GSA Regional Meeting

I just recently returned from the Geological Society of America (GSA) Regional Meeting that was held in Gunnison, Colorado this year. I went with my professor and some collegues to present some of the research we did last summer. It was structure and tectonics of the Santaquin Metamorphic Complex. I was a little intimidated around all these bright, intellegent geologists. Luckily there were some other undergrad students there that I could relate with. There was a young girl that was a sophmore in high school that had done some research with a professor. She presented her research at a science fair and won a $50,000 scholarship for it! She's set for life, but all well deserved. A lot of the info was above my head, but I did learn a few things. I learned what a knickpoint is, which is a change in gradient of a stream/river bed to a steeper angle. This increases flow velocity and weathering and erosion increase. This occured in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison which has carved a steep, narrow, deep canyon through the metamorphic amphibolite gneiss. Pegmatite dikes beautifully paint the walls of the canyon.