Page 45 - i1052-5173-29-1_GSAT

Pliny the Elder, Al-Biruni, and Shen Kuo If hydrologists took a permanent vaca- measurable, and clear reasons on the
ruminated about the origin of Earth, geo- tion, would we still have clean drinking importance of your specific discipline
morphology, minerals, and geologic time, water? It could be argued that the out- in how it affects all aspects of society.
yet they weren’t considered geoscientists. comes of a study on mantle physics have Unconventional and unusual reasons are
Mineralogy had been a well-regarded pro- as much of a personal significance as a encouraged, and “succinct” is key: we
fession for decades, as had mining, metal- study on natural hazards. Through geo- ask you to add your thoughts to our chal-
lurgy, cosmogony, and natural history physical research, we have detected that lenge by sending a two-sentence e-mail
(Woodward, 1911; Gohau, 1991). The first there is a lot more water in the earth than to gsatoday@geosciety.org or, for those
paid geologist was possibly B. Faujas de on it and that the water cycle, which is so inclined, posting your answer in a sin-
Saint-Fond, who, in 1793, was appointed vital to life, may be closely tied to geo- gle Twitter or Instagram post. Be sure to
to a geologist teaching position at the logic processes (Pearson et al., 2014; tag @geosociety and #geotomorrow so
National Museum of Natural History in Fei et al., 2017). Geochemical research that your responses may be collected.
France (Gohau, 1991). The discipline of on lead isotopes in the 1960s led to the Responses will be made available for
geoscience today coalesced from many awareness and understanding of lead our geoscience community to use, adapt,
fields and developed based on human contamination and poisoning, which are and advocate with as we continue into
needs through maturity of thought and problems still facing society. From sedi- the future. As the voice of the Geological
understanding of the world around us— mentology, to petrology, to tectonics, to Society of America, you are responsible
it changed as we advanced. Just as scien- geophysics, if a geoscience field ceased to initiate a surge in geoscience apprecia-
tists take multiple “trains of thought” to exist, how might human advancement tion and understanding. We know what
to come to a well-thought-out, logical be changed in ways that even the least GSA Today is—what is GSA Tomorrow?
conclusion, it has taken multiple lines of geo-enthusiast could appreciate?
study to produce the (expansive) geo- As a second thought experiment, con- REFERENCES CITED
science profession today. Would Smith sider how life might be altered if notable Fei, H., Yamazaki, D., Sakurai, M., Miyajima, N.,
be upset at the thought of our students geologists never existed. For instance, Ohfuji, H., Katsura, T., and Yamamoto, T., 2017,
A nearly water-saturated mantle transition zone
mapping with ArcGIS software? Would what if F.W. Shotton never used hydro- inferred from mineral viscosity: Science
Henry Sorby banish desktop scanning geology to aid in development of potable Advances, v. 3, p. 1–7, https://doi.org/10.1126/
electron microscopes in his laboratory? water supplies for British forces in the sciadv.1603024.
Just as important, would Adam Smith be Middle East and northern Africa during Gohau, G., 1991, A History of Geology: New
alarmed at how geological information World War II (Rose and Clatworthy, Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers University
Press, 284 p.
and events (like the Eyjafjallajökull erup- 2008)? Through careful geological anal- Häggquist, E., and Söderholm, P., 2015, The
tion) significantly impact our economy ysis and test drilling, Shotton derived economic value of geological information:
(Häggquist and Söderholm, 2015)? Other safe drinking water from carbonate sedi- Synthesis and directions for future research:
disciplines can be as reliant on geoscience ments, keeping the 8th Army hydrated Resources Policy, v. 43, p. 91–100,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2014.11.001.
as we are on them—everything is inter- and healthy to go on to defeat Nazi field Pearson, D.G., Brenker, F.E., Nestola, F., McNeill,
disciplinary to an extent. Yet, as we marshal Erwin Rommel’s army at El J., Nasdala, L., Hutchison, M.T., Matveev, S.,
continue to catapult into a society based Alamein. If history was altered, how Mather, K., Silversmit, G., Schmitz, S.,
on manufacturing and development using might our world look different today? Vekemans, B., and Vincze, L., 2014, Hydrous
novel, human-made materials, we are at If our modern geoscientist leaders step mantle transition zone indicated by ringwoodite
the perfect opportunity to articulate the away, how might our world look included within diamond: Nature, v. 507,
p. 221–224, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13080.
value of our earth-based profession. different tomorrow? Rose, E.P.F., and Clatworthy, J.C., 2008, Fred
Shotton: A ‘hero’ of military applications of
THOUGHT EXPERIMENT CHALLENGE geology during World War II: Quarterly Journal
As a thought experiment, consider the Make a difference, get involved, and of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology,
question: what would happen if all geo- expand geoscience appreciation! If geo- v. 41, p. 171–188, https://doi.org/10.1144/
1470-9236/07-034.
scientists stopped practicing their sci- science is vital to the betterment, sustain- Woodward, H.B., 1911, History of Geology:
ence? Would the average person’s life ability, and continuity of humankind and New York, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, The
change? own their tools today, would the society, it is our responsibility as geolo- Knickerbocker Press, 172 p.
energy industry suffer? New resources gists to educate the non-geologists who
for the rare earth minerals that power don’t agree or understand why. We invite Manuscript received 24 May 2018
our smartphones may not be discovered you to contribute to this discussion by Revised manuscript received 30 Sept. 2018
if exploration geochemists walked away. coming up with your own succinct, Manuscript accepted 8 Oct. 2018

www.geosociety.org/gsatoday 45