The Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) of the University of Minnesota Duluth hosted the 50th Annual Institute on Lake Superior Geology on May 4 – 9, 2004 at the Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview in Duluth, Minnesota. The meeting consisted of two days of technical sessions with four pre- and four post-technical session field trips. Julie Ann Heinz, Barbara Hauck, and Jeanne Lukkarila provided excellent on-site assistance. John Heine was responsible for: the 50th ILSG website and online registration; AV expertise that kept the sessions flowing on time; and worked with Mark Severson on logistics for the field trips. Julie Oreskovich was the poster session czar. Richard Patelke was invaluable as the data base manager and the designer of the 50th ILSG T-shirt. Bill Cannon and Gene LaBerge compiled a CD of photographs of past ILSG members and field trips. Other members of the local committee included: Charlie Matsch, Jim Miller, Penny Morton, Dean Peterson, and Larry Zanko – all of whom provided much need expertise. Pre-meeting registration was 275 students and professionals, with an additional 24 on-site registrations, for a total of 299 registrants. This was the first time that on-line registration was offered, and 222 individuals registered on-line.

Proceedings Volume 50 was published in two parts: Part 1 – Program and Abstracts, edited by Steven Hauck, with 69 published abstracts, for 39 oral and 30 poster presentations; and Part 2 – Field Trip Guidebook, edited by Mark Severson.

The 50th meeting marked the sixth time (1958, 1963, 1971, 1979, 1989, 2004) the ILSG annual meeting was held in Duluth, Minnesota. The nine field trips (one trip with two sections) were well attended with 315 total participants attending one or two field trips. On Tuesday, May 4th, marked the beginning of two two-day field trips: George Hudak and co-leaders lead a field trip to examine the volcanic stratigraphy, hydrothermal alteration, and VMS potential of the Lower Ely Greenstone; and Terry Boerboom and co-leaders lead a trip to visit newly mapped outcrops in the Southwestern Sequence of the North Shore Volcanic Group and in the Beaver Bay Complex. On Wednesday, May 5th, there were two one-day field trips: Howard Hobbs led a trip to look at the Late Wisconsinan Superior-lobe deposits northeast of Duluth; and Richard Ojakangas, Mark Severson, and co-leaders examined the geology of the eastern Mesabi Range. On Saturday, May 10th, there were four field trips: Mark Jirsa, Terry Boerboom, and co-leaders led two sections on a two-day investigation of the classic outcrops of northeastern Minnesota; Lisa Marlow and co-leaders examined the glacial and post-glacial landscape evolution in the Glacial Lake Aitkin and Upham basin; Dean Peterson and Richard Patelke led a field trip to the Vermilion District, northeast of Soudan, MN, to look at the economic geology of Archean gold occurrences; and Mark Severson and Jim Miller visited outcrops along the western contact of the Duluth Complex to illustrate the geology and Cu-Ni mineralization.

One hundred and sixty-three participants attended the annual banquet on Thursday night. This year’s banquet speaker was Bob Dott of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Dott is professor emeritus from the Department of Geology and Geophysics. Dr. Dott’s post-banquet presentation was: The Van Hise army and other pioneers of Lake Superior geology. The other highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2004 Goldich medal to Paul Weiblen of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, which recognized his efforts in many areas in the Lake Superior region, especially in the Duluth Complex.

The technical sessions began with a special session on “The History of Geologic Investigations in the Lake Superior Region”. The “Old Prospector” (Richard Ojakangas) gave a brief historical overview of geology between 1848 and 1900 that was followed by four other presentations on the geology, mineralization, and geochronology of the Lake Superior region.

As always, the student paper committee had a difficult time of picking a winner. There were six oral presentations and four poster presentations. The winners were:
1) Andy Breckenridge – Large Lakes Observatory ($250, Winner, best oral presentation)
2) Heidi Drexler – University of Wisconsin Oshkosh ($125, Winner, best poster presentation)
3) Justin Johnson, Lakehead University ($125, Honourable mention)
4) Adam Hoffman - University of Minnesota ($125, Honourable mention, best poster presentation)
In addition five Eisenbrey Student Travel awards were presented in 2004, they winners were: Paula Shafer, Indiana University ($250); Justin Johnson - Lakehead, Thunder Bay ($125); Geoff Heggie - Lakehead, Thunder Bay ($125); Adam Richardson - Lakehead, Thunder Bay ($125); and Riku Metsaranta - - Lakehead, Thunder Bay ($125)

The Institute’s Board of Directors met on May 6, 2004, and brief summary of the meeting follows:
1. Accepted the Report of the Chair for the 49th ILSG from Laurel Woodruff, and the minutes of the last Board meeting, May 8, 2003 from Pete Hollings.
2. Accepted the 2003-2004 ILSG Financial Summary from Mark Jirsa.
3. Approved Steven Hauck to continue on as a Board member.
4. Approved Nipigon, Ontario as the 51st annual meeting location with Mark Smyk and Pete Hollings as co-chairs.
5. Replaced Ron Sage, who was on the Goldich Committee with Tom Hart, who had agreed to serve.
6. Discussed splitting the Secretary-Treasurer position. Pete Hollings was nominated and elected secretary by the ILSG members, and Mark Jirsa was nominated and elected treasurer.

The 50th ILSG meeting was a great success, and we wish to thank all of the individuals who contributed to this success. The staffs of the Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview, UMD Food Service, and the Fortune Bay Casino (field trips) were always professional and responsive to our evolving needs to handle a very large group. The following organizations provided generous monetary contributions: Department of Geosciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, MN; Franconia Minerals Corporation, Spokane, WA; Idea Drilling Incorporated, Virginia, MN; Iron Mining Association, Duluth, MN; Lehmann Exploration Management, Minneapolis, MN; Meriden Engineering, LLC, Hibbing, MN; Minerals Processing Corporation, Duluth, MN; Minnesota Exploration Association (MExA), Minneapolis, MN; Minnesota Minerals Coordinating Committee, St. Paul, MN; Teck Cominco American Incorporated, Spokane, WA; and Wallbridge Mining Company, Lively, ONT. The field trips were very well attended, and our appreciation is due to the field trip leaders, van drivers, and everyone else who contributed to the success of the 50th ILSG meeting. Because of the large attendance for the meeting and field trips, the 50th ILSG meeting generated several thousand dollars to the ILSG general fund. The 50th ILSG meeting also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). A special session on Friday afternoon featured papers by UMD faculty, students, and alumni. A banquet celebrating this occasion was held at the Duluth Depot on Friday evening after the ILSG meeting, which was attended by many UMD alumni, faculty, and students, and ILSG members.

Both of us are very happy with the results of 50th meeting, and we hope that future ILSG meetings can be as well attended as this meeting. We also hope that the attendees were as happy with the meeting as the local committee was. This meeting, like every ILSG meeting requires a lot of work and time on behalf of the co-chairs and the local committee. The additional assistance of ILSG members at-large helped make the meeting a success.

Respectively Submitted,
Steven Hauck and Mark Severson
Co-Chairs, 50th ILSG meeting

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