George Mason University
CSI/Statistics Colloquium Series
Seminar Announcement

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Mining the Sands of Time

Edward J. Wegman
Adalbert Wilhelm
Juergen Symanzik


U.S. George Mason University


ABSTRACT Geologists can measure the erosion or creation of beaches by comparing location of present day beaches with archeological beaches. This is done by comparing samples of present day sand to samples of archeological sand. If the sand below present beaches resembles dune sand, then a plausible conclusion is that the present day beach has eroded relative to the archeological beach. Conversely, if the sand below present day dunes resembles beach sand, the a plausible conclusion is that new beaches have been created relative to the archeological beaches. Sands from beaches and from dunes are distinguishable based on particle size distributions although different locations show markedly different distributions of particle sizes. In this talk we illustrate the use of our so-called BRUSH-TOUR dynamic graphics strategy as a clustering tool using training data from the Oronsay sand particle size data set. We compare modern day sand to archeological sand for the purposes of classification of the archeological sands.

Friday, September 18, 1998
George W. Johnson Center, Assembly Room E
Seminar at 11:00 a.m. Note Time!
Refreshments at 10:30 a.m.
For the 1998 Fall Seminar Schedule, go to
http:www.science.gmu.edu/statseminars