GSA North-Central Section 48th Annual Meeting

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UN-L) Conservation and Survey Division, School of Natural Resources, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and the University of Nebraska State Museum are hosting the 2014 North-Central Section Meeting at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Lincoln is located near the boundary between the Great Plains and glaciated Central Lowlands. The Nebraska Sand Hills—the largest dunefield in the Western Hemisphere—as well as the thickest loess sequence in North America are within a half-day’s drive. The Missouri River, which drains a significant portion of the North American continent, and the Platte River, which is a classic braided stream, lie within 60 km. Rock strata from Upper Pennsylvanian to Upper Neogene in age are exposed in the eastern half of Nebraska, including the type sections of the Cretaceous Niobrara and the Dakota Formations. Limestone, clay, and sand and gravel are produced in the vicinity, and interest in the development of the nearby Elk Creek carbonatite is escalating. Nebraska is one of the most important regions in the world for the collection and study of Cenozoic mammals, and the University of Nebraska State Museum is one of the premier repositories for such fossils. The eastern edge of the High Plains Aquifer lies just north of Lincoln.