News Release, Kansas Geological Survey, Oct. 4, 1999
This is the second annual nationwide week that emphasizes the earth sciences and the importance they play in society, said Lee Allison, state geologist of Kansas and director of the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas.
Recognition of the earth sciences is particularly important this year, says Allison.
"The earth sciences are absolutely crucial to an understanding of the age of the earth and the evolution of life on the earth," said Allison. "In addition, geology provides basic information about petroleum and groundwater, two of the state's most important natural resources."
Earth Science Week was established in 1998 by the American Geological Institute, a scientific society based in Alexandria, Virginia. As part of Earth Science Week, the Kansas Geological Survey has distributed more than 500 packets of earth-science teaching materials to the members of the Kansas Earth Science Teachers Association and the Kansas Association of Teachers of Science, two of the state's teachers' organizations.
In addition, staff members from the Kansas Geological Survey will be at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County, Kansas, on October 16, providing information about the geology and fossils of the Preserve.
More information on Kansas geology and Earth Science Week is available on the Survey's web site at www.kgs.ku.edu.