%0 Conference Proceedings %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %D 2009 %T Embracing the digital revolution; issues of concern to geological surveys %A Joseph P Kopera %K #StaffPubs %K cartography %K digital cartography %K digitization %K geographic information systems %K Geologic maps 14 %K information systems %K mapping %K techniques %X Advancements in GIS and digital mapping techniques have improved the efficient production and visualization of geologic data. The Office of the Massachusetts State Geologist (OMSG) utilizes these tools extensively to produce geologic maps and fulfill its mission of making geologic data freely accessible to the public. Such tools have increased efficiency at the OMSG in fieldwork preparation and map production, in addition to creating new types of geologic maps. This same technology also creates new problems that need to be addressed: 1.) Accessing digital data inherently requires more specialized knowledge than reading a paper document. Most citizens do not have access to commercial GIS software, know how to use it, or know where to get digital data. 2.) The longevity of digital data at present is problematic. Various proprietary data formats and unstable digital media quickly become antiquated and unusable. 3.) Digital geospatial datasets tend to lack uniform and adequate metadata on their quality, origin, purpose, context, and appropriateness of use. In the rush to embrace digital technology it is useful to keep in mind that such tools should simplify our work as geologists and increase the utility and availability of the data we produce. Issues of accessibility can be addressed by education and the adoption of non-proprietary open-source software, data formats and standards. Problems with the viability of data may eventually be solved by advances in technology. In the meantime, stable paper or mylar maps should be not be abandoned. The creation and maintenance of high-quality metadata and well-organized, thorough, centralized databases is critical in keeping the flood of new digital data navigable. In the end, we must be able to easily modify any new technology we adopt to address the problems it presents, or we risk compromising our discipline to fit the limitations of that technology. %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %I Geological Society of America (GSA) : Boulder, CO, United States %C United States %V 41 %P 99 - 99 %8 2009/02/01/ %@ 00167592 %G eng %U https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2009NE/finalprogram/abstract_155603.htm %N 33 %! Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %0 Conference Proceedings %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %D 2010 %T Evidence for arsenic-mineralization in granitic basement rocks, Ayer Granodiorite, northeastern Massachusetts %A Koteas, G. Christopher %A Keskula, Anna J. %A Stein, Carol L. %A McTigue, David F. %A Joseph P Kopera %A Brandon, William C. %K #StaffPubs %K acadian %K arsenic %K arsenides %K arsenopyrite %K Ayer Granodiorite %K Berwick formation %K fractured materials %K geochemistry %K granodiorites %K Igneous and metamorphic petrology 05A %K igneous rocks %K lower Paleozoic %K massachusetts %K Merrimack Synclinorium %K metals %K metamorphic rocks %K metamorphism %K metasedimentary rocks %K metasomatism %K Middlesex County Massachusetts %K migration of elements %K mineralization %K Mineralogy of non-silicates 01C %K northeastern Massachusetts %K orogeny %K Paleozoic %K plutonic rocks %K pollutants %K pollution %K pyrite %K sulfides %K United States %X Core samples of the Ayer Granodiorite along the eastern margin of the Merrimack Belt in northeastern Massachusetts host a series of sulfide and oxide phases that resulted from interaction with sulfide-bearing meta-sedimentary host rocks. Euhedral arsenopyrite grains are found with ilmenite, apatite, and REE phosphates in zones that generally mimic the intersection between a gneissic fabric and a relict magmatic foliation. Arsenopyrite crystals are typically elongate with this lineation. Euhedral to subhedral pyrite crystals have also been observed, but are localized to areas without As-bearing phases. Micro-fractures that parallel either a steep NW-striking joint set or gently-dipping sheeting joints are commonly filled with interwoven calcite cements and As-bearing Fe-oxides. Surface coatings of major fracture sets are also characterized by Fe-As-rich rinds that host micron-scale sub-angular particles of quartz, feldspars, and phyllosilicates. Where micro-fractures are most concentrated, sulfide-bearing minerals are less common; however, subhedral to anhedral arsenopyrite grains do occur along some open micro-fractures. These crystals preserve lobate grain boundaries and are associated with As-bearing Fe-oxide-rich coatings along adjacent fractures. The presence of 1) pyrite, 2) arsenopyrite associated with phosphates, and 3) As-bearing fracture coatings suggests multiple stages of mineralization. We propose that intrusion-related fluid-rock interaction associated with heating of nearby sulfide-bearing schists of the Berwick Formation during Acadian orogenesis may have provided the necessary constituents for growth of sulfide phases in the Ayer. It appears that Late Devonian greenschist facies metamorphism and metasomatism led to mineralization that generated arsenopyrite and accompanying phosphates; however, the role of the cross-cutting Clinton Newbury Fault Zone as a conduit for hydrothermal fluids may also be important. Lower temperature As-bearing Fe-oxide and calcite coatings on open fractures surfaces may be associated with a change from lithostatic- to hydrostatic-pressures during post-glacial regional uplift. This mineralization appears to be synchronous with intense microfracturing that post-dates all other mineralization. %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %I Geological Society of America (GSA) : Boulder, CO, United States %C United States %V 42 %P 160 - 160 %8 2010/03/01/ %@ 00167592 %G eng %U https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2010NE/finalprogram/abstract_169998.htm %N 11 %! Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %0 Report %D 2011 %T Experiments Summarizing the Potential of CO2 Sequestration in the Basalts of Massachusetts – Final Report %A Petrick, Carrie %A Stephen B Mabee %K #MGSPub %K #MGSPubs %K #Reports %K basalts %K Carbon %K carbonate %K climate change %K CO2 %K Holyoke Basalt %K injection %K mineralization %K precipitation %K sequestration %X Basalts are gaining more attention as reservoirs for the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2). The purpose of this report is to present the results of experiments that were conducted on the basalts in western Massachusetts and Connecticut to determine their potential to sequester CO2. There were two primary objectives of these experiments:
  • To recreate and validate prior carbonate mineralization experiments conducted on the Holyoke basalt by Schaef et al. (2009) from Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) and to test if their results are reproducible and geographically consistent within western Massachusetts and Connecticut, and,
  • 2. To explore the possibility of reacting CO2 with basalt at the earth’s surface in an ex-situ mineral reactor and, in particular, to identify the optimum conditions necessary to precipitate large amounts of carbonate at the surface in a short time period by varying pressure, temperature, water volume, mass of sample and grain size in the experiments.
  • Prepared for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center %I Massachusetts Geological Survey %C Amherst, MA %P 103 %8 10/2011 %G eng %U http://www.geo.umass.edu/stategeologist/Products/reports/BasaltSequestrationReport.pdf %0 Generic %D %T Earth Science Educational Resources (from AGI) %K #EducationalResources %K #SubjectResources %K activities %K classroom %K curricula %K earth science %K education %K K-12 %K lesson plans %K schools %K standards %K teacher resources %K teaching %X AGI Education offers an exciting array of cutting-edge products and services for K-12 educators: including NSF-funded curricula, high-definition videos, classroom activities, teacher professional development, and online resources. Check back often to see what's new from AGI Education! %I AGI %G eng %U http://www.agiweb.org/education/index.html %0 Generic %D %T Earth Science Lesson Plans (from the Maine Geologic Survey) %K #EducationalResources %K #LessonPlans %K activities %K classroom %K curricula %K earth science %K education %K K-12 %K lesson plans %K schools %K standards %K teacher resources %K teaching %X Specific to Maine, but has great resources for any Earth Science teacher in New England %I Maine Geological Survey %G eng %U http://maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/education/lessons/index.htm %0 Generic %D %T Earthlearningidea %K #EducationalResources %K #LessonPlans %K activities %K classroom %K curricula %K earth science %K education %K K-12 %K lesson plans %K schools %K standards %K teacher resources %K teaching %X Innovative, Earth-related teaching ideas - A new earth-science related classroom activity is posted every week. %G eng %U http://earthlearningidea.blogspot.com/ %0 Generic %D %T Education and Teacher Resources -K-12 lesson plans and resources from the Geological Society of America %K #EducationalResources %K #LessonPlans %K activities %K classroom %K curricula %K earth science %K education %K K-12 %K lesson plans %K schools %K standards %K teacher resources %K teaching %I Geological Society of America %G eng %U http://www.geosociety.org/educate/ %0 Generic %D %T Educational Resources for K-16 %K #EducationalResources %K #LessonPlans %K activities %K classroom %K curricula %K earth science %K education %K K-12 %K lesson plans %K schools %K standards %K teacher resources %K teaching %X Curricula content and resources for K-16 Earth Science teachers. %I Kentucky Geological Survey %G eng %U http://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/ %0 Generic %D 0 %T Exploring the Berkshire Hills: A Guide to Geology and Early Industry in the Upper Housatonic Watershed %K #ConnecticutValley %K #EducationalResources %K #MassGeology %K #MassGeologyBooks %K Berkshire %K book %K clay %K dinosaurs %K field trip guide %K footprints %K fossils %K geologic history %K glaciers %K hilltown %K hitchcock %K housatonic %K industry %K lake %K mesozoic %K nNew England %K site %K valley %K varves %K western Massachusetts %X After introductory chapters on Berkshire geology, Author Ed Kirby takes you to some of the most scenic and interesting sites throughout the Berkshires of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. As you take the 25 field tours, which include roadside geology, hikes and short walks, you gain field experience with local geology and also appreciate the role geology played in the industrial and historical development of the region. With some humor and excellent illustrations, Ed presents the making of rocks and landscape, the workings of blast furnaces, localities of iron ore, glass sand, and clay. Quotes and stories from Longfellow, Melville, Hawthorne, and Wharton are interspersed with descriptions of unconformities, great faults, waterfalls, and mountaintop vistas. %I Earthview LLC %@ 0-9616520-4-7 %G eng %U http://www.earthview.pair.com/publications.html