5,000 Geologists Meet In Phoenix For Annual Conference

By Scott Bourque
Published: Monday, September 23, 2019 - 6:05am

Audio icon Download mp3 (1.12 MB)

Geological Society of America 2019 Conference
Scott Bourque/KJZZ
Geological Society of America 2019 Conference in Phoenix.

More than 5,000 geologists, students, researchers, industry exhibitors and geology buffs are meeting at the annual Geological Society of America conference in downtown Phoenix this week.

They’ll be sharing their research on topics ranging from climate change to fossil research to STEM education through poster presentations and lectures. 

ASU geology professor Steven Semken helped plan this conference. It’s not just about rocks, he says, but all earth sciences: atmospheric science, oceanography, and planetary geology, to name a few.

“A lot of times, I think the geological sciences don’t the attention that we as geoscience professionals think they ought to,” Semken said. “The earth is the substrate for all life. Understanding how the earth works is a prerequisite to understand how living systems work and how we can live more sustainably in the face of climate change and population growth.”

He says Arizona, with its rich geological history, is a playground for geology buffs. This conference will give visiting geologists an opportunity to explore the Southwest. 

“Many geoscientists love to go out into the field and explore and see new geology,” he said. “We had almost 30 field trips going with this conference, which is a significant number. I think it testifies to the geological excitement of Arizona and the surrounding regions of the Southwest.”

Science