75th Anniversary Meeting of the Carolina Geological Society held in Greenville

HollandPhoto to the left: Wilbur C. Holland circa 1930, founding father of the Carolina Geological Society.

It was 75 years ago, in 1937, that Wilbur C. Holland, then Geology Professor at Furman University, founded the Carolina Geological Society (CGS) to create an active community of geologists in the area. The main purpose of the society is to promote the Geosciences, encourage the study of Earth Science, promote spirit of friendship and cooperation, and encourage research and publication. At the time of its founding, Holland envisioned a full day meeting with presentations of papers in a morning session and field trip in the afternoon. Currently, the meeting is held over three days, starting with a reception on the first evening, followed by a day and a half of field trips to various localities.

As a tribute to the 75th anniversary of CGS, Furman Earth and Environmental Sciences professors Dr. Bill Ranson, Dr. Jack Garihan, and Dr. Suresh Muthukrishnan conducted the meeting in Greenville. Field trips showcased the geology, geomorphology and landslide hazards in Upstate of South Carolina. A special celebration was held at the Table Rock State Park Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Collages

Students Brooks Bailey, Claire Campbell, Stephen Campbell, Katharine Compton, Elizabeth Johnston, and Ryan Richardson assisted the leaders during the planning stages and during the field trips, ensuring the safety of participants along congested roadways. Apart from these student assistants, 15 other Furman students attended the conference. A total of 156 total participants were present making it a successful event. The edited volume of the field guide in electronic format will be available from CGS website.

2012-10-14_CGS Meeting

The department wishes to thank all the student assistants and especially Ms. Nina Anthony for their tireless efforts and help over the last several months. We also thank our recent graduate Jay Bridgeman (‘12) for leading a part of the field trip to the Salem ultramafic body on Saturday.

Click here for photos from Carolina Geological Society annual meeting, 12-14, October 2012, Greenville, South Carolina.

Garihan et al., publish the Geologic Map of Campobello Quadrangle, SC

The South Carolina Geological Survey recently published the Geologic map of Campobello, South Carolina (GQM 51). It is available to the public at:

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/publications.htm#gqm

This publication is the result of geologic mapping done in Summer 2010 by Earth and Environmental Sciences majors Alyssa Wickard and Rhonda Chan Soo, supervised by Dr. Ranson and Dr. Garihan.  This research was funded by Furman Advantage Research Fellowship and logistical support was provided by SC Geological Survey. The students spent the summer time mapping the geology and structure in this area including tracing of the extent of the known brittle faults eastward within this quadrangle. In addition, Alyssa Wickard and JMG have submitted a manuscript to South Carolina Geology with emphasis on the polyphase folding in Campobello and its relationship to folding in the Inner Piedmont.

Dr. Garihan publishes Geologic Map of Landrum Quad

John M. Garihan just published the Geologic map of the Landrum 7.5-minute quadrangle with the support of the SC Geologic Survey.  It is available to the public through the SCDNR website, along with 12 other 1:24,000 scale maps mapped by J. Garihadownloadn and W. A. Ranson in upstate South Carolina. These GQM and MS series maps can be viewed and obtained from:

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/publications.htm

Click on General Geologic Map Series. The Tigerville and Saluda quadrangle geologic maps are in their final preparation phases, to be available this fall or next spring.  These maps are used by the public for recreational and hiking purposes, for the general interest of scientifically literate individuals, and for planning purposes by city planners, among many other uses like siting water wells etc.

Appalachian Geology: First EES May-Term Field Trip

Appalachia Travel Route P5250236

Dr. Garihan and Dr. Ranson lead a group of 8 students on a field trip to study the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Geology starting from Virginia and ending at the Adirondacks in Upstate New York.  Their trip highlights include among other things, a study of mountain top removal and its impacts, geology and geomorphology of American civil war sites in Gettysburg and a visit to the Yuengling Brewery, the oldest brewery in America.