UIS Commission on Karst Hydrogeology and Speleogenesis

The Geological Society of America (GSA) Convention this year will be held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on 1-4 November. A record nine karst sessions are offered this year, showcasing the diversity and importance of karst research.

Registration for GSA opens in June. General information on the conference can be found at

http://community.geosociety.org/gsa2015/home.

The abstract deadline is 11 August. Information on how to submit abstracts and the full list of sessions is available at

http://community.geosociety.org/gsa2015/science-careers/sessions

Field trip Information is not yet posted but I believe there will be at least one karst trip. Look for it and maybe others in June when registration opens.

Last year, GSA created the Karst Division, and the new Division’s officers have been busy making its inaugural year special by recruiting many sessions and other activities. I hope you will be able to attend GSA this year and present at one or more of these sessions.

 

Please consider joining a 3-day field trip, #437: "Karst of the Mid-Atlantic Region in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia" to be run immediately following the Annual Geological Society of America meeting in Baltimore this fall. (Thurs.–Sat., 5–7 Nov., returning to the Baltimore Convention Center at 6:00 pm Saturday evening).

In this field trip, we will examine karst development in various carbonate rocks as we follow Interstate 70 west from Baltimore across the Piedmont, Frederick Valley, and into the Great Valley proper. We will examine the structural and sedimentological controls on karst feature development in marble, limestone, and dolostone rocks with an eye toward the implications for ancient landscape evolution, as well as for modern subsidence hazards. A number of caves will be visited, including two commercial caverns which reveal strikingly different histories of development. Linkages between karst landscape development, hydrologic dynamics, and water resource sustainability will also be emphasized through visits to locally important springs. Recent work on quantitative dye-tracing, spring monitoring, and groundwater modeling will be discussed in the context of new geologic and karst feature mapping conducted with the benefit of LiDAR data. The trip will take place over three days, with overnight stops in historic Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and Winchester, Virginia. Short, relatively easy wild cave experiences will be offered, and appropriate gear (helmet and light) provided. Transportation, 2 nights lodging, box lunches, one group dinner, and entrance fees for two cavern tours are included in the registration cost.

Cost: US$380

A limited number of student discounted spaces are available: US$200.

Cosponsors: GSA Karst Division; GSA Hydrogeology Division; Karst Waters Institute; National Cave and Karst Research Institute.

Leaders: Daniel H. Doctor, USGS; David J. Weary; David K. Brezinski; Randall C. Orndorff; Lawrence E. Spangler.

You may sign up for the field trip upon registering for the GSA meeting here:

http://community.geosociety.org/gsa2015/registration