New Year’s resolution poll results and my geological predictions for 2009

Thanks to all for participating in the New Year’s resolution poll (over 130 votes) — here are the results (by percentage):

It looks like people want to get healthier … maybe we should all do more field work! I’m happy to see how many are planning to submit papers — but I was hoping to see more planning to chair technical sessions at meetings. If you want to see what you study have a higher profile at meetings, you need to be the one to make it happen. I’m also a bit surprised at how few are planning to start a blog — have we reached saturation point? And good luck to those planning on finishing their graduate studies!

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In addition to making plans or resolutions, the end of the calendar year is also a nice time to make some predictions for the upcoming year. Most of the predictions you read about or see on TV will be about the economy, technology, fashion, and the like.

I will now make these predictions about geological processes that will occur in 2009:

(1) Erosion will continue in mountainous areas

(2) Deposition will continue in lowland, coastal, shelf, and deep-marine areas

(3) Uplift will continue in the Himalayas, parts of the Andes, and many other areas

(4) Subsidence will continue in deltaic areas

(5) Some volcanoes will erupt (some will be bigger than others)

(6) Plates will continue to interact with one another and create earthquakes (some will be bigger than others)

… and so on.

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