Colorado Scientific Society – Earth Sciences since 1882
The oldest scientific society in the Rocky Mountain region
Founded in 1882, the Colorado Scientific Society promotes knowledge, the understanding of science, and its application to human needs.
We focus primarily on earth science, welcoming members with interests in all fields of science. Learn more.
from bottom left: Marith Reheis 2017, Jeff Pigati 2024, Cal Ruleman 2023, Ned Sterne 2021, Bill Nesse 2007, Pete Modreski 2012, Mark Hudson 2000, Karl Kellogg 1997, Steve Sonnenberg 1992, Scott Minor 2010, Jim Paces 2020
Future Colorado Scientific Society Meetings and Field Trips
We normally hold monthly meetings from September through May.
Our meetings are normally now both in-person and virtual.
CSS October Meeting
Retreat, Recovery, and Subglacial Radiocarbon: Untangling past [in]stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. – note a week later than normal
Ryan Venturelli, Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at School of Mines
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church Golden, or Join us on Zoom.
See details about attending in-person at the church below.
Link to Join CSS October Meeting via Zoom
CSS is inviting you to our meeting on Thursday, October 24th at 6:45 pm.
Meeting ID: 874 2917 6581
Passcode: 505361
Abstract: Reconstructions of past ice sheet behavior enable us to refine physical models that predict how much, how fast, and from where Antarctic ice mass loss will contribute to future sea level rise. Geological constraints on paleo ice thickness obtained from above the modern ice surface (e.g., exposure age data from deglaciated nunataks) and on paleo ice extent obtained outboard from modern margins (e.g., sediment core and geomorphic data from the ice-free continental shelf) have served as the primary tools to decipher the topology of the Antarctic Ice Sheet from the Last Glacial Maximum to present. Recent efforts to recover sediment and bedrock from beneath grounded ice in Antarctica offer insight into the southernmost extent of grounding line retreat, yielding a more complete view of ice dynamics through the last deglaciation. In this talk, I will present results from recent subglacial access efforts that have provided direct constraints on a less extensive West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Holocene compared to today. These new constraints on the timing and extent of grounding line retreat prior to the modern observational record allow for a mechanistic understanding of the drivers of marine ice-sheet evolution, subglacial ecosystem processes, and subglacial Antarctica’s role in global biogeochemical cycling. I will conclude by presenting new geochemical and sampling tools under development to enable future work constraining ice-sheet history. By generating this process-to-paleo perspective on the co-evolution of cryospheric, geologic, biologic, and oceanographic systems and combining it with detailed ice-sheet modeling experiments, we can create the context required to reduce uncertainty in sea-level projections on societally relevant timescales.
Bio: Dr. Ryan Venturelli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. Her research group, the Rates and Dates Laboratory, supports undergraduate student researchers, graduate student researchers, and postdoctoral researchers in using isotope geochemistry to reconstruct ice sheet history.
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church Golden
All are welcome – no admission charge
6:30 pm – Social time at in-person meetings
6:45 pm – Join Zoom meetings
7:00 pm – Meeting and Program begin. Please arrive early.
Church doors are locked, and no one will be at the door to let you in after 7:00 pm.
Calvary Church Golden
Click on link to open a Google map.
Enter from 14th St., go in by the main glass doors at [906] 14th St.
Do not enter via the old church above 13th St.
From the 14th Street entrance go down the hallway following Colo Sci Soc signs to Community Rooms 1 and 2, where we meet.
The church doors must stay locked, and we will have a person to let you in at the doors off 14th st.
They want to see the presentation too, so please arrive before 7:00 pm.
There will be a phone number that you can text to be let in if you arrive late.
Parking
On street parking is available close by, along 14th St and west of Washington Ave in Golden.
The AirGarage parking structure, which can be entered from Arapahoe St., is $3.00 for three hours.
Copies of The Geology of Boulder County by Raymond Bridge (2004) will be available for $20.
Caribou Mine Tour – CSS No Moss Gathering
Saturday, October 26th 2024, 10:00 AM to early afternoon
Peyton Jackson, American Clean Resources Group will lead this trip.
Meet at Caribou Mine, above Nederland, at 10:00 am for an underground tour and an above ground walk. The Caribou Mine is a silver, gold, and lead mine located in Boulder county, Colorado. Zinc and Uranium are also present.
Directions from traffic circle in Nederland to Caribou Mine (PDF)
Plan on lunch at the Historic Caribou Cemetery site with outdoor hiking opportunities and some very prominent geology on the edge of the Roosevelt National Forest.
What are “No Moss Gatherings”?
Motto: “a rolling stone gathers no moss“.
These are usually half day trips in the Denver area.
Pete Modreski started these in the Spring of 2022, encouraging CSS members to get out after the Covid-19 shutdown.
CSS November Meeting with Student and Member Poster Night
Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
In-person Meeting at Calvary Church Golden or Join us on Zoom
CSS December Holiday Potluck, Meeting and President’s Address
Quaternary Records of Spring Ecosystems
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.
Jeff Pigati and Kathleen Springer, U.S. Geological Survey
In-person Potluck Dinner at New Terrain Brewing Company for 50 people or Join us on Zoom
Please pay your CSS dues for 2025!
You may pay dues online or print out a PDF of the membership form and mail it to us with a check. Continuing your membership in CSS will enable us to continue all our ongoing programs, including our field trips, virtual meetings, Student Research Grants, and more.
See Membership and Donations for the CSS membership PDF and our online membership payment form.
Regular CSS Membership is $25;
Student Membership, $5;
Life Membership, $395.
Send your membership payment, if not done through our online membership payment form, to Colorado Scientific Society P.O. Box 150495 Lakewood, CO 80215-0495.
Thank you!
Read past Colorado Scientific Society Newsletters
Start or renew your membership with the Online CSS Membership Form
Or print and mail in the Colorado Scientific Society Membership Form (PDF)
Archive of Past Colo. Scientific Society Meetings
About the Colorado Scientific Society
The Colorado Scientific Society was founded in 1882 as a forum for the exchange of observations and ideas on the topics of earth science. Lecture topics largely focus on earth science, and are open to the public. In addition to our monthly lecture series, the society is also active in public service. We fund student research grants, construct and post signs that describe local geologic features, and organize and lead field trips.
The Colorado Scientific Society normally meets on the third Thursday of the month from September through May. (In the summer months of June-August, too many members are out in the field.)
6:30 – Social time at in-person meetings
6:45 – Join Zoom meetings
7:00 – Meeting and Program begin
Corporate Sponsorship of the Colorado Scientific Society
Corporate sponsorship helps the Society continue to provide earth science-related talks, field trips, and other events to a broad cross-section of Front Range geologists and interested people. Please accept an invitation from the Colorado Scientific Society to become a corporate sponsor, enabling us to continue and expand our programs.
Details of corporate sponsorship of the Colorado Scientific Society
The Colorado Scientific Society is an Associated Society of the Geological Society of America
Please send comments about the Colorado Scientific Society website to ColoSciSoc.webmaster@gmail.com .
We meet at the Golden Calvary Church and appreciate them sharing their facilities.
We have our December Business Meeting and Potluck Supper at New Terrain Brewing Company and appreciate their support.
RockWare provides the Colorado Scientific Society with a meeting place for our monthly CSS Council meetings. RockWare provides Earth Science Software, Consulting, and Training.
We appreciate the support for our website by Table Mountain Web Design.
