By Dr. Robert Thorson
More than a thousand geologists were swarming the streets of Hartford earlier this week during the 47th annual meeting of the Northeastern Section of the Geological Society of America, held at the Marriott Hotel Downtown. Hardly anyone seems to have noticed.
Of course, they weren’t here for the attention. They were here to help each other understand how the earth works so the results can be translated into policy by others.
For example, they were discussing ways to lower our heating bills by investigating the flux of geothermal heat from hot rocks. They were developing models to keep the bridges we take for granted from being washed out by drenching storms ahead. They were planning to uncover what is arguably the most famous dinosaur trackway in the world to help educate youths about the planet they will inherit.
None of the geologists I met was an American Idol. But then again, fame and importance are not the same thing.
Of course I’m biased, being a geology professor. But I’m also a part-time journalist trained to look for the story that’s gone missing, especially one the public may benefit from learning more about.
My students — present and past — were there in force. I can’t resist telling you about their work. One was a young man dressed in a suit and interviewing with Exxon Mobil, hoping to help us fuel our lifestyles. Another was building physical “sandbox” models of glacial aquifers to help us understand the flow of groundwater to wells. A third, now approaching retirement, has spent the last 27 years keeping track of the well-being of the Connecticut River.
And they span the spectrum of human beings. One was a self-confessed suburban icon from Glastonbury, 40-something in great shape, a happily married dad with a full-time job, two Volvos, two kids and a family dog. Another was younger, scruffier, poorer and crunchier (meaning a connoisseur of granola), ready to bang some rocks on the nearest mountain summit.
There was lots going on. A keynote speech, three symposiums, 23 technical sessions, four workshops and six field trips, not to mention all the receptions, business meetings and face-to-face, rather than virtual, networking. Much — though not all — of what they learn eventually gets translated for societal benefit.
For example, did you know:
* There are high levels of toxic mercury buried in sediments of the Connecticut River, poised for release?
* The lower salt marsh of the Long Island Sound shoreline is being drowned faster than it can be replaced?
*The historic record of hurricane strikes on the coast can be extended by studying sand layers named “tempestites,” perhaps in honor of one of Shakespeare’s plays?
If you want to know more, contact the geologist nearest you, or one at the Natural Resource Center at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which houses the state geological survey.
Though geologists are not as common as primary care physicians, they’re nearly as widespread, working at home, in urban skyscrapers for engineering consulting firms, in state and federal agencies, and in higher education and the public schools, where they teach our kids how the planet works.
And now, a few studies I found particularly interesting:
*Hydrologists are predicting which aquifers are vulnerable and which are not. They’re monitoring groundwater chemistry that will influence public and private water supplies.
*One of my favorite papers was on “urban stream syndrome,” a version of post-traumatic stress from past industrialization.
*Another traced the earthquakes responsible for the famous Moodus noises to an ancient fault line that extends northeast beyond the Massachusetts line.
As contemporary culture goes green, let’s keep in mind that geology is the soil beneath biology and human affairs. If physical geography is the house in which regional culture makes its home, then geology is its foundation, plumbing and wiring.