NBMG Open House at GBSSRL—Discover Nevada—October 15 and 16, 2014

Friends of NBMG,

You are invited to join us at the NBMG Open House at Great Basin Science Sample and Records Library on October 15 and 16.

View full-size PDF version of this flyer.

Hope to see you there!

Discover Nevada with Experts from Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Open House–Great Basin Science Sample and Records Library–at 2175 Raggio Parkway, Reno

Lectures, Displays, and Tours—each night from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The open house is hosted by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG) at the Great Basin Science Sample and Records Library (GBSSRL).  It is an opportunity for the general public to discover Nevada and learn more about our dynamic landscapes and unique geology.  Nevada is richly endowed with natural resources and has more gold and geothermal resources than any other state.  But our evolving landscapes also make Nevada prone to natural hazards, including earthquakes, floods, and landslides.  The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology is the state’s geological survey and charged with assessing our mineral, geothermal, and oil-gas resources while also analyzing natural hazards to mitigate their effects.  The GBSSRL houses vast collections of reports and rock and mineral specimens on Nevada’s geology, resources, and geologic hazards.  We welcome the public to our first annual open house on October 15 and 16 to learn more about our unique environment.  Informal presentations will address Nevada’s gold deposits (Nevada is America’s True Golden State), geothermal resources (Why is Nevada in Hot Water), and earthquakes (Nevada is Earthquake Country: How to Protect Life and Property).  In addition, a field trip on October 11 and 12 will explore the geologic wonders in the Carson City area.

Wednesday, October 15:  Nevada Gold

Silver and gold mining began in Nevada in 1859 with the discovery of the Comstock Lode at Virginia City. Although Nevada is well known for the Comstock, Goldfield, Tonopah, and other historic mining camps, the state is currently in the midst of the biggest gold boom in the history of America. More gold has been mined in Nevada in the last 35 years than was ever mined in California. Ironically settlers trekked over most of Nevada’s gold as they rushed to find gold California. We’ll discuss why this gold was missed, how it forms, how one explores for it, and what the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology does to help maintain this amazing modern day gold rush.

Keynote Lecture:
Nevada: America’s True Golden State (John Muntean)—6:30 p.m.

Bonus Lecture:
Why is Nevada in Hot Water: Overview of Nevada’s Vast Geothermal Resources (Jim Faulds)—7:30 p.m.

Displays: Ongoing displays will include samples of ore, geologic maps of mining districts, and maps showing major mines and mineral and geothermal resource potential across the state.  Expert geologists will be on hand to answer questions about gold and geothermal deposits and exploration activities in Nevada.

Door Prizes: Gold ore samples, Geologic Map of Nevada, Geologic Map of Virginia City

Thursday, October 16:  Nevada is Earthquake Country

Nevada resides in a tectonically active setting, with our landscapes evolving through periodic earthquakes.  Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the country and also the fastest growing state, as we add a few acres every decade due to these tectonic events.  These events have created Nevada’s beautiful and varied landscapes, endowing it with more mountain ranges than any other state, with environments ranging from high alpine settings to low sandy deserts.  We’ll discuss the story behind the scenery, including 1) how tectonic forces are continuously working to modify and enrich our landscapes, 2) why these forces also periodically trigger earthquakes, 3) how we analyze faults to understand their earthquake history and potential, 4) how we measure tectonic strains across the region, and 5) how we can prepare and mitigate the effects of earthquakes.

Keynote Lectures:
Nevada is Earthquake Country: How to Protect Life and Property (Craig dePolo)—6:30 p.m.

Tectonic Forces that Shape Nevada: Nevada’s Mini-San Andreas Fault (Bill Hammond, Jim Faulds, and others)—7:30 p.m.

Displays: Ongoing displays will include samples of faults; maps showing earthquake distribution and history; earthquake animations; instruments that record earthquakes and tectonic forces (seismometer and GPS stations); and a “find that fault” exercise.  Experts from both the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and Nevada Seismological Laboratory will be on hand to answer questions about Nevada’s earthquakes and evolving landscapes.

Door prizes: Earthquake maps of Nevada, geodetic strain map of Nevada

Other ongoing activities on each day:

• GBSSRL tours
• Rock ID, meet the scientists (3 scientists minimum per night), earthquake movie on a loop, latest maps on display
• Kids rocks and minerals: 5:30-6:30 p.m., teach 5 rocks and 5 minerals to kids and visit the rock garden