The upcoming GSA 2019 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, will have more than 200 topical sessions. With all of that science happening in one place, it can be difficult to decide which sessions to attend.

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Since the GSA science editors are experts at evaluating content, we asked them to highlight some of the sessions they are most interested in attending. Below are their suggestions, which will hopefully serve as the starting point of another productive and informative meeting. Plan your own meeting using the mobile and online apps. We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix.

SUNDAY

T51. Shaping the Landscape: The Interaction between Fractures, Erosion, and Plate Tectonics.

This is geology in action. Learn how warmer and wetter climates accelerate mechanical weathering and how landscape features influence bedrock fractures in the deep subsurface. Oral and poster sessions both on Sunday.

T140. Mountain Groundwater

Water resources are becoming increasingly important. In this session, explore virtual watersheds, mountain system recharge processes, and the geologic controls on circulation depths. Oral session on Sunday, poster session on Monday.

Ten-million years of deformation along the Eastern California Shear Zone: Context and characterization of the July 2019 Mw7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake

This late-breaking session offers a glimpse into the recent earthquakes that struck California. Oral and poster sessions both on Sunday.

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USGS Earthquake Science Center Mobile Laser Scanning truck operated by Ben Brooks and Todd Ericksen scanning the surface rupture near the zone of maximum surface displacement of the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake. – Credit: Ben Brooks, USGS. Public domain.


MONDAY

T1. Grand Canyon, Colorado Plateau, and Rocky Mountain Debates and Their Global Reverberations, 150 Years after Powell

The age and origins of the Grand Canyon have long been debated. This session adds to the discussion with talks about river incision, drainage reversal, ichnology of the Coconino sandstone, and the Canyon’s Great Unconformity. Oral sessions on Monday and Tuesday, posters on Wednesday.

P2. Grand Ideas, Grand Events: Geoscience Research, Geoscience Education, and Human Connections to Grand Canyon at its Six Millionth, 150th, and 100th Anniversaries

This Pardee session provides a framework for understanding the local geology, including talks about Powell’s expedition, the Grand Canyon’s hydrochemistry, the importance of indigenous place names, and the future of geoscience education.

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Tonto Bench, Grand Canyon – Credit: Steven Semken


T139. Regional Groundwater Availability and Sustainability Studies: Advances in Methods and Approaches

This session focuses on new advances, methods, and approaches by hydrologists, geologists, and numerical modelers for quantifying regional groundwater availability and sustainability in diverse regional settings. Oral and poster session both on Monday.

TUESDAY

T50. Structure and Tectonic Studies, from Outcrop to Supercontinent: In Honor of Ian Dalziel
Andean tectonics, Rodinian supercontinents, and the leprechauns of petrology—There’s a lot to enjoy in this session. Posters on Monday, both oral sessions on Tuesday.

T142. Innovations in Research of Springs and Other Features at the Groundwater–Surface Water Interface

This session focuses on multidisciplinary, collaborative studies of the characterization, monitoring, modeling, stewardship, management, and education of stakeholders and citizens to improve the understanding of springs, associated ecosystems, and anthropogenic users. Oral session on Tuesday, posters on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY

T56. New Developments in the Appalachian-Caledonian-Variscan Orogen

This session offers you a chance to explore thermal anomalies using deep crustal xenoliths and to learn about hyper-extension in the pre-Caledonian passive margin of Baltica. Posters on Tuesday, and two oral sessions on Wednesday.

T107. Volcanism, Impacts, and Phanerozoic Mass Extinctions: Discovering a Common Cause and Planning for the 6th Mass Extinction

Ocean acidification, heavy metal toxicity, cosmic impacts, and climate change. Dig into the roots of past and future doomsday scenarios with this session. Both oral sessions on Wednesday.

T148. Coastal Hydrogeology in An Age of Rising Seas

In addition to increased flooding risks, rising seas produce seawater intrusion that damages potable and agricultural water supplies. This session will focus on new tools and approaches to understanding the effects of sea level rise. Posters on Sunday, oral session on Wednesday.

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