News Release

GSA announces new journal: Lithosphere to debut in early 2009

Business Announcement

Geological Society of America

Boulder, CO, USA – The Geological Society of America is pleased to announce the newest addition to its collection of premier peer-reviewed, earth-science journals. Lithosphere is scheduled to launch in early 2009, and will focus on the tectonic processes that affect Earth's crust and upper mantle. Content will highlight research that addresses how the surface, crust, and mantle interact to shape the physical and chemical evolution of the lithosphere at all spatial and temporal scales.

According to Frank Pazzaglia, Lehigh University department chair, and Lithosphere editorial board member, "Lithospheric-scale research that integrates geomorphology, geology, geophysics, geodesy, structural geology, petrology, and geodynamics is growing in popularity as a rewarding and productive way to take our understanding of the solid Earth to the next level. This new journal is a logical and much needed voice for this kind of integrated research in the geosciences."

Three distinguished science editors have been appointed for the journal.

James P. Evans is a professor in the Department of Geology at Utah State University. Evans studies deformation and fluid flow in the upper 10 km of the Earth's crust using mapping, laboratory measurements, geochemistry, computer graphics, and structural analysis. He served as associate editor of the Journal of Structural Geology from 1992 to 1997, and was chief editor from 1997 to 2002. "GSA is one of the foremost geoscientific societies in the world," says Evans. "Publishing Lithosphere reflects the Society's commitment to sponsorship of internationally recognized research."

Jon D. Pelletier is associate professor in the Geosciences Department of the University of Arizona. Pelletier's research interests include landforms on Earth's surface that are sculpted by flowing water in the form of rivers and glaciers and by wind and windborne particles, with a focus on the integration of computer model results with field and remote-sensing data. "The coupled interaction of tectonics, climate, and surface processes is one of the most exciting areas of geoscientific research today," says Pelletier. "My hope is that Lithosphere will soon become the publication of choice for this type of work."

Raymond M. Russo, assistant professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Florida (Gainesville), studies tectonics and seismology, with emphasis on upper mantle flow and lithosphere-asthenosphere interactions. "Just as geology itself really involves a set of problems about the Earth which we solve using all of the basic sciences," says Russo, "our goal is to encourage and publish outstanding, wide-ranging research on the part of the Earth which we know—and can know— in greatest detail: the lithosphere."

Lithosphere welcomes contributions from a variety of earth science disciplines, including (but not limited to) structural geology, geodynamics, tectonic geomorphology, petrology, and geochemistry, as well as results from integrative, interdisciplinary projects (e.g., Canada's Lithoprobe, EarthScope in the United States). The journal particularly encourages articles that address how complex systems in the solid Earth operate and how coupling between those systems occurs. Formats can include short research contributions that present new and innovative ideas, longer research articles with complete presentations of field-based data and review articles.

GSA plans to publish Lithosphere every other month in a hard copy format, and the journal will also be available online.

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GSA is also a member of GeoScienceWorld, a Web-based consortia of scientific societies dedicated to providing scientists throughout the world with access to a range of scientific journals on a cost-effective basis.

Related links:

Lithosphere author information: http://www.geosociety.org/pubs/lithosphere/lsGuide.htm
GeoScienceWorld: http://www.geoscienceworld.org/

www.geosociety.org


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