Welcome to the Geological Society of Minnesota
The Geological Society of Minnesota is a nonprofit educational organization in operation since 1938. Our mission has been to promote public interest and to supply educational support in the geological sciences. We sponsor free lectures and labs at the University of Minnesota, conduct statewide and regional field trips, hold classroom presentations for schools, maintain a media library, publish relevant information for public distribution, and maintain and expand upon a series of geological markers throughout the state.
GSM Seminars
GSM seminars with slide show presentations are free and open to the public. They are presented by leading professionals in their fields and are aimed at learners from high school to adult. A question-and-answer session follows each seminar. The labs, also free and open to the public, allow a hands-on learning experience and demonstrate the ideas and principles of geology and earth science. Live lectures and labs require no registration; just show up a few minutes early on the evening of the lecture. These lectures and labs are eligible for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits.
Except as noted, live lectures during fall 2024 are Mondays at 7:00 PM CT on the University of Minnesota campus, Keller Hall, Room 3-230. A lecture with (V) following its title is an online virtual lecture. For these, free registration is required by non-members; the instructions are supplied with the lecture description.
The schedule of seminars and labs for fall 2024 is here. For a printable version of our schedule of seminars and labs, click here. Our schedule is planned over 6 months in advance, so changes may occur. Always check this website shortly before each lecture for the latest seminar information.
Winter weather will come and snow might impact our lectures. The GSM will make any decision about cancelling or postponing a lecture due to inclement weather no later than 3:00 PM the day of the lecture. This information will be posted on this page. So check our home page shortly before each lecture in case there is a cancellation or a last-minute change. Also, we will e‐mail lecture postponement and cancellation information to our members.
Recordings of some past GSM lectures are available on the Geological Society of Minnesota YouTube channel. Subscribe to this channel for updates.
In-person only at U of Minnesota, Keller Hall, Room 3-230
Lecture start time 7:00 PM CT.
Summary: People invest in new geoscience, as well as ensuring that published information will be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), to yield energy, materials, water, safety, infrastructure design, and an understanding of Earth and its life. Included are research, which is conceptual, mapping, which is spatial, monitoring, which is temporal, and modeling, which assembles the foregoing, to facilitate management. Mapping is an essential service that is directly and indirectly required by all, as multiple resolution, updated systematic mapping for a jurisdiction. We require ongoing mapping of meteorology and climatology, earth surface features, elevation, underground structures, bathymetry, soil mapping, and geological mapping of sediment and rock. For geology, the forthcoming century seems likely to be a time of concurrent commitment to digital publications, as well as their assembly as evergreen seamless databases to support digital twins, which are indefinitely maintained dynamic models such as groundwater models that incorporate monitoring and support management.
Biography: Harvey Thorleifson did a Masters thesis on Lake Agassiz in Manitoba, and a PhD on Hudson Bay at the University of Colorado. He was at the Geological Survey of Canada for nearly two decades, and he was President of the Geological Association of Canada. He has been a U Professor since 2003, and was State Geologist of Minnesota for two decades. He now leads the International Union of Geological Sciences Commission for Geoscience Information.
Minnesota's Geology Markers
Discover Minnesota’s fascinating 3 billion years of geological history by visiting 70-plus geology markers placed around the state by the Geological Society of Minnesota since 1949. Observe and learn about a rift valley, volcanoes, agates, inland seas, glaciers, rivers, caves, sinkholes, iron mining, and more. Click Minnesota’s Geology Markers to see where these markers are located. You can see most markers from your car.
Field Trips
GSM conducts professionally guided geology field trips. These excursions visit locations not usually experienced by the casual traveler. Local field trips can be a few hours long, encompass a weekend, or last longer than a week. Find more information here.
GSM's Student Outreach
Speakers for metro area elementary schools are available through the Public Service Committee to help enrich the education of young learners, particularly the 2nd to 8th grade levels. Find more information here.
Membership
Membership in the society is open to anyone with an interest in geology. The benefits of membership include:
- The opportunity to meet others of who share an enthusiasm for learning and a curiosity for the natural world.
- The rewarding feeling of supporting a nonprofit organization dedicated to public education.
- GSM Newsletter - A quarterly publication contains announcements of upcoming activities, articles on the earth sciences, and GSM projects and activity reports. Past issues
- Extensive Media Library - GSM maintains a collection of more than 330 geological DVDs. These are available to the members at lectures or through the mail for a nominal rental fee. Catalog
- GSM Directory - This annual book is a handy resource and makes it easy to access the organization.