Dr. Jack Dale Nations is a retired geologist whose career spanned 55 years, the majority of which was spent in Arizona and ranged from field work to museum research and curation to teaching. Most significant from his professional research collection are photographs documenting the geologic history of northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau.
Identification:
MS-380
Language:
Material in English, Spanish
Repository:
Museum of Northern Arizona
3101 N. Fort Valley Rd.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-774-5211 ext. 256 or 269
library@musnaz.org
Biographical History
Jack Dale Nations was born in Prairie Grove, Arkansas on October 18, 1934 and moved to Mesa, Arizona in 1945. He married Audrey Rose Viliborghi on October 26, 1957 and they had four children.
Nations received a BS in Geology from Arizona State University in 1956, then served as a pilot and civil engineer in the US Air Force stationed in Texas, Colorado, Utah, and England from 1956 to 1959. After discharge from the Air Force he continued to fly civilian aircraft, and retired from flying in 2000 after conducting numerous flights with students and colleagues on geological aerial reconnaissance and travel missions.
After his service in the Air Force Nations and his family returned to Arizona, and he took graduate courses at Arizona State University before earning an MS in Geology from the University of Arizona in 1962. He then attended the University of Missouri from 1964-1965, ultimately graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a PhD in Paleontology in 1969.
Nations began his extensive career at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 1969 as Assistant Professor of Geology, teaching and conducting research until 2000 when he retired as Regents Professor of Geology. He also taught as Visiting Professor at the University of Arizona, University of Colorado, Boulder, and University of Tubingen, Germany. During his tenure at NAU, Nations directed and participated in numerous projects for the Museum of Northern Arizona, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and multiple mining, oil, and environmental consulting companies. A large number of specimens representing turtles, fish, and dinosaurs were collected and added to MNA collections during his work on the projects for MNA on Black Mesa in Arizona and in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico, including the collection of a Pentaceratops in 1977. He also was Principal Investigator and director on two National Science Foundation grants between 1989 and 1997. Nations has registered as a Professional Geologist in Arizona, Arkansas, and California, and certified as a Professional Geologist by the American Institute of Professional Geologists. He has participated in at least 60 publications and been awarded 38 grants and scholarships during his career.
Nations was appointed by Governor Raul Castro to the Arizona Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 1976 and was a Commissioner until 2017, serving as Chair from 1986 to 2015. Nations also was appointed and reappointed to represent several Arizona governors as the official Arizona Representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission between 1979 and 2017. He was the NAU representative to the Governor's Strategic Partnership for Economic Development, Mining Cluster, from 1989 to 1998.
In addition to his professional activities, Nations was involved in local politics. He was elected to the Flagstaff City Council in 1972 and served as Mayor of Flagstaff from 1972 to 1976.
Dale Nations currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Scope and Content
Collection documents the professional research and teaching activities of Dr. Dale Nations over the course of his career as a geologist and professor at Northern Arizona University. Photographic images depicting field work, specimens, and stratigraphy in northern Arizona and throughout the Southwest, particularly on the Colorado Plateau, comprise the first two series. Documents pertaining to numerous projects which Nations directed or contributed to include field notes, data logs, manuscripts, maps, and illustrations for publications. Collection also contains biographical information and documentation of personal interests and political activities. Publications by Nations as sole author and coauthor, as well as professional literature collected in the course of research, are also part of this collection.
Arrangement
Arranged in four series: 1. Slides; 2. Photographs; 3. Documents; 4. Publications.
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
Conditions Governing Use
Published and unpublished materials are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Series contains images of numerous aerial views obtained by Nations, who often used his experience as a pilot to document geological landscapes on the Colorado Plateau and the greater Southwest region. Images of student field trips, field work, specimen collection, river trips in the Grand Canyon, and reference specimens in museum collections are also represented. Some images are arranged according to their use in lectures and talks, while most are organized by subject, project, geologic time period, and/or date.
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1.1
Image of Removed Slide Box + Label undated
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1.2
Chinle Valley Canyon de Chelly/ Aerial and Surface Defiance Plateau 1974-1995
Most photographs are black and while prints made from color negatives in this series and slides from Series 1. Aerial views, specimen collection, reference photos of specimens in various institutions’ collections, scenic views, and publication figures are included.
Series consists of documentation pertaining to projects Nations directed or participated in, including data logs, field notes, maps, and publications. Also contains files and lecture notes compiled for teaching various geology courses at NAU and other universities, presentations for professional organizations, and talks for the general public. Correspondence regarding consulting work, teaching opportunities, and public service, as well as biographical information and documents and newspaper clippings related to political activities are included in this series.
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3.14-3.15
CBM Measured Sections of Cretaceous Strata on Black Mesa, Arizona undated, 1994-1997
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3.16-3.17
Measured Sections of Cenezoic Stratigraphic Units in Verde Basin and Mogollon Rim (From NAU-M.S. Theses) undated, 1991, 2016
Series comprised of full text published articles and reports, summaries or abstracts of papers, and book chapters authored or coauthored by Nations. There are also publications by other authors and collected by Nations in the course of research.
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5.11
Scott, Zhou, and Levine. "A Modified Approach to Estimating Coal and Coal Gas Resources: Example from the Sand Wash Basin, Colorado." AAPG Bulletin 79:9. 1995
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5.12
Murray. Coalbed Methane: A Significant New Source of Clean Energy for the 21st Century. IOCC Annual Meeting. 1990
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5.13
Peabody Western. Coal Mining on Black Mesa. 1998-1999
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5.14
Peabody Western. The Black Mesa Coal/Water Slurry Pipeline System. Information Release. 1998
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5.15
Kiersch. "Coal" from Mineral Resources: Navajo-Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona-Utah vol. 1, Metalliferous Minerals and Mineral Fuels: Geology, Evaluation, and Uses and a Section on the General Geology. 1956
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5.16
Hoffman. "Coal Geology of the Lower Moreno Hill Formation, Salt Lake Field, West-Central, New Mexico." NMGS Guidebook. 1994
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5.17
Leckie, Kirkland, and Elder. "Stratigraphic Framework and Correlation of a Principal Reference Section of the Mancos Shale (Upper Cretaceous), Mesa Verde, Colorado." NMGS Guidebook. 1997
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5.18
Hopi Office of Mining and Mineral Resources. Mineral and Energy Resources on Hopi Land. 1991
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5.19
Nations, Swift, and Haven. "Arizona Coal." Arizona Geology 28:4. 1998
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5.20
Eaton et al. "Stratigraphy, Correlation, and Tectonic Setting of Late Cretaceous Rocks in the Kaiparowits and Black Mesa Basins" from Geologic Diversity of Arizona and its Margins: Excursions to Choice Areas by Davis and VandenDolder. GSA Field Trip Guidebook. 1987
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5.21
Geoscience Education, Continuing Education, and Careers Pt. 1. The Professional Geologist 29:10. American Institute of Professional Geologists. 1992
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5.22
Wood et al. Coal Resource Classification System of the U.S. Geological Survey. Geological Survey Circular 891. 1983
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5.23
Swanson and Huffman. Guidelines for Sample Collecting and Analytical Methods Used in the U.S. Geological Survey for Determining Chemical Composition of Coal. Geological Survey Circular 735. 1976
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5.24
Swift and Nations. "Coal and Coalbed Methane Resources of Black Mesa, Arizona." Earth Sciences: It's About Time 3:1. NAU Department of Geology. 1997
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5.25
Elliot and Nations. "Bee Burrows in the Late Cretaceous (Late Cenomanian) Dakota Formation, Northeastern Arizona." Ichnos vol. 5. 1998
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5.26
Nations, Swift, and Selestewa. "A Newly Discovered Dinosaur Tracksite in the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, Northeastern Arizona." The Continental Jurassic, MNA Bulletin 60. 1996
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5.27
Plateau: The Quarterly of the Museum of Northern Arizona 46:1. 1973
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5.28
Leckie et al. "Paleoceanography of the Southwestern Western Interior Sea During the Time of the Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary (Late Cretaceous)" from Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, USA. 1998
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5.29
West, Leckie, and Schmidt. "Foraminiferal Paleoecology and Paleoceanography of the Greenhorn Cycle Along the Southwestern Margin of the Western Interior Sea" from Stratigraphy and Paleoenvironments of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, USA. 1998
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5.30
Kirkland et al. "Lower to Middle Cretaceous Dinosaur Faunas of the Central Colorado Plateau: A Key to Understanding 35 Million Years of Tectonics, Sedimentology, Evolution and Biogeography." Geology Studies (BYU) 42:2. 1997
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5.31
Nations. The Genus Cancer (Crustacea: Brachyura): Systematics, Biogeography and Fossil Record. National History Museum of Los Angeles County Science Bulletin 23. 1975
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6.1
Nations et al. Lessons Learned from Drilling an Exploratory CO2 Injection Well Near the Cholla Power Plant, Holbrook, AZ. [abstract draft] undated
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6.2
Arizona Administrative Code Title 12 Chapter 7. Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. 2007
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6.3
Nations and Phillips. The Mining and Minerals Cluster in Arizona: An Analysis for the Strategic Economic Development Vision for the Arizona-Sonora Region. AZGS CR 09-A. 1997
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6.4
Nations. Oil and Gas Occurrence and Potential in Arizona. 2008
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6.5
Nations, Doss, and Ybarra. "Geologic Setting of Oil and Gas Exploration in Arizona" from Oil and Gas Fields of the Four Corners Area vol. 3. Four Corners Geological Society. 1983
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6.6
Nations, Doss, and Ybarra. "Stratigraphy and Oil and Gas Production of Arizona, 1978-1983" from Oil and Gas Fields of the Four Corners Area vol. 3. Four Corners Geological Society. 1983
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6.7
Nations. "The Geology of Arizona: Its Energy Resources and Potential" from The Interstate Oil Compact Commission Committee Bulletin 20:2. 1978
Nations. "The Genus Cancer and Its Distribution in Time and Space." Bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington no. 3. 1979
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6.10
Nations and Stump. Geology of Arizona 2nd edition. [overview] 1996
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6.11
Rowe, Colbert, and Nations. "The occurrence of Pentaceratops (Ornithschia: Ceratopsia) with a description of its frill" from Advances in San Juan Basin Paleontology. 1981
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6.12
Nations. "A New Species of Cancroid Crab from the Pliocene of California." Journal of Paleontology 42:1. 1968
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6.13
Nations. "Evidence for a Morrowan Age for the Black Prince Limestone of Southeastern Arizona." Journal of Paleontology 37:6. 1963
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6.14
Nations. "Cretaceous History of Northeastern and East-Central Arizona." Arizona Geological Society Digest 17. 1989
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6.15
"Burnham-Bisti Bones Bared." The Pipeliner 40:5. 1977
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6.16
Nations. "Dinosaur Skull Find May Be Pentaceratops." MNA Museum Notes New Series 5:5. 1977
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6.17
Ayers. "Pliocene Verde Valley: a much more 'verde' place." Heritage, The Verde Valley Independent. 2008
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6.18
Eaton and Nations. "Introduction; Tectonic setting along the margin of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, southwestern Utah and northern Arizona" from Stratigraphy, depositional environments, and sedimentary tectonics of the western margin, Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. Geological Society of America Special Paper 260. 1991
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6.19
Catton-Isaacs. "Compasses, Computers, and Culture: Studying Coal and Gas." Horizons, Northern Arizona University. 1995
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6.20
Nations, Swift, and Haven. "Chapter H: Summary of Cretaceous Stratigraphy and Coal Distribution, Black Mesa Basin, Arizona." [printout] Kirschbaum, Roberts, and Biewick. Geologic Assessment of Coal in the Colorado Plateau: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-B. [CD-ROM] 2000
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6.21
Nations, Swift, and Haven. Preliminary Investigations of the Distribution and Resources of Coal in the Black Mesa Basin, Northeastern Arizona. Arizona Geological Survey and U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report. [draft] 1999
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6.22
Nations, Wilt, and Hevly. "Cenozoic Paleogeography of Arizona." Cenozoic Paleogeography of West-Central United States. Rocky Mountain Section, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists. 1985
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6.23
Nations. "Paleontology, Biostratigraphy, and Paleoecology of the Verde Formation of Late Cenozoic Age, North-Central Arizona." Geology of Northern Arizona GSA Rocky Mountain Section Guidebook. 1974
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6.24
Nations et al. "Paleontology, Paleoecology, and Depositional History of the Miocene-Pliocene Verde Formation, Yavapai County, Arizona." Arizona Geological Society Digest vol. 13. 1981
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6.25
Nations and Ranney. "Geologic Model of a Cenozoic Basin in Arizona." Arizona's Industrial Rock and Mineral Resources — Workshop Proceedings. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1905. 1988
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6.26
Nations. "Stratigraphy and Tectonic Significance of Cenozoic Basin-fill Sediments, Tonto Basin, Arizona: Final Report to Bureau of Reclamation." Seismotectonic Investigation for Theodore Roosevelt Dam Salt River Project, Arizona. 1987
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6.27
Nations. "Stratigraphy and Tectonic Significance of Cenozoic Basin-fill Sediments, Tonto Basin, Arizona." Field Trip Guidebook to the Tonto Basin, Arizona: Geomorphology, Quaternary Geology, Tertiary Basin Development, Archaeology, and Engineering Geology. Friends of the Pleistocene — Rocky Mountain Cell. 1988
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6.28
Houser et al. "Late Cenozoic stratigraphy and tectonics of the Safford, Tonto, and Payson Basins, southeastern and central Arizona." Geologic excursions through the Sonoran Desert Region, Arizona and Sonora. Field trip guidebook, Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America 1990
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6.29
Nations. "Stop 2: Verde Basin" and "Cross-Section, Colorado Plateau to Black Hills." Highway Geology Symposium Proceedings and Field Trip Guide. 1998
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6.30
Nations, Landye, and Hevly. "Location and Chronology of Tertiary Sedimentary Deposits in Arizona: A Review." Cenozoic Nonmarine Deposits of California and Arizona. Pacific Section, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists. 1982
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6.31
Smiley et al. "Chapter 1: Geologic Time Scale." Landscapes of Arizona: The Geological Story. 1984
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6.32
Peirce and Nations. "Tectonic and Paleogeographic Significance of Tertiary Rocks of the Southern Colorado Plateau and Transition Zone." Geology of Central and Northern Arizona, Field Trip Guidebook, Geological Society of America. 1986
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6.33
Nations and Gauna. Stratigraphic, Sedimentologic, and Paleobotanical Investigations of Terrance Grounds, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground. Department of Defense. [front matter + executive summary] Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Paleontology/Fossils in the Park. [website printout] 1998, 2018
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6.34
Nations and Potochnik. Tectonic/Physiographic Evolution of the Southern Margin of the Colorado Plateau, Central Arizona. Talk given at the GSA Rocky Mountain Section Annual Meeting. 1998
