Earth Science Week 1997

The William M. Keck Mineral Museum (in the Mackay Mines Building on the north side of the quad, by the statue of John Mackay) will be open all day. From 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. museum volunteers will assist elementary and middle school children in a scavenger hunt (looking for specific minerals and fossils in the collections); mineral specimens from Nevada will be given to children who participate. Children who participate in the scavenger hunt will also be entered in a drawing for a Nevada rock and mineral collection.

Free earth-science resource materials will be available for primary and secondary school teachers from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the William M. Keck Mineral Museum. These include curricular items, posters, mineral and rock specimens, and other materials donated by the U.S. Geological Survey, Nevada mining industry, Nevada Division of Minerals of the Department of Business and Industry, and Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.

The UNR Seismological Laboratory (in the Laxalt Mineral Engineering Building on the east side of the quad) will be open for tours from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. See seismographs recording earthquakes worldwide, and talk to scientists about the earthquake hazards in the Reno area and elsewhere in Nevada. You can pick up a free brochure, in English or Spanish, on ``Earthquakes in Nevada and How to Survive Them''.

Some of the activities of earth scientists from the University and Community College System of Nevada (UNR, UNLV, Desert Research Institute) and the U.S. Geological Survey will be on display from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the foyer of the Laxalt Mineral Engineering Building.

The newly opened DeLaMare Mines and Engineering Library (in the Mackay Mines Building) will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Computer terminals assist researchers to find books, periodicals, and maps in the UNR collection as well as in other libraries.

The Publication Sales Office of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (in the Scrugham Engineering-Mines Building on the northeast corner of the quad) will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Here you can obtain topographic and geologic maps and reports about the geology and natural resources of Nevada. Some popular items include guidebooks on "Geologic and Natural History Tours in the Reno Area" and "Geologic Tours in the Las Vegas Area," a "Rockhound's Map of Nevada," and a newly released booklet on "Gold from Water and Other Mining Scams."

From 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Room 106 of the Ansari Business Building, Dr. Jon Price, Nevada State Geologist and Director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, will present a slide presentation on "Geological Issues Facing Nevada" and answer questions about such topics as impacts of mineral, geothermal energy, and petroleum production on the Nevada economy; environmental concerns about past, present and future mining; nuclear and hazardous waste disposal; and earthquake, flood, landslide, volcanic, and other geological hazards.

In a related event, the Geological Society of Nevada will be holding its first meeting of the fall on Friday, October 17, at the Elks Lodge, 597 Kumle Lane, Reno. Joseph Anthony Kizis, Jr. of Fairmile Gold Corp. will speak at 8:00 p.m. on an "Update of the Buffalo Valley Intrusion-related Gold Project, Battle Mountain Region, Nevada." Reservations for the dinner (at 7:00 p.m., $16, or the social at 6:00 p.m., $5) can be made by phone (702-323-3500), fax (323-3599), or e-mail (gsn@mines.unr.edu).

For more information on Earth Science Week, please call 702-784-6691 extension 126.

The text of the Governor's proclamation follows.

Whereas, geology and the other earth sciences are fundamental to the safety, health, and welfare of Nevadans and to the economy of Nevada; and

Whereas, the earth sciences are integral to finding, developing, and conserving mineral, energy, and water resources needed for Nevada's continuing prosperity; and

Whereas, the earth sciences provide the basis for preparing for and mitigating natural hazards such as the earthquakes, floods, landslides, droughts, expansive soils, and subsidence experienced from time to time in Nevada; and

Whereas, the earth sciences are crucial to environmental and ecological issues ranging from water and air quality to waste disposal; and

Whereas, geological factors of resources, hazards, and environment are vital to land management and land use decisions made in Nevada; and

Whereas, the earth sciences contribute critical pieces to our understanding and appreciation of, and our respect for Nature;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BOB MILLER, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, do hereby proclaim that the second full week of October henceforth be designated as