Glacial Successions - 2009 University of Calgary

In June, we arrived in Calgary to teach the principals of sedimentary deposition, effects of secondary weathering and methods to describe those elements on boring logs and then rationalize a meaningful way to correlate geologic units from boring to boring.

It was a blast.

First, we drove to Calgary (Ken Borrell and me, Dan Kelleher). The drive is about 20 hours from Waverly, Minnesota and it took us two full days. Someone might say wanting to drive across the "boring" plains is crazy....but to a pair of keen geoscientists, the glacial landscape is full of subtle rolls that tell a riveting post-glacial story.

We sampled a pilot boring the day before the course to better understand the regional setting. It was my first sonic boring in Canada (June 16, 2009). The long days enabled us to spend sufficient time with the core and place it on tables in order to read the story the sediments were telling us.

The capacity course began on campus at the University of Calgary. The first day is dedicated to teaching depositional environments, secondary weathering and then moves into the "do's and don'ts" of building the geologic framework, unraveling glacial sedimentary complexities and then applying what we see to designing ground water monitoring systems, selecting geotechnical soil samples that are diagnostic to site stratigraphy and project objectives and having confidence in your site conceptual model.

The attendees arrived at the field site on Day Two by motor coach. Soil core was continuously sampled by sonic methods and then placed from end to end on a table. Placement of the soil core is remarkable when inspecting it in this manner. The sedimentary story is so much easier to read and the geologic history is apparent, even to those without a science background.

We were glad we had a circus-sized canopy tent at 3pm when a drenching storm cloud passed overhead for 10 minutes. Everyone stayed dry and we never lost a minute of teaching.

Although sonic drilling was reportedly developed in Canada and gained popularity in the US through North Star Drilling (Tom Oothoudt) which is now Boart Longyear, sonic is reportedly just gaining momentum in Canada for environmental applications. The drilling company that drilled the boring in Calgary was Crater Lake Drilling from Red Deer, Alberta. The crew did a world-class job of careful sampling and 100-percent core recovery which makes teaching sedimentary sequences much easier, thank you to Gary Whitesell and his crew.

Following the course, Ken and I headed to the Columbia Ice Field located between Banff and Jasper, Alberta. The ice of the apline Athcabasca Glacier is remarkably clean compared to those reportedly dirty continental ice sheets that covered the Upper Midwest. It was an enjoyable trip that was worth every mile. -Dan.

Nevada Test Site: Phenomenal Course Field Trip

For the past six years, course attendees from the course Improving Hydrogeologic Analysis of Fractured Bedrock Systems access the super-secure Nevada Test Site and then inside the Yucca Mountain Repository Exploration Tunnel.

The tunnel field trip demonstrates how detailed fracture mapping can be used for hydrogeologic projects and illustrates trends between fracture origin and distribution. And frankly, its a historical project site irrespective of its future outcome TBD.

This year, the field trip was moved by US DOE from Yucca Mountain Project area to the eastern portion of the Nevada Test Site where atomic testing occurred in the 1970s and 80's. Driving through the "field" of subsidence craters quickly gives a person new perspective about this era of American history. The photo above captures the some of the 2009 field trip attendees (about half the attendees were on a different bus at a different location) at the remarkable "Apple II House" which was originally painted white and contained windows and a roof before the above ground atomic testing experiment, Apple II, was conducted to assess structural damage to identical buildings at various blast distances. First comment: the site was monitored and verified to be safe. Yes, it was the first question we each asked.

The geologic framework unfolds from stop to stop after a couple of bus stops at two unique and historical visits: one of the two remaining standing Apple II houses (two others were obliterated during the testing) and the infamous Sedan Crater.

Hydrogeologic Analysis of Bedrock; Jalisco, Mexico 2009

January is a great time to take a geology course in Mexico, especially if you live in an area with low temps and lots of snow. Midwest GeoSciences Group was invited to teach a course in Puerto Vallarta through the Universidad of Mexico, Mexico City. Ken Bradbury and I with our good friend, Dr. Luis Marin from the Universidad of Mexico, conducted a two-day course dedicated to characterizing geologic conditions, understanding ground water movement and the do the don't of ground water modeling in fractured rock. Luis incorporated many of Mexico's unique elements about doing field work, collecting and storing all types of data, and future trends where work may be expected during the next 10 years.

Participants attended from the US and Mexico and everybody stayed a few extra days to enjoy the hotel resort and town. The classroom portion of the course was conducted at the InterContinental Hotel located about 15 km south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. In this area south of town, the rainforest-covered mountains seem to come jetting straight up out of the Pacific Ocean. A few secluded and perfect beaches exist between Puerto Vallarta and Mismaloya, one of which is located at the InterContinental Hotel and Resort. If you are considering a visit to Puerto Vallarta, this is my recommendation (thank you to the IC crew for your generous hospitality). I've stayed at several hotels in Puerto Vallarta over the years, but once I stayed at the InterContinental, that is where I remained. There is no need to rent a car - taxis are plentiful and economical coupled with the safest choice considering the local driving habits.

The 2-day course included a field trip to a gigantic vertical rock exposure, a public drinking water supply wellfield and a new housing development where a fresh rock wall was excavated and rock bolts were being installed to secure the vertical rock face. Dr. Luis Marin told the geology story and Ken Bradbury used the field stops to illustrate the principles taught earlier in the classroom.





Despite the appearance, it was all business.

Melbourne, Australia 2008

High expectations were exceeded at every turn during our visit to Australia to conduct Improving Hydrogeologic Analysis of Fractured Bedrock Systems: From Comprehensive Characterization to Ground Water Modeling. It was a pleasure working with Peter Gringinger and the gang from the Australian Contaminated Land Consultants Association (VIC). Thank you again to the whole crew.

This was the first leg of our Australian tour and it was a an honor and thrill to meet each course attendee. They filled the classroom with energy while each person's knowledge and experience was apparent from their thoughtful questions and interaction.

One of the highlights for me was meeting people whom I have read of their work or heard their name in professional circles. It was equally a learning experience for me since most of my bedrock experience is focused on sedimentary rock stratigraphy. In Melbourne and throughout surrounding Victoria, the primary rock types are basalt. Approaches for characterization are vastly different for the two rock types.

Ken Bradbury, Glenn Duffield along with my wife and I arrived in Melbourne about a week before the course in order to adjust for time change and explore the city and surrounding countryside. Again a notable highlight was the friendly and welcoming people, everywhere.

My wife, Susan, took a day flight to Tasmania while we were teaching at the Holmsglenn Institute. She visited the Bonorong Park Wildlife Sanctuary and received her first personalized introduction to a Tasmanian Devil. She says they are much more friendly and tranquil than the whirling cartoon character, in fact she said they were "cuddly"...but not as much as the Koala Bears.

Project Management Excellence: 2008 Truby Experience

This is a unique course. Learning the elements of something I cannot feel, see or smell is not a common part of my everyday life. But yet it is. How I do things is as important as what I do.

Project Management educational experience benefits me everyday on a deeper level than knowing how to do my technical work. It changed me and it changed others too who took the 2-day course in June 2008 at Northern Illinois University Naperville Campus.

Based on the feedback following the course, everyone receives the course differently, but always positively. Some people apparently learn for the first time the mechanics of real and effective communication and another person told me (they) "got more out of 2-day of project management course than 2-years of marriage counselling". You'll only see that testimonial on this blog and nowhere else because, frankly unless you experience the course, its hard to believe that anything can be so dramatically empowering.

The reason for the dramatic experience is given to the credit of Bill and Joan Truby. Without going into details that I'm not even certain about, its obviously apparent that Bill and Joan together are motivated to launch the lives of people, irrespective of their environmental or engineering background. And despite their motive and dependable teaching abilities, they promote, inspire and teach a process that works. Don't take my word for it. Experience it for yourself. http://www.doorproductions.com/

Aquifer Testing Course at the University of Texas San Antonio

For our third year teaching the Advanced Aquifer Testing Course, we aimed at Texas because we had already hit Miami (2006) and San Diego (2007). We like the warm temps in February although we also like Canadian cities too when there's lots of snow to enjoy.

We landed in San Antonio and the course was slightly past capacity. Attendees are normally knowledgeable and enthusiastic at these courses, but this gang was not only those things, but also noticeably more interactive. I cannot explain the cause except perhaps it was the gracious Texas hospitality we each experienced. Regardless, this course is full of those brief moments where I suspect my friends and I will look back and reference many subtle and not-so-subtle memory-making instances.

UTSA Downtown is a showcase campus with new buildings and classrooms. The people, the food, the architecture, the birds and the landscape left a lasting memory on each of us. If you decide to visit UTSA Downtown, its conveniently located within either a long walk or a short car ride to the famous San Antonio Riverwalk.

The main instructors at this course are Jim Butler, Glenn Duffield and Shlomo Neuman. Dr. Neuman is located in the photo in the front row (fourth from right wearing a dark blue jacket) and Dr. Butler is the tallest standing in the back row, a few feet behind Dr. Neuman. I cannot tell you where Glenn is located....if I recall correctly, he was helping a student analyze project-related pumping test data in the classroom. He's a trooper.

THE AQUITARD COURSE - 2007

Assessing Ground Water Movement and Contaminant Migration Through Aquitards: From Field Investigation to Hydrogeologic Characterization was an enlightening 3 days at Northern Illinois University in Naperville. In collaboration with the North Central Section of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists, Northern Illinois University and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), we had a full house with attendees coming from over 20 states and Canada.

Despite its first-time offering, the feedback was phenomenal which is a tribute to the main instructors: Ken Bradbury, Madeline Gotkowitz, Paul Kesich, Dave Hart, Tim Kemmis, Mark Adamski, Mark Borchardt, and Dan Kelleher. The combination -once again- of classroom and field exercises proved to be a powerful element in illustrating the main principals for teaching aquitard integrity.

Hydrogeologic Analysis of Bedrock Systems: UNLV and Yucca Mountain

“Hard Hats Required” was read on a sign by workshop attendees entering into the Yucca Mountain Proposed Radioactive Waste Repository at the Nevada Test Site last month. Attendees from twenty-one states participated during the three-day workshop at UNLV conducted by the Midwest GeoSciences Group. The workshop featured a field trip to the Nevada Test Site which is located about 100 miles north of Las Vegas.

The workshop Advances in Hydrogeologic Analysis of Fractured Bedrock Systems was conducted this year at the University of Nevada Las Vegas in order to tour inside Yucca Mountain. “For a limited time, non-project-related professionals are allowed access into Yucca Mountain Project tunnel pending Department of Energy approval,” stated Tim Kemmis, one of the workshop coordinators. Kemmis added “The field trip illustrates many of the principles taught during the first day of classroom sessions.”

Rob Hoey of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection observing the absence of seepage and feeling the low humidity shared “…this tunnel is much drier than I expected”. Rob’s comment was indicative of many attendees’ observations due to the depth of the water table exceeding 1,500 feet below the tunnel entrance. The main criterium for storage of high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountian is that the facility be secure for 10,000 years. A major concern, however, is rock fracturing and how that would affect ground water seeping into the facility and to the water table. As a consequence, Yucca Mountain is perhaps the most extensively studied fractured rock site in the world.

Field trip leaders from the US Department of Energy pointed out the subvertical faults along the tunnel walls and explained how individual joints and fractures were mapped throughout the proposed tunnel area. Another concern about the site is the timing and magnitude of faulting bounding the Yucca Mountain area. Field trip participants observed trenches where extensive investigations were made of the age and displacement of nearby faults. Other concerns about the site were discussed by Yucca Mountain Project staff, including prediction of long-term climatic change and the effects of rock heating and cooling related to long-term storage of the nuclear waste.

Ken Bradbury and Maureen Muldoon from Wisconsin, Willard Murray and Glenn Duffield from the east coast, and John Peck from Las Vegas were the primary course instructors. The course focused on combining fundamental approaches with recent advances in hydrogeologic site characterization of fractured bedrock settings. Rob Hoey reported that site characterization and aquifer testing topics are much more comprehensive than other courses dedicated to the subject of fractured bedrock.

This Midwest GeoSciences Group recently announced that they are offering the same course again next year at the Desert Research Institute at UNLV with a field trip into Yucca Mountain again.