Headwave Inc. Donates Software

Headwave Inc. has donated to the department their Prestack AVO software. This software will aid students to meet the challanges of seismic data interpretation and oil and gas exploration/production careers. Headwave's software solution, gives easy access to potentially enormous multi-terabyte prestack datasets from single PCs.
Overview
Routine 3D visualization of prestack data can reduce turn-around time at all stages of a project’s lifecycle, from real-time visualization and analysis of shot gathers during acquisition, to true 3D QC of gathers during data processing (no more sparse sampling of gathers in 2D viewers!) -- to new insights into the quality of poststack datasets and horizons for interpreters and drilling decision makers.
Viewing Prestack Gathers
Prestack for Interpreters allows users to view any type of gather, (shot, receiver, cmp, etc.) as either a 3D volume in its own domain space, or, in the case of midpoint gathers, linked intuitively to either a corresponding poststack inline or crossline.
Data Management
Data management of terabytes of prestack data is a non-trivial part of data processing and exploration & production. To counter the challenges of frequent, cumbersome transfers of huge datasets Headwave has introduced a unique compressed, multi-dimensional, multi-resolution dataformat. By compressing the original datasets in multiple dimensions, it is possible to reduce the size of the file(s) to a level where logistics is no longer a bottleneck to the use of prestack data.

Explore the uniqueness of their technology and why it matters

Department Announces a New Undergraduate Advisor

Starting Spring 2009 the Department of Geological Sciences has a new Undergraduate Advisor.

Dr. Jared R. Morrow

Jared will provide help and program planning for all undergraduate students in the Geological Sciences at SDSU. He will advise program requirements, course selection, educational interests or concerns, difficulty with courses or course load, and short- and long-term goals.
Jared replaces Dr. David L. Kimbrough who will now serve as chair of the Departments assessment program.

Contact Information:
Email: jmorrow@geology.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619.594.1395
Fax: 619.594.4372
Office: GMCS 228A
Lab: GMCS 117

Mail Address:
Dept. of Geological Sciences
5500 Campanile Drive, MC-1020
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-1020
USA

SEMINAR - Kathleen R. Johnson

Reconstructing Asian Monsoon History from Chinese Speleothems

Kathleen R. Johnson
Department of Earth System Science
University of California, Irvine

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

While we know that modern anthropogenic climate change is superimposed upon significant natural climate variability, the instrumental record of climate is too short to capture the full range of this variability. In order to fully understand and predict future changes, therefore, high-resolution, welldated paleoclimate records are needed to extend the record. This paleoclimate data allows us to quantify natural variability and learn how the climate system responded to past changes in boundary conditions and forcings and provides a vital test for state-of-the-art coupled climate models. Cave calcite deposits (speleothems) are widely studied paleoclimate archives that have led to significantly improved records of past climate variability over a wide range of timescales (seasonal to glacialinterglacial), most notably in low-latitude and monsoon regions. Speleothems are well-suited for terrestrial climate reconstruction because: they tend to be very pure and well-preserved; they usually contain clear visible growth banding which, like tree rings, is often annual in nature; they can be very precisely dated using uranium-series radiometric dating methods; and they contain numerous types of physical and geochemical proxy data. In this lecture, I will present an introduction to speleothem based paleoclimate proxies and describe ongoing modern calibration studies we are conducting at Heshang Cave, China to test and develop new seasonal resolution proxies of Asian monsoon rainfall. In addition, I will present multiple records of Asian monsoon rainfall obtained from stable isotope and trace element variations in Chinese speleothems and discuss the important role of the Asian monsoon in the global climate system.

SEMINAR - Jared Kluesner

Geologic and Hydrologic Role of Sill Intrusion and Delineation of the Oceanic Crustal Boundary in the Central Gulf of California

Jared Kluesner
Marine Physical Laboratory
Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Geologic and Hydrologic Role of Sill Intrusion and Delineation of the Oceanic Crustal Boundary in the Central Gulf of California High-resolution multichannel profiles recently shot in the central Gulf of California display concordant and discordant (concave-upwards) sills intruded shallowly within (I) young sediments in the axial troughs of Guaymas, Carmen and Farallon Basins, (II) off-axis in the basin floors, and (III) within the sediment cover of subsided and extended continental crust. We interpret some imaged sills as 3D saucer-shaped intrusions based on their concave-upward profiles, the overlying circular and elliptical plans of domal uplifts of the present multibeam-mapped seafloor, and their striking resemblance to field-mapped and 3-D seismically imaged saucer-like sills. Vertical zones of high-amplitude, disturbed reflectors leading up from sills are probably "blow-out pipes" acting as conduits for hydrothermal fluids and gases migrating up and away from the heated sill-sediment contact aureole, forming pockmarks on the present seafloor. Bright spots, dim spots, phase reversals, and acoustic turbidity in the sediments above sill intrusions suggest the presence of hydrocarbons and fluid flow throughout the study area. Seismic evidence of sill intrusions into the shallow crust throughout the central gulf suggests melt is being delivered not just to spreading centers, but to a much broader area of oceanic and continental crust. We have improved the delineation of the oceanic/continental crustal boundary in the central and southern gulf by sampling igneous basement (tholeiitic basalt and gabbro = oceanic; granitic = continental), by identifying the extent of magnetic stripes diagnostic of seafloor spreading, by interpreting multichannel reflection profiles, and by geomorphology. Although the "boundary" is somewhat smeared by the intrusion of shallow sills (some known to be tholeiitic, most inferred to be) into the cover of both granitic and oceanic basement, we find no evidence of "transitional zones" of hybrid crust; at those sheared and rifted margins where basement is accessible, granite commonly abuts tholeiitic flows and sills. Seafloor spreading magnetic anomalies, with low amplitudes and broad transition widths, can be read out to C2Ar in Alarcon Basin, and C2An.1 in Guaymas Basin (but only on profiles that avoid major off-axis seamounts and intrusions); in both cases they indicate significantly slower accretion during the first 1 m.y. of spreading, presumably because of concurrent continued extension of the rifted margin. Widespread sill intrusion over continental basement does hamper identifying the ocean/continental boundary on seismic reflection profiles, and because the already thin Cordilleran crust was clearly highly extended during prolonged rifting we do not think that crustal thickness is a reliable criterion for the extent of oceanic crust.

Short Course Announcement

FEBRUARY 2 & 3, 2009; 6:00-9:30 pm (Two Evenings)
How to Recognize Continental Trace Fossils in Outcrop and Core:
Implications to Interpreting Environments of Depositional and Significant Surfaces

Leader:
Dr. Stephen T. Hasiotis
The University of Kansas–Lawrence
Associate Professor of Geology &
Coeditor of the journal PALAIOS

Dr. Hasiotis is a leading expert on continental trace fossils and on interpreting ancient organism–media interactions preserved in the geologic record. This popular short course has been presented to numerous academic and professional organizations.

Prerequisites
The short course is tailored to professional petroleum and academic geologists and students. People interested in this short course are those geologists who work with core and outcrop sections that are or may be of continental origin or that have been overprinted by processes associated with terrestrial and freshwater aquatic conditions; including both clastic and carbonate lithology. A previous course in geology is desired. There is no cost for the course, but participants are requested to obtain a copy of the course text: Continental Trace Fossils: SEPM Short Course Notes 51, 130 p. (ISBN 1-56576-092-1). The text can be purchased through SEPM (http://www.sepm.org) or onsite during the course for $40.

Objectives and Content
The type, distribution, and tiering of continental trace fossils are useful tools in outcrop and core for interpreting continental environments of deposition and their post depositional histories. This short course presents the latest ichnological concepts and provides a comprehensive photoglossary of nearly the entire suite of major terrestrial and freshwater trace fossils that geoscientists will encounter. The short course presentation and notes are divided into two sections: 1)concepts and fundamental principles that explain how terrestrial and freshwater-aquatic trace fossil behavior is interpreted and used to define environments of deposition and to recognize paleosols; and 2) a hands on study of outcrop and core examples of continental trace fossils using the photoglossary of continental tracefossils with explanations and idealized line drawings.

Part 1: we discuss fundamental concepts of continental ichnology by examining the life cycle of organisms in modern depositional systems. We discuss short comings in the new directions in ichnology, and we elaborate on the differences between continental and marine organisms and resultant differences in their traces. Photos and illustrations of modern and ancient trace making organisms and their traces will be used to illustrate how the controls on behavior and distribution of continental organisms can be applied to interpreting continental environments in the rock record. An ichnological framework for continental systems is presented that is based on analogy to specific environmental controls operating in modern terrestrial and freshwater environments. Alluvial, lacustrine, eolian, and transitional depositional settings form potential ichnofacies, which are defined in detail by their ichnologic composition. The framework uses examples of modern and ancient trace fossils to define specific environments that will be presented as hand samples and rock sectioned specimens.

Part 2: we use section two of the short course notes, which is a photoglossary of outcrop and core examples of continental trace fossils. At the end of this section is a reference sheet that contains representative color photographs and line drawings of each type of trace fossil in the photoglossary. This sheet also includes a list of abbreviations of continental trace fossils to be used when measuring sections in the field or describing core at an offsite location. We work with continental trace fossils in hand specimens, rock section, and few core samples to learn to how to recognize and identify these types of ichnofossils. We will also use examples of ichnofossils as major constituents of paleosols. Many of the continental trace fossils occur in paleosols where the color differences between the trace fossils and surrounding matrix accentuate the morphology of the trace fossil. The combination of text, line drawings, photographs, and figure explanations allows the user to identify the trace fossil as well as to determine the paleoenvironmental, paleohydrologic, and paleoclimatic settings.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER FOR THE COURSE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Dr. Jared Morrow, SDSU Department of Geological Sciences
jmorrow@geology.sdsu.edu, 619-594-1395
The course will be held at SDSU Dept. of Geological Sciences
(http://www.geology.sdsu.edu); room CSL 422

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS FEBURARY 1, 2009

PDF Flyer

The 1,700-foot Tall Tsunami that Struck Alaska - Can It Happen Again?

On the night of July 7th, 1958 the world’s largest Tsunami engorged Alaska's Lituya bay, located about 250 miles west of Juneau. It was 1,700 feet or 520 meters, almost twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.
The Tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake caused an enormous landslide along the Fairweather Fault. The resulting crash of rock into water, caused the largest wall of water in human history. The deadly wave hurtled at jet speeds and wiped out everything within a four mile radius.
Fortunately Lituya Bay was virtually uninhabited, otherwise it would have caused unprecedented destruction, far greater than the tsunami that struck Thailand in 2004.
At the time of the colossal wave, there were only three fishing boats anchored in the bay and amazingly only one sank, with two people losing their lives. The other boats were able to surf the crest of the tsunami.
The Science Channel and Dr George PC quoted one of the survivors Howard G. Ulrich in a recent article about the tsnumami. Ulrich heard the sound of the enormous wave ripping through the land and obscuring the sky, he reportedly said to his 8-year-old child “Son…it’s time to pray.”
Can a similar tsunami strike the westcoast of the U.S. again? Geological evidence makes it almost a certainty -the region is the heart of the world's most active sesmic zone: the Pacific Rim of Fire.
On January the 26th, 1700, sometime around 9 in the evening local time, the Juan de Fuca segment of the planet beneath the ocean in the Pacific Northwest moved. Suddenly. It slipped some 60 feet eastward beneath the North American plate, and caused a monster quake of approximate magnitude 9. It set in motion tsunamis that struck the coast of North America and traveled to the shores of Japan.
Researchers believe that these megaquakes occur every 400 to 500 years or so.
Kim Olsen of SDSU and his team created a supercomputer-powered “virtual earthquake” program that allowed them to recreate such an earthquake. This program encompassed the work of scientists from SDSU, San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego and the U.S. Geological Survey.
In addition, to ensure that the entire representation of what could happen is accurate, William Stephenson of the USGS worked with Olsen and Andreas Geisselmeyer from Ulm University in Germany to create an accurate representation of the earth’s subsurface layering in that area. This “velocity model” – the first of its kind – expresses how the structure will bend, reflect, and change in size and direction.
Naturally, what they learnt didn’t necessarily send anyone home to bed with warm fuzzy feelings of safety (although Andreas is probably feeling pretty cozy over in Germany).
Their scenario depicted a rupture beginning in the north and propagating toward the south along the 600-mile long Cascadia Subduction Zone (an area where two tectonic plates move towards one another, forcing one to slide beneath the other). In their scenario, the ground moved about 1.5 feet per second in Seattle, nearly 6 inches per second in Tacoma, Olympia and Vancouver, and 3 inches in Portland, Oregon.
“We also found that these high ground velocities were accompanied by significant low-frequency shaking, like what you feel in a roller coaster, that lasted as long as five minutes – and that’s a long time,” said Olsen.
“One thing these studies will hopefully do is to raise awareness of the possibility of megathrust earthquakes happening at any given time in the Pacific Northwest,” Olsen added. “Because these events will tend to occur several hundred kilometers from major cities, the study also implies that the region could benefit from an early warning system that can allow time for protective actions before the brunt of the shaking starts.”
Region specific, this is bad news for the North West for two reasons; one, because the combined long-duration shaking and high ground velocities raise the possibility that such an earthquake could inflict major damage on downtown Seattle; and two, areas like Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia sit on top of sediment filled geological basins, thus, amplifying the waves generated by major earthquakes.
Reason one why scientists bother running these simulations. Reason number two: “The information from these simulations can also play a role in research into the hazards posed by large tsunamis, which can originate from such megathrust earthquakes like the ones generated in the 2004 Sumatra-Andeman earthquake in Indonesia,” said Olsen.Posted by Casey Kazan with Josh Hill.

Source:
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/the-1700-feet-tsunami-that-struck-alaska/927

Vic Camp - Recipient of a 2009 University Grants Program awards

San Diego State University Graduate & Research Affairs recently announced recipients of the 2009 University Grants Program (UGP) awards.

The Department of Geological Sciences Victor Camp, was awarded a UGP for "Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Columbia River Flood Basalts, Buffalo Hills, Nevada"

The UGP was created to integrate three internal funding mechanisms through which faculty may derive support for creative and scholarly research, including:

• Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity
• Faculty Development Program
• Faculty Grant-in-Aid

Funding was also provided by the Adams Humanities Endowment. Of the 120 applications received, 53 awards were granted totaling more than $410,000.

SEMINAR - Stephen T. Hasiotis

Ichnology for the 21st Century: Understanding the differences between continental and marine trace fossils, with implications to the diversity, distribution, and evolution of soil biota

Stephen T. Hasiotis
Department of Geology
University of Kansas
Coeditor PALAIOS

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

The study of ichnology has come a long way since its inception and it continues to evolve. 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 subdisciplines in geology to reconstruct the past. Organisms in all domains of life 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.

Spring 2009 Department Seminar Schedule

Stephen Hasiotis - University of Kansas, Department of Geology

February 4th

Ichnology for the 21st Century: Understanding the differences between continental and marine trace fossils, with implications to the diversity, distribution, and evolution of soil biota

Jared Kluesner - Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Physical Laboratory

February 11th

Geologic and Hydrologic Role of Sill Intrusion and Delineation of the Oceanic Crustal Boundary in the Central Gulf of California

Kathleen R. Johnson - Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine
February 18th

Reconstructing Asian Monsoon History from Chinese Speleothems

David Bowman - California State University Fullerton, Department of Geological Sciences

March 18th

Greg Hirth - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

March 25th

Elizabeth Cochran - University of California Riverside, Department of Earth Sciences

April 8th

Bruce Lieberman - University of Kansas, Department of Geology

April 15th

Brandon Browne - California State University Fullerton, Department of Geological Sciences

April 22nd

Shawn Wright - Arizona State University, Department of Geological Sciences
May 6th

*All seminars start at 1pm at San Diego State University in room CSL 422 unless otherwise noted