Upcoming GSM Public Events

Seminar Details

Seminar Lab Date: March 9, 2026
Seminar Lab Subject: Geologic Hydrogen, Abiotic Methane, and Volume Changes Associated with Aqueous Alteration of Mantle Rocks in Submarine Environments (V)
Seminar Lab Presenter: Frieder Klein, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

Seminar Lab Location:

Virtual lecture 7:00 PM CT.

Participation instructions will be e-mailed to GSM members. If you are not a member of GSM and wish to attend this free seminar online, register as follows by 8 AM CT Monday, Mar 9: Go to the Contact menu above and select “Ask GSM”. In the form that appears, enter your name and e-mail address. Enter “Mar 9 lecture” in the subject line. In the message body, please enter the city and state or country from which you will view the seminar. You will receive instructions by e-mail prior to the lecture. Check your spam folder if the instructions do not appear in your in-box at least one hour prior to the lecture.

Seminar Lab Detail:

Summary: Rocks from Earth’s mantle are widespread at slow- and ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridges, oceanic transform faults, magma-poor continental margins, and subduction zones. Where they are exposed to (sea-)water, they can undergo a series of chemical reactions to form a rock referred to as serpentinite, a rock that plays a key role in the global water cycle. However, whether the formation of serpentinite, i.e. serpentinization, is associated with a volume increase of 40 percent or the export of 30 percent of its original mass has remained hotly debated. Serpentinization is also considered one of the largest sources of geologic hydrogen and abiotic methane, critical energy sources for microbes inhabiting the deep subseafloor biosphere. However, the conditions of abiotic methane formation and subseafloor life remain enigmatic. This presentation will provide a broad overview of these topics and present some of the recent findings relevant one of the most ancient and influential hydrothermal processes in diverse submarine environments.  

Biography: Frieder Klein is a petrologist who studies fluid-rock interactions in submarine environments using a combination of field observations, hydrothermal laboratory experiments, microanalytical techniques, and thermodynamic modeling. He studied at the Philipps University of Marburg and the University of Bremen in Germany where he earned his Ph.D. in 2009 working with Wolfgang Bach. He held postdoctoral positions in Granada (Spain), Woods Hole (MA), and Boulder (CO) before joining the scientific staff at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 2011. His research concerns the aqueous alteration of mafic and ultramafic rocks, focusing on serpentinization, geologic carbon sequestration, abiotic organic synthesis, and alkalinity formation in submarine settings on Earth and elsewhere in the solar system. 

Seminar Details

Seminar Lab Date: March 23, 2026
Seminar Lab Subject: How the Midcontinent Rift nearly split ancient North America apart 1.1 billion years ago—and why it stopped
Seminar Lab Presenter: Nick Swanson-Hysell, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota

Seminar Lab Location:

In-person only at University of Minnesota, Keller Hall, Room 3-210

Lecture start time 7:00 PM CT

Seminar Lab Detail:

Summary: The cessation of rifting within the 1.1 billion-year-old Midcontinent Rift was a key event in the evolution of Minnesota and the Lake Superior region—if rifting had continued and led to the formation of an ocean basin, the subsequent geologic and paleogeographic history of our region would have been profoundly different. We have been able to use new age constraints to test the hypothesis that the rift ended due to the continent-continent collision of the Grenvillian orogeny. The transition from active extension to post-rift subsidence is recorded by the Brownstone Falls angular unconformity in northern Wisconsin, with thickness variations in the Copper Harbor Conglomerate implying topographic relief comparable to the modern East African rift. The end of active extension (ca. 1090–1085 Ma) coincides with the onset of Grenvillian metamorphism, consistent with continent-continent collision causing rifting to cease. Post-rift sedimentation of the Oronto Group continued until ca. 1045 Ma, and paleomagnetic data from these rocks reveal that Laurentia’s plate motion dramatically slowed as collision progressed and changed the force balance on the plate. Sedimentation ended when contractional deformation from the Grenvillian orogeny propagated into the continental interior in two phases: major uplift during the Ottawan phase and a secondary ca. 1000–980 Ma phase associated with the Rigolet stage. This final phase of contraction is associated with ca. 990 Ma deposition of the Jacobsville-Bayfield Group. Following 130 Myr of tectonic excitement from ca. 1110 to 980 Ma, stability returned to the midcontinent region. While the comings and goings of inland seas and the occasional impact crater have left their mark on the geological record, there has been only very minor tectonism over the past billion years.
 
Biography: Nick Swanson-Hysell is an Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota. He received his B.A. in Geology from Carleton College, his Ph.D. from Princeton University, and was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Minnesota before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley where he spent over a decade before returning to Minnesota in 2024. His research integrates paleomagnetic, rock magnetic, and geochemical data within rigorous geologic contexts to constrain the long-term evolution of Earth, including the paleogeographic history of continents, major climate transitions, and the behavior of Earth’s magnetic field. He has a long-term research interest in using the geology of the Lake Superior region to advance understanding of the ancient Earth. His research group includes undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who benefit from close affiliation with the Institute for Rock Magnetism and its state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Seminar Details

Seminar Lab Date: April 6, 2026
Seminar Lab Subject: (title TBA)
Seminar Lab Presenter: George Hudak, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota

Seminar Lab Location:

In-person only at University of Minnesota, Keller Hall, Room 3-210

Lecture start time 7:00 PM CT

Seminar Lab Detail:

TBA

TBA

Board Meeting Agenda

Spring Geological Society of board meeting.