Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018
This free event is open to the public, and is available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a capacity of 100 attendees. This event is taking place as part of the Geological Society of America’s (GSA) Annual Meeting; however, one does not need to pay and register for the Annual Meeting in order to attend these special presentations. After the presentations, attendees are invited to visit the Exhibit Hall within the GSA Annual Meeting. The Exhibit Hall includes approximately 200 different organizations representing the following aspects of the earth sciences: geology tools (rock hammers, lenses, technical instruments), rock/gem/mineral vendors, jewelry and gifts, educational products and supplies (books, maps), universities, government agencies (federal, state, local, and international), professional societies and associations, and more!
The event is directed at educators, as well as people who are involved with EarthCaching, which is a special outreach program in which GSA partners with Geocaching.com. Other members of the public are welcome as well.
There will be three different presentations by professional geologists and educators. Each presentation will be followed by a short question and answer session. The presentations are (updated 10/30/18):
1:00 p.m. Title: Indiana’s GeoEcosystem
Speaker: Paul Doss, Southern Indiana University, Evansville, Indiana
Description: Every square inch of what we see on the surface of our planet has a foundation of geological materials. The materials that make up the subsurface play one of, if not the, most important role in controlling the biological communities and landscapes that develop on the surface. There’s a pretty simple reason why Hoosier National Forest is in Crawford County, Indiana, and not Marion County. And, you don’t drive to Kokomo if you want to visit caves and caverns. If you’re a farmer, there’s a reason that you may need to irrigate in northern Indiana more than you would in central and southern Indiana. In this presentation, we’ll gain an understanding of the geological factors that determine where and why our Indiana rivers, forests, croplands, and different natural landscapes are found.
2:00 p.m. Title: Paleontology of Indiana: 500 Million Years of Hoosier History
Speaker: P. David Polly, University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana
Description: Indiana's rocks contain almost 500 million years of Earth's history. We will discuss what a fossil is and what parts of Earth's history are represented in Indiana. Then we'll step back in time to look closer at a few key intervals. Crawfordsville is known worldwide for its elegant crinoid fossils. We'll learn what they are and how they lived in an massive delta formed by rivers running off the ancient Appalachian Mountains. Indiana limestone was formed on top of that delta when the southern part of the state was inundated by tropical seas much like the Bahamas. And we'll learn about the mammoths and saber-tooth cats that lived in Indiana only a geological eye-blink ago. Finally we'll discuss what Indiana's past tells us about the present and future.
3:00 p.m. Title: The Geologic Framework of Indiana
Speaker: Todd Thompson, Director of the Indiana Geological & Water Survey and Indiana State Geologist, Indiana University
Description: We work and play across the surface of Indiana with little thought to what is below our feet. But the lay of the land is important to what we can do throughout the state. In this talk, we will focus on major geological features and the rock types that comprise Indiana’s bedrock. We will leave the glacial, fluvial, and coastal deposits for another time. We will see how the bedrock changes associated with faults, folds, and even a meteor impact crater. Indiana is not geologically complex, but she holds many surprises. Lastly, we will focus on how we know what we know about the bedrock of the state.