The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

dedicated to the advancement of the

geoscience Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

History

The society was founded in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named a ...

, in 1888 by

Alexander Winchell Alexander Winchell (December 31, 1824, in North East, New York – February 19, 1891, in Ann Arbor, Michigan) was a United States geologist who contributed to this field mainly as an educator and a popular lecturer and author. His views on evol ...

, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Procter and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose Place,

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, US, since 1967. GSA began with 100 members under its first president, James Hall. In 1889

Mary Emilie Holmes Mary Emilie Holmes (April 10, 1850 – February 13, 1906) was a 19th-century American geologist and educator who became the first woman to be elected a fellow of the Geological Society of America.Schwarzer, Theresa F., and Maria L. Crawford. "Am ...

became its first female member. It grew slowly but steadily to 600 members until 1931, when a nearly $4 million endowment from 1930 president R. A. F. Penrose Jr. jumpstarted GSA's growth. As of December 2017, GSA had more than 25,000 members in over 100 countries. The society has six regional sections in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, three interdisciplinary interest groups, and eighteen specialty divisions.

Activities

The stated mission of GSA is "to advance geoscience research and discovery, service to society, stewardship of Earth, and the geosciences profession". Its main activities are sponsoring scientific meetings and publishing

scientific literature : ''For a broader class of literature, see Academic publishing.'' Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences. Within an academic field, scient ...

, particularly the

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

journals ''

Geological Society of America Bulletin The ''Geological Society of America Bulletin'' (until 1960 called ''The Bulletin of the Geological Society of America'' and also commonly referred to as ''GSA Bulletin'') is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that has been published by the Geolo ...

'', published continuously since 1889, and ''

Geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

'', published since 1973. In 2005, GSA introduced its online-only journal ''Geosphere'', and in February 2009, GSA began publishing ''Lithosphere'' (both also peer-reviewed). ''Geosphere'' and ''Lithosphere'' are open access as of 2018. GSA's monthly news and science magazine, ''GSA Today'', is also open access online. GSA also publishes three

book series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...

: ''Special Papers'', ''Memoirs'', and ''Field Guides''. A third major activity is awarding

research grant A grant is a fund given by an end entity grant – often a public body, charitable foundation, or a specialised grant-making institution – to an individual or another entity (usually, a non-profit organisation, sometimes a business or a local ...

s to

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

Position statements

GSA issues Position Statements "in support of and consistent with the GSA's Vision and Mission to develop consensus on significant professional, technical, and societal issues of relevance to the geosciences community. Position Statements, developed and adopted through a well-defined process, provide the basis for statements made on behalf of the GSA before government bodies and agencies and communicated to the media and the general public." For example, in 2006, the GSA adopted a Position Statement on ''Global Climate Change'': :The Geological Society of America (GSA) supports the scientific conclusions that Earth’s climate is changing; the climate changes are due in part to human activities; and the probable consequences of the climate changes will be significant and blind to geopolitical boundaries. Furthermore, the potential implications of global climate change and the time scale over which such changes will likely occur require active, effective, long-term planning. :Current predictions of the consequences of global climate change include: (1)

rising sea level Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryo ...

, (2) significant alteration of global and regional climatic patterns with an impact on water availability, (3) fundamental changes in global temperature distribution, (4) melting of polar ice, and (5) major changes in the distribution of plant and animal species. While the precise magnitude and rate of climate change cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, significant change will affect the planet and stress its inhabitants.

Past presidents

Past presidents of the Geological Society of America: * James Hall, 1889 *

James Dwight Dana James Dwight Dana Royal Society of London, FRS FRSE (February 12, 1813 – April 14, 1895) was an American geologist, mineralogist, volcanologist, and zoologist. He made pioneering studies of mountain-building, volcano, volcanic activity, and the ...

, 1890 *

, 1891 * Grove Karl "G.K." Gilbert, 1892 *

J. William Dawson Sir John William Dawson (1820–1899) was a Canadian geologist and university administrator. Life and work John William Dawson was born on 13 October 1820 in Pictou, Nova Scotia, Pictou, Nova Scotia, where he attended and graduated from Pict ...

, 1893 * Thomas C. Chamberlin, 1894 * Nathanial S. Shaler, 1895 *

Joseph Le Conte Joseph Le Conte (alternative spelling: Joseph LeConte) (February 26, 1823 – July 6, 1901) was a physician, geologist, professor at the University of California, Berkeley and early California conservationist. Early life Of Huguenot descent, h ...

, 1896 *

Edward Orton, Sr. Edward Francis Baxter Orton Sr. (March 9, 1829 – October 16, 1899) was a United States geologist, and the first president of The Ohio State University. Biography Orton came from New York State, born in the town of Deposit in Delaware County a ...

, 1897 * J.J. Stevenson, 1898 * Benjamin K. Emerson, 1899 *

George Mercer Dawson George Mercer Dawson (August 1, 1849 – March 2, 1901) was a Canadian geologist and surveyor. Biography He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia, the eldest son of Sir John William Dawson, Principal of McGill University and a noted geologis ...

, 1900 *

Charles D. Walcott Charles Doolittle Walcott (March 31, 1850February 9, 1927) was an American paleontologist, administrator of the Smithsonian Institution from 1907 to 1927, and director of the United States Geological Survey.Wonderful Life (book) by Stephen Jay Go ...

, 1901 * N.H. Winchell, 1902 * Samuel F. Emmons, 1903 *

John Casper Branner John Casper Branner (July 4, 1850 – March 1, 1922)Memorial Res ...

, 1904 *

Raphael Pumpelly Raphael Pumpelly (September 8, 1837 – August 10, 1923) was an American geologist and explorer. Biography Early life and ancestors He was born on September 8, 1837, in Owego, New York, into a family with deep New England roots that trace back ...

, 1905 * Israel Cook Russell, 1906 * C.R. Van Hise, 1907 *

Samuel Calvin Samuel Calvin (July 30, 1811 – March 12, 1890) was a Whig Party (United States), Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Samuel Calvin was born in Washingtonville, Pennsylvania. He attended the comm ...

, 1908 * G.K. Gilbert (2nd term), 1909 *

Arnold Hague Arnold Hague (December 3, 1840 in Boston, Massachusetts – May 14, 1917 in Washington, D.C.) was a United States geologist who did many geological surveys in the U.S., of which the best known was that for Yellowstone National Park. He also had as ...

, 1910 * William M. Davis, 1911 * H.L. Fairchild, 1912 * Eugene A. Smith, 1913 * George F. Becker, 1914 * Arthur P. Coleman, 1915 * John M. Clarke, 1916 * Frank D. Adams, 1917 * Whitman Cross, 1918 * J.C. Merriam, 1919 *

Israel C. White Israel Charles White (November 1, 1848 – November 24, 1927) was an eminent geologist and professor, internationally known, and the first state geologist of West Virginia. White was born on a farm in the Battelle district of Monongalia County, W ...

, 1920 * James F. Kemp, 1921 *

Charles Schuchert Charles Schuchert (July 3, 1858 – November 20, 1942) was an American invertebrate paleontologist who was a leader in the development of paleogeography, the study of the distribution of lands and seas in the geological past. Biography He was bo ...

, 1922 * David White, 1923 *

Waldemar Lindgren Waldemar Lindgren (February 14, 1860 – November 3, 1939) was a Swedish-American geologist. Lindgren was one of the founders of modern economic geology. Biography Waldemar Lindgren was born in Vassmolösa, Kalmar Municipality, in the historica ...

, 1924 * William B. Scott, 1925 *

Andrew Cowper Lawson Andrew Cowper Lawson (July 25, 1861 – June 16, 1952) was a Scots-Canadian geologist who became professor of geology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the editor and co-author of the 1908 report on the 1906 San Francisco earthq ...

, 1926 *

Arthur Keith Sir Arthur Keith FRS FRAI (5 February 1866 – 7 January 1955) was a British anatomist and anthropologist, and a proponent of scientific racism. He was a fellow and later the Hunterian Professor and conservator of the Hunterian Museum of the R ...

, 1927 *

Bailey Willis Bailey Willis (March 31, 1857 in Idle Wild-on-Hudson, New York, United States – February 19, 1949 in Palo Alto, California) was a geological engineer who worked for the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and lectured at two prominent Amer ...

, 1928 *

Heinrich Ries Heinrich Ries (April 30, 1871 – April 11, 1951) was an American economic geologist, born in Brooklyn, New York, and educated at Columbia University and at the University of Berlin. He was employed principally at Cornell University, initially as ...

, 1929 * R.A.F. Penrose Jr., 1930 *

Alfred C. Lane Alfred Church Lane (January 29, 1863 – April 15, 1948) was an American geologist and teacher. Born in Boston, Alfred C. Lane was educated at Harvard University and received his A.B. degree in 1883. Between 1883 and 1885 he taught mathematics at ...

, 1931 *

Reginald Aldworth Daly Reginald Aldworth Daly (March 18, 1871 – September 19, 1957) was a Canadian geologist. Biography Reginald Daly was educated at the University of Toronto, where geologist A.P. Coleman persuaded him away from teaching mathematics and into Earth S ...

, 1932 * C.K. Leith, 1933 * W.H. Collins, 1934 *Nevin M. Fenneman, 1935 * W.C. Mendenhall, 1936 *

Charles Palache Charles Palache (July 18, 1869 – December 5, 1954) was an American mineralogist and crystallographer. In his time, he was one of the most important mineralogists in the United States. Background Charles Palache came from the Pallache family ...

, 1937 *

Arthur Louis Day Arthur Louis Day (October 30, 1869 – March 2, 1960) was an American geophysicist and volcanologist. He studied high temperature thermometry, seismology and geothermal energy. Early life Day was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts and re ...

, 1938 *

T. Wayland Vaughan Thomas Wayland Vaughan (September 20, 1870 – January 16, 1952) was an American geologist and oceanographer. He worked with the United States Geological Survey and United States National Museum, investigating the geology of the West Indies, Pan ...

, 1939 *

Eliot Blackwelder Eliot Blackwelder (June 4, 1880 – January 14, 1969) was an American geologist who from 1922 to 1945 was head of the Stanford University department of geology. He served as president of the Geological Society of America in 1940 and of the Seismo ...

, 1940 *Charles P. Berkey, 1941 * Douglas W. Johnson, 1942 *E.L. Bruce, 1943 *

Adolph Knopf Adolph Knopf (December 2, 1882 – November 23, 1966) was an American geologist. Educated at the University of California, Berkeley, he held professional appointments at the United States Geological Survey, Yale University, and Stanford University ...

, 1944 *

Edward W. Berry Edward Wilber Berry (February 10, 1875 – September 20, 1945) was an American paleontologist and botanist; the principal focus of his research was paleobotany. Early life Berry was born February 10, 1875, in Newark, New Jersey, and finished hig ...

, 1945 * Norman L. Bowen, 1946 * A.I. Levorsen, 1947 * James Gilluly, 1948 * Chester Ray Longwell, 1949 *

William Walden Rubey William Walden Rubey (December 19, 1898 – April 12, 1974) was an American geologist. He was born in Moberly, Missouri. He attended the University of Missouri, and in 1920 he graduated with an A.B. degree. During the same year he married Susan El ...

, 1950 *Chester Stock, 1951 *Thomas S. Lovering, 1952 *Wendell P. Woodring, 1953 *Ernst Cloos, 1954 * Walter H. Bucher, 1955 * George S. Hume, 1956 *Richard J. Russell, 1957 *

Raymond Cecil Moore Raymond Cecil Moore (February 20, 1892, Roslyn, Washington – April 16, 1974, Lawrence, Kansas) was an American geologist and paleontologist.Daniel F. Merriam (2007), "Raymond Cecil Moore: Legendary Scholar and Scientist, World-Class Geologist ...

, 1958 *

Marland P. Billings Marland Pratt Billings (March 11, 1902 – October 9, 1996) was an American structural geologist who was considered one of the greatest authorities on North American geology. Billings was Professor of Geology at Harvard University for almost his ...

, 1959 * Hollis Dow Hedberg, 1960 * Thomas B. Nolan, 1961 * M. King Hubbert 1962 * Harry H. Hess 1963 * Francis Birch 1964 *

Wilmot H. Bradley Wilmot Hyde Bradley, a.k.a. "Bill" Bradley (4 April 1899 in New Haven, CT – 12 April 1979 in Bangor, Maine, Bangor, ME) was a co-founder (1943) and Chief of the Branch of Military Geology and Chief Geologist of the U.S. Geological Survey from ...

1965 *

Robert Ferguson Legget Robert Ferguson Legget (September 29, 1904 – April 17, 1994) was a civil engineer, historian and non-fiction writer. He is internationally known for his contributions to engineering, geology and building research and standardization. He is cr ...

1966 *

Konrad B. Krauskopf Konrad Bates Krauskopf (November 30, 1910 – May 4, 2003) was an American geologist, a pioneer in geochemistry, noted for his work in High-level radioactive waste management, radioactive waste disposal. Krauskopf led expeditions to Mexico, Norway ...

1967 *Ian Campbell, 1968 *Morgan J. Davis, 1969 *

John Rodgers John Rodgers may refer to: Military * John Rodgers (1728–1791), colonel during the Revolutionary War and owner of Rodgers Tavern, Perryville, Maryland * John Rodgers (naval officer, born 1772), U.S. naval officer during the War of 1812, first ...

, 1970 *Richard H. Jahns, 1971 *

Luna Leopold Luna Bergere Leopold (October 8, 1915 – February 23, 2006) was a leading U.S. geomorphologist and hydrologist, and son of Aldo Leopold. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1936; an M.S. in physics-meteoro ...

, 1972 *John C. Maxwell, 1973 * Clarence R. Allen, 1974 *Julian R. Goldsmith, 1975 * Robert E. Folinsbee, 1976 *

Charles L. Drake Charles Lum Drake (July 13, 1924 – July 8, 1997) was an American geologist who was Professor of Geology at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. Biography He was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the son of Ervin Thayer Drake and his wife Elizabeth Lum ...

, 1977 * Peter T. Flawn, 1978 * Leon T. Silver, 1979 *

Laurence L. Sloss Laurence L. Sloss (August 26, 1913 – November 2, 1996) was an American geologist. He taught geology at Northwestern University from 1947 until his retirement in 1981. He was president, Geological Society of America (GSA), with his tenure beginni ...

, 1980 *Howard R. Gould, 1981 * Digby J. McLaren, 1982 *Paul A. Bailly, 1983 *

M. Gordon Wolman Markley Gordon Wolman (August 16, 1924 – February 24, 2010) was an American geographer, son of Abel Wolman. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Haverford College before being drafted into the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the wa ...

, 1984 *Brian J. Skinner, 1985 * W. Gary Ernst, 1986 * Jack E. Oliver, 1987 * Albert W. Bally, 1988 *

Randolph Bromery Randolph Wilson ("Bill") Bromery (January 18, 1926 – February 26, 2013) was an American educator and geologist, and a former Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1971–79). While Chancellor, Bromery established the W.E.B. Du B ...

, 1989 *

Raymond A. Price Raymond Alexander Price, (born March 25, 1933) is a Canadian geologist. He has used his research on the structure and tectonics of North America’s lithosphere to produce extensive geological maps. He has also provided guidance for nuclear fue ...

, 1990 * Doris Malkin Curtis, 1991 * E-An Zen, 1992 *Robert D. Hatcher, 1993 *

William R. Dickinson William Richard Dickinson (October 26, 1931July 21, 2015) was a professor emeritus of geoscience at the University of Arizona and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Prior joining the University of Arizona, Dickinson was a profes ...

, 1994 *David A. Stephenson, 1995 * Eldridge M. Moores, 1996 * George A. Thompson, 1997 *Victor R. Baker, 1998 * Gail M. Ashley, 1999 *

Mary Lou Zoback Mary Lou Zoback ( Chetlain; born July 5, 1952) is an American geophysicist and seismologist. A specialist in tectonic stress and natural hazards risks, she spent most of her career as a research scientist with the United States Geological Survey ...

, 2000 *

Sharon Mosher Sharon Mosher is an American geologist. She did her undergraduate work at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After earning an MSc from Brown University, she returned to the University of Illinois to get her PhD in Geology in 1978. Since ...

, 2001 *

Anthony J. Naldrett Anthony James "Tony" Naldrett, FRSC (1933 – 21 June 2020) was an English and Canadian geologist. He was an authority on the geology and origin of nickel-copper-platinum group element deposits, the tectonic setting in which they occur, the petr ...

, 2002 * B. Clark Burchfiel, 2003 *Rob Van der Voo, 2004 *William A. Thomas, 2005 *Stephen G. Wells, 2006 * John M. "Jack" Sharp, Jr., 2007 *Judith Totman Parrish, 2008 *Jean M. Bahr, 2009 *Joaquin Ruiz, 2010 *John Geissman, 2011 *George H. Davis, 2012 *

Suzanne Mahlburg Kay Suzanne Mahlburg Kay (née Mahlburg) is the William & Katherine Snee Professor of Geological Sciences at Cornell University. She studies the origin and evolution of the continental crust. She is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, the A ...

, 2013 *Harry "Hap" McSween, 2014 *Jonathan G. Price, 2015 * Claudia I. Mora, 2016 * Isabel P. Montañez, 2017 *

Robbie Gries Robbie Rice Gries is an American petroleum geologist who was the first female president (2001–02) of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), president of the Geological Society of America (2018–19), and founder of Priority Oi ...

, 2018 * Donald I. Siegel, 2019 *J. Douglas Walker, 2020 *

Barbara Dutrow Barbara Dutrow (born 1956) is an American geologist who is the Adolphe G. Gueymard Professor of Geology at Louisiana State University. Dutrow wrote the textbook ''Manual of Mineral Science''. She was elected President of the Geological Society of ...

, 2021

References

External links

GSA Official Website
{{authority control Learned societies of the United States 1888 establishments in New York (state)

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...