with friends in environmental and engineering geology while you enjoy free appetizers (and a free drink ticket if you arrive early!) Just a short walk from the hotel, this event is an excellent opportunity to build connections with peers, mentors, senior fellows, and potential employers. We encourage students and young professionals to join the event and welcome experienced professionals who are “young at heart!”

Volunteer at the Meeting 8 Hours of Time Equals a Complimentary Registration!

A $95 – 125 Value!

Duties can include any of the following: Control the lights and speaker timer for the technical sessions, assist speakers with uploading their presentations onto the session laptops at the Speaker/Moderator Breakfast, help with check-in for the Guest Tours and Field Courses, and stuff registration packets preconference.

Interested students should contact Heather Clark for all of the details, heather@aegweb.org.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

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2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW

Optional Events

Registration Rates and Deadlines

Young @Heart Student/Professional Special Event

Rate

Tuesday, September 13, 8:00 – 10:00pm

Full Registration

by 8/1

after 8/1

Students Attend Free, All Others $15

AEG Member

$495.00

$595.00

This social event is a great way to start your week in Las Vegas. Take this opportunity to meet many of our Student Members in the environmental and engineering geology sciences while you enjoy free appetizers (and a free drink ticket if you arrive early!) Just a short walk from the hotel, this event is an excellent opportunity to recruit future Chapter members, meet potential employees, find a student to mentor, and see the future of AEG. We encourage young professionals to join the event and welcome experienced professionals who are “young at heart!”

Non-Member

$645.00

$745.00

$95.00

$125.00

Strength through Equity – AEG Inclusion Luncheon

Student

Events included with Full & Student Registrations: - Student/Professional Networking Reception - Icebreaker Reception with drink ticket and appetizers - Exhibitor Hosted Luncheon - Poster Session Reception with drink ticket - Opening General Session - All Technical Sessions and Symposia - Exhibit Hall with All-Day Coffee and Technical Session Breaks - Closing Reception with one drink ticket

Guest Registration Must be linked to a full or one day registration

(Formerly the Women in AEG Luncheon) Thursday, September 15, 12:00 – 1:30pm

Per Adult

$50 per person Join us for this networking event that focuses on diversity and inclusion issues in the industry and offers an open forum for discussion and education. Everyone is welcome!

Annual Banquet

$150.00

$175.00

Included with Guest Registration: - Icebreaker Reception with drink ticket and appetizers - Exhibit Hall with All-Day Coffee - Ability to sign up for Guest Tours

One Day Registration Member

$275.00

$325.00

Non-Member

$325.00

$375.00

Thursday, September 15, 7:00 – 10:00pm

Optional Events for Additional Fees: All are per person

$100 per person

Special Event: “A Night on the Town – Cocktails on the High Roller Ferris Wheel”

This is a well-attended, high-profile event at which the Association’s major awards are given. Join us for a gourmet dinner, fine wine, and a chance to visit with friends—both old and new.

Semi-formal attire is recommended, though not required.

$40 –75.00

Young at Heart Social Event (free for students!)

$15.00

Strength through Equity – AEG Inclusion Luncheon

$50.00

Annual Banquet

$100.00

Awards Ceremony and Corporate Business Meeting

Field Courses and Guest Tours vary by event. Visit the Field Course, Guest Tour, and Special Event pages for details and fees.

Friday, September 16, 3:00 – 5:00pm

Cancellation Policy

Included with all registration types

All cancellations and requests for refunds must be made in writing to the Annual Meeting Committee Chair(s). Verbal requests will not be accepted. Refunds may be issued 4–6 weeks after the close of the meeting.

The Awards Ceremony and Corporate Business Meeting is a time for Association officers, board members, and committee members to participate, report on their activities, witness the installation of new officers, the transition of the outgoing and incoming Presidents, and the presentation of some of the AEG and AEG Foundation awards.

For cancellations received at least 30 days prior to the start of the Annual Meeting: A $75 processing fee will be applied for cancellation of a full Professional registration • A $45 processing fee will be applied for cancellation of a daily Professional registration • A $40 processing fee or the cost of the activity, whichever is less, will be applied for cancellation of each Annual Meeting activity: Short Courses, Events, Field Courses, Workshops • A 50% refund will be issued for cancellations received between 15 and 30 days prior to the start of the Annual Meeting.

No refunds will be issued within 15 days of the start of the Annual Meeting.

Special consideration will be given for verifiable personal and medical emergencies.

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AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

Infrastructure and the Environment: Impacts on the Built World AEG 2022 Annual Meeting–Las Vegas, Nevada

www.aegannualmeeting.org Thursday, September 15, 2022 – 1:40–5:00pm 3 PDHs available for this session, 20 PDHs if you attend the entire Annual Meeting This symposium will examine the many ways that human infrastructure impacts the environment—not necessarily from roads and bridges—but from pharmaceutical and PFAS contamination, to aquaculture, and uranium mining. The focus will be on the role that environmental and engineering geologists play in the process. Our featured local speakers will include experts from the Nevada DEP, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and Geosyntec Consultants. Symposium attendees will come away with a real sense of the environmental challenges their colleagues in Nevada are dealing with in 2022.

Symposium Featured Speakers: BEN MOAN, PE – KEYNOTE SPEAKER Ben Moan is a supervisor in the Remediation & Leaking UST Branch, Bureau of Corrective Actions, with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, overseeing soil and groundwater remediation cases. He earned a BS in Geology (2003) and an ME in Environmental Engineering (2014) from Northern Arizona University. His work experience includes environmental analytical chemistry, process engineering, and environmental compliance. Moan is licensed as a Professional Engineer in Nevada.

DANIEL GERRITY, PHD Dr. Gerrity is the Principal Research Microbiologist in Water Quality R&D at the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). He is currently leading SNWA’s involvement in a National Science Foundation grant studying the nexus of unsheltered homelessness and urban water quality. For the past two years, his team has also been applying principles of wastewater-based epidemiology to better understand the link between wastewater occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 in Southern Nevada.

MOLLY SMALL, PG Small is a California Professional Geologist in Geosyntec’s Reno, Nevada, office. She attended California State University Stanislaus and UC Merced for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Geology and Environmental Science, and has spent the last seven years at Geosyntec Consultants gaining a wide variety of experience and expertise in site characterization, remediation, and mitigation methods, including high volume sampling, in-situ remediation injections, and sub-slab depressurization.

ARIEL ATKINSON, PHD Ariel Atkinson is a Process Systems Engineer in the Applied Water Quality Research Group at the Southern Nevada Water Authority. She works on applied research projects in support of full-scale operations at their water treatment facilities and groundwater wells, as well as supporting external projects. Dr. Atkinson received her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Appalachian State University and her PhD in Environmental Engineering from UNC Chapel Hill.

ADAM KATLEIN, CEM Adam Katlein is a Project Scientist with Geosyntec Consultant and Certified Environmental Manager with ten years of experience in environmental services, primarily in Nevada, managing projects under the regulatory oversight of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and Southern Nevada Health District.

Environmental assessment and remediation activities have included soil vapor extraction, air sparging, and groundwater pump and treat systems, plus the negotiated regulatory closure of eight sites using the groundwater risk-based closure exemption through NDEP.

WAYNE ISPHORDING Wayne Isphording, is a Professor Emeritus at the University of South Alabama, and a member of the Trace Materials Subcommittee of the National Institute of Science and Technology, who specializes in environmental geochemistry, engineering geology, forensic geology, and natural disasters. He has spent five decades investigating all the bays and estuaries of the northern Gulf of Mexico—from Barataria Bay, Louisiana, eastward to Apalachicola Bay, Florida—for agencies that include NOAA, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

AHDEE B. ZEIDMAN Ahdee Zeidman earned a Master of Science in Water Resource Management from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and is currently researching non-conventional water treatment technologies with interests in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) soil water interactions at nanoscale; soil mitigation, restoration, and amendments for agricultural lands; and phytoremediation using industrial hemp. Her main employers are the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute and the Department of Water Resource Management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was the recipient of the George Burke Maxey Fellowship for 2019.

STUDENT POSTER SPEED PRESENTATIONS: • Shawna Hunnicutt – Analyses of Spring Water Chemistry and Microbiology in the Spring Mountains, Nevada • Khalid Haji Omar – Removal of a Mixture of Toxic Metals and Metalloids from Petroleum Produced Water by Dolomite Filtration

PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS

The State Rock of Illinois: Dolostone Liviu Iordache, PG, AEG Chicago Chapter

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Silurian dolostone bluff near Mississippi Palisades State Park. Geologists prepare the outcrop for mapping of rock mass discontinuities via the linescanning method.

dolostone pair meaningfully parallels the calcite-limestone one. In Shrock’s own words, published two years later in the Journal of Geology, “ The term ’dolostone’ is proposed for those sedimentary rocks consisting largely of the mineral dolomite, such as the Niagaran dolomitic rocks of Illinois.” It seems only fitting then that dolostone has become the rock symbol of Illinois.

KEN LUND - HTTPS://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/KENLUND/7993014132/

n June 6, 2022, at The Morton Arboretum, Governor J. B. Pritzker signed House Bill 4261, which made dolostone “the official State rock of the State of Illinois.” Adding dolostone to the Illinois state geological symbols (fluorite is the State mineral!) was the culmination of a more than a year-long relentless campaign spearheaded by fifth grade and younger students of Pleasantdale School in Burr Ridge and Maplebrook Elementary School in Naperville.

Quarried extensively all over Illinois for crushed stone aggregates, dolostone occasionally crops out in the Chicago area from underneath the glacigenic cover as the upper sections of mile-large carbonate mounds that rise tens of feet above the surrounding low-lying bedrock areas. Benchmark studies have certified these exhumed Silurian-age reefs of Illinois as classic geological models.

For the more recent history or architecture buffs, one may still count the 3,300 dolostone blocks used to build the outside walls of the Old State Capitol in Springfield in 1837.

As for the outdoor enthusiast willing to explore the Illinois landscape, the breathtaking rock walls of Sagawau Canyon along the Des Plaines River or the awe-inspiring Mississippi River bluffs north of Savanna provide scenic exposures of dolostone formations.

A French medical officer and engineer eventually-turnedgeologist, Deodat de Dolomieu, is given credit for the first description of a new calcareous rock visually alike to limestone yet less effervescent in acid. Dolomieu made his observations in the Stubaier Alps, Austria, and published them in 1791. A year later, the rock was named “dolomie” in his honor. About a decade later it became clear the main mineral making up Dolomieu’s rock was a double carbonate of Ca and Mg and thus different from calcite, limestone’s dominant mineral. And dolomite (English for “dolomie”) has since been used, some would say in a rather confusing manner, for both the rock and the mineral.

In 1946, Robert R. Shrock, an MIT professor and eminent scholar of Silurian reefs, presented a new classification of sedimentary rock before the Chicago meeting of the Geological Society of America. Shrock proposed the name “dolostone” for the rock made up the mineral dolomite, so that the dolomite-

The Thornton Quarry, located just south of Chicago, produces crushed aggregate from Silurian dolostone and exposed one of the largest Niagaran reefs found in the Chicago region.

AEG NEWS 65(3)

Summer 2022

FIELD TRIPS

Geologic Studies at Montrose Beach, Chicago: An Illinois Chicago Chapter Field Trip to Lake Michigan

T

Chris Stohr, Chicago Chapter Chair

en members of the AEG Chicago Chapter and IL-IN AIPG braved mild weather for a field trip to Montrose Beach on Saturday morning June 11, 2022.

Participating AEG-Chicago members were Roseann and Ross Park-Jones, Liviu Iordache, Chris Stohr, and Allen Uycoque, a student who drove up for the occasion from Fishers, Indiana. The field trip was led by Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) coastal geologist Dr. Robin Mattheus, ISGS Coastal Geospatial Analysts Liz Spitzer and Kristen Pearce, and Cody Eskew, Coastal Studies Specialist with the IDNR Coastal Management Program.

Dr. Mattheus described the history and construction of the Montrose peninsula, provided geologic background information, and explained his research crew’s approach to precision geospatial and hydrodynamic data acquisition for understanding process and terrain dynamics within the urban coastal environment. Their work helps to inform those looking to meet today’s shoreline management challenges, including those associated with Chicago’s largest beach (at Montrose), which contains a protected dune field, shore bird nesting habitat (e.g., for the endangered Great Lakes piping plover), and various recreational terrains. Managing these areas

ABOVE: Figure 1. Montrose peninsula is an expansive promontory of the Lincoln Park lakeshore and represents the most lakeward protrusion of park lakefill in Chicago, reaching ~0.75 miles from the pre-fill shoreline.

AEG and AIPG field trip participants to Montrose Beach [Chicago in background] Note PPE footwear of the coastal geologists.

Summer 2022

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FIELD TRIPS for different stakeholder groups requires a finely tuned knowledge of sand transport along the “Gold Coast” and sedimentary patterns within urban lake embayments. The team hopes to contribute to the development of novel strategies to aid beach stabilization efforts by helping to assess the effectiveness of traditional control measures (e.g., creating seasonal berms along the shoreline to protect beach terrains from the impacts of winter storms).

Spitzer and Pearce demonstrated instruments (e.g., an aerial drone) that provided real-time data viewing. Both described the technical details of data acquisition and analysis, which relies on precision geospatial constraints (provided by GNSS RTK-based positioning). They explained Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry (as applied to aerial drone imagery), Ground Penetrating Radar [which requires considerable knowledge and experience], and Geographic Information Systems (GIS-based) mapping using newly acquired and pre-existing datasets. Whew!

Cody Eskew described efforts to stabilize parts of the public beach as a preserve with habitat for migratory shore birds, which have included Chicago’s adopted Piping Plovers, Monte and Rose.

The group hiked the length of the Montrose Peninsula groin for a great vantage point of the Chicago skyline [see Figure 1].

Experiencing the difference in water depth from one side of the arced groin to the other made it clear to the group how effective the structure is at capturing sand on the littoral updrift side

while keeping the harbor accessible on the downdrift side.

Following the hike, the group retired to “The Dock” for a repast of sandwiches, fermented beverages and engaging conversation.

For some urban geologists “Life’s a beach.”

Kristen Pearce, ISGS Coastal Geospatial Analyst, pulled groundpenetrating radar (a geophysical instrument for imaging the subsurface) across the beach to image sand thickness and internal depositional architectures.

Liz Spitzer, ISGS Coastal Geospatial Analyst, describes use of small unmanned aerial systems (a.k.a. drones), Structure from Motion (SfM) software, precision surveying techniques, and GIS technologies to map changes in beach area and quantify sand volumetric changes in Chicago (as a function of lake-level change and storm impacts).

AEG members Liviu Iordcahe, Chicago Chapter Vice Chair Cornelia Marin, Ross Jones, and Rossann Park-Jones learning about Chicago’s coastal geology.

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… s e t a D e h t e these future AEG Annual Meetings Savfor AEG 67th Annual Meeting

AEG 68th Annual Meeting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Chicago, Illinois

SEPTEMBER 10–14, 2024

SEPTEMBER 23–27, 2025

Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing

Westin Chicago River North Chicago is one of the top tourist destinations in the United States for a reason. It’s a welcoming city with plenty of world-class attractions. Located on Lake Michigan in Illinois, Chicago is famed for its bold architecture. In additional to engineering geology, the AEG 2025 Annual Meeting will focus on sustainability, health, climate change, and environmental geology.

Philadelphia, the nation's birthplace and capital from 1790 to 1800, is renowned for its rich history on display at the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed), and many other historical sites. Also iconic are its cheesesteaks and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art immortalized by Sylvester Stallone’s triumphant run in the film “Rocky.”

The Meeting Hotel Overlooking the Delaware River with views across to New Jersey, the hotel is less than a mile from the Liberty Bell, the Museum of the American Revolution, and the Benjamin Franklin Museum. They are adjacent to Spruce Street Harbor Park, and Society Hill is less than a mile away. The hotel is located on the waterfront in Center City’s Historic District and steps from numerous attractions and an eclectic array of restaurants.

The Meeting Hotel Located in the heart of downtown Chicago in the prestigious River North neighborhood of the city, the Westin Chicago River North’s location makes it a perfect base to explore the historic and energetic Windy City with nearby attractions including the Millennium Park, The Chicago Theatre District, and the vibrant Chicago Riverwalk. Refreshed in early 2020, the flexible event space offers the perfect setting for meetings. Recharge in your choice of accommodations, from traditional rooms to luxury suites, all with a view of the Chicago River or the downtown skyline. Maintain your health goals with the delicious and healthy on-site dining at 320 RiverBar and the state-of-theart WestinWorkout fitness studio. Enjoy complimentary fitness classes as well as Rise + Ride with Westin and Peloton.

FIELD TRIPS

San Francisco Chapter’s Trip to Mt. Diablo Justin Lindeman and Jennifer Pfau-Flores Photos by Betsy Mathieson, Jennifer Pfau-Flores, and Sarah Kalika

Overlook of the valley near Juniper Campground INSET: Pillow basalts at Summit

O

n May 7, 2022, Chapter members joined Dr. Bruce Pauly to explore the complex geologic history of Mount Diablo. The field trip toured the various lithologies and structures of the mountain from base to peak. Featured stops included Rock City, Juniper Campground, and the Summit. At each stop, participants observed rock units ranging in age from Cretaceous to Quaternary and discussed the tectonic processes that took place. Bruce enlightened the group with explanations of how Mount Diablo came to be and highlighted the need for more research to explain the mystery of this mountain.

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FIELD TRIPS

AT LEFT: The group stopped for lunch alongside a chert outcrop BELOW: AEG San Francisco Chapter members with Dr. Bruce Pauly at Juniper overlook

BELOW: Checking out the Tertiary Domengine sandstone at Rock City

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Call for Case Histories,Technical Notes, and Research Papers

Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (E&EG) The Journal of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists and the Geological Society of America

Why Publish in E&EG? ◆ To reach more than 20,000 engineering geology professionals. ◆ To give your work visibility among other researchers in your field. ◆ To keep the body of knowledge current. ◆ To make your work accessible to a wider audience. ◆ To make your work more discoverable through on-line search engines. ◆ To take advantage of the new Open Access feature. ◆ To become eligible for the AEG Publications Award presented annually to the person or persons responsible for the most outstanding paper published in Environmental & Engineering Geoscience.

Instructions for Authors are in the Style Guide: https://aeg.memberclicks.net/assets/EEG/E%26EG%20Style%20Guide%20Jan%202022.pdf Instructions for Submitting Files: https://www.editorialmanager.com/eeg If you have questions, please contact a Co-Editor: Abdul Shakoor (ashakoor@kent.edu) or Eric Peterson (ewpeter@ilstu.edu).

t n o r f e m o H e h T Carolinas Chapter Rick Kolb, Former Chapter Chair The economy in the Carolinas is booming and housing and rent prices along with it. Consequently, many consulting companies are hiring, but they’re not finding enough candidates for entry level and especially for mid-range level of experience positions. As a result, those of us employed are working more than we’d like, and that includes Jacob Hundl and Jen Thomas, Chair and Vice Chair of the Carolinas Chapter, both of whom were too busy to write a summary for this quarter’s Homefront.

Our Chapter was pretty much silent during the first year of Covid and into the second, as board members and members and the rest of society came down with Covid, some more than once. Former Chapter Chair Paul Weaver set up our first meeting post-Covid times, which was held in Greensboro on October 21 and featured a presentation by Heather Hanna, a forensic geologist. It was nice to see people again, though our attendance was less than half the usual for Greensboro meetings.

As former Regional Directors, both Paul and I had the ambition to hold Chapter meetings in South Carolina (and ultimately set up a Chapter there), but work and Covid got in the way, and a meeting didn’t happen until Rich Anthony in Charleston volunteered to set up his first-ever AEG meeting for February 17. Rich picked out a local microbrewery, Holy City Brewery, and we hosted Jahns Lecturer Rick Wooten. On arrival, we found the brewery was packed, but Rich had secured the meeting space in the mezzanine, so we were separated from the crowd. Unfortunately, word of the meeting did not get out to geology students at the College of Charleston, where Rick had made an afternoon presentation, so we had no students in attendance. Next time we will make sure students are notified.

Typically we hold our winter meeting in Charlotte, and we had it scheduled for January, but then the latest variant of Covid popped up, so we postponed to March 17. We met at the US Whitewater Center, a great venue where we had held our last pre-Covid meeting in January 2020. Again, we had a new volunteer, Chapter Secretary Jonathan Gerst, set up his first meeting. At this meeting, as usual for Charlotte, we had attendance by many students from UNC-Charlotte and faculty members/longtime AEG supporters Dr. John Diemer and Jake Armour. Our speaker was again Rick Wooten. It’s convenient when the Jahns Lecturer lives relatively nearby.

Jonathan plans to organize a meeting this summer in Greenville, South Carolina, where he recently set up a reunion for his high school graduating class and is familiar with the meeting venues.

Chapter Field Trip Chair Rick Kolb set up our first field trip in three years for Saturday, March 26. We visited the White Plains Nature Preserve in Chatham County, just west of Raleigh, where we observed dacitic lavas and tuffs of the

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Carolina Terrane and Triassic-aged sedimentary rocks of the Deep River basin. The preserve is owned by the Triangle Land Conservancy, and the weather was springtime perfect.

As he has done several times in the past, Phil Bradley of the North Carolina Geological Survey led the field trip. He was assisted by Emily Michael and David Grimley of the Survey.

We had lunch at Carolina Brewing in Pittsboro (included in the registration), and a few of us may have had a beer. The field trip was good for six hours of continuing education credit, which most of us used to help meet the annual requirement of twelve hours for maintaining our geology license in North Carolina.

We held our spring meeting on April 14 at Clouds Brewing in downtown Raleigh. We have met there twice in the past, and had the patio pretty much to ourselves, and again the weather was perfect. Our speaker was Rick Wooten. We hope eventually to reach our usual pre-Covid meeting attendance of 90 to 100 in Charlotte and Raleigh and 50 in Greensboro, but we know this will take some time. Fortunately, our Chapter sponsors help us in times when meeting attendance is low.

Our second field trip of the year was held in western North Carolina and based at Big Pillow Brewing in Hot Springs, which is conveniently located next to the Hot Springs Campground. We originally scheduled the field trip for Saturday, May 14, but this time the weather didn’t cooperate, so we had to postpone the trip to the following Saturday, May 21. Bart Cattanach of the North Carolina Geological Survey led this field trip, where we observed Mesoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks and Neoproterozoic-Cambrian sedimentary rocks. The geology of North Carolina is quite complicated. Lunch was back at a food truck at the brewery. This trip also offered six hours of continuing education credit.

Brad Worley, our Student Liaison, restarted our Visiting Professional Program this spring after being on hiatus during the past two springs of Covid times and virtual classes. He organized presentations in March and April at East Carolina University, East Tennessee State University, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, NC State University, Virginia Tech, and Appalachian State University. Our Chapter started these presentations—typically by a trio consisting of an environmental geologist, an engineering geologist, and a public-sector geologist—in 2007, prior to implementation of the program by AEG nationally.

Almost half of our members are students, who can attend our meetings for free.

On January 27, 2022, Rick Kolb led the third installment of the AEG webinar on “How to Prepare and Strategize for the ASBOG® Fundamentals of Geology Exam,” with over 100 in attendance. Rick “recruited” three younger geologists as presenters: Emily Michael of the NC Geological Survey, Kellen Kromm of Northwest Geoscience, and Hayley Irick of Terracon.

Dr. Jason Patton, past president of ASBOG, also presented and helped answer the tougher questions. Based on participant

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HEADER THE HOMEFRONT HERE feedback, these webinars are helpful for those planning to take the exam. We’ve had over 100 participate each time we’ve presented this webinar, and we plan to offer it again approximately two months before the next FG exam on October 1, 2022. If you’d like to be one of the presenters, contact Rick Kolb at rick.kolb1@gmail.com.

Over the past six months, as part of encouraging members to get together again, Chapter Social Chair Adam Phillips of ERIS has set up what we call “brewpub socials” at microbreweries in Charlotte and Asheville. He has planned another social for June 23 in downtown Greensboro at Joymongers Brewing Company, preceding a Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball game a block from the brewery. These socials are essentially like a Chapter meeting without a dinner and speaker and give our members an opportunity to get together more than once a year outside our chapter meetings in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. Adam plans to schedule another social this summer at a microbrewery in Wilmington. North Carolina has over 370 microbreweries and brewpubs, the most in the American South, so our options for brewpub socials and Chapter meetings are many.

challenges including wildfire-related concerns and COVID-19 delays. Geologically, the investigations included: lidar and bathymetric surveying, geologic mapping, borings, borehole hydraulic conductivity testing, dilatometer testing, piezometers, geophysical surveys, test pits, and laboratory testing of soil and rock samples where preliminary results indicated that the site geology is surprisingly straightforward for Franciscan Complex terrane.

In March, AEG SF virtually hosted Dr. Edmund Medley with the San Francisco Geo-Institute. His Suggestions for Prudent Geopractice with Franciscan Bimrocks presentation focused on block-in-matrix rocks basics mixed with suggestions to encourage prudent geopractice for foundations, tunnels, excavations, and slopes in the Franciscan bimrocks of the Bay Area. Suggestions included: knowing the significance of Franciscan sub-terranes; beware estimates of block sizes and block proportions; challenge geological cross-sections developed from borings; and, question the results of deterministic slope stability analyses.

On May 7, Dr. Bruce Pauly guided members from our Chapter on a field trip around Mount Diablo (discussed in the Field Trips section of this issue on page 36).

San Francisco Chapter

Texas Chapter

Justin Lindeman and Jennifer Pfau-Flores

Ashley Aguilar, Student Liaison

For the San Francisco Chapter, 2022 has been (and will continue to be) an exciting year trying to get back to normal. We are currently exploring how to offer hybrid (in-person and virtual) meetings to allow everyone in our large footprint to attend and to archive presentations for people who cannot attend. Later this year we will hold a few more in-person meetings, several pop-up talks (15-minute lunchtime virtual presentations), one or two social hours, a second 2022 field trip around San Francisco in August, and a virtual geologythemed trivia night.

In January, the 2021–22 Jahns Distinguished Lecturer, Richard Wooten, gave his virtual presentation on Debris Flows, Big Slow Movers, and Rocks Slides: Assembling the Geospatial Legacy of Landslides Using Lidar, Drones, and Boots on the Ground. His presentation can be seen here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZjNWVKBq44In) in our first attempt to record and disseminate on our YouTube page.

On May 10 2022, the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter was excited to hold our first in-person meeting in over two years! Dave Simpson of AECOM presented Challenging Geologic Investigations for the First Large New Dam in 21st Century California. He discussed how quantifying foundation properties and addressing geologic issues are the key responsibilities of a dam geologist. The goals of the first phase of the Pacheco Reservoir Expansion Project were to define the bedrock foundation characteristics at two separate sites under consideration for a proposed 350-ft-high dam, spillway, outlet tunnel and structures, as well as a conveyance pipeline and multiple borrow sites amid many non-geologic

AEG Texas Chapter Spring 2022 Meeting, Boerne, Texas

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The AEG Texas Chapter sponsored the Seventh Annual Texas Hydro-Geo Workshop held April 1 – 3 at Cave Without a Name in Boerne, Texas. The workshop consisted of a series of well-organized training sessions conducted by experts in their field. The range of topics included the collection, processing, analysis, and evaluation of hydrologic and geologic field data. This year, thirty-eight modules were presented, and as many as 150 college students and professionals attended with participants travelling from as far away as Arizona and California. Our very own Pat Frost (AEG Texas Chapter Past Chair) conducted a module titled ESRI Collector for ArcGIS Mobile App. Pat and AEG Region 6 Director Rusty Branch advised students in their Career Development module throughout the workshop.

The AEG Texas members participated at the AEG booth, engaging with students and professionals. Pat Frost organized us and ensured that we had AEG swag for students, including stress ROCKS, stickers, and a covered booth with an AEG banner. In addition to offering water and snacks, the Texas Chapter held a raffle for goodie bags filled with AEG portable power banks, field notebooks and covers, stickers, and rock hammers for new members. The Texas Chapter received thirty AEG student membership applications and interest in the creation of new student Chapters. Additionally, AEG Texas issued six PDHs to AEG members who attended workshop modules. Texas Chapter members in attendance included Pat, Rusty, Cynthia Palomares (2019–20 AEG President), Mark Dobson, Skye Ibarra, Ashley Aguilar, Angie De La Cruz, Mathew O’Brien, and Corrine Gaunt.

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THE HOMEFRONT

Participants in the Cave Geology module led by Dr. George Veni

Setup began Friday afternoon with selection of tent sites and raising of the AEG canopy and banners. The afternoons were a bit warm, however cooler temperatures graced us following sunset. On Saturday night, we gathered at the pavilion for a series of talks, starting with the keynote speaker, Dr. George Veni, Executive Director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI). Dr. Veni spoke about the need for the International Year of Caves and Karst, the initial setup, and the progress they have seen since its beginning. After the keynote speaker, came the infamous Yodeling and Hog Calling Contest, followed by lightning talks. Cynthia Palomares’s lightning talk on the importance of joining a professional organization was a big hit and mentioned by multiple students who visited the booth. Mark Dobson’s lightning talk focused on fault data recently acquired by himself and Rusty Branch.

University of Texas-San Antonio student Corrinne Gauntt braved the cave darkness

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Dr. George Veni discussing microbially influenced travertine terraces in Cave Without a Name

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THE HOMEFRONT

Pat Frost and Rusty Branch lead one of the sessions on Career Development with students while Mathew O’Brien runs the Texas Chapter booth. A grateful thank you to BCI for the loan of a replacement canopy!

L to R: Module Levi Sparks (left) of the Bandera County River Authority presenting “TCEQ’s Clean River Program: An Overview” to UTSA students Kaitlyn Tillery, Angie De La Cruz, and Corrinne Gauntt

and participated in a wet and wild cave tour. The workshop ended on Sunday morning, after which we took down tents, cleaned up the campground, packed up, and departed.

Currently, the Texas Chapter is setting up the next series of meetings, including a Central Texas geology wine tour with Dr. Peter Rose in the fall.

L to R: AEG Texas Chapter members and workshop attendees Eric Wolf, Ashley Aguilar, Angie De La Cruz, Rusty Branch, Pat Frost, Ed Miller, and Mason Miller start off the chilly morning with some coffee before the day’s modules begin.

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