Tips and Trips
Page 7
The Georgia Mineral Society
April 2003
MARCH PRESENTATION REVIEW
For the March 2003 meeting, Kim Cochran checked our
knowledge by giving us a mineral quiz. He had 20 specimens for us to identify - none of u got all 20 right. Two
members got 19 right, after which Kim brought in three
more. Jim Haege got all three of these, Doug Daniels
only got two (he fell asleep on the morganite). Always
good to test your knowledge - it keeps us sharp and better able to explain things to the general public.
Douglas Daniels
GMS Member
Attention Strong Backs and Weird Minds
If your idea of fun is helping a fellow rockhound clean out her barn
and you enjoy free pizza, beer and rocks, please R.S.V.P. to
Anita Westlake at 404.761.7849 before the "Barn Cleaning" day
on April 27th, 2003 at 2:00 P.M. Bring a pair of gloves. We will
mostly be hauling junk (old furniture, boxes of yardsale stuff,
cardboard) to the street. Anything I don't want is yours, including
a pile of rocks I have set aside. Come get sweaty and find buried
treasures! A thousand thanks await you.
ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY
EGG HUNT 2003
Saturday, April 26, 2003, 10:00 A.M.
Ball Ground, Georgia
All members are invited to our SIXTH
ANNUAL LITTER PICK-UP AND EGG
HUNT, taking place on Saturday, April
26th, at 10:00 A.M.
Plastic eggs are concealed in litter and
hidden along the G.M.S. adopt-a-mile.
Eggs are redeemable for choice prizes of
minerals, gems, and fossils. Join us for
lots of litter, lots of prizes, and lots of fun.
For those who have not yet participated in a litter pick-up,
it goes quickly, is rewarding to the environment, and if
you miss the opportunity to hunt eggs during Easter this
year you will get a second chance here.
All ages are welcome but young children should be
supervised, as our mile is a moderately busy part of Hwy.
5. Wear old clothes, boots or sturdy shoes, and don’t
forget a pair of gloves. Trash bags and safety vests will
be supplied as usual.
Directions to the meeting place: Take 1-75 North to I-575
North. Go 35 miles to exit 27 (Bus.5) – the Howell Bridge
Rd/Ball Ground Exit. Go right to the stop sign and left on
Anita Westlake, GMS Member
Bus.5/Canton Highway. We will meet .6 mile on the left,
at the Thriftown/Conoco Station. Please park in the rear,
away from the store. It takes about 30-40 minutes from I75/I-575 to our meeting site.
MARCH 2003 GENERAL MEETING
MINI-MINUTES
The March 2003 General Meeting of the
Georgia Mineral Society was called to order
at 7:35 P.M. by President Joan White with the Pledge of
Allegiance. Approximately 50 people were present. Four
guests were introduced.
Jay Gorday, Vice President/Programs, introduced the
speaker for the evening, GMS member Kim Cochran.
Kim Cochran proceeded to give the membership a
mineral identification quiz.
Executive Board Members and Committee Chairs gave
short reports. Door prizes were awarded at 9:00 P.M.,
and the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 P.M.
DID YOU KNOW?
Quarrymen in ancient Rome sometimes rubbed wax on
their marble block and pillars to conceal cracks and
flaws, at least until the sale was made. The wax would
wash off in the first rainfall and the imperfections would
reappear. The Roman Senate passed a law that made all
marble purchased by the government had to be "sine
cera", or without wax. From this root comes the word
'sincere', a word we know means without deception.
Via Chip and Lick (3/03), via Tulip City Conglomerate (1/03),
via Earth Science News via Rock Dober (11/98)
Rob Peard, Adopt-A-Highway Chair
GENE (E.R.) HARRIS
On Wednesday, March 6 GMS lost a very multitalented
and generous member.
After years of poor health Gene continued his lapidary
work and sharing his intellectual gifts on a variety of subjects.
A native Atlantan, he had worked for General Motors and
was a self-taught engineer. He performed all phases of
the lapidary arts and always gave away his creations. He
invented several tools and installed the second-invented
radar at Bell Bomber plant.
Other hobbies were raising pigeons and parakeets, and
helping his daughter graft plants. He had a ham radio,
and had flown his own Piper plane.
On field trips he was an acknowledged leader and he
lectured on silver working too. He led an outstanding
family with similar talents; much credit should be given to
daughter Ann who managed the extended family in addition to caring for her ailing parents.
Gene was feisty with a heart of gold. We will all miss
him.
Tips and Trips
Page 8
The Georgia Mineral Society
The Story of Jamison Osborne
by Anita Westlake,
GMS Member and Education Chair
Early in the morning on March 8, 2003, Joan and Bill Waggener,
Teresa Curl and I drove down to Fort Valley, Georgia for Hunt
Elementary School’s “Super Science Saturday”.
The list of
participants was quite impressive. They had lined up folks from
NASA, The US Geologic Survey, The Georgia Mining Association,
The National Wildlife Federation, The National Weather Bureau, and
others too numerous to mention. I felt honored that The Georgia
Mineral Society was asked to participate in this stellar event.
We had GMS stickers to give away, dinosaur coloring books to sell,
fossils and rocks to talk about and free specimens for all. I brought
fossilized buffalo teeth, a manatee rib bone, whale vertebra, dinosaur
“do-do”, a shark’s tooth, a large polished ammonite, mastodon teeth,
a fern fossil, a wolf’s tooth, a cave bear’s tooth, and shells to try and
stir up the imagination of the kids. I answered their questions and
tried to keep my vocabulary on their level while throwing in a “fish
tale” or two to pique their interest. What do you suppose was the
most memorable, the most touched and talked about piece? Why,
the shark’s tooth of course! Kids from down the hall heard about the
2 ½ inch tooth and wanted to see it for themselves. They wanted to
touch the still sharp serrations on the edges. You could actually see
them working it out in their minds just how big and hungry that 25 foot
long shark was while at the same time making up their minds to never
swim in the ocean again. (I assured them that this particular species
was long extinct, but they weren’t buying it). I’m convinced I could do
a talk on “Just Sharks” and they’d be just as happy.
Well, you never really know what children hear, and what seeps in to
be digested later. Jamison Osborne was a case in point. Here was a
little boy, barely able to see the top of the table. He must have been
all of 4 years old. He didn’t react when I talked about the fossils on
the table. He barely even looked at them. All he could do was smile
the most welcoming, coy, boyish, sweet, innocent smile I have ever
seen.
I was a goner. I was ready to pack him up with my fossils and never
look back. When I told him that the coprolite was actually dinosaur
do-do, he ran away and clutched his father’s leg. I would smile and
go back to what I was doing and here would come Master Jamison
with that sweet smile of his, all for me. I made a game out of pushing
the do-do an inch closer to him and again he’d run off. Eventually, he
would stand next to me without running away. The thing is, you’ve
got to reach them on their own level. When pontificating about the
digestive habits of large carnivores doesn’t do it, you take three steps
back and punt.
All of a sudden, Jamison started talking. The floodgates opened and
he began telling me all about sharks and teeth and biting and
serrations like steak knives. In fact, he was the last one to leave that
day. I think before the day was over he had methodically looked at
and touched every specimen (except the do-do of course). Now I
wonder...who learned more that day...Jamison Osborne or me?
WILLIAM HOLLAND CLASSES FOR 2003
The 2003 William Holland class schedule has been announced and you
can
see
all
the
classes
online
at
http://www.alltel.net/~lapidary/intro.html. Contact Perry & Teresa Curl,
SFMS William Holland Registrars and GMS members for specific class
availability at: [email protected] or 770.751.7313.
There are still openings in all SFMS Workshop classes at the June
session at William Holland Retreat. The upper level (bedrooms) were
air conditioned a few years ago, AND NOW THE LOWER LEVEL
CLASS ROOMS AND DINING HALL ARE AIR CONDITIONED TOO
THANKS TO A WONDERFUL GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS.
April 2003
A GLOSSARY of ROCKHOUND TERMS
*GEOLOGIST--Person who learned about rocks in school.
*ROCKHOUND--Person who learned about rocks the hard
way. *PEBBLEPUP--Smart-mouthed kid who knows more
about rocks than you. *FIELD TRIP--Impossible trek to
inaccessible places for non-existent specimens.
*GEOLOGIST’S PICK--Handy gadget that you always
have with you when you don’t need it and always leave at
home when you do. *FIELD POLISH--Spit. *FIELD KIT-Paper Bag. *ROCK SHOW--Bunch of people displaying
their best specimens; another bunch trying to sell their
worst. *SWAP--Mutual swindle. *STATION WAGON-Vehicle designed to satisfy the colossal greed of
rockhounds. *TUMBLER--Piece of equipment costing at
least $25 which makes $250 worth of stones saleable at
25 cents each.
From The Pioneer, via Hound’s Howl (3/03),
via Fredericksburg Rockhound News (2/03)
Crying Wolf
by Mel Albright
In this age every bureaucratic nanny is trying to protect
everybody from something. Lawyers are trying to protect
manufacturers from lawsuits. We are buried in warnings.
Almost every item has some warning printed on it sometimes several. If you hunt, you will find there is a
MSDS (material safety data sheet) issued for WATER as
required by the government. A little search says vinegar is
considered one of the most dangerous substances around.
Stickers say not to let the baby put its head in a bucket of
water. Plastic sheet repeatedly warns that it isn't for
putting over your nose. And on and on.
If you are like me, you are starting to ignore all the safety
warnings. I don't even read them anymore. There are so
many that there might as well be none.
BUT, some of them are somewhat serious. They should
be followed carefully. Every new prescription carries
several pages of fine print mumbo about how it acts.
Buried in there are safety warnings such as "Don't take on
an empty stomach." "Do not eat grapefruit products while
taking this medicine." "Call your doctor if these symptoms
occur." These should be observed. But, you have no
warning about the seriousness of the warnings. Are they
warning against a possible headache? Sometimes "Don't
take this medicine with that medicine" is a matter of life
and death.
Some materials rockhounds use give the same problems.
Strong acids ALL warn against skin contact. Hydrochloric
acid burns somewhat (and is very dangerous to breathe)
but is present in your stomach. Nitric and sulfuric acid give
second and third degree skin burns. However all 3 give
you a little time to minimize damage by rapid washing with
water. But ONE small drop of hydrogen fluoride can KILL
you. So getting complacent about using acids can be
fatal. Some flammable solvents are actually hard to get
burning. Some flash easily from heat or static electricity.
So casual use of solvents can be dangerous. Some tools
can bruise you if misused while others can take off a
finger.
SO, WHAT TO DO? First is to read the information on
everything you buy. Then decide what warnings are for
your status. Then remember EVERY TIME you use them
to mentally review the safety conditions needed and be
sure you follow them.
Adapted from Mags Rockhound News (1/03) and a March 12, 2003 email from
Anna Denton, SFMS Education Chair Remember, sometimes the wolf really does show up.
From the AFMS Newsletter ((5/02) via the AFMS website
Tips and Trips
Page 9
The Georgia Mineral Society
April 2003
MAY SHOW NEWS
To go, or not to go? That is the question.
It’s hard to believe that as you are reading this, we are about six Saturday, February 22, 2003, the Huntsville Gem and
weeks away from our Mother’s Day Gem and Mineral Show. Mineral Society had planned to host a Dixie Mineral Council
Martha is well along in getting our dealers all lined up. I’m sure field trip to Stevenson, Alabama for "Banded Agate".
that we will have a good variety of dealers like we always do.
There are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer your time and
talents. Let the committee chairs know and we will find a place
and time to use your talents. I’m sure that there will be volunteer
lists passed around at the April and May General Meetings
requesting help.
Don’t forget about display cases, to me the displays are the
highlight of the show. As an added incentive to putting in a
display case, GMS gives a $50 award to the best case and $25
for the second best case. There is also the special junior award
of $25 to the best Junior case (this is in addition to the two other
GMS awards). We also still need someone to coordinate the
display cases. Let me know if you would like to take on the task
of Exhibit Chair. You can also let me know if you want to put a
case in until we have a volunteer for the Exhibit Chair.
Anita Westlake is looking for people to demonstrate your special
facet or knowledge of our rock-hounding hobby. If you don’t
volunteer, she may call you and twist your arm.
Carl Ziglin needs volunteers to staff the Hospitality Table during
the show. He will have a sign-up sheet for that at the next couple
of meetings.
The Dealer Dinner will be a little different this year. GMS will
provide the meat (turkey and ham probably) and we will ask
members to bring a salad, vegetable or desert. Sandy Parker is
handling the Dealer Dinner this year. Sandy had a few people
sign up at the last meeting. She will have the sign up sheet ready
to fill in at the meeting.
We have plenty of the flat fliers available to pass out to our friends
and families and businesses. I will have them at the monthly
meetings. If you need more fliers and/or are unable to get to the
meeting, please let me know and I will make sure you get the
fliers that you need.
We have set Wednesday April 23rd as the night to stuff the grab
bags. If you never have helped stuff grab bags before, you do not
know what you are missing. It’s a lot of fun and Kim always
makes sure that we are well fed so we have plenty of energy to
stuff the bags! We will eat about 6:00PM and start stuffing after
supper. We have plenty of material to put into the bags but we
need bags to put them in. Please let Kim know if you can sew
cloth bags for the grab bags. We do not want to have to use
paper bags.
We still
P.M. on
auction.
auction.
The weather forecast for the day was for rain with the
possibility of lightening and thunder. Since I have never had
a trip cancel due to rain, and this being a DMC trip in which
some rock hounds may have had to stay at a motel, I was
sure this trip was on.
I had forgotten we would be in the central time zone and set
the alarm for 5:00 A.M.. After the early start I drove to
Stevenson in the rain. It did stop when I arrived, but there
was no one there. Not surprising since I was an hour early.
A member of the Huntsville club arrived about 45 minuets
later. He lives in Florida and made the trip up the night
before after first checking if the trip was cancelled. Another
10 minuets and a woman joined us. Ten minutes more and
another rock hound showed up. He had the bad news that
the trip was cancelled at 11:00 P.M. the night before, but the
good news was that as long as some people were there, he
would try to lead us to the sites. After checking with Lowell
Zoller, the field trip chair, who had a family emergency and
couldn't make it, we started off toward the mountain. This
was on private property with a road cut leading to the site.
The road was under water due to the flooding from the rain
and impossible to collect. Next we went to the river which
was also listed as a site, I just don't know why we even tried.
Actually I did find out where the site is but one look at the
river and no one even considered looking along the bank,
which was several feet above normal. No collecting this day,
but we had passed what we thought was a quarry on
Highway 117. We thought we might be able to stop and look
for some.
This was actually the Franklin Mineral
Corporations limestone mine. They had some equipment
problems and were unable to take us on a tour at the time
but welcomed us in their offices and explained their
operation. They are working on several levels and maps
showed where the limestone has been blasted out leaving
pillars to support the top of the mountain. You saw the older
areas where stone had been removed in a haphazard way
and the difference now that the surveyors are laying it out.
You saw the ramps where the trucks could reach the
different layers, you saw the chimney used to vent the mine.
They showed us the limestone that they had ground down
and the equipment they use to check the purity which has
been running at over 96% calcite. They explained the older
section of the mine is not being mined anymore simply
because the percent of calcite is too low. They showed us
calcite from some caves they hit but said this was only as
you approached the surface. The inner area was solid and I
guess too dry as they explained there are no stalactites
either in their mine or other older mines in the area.
need auction materials. We will have Auctions at 2:00
Saturday and Sunday. Sunday’s auction will be a silent
Let Kim Cochran know if you have donations for the It turned out to be a pretty good day but as I started to drive
home on Highway 72 I spied a marker to Russell Cave. This
The proceeds go directly to the club’s Building Fund.
is a national monument and was home to native people
some 9000 years ago. It was a slow day and the rangers
there gave me a guided tour. Besides seeing a video they
Wednesday, April 23 - Grab Bag Stuffing at Kim Cochran’s showed how the natives made their spear points using deer
antlers to chip the edges. I even had some practice throwing
House
a spear with the "atl-atl". That is a device used to add
Thursday, May 8 - Set-up at Cobb County Civic Center and leverage to the throwing arm and increase the speed of the
spear.
Dealer Dinner
IMPORTANT DATES:
Friday thru Sunday, May 9 - 11 - Mothers Day Gem and With all said and done I am looking forward to the next
cancelled field trip.
Mineral Show
Jay Gorday, May Show Chair
George Libby, GMS Field Trip Chair
Tips and Trips
Page 10
The Georgia Mineral Society
April 2003
GEO-HAZARDS
by Anita D. Westlake
“Geo-hazards” can be defined as “Those earth processes of the lithosphere and hydrosphere that are capable of producing disasters.”
These processes can be divided into natural disasters and those caused by human activity. Natural disasters are nature’s way of putting
the earth back in balance, although we hardly think of them in such positive terms when we’ve witnessed their destruction. The hazards
caused by humans are either directly related to human activity (also referred to as “anthropogenic”) or are exacerbated by them.
Georgians, as well as people living in the southern United States, live in a relatively quiet part of the earth geologically speaking. We
don’t have earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, etc. so why is it important to know about geo-hazards? The truth is, we have geo-hazards
right here in Georgia. There may be one quietly going about its business in your own backyard or basement right now. The big, noisy
disasters make headlines, but you could be sitting on your very own powder keg and not even know it. How much do you know about
the earth under your house or apartment? Perhaps David Leveson said it best in his book “Geology and the Urban Environment”:
“For reasons that encompass necessity, lack of choice, ignorance, perversity, greed, and conscious acceptance of risk,
people in increasing numbers place houses on floodplains or in beds of intermittent streams, construct hospitals and schools
in active earthquake belts, inhabit the slopes of volcanoes, excavate and steepen unstable slopes, and so on. Such
dangerous and expensive practices would certainly be less common if people had personal acquaintance with the dangers
involved. Since it is unlikely (fortunately) that most people will have other than vicarious experience of the more dramatic
natural geologic catastrophes, the average person will remain skeptical, uninterested, or ignorant of the possibility of their own
involvement.”
We like to think of the good earth as “rock solid” and strong. After all, it’s the very foundation on which we live, work and play. Those
who have lived through an earthquake can tell you how very strange and surreal it feels to have had the earth move under their feet.
Fortunately for most of us, we’ve been spared this experience. But in cities, towns and countrysides outside of our own small comfort
zone, hundreds of thousands of people die or are injured every year by our unsteady earth. Still feeling smug because the South rarely
suffers an earthquake and never a volcano? Don’t be. Landslides and other ground failures cost more lives and more money each year
than all other disasters combined. The average annual total property damage is more than $1 billion per year. Just think about it: that’s
more than Bill Gates makes in a month.
One day, while driving in North Atlanta, I happened to notice a beautiful, upscale subdivision with well-tended lawns and perfect
landscaping. A lovely rough-hewn stone entrance wall proudly proclaimed the name of the subdivision as “River Crest”. I had just
crossed over the Chattahoochee River and thought to myself ,“Well, that’s an appropriate name.” I then began to wonder how
developers come up with the names for their projects. Obviously, this one was a no-brainer; it was right next to the river. But then I
started thinking about the word “crest”. When a river “crests” it reaches the top of its bank. This is not a good thing. This is called
flooding. Would you live in a neighborhood named River Crest without flood insurance? If you loved peace and quiet, would you buy a
house on “Airport Road”? What do you suppose you would find on “Quarry Road” if the shaking and booming didn’t give it away?
There are clues all around us, yet we pass them by everyday without making the connection. Certainly no one in their right mind is going
to name a road “Landslide Lane” or “Fault Zone Highway” but learning to pay attention to the clues right in front of your eyes could keep
you and your loved ones on solid ground.
What are some of the geo-hazards we may experience in the South and just how bad are they?
CREEP:
The slow, imperceptible downslope movement of mineral, rock, and soil particles under gravity. Even if you were very patient and
watched all day, every day, you’d never see this happen. It really creeps up on you. How can you tell if you have “creep” in your
neighborhood or in your yard? (Other than that strange man who tapes his broken spectacles together and wears pocket protectors).
Look for these signs of stress: bent trees, leaning fence posts and utility poles, stone walls leaning outwards, cracked walls and
foundations, windows and doors that used to shut normally but now stick and jam even in winter.
SLUMP:
The downward slipping of a mass of rock or unconsolidated material, moving as a unit. This is often a man-made phenomena caused by
builders trying to save a few dollars and a few days time by making a slope too steep instead of grading it down to a less severe incline.
A perfect example of this was spotted at the Mall of Georgia right after it opened. One steep slope could not support its own weight and
virtually “caved-in” on itself. Had the incline been more gradual or the slope better supported, or trees planted and the ground seeded
immediately, this geo-hazard could have been avoided. Now the cost to fix the slump is probably going to be added on to the price of
construction. Call me paranoid, but I’m betting the cost of buying shoes at the mall just steepened too.
QUICK SAND:
Behaves as a liquid and flows when saturated with water. Water surrounds each grain of sand, causing it to lose its cohesion. Yes, this
occurs in Georgia. A fellow rockhound sank to her thigh in quicksand in Lithonia. This particular patch was completely camouflaged by
the surrounding ground cover. Contrary to Hollywood, she did not get sucked down into the mire and was not rescued by a quick
thinking Tarzan and a nearby elephant. What should you do when you find yourself in quicksand? First of all, don’t panic and don’t
struggle. Try to get in a horizontal position and float until help arrives. If help is nowhere to be found, shout “Simba! Un Gowa!” at the top
of your lungs and hope an elephant is within hearing range.
QUICK CLAYS AND EXPANSIVE SOILS:
Quick clays are composed of flakes of clay minerals arranged in very fine layers with water content more than 50%. Normally these
clays can support a ton per square foot, but the slightest jarring from an earthquake or near ground explosion can immediately turn it into
a liquid. This was the major cause of ground failure in the Good Friday earthquake in Alaska in 1964. Okay, so we don’t live in an
earthquake prone area, so why should you fear wet clay? Here’s why: expansive soils may sound like a tempest in a teapot, but they
cause more damage in the United States than earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods combined. When dry, expansive soils are
-Continued On Next Page-
Tips and Trips
Page 11
The Georgia Mineral Society
April 2003
GEO-HAZARDS
(Continued from Page 10)
hard and strong, but when wet, they can swell to over 15 times their dry volume. These soils are found in every state in the US and
cover one fourth of the land surface. Ten percent of homes will experience significant damage from expansive soils. Owners have been
known to patch and redecorate badly cracked and moving walls, sell the house and quickly pass on the problem to someone else. (Who
then, patches and passes it on to someone else!)
MUDFLOW:
A general term for a mass-movement characterized by a flowing mass of fine-grained earth material with a high degree of fluidity. The
water content may range up to 60%. California is famous for its mudflows, but closer to home, in February of 2003, a mudflow killed
people in Tennessee and destroyed an apartment building.
EARTH FLOW:
A mass-movement characterized by downslope sliding of soil and weathered rock within well-defined boundaries. An earth flow contains
bigger pieces (and consequently, can move faster and cause more damage) than a mudflow.
DEBRIS FLOW:
A moving mass of rock fragments, soil and mud, more than half of the particles being larger than sand size. Slow debris flows may move
less than three feet per year; fast ones can reach 96 miles per hour. A debris flow can include such things as tires, trees, automobiles,
even houses and other large “debris”.
ROCKFALL:
The relatively free fall of a newly detached segment of bedrock of any size from a cliff, steep slope, cave or arch. Rockfall also refers to a
mass of rock already fallen. You can see signs warning of the dangers of rockfalls on Highway I-24 at Monteagle, Tennessee.
ROCKSLIDE:
The downward and usually rapid movement of newly detached segments of bedrock, sliding on a surface of bedding, jointing or faulting.
The moving mass usually breaks up into many small units. On August 17, 1959, in Montana, the Madison Canyon Landslide was the largest in
North American history. The slide rushed across the Madison River at break-neck speed, reaching the other side of the incised river
channel in a matter of seconds. There was no warning. Twenty-six campers were killed as they slept and 19 are still are buried there today under
60 million tons of rock. The landslide coincided with the Hebgen Lake earthquake which registered 7.5 on the Richter Scale.
You can see local examples of less devastating rockslides at Chunky Gal on Highway 64 in North Carolina.
LANDSLIDE:
A general term for a wide variety of processes and landforms involving the downslope movement, under gravity, of masses of soil and
rock material. Geologists say “there’s no such thing” as a landslide. They would prefer you specify which type of earth movement it is:
rockfall, mudflow, slump etc.
The most common triggers of landslides are: earthquakes, explosions, overloading the crown of the slope, undercutting the base of a
slope, removal of the toe of a slope, over saturation with water, removal of ground cover & vegetation, oversteepened slopes. (The
maximum natural inclination of a slope is called the “angle of repose” and is self-regulated by triggering slides that bring the slope back
to a stable position.)
California has enacted landslide-control legislation that requires new building sites to be inspected by an accredited geologist.
The Great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 triggered 10,000 landslides, as did the 1976 Guatemala City earthquake. The longest
landslide in geologic history happened 8,000 years ago in Mexico when the Colima volcano produced a landslide that traveled over 75
miles. The largest underwater landslide was caused by a Hawaiian volcano, and its mass covered 1,000 cubic miles.
SINKHOLE:
A circular, often funnel-shaped depression in a karst area. Karsts are formed by dissolution of limestone, dolomite or gypsum
underground by the slow penetration of acidic rain through cracks and along faults. Major karst locations in the US are the Southeast
and the Midwest. Half of Alabama and one third of Florida is at risk for subsidence due to karst areas. A large sinkhole formed overnight
in Shelby County, Alabama and is called the “December Giant” by locals. It is over 110 feet wide and 33 feet deep.
SUBSIDENCE:
Sinking or downward settling of the earth’s surface, without horizontal movement. Subsidence may be caused by natural geologic
processes, such as solution, compaction, or withdrawal of fluid from beneath a solid crust; or by man’s activity, such as subsurface
mining or the pumping of oil or ground water. Over pumping of groundwater in Mexico City caused the city to sink over 20 feet since
1940.
Now that you’re familiar with some of Earth’s geo-hazards, is it any wonder that Will Durant once said, “Civilization exists by geologic
consent, subject to revocation without notice”? Look around your neighborhood and see how many times you can identify creep, slump,
or even a sinkhole in a major thoroughfare. Look along road cuts, expressways and construction sites. See where slopes have been
over-steepened and predict whether that site is a candidate for slumping, or sliding. Find examples of creep as you’re driving through the
countryside. You’ll be surprised at what you’ve been missing!
References:
Coates, Donald R.: Geology and Society (1985) Chapman and Hall, NY.
Gunn, Angus M.: The Impact of Geology on the United States (2001) Greenwood Press, Westport.
Leveson, David: Geology and the Urban Environment (1980) Oxford University Press, NY.
McBride, Laura Harrison: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Natural Disasters (2000), Alpha Books, Indianapolis.
THE GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, INC.
P.O. Box 15011
Atlanta, Georgia 30333-5011
www.gamineral.org
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
We are a NON-PROFIT EDUCATIONAL organization that thrives with your VOLUNTEER HELP!
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Dues for New Members (Single, Couple, Family) are $25.00 per Society year. ($20.00 + $5.00 Initial Processing Fee)
Renewal Dues are $20.00 per Society year. (due 12 months from the date of joining and every 12 months thereafter)
Reinstatement Dues (For Expired Membership) are $25.00 ($20.00 + $5.00 Reinstatement Fee).
FAMILY MEMBERSHIPS ARE FOR THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY INCLUDING CHILDREN RESIDING WITH PARENTS. CHILDEREN 16 YEARS OF AGE AND YOUNGER ARE
CONSIDERED JUNIOR MEMBERS.
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THE GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, INC.
P.O. BOX 15011
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30333 - 5011
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