Past Meetings, 2000–01 to 2009–10
Click the talk title to see the talk abstract and speaker’s biography (PDF).
June 28, 2000
Keil Albert, Geoconsultants Inc. ― Provenance of the Irvington Gravels
Summary in the Sep 2000 newsletter
September 27, 2000
Dr. Dawn Sumner, University of California, Davis ― Tracing the Early Evolution of Life in the Rock Record
Summary in the Oct 2000 newsletter
October 25, 2000
Frank Picha, Consultant, Walnut Creek ― Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum Systems in Terms of Global Tectonic Cycles
Summary in the Nov 2000 newsletter
November 29, 2000
Chris McKay, NASA Ames Research Center ― Landscape Geomorphology and the Search for Water on Mars: Implications for the Development of Life
Summary in the Jan 2001 newsletter
January 31, 2001
Keith E. Knudsen, California Division of Mines & Geology ― New Quaternary Geologic and Liquefaction Susceptibility Mapping of the San Francisco Bay Region
Summary in the Feb 2001 newsletter
February 21, 2001
John E. Warme, Colorado School of Mines ― Anatomy of an Anomaly: The Catastrophic Devonian Alamo Impact Breccia, Nevada
Summary in the Mar 2001 newsletter
March 22, 2001
Andrew Pulham, University of Colorado, Boulder (AAPG Distinguished Lecture) ― Reservoir Performance and Reservoir Quality in a Sequence Stratigraphic Framework: Case Studies from the Americas and Europe
Summary in the Apr 2001 newsletter
April 25, 2001
John Karachewski, Weiss Associates ― Geology of Southern New Mexico and the Desert Soil Geomorphology Project
Summary in the May 2001 newsletter
May 30, 2001
Dave Mustart, San Francisco State University ― Hydrothermal Pipes in Six Granitic Plutons in California: Evidence for Evolution and Migration of a Magmatic Volatile Phase
Summary in the Jun 2001 newsletter
June 27, 2001
Bruce Jaffe, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park ― Mercury Contaminated Hydraulic Mining Debris in North San Francisco Bay: A Legacy of the Gold Rush
Summary in the Sep 2001 newsletter
September 26, 2001
Richard Sedlock, San Jose State University ― Blueschists and Ophiolites in Baja: Coast Range Geology, But with Outcrops
Summary in the Oct 2001 newsletter
October 24, 2001
David Lawler, Bureau of Land Management ― Hydraulic Gold Mining’s Historical Legacy ― Mercury Contamination Issues: Sierra Nevada and Klamath Mountain Regions, California
Summary in the Nov 2001 newsletter
November 28, 2001
Mel Erskine, Consultant ― The Colorado Plateau Tectonostratigraphic Unit
Summary in the Jan 2002 newsletter
January 30, 2002
Roger Ashley, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park ― Lode Gold Deposits of the Sierra Nevada and their Environmental Impacts
Summary in the Feb 2002 newsletter
February 27, 2002
James Moore, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park ― Exploring the Highest Sierra
Summary in the Mar 2002 newsletter
March 27, 2002
Donald L. Gautier, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park ― The Ghost of Malthus, the Global Greenhouse and the Perilous Geography of Petroleum
Summary in the Apr 2002 newsletter
April 24, 2002
John Gabelman, Consultant ― Hydrous Carbonatitic(?) Volcanism in Central Wyoming
Summary in the May 2002 newsletter
May 15, 2002
James Harrell, University of Toledo (AAPG Distinguished Lecture) ― Archaeological Geology in Egypt: Ancient Oil Wells and Mummy Bitumen, Earliest Geological Map, First Paved Road, Pyramid Temple Pavements, and the Sphinx Age Controversy
Summary in the Jun 2002 newsletter
June 26, 2002
John Karachewski, Weiss Associates ― California Geoscapes
September 25, 2002
Charles R. Bacon, US Geological Survey ― Volcanism in Nature’s Bathtubs: The Caldera Lakes at Aniakchak and Crater Lake
Summary in the Nov 2002 newsletter
October 23, 2002
John Delaney, University of Washington ― Volcanoes, Oceans, and Life in Our Solar System
Summary in the Jan 2003 newsletter
November 20, 2002
John Zucca, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ― Forensic Seismology Supports the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Summary in the Jan 2003 newsletter
January 29, 2003
Kent Lightfoot, UC Berkeley ― Archaeology of the San Francisco Bay Region
Summary in the Feb 2003 newsletter
February 26, 2003
Calvin Stephens, San Jose State University ― Paleozoic Stratigraphy of the Eastern Sierra Nevada and Its Relation to Cratonal and Miogeoclinal Rocks to the East
Summary in the Mar 2003 newsletter
March 26, 2003
Morgan D. Sullivan, CSU Chico ― Fluvial-Deltaic Cyclicity, Ridge Basin, Southern California: Evidence for Kinematic Cyclostratigraphy
Summary in the Apr 2003 newsletter
April 30, 2003
John Wakabayashi, Consultant ― Tale of Two Uplifts: Tectonics and the Evolution of Sierra Nevada Topography
Summary in the May 2003 newsletter
May 28, 2003
Ian Carmichael, UC Berkeley ― The Andesite Aqueduct: Examples from Western Mexico
Summary in the Jun 2003 newsletter
June 25, 2003
Carol Prentice, US Geological Survey ― How Historical Research into the 1906 Earthquake Provides a Better Understanding of the San Andreas Fault
Summary in the Jul 2003 newsletter
September 24, 2003
Carl Wentworth, US Geological Survey ― Quaternary Structure of the Santa Clara Valley in the Context of a Three-dimensional Geologic Map
Summary in the Nov 2003 newsletter
October 29, 2003
Stephen Eittreim, US Geological Survey Emeritus ― Revealing the Hidden World Beneath Monterey Bay
Summary in the Jan 2004 newsletter
November 19, 2003
John W. Williams, San Jose State University ― Engineering Geology Contributes to Living Safely in the Geological Dynamic San Francisco Bay Area
Summary in the Jan 2004 newsletter
January 28, 2004
Ronald Olowin, St. Mary’s College ― The Earth: Having a Sense of Place in the Cosmos
Summary in the Feb 2004 newsletter
February 25, 2004
Nahum Schneidermann, ChevronTexaco Overseas Petroleum ― Global Gas
March 31, 2004
Judd Case, St. Mary’s College ― Discovering Dinosaurs in the Antarctic Peninsula
Summary in the Apr 2004 newsletter
April 28, 2004
John Stockwell, NCGS K-12 Program Chair ― The Formation of Thundereggs
Summary in the May 2004 newsletter
May 26, 2004
Jim Ellis, Ellis GeoSpatial ― Mapping with Remote Sensing & GIS
Summary in the June 2004 newsletter
June 30, 2004
David Bero, P.G., R.G. ― Geology of the Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County
Summary in the Sep 2004 newsletter
September 29, 2004
Greg Croft, Consulting Geologist ― Regional Trends in World Oil Production
Summary in the Oct 2004 newsletter
October 27, 2004
Dr. Roland Bürgmann, UC Berkeley ― Slipping and Sliding on the Hayward Fault
Summary in the Jan 2005 newsletter
November 17, 2004
Dr. Wayne Narr, ChevronTexaco Energy Technology Company, San Ramon ― Understanding and Predicting Fractures at Tengiz – A Giant, Naturally Fractured Reservoir in the Caspian Basin of Kazakhstan
Summary in the Jan 2005 newsletter
January 26, 2005
Cheryl Smith, President, Peninsula Geological Society ― Geochemical Study of Distribution Habitat of Arabis macdonaldiana in the Josephine Ophiolite, Six Rivers National Forest, Del Norte County, California
Summary in the Feb 2005 newsletter
February 23, 2005
Dr. Robert Tilling, U.S. Geological Survey ― Confronting Volcanic Hazards
Summary in the Mar 2005 newsletter
March 30, 2005
Dr. Barbara Bekins, U.S. Geological Survey ― Hydrogeology and the Weak Nature of Plate Boundary Faults
Summary in the Apr 2005 newsletter
April 27, 2005
Dr. Michael Manga, UC Berkeley ― Why Do Volcanoes (Only Sometimes) Erupt Explosively?
Summary in the Jun 2005 newsletter
May 25, 2005
Dr. Paul M. (Mitch) Harris, Chevron, San Ramon ― Geologic Framework and Reservoir Distribution, Tengiz Field, Kazakhstan
Summary in the Oct 2005 newsletter
June 29, 2005
Dr. Monte Hampton, Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey ― Formation and Evolution of Coastal Cliffs (or the All-Time Shortest Coastal Cliffs Short Course)
Summary in the Jan 2006 newsletter
September 28, 2005
Christie Rowe, Doctoral Student, UC Santa Cruz ― Searching for Subduction Zone Seismogenesis in the Rock Record
Summary in the Feb 2006 newsletter
October 26, 2005
Todd Crampton, Geomatrix ― Engineering Geology of the Proposed 4th Bore of the Caldecott Tunnel
Summary in the Apr 2006 newsletter
November 16, 2005
Dr. Eldridge Moores, UC Davis ― Earth & Space Sciences and California
Summary in the Sep 2006 newsletter
January 25, 2006
Sarah Andrews, Author, Em Hansen Forensic Geology Novels ― Art Meets Science on the Cold Continent
February 22, 2006
Dr. Richard Buffler, University of Texas, Austin ― Geologic Setting of the Abdur Archaeological Site on the Red Sea Coast of Eritrea, Africa
March 29, 2006
Dr. Mary Lou Zoback, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park ― The 1906 Earthquake—Lessons Learned, Lessons Forgotten, and Looking Forward
April 26, 2006
Kathleen Burnham, Consultant ― Point Lobos and Point Reyes: Evidence of ~180 km Offset on the San Gregorio/Northern San Andreas Fault
May 31, 2006
Dr. George Brimhall, UC Berkeley ― A History of Field Geology at UC Berkeley, and Issues Facing Field Geology Training Programs Today
June 28, 2006
Dr. Mitchell Craig, California State University, East Bay ― Near-Surface Geophysical Imaging Using Seismic and Radar Methods
September 27, 2006
Dr. Doris Sloan, UC Berkeley; Dr. John Karachewski, Weiss Associates, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ― Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region – The Story Behind the Book
October 25, 2006
Dr. Richard Stanley & Dr. Russell Graymer, U.S. Geological Survey ― Subsurface Geology, Basin Evolution, Tectonic Development, and Climatic Cyclicity of the Santa Clara Valley Area
November 15, 2006
Dylan Rood, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and UC Santa Barbara ― Changing Rates and Styles of Crustal Deformation at Timescales of 10 My to 10 ky
January 31, 2007
Dr. George Plafker, U.S. Geological Survey (Emeritus), Menlo Park, and Plafker Geohazard Consultants ― New Evidence for a Secondary Tectonic Source for the Cataclysmic 12/26/2004 Sumatra Tsunami
February 28, 2007
Paul Belasky, Ohlone College, Fremont ― The Real “Geopoetry” and the “Poets of the Soil”: The Geological School of 20th Century Poetry in St. Petersburg, Russia
Summary in the Oct 2007 newsletter
March 28, 2007
Dr Jeff Unruh, William Lettis and Associates and UC Davis ― Geologic History of Mount Diablo
April 25, 2007
Dr. Isabel Montañez, UC Davis ― CO2-Forced Climate and Vegetation Instability during Late Paleozoic Deglaciation
May 30, 2007
Dr. James Moore, U.S. Geological Survey, Retired ― The Adventures of Clarence King (First USGS Director) and His Survey of the 40th Parallel
June 27, 2007
Dr. Jeffery P. Schaffer, Napa Valley College ― Seeing the Elephant: How Perceived Evidence in the Sierra Nevada Biased Global Geomorphology
September 26, 2007
Dr. Eric Cowgill, UC Davis ― Long-Term Slip on an Orogen-Scale Fault System: Uplift History of the Northwestern Himalayan Mountains
Summary in the Jan 2008 newsletter
October 16, 2007
Dr. Kirk Johnson, Denver Museum of Nature and Science ― Crocodiles in Greenland and Hippos in London: A Fossil-Fueled Tour of Past and Future Climates
Summary in the Apr 2008 newsletter
November 28, 2007
Dr. Kurt Burmeister, University of the Pacific ― Controls on Structural Architecture and Strain Partitioning within the Northern Appalachian Fold-Thrust Belt in the Rosendale Natural Cement Region
January 30, 2008
Dr. Jeffery Mount, UC Davis ― Landscape Changes and California’s Water Supply Future
February 27, 2008
Dr. David Morrison, NASA Ames Research Laboratory ― Impacts and Evolution: Astrobiology and Near-Earth Object Impacts
Summary in the Nov 2008 newsletter
March 26, 2008
Dr. Gary Fuis, U.S. Geological Survey ― The San Andreas Fault in Southern California Is Almost Nowhere Vertical – Implications for Tectonics
April 30, 2008
Dr. Leonard Sklar, San Francisco State University ― How Pebbles Destroy Mountains: The Role of Sediment in River Incision into Bedrock
May 28, 2008
Dr. David Schwartz, Senior Earthquake Geologist, US Geological Survey ― Past and Future Earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay Area: Commemorating the 140th Anniversary of the 1868 Hayward Earthquake
June 25, 2008
Dr. John C. Tinsley, U.S. Geological Survey ― Dark Holes in Muir’s “Range of Light”: Insights from Southern Sierra Nevada Caves and Karst
September 24, 2008
Dr. Rolfe Erickson, California State University, Sonoma ― Granites in the Franciscan Formation at Cazadero, California
October 29, 2008
Dr. Laura Rademacher, University of the Pacific ― The Impact of Wildfires on California Landscapes
January 28, 2009
Dr. Victoria E. Langenheim, U.S. Geological Survey ― Geophysical Vignettes from the Wine Country: Implications for the Northward Continuation of the East Bay Fault System
February 25, 2009
Dr. Richard B. Firestone, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ― Mammoths, Meteorites, and Supernovae
March 25, 2009
Dr. Greg Stock; Geologist; Yosemite National Park ― New Tools for Understanding and Mitigating Rockfall Hazards in Yosemite National Park
April 29, 2009
Dr. Thomas C. Hanks, U.S. Geological Survey ― The Travels of Clyde Kluckhohn and the Photographs of James Hanks, 1927-1928: Repeat Photography, Virtual Repeat Photography, and Earth Surface Change in the Photographic Era
May 27, 2009
Dr. W. Gary Ernst, Emeritus Professor at Stanford University ― Mesozoic Transpression, Transtension, Subduction, and Metallogenesis in Northern and Central California
June 24, 2009
Dr. Dave Stonestrom, U.S. Geological Survey ― A Hydrogeological Perspective on Nuclear Waste — Tales from the Trenches
September 30, 2009
Dr. John Karachewski, Dept. Toxic Substances Control ― Geology of the San Francisco Bay Region – Photos that Didn’t Make It into the Book
October 28, 2009
Dr. Jack Boatwright, U.S. Geological Survey ― The Loma Prieta Earthquake Turns 20; What We Have Learned from Seismology, Engineering & Politics
November 18, 2009
Dr. Robert Dahlgren, San Jose State University ― Air Ionization at Rock Surfaces and Pre-Earthquake Signals
January 27, 2010
Dr. Stephen Tobriner, Professor Emeritus of Architecture, UC Berkeley ― The Earthquake of 1868 and the Birth of Seismically Resistant Architecture in California
February 24, 2010
Dr. C. Page Chamberlain, Stanford University ― The Evolution of Eocene Highlands and the Climate of the Western U.S. Cordillera
March 31, 2010
Dr. Mel Erskine, Consulting Geologist ― Structural Model for the Interpretation of the Central Basin and Range Province of Utah and Nevada
April 28, 2010
Dr. Adrian Brown, SETI Institute & NASA Ames Research Center ― Mars Dust and Ice: A Voyage to the Poles with Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
May 26, 2010
Dr. Carol Prentice, U.S. Geological Survey ― The Haiti Earthquake of 12 January 2010: A Geologic Perspective
June 30, 2010
Dr. Jacob Covault, Chevron ― Natural “Laboratories” of Southern California: Integrated Methodologies to Predict Coarse-Grained Sediment Flux to the Deep Sea