This webinar is presented by the Mineralogical Society of America as part of the Earth Science Week webinar series.

View the webinar on the Earth Science Week Webinars page at www.earthsciweek.org/webinars

Webinar presenter is Nedal Nassar, U.S. Geological Survey

Webinar presenter Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid is the Director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, where he leads a research program focused on the human and robotic exploration of space and the utilization of its resources.  He is also the Director of the Space Resources Graduate Program, aimed at educating scientists, engineers, economists, entrepreneurs, and policy makers in the field of extraterrestrial resources.  He has more than 30 years of experience in space projects on NASA’s drop towers, microgravity aircraft, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station and received the NASA Astronauts' Personal Achievement Award for his contributions to human spaceflight.  Dr. Abbud-Madrid holds a B.S.E. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from ITESM, México, and Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.  

The webinar can also be viewed on the Earth Science Week Webinars page at www.earthsciweek.org/webinars

The webinar can also be viewed on the Earth Science Week Webinars page at www.earthsciweek.org/webinars

The webinar can also be viewed on the Earth Science Week Webinars page at www.earthsciweek.org/webinars

Geological Survey Organizations (GSOs) have been helping society face economic and environmental challenges for over 150 years. The technological transformation of geoscience is presenting new opportunities for GSOs, and the wider geoscience community, to respond to the societal challenges of our time, and lay the foundation for a sustainable future. Three-dimensional geological modelling is providing a valuable tool for informed decision making and risk reduction – from planning urban infrastructure, managing ground water resources, and sourcing renewable energy. To capitalize on this capability, new data infrastructures are required to share and integrate information across government and the private sector.

This two-part webinar will feature leaders in the field, presenting the latest developments, and will be of interest to students, academics, private sector practitioners, and other government agencies.

This webinar series is sponsored by the World Community of Geological Surveys (WCOGS).

Workshop Program

Part 1: Geological Survey Organizations support societal needs: 3D geoscience

November 17, 2020, 10h00 - 11h45 EST / 16h00 - 17h45 CET

Moderator: Harvey Thorleifson, Director, Minnesota Geological Survey

Program:

• Past, Present, and Future of Geological Modeling of the Subsurface, Keith Turner, Colorado School of Mines, CO, USA
• An Overview of Current 3D Modelling Activities at GSOs, Kelsey MacCormack, Alberta Geological Survey/Alberta Energy Regulator, AB, Canada
• Unlocking Value from Geospatial Data Beyond GSOs, Holger Kessler, Geospatial Commission, Cabinet Office, UK
• Enabling Societal Access and Use of Geoscience Data, Michiel van der Meulen, TNO, Geological Survey of the Netherlands, NL

Question and Answer session followed by Wrap-up

Part 2: Geological Survey Organizations support societal needs: 21st Century Challenges

November 19, 2020, 10h00 - 11h45 EST / 16h00 - 17h45 CET

Moderators: Kelsey MacCormack (Alberta Geological Survey/Alberta Energy Regulator) and Holger Kessler (Geospatial Commission, Cabinet Office, UK)

A panel discussion among experts regarding challenges in the 21st century.

Program:

• Environmental Modelling, Edward Sudicky, Aquanty Inc, Waterloo, ON, CA
• Engineering Geology, Helen Reeves, Jacobs, Leeds, UK
• Urban Applications, Scott Kuykendall, McHenry County Department of Planning and Development, Woodstock, IL, USA
• Groundwater Resources, Michael Kehinde, Groundwater and Hydrology Team, Environment Agency, Hertfordshire and North London Area, UK
• 3D Methods and Visualization, Roland Baumberger, Swiss Geological Survey, CH

Question and Answer session followed by Wrap-up

This webinar series is organized by the Geological Survey of Canada, Illinois State Geological Survey, British Geological Survey, Alberta Geological Survey, Minnesota Geological Survey, TNO, Geological Survey of the Netherlands.

Background

Two related developments have moved the use of radar imagery into the operational realm. The supply of available data has increased greatly, especially with the freely-available Sentinel-1 satellites. And the analysis algorithms are now tested and established, producing reliable and standardized Information Products. One application in particular has benefited greatly from these synergistic developments; centimeter-scale measurement of surface motion on a regional scale. The ability to produce time-series displacement maps with a high point density has revolutionized the monitoring, and mitigation, of subsidence due to subsurface extraction of resources such as water or hydrocarbons.

Our speakers are:

• Derrold Holcomb, Product Manager, Advanced Sensor Software, Hexagon Geospatial | Slides | Video | Application Demo
• Brian Conway, Geophysics Unit Supervisor, Arizona Department of Water Resources | Slides | Video

Additional Resources

•  View this webinar's Question & Answer session
• Answers to Additional Questions from Webinar Attendees

Media Partners

Thank you to our media partners:

• American Association of Geographers
• American Geophysical Union
• American Institute of Professional Geologists
• Geological Society of America

Media Sponsors

This webinar is generously sponsored by:

Background:

Since 2000, there have been 51 significant earthquakes that have caused over $3.4 billion dollars in damages and 31 deaths in the United States.¹ While large earthquakes pose a substantial threat along the West Coast and in Alaska, they also can affect the Central and Eastern United States, as they did during the 1811 and 1812 New Madrid earthquakes and 1886 Charleston, SC earthquake. Earthquakes can have wide ranging impacts, such as the 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Mineral, VA that happened in 2011 and was felt across multiple states along the East Coast, causing $200-$300 million in damages and this year’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake near Ridgecrest, CA that was felt in Nevada and Arizona, and cased $100 million in damages.^1,2,3 A single event can be devastating: for example, the 1994 Northridge, CA, 6.7 magnitude earthquake caused at least $40 billion in direct damage and killed around sixty people.³

As population continues to expand into risk-prone areas, improved risk management practices are increasingly necessary to improve emergency preparedness and response by providing information on earthquake processes, assessing the adequacy of built infrastructure and building codes, and providing insight on how to improve future recovery and urban development efforts. Post-earthquake technical clearinghouses are a successful strategy for tracking the collection of information about ground failures, structural damage, and other impacts from major earthquakes, reducing duplication of effort in data collection, and disseminating information about events to emergency response managers. In this webinar, our speakers discuss earthquake risk in the U.S., the importance of coordinated post-earthquake response, and the effectiveness of post-earthquake technical clearinghouses in improving earthquake resiliency.

Our speakers are:

• Matthew Wall, Executive Director, Western States Seismic Policy Council | Slides | Video
• Maggie Ortiz-Milan, Program Manager, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute | Slides | Video
• Cynthia Pridmore, Engineering Geologist, Seismic Hazard Program, California Geological Survey; Chair, California Earthquake Clearinghouse | Slides | Video

Additional Resources:

• View this webinar's Question & Answer session
• View a list of additional questions and answers from this webinar
• U.S. Geological Survey, Circular 1242, The Plan to Coordinate NEHRP Post-Earthquake Investigations
• Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Special Publication 36, The 21 February 2008 MW 6.0 Wells, Nevada, Earthquake, Section IIV. Response to the Earthquake, Community Impacts, and Disaster Recovery
• EERI Earthquake Clearinghouse website: http://www.learningfromearthquakes.org/activities/clearinghouses
• California Earthquake Clearinghouse: www.californiaeqclearinghouse.org

References

¹ M5.8 August 23, 2011 Mineral, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program. https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards/science/m58-august-23-2011-mineral-virginia
² M 7.1 - 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence, U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci38457511/executive
³ National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi: 10.7289/V5TD9V7K

CEU Credits

To earn CEU credits, please complete the associated on-demand GOLI course that was developed from this webinar with a grade of 70% or higher and then submit your application for CEUs. CEUs are awarded from the American Institute of Professional Geologists. To view the full list of on-demand GOLI courses, please browse the GOLI course catalog.

Media Partners

Thank you to our media partners:

• American Association of Geographers
• American Geophysical Union
• American Institute of Professional Geologists
• Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists
• Central United States Earthquake Consortium
• Geological Society of America
• Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology
• National Science Foundation - Directorate for Geosciences
• Northeast States Emergency Consortium
• Western States Seismic Policy Council