Tech Geoscientists Present Research at Int'l Conference

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, June 20, 2001 -- Several geoscientists from New Mexico Tech will present results of their ongoing research at "Earth System Processes," an international and interdisciplinary conference being held June 24 - 28, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Co-sponsored by two of the oldest Earth science organizations -- the Geological Society of America and the Geological Society of London -- "Earth System Processes" will bring together some of the world's most eminent scientists to take a new look at how the Earth has evolved and how processes controlling the nature of the planet have changed since the birth of our solar system some 4.5 billion years ago.

Harold Tobin, assistant professor of geophysics at New Mexico Tech, will talk on "Fault Structure, Mechanics, and Hydrogeology of Accretionary Prism Décollement Zones Revisited."

Tech graduate student Jennifer Wilson will speak on "Deformation Bands and Fluid-Fault Interaction in Non-Welded Tuffs," a research study conducted in collaboration with Laurel Goodwin, associate professor of geology at Tech.

And, another New Mexico Tech graduate student, Geoffrey Rawling, will present "The Nature of Cataclastic Deformation in Faulted Poorly Lithified Sediments and Its Structural and Hydrologic Implications," a research collaboration which also included Goodwin and Tech hydrology professor John Wilson.

"This will be a new adventure for us all as we are going out of our way to break down discipline barriers and have everyone from the hammer-wielding geologist to the astrobiologist talk to each other," explains Ian Dalziel of the University of Texas at Austin.

Dalziel, who serves as the international conference's technical program co-chair, along with Ian Fairchild of Keele University at Staffordshire, is the Secretary of the Geological Society of America's International Division.