ISGS - February 2009 Activity Highlights

Chris Stohr and Matt Schumacher in a photo from the Institute modeling workshop presentation.

ISGS Staff Participate in Institute Modeling Workshop

Several staff members from the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) participated in the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability Workshop, "Conceptual, Spatial and Numerical Modeling for Decision Support in Natural Resource Management." The full program and abstracts can be found at http://www.prairie.illinois.edu/workshp/program.shtml.

Talks included these five by ISGS scientists:
      James Damico (with John Grube, Scott Frailey, and Rex Knepp) presented
            "Reservoir Modeling Approach as Preparation for CO₂ EOR Injection, Louden Oil Field, Illinois Basin."
      Edward Mehnert's talk was titled
            "Watershed Modeling with an Analytic Element Model —A Platform for Collaborative Science."
      Don Keefer (with Yu-Feng Lin of the Illinois State Water Survey) presented
            "The Institute Spatial Applications Laboratory and the ESRI-GIS Development Center."
      Dan Nelson spoke about
            "Enterprise GIS at the Illinois State Geological Survey."
      Chris Stohr (with Steve Brown and Don Keefer) discussed
            "Photogrammetry, Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and Image Processing of Inaccessible Outcrops for 3-D Geologic Models."

ISGS scientists who co-chaired sessions and took part in panel discussions included Beverly Herzog, Edward Mehnert, and Don Keefer. Approximately 115 people attended the day and a half workshop. (Contact: Don Keefer)

Dragonfly Habitat Talk Presented

James Miner, Wetlands Section of the Illinois State Geological Survey, presented a paper at the Illinois-Wisconsin Hine's Emerald Dragonfly conference in Newburg, Wisconsin, on February 18, 2009. The subject of the paper was a study of geochemical parameters measured in dragonfly larval habitat and possible conclusions regarding the productivity, preservation, and restoration of the habitat. The two-day conference dealt primarily with the influences of groundwater on dragonfly habitat. No abstracts were published. (Contact: J. Miner)

ISGS Researchers Filmed for NOVA Episode

Keith Hackley, Brandon Curry, Sherry Fanta, and Sam Panno from the Illinois State Geological Survey, Steve Taylor from Illinois Natural History Survey, and Craig Lundstrom from University of Illinois' Geology Department participated in the filming of a NOVA Science Now episode conducted in a wild cave in southwestern Illinois and in University of Illinois laboratories on February 10 and 11, 2009. The episode, scheduled to appear June 2009, will show the research efforts being conducted on the New Madrid seismic zone by the University and the U.S. Geological Survey in Tennessee. (Contact: Keith Hackley)

Several Earthquake Talks Presented

Illinois State Geological Survey geologist Robert Bauer presented a talk on the impact of the April 18, 2008, Mt. Carmel earthquake on unreinforced brick buildings. He discussed how this impact would relate to a similar impact from earthquake shaking on similar buildings in large midwestern cities. The talk was one of eight presentations at the 15^th annual program for business and industry in St. Louis on February 6, 2009. The conference attracted 330 participants. The presentations were targeted for businesses in the Midwest to share information about earthquake impacts and preparations for business continuity.

Robert Bauer also made several presentations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region V New Madrid Catastrophic Planning Workshop on February 24-26, 2009, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The workshop presented the analytical results of a scenario for eight states for a 7.7 magnitude New Madrid earthquake. Three maps that show how soils for the eight states would behave during an earthquake were produced by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium of State Geologists, of which the Illinois State Geological Survey is a member, for use in this computer loss estimation analysis. Participants worked in breakout sessions to produce responses for such an event. The Illinois State Geological Survey, Indiana Geological Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey, with input from federal and state emergency managers, worked on their individual agency's earthquake response plans with consideration of coordination between agencies and states. This planning will continue in three additional FEMA regions with participation by the state geological surveys from those regions. The resulting plans will be used in an eight-state earthquake exercise in May 2011. (Contact: Robert Bauer)

Height Modernization Display at Surveyors and Engineers Meetings

Bev Herzog, Sheena Beaverson, and Chris Stohr from the Illinois State Geological Survey exhibited the Height Modernization program in Illinois at the 52^nd Annual Illinois Professional Land Surveyors Association Conference February 12-13, 2009, in Springfield, Illinois. Attendance at the conference and exhibits was more than 800. Several surveyors, engineers, and related professionals visited the booth. Beaverson staffed a similar exhibit at The Highway Engineers Conference in Champaign, Illinois, on February 28, 2009, and talked with the booth's many visitors. (Contact: Bev Herzog)

Environmental Study for La Salle

Mark Collier, of the Environmental Site Assessments Section at Illinois State Geological Survey, was awarded a contract by the City of La Salle to perform an environmental site assessment for the city. The scope of the project includes identification of documented and undocumented environmental conditions and natural features that may potentially impact new acquisitions or proposed improvements to existing municipal properties. (Contact: Mark Collier)

Sugar Creek Enhanced Oil Recovery Project Beginning

An organizational meeting for the Sugar Creek enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pilot was held February 6, 2009, in Henderson, Kentucky, as part of the Phase II carbon dioxide (CO₂) sequestration program. Seventeen participants from the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS), and Gallagher Drilling Company attended the meeting. Discussions centered on the site, operational, and monitoring considerations for the upcoming immiscible CO₂ gas flood. The meeting included a field tour of the pilot site and visits to the planned CO₂ injection well and several oil production wells. Discussions regarding the monitoring, verification, and accounting program (MVA) were held by Randy Locke, Bracken Wimmer, Abbas Iranmanesh, Ed Mehnert, and Ivan Krapac from the ISGS and staff from the KGS. A draft health and safety plan has been written for the Sugar Creek pilot. The plan was submitted to pilot participants KGS and Gallagher Drilling Company for review and comments. (Contact: Ivan Krapac)

Highlights Archive

Updated 07/30/2012 SLD