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INTRODUCING THE 2023 - 2024 MBGS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
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President: Andrea Munoz-Hernandez, Ph.D., GISP. Mich. Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy
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Vice President: vacant
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Secretary: John Yellich, Michigan Geological Survey
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Treasurer : Peter Rose Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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Business Manager: Peter Rose, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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Past President: Jennifer Trout, Michigan Geological Survey
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Newsletter Editor: Arlene Anderson-Vincent, Blue Triton Brands
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Webmaster: John Esch, Michigan Geological Survey
MBGS has monthly meetings typically on the 2nd Wednesday
of each month from September - May
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2023 MBGS E.Z. MANOS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Michigan Basin Geological Society will award two scholarships up to $500 each to students conducting graduate or undergraduate research in geology related to Michigan. The scholarships will be awarded at an upcoming MBGS meeting and the winner(s) will be notified In December. We hope recipients can attend a spring MBGS meeting to present their research topic. Candidates should complete and submit the MBGS scholarship application form by December 20, 2023 to John A. Yellich, MBGS Secretary, at john.a.yellich@wmich.edu with subject Line: MBGS Scholarship 2023. Applications can be found on MBGS’s Scholarship Page
OTHER NEWS: MBGS HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON USB FLASH DRIVES (8GB).
MBGS Publications ‐ There are two (2) new publications available! See details on the Publications page
MBGS On-line Store - Shop for shirts, hats, bags and other items. Check it out at: http://www.cafepress.com/mbgs
MBGS MEMBERSHIP DUES
MBGS continues to strive to provide a platform for geologist and environmental professionals to connect and offer learning and field trip opportunities. For 2023-2024, our annual dues are $35. Student Membership is free. Email any one of our officers if you are a student and would like to be a member. We now offer the option to renew your professional membership via PayPal. Please refer to the renewal notices that are included in the newsletter. Student Membership is free.
Professional Membership Dues
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Opportunity for Members: MBGS is seeking members who are interested in getting involved. We need a Vice President, Treasurer, and a Secretary for the 2023-2024 year. If you are interested in these opportunities, please reach out to any of the executive committee members.
Opportunity for Presenters: MBGS is seeking presenters for Michigan Basin geologically-related topics for our 2023-2024 membership meetings. If interested, please contact Andrea Muno-Hernandez at munozhernandeza@michigan.gov.
Next Meeting
Please join us for the Michigan Basin Geological Society’s membership meetings for the 2023-2024
MBGS Membership Meeting: March 21th, 2024, 7PM
Dinner Meeting-Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Speaker: Dr. Patrick M. Colgan, Geology Professor at Grand Valley State University
Topic: Working towards a stratigraphic lexicon for the glacial and Quaternary units of Michigan
GVSU will provide a catered meal consisting of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs (vegetarian options available), potato salad, coleslaw, potato chips and dessert. Cost for $20 MBGS members, $10 for students. Come early for a social hour at 5:00 PM. Dinner will be available at 6:00 PM and the presentation will start at 7:00PM.
When: March 21st, 2024
Social hour - 5:00 PM
Dinner – 6:00 PM
Presentation - 7:00 PM
Reservations are requested. Please RSVP to Jennifer Trout at jennifer.l.trout@wmich.edu
Where:
Grand Valley State University
L. William Seidman Center, Forum A
50 Front Ave SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Abstract:
The rock units of Michigan have been formally named and described in the Stratigraphic Lexicon of Michigan (Catacosinos et al. 2001). On the other hand, the glacial and Quaternary sediments of Michigan do not have a formal stratigraphic lexicon and formally named stratigraphic units. They are commonly designated as “glacial drift”, a useless relict and non-descriptive term. That said, glacial geologists and geomorphologists have developed an informal stratigraphic nomenclature of glacial and Quaternary units in Michigan (e.g. Larson 2011; Colgan 2015). In this talk, I will focus on the sedimentology and stratigraphy of glacial units in Lower Michigan and try to make the case that we do have information on the subsurface stratigraphy of Quaternary units and should work towards building a Stratigraphic Lexicon of Quaternary Sediment in Michigan as has been produced in other states like Wisconsin (e.g Syverson et al. 2011). The benefits of such a lexicon are in applied groundwater and environmental geology, and in finding patterns in what can commonly seem random at the site-specific scale. Finally, a lexicon of glacial and Quaternary units could lead to improved prediction of aquifer and aquitard continuity/discontinuity and of unit properties and likely facies changes.
Biography:
Dr. Patrick (Pat) M. Colgan is Professor of Geology at Grand Valley State University. Professor Colgan earned a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996, and a M.S. in Geology from the University of Kansas in 1992. Before coming to GVSU in 2003 he was an Assistant Professor of Geology at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Professor Colgan was born in Kansas, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. His ancestors were Irish, English, and German immigrants, most of whom came to America in the 1840s and 1850s to escape poverty and war.
Professor Colgan is a geoscientist who studies glaciers, dunes, sediments and landforms, and their relationship to past and present climate change as well as applications such as groundwater and engineering geology. He teaches courses in introductory geology, Earth history, Earth surface systems, geomorphology, Quaternary history and glacial geology, geophysics, and engineering geology. His publications include geologic research in the Central Lowlands, Great Lakes, and New England regions of the U.S., and Iceland, Alaska, and the Tibetan Plateau of China. He is recently consulting to the Michigan Geological Survey in publishing the Surficial Geologic maps of Allegan, Ottawa and Muskegon Counties.
Prof. Colgan lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan along the banks of the Grand River. He is married to Kelly Heid and they share their life with a terrier mix named Sammy. He and Kelly both enjoy traveling, hiking, rafting/kayaking, reading, and exploring Earth together. Hobbies include history, classical numismatics, and enjoying music of all styles and genres.
Go to Presentations page for recent MBGS presentations as PDF file
Below are links to recordings of the past (3) MBGS meetings
A 3-D Bedrock Geologic and Hydrostratigraphic Model of Southern Ontario
Date: April 13th, 2022
Meeting Recording:
Below are the 2 original presentations that Terry presented:
A Revised 3-D Geologic Model of the Bedrock of Southern Ontario and Progress on Development of a 3-D Hydrostratigraphic Model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0VZLNMxpKU&list=PLdapv5BeduhV3JoX6F4giIHGRgYI6Bkag&index=2
A 3-D Bedrock Hydrostratigraphic Model of Southern Ontario
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJmOHYZtak&list=PLdapv5BeduhXJZedclmAYiccOCcSuYsMW&index=20
Articles referenced in the presentation:
A Hydrostratigraphic Framework for the Paleozoic Bedrock of Southern Ontario
https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/GC/article/view/31465/1882527052
A Three-Dimensional Geological Model of the Paleozoic Bedrock of Southern Ontario, Groundwater Resources Study 19 Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 8618
http://www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/pub/data/imaging/GRS019//GRS019_Report.pdf
Lake Michigan Shorelines, Catastrophic Failure or Stable, That is the Question, Date: Jan 12, 2022
Meeting Recording:
https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/-Gr3efOHXLqk_SSFJqsMG9VpAk8sbQc9WWZDroawji1DYfjnD84IfzTSsc3XYh78.zXGywtGcpy1j0c_B
Grand Canyon MBGS Field Excursions, Date: Feb 9, 2022
Meeting Recording:
Geology in the News
New Survey Publication – An Updated Bibliography of Michigan Geology
John Yellich and Peter Voice, Western Michigan University Department of Geological Sciences and Michigan Geological Survey
The Michigan Geological Survey is proud to announce a new publication: Michigan Geology: A Bibliography, the second volume in the Michigan Geological Survey Data Compilation Series. This updated compilation lists over 7,700 references from all known Michigan sources, including industry, professional associations and universities and includes publications from 1818 to present. This report documents 200 years of Geological Research in Michigan. The Bibliography is sorted into four general categories – Precambrian, Basin, Quaternary, and Other.
This updated version of the bibliography also includes a short section on Michigan Stratigraphic Nomenclature, as well as brief discussion of historical trends in publication frequency in Michigan.
The report is free to download at the Michigan Geological Survey’s webpage: https://wmich.edu/geologysurvey/research/publications.
DOUGLASS HOUGHTON MEMORIAL
Douglass Houghton, Michigan’s first State Geologist, was honored on September 10, 2016 by
the placement of a State of Michigan Historical Marker commemorating his accomplishments. The
effort was led by Arlene Anderson‐Vincent, members of the Michigan Basin Geological Society,
Keweenaw County Historical Society and faculty at Western Michigan University and Michigan
Technological University. The dedication was incorporated into a MBGS field excursion led by
Professor Ted Bornhorst of Michigan Technological University and Lawrence Molloy, President of the Keweenaw County Historical Society. The two led a field excursion that covered the geology and history of sites from Houghton to Copper Harbor and wove a tale of the rise and fall of mining in the copper range. The field excursion included the dedication of the marker, which is located in Eagle River, Michigan at the Keweenaw County Historical Museum. The dedication had many speakers and a special appearance from Kyle Bagnall, who portrayed Bela Hubbard who told the story of Douglass Houghton’s 1840 expedition along Lake Superior. Douglass Houghton died in 1845 when the boat carrying himself and his crew capsized during a storm on Lake Superior near Eagle River.
Michigan Basin Geological Society
The Michigan Basin Geological Society (MBGS) was founded in 1936 as an affiliated non-profit organization of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas relating to the field of petroleum geology through field excursions and meetings.
Throughout the years, the role of the society has changed, and both meetings and field excursions now address a wide range of topics pertaining to the study of geology of Michigan and the great lakes area, and is open to anyone interested in geology.
MBGS has monthly meetings typically on the second Wednesday of each month from September through May. These meeting consist of a lecture on a wide variety of Michigan geology related topics. The meetings are open to all. The Executive Committee Officers meet prior to the meeting to discuss Society issues and is open to anyone interested in attending. The society has 1-3 geological field trips per year.
MBGS members are geologists, work in a geology related field, or are a geology student or hobbyist. The Society is dedicated to the advancement of the science of geology and related fields, disseminating knowledge of geology or related fields for the benefit of its members, and promoting the education of geology in Michigan. Annual dues are $35 per person and $10 per student.
Upcoming Events
March 21, 2024, MBGS March Meeting: MBGS will hold a March meeting at Grand Valley State University.
March 15-17, 2024 Michigan Gem and Mineral Society Show, Jackson
May 16-17th Institute on lake Superior Geology, Houghton
October, 2024: Earth Science Week 2024, The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) (earthsciweek.org)
EGLE Calendar of Training and Workshops
https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3308_3333---,00.html
Michigan State University, College of Natural Science, Department of Earth and Environmental Science,
Events https://ees.natsci.msu.edu/events/
Michigan Tech – Geoseminars ‐ http://pages.mtu.edu/~raman/SilverI/Geoseminar/Welcome.html
University of Michigan Earth and Environmental Science
Events https://lsa.umich.edu/earth
Western Michigan University, Geological and Environmental Sciences
Events https://wmich.edu/geology/events
