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December 2006
SDSU Universe News
Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience
Tahoe Fault Raises Red Flag
"The biggest fault beneath Lake Tahoe could be due to rupture any time, according to a new evaluation being prepared by researchers who probed Tahoe and nearby Fallen Leaf Lake earlier this year. The preliminary conclusions, outlined last week at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, help sharpen a still blurry picture of potentially tsunami-spawning faults that lurk beneath the lake."
Read More......

12.27.2006

Dr. Luis Dalguer-Gudiel - Awarded Grant for "Potential Use of Split Node Technique in Modeling Rupture Dynamics With Staggered Grid FDM", from USR Corporation 12.14.2006


Dr. Gordon Seitz - Awarded Grant for "A Basin Wide Record of Earthquakes at Lake Tahoe: Validation of the Earthquake Induced Turbidite Model with Sediment Core Analysis: Collaborative Research - UNR and SDSU", from DOI United States Geological Survey 12.13.2006


Defenses
Friday Dec 8th, CSL 422

Senior Thesis Defenses

student
Leah Feigelson
8:30 am

Testing ground motion models in southern California
Advisor Dr. Steve Day

student
Nicole Garcia
8:50 am

Dike Emplacement of a High-Alumina Olivine Tholeiite, Blizzard Gap, Oregon
Advisors Dr. Vic Camp

student
Shayne Boney
9:10 am
Multivariate analyses of presence/absence data to determine factors structuring Brachiopod communities of the Birdspring Formation, Arrow Canyon, Nevada
Advisor Dr. Lindsey Leighton
student
Jared Warner
9:30 am
North Atlantic glacial-interglacial ostracode faunas during the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT)
Advisor Dr. Stephen Schellenberg
student
James Mann
9:50 am
Provenance of quartzite clasts in Late Cretaceous conglomerates of the Cabrillo Formation
Advisor Dr. Dave Kimbrough
student
Lee White
10:10 am
Using a Physical Model to Interpret Three Basic Delta Morphologies
Advisor Dr. Clive Dorman
student
Melanie Biggs
10:30 am
The ignimbrite of Ferguson Wash and the Taylor Lake fault system: Key temporal markers in the tectonic evolution of the lower Colorado River region
Advisor Dr. Gary Girty

Graduate Thesis Defense

student
Eric Wink
11:00 am

Spatial variation of hydraulic conductivity within streambed material in San Diego County, California.
Advisor Dr. Kathy Thorbjarnarson


Dr. Tom Rockwell - Awarded Grant for "Slip Rate for the Central and Southern San Jacinto Fault Zone, Southern California: Toward Understanding Variations in Rate", from DOI United States Geological Survey 12.5.2006
November 2006
Excellence in Teaching Award
Professor Gary Girty
Professor Gary Girty
Awarded the 2006-2007 Excellence In Teaching Award

The SDSU Senate honors Dr. Gary Girty with the 2006-2007 Excellence in Teaching Award. Gary was chosen because of his superlative teaching record, professional accomplishments in teaching and his overall educational services to the campus and the larger community.

Selected Student Evaulations

  • Girty is an awesome professor who knows his stuff.  Gets his students interested and is just one of my favorite professors. 
  • I learned more in this class than any of my others.  Smart, nice, & a great teaching style.  Wish he taught other courses.
  • Awesome class. I’ve never been interested in geology, but Girty’s flash webpage sparked an interest
  • Great teacher! Very helpful, and will accommodate to your needs.

Girty's Educational Websites

SDSU Universe
11.30.2006


SDSU Universe News
Unleashing a Realistic Magnitude 7.7 Virtual Earthquake
“This is a significant milestone in enabling improved ground motion prediction because it achieved 18 times the throughput of the previous TeraShake simulations,” said Kim Olsen, Associate Professor of Geological Sciences at San Diego State University (SDSU), who developed the sophisticated Anelastic Wave Model (AWM), the fourth-order finite difference code used in the simulations. “Petascale computers will enable earthquake simulations to enter a new level of accuracy, capturing greater detail in space and time.”
Read More......

11.17.2006

Dr. Jared Morrow - Awarded a travel grant to present a seminar at the Center for Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria, and to collaborate with colleagues there on a study of the geochemistry of tsunami deposits from the Late Devonian Alamo impact event, western U.S. 11.17.2006


Dr. George Jiracek, Matt Burgess, and Peter Winther - Invited to join a project with the University of Utah, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; aimed at understanding the tectonics of this complex plate boundary in New Zealand. 11.15.2006



Alumni Adopt-a-Road
SDSU geophysicists - New Zealand

A team of SDSU geophysicists will travel to New Zealand in December to do earthquake hazard research. George Jiracek, along with graduate students Peter Winther and Matt Burgess, will join others from the University of Utah, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan to do magnetotelluric geophysical soundings in the Marlborough area of the South Island. The Marlborough area is famous for its wines, earthquakes, and mountainous terrain. The project is aimed at understanding the tectonics of this complex plate boundary. The Indo-Australian/Pacific plate boundary in the South Island, New Zealand is characterized by active continent-continent transpressional collision. The associated Southern Alps orogen exhibits high uplift rates and rapid transcurrent movement. This investigation of this plate boundary includes disciplines of seismic reflection, explosion refraction, onshore-offshore wide-angle reflection/refraction, regional and teleseismic passive seismology, magnetotellurics, laboratory petrophysics, gravity, regional geological investigations, and rheological/geodynamical analyses.
11.15.2006
October 2006

Alumni Adopt-a-Road
SDSU Geology Alumni Association
County of San Diego Adopt-a-Road

A two-mile section of Sunrise Highway has been adopted by the SDSU Geology Alumni Association. The inaugral clean-up effort occurred on Saturday, October 14. Laura, her husband, Mehrzad, Tony Sawyer and Sue Tanges enjoyed cool mountain air as trash bags were filled. Best finds of the day - three shed snakeskins, a snake (eek!) and a $5 bill! Be prepared to join us next time! The Alumni’s “Adopt-a-Road project” successful efforts are due to the leadership of Laura (Bloom) Maghsoudlou, and her hard-working crew.
The County of San Diego Adopt-A-Road program was established in 1994 to allow non-political organizations, corporations, groups and individuals to participate in maintaining and enhancing San Diego County’s roadsides. Participants agree to pick up litter from a section of roadside for two years. In exchange for their work, the Department of Public Works provides free trash bags and two courtesy signs designating each work site. The program is designed to promote civic responsibility, community spirit and camaraderie and to provide an opportunity to accomplish something worthwhile.
10.31.2006

Dr. Steven Day and Kim Bak Olsen - Awarded grant for "Implementation of SCEC Research for Seismic Risk Reduction", from the University of Southern California. 10.25.2006


GSA 2006
GSA 2006 - The Pursuit of Science
Thanks to the Efforts of Alumnus Sue Tanges, Dr. Jared Morrow, Dr. Dave Kimbrough (pictured to the right), and graduate student Jennifer Sawyer, this years GSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia was a hugh success. More than two dozen potential students signed in and will soon be contacted by SDSU professors with similar fields of interest. The GSA Graduate School Information Forum gave us the opportunity to promote our department to over 1,500 students.
Department Alumni, Faculty, and Students meet face-to-face with prospective students in a relaxed, informal setting. Participating schools are also be promoted in October GSA Today and the 2006 Annual Meeting Program.
10.24.2006


SDSU's Science Sampler 2006

Join the Department of Geological Sciences for the
12th annual Inner Space/Outer Space Exhibition and Open House
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006, from 4-8 p.m.

Amateur scientists, families and the general public of all ages will explore worlds invisible to the naked eye on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2006, from 4-8 p.m., when the College of Sciences hosts the 12th annual Inner Space/Outer Space Exhibition and Open House. The event is free. Scientists and students in the Physics-Astronomy Building will display and demonstrate the operation of powerful microscopes, telescopes, computers and other laboratory equipment that offer views of the universe ranging from microscopic parts of a mammalian cell to satellite images of earth and worlds beyond Earth. The Department will open its hands-on exhibits at the RP oceanography lab and kids and adults both can hunt for minerals in the glitter gulch, part of the "Show Me Geology", a K-8 earth sciences outreach program. Tours and Parking There will be tours with American Sign Language interpreters at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and tours with Spanish interpreters at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Free parking is available on the first three levels of Parking Structure 1, located on College Avenue at Alvarado Road. Visitors should take the pedestrian overpass, located on level six, and follow the signs to the Physics-Astronomy Building. The trolley station on the south side of the campus is within easy walking distance of the event. For more information, please contact Steve Barlow at (619) 594-4523.
-By Steve Barlow 10.24.2006

Inner Space/Outer Space Flyer
 



Dr. Eric Frost - Receives grant for "GEON - Geosciences Information Network", from the University of California at San Diego. 10.12.2006


SDSU's Science Sampler 2006

First Science Sampler!

The first ever SDSU College of Sciences Science Sampler hosted 148 students from 10 of San Diego's County High Schools. High School students and teachers were invited on campus to experience and take part in a series of short presentations, experiments and labs. The goal of the Science Sampler is to bridge connections between the High School Science teachers and Scientists from a variety of fields here at SDSU.
Presentations were given by:
Ms. Isabelle Sacramento Grilo
Lecturer Dept. of Geological Sciences
Plate Tectonics: Why we have earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunami!
Dr. Ricardo Carretero
Associate Professor Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics
Chaos and Fractals: Is there a pattern?
Ms. Kathleen McNamara
Lecturer Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Criminal Chemistry
Dr. Clive Dorman
Professor Dept. of Geological Sciences
Secret Properties of Californias Marine Layer
Dr. Steve Barlow
Associate Director, SDSU Electron Microscope Facility Dept. of Biology
The Eyes Have It: Advanced Microscopy For Anyone, Anywhere
Dr. Jerome Orosz
Assistant Professor Dept. of Astronomy
Observing our Sun

10.10.2006


Dr. Eric Frost - Receives grant for "OptiPuter", from the University of California at San Diego. 10.06.2006
September 2006

Dr. Kim Bak Olsen - Receives grant for "Profiling and Analysis of SCEC HPC Code for Petascale Simulations", from the National Science Foundation. 09.29.2006


Dr. Gordon Seitz - Receives grant for "Investigating One to Five Event Offsets and Slip Rates on the Southern San Andreas Fault Ground-based Lidar Survey and Dating of the Late Holocene Offsets, Mecca Hills", from the University of Southern California. 09.29.2006


SDAG Cover back      
San Diego Association of Geologists
FIELD TRIP - October 27-29th

The geology of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the surrounding area attracts geologists from around the world. The trip includes an optional Friday afternoon (noon to 4pm) hike to explore the four mysteries of the Domelands which includes the enigmatic “flamingo nests.” Optional Friday night camping will be at Agua Caliente County Park, with an optional evening hike to a detachment fault from the campground. The trip will begin on Saturday morning (8:30am) at the Carrizo Badlands Overlook on Highway S-2 in Anza- Borrego Park. We will explore the faulting and structural complexity of the northwestern Coyote Mountains as we descend Canyon Sin Nombre from the Overlook. We’ll hike about a mile up a little known side canyon to see stratigraphic evidence of coincidental volcanic activity during the deposition of the Split Mountain formation, structural evidence of the Coyote Mountains uplift, and subsequent Mio- Pliocene basin evolution. We will return to the campsite at Agua Caliente for a catered dinner. The Agua Caliente hot springs await us in the evening, followed by the traditional evening program under the stars. After an early Sunday morning meal we will leave camp to explore the lava beds of Volcanic Hills, and the terrace cavelets and mesa conglomerates. After a short hike we will top off the trip with a sack lunch while discussing the geologic memories of the weekend and allowing you an early return home.
Register for the Field Trip here!
09.26.2006


Dr. Kim Bak Olsen - Receives grant for "3-D and 2-D Modeling of Strong Ground Motion from an M 7.0 Earthquake on the Salt Lake City Segment of the Wasatch Fault, Utah: Collaborative Research with San Diego State University and the University of Utah", from the DOI United States Geological Survey. 09.22.2006


Duan, Benchun

Seminars
Wednesday
Sepotember 20th
12:00 pm
CSL 422

Seminar Highlight
The Fall Seminar Series Kicks off with Dr. Benchun Duan

Ben received his Ph.D. at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of California. His research interest is in fault dynamics and modeling.

Talk Title: "The dynamics of geometrically complex fault systems over multiple earthquake cycles"

Abstract
We perform dynamic simulations of thrust and normal faults over multiple earthquake cycles. Our goal is to explore effects of asymmetric fault geometry on the long-term seismicity and dynamics of dipping faults. A dynamic finite-element method is used to model the interseismic and coseismic processes, with a dynamic relaxation technique for the former. The faults are loaded by stable sliding along the downward continuation of the faults. The asymmetric fault geometry of dipping faults with respect to the free surface cause changes in normal stress during the interseismic and coseismic periods. These changes are of opposite sign in the two periods, resulting in a stabilization of the normal and shear stresses over many earthquake cycles. Both faults develop relatively stable event patterns, in which a large event that ruptures the entire fault is preceded by a number of small events with various rupture lengths. A strong asymmetry in fault and ground motion exists between thrust and normal faults, and between the hanging wall and the footwall of both faults on faults dipping less than 70°. In both normal and thrust faults, the horizontal component of ground motion dominates on the footwall, while the vertical component dominates on the hanging wall. The above results may have implications in seismic hazard analysis and building design in regions where dip-slip faults predominate.


Dr. Vic Camp - Receives grant for "Geological Mapping Across the Warner Valley, Oregon", from the DOI United States Geological Survey. 09.13.2006



Elizabeth Landau - Awarded a Stephen J. Gould Grant from the Paleontological Society for her research on biotic response and stable-isotope systematics of deep-ocean ostracodes across the Paleocene – Eocene boundary. 09.07.2006


Jennifer Sawyer - Receives a grant from the Paleontological Society for her research on Predation on Bellerophontid Gastropods. 09.04.2006

August 2006
SDSU Universe News
What's NU?
08.29.2006

Dr. Steven Day - Receives grant for "ITR Collaborative Research: Multiresolution High Fidelity Earthquake Modeling: Dynamic Rupture, Basin Response, Blind Deconvolution, Seismic Inversion and Ultrascale Computing", from the National Science Foundation. 08.22.2006

New People
NEW FACULTY AND VISITORS

Jared Morrow
Jared Morrow

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy - Assistant Professor
Jared received his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Colorado-Boulder. His research interests include; sedimentology, stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy. Some of the projects that Jared is working on include; Devonian to Carboniferous depositional history and sequence stratigraphy, conodont-based event stratigraphic study of the mid-Late Devonian mass extinction interval, and the geologic history of Alamo Impact Event.

Johnathan Goodmacher
Bill Elliott

Lecturer
Bill is teaching our Engineering Geology course this semester. He currently is a Registered & Certified Engineering Consulting Geologist for California and Oregon. During his 40 year career he has worked on a large variety of geological investigations ranging from from power plant studies to distressed hillside homes.

Johnathan Goodmacher
Jonathan Goodmacher

Lecturer
Jonathan is teaching Geol303 Natural Disaster this semester. He currently is the Principal Geologist at Ninyo & Moore, and a Certified Engineering Geologist.

Johnathan Goodmacher
Alyson Ponomarenko

Lecturer
Alyson is teaching Geol303 Natural Disaster this semester. Her research interests is in Geoscience Education and recently received a grant to increase Minority Opportunities for Research Experience in Earth Science. Alyson received her Ph.D. at Tulane University, New Orleans.

Dosso, Laure
Laure Dosso
Visiting Researcher
Laure is from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Plouzané, France. Her current research includes the temporal evolution and geochemical variability of the South Pacific superplume activity, and analysis of off-axis volcanic ridges on the flank of the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. Laure will be visitng with us until the end of the Fall semester working with Dr. Barry Hanan and Dr. Arron Pietruszka with the Baylor Brooks Isotope labs Nu Plasma 1700.
Duan, Benchun
Benchun Duan
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ben received his Ph.D. at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of California. He is here working in Geophysics with Dr. Steve Day.

Tomomi Kani
Tomomi Kani

Visiting Researcher
Tomomi is from Kumamoto University, Japan Working on Nd, Sr, Pb and Hf isotope analyses with the Baylor Brooks Isotope labs Nu Plasma 1700 with Dr. Barry Hanan. She and her student will be staying with us for the next few month.
Sinha
A. Krishna Sinha
Visiting Researcher
Krishna is visiting from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His research interest is the physical, chemical and isotopic evolution of the crust and the isotopic and petrologic studies of igneous rocks. He is Director of the PITLAB (Petrogenesis Isotope and Tectonics Laboratory) and is a Principal Investigator in GEON (a Geosciences Network to develop cyberinfrastructure for integrative research to enable transformative advances in Geoscience research and education). He will be staying with us for the 06/07 Academic year.
Rooney, Tyrone
Tyrone Rooney
Postdoctoral Researcher
Tyrone received his Ph.D. at Penn State. He is here working with the Nu Plasma 1700 with Dr. Barry Hanan and Dr. Aaron Pietruszka.

NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS

Cameron Cambell Cameron Campbell - Undergraduate - San Diego State University - Advisor Dr. Gary Girty
Cameron Cambell Adam Cosentino - Undergraduate - Augustana College - Advisor Dr. David Kimbrough
Welcome
Michael O'Hare - Undergraduate - University of Texas at Austin
Welcome
Ben Slotnick - Undergraduate - UC Davis - Advisor Dr. Stepohen Schellenberg
Nicholas Teague
Nicholas Teague - Undergraduate - Coastal Carolina University
Afton Van Zandt
Afton Van Zandt - Undergraduate - San Diego State University - Advisor Dr. Rob Mellors
Amelinda Webb
Amelinda Webb - Undergraduate - Cornell College - Advisor Dr. Lindsey Leighton

NEW UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Jerehme Acosta Jerehme Acosta Jesse Deleon Jesse Deleon
Lisa Mahr Lisa Mahr Krista Muela Krista Muela
Brian Page
Bryan Page Jennifer Piper Jennifer Piper
Jason Ricketts
Jason Ricketts
Jon Sainbury
Jon Sainbury
Tiffany Schilllereff Tiffany Schilllereff
Wallace Sconiers
Wallace Sconiers
Ryan Sholty Ryan Sholty Samantha Womer Samantha Womer

Defenses
Thursday August 17th, CSL 422

Sean McClain
Sean McClain
10:00

Tunnel Inflow in Fractured Crystalline Bedrock
Advisor Dr. Dave Huntley

Stehphanie Mayhead
Stephanie Mayhead
11:00

Controls on Recovery Efficiency of Aquifer Storage and Recovery Projects in Brackish Water Aquifers
Advisor Dr. Dave Huntley


Mars
Geology Alumna Elaine Stephenson returns to SDSU in the filming of Veronica Mars
San Diego State welcomed "Veronica Mars," a CW network television show, onto its campus for the third time early last week. The cast and crew filmed at various locations on campus - including the Geology, Mathematics, and Computational Sciences building - to wrap up the first two episodes of the upcoming 23-episode season. Elaine Stephenson (Department Alumna '95) is currently in charge of catering with Stu Segal Productions.
08.03.2006

Dr. Rob Mellors and Dr. Eric Frost - Receive grant for "Education and Outreach Web Site Development for the CSSC", from the California Seismic Safety Commission. 08.02.2006


Peter Winther - Invited to attend the 18th International Workshop on Electromagnetic Induction in the Earth in El Vendrell, Spain. Peter is one of 35 students around the world given this honor. 08.01.2006

July 2006
Highlight in AAPG Explorer
SDSU Faculty and Students Higlighted in AAPG Explorer
Retired Chevron geologist and AAPG member Tom Heidrick, professor Eric Frost and a team of students from San Diego State University (SDSU), joined professors and students from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, team up to give students from the two countries a chance to perform thesis work on a host of projects. New software allowed students from San Diego State University to produce digital field mapping of outcrops and other geologic information in Indonesia’s East Java Basin.
Read the AAPG Explorer Article...
07.19.2006

Nu Plasma 1700

The Nu Plasma 1700 has Arrived!

The 1700 is a unique High Resolution Multi Collector ICP-MS providing the ultimate in high resolution isotope ratio measurements. SDSU is only the second institution in the world, and the first in North America, to acquire a Nu 1700. The addition of this instrument to the Baylor Brooks Institue is already a powerful force, attracting prominent scientists and promising students to SDSU. Dr. Barry Hanan’s five years endeavor to secure the mass spectrometer for the university has placed SDSU and its researchers squarely on the international map when it comes to geological science facilities. Special thanks to Ethan A. Singer - Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Thomas R. Scott - Vice President for Research, Patrick J. Papin - Associate Dean for College of Sciences, Carl Schneider - Planning & Design Physical Plant, Carl J. Carrano - Department Chair for Chemistry, and Gary H. Girty - Department Chair for Geological Sciences.

June 2006

Dr. Steven Day - Receives grant for "A Collaborative Project: 3D Rupture Dynamics, Validation of the Numerical Simulation Method", from the University of Southern California. 06.30.2006


Dr. Kim Olsen - Receives grant for "3 D Rupture Dynamics, Validation of the Numerical Simulation Method", from the University of Southern California. 06.30.2006


Dr. Tom Rockwell - Receives grant for "Towards Understanding Rock Pulverization Along Faults", from the University of Southern California. 06.30.2006


Dr. Tom Rockwell - Receives grant for "Is the San Andreas Fault Really 10 months Pregnant? Re-dating of the Most Recent Event Along the Southern Andreas Fault", from the University of Southern California. 06.30.2006


Dr. Tom Rockwell - Receives grant for "Development and Integration of the SCEC Community Vertical Motion Map", from the University of Southern California. 06.30.2006


Dr. Kim Olsen - Receives grant for "Broadband Simulation of Ground Motion from Large Earthquakes", from the University of Southern California. 06.30.2006


Jennifer Sawyer and Carrie Tyler - Receive a fellowship to attend the Friday Harbor Marine Laboratory in Puget Sound this summer. 06.24.2006


Carrie Tyler - Receives a research award from the Lerner-Gray Fund for Marine Research, American Museum of Natural History, for her research on competition among Ordovician brachiopods. 06.24.2006


Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience
Tuesday June 27th, CSL 422

Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience
Mary Klinger
12:00

Environmental and Taphonomic Effects on the Shell Microstructures of the Intertidal Species Donax gouldii
Advisor Dr. Lindsey Leighton

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Cory Redman
1:30

The Use of Cluster and Ordination Analyses in Reconstruction of the Paleoecology and Taphonomy of the Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan
Advisors Dr. David Archibald & Dr. Lindsey Leighton

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Donnie Dressler
3:00
Role of Sampling Biases in the Diversity Decline of Spiriferide Brachiopods found in the Iowa Basin at the Frasnian-Famennian Extinction
Advisor Dr. Lindsey Leighton

Friday June 30th, CSL 422

Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience
Tim Middleton
12:00

Tectonic Geomorphology and Paleoseismicity of the Clark Strand of the Southern San Jacinto Fault Zone, Clark Lake, California
Advisor Dr. Tom Rockwell


Dr. George Jiracek - Receives grant for "Research Experiences for Undergraduates", from NSF Directorate of Geosciences. 06.12.2006
Dr. George Jiracek - Receives grant for "EM Workshop in El Vendrell, Spain", from the National Science Foundation. 06.12.2006

Announcing the Resignation of Eric Riggs

Eric Riggs
Eric Riggs

We are sad to announce the resignation of Dr. Eric Riggs. Eric has been a cornerstone in the restructuring and assessment of the Departments undergraduate curriculum. Eric will be taking a position as the founding Co-Director of Purdue University’s new Center for Research and Engagement in Science and Mathematics Education (CRESME). This is a incredible opportunity for Eric and his wife, he will be missed.
Eric's Goodbye Letter
May 2006

Robert Schumacher - Awarded the Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate for the Geological Sciences. 05.21.2006


Dr. Dave Kimborugh - Choosen as the most influential faculty member by Robert Schumacher, the Outstanding Student for 2006. 05.21.2006


Audrey Reznik - Awarded the best Master Thesis Prensentation 2006. 05.21.2006


Jessica Rinehart - Awarded the best Senior Thesis Prensentation 2006. 05.21.2006



Elizabeth Landau - Awarded a College of Sciences Study Abroad 2006 Scholarship, to study at the Urbino Italy Summer School in Paleoclimatology. 05.19.2006


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Congratulations - Promoted!!
Dr. Lindsey Leighton has been reappointed with tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.

This promotion is in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the University and his discipline through his teaching, scholarship, and service. 05.18.2006


Carrie Tyler - Awarded a San Diego State University Women's Association Scholarship for the 2006-2007 academic year. 05.16.2006


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Thursday May 11th, CSL 422

Undergraduate

Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience
Melissa Sabga
8:20

Petrology of young lavas from Diamond Craters, Jordan Craters and the Voltage Flow of eastern Oregon
Advisor Dr. Aaron Pietruszka

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Bob Schumacher
8:40
Instructional Value of the "Earthquake Machine" in a 9th Grade High School Setting
Advisor Dr. Eric Riggs
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Melanie Lindsey
9:00
Comparing a Local reconstruction of the CCD in the South Atlantic to Global conditions in the Cenozoic.
Advisor Dr. Stephen Schellenberg
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Rory McPherson
9:20
Functional Morphology of Productid Spines
Advisor Dr. Lindsey Leighton
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Kristy Tordai
9:40

Distribution of Fine-Grained Sediments and Subsidence in Borrego Valley
Advisor Dr. Kathy Thorbjarnarson

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Afton Van Zandt
10:00

Creep measurements and depth of slip along the Superstition Hills fault as observed by InSAR
Advisor Dr. Rob Mellors

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Cameron Campbell
10:20

Provenance and Tectonic Implications of Greenstone Clasts in Eocene (?) Gravels, Picacho State Recreation Area, SE California
Advisor Dr. Gary Girty

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Jessica Rinehart
10:40

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Chad Bearor
11:00

Petrological and Chemical Trends Associated with the Development of Corestone and Saprolite, Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve Temecula, California
Advisor Dr. Gary Girty

Graduate

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Adam Canfield

12:00

Petrology, Chemistry, and Provenance of the Lower Member of the Miocene Bear Canyon Conglomerate, Picacho State Recreation Area, Southeastern California
Advisor Dr. Gary Girty

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Matt Alles

1:00

Characterizing the Three-Dimensional Spatial Abilities of Introductory Geology Lab Students
Advisor Dr. Eric Riggs

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Audrey Reznik

2:00

The Accuracy of Molybdenum Isotopic Measurements Using MC-ICP-MS: An Evaluation of Matrix Effects Due to Column Chemistry
Advisor Dr. Aaron Pietruszka

Jennifer Sawyer - Receives a grant from GSA for her research on predation on Carboniferous gastropods. She was chosen as one of the 17 outstanding proposals (out of over 500) for this year, and she will receive a certificate to that effect at the President's Luncheon at this year's annual GSA meeting. 05.08.2006


Dr. David Christian

Seminars
Wednesday
May 3rd
1:00 pm
CSL 422

Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Dr. Jerry Harris

Jerry is visiting from Dixie State College of Utah. His research interests include: mesozoic biotas and paleoecology, evolutionary rates, patterns, and processes, phylogenetic systematics and taxonomy, taphonomy and the fossilization process, and paleobiogeography, biostratigraphy, and their phylogenetic implications. Currently Jerry is working on Mesozoic vertebrates and biostratigraphy in the Southwest US, Argentina, and China. He is also Director of Paleontology and Professor at the Dixie State College Science Department and Advisor to the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm (SGDS) in St. George, Utah.

Jerry D. Harris Web Site

Talk Title: "The Rise of the Feathered Dragons"


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New Member of the Family

Kim & Erin Olsen proudly announce the birth of Bryce Donovan Olsen. Bryce was born in Encinitas, California, 7:35 am on May 2 2006, 8 lbs 10 ounces (3.898 kg) and 20 inches (51 cm).

The Bryce Donovan Olsen Page
05.2.2006

April 2006

Dr. David Christian

Seminars
Wednesday
April 26th
1:00 pm
CSL 422

 

Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Dr. Amos Salamon

Amos and others constructed a catalogue of tsunamis that have occurred since about the middle of the 2nd century BC along the eastern Mediterranean coast, along with the significant earthquakes originated from the Dead Sea Transform (DST) system. We identified 22 sea waves that struck the Levant coast (Gaza to Syria) with an average frequency of about once in a century. These tsunamis varied in size, from barely noticeable in local ports to greatly damaging along the entire coast.
Abstract

Talk Title: "Tsunami Hazard to the Eastern Mediterranean Coast: The Past is the Key to the Future"



Dr. David Christian

Seminars
Wednesday
April 19th
1:00 pm
CSL 422

 

Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Dr. Nicola Richmond

Nicola is visiting from the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her current research interests involve lunar crustal magnetic anomalies and their correlation to high-albedo swirl markings.

Talk Title: "Estimating the age of lunar magnetic anomalies: ~3.5 billion or ~3.5 million years old?"


Dr. David Christian
NASA Quest

Seminars
Wednesday
April 12th
1:00 pm
CSL 422

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Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Dr. Ken Edgett

Ken is visiting from Malin Space Science Systems here in San Diego. Malin Space Science Systems is the company behind some of the spectacular images from the Mars Global Surveyor. These images are rewriting the books on Mars and have helped scientists where to land things like the Spirit Rover. Ken's research interests include Mars sedimentology, geology, and geomorphology, and sand dune studies on Earth. He is involved in infrared observations, and ancillary data from Mars missions: Mariner 9, Viking, Phobos 2, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and the Mars Exploration Rovers. Edgett is the Principal Investigator for the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), being built for the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory rover mission. Ken also founded and directed the Mars K-12 Education Program at Arizona State University. Edgett, with co-author Peggy Wethered and illustrator Michael Chesworth, have written a children's book, Touchdown Mars! An ABC Adventure published by G.P. Putnams Sons, Inc.

Talk Title: "The Nature of the Geologic Record of Early Mars"



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Explore SDSU 2006
Saturday April 8th, 9am - 2pm

Come explore the Department of Geological Sciences, meet some of the faculty, find out more about our department, and enjoy the wonders of our oceans lab.
--Check out our live web cam--

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Dr. Luis Dalguer Gudiel - Receives grant for "Potential Use of Split Node Technique in Modeling Rupture Dynamics With Staggered Grid FDM", from URS Corporation. 04.06.2006


Dr. George Jiracek - Receives grant for "Web-based Digital Processing of Geophysical Signals and Waves", from National Science Foundation. 04.06.2006


Dr. David Christian
ScienceDaily

Seminars
Wednesday
April 5th
1:00 pm
CSL 422

Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Adam Young

Adam is visiting from UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering. A study by Scott Ashford and Adam Young found that bluff erosion accounted for 68 percent of the fresh sand that nature provides to the county's eroding beaches. Young used laserscanning technology to generate a series of 3-D topographical maps that quantified coastal bluff erosion with a high degree of accuracy during the past six years. "While keeping in mind that six years is only a brief snapshot in the life of the Southern California coastline, our results call into question the conventional wisdom that coastal bluffs don't contribute much to the beaches,"

Talk Title: "Quantifying Seacliff Morphology Using LIDAR"



March 2006

USING STRATIGRAPHY, SEDIMENTOLOGY, AND GEOCHEMISTRY TO UNRAVEL THE GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF THE SOUTHWESTERN CORDILLERA:
a Volume in Honor of Patrick L. Abbott

Pacific Section SEPM book #101:
Girty, G. H., and Cooper, J. D. (eds.), 2006, 328 pages (50 in color), ISBN 1-878861-94-8

This is a milestone volume for PS-SEPM – the first in honor of someone; the first with someone’s picture on the cover; and the first with this much color.

03.30.2006


Dr. Pat Abbott - PS-SEPM dedicates a special volume in honor of his career and contributions to the geosciences. 03.30.2006


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Rob Moniz
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Matt Stillings
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Peter Winther
Nominated and elected by the faculty for their academic performance and interest in the pursuit of global energy and environmental excellence. They are awarded a check to aid them in their academic careers and givien a special invitation to interview for an opportunity to join the Chevron team.
03.29.2006

Dr. David Christian
SDSUniverse Story

Seminars
Wednesday
March 29th
1:00 pm
CSL 422

Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Dr. David Christian

David is visiting from the Department of History here at SDSU. He is by training a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, but in recent years he has become interested in World History on very large scales. In 1989, he began teaching courses on 'Big History', surveying the past on the largest possible scales, including those of biology and astronomy and he published the first text on ‘Big History’. He teaches World History, ‘Big History’, World Environmental History, Russian History, and the History of Inner Eurasia. Recent publications include: Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. The first modern attempt by a historian to offer a coherent history of the entire past, beginning with the origins of the Universe; an attempt to explore how human history is embedded in the histories of the biosphere and the Universe. The links David provides between our respective disciplines are fascinating and informative.

Talk Title: "Universal History Rides Again"


Rob Moniz, Matt Stillings, and Peter Winther - Awarded Chevron Scholarships and givien a special invitation to interview for an opportunity to join the Chevron team. 03.29.2006


Dr. Barry Hanan and Aaron Pietruszka - Receive grant for "Chemical, Isotopic and Volatile Constraints on the Evolution of the Lau Basin", from NSF Directorate of Geosciences. 03.27.2006


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CALL FOR PAPERS

Southern Anza-Borrego Desert and Coyote Mountains, California
October 28 and 29, 2006

SDAG seeks new manuscripts based on original work in the broad fields of regional geology, tectonics, neotectonics, hydrogeology, paleontology, engineering geology, petrology, geothermal resources, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, mining and mineral resources, landslides, and related fields. Articles on any facet of the natural or cultural history of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Carrizo Marsh, Coyote Mountains, Yuha Basin, Valley of the Moon, Superstition Mountains, Split Mountain, Borrego Valley, and vicinity are also welcome.

Deadline for submission of titles is April 26, 2006.
Announcement


Dr. Paul HenkartHOTRAX05

Seminars
Wednesday
March 22nd
1:00 pm
CSL 422

Seminar Highlight
The Department Welcomes Dr. Paul Henkart

Paul is visiting from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Recently, he was a member of an international team on a 56 day scientific expedition across the Arctic Ocean aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy. As a geophysical analyst, Henkart was responsible for the real-time processing of a multi-channel seismic (MCS) reflection system developed by the University of Bergen (Norway). Over 2,000 kilometers of MCS data were collected, whereas only 6,000 kilometers in total had been collected previously. Henkart also developed a processing scheme for a high resolution chirp sub-bottom profiler (Knudsen 320B) that was used by scientists from Stockholm University.

Talk Title: "A trans-Arctic geophysical expedition ".
03.15.2006


Jennifer Perez and Audrey Reznik - Inducted into the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi because of their pursuit of excellence in higher education. 03.15.2006


Dr. Gordon Seitz - Receive grant for "Multi-method Paleoseismology: Characterizing the Activity of the West Tahoe Fault On and Offshore: Collaborative Research with UCSD and SDSU", from DOI United States Geological Survey. 03.14.2006


Alumni Banquet
Alumni Banquet - April 21st 2006

This year's banquet will be held at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse on Harbor Island in San Diego. The Friday evening event begins with a social hour at 6pm and dinner at 7pm. The meal will be followed by a program including a department update and a presentation to and by this year's honored alumnus, Eugene R. (Kip) Hering III. Kip Hering retired from Occidental Petroleum Corporation, after a long career of international oil exploration and production in many countries and geologic provinces.

Banquet Reservation Form
03.08.2006


Kip Hering, honored Alumnus
2006 Honored Alumnus
Kip Hering
Bachelor of Science - 1962

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Seminars
Wednesday
March 8th
1:00 pm
CSL 422

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The Department Welcomes Dr. Keith Meldahl

Keith is visiting from Mira Costa Community College. He teaches both Geology and Ocenaography. His research interest is the geology of the American West and how it influenced the route of the historic overland trails and the experiences of mid-nineteenth century overland emigrants. Keith is currently writing a book about geology and history along the Oregon-California Emigrant Trail.

Talk Title: "Hard Road West: a Geologic and Historic Tour of the Gold Rush Trail".
03.06.2006


Dr. Kim Bak Olsen - Highlighted in the 2004-2005 Research Foundation annual report, "Shaking Things Up." Foundation Report 03.01.2006
 

February 2006
Eric frost today, and in the 70's

SDSU Month we site screen shot

Eric Frost -
Featured "Aztec Dispatch"

During his nearly 26 years at SDSU, Eric Frost's career has changed from seeking oil reserves to seeking the integration of advanced technologies, Internet capabilities, and real-time sensor networks and visualization.
Frost is one of several people featured in "Aztec Dispatches," a blog on www.sdsumonth.com. Faculty, alumni and students are blogging and providing a virtual window to their worlds through regular updates to their online journals.
02.21.2006



Rome behind a seismograph
Rome's First 3-D Seismic Model


Dr. Kim Bak Olsen and his Italian colleagues used data from more than 1,000 boreholes to constrain a 3-D model of subsurface Rome. After building the first-ever 3-D computer model of the historic city's underground geology, the international team modeled two types of earthquakes that have struck Rome in the past. They used the model to predict ground shaking from two scenarios: one of a magnitude 5 earthquake originating in the Alban Hills district and another of magnitude 7 originating in the Central Apennines. U.S. and Italian geophysicists have discovered that Rome's ancient structures are vulnerable to a wider range of earthquake hazards than previously believed, according to research published in the latest issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, the journal of the world's premier earthquake-research organization. They discovered that some earthquakes are likely to cause ground shaking in central Rome that will last up to one minute-much longer than earlier 2-D models indicated. The conclusion: Rome's 2000+-year-old buildings are in danger of crumbling when a temblor of magnitude 7 or larger strikes.
SSA News Release 02.16.2006


Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience Master's Thesis Defense - Demetrius Lynn Flewellens - The Effect of Viscosity on Residual Saturation of a Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid - Dr. Dave Huntley, Abstract - Monday, Feb 27, CSL-422, 2pm.   02.22.2006

Dr. Eric Frost - Featured for SDSU Month as one of the "Aztec Dispatches," a blog on www.sdsumonth.com. 02.21.2006
 

January 2006
New Member of the Family - Matt and Rebecca Sisk proudly announce the birth of Fletcher James Sisk. Born Friday, January 27th at 3:26 pm, Weighing 9 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 in. long. 02.1.2006 Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience

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TeraShake 2: The Next Generation of Earthquake Simulation

Now, based on previous simulations at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), earthquake scientists from the Southern California Earthquake Center/Community Modeling Environment (SCEC/CME) have run enhanced simulations at SDSC using the improved TeraShake 2 earthquake model. The new simulations, which used the Anelastic Wave Model (AWM), a fourth-order finite difference code developed by Kim Olsen, associate professor of geological sciences at San Diego State University (SDSU), are the most realistic yet of where the most intense ground motion may occur in Southern California during a magnitude 7.7 San Andreas Fault earthquake.

An important scientific goal of SCEC scientists including the TeraShake research group is to improve model realism by incorporating more fundamental physics into earthquake simulations. “To make the TeraShake 2 simulations more realistic, we added a new physics-based dynamic rupture component to the simulation, run at very high 100 m resolution, to create the earthquake source description for the San Andreas Fault,” said Steven Day, professor of geological sciences at SDSU. The dynamic rupture component models friction-based slip on the fault surface. This is more physically realistic than the kinematic source descriptions used previously, which were adapted from recorded earthquake data.
Source: SDSC
01.27.2006


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20th ANNUAL SDSU GEOLOGY ALUMNI FIELD TRIP

The 20th. Annual Field Trip/Campout will be centered at the Picacho State Recreation Area, California, about 25 miles north of Yuma, Arizona. All SDSU Geology Alumni and Friends are welcome.

The trip will revolved around the volcanology, sedimentology, and structure of the Picacho State Recreation Area. Doug Stephenson, of Petra Geotechnical and Department Alum, will lead the field trip.

More Information...
01.12.2006


Dr. Gordon Seitz - Receive grant for "Development of a Long-term Earthquake Record at the South End of the San Andreas Fault: Testing of Rupture Scenarios: Collaborative Research with William Associates and SDSU", from DOI United States Geological Survey. 01.07.2006


Dr. Tom Rockwell - Receives grant for "Paleoseismic Constraints on the Rupture History of the Southern San Jacinto Fault Zone, Southern CA: Towards Understanding Predictable Patterns of Recurrence on Strike-slip Faults", from DOI United States Geological Survey. 01.06.2006


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New Lecturer
Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience Damon DeYoung - Damon recieved his undergraduate degree here at SDSU and his graduate degree at UC Riverside. For Spring 2006 he will be teaching Oceanography and Fossils: Life Thru Time.

New Graduate Students
Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience Russell Balliet - Undergraduate - San Diego State University
Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience Matt Burgess - Undergraduate - Western Washington University
Image description to be updated, sorry about any inconvenience Sarah Johnson - Undergraduate - San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr • 237 Geology Mathematics and Computer Science Building  • San Diego • CA 92182-1020 • (619) 594-5586