Abstract The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM), located in the central part of East Antarctica, have become the subject of great scientific interest because the mechanism driving the uplift of the range, which resembles younger mountain ranges in shape, in the middle of the old Antarctic Plate is unknown. The next step planned in the exploration of the GSM will be focused on direct examination of the ice sheet bed by drilling. The use of cable-suspended drilling technology is proposed. All of the drilling equipment will be installed inside a movable, sledge-mounted, temperature-controlled, and wind-protected drilling shelter and workshop connected by steel pathway. To drill through ice and bedrock, a new version of the cable-suspended ice and bedrock electromechanical drill was designed and tested. During the 2017–18 season, the drilling shelter and workshop will be assembled near the Zhongshan Station and first field tests will be carried out. Drilling for bedrock on the GSM is planned as soon as full financial and logistical support is obtained for the project.

Abstract In January 2013, the US WISSARD programme measured and sampled Lake Whillans, a subglacial water body at the edge of West Antarctica, in a clean and environmentally sensitive manner, proving the existence of microbial life beneath this part of the ice sheet. The success of WISSARD represented a benchmark in the exploration of Antarctica, made possible by a rich and diverse history of events, discoveries and discussions over the past 60 years, ranging from geophysical measurement of subglacial lakes to the development of scientific hypotheses concerning these environments and the engineering solutions required to test them. In this article, I provide a personal account of this history, from the published literature and my own involvement in subglacial lake exploration over the last 20 years. I show that our ability to directly measure and sample subglacial water bodies in Antarctica has been made possible by a strong theme of international collaboration, at odds with the media representation of a scientific ‘race’ between nations. I also consider plans for subglacial lake exploration and discuss how such collaboration is likely to be key to success of future research in this field.

The Michigan Technological University Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) program in mitigation of natural geological hazards combines Peace Corps service with a master’s degree in geology, geophysics, or geological engineering. The program provides students with a 2 yr international field experience, which helps to educate an adaptable, interculturally competent geoscientist. The challenges of conducting research while serving in the Peace Corps often provide opportunities for substantial learning and growth. A multiple-year evaluation of the PCMI program (2005–2013) suggests substantial impacts on students’ professional confidence and career aspirations. These conclusions are supported by data drawn from an objective-based evaluation of the Remote Sensing for Hazard Mitigation and Natural Resource Protection project, which supported the PCMI students. Instruments employed in the project assessment include the Intercultural Development Inventory, exit surveys, individual qualitative interviews, postparticipation tracking, and a comparison group survey. The small participant population and relatively short project duration, however, limit the definitiveness of the conclusions and how broadly they can be applied. These first 10 yr of this unique program have provided many lessons on the administration of a nontraditional international master’s degree program, including the difficulties of applying research to international development, funding, and advising students serving abroad in the Peace Corps. While the career paths of the program’s graduates remain in progress, the students’ unique skills and experiences are likely to be in demand given the global scope of many natural resource and environmental challenges.

The Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition (GLGMC), consisting of state geological surveys from all eight Great Lakes states, the Ontario Geological Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey, was conceived out of a societal need for unbiased and scientifically defensible geologic information on the shallow subsurface, particularly the delineation, interpretation, and viability of groundwater resources. Only a small percentage (<10%) of the region had been mapped in the subsurface, and there was recognition that no single agency had the financial, intellectual, or physical resources to conduct such a massive geologic mapping effort at a detailed scale over a wide jurisdiction. The GLGMC provides a strategy for generating financial and stakeholder support for three-dimensional (3-D) geologic mapping, pooling of physical and personnel resources, and sharing of mapping and technological expertise to characterize the thick cover of glacial sediments. Since its inception in 1997, the GLGMC partners have conducted detailed surficial and 3-D geologic mapping within all jurisdictions, and concurrent significant scientific advancements have been made to increase understanding of the history and framework of geologic processes. More importantly, scientific information has been provided to public policymakers in understandable formats, emphasis has been placed on training early-career scientists in new mapping techniques and emerging technologies, and a successful model has been developed of state/provincial and federal collaboration focused on geologic mapping, as evidenced by this program’s unprecedented and long-term successful experiment of 10 geological surveys working together to address common issues.

African geological surveys are playing an important role in local and global development. Core functions are mapping, mineral exploration, geophysics, geochemistry, research, and geoengineering. Regulatory functions, geohazards, training, environment, water resources, and land-use planning are also addressed by some. Most African geological surveys were founded to assist in the search for mineral resources, but they have had to adapt to a much wider field of responsibilities in more recent times. Examples from the Geological Survey of Namibia are given. Faced with challenges of funding and skills shortage, African geological surveys have united under the auspices of the Organization of African Geological Surveys in order to jointly resolve the difficulties experienced.

The western Pacific region contains 22 independent island countries and territories spread over an area of 27.8 million km 2 . Pacific peoples have lived here for as long as 50,000 yr, developing isolated cultures with close relationships to the environment. Although food security is adequate, the region suffers from persistent poverty that places many in a precarious position. Beginning in the 1920s, geological surveys conducted pioneering studies geared toward development. Beginning in the mid-1990s, many aid donors shifted their focus away from science, leading to a depletion of geo-science capacity. Lately, regional organizations have made considerable headway in expanding scientific capacity. The Geoscience Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community plays a significant role in helping the region attract geoscience-related aid funding and stitching the dispersed geoscience communities together. Universities in the region, assisted by geoscientists abroad and private employers, are also playing a role. This paper describes three examples of how geoscience can contribute to inclusive sustainable development. One example explores deep-sea minerals as a new source of wealth generation and the challenges the region faces in developing capacity and addressing the environmental concerns of this new revenue stream. A second project in Kiribati has moved aggregate extraction from beaches only 3 m above sea level to sediment-rich lagoons, providing new options for the future. Lastly, the promises and benefits of sustainable geothermal and ocean thermal technology are described.

To better understand regional variations in radon occurrences, the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) is working in partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing’s Clean Indoor Air Partnership to examine spatial and statistical associations between residential radon measurements and near-surface geologic rock formations that may serve as a radon source or pathway. A primary goal is to understand potential risk for population-level radon exposure. The Clean Indoor Air Partnership has been investigating the associations among radon prevalence, secondhand smoke, and lung cancer risk reduction. KGS and faculty in the College of Nursing formed a partnership to better understand the spatial variability of radon incidence by using a geologically referenced radon data set. Two studies have taken place, and one is currently under way. To facilitate the collaboration, a pilot study by KGS compared radon values to geologic formations in Boyle County, Kentucky. This study helped to communicate radon occurrence less in terms of political boundaries and more in terms of physical phenomena. The next phase of collaboration is a statistical analysis of the radon data in higher-population areas (central and northern Kentucky) to define those geologic units spatially associated with the high radon values. This will enable College of Nursing researchers to systematically target areas with the most potential for high radon exposure levels. The latest collaboration will create five county maps using residential radon testing values (supplied by the College of Nursing) to advance radon education and awareness and reduce lung cancer risk in Kentucky.

Abstract Sealed, submerged palaeoenvironmental deposits date the time range for lithic technologies and enable inferences about cultural change – potentially more accurately than radiometric methods. Sea-level rises triggered by global warming reduce available land, and change the availability of flora, fauna, geological resources, rivers and wetlands. Australian archaeological studies on human adaptation to climate change focus mainly on terrestrial sites, coastal intensification and the few archaeological sites that were not inundated. The South West Arm project at Port Hacking, south of Sydney, looks at the potential for rock shelters to survive inundation and expand the sites available for studying human adaption to climate change. Site prediction was based on recorded terrestrial rock-shelter landforms at South West Arm. Underwater surveys were conducted by divers who located, photographed and mapped similar formations. No excavation was conducted. The pre-disturbance survey examined approximately 1800 m of seabed, between water depths of 0 and 9 m, primarily along the eastern shoreline of South West Arm where the seabed emulates the steep slope, with sandstone rock outcrops that form terraces and rock overhangs above water. Twelve submerged rock overhangs were recorded and confirmed the potential for rock-shelter sites to survive the process of inundation.

Abstract The Merganser Field is located in the East Central Graben of the UK Central North Sea, and consists of a gas/condensate column trapped in a structural attic on the flanks of a fully penetrating salt diapir. A large salt overhang obscures the field and structural definition is challenging owing to poor seismic imaging. Exploration drilling established a column of 1327 ft in Paleocene-aged deep-marine deposits of the Forties, Andrew and Maureen Sandstone members, and revealed significant geological complexity. Depositional styles record the relationship between salt tectonics and sedimentation, with variable reservoir distribution influenced by halo-kinetically induced palaeorelief and accommodation space. Re-mobilization of sediments is observed at multiple scales, and includes centimetre-scale de-watering structures, decimetre-scale sand injectites and kilometre-scale olistoliths. Whilst the hydrocarbon properties are consistent, contact depths are variable. Pressure data indicate compartmentalization across the field, which is likely to be caused by either radial faulting or hydrodynamic effects. Owing to the magnitude of subsurface uncertainty, the Merganser discovery could not sustain the investment required for standalone facilities. The development of the neighbouring Scoter Field provided the requisite local infrastructure to progress Merganser into production. The Field Development Plan (FDP) estimated recovery of 100 bscf gas and 3 mmstb condensate, and focused on delivering a low-cost development solution consisting of two horizontal wells and a subsea tie-back that would be robust against the downside, yet maintain flexibility to optimize in an upside outcome. Pilot holes were drilled to establish top reservoir with the subsequent horizontal well trajectories being re-designed to reflect structural geometry. The reservoir sections would maximize connectivity between fault compartments and stratigraphic units, and positioning was optimized with well-site biostratigraphy. Each reservoir section exceeds 4000 ft and maintains at least 1000 ft vertical stand-off from the gas/water contact. The facilities include a 5 km subsea tie back to the Scoter production manifold, with metering at the Merganser manifold for allocation purposes. Gas and condensate are commingled with Scoter, and transported 11 km to Shearwater for processing. The gas is transported onshore through the Shearwater Elgin Area Line and condensate through the Forties Pipeline System to Kinneil. Field performance to date has exceeded the FDP P50 both in terms of daily rate and cumulative production. Early production rates peaked at 100 mmscf/day of gas and 6000 stb/day of condensate and, to end-2014, Merganser has produced 161 bcf of gas and 10 mmstb condensate. This performance is due to a combination of better than expected connectivity, high reservoir k h , lower draw-down afforded by long horizontal wells and compression at the Shearwater platform. Subsurface uncertainties prior to development were considerable and the ‘appraisal through development’ strategy has demonstrated that success is achievable through meticulous planning and scenario analysis.

A comprehensive field training curriculum was developed and tested during the 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Spaceward Bound missions at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). The curriculum was developed to train teachers and students in fundamentals of Moon and Mars analog station operations, logistics, field work, and scientific investigation. The curriculum is composed of background content, directions, lesson plans, suggestions, protocols, images, diagrams, figures, checklists, worksheets, experiments, field missions, and references. To date, 48 individuals have participated in Spaceward Bound missions at MDRS, and 18 have successfully tested the curriculum. Based on our analysis and student feedback, we conclude that the Spaceward Bound curriculum is highly useful in training teachers and students in aspects of astrobiology, field science, and Mars exploration, and that MDRS is an ideal location for its use.

Cultural resources are an important nonrenewable national asset that, like the mineral resources in which they can occur, are finite and need protection. In the six years since 2002, geoarchaeological research funded by English Heritage (EH) through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF) has significantly enhanced our understanding and ability to safeguard the historic environment in areas impacted by aggregate extraction. Most of the funding has been allocated toward strategic research and survey aimed at characterization of both the mineral and archaeological resources, and also toward monitoring and management of the archaeological resources. A smaller but significant contribution has been directed at development and application of new survey and specialist archaeological dating techniques, as well as unexpected discoveries. Such research is aimed at reducing irreversible damage of the archaeological resource as the result of aggregate extraction and ultimately provides the fundamental evidence on which minerals planning policies can be based, thus protecting the finite resources for future generations.

Water education (WET) for Alabama’s black belt is an outreach project that provides off-campus environmental and water-education activities to middle school teachers and children from predominantly African-American families in some of Alabama’s poorest counties. Its main goal is to help students and teachers from resource-poor schools become knowledgeable about surface water and groundwater so they can identify and sustain “safe” aquifer zones, where clean water resources are available for long-term use and economic development. Activities are conducted at two field sites, Auburn University’s E.V. Smith Center in Macon County and the Robert G. Wehle Nature Center in Bullock County. Children from rural schools that lack scientific facilities and equipment are introduced to standard methods for assessing water quality and instrumentation for testing water quality at the field sites. Both hosting centers have easy access to surface water (ponds, wetlands, streams) for data collection. The E.V. Smith site also has access to groundwater through nested wells. Educational activities focus on determining groundwater flow, the interaction of groundwater and surface water, and the hydrologic properties (porosity and permeability) of different aquifer materials (sands, gravels, and clays). The project also incorporates simple laboratory exercises that reinforce learning objectives specified by the state of Alabama science curriculum for grades 6–8. Results of the project suggest that by partnering with local universities, low-resource rural school systems can provide their students with access to state-of-the-art equipment and to scientific expertise. However, schools may be less likely to participate if they must bear the costs of transportation and materials for the field experience themselves.

To encourage Hispanic participation and enrollment in the geosciences and ultimately enhance diversity within the discipline, we recruited ten middle and high school science teachers for a three-week field experience to the Central Mexico volcanic belt. Supported by the National Science Foundation’s Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) program, the experience began with a mini-pedagogy course on multiculturalism and inquiry methodologies at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and continued with fieldwork in Mexico, where participants worked with Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico geoscientists, visited local schools, and attended cultural events. The experience culminated in the teachers producing standards-based educational materials from their field experiences and presenting them at professional conferences. We measured the efficacy of these activities quantitatively via pre- and post-tests to assess affective domain changes (i.e., confidence levels, preconceptions, and biases), NIU staff observations of participants in their home institutions, and evaluations of participants’ field books and pedagogical materials. Additionally, effectiveness was measured by reviews of still and video footage, and examination of comments in field books and on surveys given before the program, directly after, and one year after the experience. We present these data here and identify specific activities that are both effective and efficient in changing teacher behaviors and attitudes, enabling them to better connect with their Hispanic students in their geoscience classrooms.

The uniqueness of the Indiana University geologic field programs is a consequence of the remarkable diversity in the geologic setting of the Judson Mead Geologic Field Station, and programmatic decisions that emphasize a fully integrated curriculum and individual student work. A simple summary of the attributes developed by the courses includes the following key components: sense of scale, self-confidence, independence, integration, and problem solving. These core principles have resulted in a program that prepares students for any of the challenges that they might encounter as professionals. Over time, courses offered through the field station have evolved to reflect the needs of the students and available technologies. The present array includes courses that address environmental geology, applied economic geology, and introductory environmental science; additional courses include those designed for both high school students and teachers and others that provide professional development enhancement.

The Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) is a nonprofit research and teaching organization chartered in the state of Montana in 1936. YBRA maintains a field station south of Red Lodge, Montana, at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains at the NW corner of the Bighorn Basin. The YBRA Field Station has been host to a wide variety of primarily geological field courses and research exercises, including a YBRA-sponsored Summer Course in Geologic Field Methods , offered initially by Princeton University and subsequently by the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Houston. Enrollments in that course vary from year to year, an experience shared by other field-course programs. The YBRA field station does not depend exclusively on field-course enrollment; by diversifying its client base, YBRA has been able to operate effectively through high-amplitude variations in enrollment in traditional courses in field geology.

The incorporation of increasingly multidisciplinary aspects of geoscience curricula into a traditional geology field camp requires compromises. Among these, decisions about projects to reduce or eliminate and course prerequisites are two of the most challenging. Over the past 10 yr, the University of Missouri’s geology field camp has completed a two-stage plan to expand our projects in hydrology and geophysics while maintaining traditional aspects of our course and our standard prerequisites. The first stage added projects in surface and groundwater hydrology, seismic refraction, and surficial mapping during the fifth week of our six-week course, replacing an existing mapping project. The second stage added advanced project options that students can select to complete during the last week of the course. Advanced projects in hydrology and geophysics were added as alternatives to the existing hard-rock structural analysis project that had been the sixth-week project for all students. This staged addition has allowed us to: (1) integrate these projects into a curriculum that maintains a strong emphasis on historical bedrock geology, geologic mapping, and three-dimensional visualization; and (2) accommodate differences in the coursework that students have completed prior to beginning the field camp. Rather than requiring students to have prerequisite courses in hydrogeology or geophysics in order to select these advanced project options, we include sufficient instruction during the fifth and sixth weeks that builds upon previous projects to provide the required background. To set up the context for our expanded hydrology and geophysics projects, this paper briefly describes our traditional field projects and our instructional philosophies. We describe the expanded projects that have been implemented during the fifth and sixth weeks of our course, project objectives, and the ways that these projects reinforce lessons learned during traditional field projects. We present the results of student surveys that have been used to evaluate the success of these efforts, and we discuss the personnel and equipment expenses required.

For over 50 yr, the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) has provided undergraduate students with an 8 wk summer earth systems and glaciology field camp. This field experience engages students in the geosciences by placing them directly into the physically challenging glacierized alpine landscape of southeastern Alaska. Mountain-top camps across the Juneau Icefield provide essential shelter and facilitate the program’s instructional aim to enable direct observations by students of active glacier surface processes, glaciogenic landscapes, and the region’s tectonically deformed bedrock. Disciplinary knowledge is transferred by teams of JIRP faculty in the style of a scientific institute. JIRP staffers provide glacier safety training, facilitate essential camp logistics, and develop JIRP student field skills through daily chores, remote camp management, and glacier travel in small field parties. These practical elements are important components of the program’s instructional philosophy. Students receive on-glacier training in mass-balance data collection and ice-velocity measurements as they ski ~320 km across the icefield glaciers between Juneau, Alaska, and Atlin, British Columbia. They use their glacier skills and disciplinary interests to develop research experiments, collect field data, and produce reports. Students present their research at a public forum at the end of the summer. This experience develops its participants for successful careers as researchers in extreme and remote environments. The long-term value of the JIRP program is examined here through the professional evolution of six of its recent alumni. Since its inception, ~1300 students, faculty, and staff have participated in the Juneau Icefield Research Program. Most of these faculty and staff have participated for multiple summers and many JIRP students have returned to work as program staff and sometimes later as faculty. The number of JIRP participants (1946–2008) can also be measured by adding up each summer’s participants, raising the total to ~2500.