Alexandria, Va. - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is now accepting advance orders for the Earth Science Week 2014 Toolkit. The Toolkit contains educational materials for all ages that correspond to this year’s event theme, “Earth’s Connected Systems.” Materials include the traditional program poster and school-year activity calendar, as well as resources from distinguished program partners such as the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, the National Park Service, Esri, ExxonMobil, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professional geoscientific societies. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. — In 2006, a fossil collector and his crew discovered a rare fossil on private land in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation: the bones of two fully articulated dinosaurs that appeared to have died together, locked in battle. The fossil duo — a small, pony-sized carnivorous tyrannosaurid and a slightly larger herbivorous ceratopsian, both now preserved in plaster — became known as the “Montana Dueling Dinosaurs.' Last November, the fossils were put on the block at Bonhams auction house in New York City — but they did not sell. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is sponsoring three national contests for Earth Science Week 2014, celebrating the theme “Earth’s Connected Systems.” This year’s competitions include a photography contest, a visual arts contest, and an essay contest. Photography Contest The photography contest, “Connections in My Community,” is open to students, geoscientists, and the general public. Entries must be original, unpublished material, showing where you observe the dynamic interactions of earth systems in your community. [Read More]

The existence of seafloor sediments containing valuable minerals and metals has been known since the late 19th century, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the earliest attempts to recover mineral wealth from the deep sea were made. Technical challenges, as well as discoveries in the 1970s of more economical and previously unknown terrestrial mineral deposits, shelved the idea until the 1990s. Today, the surging demand for rare minerals, driven largely by their use in modern electronics, along with technological advancements and the discovery of mineral-rich seafloor massive sulfides, has now made the high cost of extraction worthwhile. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. — When author John-Manuel Andriote returned to his hometown in New England after years away, he noticed something that had been invisible to him while growing up there — the old stone walls tumbling off into the forests. The realization that the crumbling and overgrown walls meant those forests had once been cleared farm lands set Andriote on a years-long journey of discovery that highlights the intersections of geologic and human history. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that Edward Robeck, Ph.D., has joined the organization as its new Director of Education and Outreach. Dr. Robeck joins AGI from Salisbury University, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He brings extensive background in science instruction, teacher professional development, and curriculum design that will significantly contribute to AGI’s mission. “AGI plays a vital role in geoscience education, and I look forward to being part of this dynamic organization,” Robeck said. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. — In the American Geosciences Institute’s newest Status of the Geoscience Workforce Report, released May 2014, jobs requiring training in the geosciences continue to be lucrative and in-demand. Even with increased enrollment and graduation from geoscience programs, the data still project a shortage of around 135,000 geoscientists by the end of the decade. “Industry has recognized, and is mitigating the upcoming shortage of skilled geoscientists in their employ, but the federal geoscience workforce is still demonstrably shrinking” report author Carolyn Wilson said, noting that the federal geoscience workforce decreased in all sectors except meteorology; this includes geoscientists skilled in the energy, mining/minerals and hydrology fields. [Read More]

This publication is volume 11 of the Society’s Concepts in Sedimentology and Paleontology book series, and is now available in print or digital (CD) formats at the Society’s Bookstore. Review copies requested from Howard Harper (hharper@sepm.org). This publication combines the interpretations of two major sets of data. One is the geophysical data that is used to interpret the position of the tectonic plates through geologic time. The other is based on a long-term search of the geological literature to find, record and evaluate the lithologic descriptions of countless reports around the globe; paying careful attention to those lithologies that have climatic implications. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. — Since hydraulic fracturing operations began in the Marcellus Shale region, debate has raged over whether drilling operations are causing high levels of methane in drinking-water wells. But few systematic scientific studies have been published to date, so it’s unknown if high methane levels are natural or the result of contamination from nearby gas wells. Now, a new study is adding some much-needed baseline data for methane levels in groundwater in New York. [Read More]

Each year the Society recognizes excellence in several areas of sedimentary geology with the awarding of honors to scientists selected by special committees made up of specialists in that topic. The awards are presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society, which will be held in Denver, Colorado, May 31-June 2. The 2015 awardees are: Honorary Membership for excellence in professional achievements and extraordinary service to the Society: Steve Driese, Baylor University, Department of Geology, Waco, Texas, USA James Lee Wilson Award in recognition of “Excellence in Sedimentary Geology by an Early Career Scientist”: Nathan Sheldon, University of Michigan, Department of Geological Sciences, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Francis P. [Read More]