A nonprofit organization for promoting the scientific and educational aspects of geology through monthly meetings, field trips, publications, scholarships and awards.
Our Next Meeting
June 24, 2026 (Members Night)
Dr. Thomas MacKinnon —
Dimensions of Underplated Slices in Ancient Accretionary Complexes in New Zealand and California
Dr. Don Medwedeff —
East Bay Growth Structures: How Best to Analyze Them?
Dr. Wayne Narr —
Depositional and Lithological Control on Fractures in a Steep Reefal Carbonate Margin
Meeting site: click for full-size map
Talks to come:
After summer break, we will launch the 2026-27 season on September 30!
News
Our Scholarship Chair, Phillip Garbutt, steps down in June after 21 years. In observance of this landmark, NCGS members have made or pledged contributions totaling more than $2000 to our scholarship fund. All donations made through August will add to the tally. Donate through our event registration page by checking the “donation only” spot. If you wish to send a paper check, please contact us through the email address on the About Us page.
The California Geological Survey has released The Sierra Nevada Earth Science Atlas, “the most detailed geologic framework mapping of the Sierra Nevada that has ever been made.” Find it here.
Our 2025-26 scholarship recipient, Nancy Carman, presented in March at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on her comparison of mineral deposits at Lassen Volcano fumaroles and in Gusev crater, Mars.
The field trip guide for the NCGS outing to Mount Diablo’s summit and western flank, first run in October 2019, is now released to the public. Find the PDF in the Past Field Trips table. NCGS generally makes its field trip guides available after five years.
NCGS awarded its 2025-26 Richard Chambers Memorial Scholarships to two postgraduate candidates:
Nancy Carman of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the proposal “Redox-Driven Mineral Evolution in Lassen’s Hydrothermal System: Seasonal Controls on Active Surface Alteration” under advisor Dr. Lindsay McHenry.
Gwyneth Chilcoat of the University of California, Davis for the proposal “Reconstructing Shellfish Communities of the Holocene San Francisco Bay” under advisor Dr. Tessa Hill.
We award $2000 grants for research projects in or near Northern California. The application period for the 2027 scholarships will be announced in the fall of this year.
Two NCGS members have books published by Heyday Books, in Berkeley. Gary Prost‘s Rocks and Riches introduces selected California geology sites that everyone should visit. Order it here. Andrew Alden‘s Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City offers residents and visitors a new dimension to this iconic California city. Order it here.
The U.S. Geological Survey has released a new comprehensive, interactive geologic map of the contiguous United States. See the map here and read the USGS announcement here.
A camera in Myanmar recorded the March 2025 magnitude 7.8 earthquake as it moved the ground by several meters. The YouTube video is amazing, and it’s explained in great depth at the Earthquake Insights Substack.
Become a Member
Our meetings are held each month from September to June (except December), usually on the last Wednesday. Here are details.
When you attend our meetings you’ll be the first to learn about upcoming speakers, field trips and outreach activities. You’ll also receive the monthly NCGS newsletter, full of interesting articles on geoscience topics. Learn more.
During the heavy Covid-19 period, we were broadcasting our meetings via Zoom. Recorded talks have been posted on our YouTube channel, @NCGS1000. We discontinued the broadcasts in September 2024.
Listen and talk back to us on social media: Bluesky and Facebook.
