Events

DeFord Lecture | Tim Goudge

Remote Sensing of Sinuous Channels in the Solar System: From Meandering Rivers to Lava Channels by Tim Goudge, Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: Remote sensing data provide a landscape-scale view of the surface properties of planetary bodies, and offer unique insight into a wide array of geoscience problems. In this talk I will present results from two projects that showcase how remote sensing data can be used to characterize landscape evolution on Earth and other planetary bodies. The first project focuses on use of high-frequency, high-resolution lidar topography from a UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) to characterize the process of bank erosion in meandering rivers. This work provides insight into when river banks erode, and the evolution from short-term stochastic to long-term average behavior. The second project looks at the geometry of bends within three distinct classes of sinuous channels formed by fluid flow: meandering rivers (Earth), supraglacial channels (Earth), and sinuous volcanic channels (the Moon). This work aims to test whether sinuous channel geometry records diagnostic aspects of the formative process, or whether it is a universal outcome of confined fluid flow.

UTIG Seminar Series: Louise Farquharson, University of Alaska

Speaker: Louise Farquharson, Research Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Host: Peter Flemings

Title: Not so permanent permafrost

Abstract: Permafrost – permanently frozen ground – underlies vast areas of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. But as the climate warms, how permanent is it? Across the Arctic, permafrost temperatures are rising, a trend projected to continue. Recent observations from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute monitoring network reveal striking changes: in some regions with relatively warm permafrost, ground that once refroze each winter now remains thawed year-round, while in colder permafrost zones, the landscape is undergoing dramatic geomorphological transformation due to melt of massive ground ice. This talk will explore how permafrost temperatures in the North American Arctic have shifted in recent years and examine the cascading consequences for landscapes and northern communities.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Role of petroleum production subsidence on submergence of Texas coastal lands: Case of the Rose City Field

presented by

Dr. John M. (Jack) Sharp, Jr., Ph.D
Carlton Professor of Geology Emeritus
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
The University of Texas

How Extinctions Shaped the History of Life with Rowan Martindale

Travel back 183 million years to the Early Jurassic, a time when dinosaurs were just getting started on land—and life in the oceans was in crisis. Join Dr. Rowan Martindale, Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, for a fascinating look at how ancient environmental changes reshaped life below the waves.

Dr. Martindale will highlight how coral reef ecosystems and other marine communities survived extinctions during the Jurassic Period, responding to excessive heat, acidity and low oxygen in water. Learn how our understanding of ocean ecosystems from 183 million years ago can help us protect similar ecosystems today, and what they might tell us about the future of life on Earth.

This free program will be followed by a Q&A and a light reception. An RSVP is required.

DeFord Lecture | Jane Baldwin

The Role of Mountains in Understanding and Simulating Earth’s Climate by Dr. Jane Baldwin, assistant professor of Earth System Science, University of California Irvine

Hot Science - Cool Talks: Life and Death by Impact!

What can a 66-million-year-old impact crater reveal about the past and future of life on Earth? Dr. Sean Gulick explores the science behind one of the most dramatic events in Earth’s history, the asteroid impact that ended the age of dinosaurs. From discovering a giant crater in Mexico to drilling deep into the Earth to link this impact to the mass extinction, Dr. Gulick unpacks the explosive chain of events that wiped out 75 percent of life on the planet. Current research is studying how meteorite impacts shape planets, create new ecosystems, and may even help life begin on Earth and on other worlds.

Arrive early and explore Cool Activities from 5:30 – 6:40! Local organizations will share exciting hands-on activities related to the talk! List of activities coming soon!

KBH Energy Center 11th Annual Energy Symposium

Exploring the Future of Energy Innovation, Investment, and Security

The KBH Energy Center’s Annual Symposium brings together leading industry executives, policymakers, and faculty for a dynamic day of forward-looking dialogue on the future of energy.

This year’s program will feature conversations with distinguished experts exploring global energy outlooks, the growing role of nuclear and AI, energy’s ties to national security, data infrastructure demands, capital markets, and media coverage. Join us as we examine the transformative forces reshaping the energy landscape and the innovation, investment, and policy strategies that will guide the road ahead.

UTIG Seminar Series: Erica Jawin, Smithsonian

Speaker: Erica Jawin, Postdoctoral Research Geologist, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Host: Cyril Grima

Title: Shattered Fragments: Origins and Evolution of Asteroid (101955) Bennu and the OSIRIS-REx Mission

Abstract: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission investigated near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu and collected over 100 g of rocky material from its surface after several years spent orbiting the asteroid. In September 2023, the spacecraft safely delivered its sample to Earth. Bennu proved to be a surprising object from the very first images showing an unexpectedly rugged and extremely weak surface probed during sample collection. This lecture will discuss the origins of Bennu’s rubble pile structure, how its diverse boulders hint at these origins, as well as initial perspectives from analysis of the returned sample. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is now on its way to a new target, the asteroid (99942) Apophis, following its close approach with Earth in 2029.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Sediment dynamics, coastal erosion and deposition

presented by

Dr. David Mohrig, Professor
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Jackson School of Geosciences

In person and via Zoom

DeFord Lecture | Christine McCarthy

Heat Generating Mechanisms in Ice and the Fate of Partial Melt by Dr. Christine McCarthy, associate research professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University

UTIG Seminar Series: Jiaxuan Li, University of Houston

Speaker: Jiaxuan Li, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston

Host: Zhe Jia

Titile: Minute-scale dynamics of recurrent dike intrusions in Iceland with fiber-optic geodesy

Abstract: Continuous geodetic measurements near volcanic systems can image magma transport dynamics, yet resolving dike intrusions with high spatiotemporal resolution remains challenging. We introduce fiber-optic geodesy, leveraging low-frequency distributed acoustic sensing (LFDAS) recordings along a telecommunication fiber-optic cable, to track dike intrusions near Grindavík, Iceland, on a minute timescale. LFDAS reveals distinct strain responses from nine intrusive events, six resulting in fissure eruptions. Geodetic inversion of LFDAS strain reveals detailed magmatic intrusions, with inferred dike volume rate peaking systematically 15 to 22 min before the onset of each eruption. Our results demonstrate DAS’s potential for a dense strainmeter array, enabling high-resolution, nearly real-time imaging of subsurface quasi-static deformations. In active volcanic regions, LFDAS recordings can offer critical insights into magmatic evolution, eruption forecasting, and hazard assessment.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Along-strike variation in Alaska forearc deformation: From shortening to extension

presented via Zoom by

Dr. Suoya Fan
Research Assistant Professor (2024 Fall- Present)
Department of Geology and Environmental Science
University of Pittsburgh
https://sites.google.com/site/geofansuoya

DeFord Lecture | Douwe van Hinsbergen

From Plate to Mantle Tectonics: Towards 3D Kinematic Constraints on Mantle Convection by Douwe van Hinsbergen, professor at Utrecht University

UTIG Seminar Series: Peter Driscoll, Carnegie Institution for Science

Speaker: Peter Driscoll, Scientist, Earth & Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science

Host: Doug Hemingway

Title: The Lifecycle of Planetary Magnetic Fields

Abstract: Planetary magnetic fields offer the first barrier between atmospheres and the solar wind, and are expected to play a central role in long-term habitability.  In this talk we discuss why planetary magnetic fields are important to planetary habitability and how they change over billions of years of planetary evolution.  We discuss the ubiquity of planetary magnetic fields in the Solar System and the prospects for detecting exoplanet magnetic fields.  We review the requirements for magnetic field generation by dynamo action, general limits to thermal dynamo action, and how the planetary cooling rate affects magnetic field evolution.  We will highlight how Earth’s magnetic field has evolved over the last 2 billion years, and how paleomagnetism and dynamo theory can be used in tandem to infer the dynamical evolution of the deep interior.