Eastern Section of the Society for Sedimentary Geology

Southeastern Section of the Geological Soceity of America Meeting, March 12-13 2009

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: DECEMBER 9, 2008
The abstract form is located at http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2009SE/index.epl
With questions about the electronic form, please contact Eric Nocerino, enocerino@geosociety.org.

ES-SEPM Reception and Keynote Address by the Global SEPM President-Elect, Steven G. Driese, Professor and Chair, Department of Geology, Baylor University. 5:00 pm, Thursday, 12 March 2009. Refreshments will be served.

Keynote Address: "Multi-proxy approaches to interpreting climate and time in the geologic record using Vertisols" by Steven G. Driese

Abstract

Vertisol-like paleosols, which are clay-rich and exhibit abundant evidence for extensive shrink-swell processes, contain important paleoclimate information that is generally under-interpreted by geologists. Paleoclimatic studies based on paleosols are hindered by a lack of diagnostic climate indicators determined from thorough studies of climosequences in modern soils. Recent NSF-funded research examined Vertisols formed on late Pleistocene (<35 ka) Beaumont alluvium in the Coastal Prairie region of Texas along a climatic transect. These studies have characterized distinctive morphological and chemical features that correlate well with climate and identified possible paleoprecipitation proxies that include total Fe content of soil Fe-Mn nodules, depth to pedogenic carbonate (DTC), Ti:Zr content vs. depth, and total element mass-flux; the Chemical Index of Alteration minus Potassium (CIA-K) climofunction also is useful applied to Vertisols. Interpretation of paleosols is confounded, however, by the development of common soil features in response to different soil-forming factors. A Vertisol study that included a chronosequence from the Brazos Valley in Texas included pedons sampled as part of the previous climosequence study and younger Vertisols formed on alluvial terraces and floodplains within the same drainage system. Initial findings suggested that vertic properties are acquired in as little as a few hundred years, and that steady-state conditions are achieved in only a few thousand years. But there is the potential for confusion between young soil age and lower mean annual precipitation. The diagnostic morphological and chemical characteristics identified in Vertisols were used to interpret mean anuual precipitation and duration of pedogenesis for Vertisol-like paleosols occurring within the Appalachian basin stratigraphic succession in order to reevaluate their paleoclimatic and time significance.

Selected References

Mora, C.I., and Driese, S.G., 1999, Palaeoclimatic significance and stable carbon isotopes of Palaeozoic red bed paleosols, Appalachian Basin, USA and Canada: in Thiry, M., and Simon-Coinçon, R. (eds.), Palaeoweathering, palaeosurfaces and related continental deposits: International Association of Sedimentologists Special Publication No. 27, p. 61-84.

Driese, S.G., Mora, C.I., Stiles, C.A., Joeckel, R.M., and Nordt, L.C., 2000, Mass-balance reconstruction of a modern Vertisol: Implications for interpretations of geochemistry and burial alteration of paleoVertisols: Geoderma, v. 95, p. 179-204.

Stiles, C.A., Mora, C.I., and Driese, S.G., 2001, Pedogenic iron-manganese nodules in Vertisols: a new proxy for paleoprecipitation?: Geology, v. 29, p. 943-946.

Driese, S.G., Jacobs, J.R., and Nordt, L.C., 2003, Comparison of modern and ancient Vertisols developed on limestone in terms of their geochemistry and parent material: Sedimentary Geology, v. 157, p. 49-69.

Stiles, C.A., Mora, C.I., Driese, S.G., and Robinson, A.C., 2003, Distinguishing climate and time in the soil record: Mass-balance trends in Vertisols from the Texas Gulf Coastal Prairie: Geology, v. 31, p. 331-334.

Stiles, C.A., Mora, C.I., and Driese, S.G., 2003, Pedogenic processes and domain boundaries in a Vertisol climosequence: evidence from titanium and zirconium distribution and morphology: Geoderma, v. 116, p. 279-299.

Driese, S.G., 2004, Pedogenic translocation of Fe in modern and ancient Vertisols and implications for interpretations of the Hekpoort paleosol (2.25 Ga): Journal of Geology, v. 112, p. 543-560.

Driese, S.G., Nordt, L.C., Lynn, W.C., Stiles, C.A., Mora, C.I., and Wilding, L.P., 2005, Distinguishing climate in the soil record using chemical trends in a Vertisol climosequence from the Texas Coastal Prairie, and application to interpreting Paleozoic paleosols in the Appalachian basin: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 75, p. 339-349.

Nordt, L., Orosz, M., Driese, S., and Tubbs, J., 2006, Vertisol carbonate properties in relation to mean annual precipitation: Implications for paleoprecipitation estimates: Journal of Geology, v. 114, p. 501-510.

ES-SEPM Co-sponsored Theme Session

Event Sedimentation along the Gulf of Mexico. Doug Haywick, University of South Alabama.

The Gulf Coast region is frequently impacted by tropical storms, floods and other short duration events which can result in temporary, but major shifts in sedimentation and depositional processes. From the coastline to the coastal plain, talks in this session will examine natural and human-induced sedimentation events in the many depositional environments that characterize the Gulf Coast region of the United States.

For additional meeting information, visit http://www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/southe/09mtg/index.htm, or contact the Chair, Jeff Ryan, ryan@shell.cas.usf.edu, or the Technical Program Chair, Eric Oches, roches@bentley.edu

Northeastern Section of the Geological Soceity of America Meeting, March 22-24 2009

Holiday Inn By the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, Maine 04101

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: DECEMBER 16, 2008 Submit your abstract at http://www.geosociety.org/sectdiv/sections.htm

Arthur Goldstein, General Chair (agoldstein@une.edu)
Robert G. Marvinney, Technical Program Chair (Robert.G.Marvinney@maine.gov)

ES-SEPM Reception and Keynote Address by the PALAIOS Co-editor, Stephen T. Hasiotis, Associate Professor, Department of Geology, University of Kansas. Sunday, 22 March 2009, 5–6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Keynote Address: "Understanding the differences between continental and marine trace fossils and their implications: Ichnology for the 21st Century" by Stephen T. Hasiotis

Abstract

The study of ichnology has come a long way since its inception and it continues to evolve, as we comprehend better how organisms interact in the environment. In particular, progress is being made in understanding the implications of trace fossils in the continental realm and how they can be used in conjunction with paleontology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geochemistry, and paleogeography to solve geologic problems. Organisms in all domains display behaviors that greatly expanded our definition of ichnology. Ichnology is the study of all organism behavior—not just animals. Accordingly, a trace fossil is the product of an organism interacting with a medium in an environment, which generates a three-dimensional physical structure—the resultant trace fossil can be micrometers to kilometers in scale. Though behaviors and resultant trace fossils may be similar morphologically in continental and marine settings, the organisms and behaviors that produced them and the physicochemical factors that controlled their distribution, depth, diversity, and abundance can be strikingly different. Ongoing research with modern terrestrial and aquatic organisms in the field and laboratory reveal the behaviors behind the production of burrow morphologies whose genesis and significance would otherwise be misinterpreted. The study of these modern traces, organisms, and their distribution allows us to recognize how their burrow morphologies and sedimentary associations record the environmental, ecologic, hydrologic, and climatic settings in which they are formed. Comparison of these modern structures and their tracemakers to trace fossils in continental deposits in the geologic record provide stronger clues about the implications of trace fossils for interpreting and reconstructing the sequence of events and conditions that produced those deposits. They also provide information on the evolution and radiation of organisms and ecosystems where the body fossil record is poor. As a result of these new research endeavors, trace fossils are being used to (1) extend the fossil record and understand the radiation of organisms, (2) interpret more accurately environments of deposition and the extent of pedogenesis that have modified those deposits, (3) contribute to understanding better the effects of climate change on biota, environments, and hydrologic systems, and (4) correlate significant surfaces in continental strata and identify subtle but significant shifts in physicochemical conditions and environments.

ES-SEPM Co-Sponsored Sessions

Symposia

1. Sea Level and Salt Marsh Ecogeomorphology. Beverly Johnson, Bates College, bjohnso3@bates.edu; Julia Daly, Univ. of Maine at Farmington, dalyj@maine.edu. Co-sponsored with the Eastern Section SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology. Salt marshes provide a host of important ecosystem services, such as organic matter production and nutrient cycling, coastline protection, and carbon sequestration. Yet, they are highly vulnerable to sea level rise/climate change. In this session, we seek papers that use a variety of techniques to explore the interactions between sea level rise and the physical, geological, and ecological processes within salt marshes on a variety of time scales.

5. Modern Glacial Processes and the Glacial Sedimentary Record: In honor of Joe Hartshorn. Carl Koteff, USGS, ckoteff@cox.net; Tom Weddle, Maine Geological Survey, thomas.k.weddle@maine.gov; Michael J. Retelle, Bates College, mretelle@bates.edu. Co-Sponsored with the Eastern Section SEPM. This symposium focuses on studies of modern glacial processes and implications for the glacial stratigraphic record. We are holding the session in honor of Joseph H. Hartshorn, friend, colleague, and mentor who passed away on May 5, 2008. After returning to the United States as a decorated Lancaster bomber pilot in World War II, Joe earned his Ph.D. in geology at Harvard, specializing in geomorphology. His keen perception of landscapes and landforms was put to use mapping glacial and Quaternary deposits in New England with the U.S. Geological Survey. Joe's experience in New England was greatly enriched by field work and excursions in modern glacial settings in Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, and Ellesmere Island. When Joe changed careers and brought his deep experience of the modern environments, field mapping, and stratigraphy to the University of Massachusetts his teaching reached many, from Ph.D.'s to introductory students. We rest assured that students who took his courses still ponder some of the questions on terraces, two tills, and Dirt Machines that Joe planted as seeds in his lectures and at the outcrop.

Theme Sessions:

5. Geoarchaeology: Sites, Substrate, Sources, and Context. Alice R. Kelley, University of Maine, akelley@maine.edu; and Allen Gontz, Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston, allen.gontz@umb.edu. Co-Sponsored with the Eastern Section SEPM. Geoarchaeology is a diverse field that combines techniques from geology and archaeology to better understand human societies, culture, and their environment. This session welcomes oral and poster presentations that address terrestrial and underwater geoarchaeological methods, sites, geological resources, or other uses of geology to address archaeological questions.

6. Glacial and Paraglacial Coasts: Stratigraphy, Processes, and Geomorphology. Dan Belknap, University of Maine, belknap@maine.edu; and Ilya V. Buynevich, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, ibuynevich@whoi.edu. Co-Sponsored with the Eastern Section SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology. Glaciated coasts, past and present, comprise a diverse mix of processes and environments affected by glacial landforms, sediment sources, and isostatically influenced sea-level changes. Coastal landscapes of the northeastern US and Canadian Maritimes are profoundly influenced by glacial history, as are many other populated regions around the world.

Additional sessions of interest:

Symposia:

4. Climatic Change: Perspectives and Insights from Hothouse and Icehouse Climates in Deep Time. David Sunderlin, Lafayette College, sunderld@lafayette.edu; Kira Lawrence, Lafayette College, lawrenck@lafayette.edu. Because the instrument - produced record of climatic variations is short relative to the time-scales on which many climate system processes operate, understanding the dynamics and effects of recent and future climate change requires a deep time perspective. Paleobiological and biogeochemical information in the terrestrial and marine stratigraphic record provide data for examining Pre-Quaternary climate conditions and their variability at both local and global scales. We seek to convene a diverse session broadly encompassing studies that explore climate signatures preserved in the ancient biosphere and geologic record as well as the context those signatures provide for recent climate change. We invite papers that explore case studies in paleoclimatic analysis as well as those that consider new methodological approaches to the study of deep time climates.

6. Lakes and Environmental Change. Brad Hubeny, Salem State College, bhubeny@salemstate.edu; Lisa Doner, Plymouth State Univ., donerl@mac.com. Lakes are sensitive to changing environmental conditions, and accumulated sediments can preserve high-resolution records of this variability. Such environmental change can result from a variety of forcings at a variety of timescales. This session welcomes all contributions associated with lake responses to and sedimentary records of environmental change at any timescale. Studies associated with developing or refining proxies are especially encouraged.

Themes:

8. Advances in Stratigraphy and Paleontology of Paleozoic Dark Shales (Co-conveners: Alex Bartholomew, SUNY New Paltz barthola@newpaltz.edu, and Diana Boyer, SUNY Oswego dboyer@oswego.edu

9. Bioevents, Tectonics, and Sea-Level Change in Marine to Non-marine Strata of Northeastern North America Co-conveners: Sean Cornell, Shippensburg University, srcornell@ship.edu and Patrick McLaughlin, Wisconsin Geological Survey pimclaughlin@wisc.edu

Session in honor of Al Curran at 2008 GSA in Houston

“Leaving Traces-Making Marks: In Honor of H. Allen Curran”

For session content, please see: http://keckgeology.org/AlCurran