The Coal Geologist
Fall 2014
Volume 38, Number 1
Division Officers
Mark Engle, Chair
El Paso, TX 79930
(915) 747-5503 (Office)
mercurous@gmail.com
What’s in a name?
In Shakespeare’s popular tragedy, Juliet uses this
line toMessage
indicate to Romeo
names
are an
fromthat
Coal
Geology
unimportant consideration in their relationship. Here
Division
Chair With the
I intend to discuss
quite the opposite.
development of techniques used to produce
hydrocarbons directly from source rocks, such as
shale gas and tight oil, there has been some interest
in broadening our Division’s scope and name to
include the study of other source rocks, such as
black shales. Partly this is in recognition of the
overlap between coal geology and the study of other
organic-rich rocks. For instance, vitrinite reflectance
was originally developed for use in coals but is now
applied as a universal indicator of thermal maturity.
Additinoally, this name change is a means to
increase the size and participation in a division who
has seen limited growth and is tied to a fuel whose
use and production is waning in North America.
However, a proposed change in the breadth of
topics covered by the division is not without concern.
Growth for the sake of growth is not always a
positive goal. Similarly, by becoming too broad,
there is serious concern that the real focus of the
division is being diluted. Also, the division awards
are strongly linked to focus purely on coal geology.
As a potential name change has potential to impact
all division members, we are looking to you to
provide your insight and thoughts on this idea.
Should there be enough interest in changing the
name of the division, expect to see this in the
division elections for next year.
In the meantime, it has been my pleasure to serve
as 2013-2014 chair of the Division and I hope to see
all of you in Vancouver.
Mark Engle
Chair, GSA Coal Geology Division
Fall 2014, Vol. 38, No. 1
2014
Division Officers
Jen O’Keefe, 1st Vice-Chair
Dept. of Earth and Space Science
404-A Lappin Hall
Morehead State University
Morehead, KY 40351
(606) 783-2349 (Office)
j.okeefe@moreheadstate.edu
Brett Valentine, 2nd Vice-Chair
U.S. Geological Survey, National Center MS 956
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192
(703) 648-6480 (Office)
bvalentine@usgs.gov
Lois Yoksoulian, Secretary-Treasurer
Illinois State Geological Survey
615 E. Peabody Dr. #330
Champaign, IL 61821
(217) 244-2788 (Office)
leyok@illinois.edu
Cortland F. Eble, Member-at-Large
228 Mining and Mineral
Resources Building
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0107
(859) 323-0540
eble@uky.edu
GSA Councilor/Division
Liaison Representative
Isabel Montiñez
Univ California, Davis
Earth and Planetary Sci.
3117 Earth and Physical Sciences
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 754-7823
ipmontanez@ucdavis.edu
Steve Greb, Website
greb@uky.edu
Lois Yoksoulian, Coal Geologist Editor
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/GSA/
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The Coal Geologist
Fall 2014, Vol. 38, No. 1
Coal Geology Division Sessions
for the 2014 Annual Meeting
Here’s a quick update on the coal division
sponsored and co-sponsored sessions that
are scheduled for the GSA Annual Meeting in
Vancouver. We hope to see you there!
T88: North American Coal and Source Rock
Geology.
T103: Mining and the Environment:
Addressing Common Challenges Faced
across the Mining Industry.
T114: The Fate of Passive Acid Mine
Drainage Treatment Systems: Results,
Solutions, and Advances for Continued
Improvement of Impaired Waters.
T188: Organic-Rich Mud Rocks:
Geochemistry, Physical Properties, and
Paleo-Environments
T191. What Do We Know about Fluids
Produced from Unconventional
Reservoirs?”
period is $1,359.07 all in dues income
Expenses totaled $1,736.67, exceeding our
revenue by $377.60. Expenses included
awards, travel, and catering costs. Our net
assets’ total amount is 5,837.82
2015 Geological Society of
America Annual Meeting
Baltimore, Maryland, November 1-4.
Important reminders!

Field trip proposal deadline:
December 1, 2014.

Technical session proposal
deadline: February 1, 2015.

Short course proposal deadline:
February 2, 2015.
2013 Annual Meeting, Denver CO:
Awards and Highlights
Best Paper Recipient:
Upcoming 2014 Geological
Meetings
AGU 2014 Fall Meeting; December 15-19,
San Francisco, CA. Pre-registration deadline
November 14.
2014 Division Information
The 2014 Division membership totaled 254
people worldwide from state and national
geological surveys, academia and industry.
The Division’s quarterly financial statement
indicates that the total revenue for the
Paper 281-5: GREB, Stephen F. The role of
accommodation space on the preservation of in
situ trees in the coal fields of the Appalachian
Basin
Best Poster Recipients:
Poster 348-14: SRINIVASARAGHAVAN,
Vishnu, RIMMER, Susan M., TOBIN, Amberly,
RAHMAN, Mohammad W., ANDERSON, Ken.
Influence of coal lithotype composition on the
oxidative hydrothermal dissolution (OHD)
process
Poster 348-7: JUNG, Na-Hyun, HAN, Weon
Shik, KIM, Kue-Young, WATSON, Zachary T.,
GRAHAM, Jack P., THAO, Cheng. Faultcontrolled CO2 leakage from natural reservoirs
in the Colorado Plateau, east-central Utah
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/GSA/
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The Coal Geologist
Fall 2014, Vol. 38, No. 1
2013 Annual Meeting, Denver CO:
Awards and Highlights, Continued.
Dr. Fariborz (Fari) Goodarzi after receiving his plaque and silver dish as winner of the Gilbert
H. Cady Award, being congratulated by 2013 CGD Chair Margo Corum.
Dan Ritter from the University of Arizona receiving a plaque for the Antoinette Lierman Medlin
Analytical/Laboratory Award from 2013 CGD 1st Vice Chair Mark Engle for his project entitled
"Investigating the impacts of hydrologic conditions, coal maturity, and groundwater pumping on
the process of microbial methanogenesis".
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/GSA/
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The Coal Geologist
Fall 2014, Vol. 38, No. 1
2013 Annual Meeting, Denver CO:
Awards and Highlights, Continued.
Michelle Johnston from the University of Kentucky receiving a plaque for the Antoinette
Lierman Medlin Analytical/Laboratory Award from 2013 CGD 1st Vice Chair Mark Engle for her
project entitled "A petrographic characterization of the Leatherwood coal bed in eastern
Kentucky".
Trent Garrison from the University of Kentucky receiving a plaque for the Antoinette Lierman
Medlin Field Award from 2013 CGD 1st Vice Chair Mark Engle for his project entitled "Coal fire
emissions and water quality ".
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/GSA/
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