image For information about our up coming meetings, click on the appropriate month on the menu, below. Also included under "Photos" are photographs of our members, periodically taken at our meetings. The Dinner cost is generally $30/person. To make a reservation to attend the monthly meeting, call 310 830 6601.


 
 







January th, 2009
NO MEETING THIS MONTH


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15 th, February, 2010
  

Topic: Carbon Capture and Storage Research: The Road to Deployment

Summary: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Re-search: The Road to Deployment Any reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to meet proposed or planned climate change will require the development and deployment of CO2 capture and storage technologies. Such technologies are needed in combination with other mitigation measures, to achieve the necessary stabilization in anthropogenic emissions. National and global efforts in CCS research are intensive, multi-stakeholder and comprehensive, ranging from basic research to deployment scale demonstrations. In addition to technological developments, a number of other barriers to CCS are also addressed: legal, regulatory and financial barriers; availability of financial incentives; and public acceptance concerns. This lecture presents a status of CCS on the road to deployment.  

Speaker: Dr. Michael Karmis is the Stonie Barker Professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Enginering and the director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech

Background: Dr. Michael Karmis is the Stonie Barker Professor in the Department of Mining and Minerals Enginering and the director of the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. Rock mechanics, health and safety, carbon sequestration and the sustainable development of energy and mineral resources has been Karmis’ area of focus. He has written more than 150 scientific papers, reports, proceedings volumes and textbooks and directed 45 major research projects. Dr. Karmis has also been recognized as an outstanding teacher has received numerous Certificates of Teaching Excellence and other teaching commendations.

Maintaining activity within the business, Karmis has been consulting with the minerals industry, consulting companies, government organizations, and legal firms. In 2002 he served as the president of SME and in 2009 as the AIME president. He was elected as the 2002 president of the Society of Mining Professors and has served as its secretary general since 2005. He is a Distinguished Member of SME, an Honorary Member of AIME, and a fellow of the Institute of Quarrying and a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He has received numerous awards from scientific, professional and industrial organizations.







Meeting Format: Social hour is from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Buffet Dinner begins about 7:00 pm. After the dinner, section business is attended to, a raffle of several bottles of wind is conducted and the presentation is given. Proceeds from the raffle support the GEM Committee activities.

The Dinner cost is $30/person. To Be Held At Pomona Valley Mining Co., Pomona, CA 
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15 th, March, 2011

Speaker: Walter Lombardo, Geologist and Owner of the Nevada Mineral and Book Company, Orange, CA


Subject:
Diamond Mines in North America

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Meeting Format: Social hour is from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Buffet Dinner begins about 7:00 pm. After the dinner, section business is attended to, a raffle of several bottles of wind is conducted and the presentation is given. Proceeds from the raffle support the GEM Committee activities.

The Dinner cost is $30/person. To Be Held At Pomona Valley Mining Co., Pomona, CA   

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16thApril, 2011

Speaker: Field Trip

Subject: Mojave Desert, Ca., a day field trip to collect mineral specimens hosted by Doug Shumway. More info will appear on the Field Trip Page, when it is available.

Also on Friday, April 22, 2011, Earth Day Symposium hosted by the geology club at Cal State Pomona. SME members are invited to participate and help manage a booth.  
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Meeting Format: Social hour is from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Buffet Dinner begins about 7:00 pm. After the dinner, section business is attended to, a raffle of several bottles of wind is conducted and the presentation is given. Proceeds from the raffle support the GEM Committee activities.

The Dinner cost is $30/person. To Be Held At Pomona Valley Mining Co., Pomona, CA  Back to Top  



May 17 th, 2011 CALIFORNIA OIL SEEPS


Speaker: Mr. Stephen Mulqueen, former oil and gas engineer with State Department of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Conservation

Subject: "Petroleum Seeps: Structural Setting, Energy Drive and Path of Migration" Natural petroleum seeps occur on the Earth's surface in both terrestrial and marine environments. They consist of the natural migration and surface emanation of crude oil, asphaltum (tar), bitumen, natural gas and water. Water from seeps may range in salinity from very low TDS (total dissolved solids) to supersaturated brines depending on the source-rock, path of migration and geologic setting. There are many scientific theories regarding the source and generation of petroleum of thermogenic origin.

One commonly accepted theory is that petroleum is formed in sedimentary rock units deep within the Earth's crust. Petroleum consists of complex hydrocarbon molecules with other organic and inorganic compounds that have originated from chemical reactions that occur in the presence of organic carbon, water, clay minerals and anaerobic bacteria with intense heat and pressure. This complex process of petroleum generation and migration may have spanned millions of years of geologic time. Oil, gas and water migrate through permeable rock and become trapped in sedimentary formations and geologic structures deep within the Earth. These fluids also percolate through faults, fractures, and unconsolidated sediment and are pushed to the surface by a variety of forces.

Petroleum seeps provide water for plants and animals. An insect commonly known as the "petroleum fly" lives exclusively in and around oil seeps. The fossil record from the La Brea Tar Pit within Hancock Park surrounding the Page Museum in Los Angeles offers evidence that an entire food chain existed around water and food sources at petroleum seeps. Petroleum seeps occur in several hundred general localities in 28 counties throughout California. They played an important role in California's early human history. In ancient times, oil and asphaltum were used by several tribes of American Indians in what is now known as California. The Chumash tribe of the Central Coast used crude oil and asphaltum for sealing plank canoes and for making tools and other implements. Early settlers used petroleum as a waterproofing and lubricating agent and refined the crude oil into lamp oil. The occurrence of seeps attracted early pioneers to drill for commercial quantities of petroleum and led to the discovery of over 50 oil fields in California. Petroleum has played a major role in the development of California's economy from the early discoveries near seeps to the present day.




No Meeting In June, 2010   

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No meting in July


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BEACH PARTY & BBQ - Saturday, AUGUST 20, 2011 @ PORTUGUESE BEND BEACH CLUB, RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA, Graciously Hosted by Lynne and Gene Dewey.
Arrive time is 1:00 pm at the Portuguese Bend Beach Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs with corn on the cob, beer and wine will be provided. The cost will be $15 per person (considered a donation to our GEM fund). Children and students will be free. For reservations, please call SEPOR @ 310-830-6601 or email lucy@sepor.com
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September 10-11,st, 2011
SME MONO COUNTY MINES AND GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP
Meeting place: Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center, 1 Visitor Center Drive, Lee Vining, California. (760) 647-3044.
If you arrive early at the Visitor Center I recommend viewing the film on Mono Lake and going through the exhibits. Twice a day, they show a 15-minute film, Mine to Mint, about the Log Cabin Mine. Furthermore, you may be interested in browsing the gift shop, which includes a wonderful collection of books on the natural and human history of the area.  

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Summary: Itinerary: Saturday: We'll meet at 9:30AM in the patio, outside on the north side of the visitor center. There is a long bench there mounted to the wall for participants to sit on, bring lunch and water. First stop is the Log Cabin Mine above Lee Vining, situated at about the 9,600ft. elevation. The mine, active 1909-1942, and 1946-1969, is virtually undisturbed with all of the buildings and most of the vintage machinery remaining as they were left. From here the view of Mono Lake is unparalleled. It requires 4WD or AWD with high clearance and a minimal walk to reach the mine.
We’ll need to carpool to keep the number of vehicles to a minimum as parking space at the next site, the Tioga Mine, is limited. Next, we’ll drive up Tioga Grade (State Highway 120) to just short of the east entrance station of Yosemite National Park. Here we’ll visit the Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Company Tioga Mine at Bennettville, which was active mainly in the 1880s. We’ll examine the geology, mine portal, and a few pieces of machinery remaining from the flurry of late 19th century mining activity. This requires a moderate 2+/- mile round trip hike at an elevation of 9800 feet. Sunday: Meet again at the Visitor Center. We’ll head south to Mammoth Lakes, visiting a geologic site or two along the way to the Mammoth Consolidated Gold Mine, a mining venture of the 1920s and 1930s. Buildings and some machinery remains at the site. We’ll then visit the 1880s mining sites of Mammoth City, the remains of the Mammoth Mill and its 20ft. flywheel, and also Mill City. It requires easy short walks to visit these sites.

Things to know: Boots: One of our short hikes, to Bennettville and the Tioga Mine, will be wet – lots of snowmelt with several little creeks draining across the trail. I recommend wearing boots or, if you’ll be wearing tennis or light-weight cross trainer-type hiking shoes, bring along a dry set of socks to put on after the hike.
Accommodations in Lee Vining: El Mono Motel, 760/647-6310; Hess House B&B (2 rooms only), 760/647-6417; Lake View Lodge, 760/647-6543; Murphey’s Motel, 760/647-6316; Yosemite Gateway Motel, 760/647-6467; Virginia Creek Resort, 760/932-7780.

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October 18th, 2011 TBA  

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Meeting Format: Social hour is from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Buffet Dinner begins about 7:00 pm. After the dinner, section business is attended to, a raffle of several bottles of wind is conducted and the presentation is given. Proceeds from the raffle support the GEM Committee activities. The Dinner cost is $30/person.

To Be Held At Pomona Valley Mining Co., Pomona, CA 

 
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November 8th, 2011 TBA   

Summary: Brandon Griffiths, Hydrologist for Rio Tinto Minerals –Boron Operations
The presentation will include discussion of the geology and depositional history of the Kramer Deposit, the history of mining operations of the deposit, and current mining practices at the Boron Mine.

Background: Brandon started with Rio Tinto Minerals in Boron 6 years ago as a Surveyor, Geologist, and for the past five years as the Mine Hydrologist with the Geotech Department. His duties include management of the Mine Dewatering/Depressurization system, groundwater monitoring and modeling, and storm water management for the mine. Brandon graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2001 with a Bachelors Degree in Geological Sciences. From there he worked in the Environmental Consulting industry for 4 years prior to Rio Tinto.


Meeting Format: Social hour is from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Buffet Dinner begins about 7:00 pm. After the dinner, section business is attended to, a raffle of several bottles of wind is conducted and the presentation is given. Proceeds from the raffle support the GEM Committee activities. Meeting to b e held at Angels Roadhouse, 13685 John Glenn Road, Apple Valley, CA. The dinner is $24 per person (free to student members of SME) 
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December 13th , 2011
This meeting is our ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY
Speaker: Surprise speakers to be revealed at the party.

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Meeting Format: This meeting is our ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY


Gifts and raffles Social 6pm, 6:45pm, Dinner-$35 each, Program 7:45pm
A brief talk will be given
To Be Held At Pomona Valley Mining Co., Pomona, CA 
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