Theme Sessions
T1. Advances in Understanding Precambrian to Cenozoic Magmatic and Metamorphic Processes and their Bearing on Lithospheric Evolution of Southern Laurentia.
Principal. Organizer: Elizabeth Catlos, Univ. of Texas at Austin; ejcatlos@gmail.com.
Co-organizers: Michael DeAngelis, Univ. of Arkansas Little Rock, mtdeangelis@ualr.edu; Richard Hansen, Texas Christian Univ., r.hanson@tcu.edu.
Description: The south-central U.S. is host to numerous exposures of igneous and metamorphic rocks that provide insight into lithospheric development and continental assembly. This broad session provides a forum for discussion of igneous and metamorphic petrology topics, including the connections between petrogenesis, geochemistry, and tectonics in the south-central region.
Aerial overview of the Canyon Lake spillway of south-central Texas, which flooded in 2002, exposing deformation associated with the Hidden Valley fault zone and a spectacular stratigraphic section of the Glen Rose limestone. Photographer: Larry Walther. Courtesy of David Ferrill (Southwest Research Institute).
T2. Advances in the Application and Development of Terrestrial Paleoclimate Proxies.
Cosponsored by Soils and Soil Processes Interdisciplinary Interest Group; GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division; GSA Karst Division.
Principle Organizer: Marina Suarez, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio, Marina.Suarez@utsa.edu.
Co-organizers: Steven Driese, Baylor Univ., Steven_Driese@baylor.edu; Dan Breeker, Univ. of Texas at Austin, breecker@jsg.utexas.edu.
Description: This session highlights advances in the application and development of paleoclimate proxies utilizing continental archives (e.g., soils, caves, lakes, biogenic materials, etc.). Such records are important for contextualizing the evolution of terrestrial flora and fauna and for evaluating the performance of paleoclimate models on land.
T3. Advances in Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Geochemistry of Carbonates and Mixed Carbonate Clastic Systems.
Cosponsored by GSA Karst Division; GSA Sedimentary Geology Division.
Principal Organizer: Dan Lehrmann, Trinity Univ., dlehrmann@trinity.edu.
Co-organizer: Andre Droxler, Rice Univ., andre@rice.edu.
Description: The south-central U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, and northeast Mexico contain widespread carbonates and mixed carbonate clastic successions in subsurface and surface exposures. This broad session provides a forum for discussion of carbonate sedimentation and diagenesis and these processes’ relevance for Earth’s history, petroleum systems, and aquifers.
T4. The Impact of Oceanographic Conditions, Oaes, and Volcanism on an Unconventional Reservoir System: The Late Cretaceous Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk Groups of the Gulf Coast.
Cosponsored by GSA Sedimentary Geology Division.
Principal Organizer: Alexis Godet, Univ. of Texas at San Antonio, Alexis.Godet@utsa.edu.
Co-organizers: Michael Pope, Texas A&M Univ., mcpope@tamu.edu; Robert Stern, Univ. of Texas at Dallas, rjstern@utdallas.edu; Jon Snow, Univ. of Houston, jesnow@uh.edu; Steve Bergman, Shell International Exploration and Production (Houston), scbergman@sbcglobal.net.
Description: Changes in oceanic anoxia, volcanism, and sea level favored the preservation of organic material (Eagle Ford Group and correlative units) followed by the deposition of coccolith-rich chalk (Austin Chalk Group). We invite contributions that (1) refine Middle Cenomanian–Early Campanian stratigraphy in the Texas-Louisiana region; (2) assess the driving mechanisms of facies changes; and (3) evaluate the impact of magmatism, anoxia, and organic carbon preservation on sedimentation.
T5. Micro- to Macroscopic Evidence of Life and its Implications for the Evolution and Interpretation of the Biosphere in Earth Systems.
Cosponsored by GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division; GSA Karst Division.
Principal Organizer: Stephen Hasiotis, Univ. of Kansas, hasiotis@ku.edu.
Co-organizers: Thomas Adams, Witte Museum, thomasadams@wittemuseum.org; William Foster, Univ. of Texas at Austin, wfoster@jsg.utexas.edu; Sophie Warny, Louisiana State Univ., swarny@lsu.edu.
Description: We seek a wide range of paleontological and neontological contributions that address evidence of the evolution of life and the implications of this evidence for interpretations of the biosphere in earth systems through time. Topics include, but are not limited to, ichnology, paleoecology, paleoenvironments, paleohydrology, and systematic research in micropaleontology, paleobotany, palynology, and invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology.
T6. Karst: From Sinkholes to Springs and Everything in Between.
Cosponsored by GSA Karst Division.
Principal Organizer: Geary Schindel, Edwards Aquifer Authority, gschindel@edwardsaquifer.org.
Co-organizers: Jon Sumrall, Sam Houston State Univ., karst@shsu.edu; Brian Hunt, Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, brianh@bseacd.org.
Description: Talks for this session will range from hazards assessment and resource management issues to research tools, data acquisition, and presentation of research findings. Focus will be on karst systems and aquifers, including the Edwards Aquifer and inter-aquifer flow between the Edwards and Trinity aquifers.
T7. Planetary Geology.
Cosponsored by GSA Karst Division.
Principal Organizer: Danielle Wyrick, Southwest Research Institute, danielle.wyrick@swri.org.
Description: This session solicits abstracts of geologic processes and materials under the range of dynamic, kinematic, temperature, pressure, and chemical parameters found throughout the Solar System. We encourage abstracts relating to surface/sedimentary processes, structural/tectonic processes, geomorphology, and geochemistry/mineralogy of solid bodies in the solar system, including experimental, observational, and theoretical approaches.
T8. Subsurface Exploration Techniques in the South-Central U.S.
Cosponsored by GSA Archaeology Geology Division; GSA Geophysics Division.
Principal Organizer: Evelynn Mitchell, Saint Mary’s Univ., emitchell1@stmarytx.edu.
Co-organizers: Ronald Green, Southwest Research Institute, ronald.green@swri.org.
Description: The geologic and anthropogenic materials that make up the shallow and deep subsurface in the south-central U.S. vary greatly and require different tools to explore the variation and extent present. This session will seek to highlight new discoveries and techniques in subsurface exploration for the South-Central region.
T9. Fostering Cultures of Deliberate Inclusion in Geosciences.
Cosponsored by GSA Geoscience Education Division; International Association for Geoscience Diversity.
Principal Organizer: Boss, Stephen K., Univ. of Arkansas, sboss@uark.edu.
Description: In an era when broadening participation is a stated priority of geoscience organizations, the persistence of poor representation relative to other STEM disciplines is troubling. Inclusion must be a deliberate decision and practiced every day if we expect the geosciences to be attractive to everyone in our society. Presentations will focus on challenges of fostering broader cultures of inclusion throughout geosciences with focused discussions on barriers to inclusion, strategies to achieve greater inclusivity, and specific examples of successes.
T10. Late Paleozoic Tectonic Framework of the South-Central Region and Evolution of the Permian Basin.
Cosponsored by GSA Structural Geology and Tectonics Division.
Principal Organizer: Robert Stern, Univ. of Texas at Dallas, rjstern@utdallas.edu.
Co-organizers: Thomas Ewing, Frontera Exploration Consultants, tewing@fronteraexploration.com; Lowell Waite, Pioneer Natural Resources, lowell.waite@pxd.com.
Description: The Pennsylvanian collision of Gondwana and Laurussia resulted in reconfiguration of mountains, drainages, and basins in the south-central region that persisted until Mesozoic rifting opened the Gulf of Mexico. This session will explore this episode, including the Ouachita-Marathon orogen, basement-involved uplifts of the Ancestral Rockies, and foreland basin evolution in west Texas. This session is intended to bring together academic and industrial geoscientists and students to explore the tectonic, sedimentological, and hydrocarbon evolution of this region.
T11. Petroleum and Water Interactions in Mexico’s South-Central Region.
Cosponsored by GSA International Interdisciplinary Interest Group.
Principal Organizer: Antonio Cardona, Oklahoma State Univ., antonio.cardona_benavides@okstate.edu.
Co-organizers: Todd Halihan, Oklahoma State Univ., todd.halihan@okstate.edu; Martin Carlos Vidal García, Mexican Geohydrologic Association and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, martincarlosv@yahoo.com.mx.
Description: Oil and gas windows of the Eagle Ford shale play extend south from Texas into northern Mexico, providing unique cross-border opportunities. Mexico has excellent potential for developing its unconventional resources, but access to water in the semiarid region and groundwater protection are primary concerns for residents and producers. This session provides an opportunity to exchange ideas and enhance discussion about the geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, and environmental issues associated with petroleum resources in Mexico’s south-central region.
T12. Upper Crustal Deformation across Continental Interiors from the Mesozoic to the Present.
Cosponsored by GSA Structural Geology and Tectonics Division.
Principal Organizer: Keith Gray, Wichita State Univ., k.gray@wichita.edu.
Co-organizers: M. McKay, Missouri State Univ., matthewpaulmckay@gmail.com; B. Surpless, Trinity Univ., bsurples@trinity.edu.
Description: This session provides a forum for research related to upper crustal deformation across continental interiors with ties to orogenic belts, economic deposits, or otherwise. We encourage contributions based on research focused on the south-central U.S. and other regions across the continental interior, with an emphasis on geologic events from the Mesozoic to the present.
T13. Texas Water Research Network: A Statewide Initiative to Integrate and Advance Water Research from Inception to Application.
Cosponsored by GSA Hydrogeology Division; GSA Karst Division.
Principal Organizer: Suzanne A Pierce, Texas Advanced Computing Center, spierce@tacc.utexas.edu
Co-organizers: Kevin Wagner, Texas A&M Univ., klwagner@ag.tamu.edu; Suzanne Schwartz, Univ. of Texas at Austin, SSchwartz@law.utexas.edu; Jay Banner, Environmental Science Institute, Univ. of Texas at Austin, banner@jsg.utexas.edu.
Description: The Texas Water Research Network (TWRN) provides a forum for research about water science, management, and policy. Solutions to Texas’ water challenges will be addressed through new knowledge, innovative approaches, and the synthesis of existing knowledge. TWRN invites presentations about recent advances that address population and changing availability.
T14. Groundwater Availability in Texas: Rule of Capture and Sustainable to Consensus Yield.
Cosponsored by GSA Hydrogeology Division; GSA Karst Division.
Principal Organizer: Brian Hunt, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, brianh@bseacd.org
Co-organizers: Jack Sharp, Jackson School of Geosciences, Univ. of Texas at Austin, jmsharp@jsg.utexas.edu; Suzanne A Pierce, Texas Advanced Computing Center, sawpierce@gmail.com
Description: This session will focus on the timely issues of groundwater availability in Texas from both technical and policy perspectives under conflicting doctrines that include the rule of capture and consensus yield.
T15. Undergraduate Students (Posters).
Cosponsored by Council on Undergraduate Research Geosciences Division.
Principal organizer: Elizabeth A. Heise, School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences, Univ. of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, elizabeth.heise@utrgv.edu.
Description: This poster session is designed to showcase undergraduate research efforts. The session is open to students working in all areas of the geosciences. All submissions should include a faculty mentor as co-author.