Washington, DC, 20015, Tel: +1-202-686-4370 ext. 4386, Fax:
+1-202-364-8726, E-Mail: silver@dtm.ciw.edu; Rob van der
Hilst, MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, Tel: +1-617-253-6977, Fax:
+1-617-258-9697, E-Mail: hilst@mit.edu;
As we are now into the busy run-up to the end of the year,
here is VGP newsletter number two, to inform you of recent
developments and remind you of key events in the coming
weeks. VGP members wishing to submit items or announcements
for inclusion in future issues may contact Sarah Fagents at
fagents@asu.edu.
In this issue:
Also, as announced in the Oct 24 EOS, Francis assumes editorship of JGR Solid Earth on Jan 1, 2001.
(2) NEW VGP WEBMASTER NEEDED (as soon as possible!)
Mark Ghiorso has resigned as VGP Webmaster. We thank Mark for initiating
our WEB site and for providing a well
organized base for future enhancements and expansion. AGU section Web
sites are going to become increasingly
important, and we seek a knowledgeable volunteer to take over as Webmaster
as soon as possible. There will be a
meeting of section Webmasters at the fall AGU meeting and this meeting
can introduce you to what the various sections are doing and planning.
If you are interested in this position please contact Fred as soon as possible
(fafrey@mit.edu).
(3) ACS TECHNOLOGY MILESTONES
John Dickey has called our attention to an American Chemical Society
Project called "Technology Milestones". The
purpose is to recognize a "125 years of innovative breakthroughs in
chemistry and chemical engineering that
have transformed our world". Certainly, the field of Geochemistry has
contributed and this is an opportunity for
us to "wave our flag", since the ACS will publicize this list. Nominations
can be submitted at the ACS Web site:
http://www.acs.org/milestones/.
The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2000, so you must act now.
(4) FIGURES IN AGU ABSTRACTS
Mike Rhodes (Univ. Massachusetts) expressed concern about the fact
that the Fall 2000 electronic abstract submission no longer allows for
inclusion of illustrations. Graphics can be quite useful in abstracts but
have been used only by a few VGP members in the past. AGU decided against
the use of illustrations because tight publication schedules don't allow
for dealing with diverse sources of illustration files. Instead, AGU now
provides hot links to URLs in the on-line version of the abstract volume.
This allows for a direct on-line access to backup information and illustrations.
The potential of such on-line resources goes well beyond the limits of
an abstract volume in terms of color usage, space, and other advantages
of the electronic medium. This, of course, is not available when reading
through the abstract volume in the conference hall. Is this a satisfactory
compromise? We seek your opinions - please reply to H. Staudigel, Chair
of VGP Publications Committee > (hstaudigel@ucsd.edu).
(5) GERM MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
The next Geochemical Earth Reference Model meeting will be held in
La Jolla (CA) on March 6-9, 2001. Find details about the meeting and register
on line: http://earthref.org/GERMworkshop.htm
Important deadlines for GERM 2001:
Saturday 16 Dec. 5 p.m. GERM beer at the VGP reception January 15, 2001
Deadline for abstracts and final
registration
There will be some financial assistance for graduate
students.
(6) EDUCATION/OUTREACH NEWS
Once again this year, we are organizing the award of the VGP outstanding
student presentation awards. This year the judging will be organized by
members of the VGP education and outreach committee (rather than by one
person). As in past years, judging will be done by the chair of the session,
together with one or two additional judges. So, expect a call.
Last year we began what we hope will be a tradition of having a small
reception for VGP undergraduates who are
attending the meeting. That reception will be just prior to the VGP
reception on Saturday December 16th. For details, contact Roger Nielsen
at rnielsen@oce.orst.edu.
(7) REPORT ON VOLCANOLOGY AND TECTONICS SHORT COURSE,
EASTERN SLOVAKIA, JUNE 2000.
During the week of 25th June 2000, a short course in volcanology and tectonics was held in eastern Slovakia under joint sponsorship of the Center for Volcanology, University of Oregon, the Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Technical University, Kosice, Slovakia, and the Geological Survey of the Slovak Republic. The course, organized by Branislav Zec and Gordon Goles, made use of the facilities of the Technical University's field station at Herl'any, in a pleasant rural setting about 20 km ENE of Kosice. Lectures and discussions were intense and wide-ranging. Topics covered included an overview of recent studies of the Western Carpathian arc, discussion of various analytical techniques for study of volcanic and plutonic rocks and of clastic sediments derived in part from such rocks, and (for comparison with the Carpathians) case studies of New Zealand, the Cascades arc of the Pacific Northwest, and the Skaergaard Intrusion. Participants comprised in sub-equal numbers university faculty and senior scientists, and students in M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs. On Friday, 30th June, we examined parts of the Miocene volcanic complexes of Slanske vrchy, Vihorlatske vrchy, and Zemplinske vrchy ("vrchy" = "mountains"). Our field trip ended very enjoyably with wine-tasting in Mala Trna, a village in the Slovak part of the Tokay wine district.
All concerned agreed that the short course was successful, and of exceptional value to all participants. This participant, in particular, welcomed very much the opportunity to learn more about the complex Neogene tectonic setting of the Western Carpathian arc, and about results of recent quite detailed studies of volcanic complexes in the Slovak part of the arc. Dr. Zec and I hope to organize a similar short course to be held during summer of 2002, and would welcome participation by other volcanologists and tectonicists.
Gordon G. Goles
Professor of Chemistry and Geology
University of Oregon
goles@oregon.uoregon.edu
(8) AGU 2001 SPRING MEETING NEWS FROM THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE
The AGU 2001 Spring Program Committee has approved these
themes for the meeting:
V01 - Continental Weathering and Ocean Chemistry (Joint With
GS, H, OS)
Recent studies link chemical
weathering on the continents
to changes in global ocean chemistry. This session will
focus on the specific linkages between chemical weathering
on the continents as recorded by fluvial, estuarine and
sediment geochemical processes and the chemistry of the
oceans. Contributions that focus on spatial and temporal
chemical variations in river water and ground water
chemistry, estuarine chemistry, ocean chemistry as well as
experimental studies of mineral/rock weathering are
solicited. The goal is a multidisciplinary session that
brings together experimental and aqueous geochemistry,
sedimentary and isotopic-geochemical aspects of these and
related topics.
Conveners: Robyn E. Hannigan, Arkansas State University,
Department of Chemistry and Program for Environmental
Science, AR, 72467, Tel: +1-870-972-3086, Fax:
+1-870-972-3089, E-Mail: hannigan@navajo.astate.edu; Asish
R. Basu, University of Rochester, Department of Earth and
Environmental Sciences, Rochester, NY, 14627, Tel:
+1-716-275-2413, Fax: +1-716-244-5689, E-Mail:
abasu@earth.rochester.edu;
V02 - New Views of Mars Volcanism: Extrusive, Explosive, and
Possible Influences of H2O (Joint With P)
Before the recent Mars missions,
volcanic activity on Mars
was thought to be primarily "old" (restricted to more than
1.3 b.y. ago) and mafic. Although a range of eruption styles
seemed likely, available topographic data poorly constrained
the existing models. Today, analyses of Pathfinder and MGS
data suggest a range of lava compositions, and provide
topographic and image evidence for more extensive volcanism
-- some of it quite recent (possibly even current). This
session is intended to explore our changing views of the
thermal and chemical evolution of Mars by examining new
evidence for volcanic activity on Mars throughout its
geologic history. We will provide a forum for discussing
compositional data, proposed eruption styles and mechanisms,
and evidence for recent volcanic activity.
Conveners: Susan Sakimoto, NASA/GSFC, UMBC, Code 921,
Greenbelt, MD, 20771, Tel: +1-301-614-6470, Fax:
+1-301-614-6522, E-Mail: sakimoto@denali.gsfc.nasa.gov;
Tracy Gregg, University at Buffalo, Department of Geology
and Geophysics, 876 Nat. Science and Mathematics Complex,
Buffalo, NY, 14260-3050, Tel: +1-716-645-6800 ext. 2463,
Fax: +1-716-636-4827, E-Mail: Tgregg@nsm.buffalo.edu; Lori
Glaze, Proxemy Research, 20528 Farcroft Lane, Laytonsville,
MD, 20882, Tel: +1-301-313-0026, Fax: +1-301-313-0021,
E-Mail:
lori@proxemy.com;
V03 - Advances in Subsurface Sampling and Borehole
Measurement
During the last several years
the technology for acquiring
subsurface samples and for characterizing and monitoring
subsurface conditions has undergone a number of significant
advances. For example, these new technologies have enabled
us to expand the temporal spectrum of observations with
real-time, continuous monitoring of borehole conditions in
the short term and greatly extended shallow water sediment
records over the longer term. We can now access and recover
samples from extreme environments to depths of 6 km and
conduct geophysical surveys at substantially higher
temperatures than were possible even a decade ago. These
technologies have not only made it possible to greatly
expand the breadth of our analysis of regional and planetary
processes they have also increased our awareness of the
ability of specialized technologies to provide us with
access to environments that were heretofore inaccessible.
This special session invites submissions on state-of-the-art
technologies for borehole sampling, measurement, and
monitoring as well as papers by those whose research
programs require significant advances of currently available
technology in order to monitor or sample challenging
subsurface environments.
Conveners: Donald Thomas, University of Hawaii, DOSECC and
Department of Geophysics, 2525 Correa Road, Honolulu, HI,
96822, Tel: +1-808-956-6482, Fax: +1-808-956-3188, E-Mail:
dthomas@soest.hawaii.edu; Allan R. Sattler, Sandia National
Laboratories, PO Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM, 87185-1033, Tel:
+1-505-844-1019; David Goldberg, Columbia University,
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Route 9 W, Palisades, NY,
10964, Tel: +1-845-365-8674 ext. 674,
V04 - Petrological and Geochemical Constraints of the
Formation of Archean Cratons (Joint With GS, MSA, T)
The Archean cratons of Earth
are noteworthy for their
occurrences of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite and
komatiite along with a mantle keel that contains
metasomatized, depleted harzburgite, eclogite and diamonds.
Contributions from experimental petrology, theoretical
petrology, mineralogy, and trace element and isotope
geochemistry are invited that focus on the processes of
formation and assembly of cratons and whether craton
formation requires conditions unique to the Archean Earth.
Conveners: Timothy L. Grove, MIT, Department of Earth
Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA,
02139-4307, Tel: +1-617-253-2878, Fax: +1-617-253-7102,
E-Mail: tlgrove@mit.edu; Steven B. Shirey, Carnegie
Institution of Washington, Department of Terrestrial
Magnetism, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC,
20015, Tel: +1-202-686-4370 ext. 8473, Fax: +1-202-364-8726,
E-Mail: shirey@dtm.ciw.edu;
V05 - The Construction of Archean Cratons: Reconciling
GS, T)
Our understanding of the
growth, stabilization, and
reactivation of Archean cratons hinges on radiometric dates
from both crustal and mantle xenoliths and exposed rocks. In
particular, the relationships between timing of lithospheric
assembly and development of a thick bouyant "tectosphere"
are not well known. We seek papers that address the
interpretation and integration of radiometric dates from
crustal and mantle rocks, with the specific goal of
constraining the timing and processes of tectosphere/crustal
juxtaposition and reactivation.
Conveners: Samuel A. Bowring, MIT, Department of Earth
Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA, 02139,
Tel: +1-617-253-3775, Fax: +1-617-253-6735, E-Mail:
sbowring@mit.edu; Desmond E. Moser, University of Utah,
Department of Geology and Geophysics, 135 S, 1460 E, Salt
Lake City, UT, 84112, Tel: +1-801-585-3782, Fax:
+1-801-581-7065, E-Mail: demoser@mines.utah.edu.
VGP will cosponsor the following Special Sessions:
GP06 - Banded Iron Formation, its Chemical and Physical
Properties and Relation to the Origin of Life (Joint With B,
GS, M, MRP, P, V)
Conveners: G. Kletetschka, GSFC/NASA, Code 921, Greenbelt,
MD, 20771, Tel: +1-301-286-3804, E-Mail:
gunther@denali.gsfc.nasa.gov; J. William Schopf, UCLA; S.
Moorbath, Oxford, United Kingdom;
GS01 - Magmatic Volatile Histories: Stable Isotopic Tracing
of Sources and Degassing Processes in Magmatic Systems and
Implications for Volcanology and Earth System Science (Joint
With M, T)
Stable isotopic tracing of
magmatic volatiles (CO2, H2O,
and SO2/H2S in particular), from their source to magmatic
degassing processes, have provided information of potential
use to several disciplines in science. Isotopic
fractionation between volatile species in the melt and
exsolving vapor phases often allows quantification of
volcanic volatile budgets, particularly when the extent of
degassing is constrained by studies of glass inclusions and
tephra matrix glasses. These results have implications for
several fields of research, including volcanology, hazard
management, climatology/atmospheric science, and economic
geology. This session will bring together contributions from
the field, laboratory, and theoretical/numerical modeling to
outline a state-of-the-art understanding of what we know and
what we have yet to learn regarding sourcing, storage, and
degassing of volatiles from magmas in all tectonic settings.
Conveners: Bruce E. Taylor, Geological Survey of Canada,
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0E8, Canada, Tel: +1-613-943-1286, E-Mail:
btaylor@nrcan.gc.ca; Charlie Mandeville, American Museum of
Natural History, New York, NY, 10024-5192, Tel:
+1-212-769-5339, E-Mail: cmandy@amnh.org;
GS02 - Light Stable Isotope Ratio Standards Metrology:
Recent Advances and Needs Assessment (Joint With V)
The measurement, calibration
and data reduction issues
concerning the light stable isotope reference materials
(e.g., tritium, sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen and carbon, both
inorganic and organic) are of major importance to all that
use isotopes as a tool to quantify earth processes. Over the
past several years there have been some exciting
metrological advances including a novel and very successful
CO2 intercomparison exercise, the nearly fully realized VCDT
scale for sulfur isotopes and a reassessment of the half
life of tritium. The value assignments of nearly all of the
standards for the above mentioned elements will soon be
updated and published. This session will focus on how best
to effectively relate and disseminate measurement results
across laboratories, industries, nations, and international
networks so that real progress is made at understanding
complex chemical systems of importance to the atmospheric
and geologic communities and are traceable at the highest
level.
Additionally, despite the
fact continuous flow mass
spectrometric techniques are proliferating, there exists
almost a complete lack of reference materials for these
analyses. Contributions are invited that focus on these
issues so that: 1.) the atmospheric and geologic communities
are informed of current NIST and IAEA recommended practices
and 2.) as a forum for presenting new results on appropriate
isotopic reference materials for both bulk and compound
specific continuous flow techniques.
Conveners: Donna B. Klinedinst, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8372,
Gaithersburg, MD, 20899-8372, Tel: +1-301-975-3927, Fax:
+1-301-926-6689, E-Mail: donna.klinedinst@nist.gov;
H06 - Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide (Joint With
GS, OS, PP, V)
Over the past several years
interest has grown in the
possibility that geologic formations such as deep brine
formations, oil and gas reservoirs, and unminable coal seams
can be used to sequester carbon dioxide. A number of issues
must be addressed to assess the effectiveness and safety of
this approach for managing greenhouse gases. In the short
run these include questions such as how much sequestration
capacity is available, what are the desirable attributes of
geologic formations for sequestration, and how can carbon
dioxide migration be monitored? In the long run, we need to
understand long-term hydrodynamic trapping mechanisms and
whether geochemical interactions will transform carbon
dioxide into stable mineral phases. This session invites
papers on (1) methods for modeling and predicting
sequestration capacity, (2) methods for geophysical,
hydrological and geochemical monitoring of carbon dioxide
migration in subsurface environments, (3) geochemical
interactions controlling the long term fate of sequestered
carbon dioxide, and (4) geomechanical factors affecting the
integrity of the reservoir seal.
Conveners: Sally M. Benson, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division, Tel: +1-510-486-5875,
Fax: +1-510-486-7714, E-Mail: smbenson@lbl.gov; Larry Myer,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Earth Sciences
Division, Tel: +1-510-486-6456, Fax: +1-510-486-7714,
E-Mail: lrmyer@lbl.gov;
H10 - The Isotope Signature of the Groundwater Recharge
(Joint With B, GS, V)
The geo-hydrological processes
at the interface between the
atmosphere and lithosphere, involving the plant cover, soil
and surface waters, are crucial both with respect to the
quantity and quality of the groundwaters formed. The stable
isotope composition of the groundwaters compared to that of
the precipitation input (termed the Isotope Transfer
Function {ITF} of the recharge process) is being widely used
to characterize the geographic site of the recharge (based
on the altitude effect on the isotopic composition of
precipitation), the seasonality of the recharge process as
well as the assessment of the contribution of surface waters
such as lakes or reservoirs. More often than not, however,
only very crude recipes for the ITF are being used, which
neglect the eco-hydrological feedbacks since the degree of
isotope fractionation or selection for the different climate
and landuse settings are not satisfactorily quantified. The
scope of such a suggested session would be the assemblage of
actual field experiences for a variety of settings,
including cases of changing environmental patterns due to
development such as urbanization and agriculture, On the
other hand, attempts to model the effect of processes in the
surface layer and soilwaters on the isotope composition and
chemistry of the groundwater recharge flux should be
reported. The expected outcome of this session would be a
more reliable use of the isotopic tracing tool for the
process of groundwater recharge. It should further enable a
better paleo-climatic interpretation of the isotopic
composition of palaeowaters.
Conveners: Klaus-Peter Siler, GSF-Munich, Hydrology
Institute, Munich, Germany, Joel Gat, Ben Gurion University,
Center for Water Science and Technology Israel;
H17 - Isotopic Tracers of Microbial Activity in Hydrologic
Systems: Can They Be Trusted? (Joint With B, GS, V)
Determining the important
biotic and abiotic chemical
processes in hydrologic systems is essential to our ability
to assess both trends in water quality and the effectiveness
of remediation efforts. Isotope tracers are commonly used as
process monitors in hydrologic systems, but can provide
ambiguous information. For example, stable isotope
variations resulting from abiotic processes may be similar
in magnitude to those resulting from biologic activity, and
thus the isotope compositions considered alone may not
provide a robust "biosignature". The purpose of this session
is to explore the effectiveness of both stable and
radiogenic isotope tracers as monitors of both biotic and
abiotic processes. We particularly encourage abstracts that
discuss water quality studies in which application of a
"multi-tracer" approach has provided an especially rigorous
assessment.
Conveners: Thomas Bullen, USGS, MS 420, 345 Middlefield
Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, Tel: +1-650-329-4577, Fax:
+1-650-329-4538, E-Mail: tdbullen@usgs.gov; Thomas Johnson,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL,
61801, Tel: +1-217-244-2002, Fax: +1-217-244-4996, E-Mail:
tmjohnsn@uiuc.edu;
H18 - Chemical Budget Studies in Hydrologic Systems (Joint
With B, GS)
Chemical budgets reflect
the basic material facts of
systems: inputs and outputs, accumulations and depletions.
Sound budgets can improve understanding of groundwater flow,
weathering, nutrient and contaminant transport, and the
interaction of biota with hydrologic systems (watersheds,
aquifers, soils, river networks). While conceptually simple,
the key elements of budgets are often difficult to determine
in natural, heterogeneous systems. This session will focus
on recent advances, applied and theoretical, in
determination of chemical budgets in hydrologic systems,
including the critical link between hydrologic and chemical
budgets, definition of meaningful boundaries and fluxes
across boundaries, direct vs. indirect measures of change in
storage, and implications for understanding of important
element chemical cycles.
Conveners: David Genereux, North Carolina State University,
Marine, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Jordan Hall, Raleigh,
NC, 27695-8208, Tel: +1-919-515-6017, Fax: +1-919-515-7802,
E-Mail: genereux@ncsu.edu;
H26 - Advances in Transformations and Transport of Arsenic,
Mercury, and other Toxic Metals (Joint With GS, V)
Session being discussed and developed in committee.
Conveners: Rudolph Hon, B.C.
M01 - Elastic Properties of Materials at High Pressure and
Temperature (Joint With MRP, SEDI, T, V)
Conveners: Baosheng Li, SUNY at Stony Brook, Mineral Physics
Institute, ESS Building, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, Tel:
+1-516-632-9642, E-Mail: Baosheng.Li@sunysb.edu;
M02 - Characterizing Organic and Inorganic Hydrothermal
Systems (Joint With GS, V)
The development and application
of new experimental
procedures, supplemented by rigorous theoretical modeling,
have recently provided new insights into several key organic
and inorganic hydrothermal systems. Direct observations of
experiments at extreme conditions reveal valuable and unique
information for these systems including metastable and
non-quenchable phases. While spectroscopic methods enable
monitoring phase-equilibria, kinetics and reaction pathways,
in-situ X-ray analysis of these products make the
characterization of the structure as well as interpretation
of the nature of inter-molecular interactions possible.
Increasing number of such experimental results are scattered
amongst different disciplines such as molecular physics,
physical chemistry, organic geochemistry and high-pressure
crystallography. The goal of this session is to bring
together diverse techniques and results to help better
understand observed phenomena. Studies addressing a wide
variety of questions in organic and inorganic hydrothermal
systems including structure, phase-equilibria, mineral-fluid
interactions and reaction kinetic in chemical and
biochemical systems are invited to contribute to this
special session. In addition to invited presentations,
contributed papers are solicited discussing organic
reactions, supercritical fluid behavior, catalytic reaction
networks at high pressure and temperature, in-situ molecular
spectroscopy and crystallography.
Conveners: Anurag Sharma, Carnegie Institution of
Washington, Geophysical Laboratory, 5251 Broad Branch Rd.,
NW, Washington, DC, 20015, Tel: +1-202-686-2410, Fax:
+1-202-686-2419, E-Mail: sharma@gl.ciw.edu; Przemyslaw Dera,
Carnegie Institution of Washington, Geophysical Laboratory,
5251 Broad Branch Rd., NW, Washington, DC, 20015, Tel:
+1-202-686-2410, Fax: +1-202-686-2419, E-Mail:
pdera@gl.ciw.edu;
Sediments (Joint With GS, V)
Reduced sediment bioturbation
due to low oxygen has
resulted in the preservation of particularly detailed
records of past environmental change linked to climate. With
this special session, the conveners hope to provide a
representative update of the many on-going efforts to
recover and interpret such records, both marine and
lacustrine, throughout the world. Submissions describing
novel techniques that either reduce the effort required to
obtain high-resolution information from laminated sediment
or improve the dating of such records are also encouraged.
Conveners: Alexander van Geen, Columbia University,
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Route 9 W, Palisades, NY,
10964, Tel: +1-845-365-8644, Fax: +1-845-365-8154, E-Mail:
avangeen@ldeo.columbia.edu; Larry C. Peterson, University of
Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science,
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL, 33149, Tel:
+1-305-361-4692, Fax: +1-305-361-4632, E-Mail:
peterson@rsmas.miami.edu;
P02 - New Views of the Moon (Joint With GS, P, V)
Recent spacecraft missions
are refining our view of Earth's
nearest neighbor. The Lunar Prospector and Clementine
spacecraft returned data that have revealed fundamental new
insights into the record of the early history of the Solar
System, and are stimulating new Earth-based measurements and
lab studies.
Conveners: Brad Joliff, Washington University, St. Louis,
Mo, E-Mail: blj@levee.wust1.edu; Carle Pieters, Brown
University, Providence, RI, 02912, Tel: +1-401-863-2416,
E-Mail: Carle_Pieters@brown.edu;
S04 - How Rifting Worked in Northeastern North America
(Joint With GS, T, V)
This session addresses the
Massive basaltic volcanism,
lithospheric thinning, and subsidence strongly interacted
during the Mesozoic rifting of North America from Pangea.
These processes left an imprint that spans a wide range of
processes and spatial scales, from local faulting, to
sedimentary basin subsidence, to regional patterns of fabric
in the upper mantle. This session will combine recent
contributions from geophysics, structural geology,
geochemistry, and geochronolgy that improve our
understanding of the formative processes of the Northeastern
North American passive margin.
Conveners: Vadim Levin, Yale University, PO Box 208109, New
Haven, CT, 06520, E-Mail: vadim@geology.yale.edu; Bill
Menke, Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
Route 9 W, Palisades, NY, 10964, E-Mail:
menke@ldeo.columbia.edu; Paul Olsen, Columbia University,
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Department of Earth and
Environmental Sciences, Route 9 W, Palisades, NY, 10964,
E-Mail: polsen@ldeo.columbia.edu;
S06 - The Structure and Early Evolution of Cratons (Joint
With GS, T, V)
In the last decade, several
large-scale, multidisciplinary
projects have focused on the problem of understanding the
continents. They have involved a variety of techniques,
including, seismic imaging, geological mapping,
geochemistry, geochronology, heat flow, and geodynamical
modeling. In this session we review results of these studies
and their implications for our current understanding of the
structure, composition, and geological evolution of
continents. While we welcome contributions regarding all
aspects of continental structure and evolution, we aim to
focus on the Archean, which gives us glimpses of dynamics
and evolution in the earliest era of continental history.
Conveners; Paul Silver, Carnegie Institution of Washington,
Washington, DC, 20015, Tel: +1-202-686-4370 ext. 4386, Fax:
+1-202-364-8726, E-Mail: silver@dtm.ciw.edu; Rob van der
Hilst, MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02139, Tel: +1-617-253-6977, Fax:
+1-617-258-9697, E-Mail: hilst@mit.edu;
