S&T banner

Session topics, workshops, and field trips

The general schedule provides a chron listing of the general Forum program.

Technical sessions

The Forum will have poster and oral presentations in the following topical sessions. The abstract deadline is May 2, and you must submit your abstract on line.

  • Session 1 (Monday morning): Lithospheric deformation – rheology and the rock record (Micah Jessup and Joe Allen)
  • Session 2 (Monday afternoon): Tectonics at the Earth's surface – geomorphic expressions and shallow deformation (Ryan Gold and Colin Amos)
  • Session 3 (Tuesday morning): Geochronology and tectonics (John Cottle and Emily Peterman)
  • Session 4 (Tuesday afternoon):Geoscience learning and spatial cognition (Tim Shipley and Carol Ormand)
  • Session 5 (Wednesday morning): Structural geology and natural resources (Nils Backeberg and Mary Louise Hill)
  • Session 6 (Wednesday afternoon): Quantitative approaches towards structural analysis (Saad Haq and Matty Mookerjee)
  • Cutting edge research in structural geology, geophysics, and tectonics: abstracts submitted in this category will be presented as posters distributed among the sessions above.

The technical session chairs will select a small number of abstracts for oral presentations among those submitted to sessions 1-6 above. All other submissions will be presented as posters, including all those submitted under the general topic of research in structural geology, geophysics, and tectonics.

Special session for grad students and post docs: preparing for an academic career in the geosciences

  • What: Are you interested in a future faculty position? Come to this informal "speed dating" session where you will have a chance to talk with current faculty about what it's like to teach and do research at a wide variety of academic institutions and get advice on how to prepare for an academic job search.
  • When: Monday evening from 7:30-9:30, location TBA.
  • No registration required.

Field trips

Optional, taking place before and after the Forum (June 14, 15, 19, and 20). You must register for these when you register for the Forum (opens in a new window).

  • June 14: Pseudotachylyte from the Homestake Shear Zone, Colorado Leader: Joe Allen
    • Field trip involves two short but steep hikes above 9,700 feet. Bring sturdy shoes or boots for rough terrain, sun protection, and a day pack with water, rain parka, and extra warm layers. A boxed lunch will be provided. Note: limited to 19 participants.
  • June 15: Contractional linkage zones and curved faults, Garden of the Gods, with Illite Geochronology Exposé Leaders: Christine Siddoway and Elisa Fitz Díaz
    • Bring appropriate clothing and sun protection to suit the weather of the day and sturdy shoes for rough terrain. Compass and small map board are recommended. A boxed lunch will be provided.
  • June 19: Proterozoic metamorphism and deformation in the Northern Colorado Front Range Leaders: Kevin Mahan, Graham Baird, and Julien Allaz
    • Field trip involves one short (less than 1,500 ft. but steep hike, so boots or sturdy shoes are recommended. All stops between 5,200 and 8,000 feet elevation. Be prepared for chilly or hot, and dry or wet weather, and bring sun protection. A boxed lunch will be provided. Note: limited to 25 participants.
  • June 20: Laramide crustal detachment and thrust tectonism, with applications to natural fracturing in Rocky Mountain resource plays Leader: Eric Erslev
    • Field trip involves several ~1-2 mile hikes on rugged ground. Bring sturdy shoes or boots for rough terrain, sun protection, and a day pack with water, rain parka, and extra warm layers. A boxed lunch will be provided. Note: limited to 30 participants.

Short courses/workshops

Optional, taking place before and after the Forum (June 14, 15, 19, and 20). You must register for these when you register for the Forum (opens in a new window).

  • June 15: Strain programs for teaching and research Fred Vollmer, Matty Mookerjee, and Paul Karabinos. Limited to 20 participants; may require pre-workshop "homework" such as uploading files.

  • June 15 - half day, morning: Structural and tectonic analysis with Google mapping technologies Declan De Paor and Carol Simpson. Limited to 20 participants.
  • June 15 - half day, afternoon: Teaching with Visible Geology, an interactive online tool for visualizing 3D geologic block models Rowan Cockett and Barbara Tewksbury. Limited to 20 participants; will require a bit of pre-workshop "homework".
  • June 19: The application of shear sense indicators in shear zones Cees Passchier. Limited to 22 participants.
  • June 19 - half day, morning: Ar-Ar datiing of illite, a method to date faults and folds formed in the upper crust Elisa Fitz Díaz. Limited to 22 participants.
  • June 19 - half day, afternoon: Using real geodesy data in undergraduate structural geology and geophysics courses Vince Cronin. Limited to 20 participants.
  • June 20: Teaching structure lab with linear algebra and simple computing (spreadsheets) Rick Allmendinger. Limited to 20 participants.
  • June 20: Introduction to terrestrial laser scanning (ground-based LiDAR) for Earth science research Chris Crosby. Limited to 20 participants; will take place at UNAVCO in Boulder.