Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America

SESSION NO. 4
4-5 9:50 AM Gochis, Emily E. [218622]
PROMOTING GEOSCIENCE SKILLS AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE BY INTEGRATING FIELD-
BASED EARTHCACHES INTO TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
GOCHIS, Emily E. 1 , ROSE, William I. 2 , HUNGWE, Kedmon 3 , KLAWITER, Mark F. 1 , MATTOX,
Stephen R. 4 , PETCOVIC, Heather 5 , and MILLER, Ashley E. 2 , (1) Geological and Mining
Engineering and Sciences, Michigan Technological Univ, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton,
MI 49931, eegochis@mtu.edu, (2) Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences,
Michigan Technological Univ, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, (3) Cognitive and
Learning Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton,
MI 49931, (4) Department of Geology, Grand Valley State Univ, Allendale, MI 49401-9403,
(5) Department of Geosciences and The Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western
Michigan University, 1187 Rood Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
The solutions to many of societies energy, water and climate dilemmas will only be achieved
through creativity and an understanding of complex Earth System processes by all the nation’s
citizens. These Earth processes are complicated because they require the knowledge of multiple
STEM subject areas, geologic time and 3D geo-spatial skills. One method that has been shown to
effectively increase knowledge and attitude towards Earth Science in k-12 students is to connect
classroom content to local sites that are familiar to students and which provide observable
evidence of Earth System phenomena. However, many of today’s teachers have little or no formal
background in Earth Science concepts and are unaware of the presence of ‘geo-significant’
places in their communities.
The Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP) is a NSF funded MSP teacher professional
development program for urban school educators. The program’s goal is to increase the content
knowledge and pedagogical skills of educators with limited Earth Science training. As part of the
three-year program teachers participated in the MiTEP-EarthCache model to promote placebased
Earth Science education. An EarthCache is an outdoor place found throughout the region
that provides visitors a lesson on “how the Earth works.” Each EarthCache is accompanied by a
set of coordinates, an explanation of the natural processes responsible for the formation of the
geo-significant feature, and questions to evaluate what the visitor has learned during their visit.
Information for each EarthCache can be found at www.earthcache.org which is maintained by
the Geological Society of America and Groundspeak. The MiTEP-EarthCache model requires
participants to visit EarthCache sites established in Michigan and subsequently develop their own
EarthCache to be reviewed by GSA and published on the website for use by the general public.
A mixed methods study has been conducted to evaluate the program’s effectiveness to develop
teachers’ 1) field based geoscience skills, 2) earth science content knowledge 3) awareness of
regional geological features and 4) Earth Science pedagogical skills.
This talk will provide an overview of the MiTEP-EarthCache program, discuss program
outcomes and effectiveness as a profession develop tool in STEM education.
4-6 10:10 AM Miller, Ashley E. [218642]
INTEGRATING INQUIRY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN K-12 EARTH SCIENCE CLASSROOMS
MILLER, Ashley E., Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Michigan
Technological Univ, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931, aemiller@mtu.edu and
MATTOX, Stephen, Geology, Grand Valley State University, 133 Padnos, Allendale,
MI 49401-9403
Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP) offers cohorts of teachers in Grand Rapids,
Kalamazoo and Jackson Publics Schools a variety of experiences that are utilized to improve
the teaching and learning of K-12 Earth Science topics within the classroom. The integration
of inquiry-based teaching and learning in this setting is facilitated by summer experiences
throughout the state of Michigan, as well as Pedagogy-Content days. These educator “in-service”
days allow for teachers to collaborate in the creation or modification of lessons for use within their
classrooms. This session will outline the introduction of inquiry-based education to the MiTEP
participant and will also illustrate how it is being utilized as a theme within the MiTEP experience
for K-12 teachers.
4-7 10:30 AM Grabemeyer, Nick C. [218639]
KALAMAZOO AND JACKSON (MI) K-12 TEACHER REFLECTIONS FROM THE MICHIGAN
TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
GRABEMEYER, Nick C. 1 , YOUNG, Julie L. 1 , JENKINS, Julia H. 1 , BRYANT-KUIPHOFF,
Yonee’ E. 1 , REED, Mark S. 2 , MATTOX, Stephen3 , PETCOVIC, Heather4 , and ROSE,
William I. 5 , (1) Kalamazoo Public Schools, Kalamazoo, MI 49006, grabemeyernc@
kalamazoo.k12.mi.us, (2) Jackson Public Schools, Jackson, MI 49203, (3) Geology,
Grand Valley State University, 133 Padnos, Allendale, MI 49401-9403, (4) Department
of Geosciences and The Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western Michigan
University, 1187 Rood Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, (5) Geological and Mining Engineering
and Sciences, Michigan Technological Univ, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931
K-12 teacher participants from cohort-3 of MiTEP (Michigan Teacher Excellence Program) will
present exemplary lesson plans and EarthCache sites they’ve authored, along with highlights of
the professional development activities that have enriched their Earth science content knowledge
and honed their pedagogical skills. Each of these teachers will provide one career-changing
take-away from their involvement in this 3 year suite of graduate courses, field experiences, and
leadership opportunities. These teachers will be present at the end of the session to answer
questions or to further elaborate on their experiences. Their work can be accessed electronically
at .
4-8 10:50 AM Ernstes, Joshua D. [218668]
KALAMAZOO (MI) K-12 TEACHER REFLECTIONS FROM THE MICHIGAN TEACHER
EXCELLENCE PROGRAM
ERNSTES, Joshua D. 1 , ERNSTES, Angela L. 1 , KAY, Katherine E. 1 , SELNER, Maria D. 1 ,
KAHLER, Dawn1 , PETCOVIC, Heather2 , MATTOX, Stephen3 , and ROSE, William I. 4 ,
(1) Kalamazoo Public Schools, Kalamazoo, MI 49001, ernstesjd@kalamazoo.k12.mi.us,
(2) Department of Geosciences and The Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western
Michigan University, 1187 Rood Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, (3) Geology, Grand Valley State
University, 133 Padnos, Allendale, MI 49401-9403, (4) Geological and Mining Engineering
and Sciences, Michigan Technological Univ, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931
K-12 teachers in cohort-3 of the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP) will share
experiences from the 3-year suite of professional development activities involving Earth science
education. In addition to providing exemplary, inquiry-based lesson plans and teacher-authored
EarthCache sites, each teacher will provide one take-away activity, strategy, or leadership
opportunity that has been career-changing. These teachers will be available after the session to
answer questions or to elaborate on their experiences. Their work is available electronically at
.
6 2013 GSA Abstracts with Programs
4-9 11:10 AM McLean, Colleen E. [218775]
MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE MODERN ENVIRONMENTAL ERA: A PARTNERSHIP
TO ENHANCE TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF SUSTAINABILITY
CONCEPTS
KUMLER, Lori1 , MCLEAN, Colleen E. 2 , and ARMSTRONG, Felicia P. 2 , (1) Political Science
and International Studies, University of Mount Union, 1972 Clark Ave, Alliance, OH 44601,
(2) Geological and Environmental Sciences, Youngstown State University, 2120 Moser Hall,
One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555, cemclean@ysu.edu
Contemporary challenges in geoscience education require innovative teaching methods and a
broad understanding of evolving concepts as well as state specific content standards. Ohio’s new
content standards for social studies and science at the middle and secondary levels for the first
time include concepts related to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. However, the
concept of sustainability is relatively new to the standards and most teachers within the classroom
have not been adequately prepared to address these standards. Through an Ohio Environmental
Education Fund grant, we partnered with local school districts to offer a graduate course for
middle and secondary science and social studies teachers focused on sustainability concepts as
related to their local communities. The course included an intense full week summer workshop
and additional meetings during the school year in which teachers shared standards-based unit
plans developed out of the course. During the summer workshop, teachers attended lectures by
university and outside experts in energy, water quality, air quality/climate, soils and land use; the
last day included a panel discussion led by local specialists and government officials in land use
(e.g. abandoned mines, regional council of governments). Teachers also learned how to use a
basic modeling program (STELLA ©) and learned about new energy initiatives related to solar
hydrogen production. In the field, teachers visited local sites including a solar company, a LEED
certified building, a wastewater treatment plant, a local forest, a pervious parking lot, and a farm
producing food for Cleveland area restaurants. Teachers were then able to integrate updated
knowledge and field experiences into unit plans that they created for their classes. This workshop
was geared directly to in-service and pre-service teachers, administrators, teacher preparation
programs, and state education officers. This partnership demonstrates that university-school
district partnerships can provide essential professional development opportunities to teachers
related to the latest technological and economic innovations.
SESSION NO. 5, 10:00 AM
Thursday, 2 May 2013
T18. Recent Advances in the Studies on the Origin of
Magmatic and Hydrothermal Ore Deposits
Fetzer Center, Room 2040
5-1 10:00 AM Mulcahy, Connor [218405]
RARE EARTH ELEMENT ENRICHED MINERALS IN HYDROTHERMAL COPPER DEPOSITS
FROM THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA, MICHIGAN, USA
MULCAHY, Connor1 , HANSEN, Edward C. 1 , RHEDE, D. 2 , and BORNHORST, Theodore J. 3 ,
(1) Geological and Environmental Sciences, Hope College, 35 E 12th Street, Holland,
MI 49423, connor.mulcahy@hope.edu, (2) Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches
GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Potsdam, 14473, Germany, (3) A. E. Seaman Mineral
Museum, Michigan Technological University, 1404 E. Sharon Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931
Low grade hydrothermal metamorphism associated with copper mineralization in Michigan’s
Keweenaw Peninsula created concentrated masses of calc-silicate minerals in intralayered
tholeiitic basalts and rhyolite-pebble conglomerates within the fill of the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent rift.
These masses consist of epidote, pumpellyite, prehnite, and titanite in the basalts and epidote,
titanite, and sporadic andradite in the conglomerates and were examined by SEM, and electron
microprobe analyses from five localities (three in basalts; two in conglomerates). Epidote grains
enriched in REE were found in samples from both conglomerate localities and can be classified
into: Type I characterized by narrow growth zones with up to 6 wt.% Ce O + La O + Nd O ; Type
2 3 2 3 2 3
II characterized by dissolution-reprecipitation zoning consisting of irregular REE-enriched zones
around fractures or as incomplete rims/embayments at the margins of REE poor crystals; and
Type III characterized by masses of small, acicular crystals with an allanite component of up to
47 mole% projecting from the margins of REE-poor epidote crystals or intergrown with titanite/
REE poor epidote. Synchysite, REE-fluorocarbonate, occurs with calcite in some conglomerate
samples that contain little or no epidote. Only one basalt sample was found to contain REEenriched
minerals as clusters of irregularly shaped patches with up to 4.3 wt.% Ce O + La O +
2 3 2 3
Nd O within REE-poor epidote. Type I REE-enrichment represents a brief increase in the activity
2 3
of REE-elements during epidote growth. Either a change in the hydrothermal fluid composition or
a sudden decrease in temperature during the last stages of epidote growth led to super-saturation
of REE elements that in turn led to the development of Type II and Type III enrichment. The
hydrothermal fluids may have acquired REE from leaching of rhyolite clasts in conglomerates at
depth in the source area for the fluids
5-2 10:20 AM Frank, Mark R. [218392]
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF GOLD IN SULFIDE MINERALS
FRANK, Mark R. and FRALEY, Kendle, Department of Geology and Environmental
Geosciences, Northern Illinois University, Davis Hall, Room 312, DeKalb, IL 60115,
mfrank@niu.edu
Au in magmatic-hydrothermal systems may often co-precipitate with common Cu-Fe sulfide
minerals. Au has been found within bornite and chalcopyrite in porphyry ore deposits such as at
Bingham Canyon and as “invisible” Au in pyrite and arsenopyrite samples from the Carlin trend.
The Au concentrations within these Cu-Fe and Fe sulfide minerals have been explored as a
function of temperature previously, but no study has systemically varied both temperature and
sulfur activity in a way that mimics the conditions of porphyry ore formation. The activity of sulfur
in magmatic-hydrothermal systems controls the stable sulfide mineral assemblage and has been
shown to impact the solubility and speciation of Cu and Au in a magmatic volatile phase, however,
its impact on Au in sulfide minerals is unknown. Experiments were conducted at 100 MPa
with an oxygen fugacity buffered by Ni-NiO, and at temperatures of 500, 600, and 700 °C, to
determine the solubility of Au within bornite, high-temperature chalcopyrite (intermediate solid
solution – ISS), and pyrrhotite. The activity of sulfur in the system was buffered by sulfide mineral
assemblages that induced values between log -11±1 and 0.4±0.8 (1σ). Au capsules were loaded
with the select mineral assemblage and a 5 wt.% NaCl (eq.) aqueous solution composed of