Category: Departmental News

We are excited that our new x-ray diffractometer, funded by a National Science Foundation grant of $305,000, has been delivered and is now being readied for use.  In the picture,…

In November 2010, Cameron Davidson, Associate Professor of Geology, received a $20,000 grant from the Keck Geology Consortium to undertake field research in Alaska. Working with a collaborator at Union College (Schenectady, NY) and six undergraduate researchers, Davidson will seek to understand the tectonic evolution of unusual geological features on Kodiak Island and western Prince William Sound. The fieldwork will take place in summer 2011.

Update on Thurs., Nov. 18, 2010, at 4:30 p.m. CST

Carleton’s administrative leadership team has issued an update to the flood recovery process. Allen and Prentice Houses are now available and will be occupied by students during winter term. West Gym is also now available, with the basketball and swimming teams resuming practices in those spaces. College officials have met with federal officials as well in regards to possible governmental funds for flood recovery, and bids are out for restorative work to Laird Stadium.

The Northfield News Cannon River gauge at Northfield (near the Carleton stadium) Cannon River gauge at Welch, about 20 miles downstream from… Straight River gauge at Faribault. The Straight River…

Tim has decided to retire in March 2011.  Let’s face it, the Carleton Geology Department will never be the same.

To celebrate ‘All Things Tim’, and to show our collective appreciation for his amazing career and service to the College and the Department, we are already planning events: a reception in Mudd during the 2010-11 Academic Year, an event of some sort during Reunion Weekend 2011, and hopefully a big bash here on campus timed to coincide with the October 2011 GSA National Meeting in Minneapolis.  So, keep these dates in mind, and start showering Tim with your emails, cards, phone calls, hugs and casseroles!

Expect more announcements, dates, and requests (for reminiscences) in the fall.

Rolling north through Northfield and Carleton’s Cowling Arboretum is the Cannon River. Although often enjoyed by sunbathers and fishermen along its banks, many people don’t think of the Cannon as a means of transportation. This spring, three friends and I canoed the Cannon from downtown Northfield—and on to Red Wing, Minnesota, where it joins the mighty Mississippi River. The journey lasted 13 hours and covered an ever-changing tableau of landscapes and wildlife.

A service of celebration and remembrance for Eiler Henrickson ‘43, Carleton College Charles L. Denison Professor of Geology emeritus, was held during Reunion 2010. The service featured readings, reflections, and music, including a performance by several of Eiler’s former students.

Eiler taught geology at Carleton for 41 years and coached the Carleton wrestling team for 12 seasons. He retired in 1987 and passed away on Dec. 10, 2009.

See a video of the “Sometime Geology Field Trip Band” performing “Eiler’s Schottische” at the June 18 memorial service, along with two short documentary videos by Aleshia Mueller ’01, at the Remembering Eiler Henrickson page.

We are extremely pleased to be able to report that the Dean of the College, Beverly Nagel, has just announced faculty promotions for this year, and Clint Cowan ’83 is being promoted to full professor effective September 1, 2010.  Congratulations, Clint!

Professor Clint Cowan was educated at Carleton College and earned his M.Sc. in Geology from The University of Michigan in 1985.   After receiving his Master’s degree, he worked as an exploration geologist with Exxon in Houston, Texas, for two years before entering the Ph.D. program at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario.  He earned his Ph.D. in 1992, and taught at Carleton for one term as a Visiting Professor before taking a position as an International Staff Geologist with Royal Dutch Shell in The Hague, Netherlands.  Five years later, in the fall of 1997, he returned to Carleton and began his present teaching career.

Anna Swanson interviews a group of geology majors who think their chosen field totally rocks.

The Geology Department is most pleased to welcome Dr. David Chapman of the University of Utah as our 2010 Bernstein Geologist-in-Residence.  Dr. Chapman will be here for the whole week, giving talks and participating in classes and other activities of the Geology Department.

Public lecture: Monday, May 17, 7:00 pm., Olin 149

Global Warming:  The Science is Settled.  What do we do now?

            Dr. Chapman writes, “The instrumental record of air temperatures, sea level rise, borehole temperature profiles, and shrinking ice cover in the Northern Hemisphere all indicate that the globe is warming at a rate and extent that is beyond natural variation.  The most likely culprit is the growth of greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution.  Considering the growth of human population, the clear relation between energy use and standard of living, and the fact that we produce about 80% of our energy by burning fossil fuels, we predict a much warmer planet in the future if the current trends are not reversed.  There are promising choices for us, however, involving personal, community, national, and international actions.  It is not too late.”

Geology department lecture: Wednesday, May 19, 3:30 p.m., Mudd 73

“Heat loss of the Earth”

            The Earth is losing heat at the rate of 42 Terrawatts.  Continental heat flow is well understood but comprises less than 30% of global heat loss.  Oceanic heat flow is more complex.  Extraordinary geothermal features on mid-ocean ridges (smokers) vent heat at the rate of ~100 Megawatts, but are infrequent in space.  More pervasive low temperature hydrothermal circulation through the sea floor out to ages of 50 My, although harder to discern, is responsible for much more heat loss.   Modern instrumentation, global positioning, and sophisticated modeling are all parts of the evolving story about how we estimate the heat loss for planet Earth.

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Dr. Chapman received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics from the University of British Columbia and then spent six years in Zambia, teaching at Canisius College under the auspices of CUSO (the Canadian Peace Corps) and at the fledgling University of Zambia.  His interests then turned to geophysics which he pursued at the University of Michigan, earning his Ph.D. in 1976, after which he joined the faculty of the University of Utah.  

Dr. Chapman is also Associate Vice President for Graduate studies and Dean of the Graduate School and Director of Thermal Geophysics Research Group. He leads an active research group studying thermal aspects of geological processes including: global heat flow; thermal state of the lithosphere; geothermal systems; thermal aspects of groundwater flow; thermal histories of sedimentary basins; heat flow and hydrothermal circulation in the sea floor; exhumation of mountain belts; and global warming.  

He is author of more than 120 publications including two Scientific American articles, four papers in Nature and one in Science. He has commuted to work for the past 28 years on the same Peugeot 10 speed, enjoys vegetable gardening, and reserves part of each summer for long-distance walking with the recognition that “Britain, France, Italy, and even the High Uintas at 2 miles an hour are just about perfect.”