Geological and Mining Engineering and Science News

Federal Mine Safety Training Grant

Published October 8, 2018

News

HOUGHTON, Mich. (AP) – Michigan Technological University in Houghton will receive nearly $253,000 in funding from the U.S. Labor Department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The grant is part of more than $10 million awarded to 46 states, the Navajo Nation, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands to support safety and health courses and other programs.

The funds will provide miners with federally mandated training. It covers miners working at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines, including those in shell dredging or employed at surface stone, sand and gravel mining operations.

By Associated Press.

Mine Safety and Health at Michigan Tech

Upcoming Outdoor Exhibits at the Museum

Published October 8, 2018

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View of part of the garden and pathways near the museum. — Phyllis and John Seaman Garden

The A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum is looking forward to a new exhibit in the Phyllis and John Seaman Garden. A recently donated specimen of float copper, weighing approximately 400 lbs., with a beautiful green patina will become a center piece in the garden next spring after a stand is fabricated.

The specimen was donated by Val Vaughan-Drong of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota and Karen Brown of San Antonio, Texas in honor of their late parents Harry and Aili Vaughan. The float copper was discovered on the Vaughan property off Pike River Road near Chassell.

A second new outside exhibit will be located in an extension of the garden towards the Copper Pavilion. Patricia Carlon, of Bloomington, Illinois, donated a kibble to the museum in honor of her late husband, John Carlon, who was a long-time mineral dealer. A kibble is an iron bucket that was used to raise ore and waste rock from early mine shafts in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The kibble was found at the Robbins, or West Vein Mine, near Phoenix by a local deer hunter about 50 years ago and sold to a mineral dealer who resold it to Carlon.

Michigan Tech geology alumnus Ross Lillie ’79, owner of North Star Minerals in Traverse City, helped connect Carlon to the museum. Lillie describes this 1860s vintage kibble as a “historically significant, desirable mining artifact in outstanding condition with superlative provenance.” The kibble will go on exhibit next spring after a custom-designed display is constructed.

By the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum.

Gierke and Oommen Present in Tbilisi

Published September 26, 2018

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News

NATO 's Science for Peace and Security banner graphic

John Gierke, professor and chair of GMES and Thomas Oommen (GMES) presented collaborative work on “Field Data Collection and Slope Stability Analysis in the Vicinity of the Enguri Dam” and “External Loadings and Landslide Hazards at Enguri,” respectively, at the culminating meeting for the international project funded by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security: “SfP G4934 Security Against Geohazards at the Major Enguri Hydroelectric Scheme in Georgia.”

The meeting was held Sept. 12, 2018, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Michigan Tech project work that was presented included contributions from MS Geology graduate Maria Diletta Acciaro and BS Geological Engineering graduates Carolyn Lucca, Zack Fleming, Nicole Bird and Erica Anderson.

Bornhorst Named to State Environmental Permit Review Commission

Published September 26, 2018

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News

Ted Bornhorst, executive director of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum and professor of geology at Michigan Tech, is among the initial appointments made by Governor Rick Snyder to the state’s Environmental Permit Review Commission. Bornhorst was appointed to a three-year term.

The commission, established by Public Act 268 of 2018, is comprised of 15 members which can be called upon by the director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to review and advise on permit applications.

Bornhorst has previously served the state of Michigan on environmental-related topics. From 1983 to 1998, he was involved at the state level as an advisor on the topic of radioactive waste disposal, first on the Governor’s task force on high-level radioactive waste followed by an appointment by Governor James Blanchard to the Radioactive Waste Control Committee legislated by Michigan Public Act 190 of 1985.

Bornhorst chaired the Siting Criteria Advisory Committee for Michigan’s Low-Level Radioactive Waste Authority from 1988 to 1989 which created screening criteria to select a site while protecting the environment and public health.

His involvement on the topic of radioactive waste continued until Michigan withdrew from the Midwest Interstate Radioactive Waste Compact. Bornhorst served the State of Michigan from 2004 to 2008 in an advisory capacity in the areas of metallic mineral leasing, regulation of metallic mineral exploration and mining, administrative rules for Michigan’s non-ferrous metallic mining regulations and the mineral wells advisory committee.

The work group’s efforts on the regulation of metallic mineral exploration and mining resulted in State of Michigan law Part 632, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994 as amended, also known as Michigan’s nonferrous metallic mining regulations Part 632.

Most recently, in 2016, he published a peer-reviewed article in the international journal Economic Geology on predicting water quality impact from mining wastes.

Upon being asked by Governor Snyder to serve on this commission Bornhorst simply remarked “I’m honored to serve the people of the state of Michigan.”

Dennis Bittner of Gladstone is the only other member of the commission from the Upper Peninsula.

By the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum.

Emily Gochis, Ph.D. Candidate, Appointed As New MiSTEM Director

Published August 17, 2018

By Brittany Buschell

Emily Gochis, Ph.D. candidate in GMES has been appointed as the director of the MiSTEM network in Region 16 of Michigan, which covers Keweenaw, Houghton, Ontonagon, Baraga, and Gogebic counties.

The new regional network, which replaces the Western U.P. Math and Science Center, has been established to form partnerships and strategies that promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and career pathways. These careers are often difficult to experience before a student reaches college when it becomes expensive to explore different career options. Presenting K-12 students with opportunities to experience hands-on STEM applications lets them consider these careers for themselves before making a college choice.

“I’m going out and communicating with anybody and everybody that does anything with science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the region, just trying to connect with all of them in order to create these new opportunities,” Gochis said.

Emily’s PhD advisor, John Gierke, had this to say about the new role that Emily will have in our region’s schools: “While we are certainly proud of Emily’s accomplishments that led to this appointment, we are very happy for the schools of the Western Upper Peninsula and the new opportunities that Emily will facilitate.” Gierke has worked with Emily since she completed her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer and notes that, “Her skills, creativity, and enthusiasm are vast. I am always amazed at her experience in teaching, research and service and how she puts those experiences together in building new educational programs and activities. We are certainly lucky that she is in this new role.”

NSF Funding for Kenneth Hinkel on Catastrophic Thermokarst Lake Drainage

Published August 16, 2018

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News

Kenneth Hinkel (GMES/EPSSI) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $75,436 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation. The project is titled “Collaborative Research: Causes and Consequences of Catastrophic Thermokarst Lake Drainage in an Evolving Arctic System.” This is a three-year project.

By Sponsored Programs.

Extract

Lakes are abundant features on coastal plains of the Arctic, providing important fish and wildlife habitat and water supply for villages and industry, but also interact with frozen ground (permafrost) and the carbon it stores. Most of these lakes are termed “thermokarst” because they form in ice-rich permafrost and gradually expand over time. The dynamic nature of thermokarst lakes also makes them prone to catastrophic drainage and abrupt conversion to wetlands, called drained thermokarst lake basins (DTLBs). Together, thermokarst lakes and DTLBs cover up to 80% of arctic lowland regions, making understanding their response to ongoing climate change essential for coastal plain environmental assessment.

Nominee for 2018 CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award: Lauren Schaefer

Published July 13, 2018

By Brittany Buschell

Awards

Lauren N. Schaefer received both an MSc in Geology (International Geological Masters in Volcanology and Geotechniques, 2012) and a PhD in Geological Engineering as a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow (2016) at Michigan Tech under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Oommen. Her dissertation investigated the potential for large-scale debris avalanches at Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala to optimize future monitoring and mitigation efforts. A combination of experimental rock mechanics, field investigations, remote sensing, and numerical modeling not only detected, but revealed the nature and mechanics of the largest landslide surge witnessed in a single event at a volcano. Her dissertation provided rare insight into precursory deformation prior to a potential future catastrophic collapse at an active volcano. Such an event was witnessed at Mount St. Helens in 1980, and is known to have occurred at over 400 volcanoes worldwide.

Currently, Lauren is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she continues to research landslide and volcanic hazards.

Rüdiger Escobar-Wolf Comments on Fuego Pyroclastic Flow

Published July 9, 2018

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On June 3, 2018, torrents of hot ash, rock, and gas poured down ravines and stream channels on the slopes of Volcán de Fuego—Guatamala’s Volcano of Fire. More than three weeks after the eruption, the Landsat 8 satellite continued to detect elevated temperatures in some of the pyroclastic flow deposits.

“Fuego left pyroclastic flow deposits that cooled down quickly at the surface but are still very hot inside,” explained Michigan Technological University volcanologist Rüdiger Escobar-Wolf. “Cooling deposits can show surface temperatures above the background level for a long time—weeks, or even months. However, that temperature may be only slightly above the background level, as the heat from the interior slowly seeps out of the deposit to the surface.”

New Funding

Rudiger Escobar-Wolf (GMES) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $115,024 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation.

Simon Carn (GMES) and Michigan Tech alumna Lizette Rodriguez Iglesias, PhD ’07, are Co/PIs on the project “RAPID: Lethal Pyroclastic Density Current (PDC) Generation and Transport at Fuego Volcano.” This is a one-year project.

Extract

This Rapid Research Response (RAPID) award will be used to better understand the deadly eruption at Fuego volcano (Guatemala) on June 3rd, 2018, and in particular the pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) that caused the fatalities. How those PDCs initiated, what caused them to move that far, and what could be the conditions under which they may form in the future, are all poorly understood issues. By looking at the PDCs deposit, mapping them and study their stratigraphy in the field, analyzing the the chemical, petrological, and physical characteristics (density and vesicularity, grain size distribution, etc.), and by using numerical models to understand their flowing dynamics, this team hopes to be able to tell where the PDCs material came from, and how it was fragmented and transported. They will also look at geophysical and geochemical monitoring data leading up and during the eruption, particularly from the local seismic network and satellite remote sensing data, to characterize other aspects of the eruption as well (eruption intensity and duration) and put the PDC information in that context. This knowledge will improve our understanding of the formation of this kind of PDCs, particularly at basaltic volcanoes like Fuego, and could be relevant to many other similar volcanoes worldwide and in the US.

Presentation on How the Rock Connects Us

Published June 26, 2018

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Erika Vye and Bill Rose will give a presentation on how Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula have a rich cultural, industrial, and mining heritage, all connected by their geologic underpinnings.

The topics are showcased in their new book, How the Rock Connects Us: A Geoheritage Guide to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale, published by the Isle Royale Natural History Association, Incorporated, Nov 24, 2017 – 64 pages. ISBN 0935289216, 9780935289213

Interested in exploring the geology of the Keweenaw and Isle Royale this summer? Join Erika Vye and Bill Rose to learn about exciting geosites in our area, upcoming tours, and how to navigate their new geoheritage field guide. Daniel Lizzadro-McPherson will also join to showcase a Story Map he developed highlighting Isle Royale geology during a National Park Service Geoscientist in the Park internship. The book will be available for sale, and proceeds from this sale will support library services.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Calumet Public Library.

The book signing and presentation will take place at on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Calumet Public Library.

Calumet Public Library
57070 Mine St.
Calumet, MI
906-337-0311 ext. 1107
clkschools.org/library

Greg Waite is an Outstanding Reviewer

Published June 5, 2018

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News

Greg Waite (GMES) was among the “Outstanding Reviewers of 2017” named by Eos, Earth & Space Science News. According to the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the reviewers listed “have all provided in-depth evaluations, often over more than one round of revision, that greatly improved the final published papers. This increase in complexity, in turn, has increased the challenge and the role of reviewing.”

Winning reviewers were selected by the editors of each journal for their work. Editor M. Bayani Cardenas cited Waite for his service to Geophysical Research Letters.

Quality peer review is thus a critical part of the social contract between science and society.Eos