2024 Pacific Cell: Nevada

2024 Pacific Cell Friends of the Pleistocene Field Conference

Nevada

When: 13-15 September 2024

Trip Leaders: Rick Koehler, Mark Stirling, Paula Figueiredo, Marith Reheis

Announcement #2

Here is an update on this year’s Pacific Cell FOP September 13-15, 2024.

Planning is progressing and next week we will be running through the route to find the most suitable camping location. We hope to stay at the same site all three nights to minimize moving logistics. The map below shows the general route of the trip, but there will be some modifications after the reconnaissance trip.


Basically, we will travel between Highway 80 near Battle Mountain and through Reese River, Buffalo, and Jersey valleys, as well as across the Tobin Range to Pleasant Valley. As described in the last email, the scientific content will focus on active tectonics (trenches, slip rates, and event chronologies), alluvial fan evolution (recent dating, soils, geomorphology), and pluvial lakes (possible latest Pleistocene connections of pluvial Lake Buffalo to Lake Lahontan as well as possible previous higher lake levels). There will also be a bit of discussion on geothermal research in the region.

We have secured $565 of surplus funds from last year’s trip thanks to William Buckley and Tom Rockwell. It is our intention to use these funds to support registration fees for students on a first sign up first served basis.

A nominal fee for the trip of $30 for students and $35 for professionals will help offset costs for T-shirts, refreshments, porta johns, etc. The easiest way to pay is to Venmo me directly (Rich Koehler, venmo handle @Rich-Koehler-4, to verify the last 4 digits of my phone number are 7068). You can also just go old school and bring cash to the trip. The link below is a google sheet to sign up for the trip where you can list your name and T-shirt size. Please feel free to email the link to anyone you think might be interested (who may not be on the FOP listserve).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-oPbk-3paWxoGjVOhYH265cL2J092hxbKtmLZvkTiXo/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks friends………..more to come soon.

Your 2024 organizing crew

Rich, Mark, Paula, Marith, and Tabor

Announcement #1


Hello FOPer’s.

This years’ Pacific Cell Friends of the Pleistocene field trip will span 2 ½ days between September 13-15, 2024 in the general location of the Tobin Range, south of Battle Mountain, central Nevada. The trip will focus on recent and ongoing research on active tectonics, alluvial fan geomorphology, soils, and geochronology, the pre-history of pluvial lakes, and assessments of geothermal energy potential.

We will visit:

  1. sites along the Pleasant Valley fault zone including the 1915 Mw7.2 earthquake rupture, and discuss late Pleistocene and Holocene surface rupture events and long-term slip-rates supported by geochronology data from recent trenching (luminescence) and alluvial fans analysis (terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides)
  2. sites along the newly-mapped Buffalo Valley fault zone to examine fault scarps, soil development in alluvial fans, geochronologic results (36Cl depth profiles) that contribute towards slip rate estimates, and broader-scale tectonic geomorphology
  3. a site at the Jersey Valley/Buffalo Valley structural accommodation zone to discuss recent mapping, structural analyses, and geophysical studies related to the assessment of blind geothermal energy systems
  4. several highstand shoreline sites of pluvial lakes Lahontan and Buffalo, and discuss their possible hydrologic connectivity via the Reese River

The trip will involve remote camping as there are no formal campgrounds in the area. 4X4 vehicles are recommended. You should bring all the food and water you need. Some supplies (and gas) can be found in Battle Mountain, about an hour away. A small charge to cover beer, T-shirts, and porta pottys will be necessary, but it will be reasonable. We anticipate lively scientific debate in classic FOP style, and hope you can join us.

More details to come later.

Friendly yours,

Rich Koehler – University of Nevada, Reno
Mark Stirling – University of Otago, New Zealand
Paula Figueiredo – North Carolina State University
Marith Reheis – US Geological Survey, emeritus

Main Pages

Sign up for the email list for email notifications.