Geological Insights & Event News

The FCGS October newsletter highlights William X. Chávez, Jr.’s talk “Mining: The New Green?”, noting that green tech will increase demand for large mines because recycling barely reduces metals debt and few countries supply most essential commodities. Prez Sez, by President Andy Darling, explores Neogene evolution of Desolation Canyon, terrace dating, Wasatch Fm. rock strength, cosmogenic erosion rates, and evidence that the Desolation knickpoint is transient while canyon incision keeps pace with Colorado River rates. The Ice Age Durango Field Trip is coming up in November.

Tim Matava outlines how the Fruitland Coal, once a major CBM reservoir, could transition to long term CO₂ storage. He explains adsorption stability, chemical potential controls, the basin’s unique dual porosity fractures that resist swelling, and overpressure conditions that enhance sequestration. He also describes simpler thermal/acoustic monitoring methods. President Andy Darling highlights FCGS–FLC collaboration, the value of field camps, and how student–member interactions strengthen geoscience careers. The UGA is leading a field trip to the Bears Ears area of SE Utah, FCGS is invited.

The FCGS welcomes everyone back with a BBQ at the Junction Creek Campground on August 30th, with the usual horseshoe tournament. Please bring a side dish, we supply the rest. The Foundation welcomes two new Foundation Directors, Joe Jacquot and Vicki Singer, while Cindy French begins another term. Mary Gillam, Peter Mesard and Michele Tuttle continue serving. Summer highlights include the Ouray field trip with David Gonzales and Steve Cumella, examining mines, mountains and magmas of Ouray. The search for a President Elect continues as fall meeting planning proceeds.

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.