News from Geosciences
Spring 2005
Vol. 10 No. 2
3rd Annual Houston Alumni Happy Hour
By Steve Naruk, Geosciences Advisory Board Chair
Inside
From the Chair & Donors
2
News from Tumamoc Hill
3
Evolving Plate Boundary Faults
4
UA Distinguished Professor Award
6
Sand Grains with a Long Memory
7
Geoscientist Elected to NAE
9
Faculty & Alumni Awards
9
Student Scholarships & Awards
10
New Advisory Board Members
11
GeoDaze, Donors, & Awards
12
In Memory of Paul Damon
14
Alumni News
14
Geosciences Advisory Board
Regina M. Capuano, University of Houston
•
Carlotta B. Chernoff, ConocoPhillips
M. Stephen Enders, Newmont Mine
•
James E. King, Retired Director,
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
•
Christopher “Kit” Marrs, A W Marrs, Inc.
•
Stephen J. Naruk, Shell
•
David K. Rea, University of Michigan
•
Jeffrey G. Seekatz, ExxonMobil
•
Jamie L. Webb, Retired University
Administrator
•
William H. Wilkinson, Phelps-Dodge
The UA Geosciences Newsletter
is published twice a year by:
The Department of Geosciences
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210077
Tucson, AZ 85721-0077
•
Lesa Langan DuBerry, Editor
520-626-8204
lesa@geo.arizona.edu
•
www.geo.arizona.edu
Houston alumni hosted Department Chair
Susan Beck and College of Science Dean
Joaquin Ruiz to a “gala” Happy Hour this
past April at alumna Kerry Inman’s new
art gallery in downtown Houston.
Last year in conjunction with the annual
Houston Happy Hour, Susan and George
Davis visited the “big awl comp’ny” offices
of ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Shell.
This year, Susan and Joaquin visited the
academic side of Houston: the Geosciences
Department at the University of Houston,
the third largest university in Texas, which
of course means it’s HUGE compared to
anything outside the Lone Star State.
UA alumna and Professor Regina
Capuano introduced Susan to UH’s
legendary Kevin Burke, and the two, who
had never previously met, proceeded to
give brilliant back-to-back talks on plate
interactions and neo-tectonics as if they’d
planned a duet. Susan went on to discuss
potential research collaborations with
several other Houston faculty. Dean
Joaquin, never forgoing his fundamental
hands–on R&D interests, toured the
University’s state-of-the-art geochronology
facilities with Dr. Peter Copeland.
British Petroleum. Over the years, as
British Petroleum grew to BP-Amoco and
then BP-the-world’s-second-largest-oilcompany, Kerry’s art/oil ratio has grown
similarly, to what is now her 4th and
largest gallery, in a 1920’s Santa Fe style
building that would do Tucson proud.
Group photo of Houston’s UA Geosciences
oil industry alumni at the 2005 Happy
Hour! (Actually “Stripes vs Solids,” a
brilliantly haunting oil-on-canvas by
Havard Homstvedt, currently on exhibit
at Inman Gallery.)
Alumni drank, gnoshed and mingled.
Joaquin answered 37,422 cell phone calls,
and Kerry gave a delightful exposition of
the artists, their works, and the role of
modern art in its competition with the
über realism of 21st century digital media.
That evening, Susan, Joaquin, and about
30 alumni and significant others met at
the Inman Gallery for a Happy Hour
hosted by Kerry, Jeff Seekatz (who
unfortunately found himself in Indonesia
at the time), Carlotta Chernoff, Regina
Capuano, and Steve Naruk. Attendees
included Bob and Shirlee Krantz, Ken
and Carolyn Yeats (recently returned
from Indonesia), Ken Evans, Amy Ruf and
Ted Apotria, Gopal Mohapatra, Arlene
Anderson, Alex and Rachel Bump, John
and Debbie Zumberge, Andy Bittson, Jack
Schlemmer, Gerry Beaudoin, Elena and
Richard Shoshitaishvili, Chuck Kiven, Steve
and Debbie Lingrey, Larry and Arlene
Archibald, and Jeff Toxey.
Following the Happy Hour, about 20
alumni and spouses hosted dinner for
Susan and Joaquin at one of Houston’s
upscale Mexican restaurants (“upscale
Mexican” being a potential oxymoron
anyplace but Houston). Dinner was
superb! Joaquin emptied the wine cellar,
the alumni appreciatively emptied their
wallets, an excellent time was had by all,
and the event only concluded when the
liquor laws forced closure.
The gallery was the highlight of the
evening. Kerry opened her first Gallery
14 years ago while working full-time for
Special thanks to Kerry, Regina, Jeff, and
Carlotta Chernoff for organizing the
annual event!
From the Department Head
W
e have had another outstanding year in the Department
of Geosciences and many of our students and faculty are
heading off to the field for the summer. We have 11 faculty
and students in Tibet this summer.
We were thrilled when Professor Spence Titley was named to
the National Academy of Engineers. Spence has dedicated over
46 years of service to the Department and to economic and mining geology. Spence
has advised over 125 graduate students, and he is currently the curator of the
Department of Geosciences’ Mineral Museum.
Another highlight was when Professor George Gehrels was named UA Distinguished
Professor. This is one of the highest honors a faculty member can receive for teaching
and research at the University. George has been teaching large sections of Oceanography,
our most popular course. In addition, he has revolutionized zircon dating, and he now
has researchers and students coming from all over the country to work with him.
The passing of Emeritus Professor Paul Damon on April 14th saddened us all. Paul
contributed so much to the Department over the years and touched the lives of many
of our students. Our thoughts are with his family. (See “In Memory of...” on page 14.)
The Lowell Program in economic geology has several graduate students entering the
program this coming fall. We are all excited to the see the program get underway.
Associate Professor Eric Seedorff has done a terrific job in getting it started!
GeoDaze was a superb success thanks to graduate students Andy Frassetto and Toby
Ault, the GeoDaze Co-Chairs. The quality of student presentations was amazing.
Another highlight of Geodaze was the reunion that Emeritus Professor Ed McCullough
organized for alumni from the “early days.” My thanks to Ed and to the alumni that
traveled from places as far away as Hawaii and Pennsylvania to come back to the UA
and join us for GeoDaze.
We had a great alumni reception at the Inman Gallery in Houston on April 15th. Joaquin
Ruiz (Dean of the College of Science) and I really enjoyed talking to everyone and also
seeing Kerry Inman’s gallery. It will be hard to top the gallery venue next year!
As with many state institutions, UA is still struggling with budget issues as we try to
transition to an institution with less state support and more support from grants and
private donations. The Department is facing more budget cuts as we try to streamline
our operation. We are committed to providing the highest quality education for our
students and an environment where our faculty can excel.
I have truly enjoyed being Department Head these last 5 years. I have especially enjoyed
getting to know the alumni! I am starting a one year sabbatical on July 1to work on
projects along the North Anatolian Fault zone in Turkey and in the Sierras Pampeanas
in Argentina. Professor Randall Richardson will be Interim Department Head next year!
I want to thank all of our Geosciences alumni and friends for their committment to the
Department. We have been able to offer more financial assistance and field experience
to all of our students due to your continued financial support.
DONORS
The Department of Geosciences
wishes to express its gratitude to
alumni and friends who support
programs and scholarships through
their generous contributions.
— Individuals —
Mary Barrick
Susan Beck & George Zandt
Charles Bock
Jonathan Browne
David Carr
Carlotta Chernoff
Darlene Coney
George & Merrily Davis
Michael Fitzgerald
Redge Greenberg
James Hardy
Tekla Harms
Gary Jones
John Kerns
Steven Lingrey
Shannon Mack
Philip Matter
Neal McClymonds
Edgar McCullough
David McKeown
Mark Melton
Syver More
Steven Natali
Meredith Nettles
Lorrel Nichols
Philip Pearthree
Amy Ruf
Jeffrey Saunders
Jeffrey Seekatz
Lynn Strickland
John Sumner
Yukimitsu Tomida
Dee Trent
Robert Weber
John Welty
— Organizations —
Francisco Enterprises, Inc.
Wiliams Company, Inc.
Alumni Drawing Winner
Chris Eckhart from Catonsville,
Maryland, will receive a Geosciences
T-shirt for sending in his change of
address. Congratulations!
Send in your updated contact
information, and have your name
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 2
added to the drawing pool for the
next Geosciences T-shirt.
Mark Your Calendars
GeoDaze 2006 will take place April 68 in the Student Union on the UA
campus. Plan to be there!
— Corporations —
ChevronTexaco
ConocoPhillips
ExxonMobil
Oracle Corporation
Raytheon
Shell Oil
Buffelgrass in Southern Arizona:
Tumamoc Hill Takes a Leading Role
By Travis Bean, Senior Research Specialist,
and Julio Betancourt, USGS & UA Adjunct
I
n the past decade, the Desert Laboratory has faced many
challenges, none greater perhaps than the ongoing invasion
of Tumamoc Hill by buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare). Dense stands
of this African, perennial grass
now cover almost half of
Tumamoc Hill and threaten
the integrity of this long-term
research site. Because of its
abundant biomass and flammability,
this introduced grass has quickly
become the primary threat to
biological conservation efforts in
the Sonoran Desert. Don’t be too
surprised if fires become commonplace in Tucson winters and
Africanized grassland begins to
replace our saguaro-studded
landscapes.
A recent mapping project conducted by the Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum shows that buffelgrass has reached burnable
densities along vast stretches of many of southern Arizona’s
highways and has escaped into several undisturbed areas as
well. Roads have become the primary vector of spread for
buffelgrass, providing protection from frost in the heat trapped
by the asphalt, additional water in the form of runoff, and wind
from automobiles to push the seed along the road and out into
the natural areas of the roadside. Also shown by the Desert
Museum’s map are the high densities of buffelgrass in the
metropolitan centers of Tucson and Phoenix, which have
become a virtually unlimited seed source for buffelgrass invasion
into surrounding areas.
Buffelgrass has become a
serious fire risk in these urban
and suburban areas, akin to
what it has done in Hermosillo,
posing new challenges to local
fire departments and threatening
life and property. In 1996, a
story entitled, “The Grass that
Ate Sonora” appeared in
Tucson Weekly detailing the
impacts of buffelgrass south of
the border and warning of its
spread north. Ten years later
buffelgrass is quickly gobbling
up large expanses of Sonoran
Doubters need only look south
Desert Uplands throughout
of the border to Sonora, where
southern Arizona. The Grass
the grass is being planted on
that Ate Sonora is now eating
a massive scale with drastic
A doe mule deer walks through a saguaro grove on Tumamoc
Hill that has become infested with buffelgrass. Not only is our
Arizona. The consequences of
consequences. Beginning in
picturesque native vegetation at risk, but so is the wildlife that
this invasion include the
the 1960’s, Mexican ranchers
depends on it for habitat. Even before buffelgrass fires start
destruction of many saguaro
adopted buffelgrass as a new
occurring, the shrubs and herbaceous species that make up the
stands and other Sonoran
wonder crop. In a governmentmajority of the deer's diet have been choked out by buffelgrass.
Desert plant communities, and
subsidized practice called
Photo by Ben Wilder.
unprecedented fire frequencies
desmonte, native vegetation
and risks in urban and
was bulldozed and planted to
suburban areas of Tucson and Phoenix. The postcard views of
buffelgrass pasture. Buffelgrass is now estimated to dominate
Tucson and Phoenix, saguaros silhouetted in sunsets, boasted by
about 2.5 million acres in Sonora alone, and an additional
Tourist Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce may be
12.5 million acres have been approved for future buffelgrass
compromised in the near term.
plantings. Northern Mexico, especially Sonora, is very similar
to Arizona in climate and vegetation, so it is not surprising that
A critical stage in the invasion of buffelgrass has been reached,
buffelgrass is now spreading aggressively in the deserts of
and this may be our last chance to act effectively against this
southern and central Arizona.
rapidly expanding infestation. In recognition of this fact,
Tumamoc Hill has embarked upon a demonstration eradication
Although introduced into Arizona by the Soil Conservation
and outreach effort, which began in May 2004 with a grant
Service in the 1930s, buffelgrass populations remained small and
from Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, LP. This project takes
widely scattered in the Tucson area until the 1980s. During the
advantage of the high public visibility of Tumamoc Hill, not only
past twenty years, buffelgrass populations have exploded,
because of its location at the edge of Metro Tucson, but because
spreading throughout southern Arizona and becoming common
of the large amount of foot traffic it receives each day from the
along roadsides and streams, in disturbed lots, and in the
“Hillwalkers.” This places Tumamoc Hill in a unique position to
urbanized foothills of the Tucson and Catalina Mountains.
actively educate the public about the consequences of the
Buffelgrass now forms large, burnable stands in Organ Pipe
buffelgrass invasion and what can be done about it. Staff at
National Monument, Saguaro National Park, and Ironwood
Tumamoc have also begun an aggressive public speaking
Forest and Sonoran Desert National Monuments. Buffelgrass
campaign, talking to neighborhood associations, local
outcompetes native shrubs and cacti for water and soil nutrients
governments, and nonprofit groups. Most importantly,
and chokes out native herbs and grasses, but its most serious
Tumamoc Hill has taken the lead in the fight to get buffelgrass
effect is to promote fires in native ecosystems that evolved
on Arizona’s noxious weed list, a designation that gives state and
without fire and are not fire adapted. Buffelgrass provides fuel
local governments a legal mandate to begin a comprehensive,
continuity where it never existed before, linking saguaro and
regional control effort for buffelgrass, and would also prevent
paloverde groves in a matrix of seasonally dry and flammable
the introduction of more aggressive cultivars of buffelgrass from
patches of grass. The result is a grass-fire cycle that excludes the
Texas. For more information, please contact Travis Bean at
recovery of native species and enhances the further
629-9455 x104 or bean@email.arizona.edu.
establishment of buffelgrass.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 3
Evolving Views on Evolving Plate
Boundary Faults
by Rick Bennett
W
e take for granted that over millionyear time scales, fault zones can
come to life, grow, or even lapse into a
persistent vegetative state. Occasionally
the nightly news informs us about a fault
rupturing hundreds or even thousands of
kilometers in some small number of
minutes. But what do we really know
about variations in fault displacement
rates over intermediate time scales, say
years to hundreds of thousands of years?
Exactly—not nearly enough!
A growing body of evidence from
geology and geodesy does provide hints,
however, that the accumulation of
displacement on individual crustal faults
composing broad continental plate
boundary zones may in fact be nonuniform on a variety of time scales. If
true, sub-systems of faults may take turns
failing, such that at any given moment in
time some parts of the plate boundary
zone would appear to be inactive.
In the Beginning…
Not so very long ago, believe it or not,
few, if any, children aspired to become
space geodesists when they grew up. I
was no exception. But one day, I learned
that measurements from satellites
would eventually challenge the
tenets of the plate tectonics
paradigm: the notion of steady
plate rates, rigid plate interiors,
and narrow plate boundary
zones. Ha! A chance to test a
grand hypothesis in my own
backyard! I was hooked.
My Ph.D. work focused on a
geodetic determination of the
present-day partitioning of
deformation among the many
sub-parallel strike–slip fault zones
making up the Pacific–North
America plate boundary zone in
southern California (Fig 1). I
found that, although all of the
faults appear to participate to
some degree in the accommodation
of plate motion, approximately
70% of the total relative motion
between the plates appears to
be accommodated by only two
fault zones: the San Jacinto and
southernmost San Andreas.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 4
Together they transfer about 35 mm/yr of motion from the
Imperial fault to the Mojave segment of the San Andreas fault
(north of the San Jacinto–San Andreas intersection). The
southernmost San Andreas, despite a very low rate of
instrumentally recorded
seismicity, is accumulating
strain the most rapidly. Since
its last major rupture ca. 1680,
the fault has accumulated
more than 8 m of slip deficit.
Maybe the absence of
frequent smaller earthquakes
means that the observed
elastic strain accumulation on
the southernmost San Andreas
will be recovered only during
very large, infrequent events.
“So when will the next big one
occur?” asked the reporter from
the Imperial Valley Press. “The
truth is, we just don’t know,” I
replied. “Well, call me back
when you figure it out.” Click.
Fig. 1 (above and below) Major faults composing the
Pacific–North America transform plate boundary in
southern California. The San Andreas, San Jacinto, and
Imperial faults are commonly assumed to form a closed
system. A major change in San Andreas azimuth occurs
near San Gorgonio Pass, along the San Bernardino
segment (SBS), constituting a restraining bend
inhibiting displacement on Indio segment. The San
Jacinto fault largely bypasses this restraint. Other
subparallel faults, e.g., the Elsinore fault and faults of
the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ), also help to
accommodate relative plate motion. Fault history
courtesy of Jonathon Matti, USGS.
Obviously, this result had fallen
short of the coup d’etat that I
had originally hoped for. But
the study did get me thinking
in several directions, some of
which I’ve had the opportunity
to explore in recent years, and
which I describe in a little
more detail below.
A Geological
Double Helix?
How does geodesy
compare with the
geologic record? The
answer turns out to be
surprisingly complicated,
though not for lack of
data. In fact, a variety
of displacement rate
estimates have been
reported for both of
the San Andreas and
San Jacinto fault zones.
Each published rate
represents an average
over a finite interval of
time. The duration of
each averaging interval
is determined by the
age of a measured offset marker, such as a
distinctive rock unit, a
geomorphic feature, or
a geodetic monument.
Complications arise
because age-dependent
variations in displacement
rates are apparent for
both the San Andreas and San
Jacinto faults. For the San
Andreas, rate averages range
from as high as 30 mm/yr since
about 5 Ma to as low as 14
mm/yr since 90 ka. Averages
for the San Jacinto fault zone
also vary by nearly a factor
of two; long-term averages
are significantly larger than
estimates representing shorter,
more recent, intervals. These
rate average differences may
provide important clues
regarding the histories of
instantaneous fault slip. Indeed,
estimates of instantaneous rate
based on available rate averages
seem to suggest surprisingly
rich time-dependent behavior
for both fault zones (Fig. 2).
If, as is widely accepted, the
rate of deformation is
conserved between the San
Andreas and San Jacinto fault
zones through time, then the sum
of displacement rates on these two
faults should be a constant ~35 mm/
yr. A change in the rate on one fault
would be compensated for by an
equal and opposite change in the rate
on the other. Figure 2 shows that
existing data are indeed consistent
with the notion of conserved
displacement; an early period of
deceleration on the San Andreas
coincides with the emergence of the
San Jacinto fault, and an increase in
the San Andreas rate ca. 90 ka
coincides with a decrease in the San
Jacinto rate.
tens of kilometers have dictated the regional
pattern of plate boundary deformation in
southern California?
In collaboration with Luc Lavier (University of
Texas, Austin), I have begun exploring the
physical plausibility of the time-dependent
displacement hypothesis and its implications
for crustal rheology. Preliminary results are
very encouraging. An example numerical
experiment is illustrated in Figure 3 below.
The model predicts the development of
topography and thrust faulting analogous
to the San Bernardino Mountains and San
Gorgonio Pass Thrust, respectively. The time
required to develop new strike–slip faults,
analogous to the San Jacinto fault and faults
of the eastern California shear zone, depends
in part on the ratio of upper to lower crustal
strength (i.e., viscosity).
Fig. 2 Fault-displacement rate estimates for
San Andreas and San Jacinto fault zones
compared with select rate average data
(dashed rectangles). Variable widths of
displacement rate history curves indicate
95% confidence regions (top). Histories of
displacement rate for each fault estimated
independently. Note how model histories
generally approximate averages such that
rates are 50/50 above/below average rates
since age of respective offset markers
(bottom). Histories of fault-displacement
rates estimated subject to constraint that,
at any given time, rates sum to 35 mm/yr.
From Bennett et al., 2004.
Viscosity of the Primordial Soup
The rapid recovery of San Andreas displacement
rate over the past ~90 kyrs (Fig. 2) also
requires explanation. Preliminary modeling
suggests that fault activity rates may oscillate
with characteristic time scales controlled by
the viscosity of the brittle-ductile (upper to
lower crust) transition (~100 kyrs).
The Chicken or the Egg?
A key question is whether the spatio-temporal
variability observed geologically in the upper
crust reflects variable fault-loading rates and/
or pattern of lower crustal and upper mantle
strain, or alternatively whether sporadic
rupture of upper crustal faults under constant
far-field loading and lithospheric strain pattern
are controlled entirely by more local fault
mechanical feedbacks affecting the state of
friction and/or stress on the fault planes.
Partial answers to this fundamental question
may lie in an understanding of how geodetic
strain rates, which can sense present-day lower crustal and
upper mantle strain accumulation, relate to the long-time scale
permanent strain recorded by surface geology. Stay tuned.
Why would the San Jacinto fault have formed given that the San
Andreas fault was already there to
accommodate relative plate
motion? As it turns out, the timing
of San Jacinto fault inception
coincides with the formation of the
San Gorgonio Pass Thrust, a major
restraining bend in the southernmost San Andreas fault (Fig. 1). This
coincidence suggests that the San
Jacinto fault may have evolved as a
way to transfer displacement
around San Gorgonio Pass. In fact,
displacement on the San Jacinto
fault zone appears to have outFig. 3 Oblique compression numerical experiment, wherein transpressive far-field motions drive
paced the San Andreas fault zone
a crustal model containing a pre-existing strike slip fault. The model predicts crustal thickening
by about 1 Ma (Fig. 2), consistent
and an increase in friction on the initial strike slip fault. These phenomena contribute to a
with the idea that slip on the San
decrease in slip accumulation rate on the initial strike slip fault. As slip is inhibited and bending
Andreas was, at least for a while,
and thickening of the upper crust continue over 2 Myr, two new strike-slip faults analogous to
inhibited. Could a jog in the San
the San Jacinto fault zone, and perhaps the eastern California shear zone, form to accommodate
Andreas fault on a spatial scale of
the motion in and out of the plane. Figure courtesy of Luc Lavier.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 5
George Gehrels Receives
University Distinguished Professor Award
By Randy Richardson
The Distinguished Professorship
was created in 1995 by former
President Manuel T. Pacheco to
recognize individuals who have
made substantial contributions to
undergraduate education at the
University of Arizona. It is the most
prestigious teaching award that
the UA carries.
Two professors are selected to
receive the award each year from
the 12 colleges across campus.
University Distinguished Professors
must demonstrate outstanding
commitment to undergraduate
education with a minimum of ten
years teaching at the UA, at least
50 percent of which has been
undergraduate teaching.
Additional criteria includes: a
record of creative scholarship;
the application of scholarship in
the undergraduate classroom;
evidence of the highest standards
of teaching; evidence of effective
advising and mentoring of
undergraduates; involvement
in undergraduate curriculum
innovation within a discipline or
in University general education;
and evidence of extracurricular
activities or extramural service
related to the undergraduate
experience.
Along with the title of University
Distinguished Professor, this award
carries a $5,000 increase to a
professor’s base salary.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 6
T
here’s a line from the movie “Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” where
Robert Redford and Paul Newman, being
followed by an unbelievably good tracker,
say something like, “Who is this guy? I
couldn’t do that. Could you do that?”
Many of us feel the same way about
George Gehrels, who this spring was
selected as a University Distinguished
Professor, amongst the highest honors
bestowed by the University. George is
now one of 17 active University Distinguished
Professors at the UA, from a faculty of
over one thousand.
teacher at the UA,” “a phenomenal
lecturer,” and “I learned an exceptional
amount that I can apply to everyday life.”
A highlight of the semester is the optional
field trip to Cholla Bay, in Mexico, an
event that students often say is the most
memorable educational experience they
have had at the University. Students, time
and again, mention that George has
single handedly changed their view of
the physical world around them, very
high praise indeed for an Oceanography
course taught in the desert! And George
keeps doing it, like the Energizer Bunny.
George joined the Geosciences faculty in
1985. He has accumulated numerous
teaching awards which include: the UA
Innovations in Teaching Award; the COS
Distinguished Advising Award; the
Geosciences Advisory Board’s Outstanding
Faculty Award; and the Provost’s General
Education Teaching Award.
George is the undergraduate advisor for
about 90% of the Department’s undergraduate majors. He is knowledgeable
about academic policy and works with
the students to ensure that they are well
served by the Department and do not fall
through the “cracks” of a big university.
George truly cares about every student.
George has taught many courses in the
Department, from Structural Geology
to Regional Tectonics and Cordilleran
Tectonics to Physical Geology, and most
recently, Oceanography. His course
evaluations are stellar, and over the years
many students have written that he is
“totally awesome,” a sentiment we in
the Department heartily endorse!
George has also had a huge influence on
former students. Paul Kapp, Assistant
Professor in the Department, and Brian
Darby, Assistant Professor at Louisiana
State University, both wrote letters in
support of George’s nomination. Brian
wrote, “Now that I am a faculty member,
I have a deeper appreciation for the
commitment and creativity that George
displayed towards undergraduate
education. I strongly believe that there
are few, nationwide, who could conceive
and foster an undergraduate research
and education program that is as solid
as George’s at Arizona.” Paul wrote, “I
attribute much of my success as a PhD
student at UCLA to the preparation I
received as an undergraduate under the
guidance of George. In fact, I dedicated
my PhD dissertation to him.”
As part of his own professional vision/
philosophy, George blurs the boundaries
between teaching, research, and service
in such a seamless way. He is truly the
epitome of what the University can aspire
to as a student-centered research
university. He is outstanding in the
classroom, as a leader in undergraduate
curriculum reform, as the Geosciences
representative for statewide articulation
with the community colleges, as the
primary undergraduate advisor in the
Department, and as a faculty member
who brings his research alive in the
classroom and who brings undergraduates into his world-wide and
renowned research projects in China,
Nepal, Alaska, and British Columbia.
For several years, George has been teaching
a 400–seat Oceanography class. While
such large classes have the potential to
be deadly, in George’s hands, it is truly a
work of art. The students love the course,
and George. Student evaluations say
things like, “Gehrels is by far the best
The Department has had one previous
University Distinguished Professor, Robert
Butler, now on the faculty at the
University of Portland. Bob is a great
teacher who wrote, “When I decided to
accept a position at the University of
Portland and knew I would be teaching
Oceanography here, I attended every
session of Gehrels’ Oceanography class
during spring 2004, so I could again
observe this master teacher at work.”
So, “Who is this guy?” Why, he’s our
very own George Gehrels, University
Distinguished Professor.
Sand Grains with a Long Memory
By William R. Dickinson, Emeritus Professor
W
(granites and gneisses). Because zirconium is not readily
incorporated into any common rock-forming minerals, the
available zirconium in a magma latches onto some silica to make
zirconium silicate (zircon). Once formed, zircon is amazingly
persistent, impervious to weathering, and resistant to change by
almost any degree of heating short of remelting a rock. As
granite or gneiss is exposed and eroded, zircon grains are
preferentially concentrated along with quartz grains in the
derivative sand. Detrital zircon refers to grains transported by
sedimentary processes to be deposited as sand or sandstone.
ords scrawled by patrons on the chalkboard of the
Cottonwood Steakhouse in Bluff, Utah, on March 15th this
year: “Big Willy’s CPDZ Crew.” Translation? Big Willy is me (Bill
Dickinson). CPDZ refers to an NSF-funded research grant, with
me as PI and colleagues
George Gehrels and
But zircon has a memory of its
Pete DeCelles as co-PIs,
formation time that quartz lacks.
to look at the ages of
Every zircon crystal contains minor
detrital zircons in
impurities of uranium and thorium
Mesozoic strata of the
which decay radioactively over time
Colorado Plateau as a
to produce different isotopes (three
means of monitoring
in all) of lead. The lead is retained
the paleogeographic
within each zircon grain as a ticking
and paleotectonic
clock that records when the zircon
evolution of the
was formed. The machinery that
continent during
George Gehrels has assembled at the
Mesozoic time. The
UA is sensitive enough to allow the
“crew” is the team
ratio of isotopes of uranium, thorium,
of undergraduate
and lead to be measured independently
students registered
for any zircon sand grain larger than
in Geosciences 496E,
about 50 microns in diameter.
Colorado Plateau
Accordingly, the CPDZ crew is able
The CPDZ crew posed at the Antelope House overlook of Cañon del
Seminar (graduate
to determine the ages of individual
Muerto (Cañon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona). From left:
students need not
zircon grains in a sandstone, and the
Erin Brenneman, Jackie Dickinson, Greg Schmidt (front), Bill Dickinson,
apply), fully funded by
logistics of our NSF Grant allow us
Rich Brown, Carl Anderson (front), Jen Fox, Owen Hurd, and Joe Amar
(not pictured: Linette Ancha, Ben Norton, and Kelley Stair).
NSF complete with
to establish the ages of about 100
student stipends as an
zircon sand grains per sample
integral part of the
(enough to give confidence that we
research project with the students serving as co-investigators.
develop a statistically valid picture of the distribution of ages for
Eight students are registered this semester, with a total of ten
detrital zircons in each sample). There is no reason to suspect
involved during this academic year.
that zircon grains and quartz grains in any sandstone derive
from different source rocks. Ergo, detrital zircons serve as proxy
When the seminar first convened last September, I told
indicators of the ages of the source rocks for the much more
participants that ours was not a standard seminar, but strictly
abundant quartz grains.
a quid-pro-quo operation. We faculty would help students
absorb all they could as fast as they could about
Ages, schmages; so
Colorado Plateau stratigraphy and structure, and relevant
what? What can knowsedimentology. We would also help them learn how to
ledge of grain ages tell
collect detrital zircon samples in the field (after deciding
us about source rocks
where to collect them), how to separate and mount
and patterns of sediment
zircon grains and determine their U-Pb ages using a mass
dispersal from different
spectrometer, how to plot up the analytical results, how
provenances? Well, it
to write abstracts and prepare talks or posters for
happens that we know
professional meetings, and eventually how to write
quite a bit about the
research articles for standard journals. In return, we
distribution of granites
count on students giving 100% effort to the job at hand
and gneisses of different
because a successful research product is dependent upon
ages in North America.
their joint work.
And their distributions
are not at all random,
Work is the word for it, because we start with a 5-gal
but form distinct age
Home Depot bucket full of sandstone chips (maybe 60
belts that paint out as
lbs in all) just to get a fraction of a thimbleful of zircon
broad but discrete
Collecting basal Chinle Formation in the Little
grains. Initial success is reflected by the seven abstracts
swaths on regional
Colorado River gorge near Cameron, Arizona.
submitted to undergraduate research poster sessions at
maps. For example,
either the Cordilleran Section GSA meeting in San Jose
Mesozoic granites
this April or the Rocky Mountain Section GSA meeting in
occur only along the Cordilleran orogenic belt of western
Grand Junction this May.
North America, and Paleozoic granites almost exclusively
along the Appalachian orogenic belt of eastern North America,
But why the focus on detrital zircons? Zircon is not an abundant
with Precambrian granites and gneisses of different ages
mineral in any rock, but is a ubiquitous minor accessory mineral
arrayed along the various Precambrian age belts of interior
in nearly all exposed plutonic rocks of the continental basement
North America.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 7
Antevs Is Moving
By Owen Davis
On Entrada Formation outcrop (figures near juniper in center) in
Muleshoe Canyon near Moab, Utah.
In a pilot project completed a few years ago, George Gehrels
and I showed that about half the detrital zircon grains in
Permian and Jurassic eolian sand seas of the Colorado Plateau
were derived from the Appalachian belt on the other side of the
continent. Those magnificent cliffs of fossil dune sand in Zion
Canyon of southwestern Utah are composed of sand that was
carried by rivers across the full width of the continental surface
to be blown southward (in modern coordinates) off floodplains,
deltas, and strandlines located in the region of the modern
northern Rocky Mountains. Sound like a stretch? The modern
Amazon drainage carries sand from the Andes across South
America, and the rivers of the Siberian plain carry sand from the
high ranges of central Asia to the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
On the strength of our pilot results, we proposed to NSF that we
make a systematic census of detrital zircons in all the Mesozoic
strata of the Colorado Plateau (eolian and fluvial alike) to
ascertain where the sand was coming from at various times. We
should be able to gauge when sediment delivery switched from
being mainly westward toward the Cordilleran margin to being
mainly eastward off the developing Cordilleran orogen, and
from what part or parts of the Cordilleran orogen sand was
derived at different times. Because the Colorado Plateau has the
most complete record of Mesozoic sedimentation preserved
anywhere in North America, it is the obvious place to seek
answers to these and analogous questions.
To make a long story short, NSF bought our pitch, and we are
off to the races with our junior colleagues of the undergraduate
seminar. Over the course of three years, we expect to obtain the
ages of perhaps 4000 detrital zircons in some 40 carefully
selected samples spread up and down the section from Triassic
to Cretaceous and from central Utah to central Arizona and
eastern New Mexico. Will our results answer all questions about
Mesozoic paleogeography and scratch all our paleotectonic
itches? Of course not, but as a pioneering study it will limn the
overall picture and point the way to future studies by our group
and others. Our students find themselves at the cutting edge
because few other labs can do this stuff. But you will have to
read the abstracts from San Jose and Grand Junction to learn
some of the intriguing information we have already turned up!
Postscript: The CPDZ undergraduates of today follow in the footsteps of
the DUDZ undergraduates of the 1990s who studied detrital zircons in
suspect terrane of Nevada and California (GSA Special Paper 347 of
2000). The latter have gone on to successful professional careers
including UA Assistant Professor Paul Kapp, a UCLA PhD.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 8
This summer the Antevs library will move from the third
floor location it has occupied since the Gould-Simpson
Building was completed in 1985. Prior to that move, it had
occupied part of the Second Floor of Old Geology (now
named the Harshbarger Building) since 1973. That move
was completed by Professor Joe Schreiber and Librarian
Elizabeth O’Leary with the assistance of Kevin Moodie,
Ben McElhaney, and various Geosciences students. This
summer’s move will be accomplished by Ben McElhaney
and by the Antevs Assistant Librarians. The library is now
staffed by four Assistant Librarians under the direction of
Professor Owen Davis.
Antevs is moving to room 211. This is a much smaller room
but it is sufficient space for the Library’s primary holdings.
Of greatest importance are our bound copies of the
Department’s theses and dissertations. Beginning 12 years
ago, the University of Arizona Library stopped routinely
accepting copies of MS and MA theses, making the Antevs
library the sole source of certain works. These are our most
requested holdings. Of course, our archive materials — the
Antevs and Mayo collections — will be accorded special
care. These are receiving increasing national and
international attention. Currently we are collaborating with
John Ridge, Tufts University, to provide some of Antevs’
unpublished varve records from the Northeast.
We also will be sure to find space for our older and more
complete journals such as the Bulletin of the Geological
Society of America and some of the USGS publications.
And, we will continue to maintain a complete archive of
Department of Geosciences reports and GeoDaze
programs.
Two factors have precipitated this move. First, the
technological developments of the last decade have made
most geological information available online. The Antevs
Library’s maps are important as archival documents, but
Geoscientists interested in base maps now generate these
electronically. Plus, most geological journals are now
available online, in many cases with complete lists of back
issues. The Antevs Library is supporting the availability of
these journals to the Geosciences Community at the
University of Arizona.
The second factor favoring the move is financial. There has
never been enough space for our students and faculty.
Room 301 will be divided into two rooms for use by new
faculty and graduate students. Another issue is the Antevs
Librarian. Elizabeth O’Leary retired three years ago, and we
will not be able to hire a replacement. The work-study
students have performed wonderfully, but even their service
comes at a price.
Starting next Fall, all Library materials will be checked out
through the Main Office, room 208, Gould–Simpson. Class
Reserve Materials have already been moved to room 208.
The Antevs Library holdings are listed online at
www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/, so patrons will be able to
locate publications online, then simply visit room 208 to
check the materials out.
UA Geoscientist Elected to
National Academy of Engineering
S
pencer R. Titley was elected to the
National Academy of Engineering in
February of 2005. Election to the NAE
is one of the highest professional
distinctions an engineer can achieve.
Spence was born in Denver, Colorado,
was educated as a geological engineer,
and graduated from the Colorado
School of Mines in 1951. He worked as
a hardrock miner in Idaho Springs,
Cripple Creek, and Boulder, Colorado; he was an exploration
and mine geologist for New Jersey Zinc Co. in the American
West; and he served in the Korean War. Spence earned his
doctorate in geology from the University of Arizona in 1958,
joined the UA faculty as an assistant professor in 1959, and rose
through the ranks to professor.
Known world-wide for his field-based studies of Phanerozoic
porphyry copper deposits, Spence’s research has focused on
the origin of copper in the Southwest Copper Province that
underlies parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico.
Before man first set foot on the Moon, Spence convened, was
the local coordinator of, and presented a paper at the first GSA
Penrose Conference held in Tucson during February of 1969.
The conference was devoted to the origin of porphyry copper.
Spence has edited two books on porphyry copper deposits of
southwestern North America that can be found on the shelves
of thousands of economic geologists, world-wide. It is virtually
impossible for anyone involved in economic geology to utter
the words “porphyry copper deposits” and not think of Spence
and his contributions.
In addition to copper, Spence’s interests, scientific knowledge,
and expertise extend from Archean magmatism and sedimentation,
to remote sensing, to this afternoon’s weather. He has published
six quadrangle maps of the Moon. He has embraced new
geochemical techniques, from REE to Re-Os isotopes, for what
insight they might bring to understanding the origin of metal
Faculty Awards
Owen Davis received the American Association of Stratigraphic
Palynologists’ Distinguished Service Award for 2005. This award
is given to persons who have repeatedly given of their time
and resources to the American Association of Stratigraphic
Palynologists and whose efforts have advanced the organization.
Jonathan Overpeck, Director for the Institute for the Study
of Planet Earth and Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric
Sciences, will receive a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation
for $38,000. Jon is planning a sabbatical to write a new book
about global climate change.
Jon Pelletier was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
in the UA Department of Geosciences.
concentration. Finally, he has brought a multidisciplinary
approach to all the science he does by integrating mineralogy,
geology, geochemistry, and 4 billion years of Earth history.
His numerous honors and awards include the Medal of Merit
from the American Mining Hall of Fame, the Penrose Gold
Medal from the Society of Economic Geologists, the D.C.
Jackling Award from the Society of Mining Metallurgy and
Exploration, the Medal for Distinguished Achievement in
Mineral Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, the
Career Distinguished Teaching Award from the UA’s College of
Science, the Creative Teaching Award from the UA Foundation,
the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for
Excellence in Teaching, and the Distinguished Faculty Award
from the UA’s Department of Geosciences advisory board. He
also has a Bronze Star for his service in the Korean War.
Spence is a fellow of four professional societies: 1) the Society
of Economic Geologists, 2) the Geological Society of America,
3) the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and
4) the Mineralogical Society of America. He is also a member of
five other societies: 1) the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral
Deposits, 2) the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and
Petroleum Engineers, 3) the Society of Exploration Geophysicists,
4) the American Geophysical Union, and 5) the International
Association for the Genesis of Ore Deposits. He has served on
many of these societies, as well as the Arizona Geological Society.
He has been on the editorial boards of several journals,
NSF committees and panels, and academic program review
committees. In addition, he has been a willing participant in a
series of other positions on campus, including the Graduate
Council, the Faculty Senate, the Committee on Remote Sensing,
and academic program review committees. He has been a
Graduate College Commencement Marshall since 1980.
Spence's contributions to the Department of Geosciences are
impossible to measure. Over the years, He has advised over 125
graduate students, and this doesn’t count all the times he has
served as an invited external examiner of foreign dissertations.
He is currently the curator of the Department’s Mineral Museum.
Spence has worked for more than four decades to help build
the world-class Department that we enjoy today. We are
extremely proud and honored to have Spence as a colleague,
and we thank him for all that he has done for us.
Joaquin Ruiz received the 2004 Medal of Merit from the American
Mining Hall of Fame. The award was presented by the Mining
Foundation of the Southwest at a banquet in December, 2004.
Guests included J. David Lowell, a 2002 inductee in the Mining Hall
of Fame, Provost George Davis, and Department Chair Susan Beck.
Alumni Awards
J. David and Edith Lowell were awarded a lifetime Galileo Circle
membership by Dean Joaquin Ruiz during a Founders Society
dinner sponsored by COS and the UA Foundation to thank specific
individuals from the campus community for their generous support
to the UA over the years.The Founders Society recognizes
individuals who have provided $1 million or more of financial
support to the UA. The Galileo Circle is a society of individuals who
specifically support excellence in the sciences at the UA.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 9
Spring and Summer Scholarship Awards
Graduate Scholarships
Elise Williamson received an Economic Geology Scholarship
Patricia Alvarado received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Brian Yanites received a Sulzer Scholarship
Megan Anderson received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Toby Ault received a Bert Butler Scholarship
Berk Biryol received a Sulzer Scholarship
Joshua Calkins received a ConocoPhillips Scholarship
Thomas Damassa received a Sulzer Scholarship for being
a 2004-2005 Outstanding TA
Undergraduate Scholarships
Joseph Amar received a David Moore Scholarship and an
ExxonMobil Scholarship for Summer Field Camp
Linette Ancha received a David Moore Scholarship
Carl Anderson received a David Moore Scholarship
and a Diane Ferris Scholarship for Summer Field Camp
Stephen DeLong received a Bert Butler Scholarship and a
Keith Katzer Scholarship
Erin Brenneman received a David Moore Scholarship
Anna Felton received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Jessica Bressmer received a David Moore Scholarship
Jerome Guynn received a ConocoPhillips Scholarship and a
ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Rich Brown received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Shundong He received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
David Kennedy received a Sulzer Scholarship for being a
2004-2005 Outstanding TA, and a Wilson Thompson Scholarship
Lynette Kleinsasser received a Graduate College Fellowship
James Mayer received a Bert Butler Scholarship and a
Maxwell Short Scholarship
Leslie Nicole Dix received a Galileo Circle Scholarship
Erik Flesch received a David Moore Scholarship
Jennifer Fox received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship and a Galileo
Circle Scholarship
Erin Gleeson received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Cody Helfrich received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Arda Ozacar received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship, a
Galileo Circle Scholarship, and a Peter Coney Scholarship
Owen Hurd received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship and a
Diane Ferris Scholarship for Summer Field Camp
Alexander Pullen received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Theresa Kayzar received the Mayo Scholarship for being the
Outstanding Senior and an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Amanda Reynolds received a Bert Butler Scholarship
Joel Saylor received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Timothy Shanahan received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Shannon Langdon received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Jeff Moomaugh received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Victor Valencia received a Galileo Circle Scholarship
Koichi Sakaguchi received a Mayo Scholarship for Outstanding
Undergraduate Research, an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship, and a
Mayo Scholarship for Summer Field Camp
John Volkmer received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Gregory Schmidt received an A.W. Voorhees Scholarship
Frank Wagner received a ChevronTexaco Scholarship
Kelley Stair received an Orlo Childs Scholarship
Jennifer Wagner received a Galileo Circle Scholarship and a
Maxwell Short Scholarship
Mayo Thompson received a Diane Ferris Scholarship for Summer
Field Camp
Rebecca Walker received a Sulzer Scholarship
Tyler Vandruff received a David Moore Scholarship
Hinako Uchida received a Bert Butler Scholarship
A total of $101,610 was awarded in scholarships thanks to many generous gifts received from alumni and friends.
Student Awards
Patricia Alvarado received a PERISHIP Hazards Fellowship. She is
one of ten doctoral students who will receive a grant of up to $10,000
to support her work on natural and human-made hazards, risks, and
disasters. The fellowship program is supported with funding from the
National Science Foundation and managed by PERI (The Public Entity
Risk Institute) and the Natural Hazards Center.
Megan Anderson received the American Geophysical Union’s
MARGINS prize of honorable mention for her presentation this year.
MARGINS is an NSF science initiative to promote our understanding
of continental margins.
Allison Drake received the 3rd Place Poster Prize in the natural/
physical science category at the Institute for the Study of Planet
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 10
Earth’s (ISPE) 2nd Annual Graduate Student Poster Competition, for
her poster “Modeling the response of Sonoran grassland vegetation to
potential climate changes.”
Kim Tait received the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship from
the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD), for the second
year in a row. This is an international competition for students from all
sciences. Kim also received a $10,000 PEO Scholar Award. This
organization focuses on education for women and helps them realize
their potential in whatever worthwhile endeavor they choose.
Lara Wagner received an outstanding student paper award from
both the Tectonophysics section and the Seismology section at the
American Geophysical Union’s Fall 2004 meeting in December in San
Francisco. She also accepted a fellowship postdoc at the Carnegie
Institutions Department of Terrestrial Magnetism.
Geosciences Welcomes Three
New Advisory Board Members
James E. King is the retired Director of The
Cleveland Museum of Natural History where
he served from 1996 to 2000. Before that,
he was Director of the Carnegie Museum of
Natural History in Pittsburgh. Jim has
directed museum-based research projects,
overseen major museum laboratory and
facilities improvements, participated in
capital campaigns, led the creation of
numerous new exhibition galleries, and
directed the development of new educational programs. He
has served on national museum and scientific boards and
communities, and was the principal investigator on a national
multi-museum public computer access project. Prior to 1987
he held various positions with the Illinois State Museum in
Springfield, Illinois, concluding as Assistant Director for Science.
He held adjunct professorships in geology at the University of
Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh and is a research
associate at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at
Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Jim was born in Escanaba, Michigan, and grew up in Fremont,
Michigan. He earned a BS in Biology from Alma College,
Michigan (‘62), an MS in Botany from the University of New
Mexico (‘64) and a PhD in Geosciences from the University
of Arizona (‘72) under the guidance of Paul Martin. In 2002, he
was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by Alma College.
Christopher “Kit” Marrs is co-owner of A.W.
Marrs Inc., a land brokerage and development
company located in Tucson, Arizona. The
firm has been active since 1980, and business
activity encompasses a wide range of real
estate brokerage and investment services;
consulting activity; and commercial and
residential site and infrastructure
development. Kit is currently the Vice
President of Project Development and supervises planning,
rezoning, financial analysis, bid analysis, engineering and
construction of residential subdivision projects, and investor
relations. Before coming to A.W. Marrs Inc., Kit worked as a
mineral exploration geologist and a field geologist for fifteen
years, principally in Alaska for Anaconda Minerals and also in
Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Mexico
for Kennicott, Rio Tinto, LAC Mining, Placer, and Penoles.
Kit was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He earned a BS in
geology (‘74) and an MS in economic/structural geology (‘79)
from the University of Arizona under the guidance of professors
John Guilbert, George Davis, Spencer Titley, and William Peters.
Jamie Lytle Webb is a retired administrator
and faculty member from California State
University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), a
small, experimental college funded by the
Carnegie Foundation. She was an Assistant
Professor in 1975, an Associate Professor of
the Dept. of Earth and Marine Science in
1981, and Professor of the Department of
Earth Sciences from 1986 through 2004.
During her time at CSUDH, she served as
coordinator of general education, director
of faculty Development, director of the advisement center, and
as an acting assistant and associate vice president in Academic
Affairs. In addition, she was project director for a five-year, Title
III Strengthening the Institution grant from the US Department of
Education, and was co-director of faculty development on a
collaborative NSF funded project that involved 10 colleges and
universities in the Los Angeles basin. Towards the end of her
career, she took a year’s leave to work at Zayed University, a
state–supported women’s college in the United Arab Emirates,
as Assistant to the Provost.
Jamie was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She has a BA
degree in geology from Colorado College (‘68), an MS in
Geochronology (’71) and a PhD in Geosciences (‘78) from the
University of Arizona under the guidance of professors Allen
Solomon and Terah Smiley.
Fall Degrees 2004
Bachelor of Science
Daniel Deborde • Brian Wallin
Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy
Jason Kirk, PhD
“Rhenium-Osmium Systematics of Orogenic
Gold Deposits Through Geologic Time,”
advisor Joaquin Ruiz
Jeffrey Pigati, PhD
“Experimental Developments and Application of
Carbon-14 and In Situ Cosmogenic Nuclide Dating
Techniques,” advisor Jay Quade
Christina Luis, MS
“Character of the 2002-3 ENSO Warm Phase
Event: A State Space Perspective,” advisors Julie
Cole and Mike Evans
Brant Wilson, MS
“Characterization of Leached Capping at the Dos
Pobres Copper Porphyry, Graham County, Arizona,”
advisor Spence Titley
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 11
Catalina Highway
to look at “Core
Complex Geology.”
With his expertise in
Arizona tectonics,
Jon explained the
Catalina’s geologic
history and pointed
out some gneiss
outcrops.
GeoDaze 2005
T
he 33rd annual GeoDaze
Symposium was held at the UA
Student Union on April 7th and 8th.
The 27 talks and 21 posters exemplified
the diversity and multi-disciplinary
nature of geosciences research today.
Topics included tectonics, structure,
geophysics, economic geology,
quaternary geology, paleoecology,
climate, and paleoclimatology. Both
graduate and undergraduate students
participated, as well as individuals
from other academic and professional
communities.
GeoDaze award recipients; see the list of students and awards on page 13.
Twenty-one
awards were
given during a
ceremony that
followed the
presentations
and the slide
show.
Activities ended
with the annual
GeoDaze picnic at
Susan Beck and
George Zandt’s
house. More that
120 individuals
attended this year.
A special thanks goes to Co-Chairs Toby Ault and Andy Frassetto
for all of their dedication and hard work, and to all of the
individuals on their planning committees who made this event
happen. A special thanks also goes to all of our alumni, friends,
and sponsors whose financial support makes the GeoDaze
Symposium possible each year.
Finally, a big
round of
applause goes
to all of the
students,
faculty, staff,
and alumni for
making the
GeoDaze
tradition of
showcasing
student research
a great success
again this year!
Dr. Maureen
Raymo,
Professor of
Geosciences
from Boston
University and
Woods Hole
Jon Spencer and field trip participants
Oceanographic
looking at core complex geology along
Institute, was
the Catalina highway (above and right).
the keynote
speaker. Dr.
Raymo’s talk was entitled “Causes of Ice Ages in
Earth’s History.”
Dr. Jon Spencer of the Arizona Geological Society led the
2005 GeoDaze field trip. The group ascended the
GeoDaze Donors
— Individuals —
Jon Baskin
Suzanne Bowe
James Briscoe
Jonathan Browne
Cheryl Butler
Carlotta Chernoff
Anthony Ching
Jean Cline
Gary Colgan
Paul Damon
Omar DeWald
Steve Enders
Mary Teresa Ervin
Terrence Gerlach
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 12
Patrick Gisler
Fred Hauser
Vance Haynes
James Hays
Tom Heidrick
Kerry Inman
Louis Jacobs
William Jenney
Gary Jones
Richard Jones
Susan Kidwell
Charles Kluth
Peter Kresan
Michael Kutney
David Lowell
Paul Martin
Edgar McCullough
Leslie McFadden
Rob McGill
Sally Meader-Roberts
Gopal Mohapatra
Nancy Naeser
Robert Parker
Bernard Pipkin
Bruce Prior
Christopher Roe
John Schaefer
Miles Shaw
Douglas Silver
Gilbert Stern
John Sweet
Dee Trent
Raymond Turner
Harold & Lisa Waller, Jr.
Mary Lin Windes
Isaac Winograd
Donald Witter
Mark Zoback
Kenneth Zonge
John Zumberge
— Corporations —
ChevronTexaco
ConocoPhillips
ExxonMobil
GeoDaze Awards
Errol C. Montgomery
Prize for Best Talk
Nathan English
ChevronTexaco
Runner-up Paleoclimate/Climate/Paleoecology Talk
Thomas Damassa
ChevronTexaco
Best Economic Geology Talk
William Stavast
Vance Haynes
Second Runner-up Talk for
Paleoclimate/Climate/Paleoecology
Jessica Conroy
ChevronTexaco
Runner-up Economic Geology Talk
David Maher
ChevronTexaco
Best Paleoclimate/Geochemistry Poster
Joseph Cook
John Zumberge
Best Geochemistry Talk
Alyson Thibodeau
ChevronTexaco
Best Structure/Tectonics Talk
Shungdong He
ChevronTexaco
Runner-up Geochemistry Talk
Amanda Reynolds
William W. Jenney, Jr. and ChevronTexaco
Runner-up Structure/Tectonics Talk
Arda Ozacar
ChevronTexaco
Second Runner-up Geochemistry Talk
Jennifer Wagner
Leslie McFadden
Best Geomorphology Talk or Poster
Brian Yanites
ChevronTexaco
Best Poster for
Structure/Tectonics/Geophysics/Economic Geology
M. Serkan Arca
ChevronTexaco
Best Poster Award
Susan Mentzer
ChevronTexaco
Best Geophysics Talk
Joshua Calkins
ChevronTexaco
Runner-up Poster Award
Frank Wagner
Mark D. Zoback and Hydrogeophysics, Inc.
Runner-up Geophysics Talk
Andrew Frassetto
SESS
Best Undergraduate Talk
Koichi Sakaguchi
Gilbert R. Stern
Best Geosciences Education Talk or Poster
Rebecca Walker
SESS
Best Undergraduate Poster
Theresa Kayzar
ChevronTexaco
Best Paleoclimate/Climate/Paleoecology Talk
Camille Holmgren
Other News
New Babies
Memorials
Professors Julie Cole and Jonathan Overpeck welcomed a
new son, Elias Cole Overpeck, on October 26th, 2004.
Lilly Brant passed away on January 8th, 2005. Lilly was the
wife of Arthur Brant, who was an adjunct faculty member in
the Department from 1980 to 1996.
Graduate students Jennifer and Trey Wagner are the proud
new parents of Charlotte Texx Wagner, born November
16th, 2004.
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 13
In Memory of Professor
Paul E. Damon
By Mari N. Jensen,
UA News Services
P
aul E. Damon, a geoscientist whose
work helped make The University of
Arizona internationally famous for isotope
geochemistry, died Thursday, April 14th,
2005 in Tucson. He was 84. A memorial
service was held on May 30th in Tucson.
Paul’s research covered subjects ranging
from atmospheric evolution to paleoclimatology. Among his other achievements,
in 1988, he and colleagues at the UA
dated the Shroud of Turin.
“Paul personified scholarly dedication
to intellectual pursuits, in ways never
marked by narrowness. He was always
after the combination of the big picture
and fundamental principles,” said George
H. Davis, Regents’ Professor of Geosciences,
executive Vice President and Provost and
a former head of UA’s Department of
Geosciences. “Paul was someone who
loved to test ideas in discussion and
debate... you always knew what he was
thinking about, what he thought he
understood, and what he was trying to
understand. He was a good mentor.”
A native of Brooklawn, N.J., Paul earned a
bachelor’s degree in 1943 from Bucknell
University. After serving in the Navy in
World War II, he earned a master’s degree
from the Missouri School of Mines in 1949.
He was a research
associate at the
University of
Arkansas from
1949–50 and
an assistant
professor from
1951–54.
He received his
doctorate from
Columbia
University in
1957 and joined
the University of
Arizona faculty
the same year.
He retired from
the University
as an Emeritus
Professor of
Geosciences in
1989.
Paul Damon, opening a valve
on UA’s first accelerator mass
spectrometer. Damon and his
colleagues used this machine
to date the Shroud of Turin.
Paul was one of
the pioneers in developing and calibrating
the carbon-14, or radiocarbon, method
for dating organic material. The method,
widely used by scientists the world over,
can determine the calendar age of diverse
materials, including trees, archaeological
materials such as baskets and clothing,
ancient pack-rat nests,
coral reefs, and art. Paul set up the first
radiocarbon laboratory at University
that was based on gas counters, then
state-of-the-art. His leadership helped
the University obtain the nation’s first
dedicated accelerator mass spectrometry
laboratory for radiocarbon measurements,
a technique which revolutionized
radiocarbon dating in the early 1980s.
Paul applied his knowledge
of isotopic dating techniques
to scientific problems in
geochemistry, paleoclimatology, the evolution
of the atmosphere and the
origins of ore deposits and
volcanic rocks. He was
among the first to detect
the signature of solar flares
in tree rings using radiocarbon measurements. Paul’s
work also helped elucidate
the geologic history of
western North America.
Right up until his death, he
was conducting research on
how solar variability affects
climate.
Paul was author or coauthor
of more than 200 scientific
papers. His honors and
awards included being
a Fellow of the Geological Society of
America and an honorary Doctor of
Science degree from Bucknell University,
his alma mater.
Paul is remembered by his colleagues as
a man of principle in both scientific and
political matters and a strong fighter for
what he believed. For example, he
engaged in several high-profile scientific
discussions with “creationists” and also
with those who contend that human
activity is not causing global warming.
The week he died, he was working on a
rebuttal to some scientists who asserted
that recent climatic changes are not
caused by human activity.
ALUMNI NEWS
Islands. They hope all their friends from
the Department are well and enjoying life.
~ BPipkin@aol.com
1960s
Barney Pipkin (PhD ‘65)
Barney and Faye Pipkin attended the
graduation of their daughter, Lorraine
Pipkin Knochel, who earned her MS from
the University’s School of Nursing. She is
now a Nurse Practitioner, specializing in
geriatrics at the VA hospital in Tucson.
Barney says it’s a fitting specialty for her
dad. Gladys Taylor, Faye’s mother, passed
away in February, and the University
dedicated a garden in front of Herring
Hall on January 31st, 2005. It will be
known as the Taylor Botanical Plaza.
Barney still speaks on ocean cruises, the
latest being to the islands of the Tuomotu
Archipelago, and Pitcairn and Easter
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 14
1970s
1970
Rolfe Erickson (MS ‘62, PhD ‘70)
I entered the UA in 1959, earned my MS in
‘62 under Evans Mayo and my PhD in ‘70
under Paul Damon. I have retired after 38
years of teaching hardrock petrology and
geochemistry at Sonoma State University in
California. I look forward to finishing off
some research projects and pursuing some
new ideas, and having no more short-term
deadlines! I would love to hear from any of
my grad student buddies.
~rolfe.erickson@sonoma.edu
Howard Harlan (BS ‘67, MS ‘71)
Howard has been
promoted to Vice
President, Business
Development for
Vista Gold Corp. in
Littleton, Colorado.
Vista Gold Corp.
buys gold properties
and enhances their
value through
exploration and
engineering studies to ready them for
production, then sells or joint ventures
the projects. He is married to the former
Julie de Azevedo (BS ‘66, MS ‘71) who is
retired after a career in mineralogy with
Cyprus Minerals and Luzenac America.
~ howardharlan@msn.com
Eugene Schmidt (MS ‘73)
Eugene is Vice President of Exploration
at Goldex Resources in Vancouver, British
Columbia. His wife Patricia is the Principal
at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo,
Washington. His son Nicholas teaches
high school math and physics. His son
Erik graduated from the US Naval
Academy in 2004. After graduating, he
participated in the Olympic trials where
he ran the 1500 m race. Daughter JoEllen
is currently a sophmore at Seattle Pacific
University studying medicine.
Joseph Kruger (PhD ‘91)
Joe provided the photo (left) of UA
alumni who attended the EarthScope
meeting in Santa Anna, New Mexico,
March 28-31.
~ krugerjm@hal.lamar.edu
1990s
1990
John Brownlee (BS ‘97)
I married Erica Newman (BFA ‘01 in Theater)
in the spring of 2002, in Tucson, and we
recently moved to Los Angeles. As a Chief
Technology Officer, I run technology
analysis and operations for a mid-sized
private merchant bank specializing in
patents and other intellectual properties.
Some activity at work in oil exploration and
futures thankfully provides an excuse to
stay involved in geology! No children yet,
but in 2000, the International Astronomical
Union named a minor planet after me,
11652 JOHNBROWNLEE for my past work
at LPL. The current plan is to return to
Tucson in 2005 for a PhD in optics if the
siren song of investment banking doesn’t
root us in LA. In my copious spare time, I
still work on the Linux operating system
kernel, run the half and full marathon, and
fly airplanes when I can.
~ john@jbrownlee.com
UA alumni who attended the EarthScope
meeting: front, left to right, Libby
Anthony (MS ‘79, PhD ‘86), Meredith
Nettles (MS ‘00), Susan Beck, Joe Kruger
(PhD ‘91); back, left to right: David
Coblentz (PhD ‘94), Bill Holt (MS ‘86,
PhD ‘89) and Mike Williams (MS ‘82).
Wayne Harrison (BS ‘92)
I’ve practiced engineering geology in
private consulting, most recently as County
Geologist for Riverside County. A majority
of my work has been mitigating geologic
hazards for land development projects.
My wife Erin and I have two wonderful little
girls. We will be moving to the Phoenix area
in the Fall of 2005 for Erin to pursue her
PhD in Education at the other school in AZ.
We will be a part of the ASU Wildcat Club.
~ harrison.socal@sbcglobal.net
Brooke Clements (MS ‘91)
Brooke, Vice President of Exploration at
Ashton Mining of
Canada Inc., provided
the photo (left) of UA
alumni who attended
the Cordilleran
Exploration Roundup
meeting in Vancouver,
Canada this year, one
of the largest exploration
conferences in the
world.
UA alumni who attended the Cordilleran Exploration Roundup
meeting: front, left to right, Brooke Clements (MS ‘91), John-Mark
Staude (PhD ‘95), Jim Lang (MS ‘86, PhD ‘91), George Sanders,
Wojtek Wodzicki (PhD ‘95); back, left to right, John Balla (BS ‘59,
MS ’62), Fred Graybeal (MS ‘62, PhD ‘72), Bill McClelland (BS
‘79, PhD ‘90), Wolfram Schuh (PhD ‘93), William Wilkinson (PhD
‘81), Peter Megaw (PhD ‘90), and Moira Smith (PhD ‘90)
Michal Kowalewski
(PhD ‘95)
Michal will be the
2005 recipient
of the Paleontological
Society’s Schuchert
Medal, awarded
annually to a person
under 40 whose work
reflects excellence and
promise in the science
of paleontology.
~michalk@vt.edu
Lisa Park Boush
(MS ‘91, Phd ‘95)
I recently married Carlton Boush who
works for Sprint and is a geographer.
I am an Associate Professor at the
University of Akron, and will continue
to publish under the name Park.
I have served on the Paleontological
Society Council from 2003-2005. I
was also named Chairs’ Outstanding
Researcher for 2003 at the University
of Akron.
~lepark@uakron.edu
Danny Sims (MS ‘93, PhD ‘96)
Danny earned a JD degree from the UA
College of Law in May 2005.
2000
2000s
Andrew Hennes (MS ‘04)
Valerie and I are now the proud parents of
two beautiful and healthy baby girls. Libby
Marie Hennes (5 lbs 5 oz, 17.75") and
Bailey Jo Hennes (5 lbs 7 oz, 17"), were
born at 10:05 and 10:06 pm, respectively,
on April 4th, 2005. Mother and babies are
doing great. The girls were born 6 weeks
premature and had to spend 10 days in the
NICU, but are home now, and are doing
great... let the work, worry, and sleepless
nights begin!!! Other than that, not much
has changed. Andy is still employed (thank
goodness) at ChevronTexaco, and Val
certainly has her hands full now.
~amhennes@yahoo.com
Geosciences News • Spring 2005
page 15
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