Geological Insights & Event News

December 2023 newsletter features Fort Lewis College senior thesis presentations on debris flows, Mount St. Helens volcanism, contact metamorphism, and Carlin-type gold deposits. President Chris Heine analyzes biofuel environmental impacts and production costs. Foundation requests year-end donations for thesis grants and student support programs.

November 2023 newsletter features paleontologist Bethany Burke on Cretaceous marine reptile apex predators. President Chris Heine analyzes global warming through population growth lens, linking 7.8 billion people to resource overconsumption. Field trip committee plans ambitious 2024 season including Chama River and Harding Pegmatite excursions.

October 2023 newsletter features Steve Keller and Mark Longman on 150 years of Castle Rock Conglomerate research and recent diagenesis studies. President Chris Heine reports on Morrison Formation and Ironton field trips. Newsletter includes AI earthquake forecasting developments and regional meeting announcements.

September 2023 newsletter features Christine Turner and Neil Fishman on Morrison Formation stratigraphy and paleoenvironments, including alkaline saline wetland interpretations. President Chris Heine discusses annual picnic success and upcoming field trips. Newsletter includes Red Mountain trip details and regional geological meeting announcements.

April 2023 newsletter highlights Fort Lewis College senior geology student presentations including Scott Thomas's main talk on "Undiscovered Gold of Cherry Creek" investigating placer deposits in La Plata Mountains. Short presentations from Sierra Carter (transitional snow zone monitoring), Klara Goldman (dust impact on discharge), Jaclyn Jack (seismic ray modeling), Willem Martin (GTO fault geometry in Lisbon Valley), and Patrick Walston (Condry Mountain Schist analysis). Kristin Brown, Chuck Baltzer, and Jim Ballard sponsor student dinners.

March 2023 newsletter features Fort Lewis College's Nate Klema presenting on Cascade Range magmatic uplift signaled by geophysical signals and disequilibrium topography of Columbia River Gorge, examining how volcanic arc topography builds through magmatic and tectonic processes offset by erosion. President Jeff Geslin discusses banner snow year benefits for Rocky Mountain water resources. Chuck Baltzer sponsors five FLC student dinners.