Matt Joeckel, professor and research geologist in the Conservation and Survey Division at the School of Natural Resources, will present “The Keystone Pipeline: Observations on Geology, Society and the Nebraska Geological Survey” at 3:30 p.m., Nov. 13 in 107 Hardin Hall (auditorium). The seminar is free and open to the public.

Fact, fiction, emotion and public interest have converged upon the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project. And, although opinions about the pipeline itself are abundant and readily exchanged, it appears that geologic facts relevant to the subject are in short supply.

The proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline crosses a surprising diversity of geological, geomorphic, hydrogeological and soil settings in Nebraska, all of which are only partially characterized. In fact, Nebraska’s largely uncelebrated geology is highly significant from standpoints ranging from the local to the global.

Joeckel returned to Lincoln in 2000 to work for the Conservation and Survey Division at UNL. He has a doctorate in geology from the University of Iowa. He also attended UNL, the University of Kansas, the University of Florida and Iowa State University. He was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Tennessee and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.