Current Year Schedule
GSM seminars with slide show presentations are free and open to the public. They are presented by leading professionals in their fields and are aimed at learners from high school to adult. A question-and-answer session follows each seminar. The labs, also free and open to the public, allow a hands-on learning experience and demonstrate the ideas and principles of geology and earth science. Live lectures and labs require no registration; just show up a few minutes early on the evening of the lecture.
Click on date of any seminar for attendance information and other details. For a printable version of our schedule of seminars and labs, click here.
Except as noted, live lectures during fall 2024 are Mondays at 7:00 PM CT on the University of Minnesota campus, Keller Hall, Room 3-230. The address is 200 Union St. SE, Minneapolis MN. A lecture with (V) following its title is an online virtual lecture. For these, free registration is required by non-members; the instructions are supplied with the lecture description.
Our schedule is planned over 6 months in advance, so changes may occur. Always check this website shortly before each lecture for the latest seminar information.
Winter weather will come and snow might impact our lectures. The GSM will make any decision about cancelling or postponing a lecture due to inclement weather no later than 3:00 PM the day of the lecture. This information will be posted on the GSM home page (http://www.gsmn.org/). So check our home page shortly before each lecture in case there is a cancellation or a last-minute change. Also, we will e‐mail lecture postponement and cancellation information to our members.
Past seminars marked with * were recorded and the recording is available on the Geological Society of Minnesota YouTube channel. Subscribe to this channel for updates.
Seminar Details
Seminar Lab Date: September 16, 2024
Seminar Lab Subject: RANDY STROBEL, PH.D., PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF NATURAL SCIENCES, METROPOLITAN STATE U.
Seminar Lab Presenter: FALL BANQUET – GEOLOGY OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER GORGE
Seminar Lab Location:
The first meeting of the Geological Society of Minnesota for 2024-2025 is the Fall Banquet at U Garden Restaurant 2725 University Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, (612) 378-1255, near the East Bank U of MN campus. This is the same location as the Spring Banquet held in May, 2024. The restaurant is on the north side of University Ave SE, east of 27th Ave SE. Map There is a free parking lot behind the restaurant.
The banquet starts at 5:00 PM. No reservation or registration is needed. We recommend the buffet, which is priced at $19.95 + tax & tip. Hot tea and other beverages (except water) are extra. Ordering from the menu at the posted price is also an option. To make payment easy, we encourage everyone to plan to pay using cash. The restaurant does not accept checks.
You may come for just the lecture, skipping the meal if you wish; however we encourage you (including non-members) to enjoy the meal also, as the restaurant appreciates our business in return for hosting this event.
During the banquet, the Video Library will be open for returns and rentals as usual.
Following the banquet, around 6:30 PM will be our Annual Meeting, during which the membership will elect new Board members to replace those leaving the Board. Starting around 7 PM, will be our first lecture of 2024-2025. As with all GSM lectures, this lecture is free and open to the public.
Seminar Lab Detail:
Minnehaha Falls is the geological crown jewel of Minneapolis Parks. This talk will cover the geological and human history of the park. It will provide background for walking tours of the park later this fall.
The geological story of the park is in two acts. The first is the Ordovician, about 450 million years ago. The St. Peter Sandstone, Glenwood Shale, and Platteville Limestone are all exposed in the park. All were deposited into the epicontinental seas that flooded this part of Minnesota at the time.
The second act occurred about 10,000 years ago. The lower glen of Minnehaha Creek was carved by St. Anthony Falls, and the upper glen by Minnehaha Falls.
Minnehaha Falls Park was established in 1883 as part of the Grand Rounds of Minneapolis Parks. The talk will include an overview of its history.
Randy will conclude with a short “teaser” on a field trip to northern New Mexico that he and Joanie Furlong are planning for spring 2025.
Biography: Randy Strobel has been a member of the Geological Society of Minnesota for 15 years, and has presented multiple times for the GSM. He enjoys organizing field trips for the GSM, both locally and to faraway places. He is a Professor Emeritus of Natural Sciences at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul.