Earth Science on Tap: GSA 2019 Technical Program Is Live

The Geological Society of America's Annual Meeting: 22–25 September, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Boulder, CO, USA: The scientific program schedule with abstracts is online and searchable now for The Geological Society of America’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center (PCC) in Phoenix, Arizona, 22–25 September 2019. Thousands of researchers from top universities, institutions, and agencies will come together to share data and advance the current state of understanding in the earth sciences.

See registration details and highlights from the 9 May meeting announcement.

Members of the media and public information officers from scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies are invited to request complimentary press credentials, attend, and report from the meeting on the latest findings in earth-science research. GSA hosts an onsite newsroom to assist during the technical program hours. Learn more about media eligibility for complimentary registration.

Arizona is an especially fitting meeting location, as 2019 marks both the 150th anniversary of John Wesley Powell’s first expedition through Grand Canyon and the 100th anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park. Science at the meeting, including Pardee Symposium 2, presents perspectives on understanding and sustaining the iconic geological landscapes of Grand Canyon that encode nearly two billion years of earth history.

Arizona has tremendous geologic, topographic, climatic, and ecological diversity, from the Sonoran Desert landscapes of the rugged and arid Basin and Range in the south, where Phoenix is located, through the mountainous Transition Zone, north to the high-elevation Colorado Plateau with its colorful, fossil-rich layer-cake strata incised a mile deep in the mighty Grand Canyon.

Field trips are an iconic feature of the GSA meeting, and this year there are 29 pre-, concurrent, and post-meeting trips. The field guide volume, Geologic Excursions in Southwestern North America,edited by Philip A. Pearthree for this 131st GSA Annual Meeting, feature 19 chapters and will be available in the GSA store by 22 September.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM
The GSA technical program integrates 38 geoscience disciplines including paleontology, mineralogy, Quaternary geology, hydrogeology, planetary geology, and much more. There is sure to be something for everyone. Browse for sessions in your areas of interest or search for particular presentations by typing in keywords, an author’s name, or a session title.

Climate Science—Renowned experts in Pardee Symposium 5 combine up-to-date science on extreme events such as wildfires, hurricanes, sea-level rise, and arctic warming, with compelling presentations on climate communication and education. Scientific data overwhelmingly demonstrate recent global temperature increases—due largely to combustion of fossil fuels—which disrupt Earth’s hydrologic, biologic, atmospheric, and geologic systems, thereby driving extreme impact events resulting in destruction of life and property. Despite this, effectively communicating the causes and risks of climate change and changing how people think about these issues remains challenging.

More climate science will be discussed in Topical Session 198, in the Presidential Address (by Donald Siegel), the Halbouty Lecture by Katharine Hayhoe, and numerous other sessions.

Late-breaking session on recent California earthquakes: Ten-Million Years of Deformation along the Eastern California Shear Zone: Context and Characterization of the July 2019 Mw7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake

Recent M 6.4 and M 7.1 earthquakes in Searles Valley, California, USA, occurred along a little-studied fault system within the Eastern California Shear Zone. This late-breaking session brings together studies of the geologic, seismologic, and geodetic characteristics of the rupture with ongoing studies of the active tectonics of distributed deformation along this shear zone. Talks will range from keynote overviews of the event and its significance, as well as “lightning talks” and posters. The session is linked with theme session T52. Quaternary Tectonics of the Eastern California Shear Zone, and will be livestreamed and recorded on video.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) 2019 Distinguished Lecturers
AAPG Distinguished Lecturers were selected from a global list of stellar geoscience professionals for innovation in geoscience thinking. These five speakers travel around the globe presenting ideas at the forefront of exploration and critical thinking, to societies and universities.

Gold Medalist Lectures
Penrose Medalist, Tanya Atwater: Continental Plate Tectonics and Some Long-Standing Controversies Surrounding the Tectonic History of Western North America

Arthur L. Day Medalist, John W. Valley: The Microanalysis Revolution in Isotope Geochemistry

Donath Medalist (Young Scientist Award winner) Jessica R. Creveling: Quantitative Stratigraphic Correlation

MEDIA PARTICIPATION
Media pre-registration deadline is Monday, 9 Sept. Preregistration is encouraged. After that date media may register onsite at the main registration desk beginning Saturday morning, 21 Sept., at 7 a.m.
Newsroom Information
Request Media Registration

GSA is committed to providing a professional environment at all of its events, welcoming people from diverse backgrounds and wide-ranging points of view. All attendees and participants are expected to abide by GSA’s Events Code of Conduct.

Contact: Christa Stratton, Director of Education, Communications & Outreach, at the address above for additional information or assistance. GSA endeavors to provide a fully accessible meeting; please let us know if you have special requests with regard to the ADA.

Meeting Homepage

The Geological Society of America (www.geosociety.org) is a scientific society with members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.

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For Immediate Release
30 July 2019
GSA Release No. 19-26

Contact:
Christa Stratton
+1-303-357-1093