Organizers: Rebecca Flowers (CU), Ramon Arrowsmith (ASU) Jim Metcalf (CU),
Blair Schoene (Princeton),
Tammy Rittenour (USU)
The EarthScope Institute on Geochronology and the Earth Sciences brought together 43
participants and 16
geochronology experts in Vancouver, British Columbia on October 17-18, 2014,
immediately before the 2014 Geological
Society of America National Meeting. The audience consisted of graduate students and
faculty who are interested in
using geochronology in their research, but have little actual experience with the
methods.
This course had two primary functions. First, it introduced the participants to the
basic theory of well-established
geochronology methods, highlighted examples of how geochronology datasets can be used
to answer significant Earth
science questions, and emphasized practical considerations and tactical strategies for
designing projects that
include geochronology. The methods covered ranged from U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar to
luminescence and 14C dating. The
speakers included a mix of longstanding leaders in their fields and early to mid career
scientists. In addition,
the course introduced the new EarthScope Geochronology Graduate Student Research and
Training program, a multi-
year project that will offer support of up to $10,000 to graduate students to collect
and interpret geochronology
data with relevance to
EarthScope science targets
through visits and hands-on data acquisition in participating
geochronology labs.
The program aims to
promote interdisciplinary and innovative science by fostering new relationships between
PhD students, scientists,
and geochronology labs at different institutions. The awards will be made via a
competitive process with the first
submission deadline on March 16, 2015. Feedback from both the lecturers and
participants was overwhelmingly
positive about the potential benefits of this program.
This gathering of geochronology speakers with such a broad spectrum of expertise is
unusual, which along with the
perspectives and diverse backgrounds of the participants lead to insightful exchanges
about how to promote
successful interdisciplinary collaborations during the open discussion periods. Some
universal themes that emerged
included the importance of: 1) close interaction between geochronologists and
collaborating students at all stages
of the process, even from the outset of study design so that optimal samples are
targeted and collected properly,
2) using appropriate mineral separation and sample preparation procedures prior to
arriving at the lab, 3)
reporting the uncertainties associated with geochronology dates, and 4) developing
skills to rigorously evaluate,
present, and interpret geochronology data. This hands-on training at the graduate level
provides the foundation for
students to become an expert user of these facilities throughout their careers.