Geological Insights & Event News

The Four Corners Geological Foundation awarded MS thesis grants to Logan Ashurst McGee, Chole Fitzgerald Taylor, and Zane Wasicko for research spanning REE enrichment, Organ Mountains rhyolites, and rock glacier processes. Elections are now open for the Foundation board. The Society has postponed officer elections in search of a President-Elect candidate. Participants had a wonderful time on the Paradox Basin field trip. The upcoming Mines, Mountains and Magmas of Ouray is already filled but get on the waiting list.

Dr. Steven Semken’s talk surveys theory and practice of place based geoscience education, highlighting sense of place as a measurable learning outcome and exploring Indigenous knowledge, and future directions. In his Prez Sez column, Dr. Nate Klema reflects on geometry’s deep scientific lineage and its power to reveal landscape processes, describing his work on curvature based surface classification and its geomorphic insights. There is a detailed description of the “Mines, Mountains and Magmas of Ouray!” fieldtrip. The Foundation announces thesis grant awards and new board volunteers.

The March 2026 FCGS newsletter highlights Dr. Marisa Repasch’s upcoming talk on how erosion, weathering, and sediment transport shape carbon oxidation and burial across landscapes from the Andes to Arctic Alaska. Nate Klema’s column reflects on volcanic impacts on river systems and landscape evolution, from flow reversing glacial melt in Chilean Patagonia to magmatic uplift influencing regional drainage and topography. The Foundation is evaluating submissions to their M.S. Thesis grant program. Officer elections are approaching and we are seeking volunteers to serve.

The Society is hosting Dr. Amit Milo, USGS, speaking on new geologic field mapping techniques with examples from Proterozoic metasedimentary outcrops in Redrock, NM. and coastal processes near Martha’s Vineyard, MA. President Nate Klema recounted an earlier research project attempting to link the hydrologic and geomorphic qualities of Oregon rivers to the history of volcanic emplacement in their headwaters. The FCG Foundation opened applications for their M.S. Thesis scholarships and the Field Trip Committee released more information regarding the April 11-12th, Paradox Basin field trip.

The January 2026 newsletter features Dr. Mike Zawaski, FLC Visiting Assistant Professor, on 3.71 Ga calc-silicate schists and quartzites from the Isua Supracrustal Belt. Altered basalt or the world’s oldest stromatolites? President Nate Klema recaps a float trip on the Klamath River through the Cascadia subduction zone from the back-arc to the sea. Jim Corken announces dates for two spring field trips in the planning stages: the Paradox Basin and Ouray. Cindy French summarizes features on the new Foundation website page and announces next month’s speaker, Foundation recipient Amit Milo.

Fourteen Fort Lewis College Geoscience seniors will hold a poster session on their senior thesis research projects for our members. Topics covered include mineralization in the Mineral Farms mining district of Ouray, Cenozoic plutons and dikes, aquafer analysis and subduction zone lithologies. Field Trip Chair Jim Corken reviewed the November trip to Sand Canyon and laid out spring plans. The FCG Foundation is ahead on donations compared to last year but are still encouraging contributions. They are also looking for a volunteer to serve on their board next year.