Speaker: The AEG Jahns Lecturer (Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists) Dr. John Wakabayashi (Fresno State University) |

Lecture Title: Attempting to Bridge the Growing Gap between Academic and Applied Geology: A Personal Odyssey  |

Abstract: Here I will tell a few stories from my days as an engineering and environmental geologist as well as some other stories from the academic world.

Some of these stories may include: 1. Mélanges and Bimrocks: updates (details in no.1) 2. Recollections of an earlier time in paleoseismologic studies in which structural geology experience was not often incorporated into interpreting trenches. The asymmetric fabric of fault gouge as an indicator of shear (movement sense) is an example.  3. experience with metals of environmental concern in rock and soil and work to try to show that the average concentration of many of these metals in a number of common rock types routinely exceeds various clean up goals.  4. Naturally-occurring asbestos. Mismapping of rock types (many rocks are misidentified as serpentinite) countered by issues of serpentinite detritus in otherwise siliciclastic sedimentary rocks (related to topics 1 and 2).  5. Complex structural geology and its application to engineering geology: (a) overturned folds with shallowly dipping axial surfaces influence slope failure at a well-known project in the northern Sierra Nevada; (b) complex accommodation mechanisms of post-excavation heave at a dam abutment in the San Francisco Bay Area.  6. The evolution of strike-slip fault step-overs and implications for seismic hazard. Whereas my models for step-over evolution (see below) have been of great interest in petroleum exploration they have important implications in seismotectonic evaluations including strategies in siting fault trenches and explanations for areas with ill-defined faults when relatively high slip rates may be expected. The causative of the Napa earthquake may be examples of faults related to such step-over evolution and I have had an interest in these faults dating back to the late 90’s.

More info: http://www.aegweb.org/page/JahnsLecturer2017