Events

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Haydon Mort

Geocommunication: Unlocking the Future of Geosciences by Dr. Haydon Mort, Geologize LTD

Abstract: In an era where the energy transition and environmental stewardship are at the forefront of global concerns, the ability to communicate complex geoscientific concepts has never been more critical. This talk will explore how mastering geocommunication can accelerate societal shifts towards sustainable energy solutions, reshape public perceptions of the extractive industries, and attract the next generation of geoscientists. Attendees will discover how improved listening and storytelling can transform their professional impact and contribute to solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Join us as we ask: How can listening, strategic empathy and powerful communication skills help the geosciences?

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Eldad Haber

Physics Informed Neural Architectures by Dr. Eldad Haber, University of British Columbia

Abstract: Neural networks are considered the main workhorse for many machine learning algorithms with applications ranging from computer vision to social media. Architectures for such networks vary significantly, and in many cases, without much theoretical grounds. In this talk we show that different architectures can be motivated and explained by physical analogs and dynamical systems, which allows us to explore new architectures that are able to deal with new problems that traditional networks are having difficulties to solve.

UTIG Seminar Series: Perianne Johnson, UTIG

Speaker: Perianne Johnson, Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow University of Texas Institute for Geophysics

Host: Krista Soderlund

Title: Seafloor Sediment Dynamics on Ocean Worlds

Abstract: Water-rock interactions occurring on the seafloor are of great interest for understanding the geochemistry and habitability of ocean worlds. Like Earth, Enceladus and Europa are expected to have ocean currents, due to buoyancy from temperature and salinity gradients, as well as possibly from tidal forcing and libration (e.g. Jansen, et al., 2023, Soderlund, et al., 2024). If these currents are fast enough, which we quantify in this presentation, they may transport loose sediment and lead to seafloor erosion. Ocean world seafloors may look very different from Earth’s, since they do not have river sediment nor any known biogenic sediment sources. Therefore, their seafloors could lack the protective alluvial layer that Earth has and the seafloor could be subject to bedrock incision, analogous to rivers on Earth.

We present the first model of seafloor erosion for ocean worlds, adapted from a model for subaerial rivers on Earth (Sklar and Dietrich, 2004). This model takes grain and flow properties (e.g. grain size and density, fluid density and viscosity, and flow dimensions) as inputs, and outputs the bedrock abrasion rate. The abrasion rate is calculated as the product of the volume of bedrock removed by a single grain impact, the rate of grain impacts, and the fraction of the bedrock which is exposed. This final factor is included because an existing layer of stationary sediment acts to protect the bedrock from erosion by absorbing the energy of grain impacts.

Gravity at the seafloor is the largest control on the erosion, with Europa (g = 1.41 m/s2) having an erosion rate about 10x smaller than Earth and Enceladus (g = 0.133 m/s2) about 100x smaller for equivalent grain and flow properties. In this presentation, we will quantify how the grain and flow properties affect the erosion rate. We will also discuss the current velocities needed for transport of sediment on ocean worlds and how that compares to predictions for currents from other analyses. We will speculate on what this means for the seafloor topography, both positive and negative, as well as the total volume of sediment produced over the lifetime of the moons.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Michael Antonelli

Calcium isotopes in igneous rocks: Searching for recycled marine carbonates in a sea of fractionations by Dr. Michael Antonelli, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston

Abstract: Tracing the fate of subducted carbon has become a subject of great importance in the 21st century. As a result, the geochemical community has shown keen interest in using non-traditional stable isotope systems to quantify contributions from recycled marine carbonates in mantle-derived magmas. Calcium isotopes have become an especially attractive target for this purpose, mainly due to (i) the intimate link between the calcium and carbon cycles, through the precipitation of carbonates in seawater, and (ii) significant isotopic differences between (average) Phanerozoic carbonates and the mantle. Unlike radiogenic isotope tracers, however, stable isotope ratios [such as 44Ca/40Ca (‘?44Ca’) and other popular stable isotope systems] are subject to significant modification during high-temperature processes (e.g., partial melting, melt transport, diffusion, crystallization), making them far from perfect tracers and often leading to highly underdetermined conclusions regarding the presence of marine carbonates in the mantle. On the other hand, the growing body of work exploring high-temperature fractionations in non-traditional isotope systems is shedding light on magmatic processes that are key to both the internal workings and geochemical evolution of our planet. In this talk, I will highlight recent work exploring Ca isotope variations in crustal magmas, kimberlites, and carbonatites, and discuss how the lessons we have learned from these systems can be applied to better understanding petrogenetic processes and tracing recycled marine carbonates in future studies.

UTIG Seminar Series: Daniel Horton, Northwestern University

Speaker: Daniel Horton, Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Northwestern University

Host: Danielle Touma

Title: Adapting WRF-Hydro for Use in Land Surface Hazard Applications

Abstract: Storm systems often have widespread impacts, including producing rainfall-induced land surface hazards. However, the spatial coverage of most operational land surface hazard prediction tools is inconsistent with synoptic scale meteorological events. To address this gap, research presented in this talk will chronicle the augmentation and application of the U.S. water model, WRF-Hydro, for use in regional land surface hazard applications, including post-wildfire debris flow susceptibility prediction and landslide hydrometeorological regime classification.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Ana Barros

Rainmaking in High Places and the Future of Secure Water by Dr. Ana Barros, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Abstract: Nearly one billion people live in Earth’s mountainous regions and more than 50% of the world’s biodiversity hotspots are in regions of complex terrain across all climate regions. From headwaters to foreland basins, mountains function as Water Towers (WTs) to their adjacent landscapes (valleys and plains, steppes, savannahs, and prairies) that encompass the breadbasket regions of the world. Changes in mountain hydroclimates, in particular changes in precipitation and temperature, lead to changes in the timing and magnitude of water and materials flows from WTs to the dependent lowland regions, impacting landscape resilience and water availability for both ecosystems and people including agricultural and industrial productive systems. I first review of our current understanding of orographic cloud and precipitation processes from µm-km scales building on 20 years of field and laboratory work, remote sensing, and model development with emphasis on transformative insights gained from synergistic measurement, modeling and analysis of microphysical processes. Recent advances in hyper-resolution modeling across the land-atmosphere continuum are demonstrated with emphasis on water prediction with implications for the resilience of montane ecosystems and flash-flood prediction.

UTIG Seminar Series: Ruthie Halberstadt, UT Austin

Speaker: Ruthie Halberstadt, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UT Jackson School of Geosciences

Host: Benjamin Keisling

Title: Antarctic ice sheet stability during warm periods: integrating numerical modeling with geologic data

Abstract: The Antarctic ice sheet is a major contributor to sea level rise, but its response to future warming is uncertain because modern and projected carbon dioxide concentrations are unprecedented during human existence. Geologic records offer a glimpse of prospective Earth landscapes. Specifically, past warm periods provide a window into the feedbacks and instabilities that govern ice sheet dynamics under a fundamentally different climatic state. I integrate process-based ice sheet modeling, climate modeling, and remote sensing observations along with geologic data to explore the stability and behavior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during past warm periods.

Hot Science - Cool Talks: "The Genius of Dogs"

Dogs have an astounding ability to read our gestures and understand our words, often seeming to know exactly what we’re thinking. But exactly how smart is man’s best friend? Join Hot Science – Cool Talks for a conversation with Dr. Brian Hare, whose research focuses on understanding and explaining canine cognition. Dr. Hare will share the inside scoop on how the dog brain works and how to use his research to raise a great dog yourself. Registration will open 3 weeks before the event.

[5:30 – 6:40 pm] Cool Activities- Activity fair

[7:00 – 8:15 pm] Talk with Q&A

[8:15 – 9:00 pm] Book Signing with Dr. Hare

GSA ’24 Friends and Alumni Reception

Join the Jackson School of Geosciences for a friends and alumni reception as part of GSA’s annual meeting.

WHEN: Monday, September 23 | 6:30-8:30pm
WHERE: Puesto Anaheim | 1040 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

DeFord Lecture | Dr. Ian Dalziel

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current: Driver of Cenozoic Glaciation? by Dr. Ian Dalziel, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences

Abstract: The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the mightiest ocean current on Earth. Moving ocean water at 130 Sverdrups (millions of cubic meters per second), it is three times stronger than the Gulf Stream and equivalent to 100 times the flow of all the rivers on the planet. Complete circum-Antarctic flow has only been possible since the early Cenozoic opening of the Tasman and Drake Passage gateways south of Australia and South America in the early Cenozoic. Approximately coeval global cooling and development of the Antarctic Ice Sheet has led to a long-standing debate over the possible role of the ACC as a driver of the glaciation, the other main contender being reduction in CO2 due to silicate weathering triggered by the uplift of orogenic plateaux. Ten years ago, a cruise led by scientists from the Jackson School’s Institute for Geophysics found compelling evidence that a now-extinct island arc in today’s central Scotia Sea formed a barrier to complete, deep circum-Antarctic flow until after the mid-Miocene climate transition (~14-10 Ma). Recent studies of drill cores from the Pacific and Indian oceans have confirmed that the modern ACC developed in the late Miocene as the planet underwent further cooling. This has reopened the debate concerning the possible role of the ACC as a driver of Cenozoic glaciation.

UTIG Seminar Series: Maria Nikolinakou, BEG

Speaker: Maria Nikolinakou, Research Professor, UT Bureau of Economic Geology

Host: Kehua You

Title: Mechanisms generating fluid overpressure at the trench of subduction zones and implications for megathrust weakening

Abstract: I discuss stress, pressure, and porosity in an evolving accretionary wedge using transient geomechanical models. The evolution of the stress state from that imposed by uniaxial burial seaward of the trench to Coulomb failure within the wedge generates overpressure and drives compaction above the décollement. Changes in both mean and shear stress generate overpressure and shear-induced pressures play a particularly important role in the trench area. In the transition zone between uniaxial burial and Coulomb failure, overpressures increase faster than overburden and are higher than footwall pressures. This rapid increase in overpressure reduces the effective normal stress and weakens the plate interface along a zone that onsets ahead of the trench and persists well into the subduction zone. It also drives dewatering at the trench, which enables compaction of the hanging-wall sediments and a porosity offset at the décollement. More broadly, our results may provide a hydromechanical explanation for a wide range of observed behaviors, including the development of protothrust zones, widespread occurrence of shallow slow earthquake phenomena, and the propagation of large shallow coseismic slip.