AASG members go back country in Petrified Forest National Park to early Triassic excavation

The post-meeting field trip for the AASG 107th Annual Meeting held in Flagstaff, Arizona, went to Petrified Forest National Park and Meteor Crater last Thursday.










Park naturalist and paleontologist Adam Marsh led the 50+ participants on a back country hike to a Triassic 'dying ground' site that he and his team are currently excavating.   The dig area was literally covered with weathered-out bone fragments and teeth from a number of pre-dinosaur fauna as well lots of petrified wood. The prime excavation site was exposing more intact materials.   Despite the 96F temperature, we had a difficult time getting everyone to leave the stop and hike back to the bus.

The meeting was hosted by the Arizona Geological Survey.

AASG wraps up successful annual meeting in Flagstaff Arizona

The Association of American State Geologists (AASG) met in Flagstaff this past week for its 107th Annual Meeting.   Over 150 attendees participated from state geological surveys, federal counterparts, professional organizations, and industry.     We had a variety of technical sessions on geoscience topics including induced seismicity, mineral resources, ground collapse, sustainability of state surveys, groundwater, and data preservation.

USGS Acting Director Suzette Kimball laid out a proposal for expanded collaboration between USGS and State Geological Surveys on a number of priority areas around resources, hazards, mapping, and environmental topics. 

A field trip to Grand Canyon on Tuesday, provided opportunities to discuss land use management, geology in national parks, outreach and education, as well as giving the attendees an introduction to Arizona geology.  [Top, USGS geologist Ryan Crow describes the planning and building of the Trail of Time at Grand Canyon, to AASG field trip participants.]

State Geologists Annual Meeting underway in Flagstaff

The 107th Annual Meeting of the Association of American State Geologists gets formally underway today in Flagstaff, Arizona, with over 150 in attendance.  The pre-meeting field trip through the San Francisco volcanic field drew nearly 80 participants.   The meeting is hosted by the Arizona Geological Survey.

Participants will tour Grand Canyon National Park on Tuesday.   The meeting runs through Wednesday, June 17, followed by a post-meeting trip to Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest National Park.