Tough Times vs. Continued Commitment I would like to thank all of the companies and individuals that have continued their financial support for the HGS and our activities during these difficult times. Budgets are tight in the oil patch as all of you know. The direct result of these tight budgets is the loss of industry financial sponsorships for our events and fundraisers, coupled with a 50% attendance reduction at typically high attendance events, underwritten by the HGS. Please understand that even though the Houston Geological Society is a Not-For-Profit 501 C organization; we still need to generate enough profit at our events to pay for our general operating overhead.

We are dependent on our big conferences generating enough profit to cover a substantial amount of our overhead while being dedicated to keeping the cost for our events low. Underwriting these conferences requires a large capital outlay by the HGS often a year or more in advance, with no guarantee that exhibitors will buy booths or that the greater geological community will attend. These financial losses have translated into difficult choices at the HGS as we continue forward with our traditional slate of events.

Big conferences like Mudrocks and Geomechanics have moved to corporate venues to help offset the loss of corporate financial support. We will be looking for a new venue for the 2018 Africa Conference that is lower cost than where we are currently meeting, but still maintains the venue quality everyone has grown to expect at this conference. We had a good response for donations to the Calvert Fund and the HGS Foundation on this year’s membership renewal, and this has offset the reduced donations from industry to our scholarship program. Currently, we are looking for a new sponsor to cover free  student memberships in the HGS and we are also looking at moving the venue for the Shrimp Peel next spring.

One of the biggest changes we are putting into motion for next few years is producing a digital version of the HGS Bulletin. A printed, hard copy of the HGS Bulletin will still be available to our members, however, starting 2017-2018 year, this option will be made elective-only and available for an additional charge.

We remain committed to helping unemployed members by offering reduced entry fees for our events. If you have been impacted by the downturn, please call the HGS office and talk to Andrea Peoples. Receiving a discount to attend an HGS meeting, Conference and or Social event does put you on the HGS volunteer list. Volunteering provides a good opportunity for networking and career development, as well as personal growth and hopefully future employment. (Read the September President’s page for why I feel that volunteering is important.)

Last month, I highlighted my desire to increase the HGS membership even though membership dues are not a large source of income. Our dues are extremely low ($28) compared to other memberships in our industry. Increased HGS membership allows us to get the word out on our conferences, meetings, and social events which are where we generate the income that covers our expenses. We are faced with the challenge to make ends meet, while we are cutting entry fees and experiencing attendance-drops and reduced financial support from industry. We are fortunate that earlier HGS Boards have provided us with the resources to navigate these demanding financial conditions gracefully, and not have to implement draconian measures immediately to rectify the situation.

I am firm in my commitment to helping all of our members during this difficult time in the oil patch and I am open to any and all suggestion on how to reduce the cost to run the activities we all enjoy and appreciate, while continuing to keep up quality we have grown to expect from the HGS. Email me directly at john.jordan@hgs.org.

From the Editor - October 2016

I feel extremely reticent on the Digital Bulletin topic (at least for this month), so I am choosing purposely to avoid that conversation and focus completely on the cool geology we have here in Texas. I am just too excited and ready to go on some outdoor exploits!

Field trips are probably one of the most fun activities any geologist gets to experience — it is really what keeps us down-to-earth and motivated to continue in the profession. This month, inspired by DigitalGlobe’s technology-driven  cover image of the Grand Canyon, I decided to plan several local personal family field trips for the upcoming year. Planning a field trip can be quite daunting, however, (and fortunately) the HGS has done this many times before, and with just a little digital help — I was able to uncover a few historical links that I hope you will find interesting enough to explore yourself!

Upcoming Hgs Organized Field Trips
(Waivers Required)
Panther Creek, Montgomery County Preserve
October 16, 2016, Woodlands, TX

Tucked away just south of The Woodlands, Texas is the Montgomery County Preserve — a greenway that local residents use to walk their dogs or jog and groups use to learn about local flora. The preserve also holds a natural laboratory to explore a meandering creek system. Spending part or all of a day along a ½ km of Panther Creek where it merges with Spring Creek allows visitors to investigate numerous features of the creek as well as interact with the processes that form and continually modify them. The field guide points out the various features of the creek at a number of locations along with explanations of the processes that are occurring.

Where: West on Sawdust Rd off of I 45. South on Budde Rd. It will become Pruitt Rd. Turn left at Montgomery County Preserve and look for the sign.
What to See: Geological stream processes on Panther Creek and how you would recognize them under the ground. Point bars, cut banks, sediment flow and structures, and log jams.
Panther Creek Guidebook — http://www.hgs.org/sites/default/files/Panther%20Creek%20Field%20Guide%2...

Take a Kid to the Outcrop Campout
October 14-16, Trinity, TX

A weekend family campout which will include a fossil hunt at a quarry, a new geology lab, gold panning, and other outdoor activities.

Where: YMCA Camp Cullen
What to See: Fossil hunting, golf panning, geology lab with
samples, and many more activities.

Day Trips From Houston
Jacob’s Well Natural Area
Wimberley, TX

Jacob’s Well is a feature of the karst landscape of Central Texas and the headwaters of Cypress Creek. The extensive caving systems that are common in this region are the result of slightly acidic rainfall interacting with and eroding the limestone over millennia. The limestone caves and passage segments combine to form one of the longest underwater cave systems in Texas.

Where: Main entrance located at 1699 Mount Sharp Road, Wimberley, Texas 78676. Reservations required during swimming season at https://jwna.checkfront.com/reserve.
What to See: Fossil hunting, gold panning, geology lab with samples, and many more activities. http://www.co.hays.tx.us/jwna.aspx https://jwna.checkfront.com/reserve.

Mineral Wells Fossil Park
Mineral Wells, TX

Mineral Wells Fossil Park provides the fossil enthusiast, palaeontologist, and student an excellent opportunity to see and collect well preserved “Pennsylvanian Period” fossils with ease and abundance. These fossils have been dated to  be just over 300 million years old.

Where: Fossil Park is located northwest of Mineral Wells, Texas. From Mineral Wells, head west on Highway 180. Turn north on Indian Creek Road and drive approximately 2 miles to the Mineral Wells Fossil Park entrance.
What to See: 300 million-year-old fossils that range from crinoids and bivalves to brachiopods, corals, trilobites, and more. (You can take them home!)
http://www.mineralwellsfossilpark.com/

Whiskey Bridge
Bryan, TX

This locality is famous for being the most fossiliferous site in Texas. It has been called Moseley Ferry after the river crossing in the early days of Texas, and more recently called Whiskey Bridge because this was the closest place to A&M where Aggies could go to get a drink. The fossils were first described in 1848 by Roemer, a German geologist sent by the Berlin Academy of Sciences to see if Texas was a fit place for settlement (he said it was!). The strata exposed here are Eocene in age, which means that they are 35 million years old. Some of the sediment is well cemented and forms hard ledges, an unusual material here in the Brazos River flood plain. These rocks gave name to the town just north of the river, Stone City. In return, the town gave the name Stone City Bluffs to the outcrop, and you see the stones everywhere. Most of the outcrop is soft sediment — sand, silt, and a peculiar dark green material called glauconite, our key to figuring out where these sediments were deposited.

Where: Bridge on Hwy 21 over the Brazos River in Cooks Point, TX.
What to See: Cross-beds, burrows, gastropods, corals.
Whiskey Bridge Guidebook - www.hgms.org/client_trips/WhiskeyBridge/files/OutcropDescription.pdf https://www.hgs.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1492

McFaddin Beach/High Island
McFaddin Beach, TX

Where: The beach where Hwy 87 and Hwy 124 intersect, just south of the town of High Island and park where Hwy 124 ends at the beach. Nearest rest rooms are at the gas station in the town of High Island.
What to See: Pleistocene fossils along the beach.
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/mcfaddin/McFaddin Beach Guidebook, 2012— https://www.hgs.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1244

Spindletop Salt Dome
Beaumont, TX

Gladys City is available for full or semi-guided 90-minute tours for groups of 10 or more Tuesday through Friday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Where: Gladys City is located on the Lamar University campus at 5550 Jimmy Simmons Blvd (formerly University Drive), Beaumont, Texas 77705 (University Drive & Hwy. 69N).
What to See: Gusher re-enactment, museum.
http://www.lamar.edu/spindletop-gladys-city/index.html
Past HGS Spindletop Field Trip — http://www.hgs.org/node/5401

I hope you find these links and resources helpful in your own personal field trip planning activities. Please remember these are simply ideas and I have not researched full the viability or accessibility of each region. As I do attend some of these, however, I will be sure to share my “plans” and the results of my experiences. Happy Fielding!

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

September 19, 2016

The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) proposes amendments to 22 TAC §§851.29, 851.31, and 851.32, and proposes new rules §§851.35, 851.113, 851.203 and 851.204, concerning the licensure and regulation of Professional Geoscientists. These amendments clarify the requirements regarding Endorsement and Reciprocal Licensure. Proposed amendments amend language to show that a licensing qualification can be endorsed by another licensing board for an applicant for P.G. licensure who is currently or has been licensed in the last ten years to practice a discipline of geoscience in Texas or another U.S. jurisdiction. Proposed amendments also clarify under "Licensure by similar examination" that an individual who has applied for licensure as a Professional Geoscientist in Texas may meet the licensing examination requirement by submitting proof of passage of examinations that are substantially similar to the applicable examination(s) as specified in §851.21.

TBPG proposes amendments to clarify the process of obtaining a temporary license and to be consistent with the requirements of temporary licensure authorized in Texas Occupations Code 1002.258. TBPG proposes amendments to clarify and simplify the process for obtaining a temporary P.G. license in Texas.

TBPG proposes amendments to clarify a licensee's duty to comply with continuing education (CE) program requirements, adding a specific 30-day deadline for when a licensee must respond and produce a CE activity log and supporting records. Amendments also clarify that a licensee is subject to disciplinary action for failure to satisfy CE program requirements during the applicable period, and that it is a separate violation to falsely report CE requirements for a renewal period.

TBPG proposes a new rule to outline the process for voluntary surrender of a license, registration, or certification.

TBPG proposes a new rule to require all persons who are the subject of a Board order to abide by the terms of that order, and that failure to abide by the terms of a Board order is grounds for disciplinary action. Additionally, the proposed new rule adds that the Board may deny a person's request for a license, registration or certification, or deny renewal of a license, registration or certification if the person has failed to timely pay an administrative penalty. This rule also allows the Board to apply money received from an individual to outstanding administrative penalties owed by that individual before applying it to any other fee or cost.

TBPG proposes a new rule to clarify that the Board may serve a notice of hearing on a respondent by sending it to his or her last known address as shown by the Board's records. The proposed rule also outlines the procedures for default cases, and details a procedure for informal disposition of cases in accordance with §2001.056 of the Texas Government Code. The proposed rule also addresses the process taken when an applicant with a criminal history applies for a license and does not show up at the hearing at the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

TBPG proposes a new rule to provide that the costs of an administrative hearing shall be borne by the licensee who chooses to appeal a Board Order. Specifically, the cost of transcribing the contested-case hearing and the cost of preparing the record shall be assessed to the person appealing the Board's order. This rule also outlines how these costs may be recovered.

For more information, go to:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/September162016/Proposed%20Rul...

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

9/19/2016

Here are our posters winners during the conference:

Professional Posters:

3RD: An Integrated Stratigraphic Framework and Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Southern African Offshore Basins - Jean A. Malan, Getech Group, Petroleum Agency South Africa 

2ND TIE:Integrated interpretation of basement structure in the Benin Basin using Falcon gravity gradient magnetic data - Dr. Janine Weber, CGG

2ND TIE:Pleistocene Stratigraphic History of Lake Tanganyika, and influence of upstream rift lakes Kivu and Rukwa - Dr. Christopher Scholz, Syracuse University, NY

1ST: Refinements to chronostratigraphy of Cretaceous anoxic events from the southern South Atlantic conjugate margin (Falkland segment-Africa): comparison of six DSDP sites - Dr. Sudeep Kanungo/Dr. Eiich Setoyama, University of Utah

Student Posters:

3RD: South Atlantic Conjugate Margins: The Significance of Pre-Rift Western Gondwanan Orogenic Domains on Syn-rift Infill. - Kyle Reuber, University of Houston, TX

2ND: Gravity modeling of the flexural response of loading of the Niger and Amazon deltas onto their underlying thinned continental and oceanic crust - Rasheed Ajala, University of Houston, TX

1ST: South Atlantic Conjugate Margins: The Significance of Pre-Rift Western Gondwanan Orogenic Domains on Syn-rift Infill. - Andrew Steier, University of Houston, TX

Oral Session:

3RD: Somalia Offshore-East Africa’s Frontier Oil Province - Neil Hodgson, Spectrum Multi-Client UK

2ND: Petroleum System Analysis of the Deepwater Mauritania/Senegal Basin - Tracey Henderson, Kosmos

1ST:  Senegal-The Emergence of a Major New Hydrocarbon Province - Jon Keall, Cath Norman, Peter Nicholls, Simon Horan, Thong Huynh and Igor Effimoff, FAR Limited

The Houston Geological Society and the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB) achieved a fifteen year milestone with their joint two day conference, September 13 -14, at the Westin Houston Memorial City, attended by over 300 geoscientists. The conference also included two short courses held September 12 and a dinner meeting lecture by Dr Andrew Nyblade of Penn State.  The short courses were taught by Dr Duncan MacGregor , and Ian Davison.

Credit for the success of the Africa Conference goes to General Chair and HGS President  John Jordan, and co-chair Andrea Peoples, HGS Office Manager , for the successful rollout of two days of talks, exhibits and vendor seismic presentations. The conference committee included: Phil Towle, Technical Chair, and advisors Al Danforth, Ian Poyntz, and Peter Mullin.  Session chairs included Bill Dickson, Craig Schiefelbein, Carol Law, Joan Flinch, Katrina Coterill, Pratt Barndollar, and Richard Ramirez. Many more people helped judge talks and posters and contributed to the Africa Conference; thanks to them for their help! Big thanks to the conference corporate sponsors: Noble Energy, Global Data, ION Geophysical, Casmar CO2 ,Burmah Oil and IKON.

The next Africa Conference will be August 31 to September 1, 2017, in London England, at the Business Design Centre.  Send 2017 abstract proposals to Helen Doran at Helen.doran@opfir-energy.com to be a speaker at the next Africa Conference.

See Photos from the conference here: http://www.hgs.org/multimedia_PhotoAlbums

From the Editor - September 2016

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

August 6, 2016

On November 21, 2014 the Governor of New York signed Chapter 475 of the Laws of 2014 which provides for the licensure of professional geologists under Title VIII of the Education Law. The Law does not take effect until November 21, 2016.  Under the provisions of the new law, Geology has been added to the current State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying (State Board). As of November 21, 2016, the State Board will be known as the State Board for Engineering, Land Surveying and Geology. To assist the Board of Regents and the Department in implementing geology licensing provisions, the Board of Regents appointed qualified geologists to the State Board. The State Board has assisted the Board of Regents and the Department in developing the regulations that establish the education, experience, examination, age, moral character and fee requirements for applicants seeking licensure as a professional geologist. These regulations were adopted at the July 2016 Regents meeting and will become effective November 21, 2016 and can be found on our web site (http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/geo/geolaw.htm).

The New York State Education Department is accepting applications for licensure under the grandparent provision or through endorsement for applicants who are licensed in another jurisdiction.  Applications will be accepted immediately and licenses will be issued to those applicants meeting the qualifications for licensure through the grandparent provision or endorsement starting November 21, 2016.  The grandparent provision of the law expires on November 20, 2017.  Therefore, all applications made under the grandparent provision of the law must be postmarked by the expiration date of November 20, 2017.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

8/6/2016

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

July 24, 2016

On July 6, 2016, TCEQ commissioners approved publication of a proposed rule on the use of graywater.  The proposed rule implements House Bill 1902, 84th Texas Legislature, which requires the TCEQ to:

• Develop standards to allow the reuse of graywater for toilet and urinal flushing;

• Create a new regulatory classification for “alternative onsite water” which the bill defines as “rainwater, air conditioning condensate, foundation drain water, storm water, cooling tower blowdown, swimming pool backwash and drain water, reverse osmosis reject water, or any other source of water considered appropriate by the commission” and develop standards for the reuse of alternative onsite water similar to the standards for graywater;

• Allow an adjustment in the drainfield size of an on-site sewage facility (OSSF) if used in conjunction with a graywater reuse system; and

• Develop a regulatory guidance manual to explain the graywater and alternative onsite water regulations.

The rule amends Chapter 210 of the Texas Administrative Code, 30 TAC Sections 210.81-210.85, Use of Reclaimed Water. It also amends Section 285.80, repeals Section 285.81, and proposes new Section 285.81 of Chapter 285, On-Site Sewage Facilities.

Comments are due by Aug. 22, 2016.  The TCEQ will hold a public hearing on Aug. 16, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. in Austin at the TCEQ headquarters located at 12100 Park 35 Circle, Building E, Room 201S.  The proposed rule can be found at: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/rules/prop.html

For more information on providing comments to the TCEQ goto: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/rules/howtocomment.html

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House Bill (HB) 2230, 84th Texas Legislature, 2015 provides authority for the TCEQ to authorize an injection well used for oil and gas waste disposal to be used for the disposal of nonhazardous brine generated by a desalination operation or nonhazardous drinking water treatment residuals (DWTR). HB 2230 adds Texas Water Code (TWC), §27.026 that allows the TCEQ to authorize, by individual permit, general permit, or by rule, a Class V injection well for the disposal of such nonhazardous brine or nonhazardous DWTR by injection into a Class II well permitted by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) under TWC, Chapter 27, Subchapter C. The proposed rules are consistent with the long-standing practice of the TCEQ's Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to authorize Class V injection wells by rule.  The proposed rules to implement these changes can be found at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/July222016/Proposed%20Rules/30...

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

7/24/2016

2015-2016

HGS Patrons of the Foundation

John Tubb Jr.

Thunder Exploration, Inc.

Elisha Buckner

Auburn Energy

HGS Friends of the Foundation

Mike Allison

Michael Danahy

Kirk Hansen

Robert Zimmerman, Jr.

Deborah Ajakaiye

Kerry Campbell

William Howell

Walter Light, Jr.

Frank Theall

Warren Hudson

Jack Banttari

Mr. & Mrs. Howard W. Kiatta

Gerald Gill

Susan Black

Michael Peffer

Robert M. Mitchum

William Howell

Next year, AAPG celebrates 100 years of being the world’s premier professional association for explorationists. Help us honor the Association and those individuals who make AAPG such a valuable asset to the industry. Nominate a deserving individual who encompasses and promotes the mission of AAPG, which has guided the Association since it’s conception in 1917.

AAPG Honors and Awards are to be presented at the 100th Annual Convention and Exhibition in Houston, April 2-5, 2017.

The Honors and Awards Committee seeks nominations for the awards listed to the below. Check out previous awardees for each award on the "Recipient" tab of the award page.

You can submit nominations in three ways:

1. Complete the online nomination form (preferred submission method).
2. Email a nomination form in Word or PDF format to Karin Alyea.
3. Mail a hard copy nomination form to Karin Alyea, c/o AAPG, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, OK 74101‌-‌0979

AAPG's awards program allows the Association to express gratitude to members and recognize the values and standards that should be encouraged in our membership. Nominations are welcome from all.

Please provide all information requested in the nomination forms. Something to remember: Incomplete nominations are not as persuasive as those that are well-prepared and thoroughly documented. The nominees deserve our best effort to illustrate why they should be considered.

The submission deadline is July 7, 2016. Unsuccessful nominations are considered for selection for two additional years following the initial nomination cycle.

Members’ AAPG activity records are available upon request from Karin Alyea, 918.560.9407 or by fax 918.560.2626.

The Executive Committee, acting on recommendation from the Advisory Council, kindly requests nominees not be informed they are being nominated. Only successful nominees will be advised of the outcome of this process. Unsuccessful nominees should not be so informed.

http://www.aapg.org/about/aapg/overview/honors-and-awards/association?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Change+this&utm_term=Optional+key+word+term&utm_content=Optional+test+content#119832002-make-a-nomination

Thank You All...and a Parting Commentary This will be my last Board in Action column, and as such, I would like to take part of this piece to sincerely thank the wonderful people with whom I have served this year. Many kudos go out to the other volunteers on the Board. Not only have they been organized and informed when coming to the meetings, but were eager and willing to do the tasks assigned. And with the exception of one meeting – we were generally out early (no reading of reports!).

Special thanks go to John Jordan and Larry Quandt! Larry has kept the Treasury on the straight and narrow this year AND took on the task of organizing the Shrimp Peel. John has saved the HGS tens of thousands of dollars this year, with his expert negotiating skills on hotel costs for various events, and especially getting Anadarko to let us use their venue for the Mudrocks Conference. Thank you too, Anadarko! Without the use of their facilities, Mudrocks would have lost a bunch of money, but instead we cleared a decent amount. This year that profit is especially important – as significant decreases of sponsorship and donations are affecting every event the HGS hosts.

The last big event for the year will be Guest Night on the 11th of June. Please consider sponsorship to help with this great event, chaired by Charles and Linda Sternbach, and please attend – we would love to see it sold out once again.

I know the HGS will be in very capable hands next year with John at the helm and looking after every dollar we spend.

Now, the second part of my last sound bite has to do with the AAPG – and my last chance to get on my soap box!

A commentary on recent trends in AAPG After 40 years of membership in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), I am actually questioning the reason why I continue to be a member. This year especially, the leadership of AAPG has taken some really bad turns in their direction of the organization, and I don’t say that lightly. Here are a few examples:

1. The House of Delegate members learned last year that the House leadership has decided to re-write the Constitution and By-Laws of the organization. Why? Because it was “complicated” and “wordy” and needed to be “simplified.” To me, if it ain’t broke – don’t “fix” it. But “fix” they have – by eliminating over 3000 words. However, there are serious amendments to the new document that question the real purpose behind the re-write – like take all the references which say “shall” (meaning some action HAS to take place) to “may” (which implies that there are ways of bending the rules). There are tons of inconsistencies in capitalization, numeral expression and so forth that makes it look like a 3rd grader wrote it. When in fact, the House leadership WITH THE ASSISTANCE of our Parliamentarian (and her consulting fees) wrote the documents.

At a time when AAPG is hurting for money (like everyone else) and has lost 21 employees due to layoffs or early retirement packages – why does it make sense to PAY someone consulting fees for a re-write that wasn’t necessary in the first place? Is the simplification an assumption that the membership is dumb and can’t understand the meaning? Or is it a way of adding more to the slippery slope we find ourselves on after dumbing-down experience and sponsor requirements?

2. Shortly after the Houston members of the House of Delegates started meeting last September, we got word from Headquarters (Tulsa), that we were no longer going to be sent  membership applications to review. Now, I have been a member of the House of Delegates here in Houston for almost 18 years. The HGS has about 48 delegates to the AAPG House of Delegates. We have one delegate per every 70 Active member of the Association who lives in the area designated as part of the HGS. Because of the concentration of AAPG members, the HGS has the largest delegate voting bloc in the House. In the 18 years I have volunteered my time as a Delegate, we have taken applications and vetted them to make sure the applicant meets the educational, experience, ethical and professional requirements of the organization. When you get 48 or so people from various companies, large and small in a room, there are few people we don’t know here in town in one capacity or another. As such, it was quite easy for us as a group to easily vet any application that came down from Tulsa. It was quite a shock for those in the House group to find that we were no longer going to be getting member applications. Apparently we vet the applicants too well…and Tulsa decided we didn’t need to be as thorough as we had been for decades – so we were cut out of the process. Not only have the Houston Delegates not been vetting applicants for AAPG membership in the HGS territory – but we can’t even get a list of those persons who have been approved by Tulsa! No other Society was targeted in this “elimination” process – just Houston.

3. The last straw on this camel’s back however, has come recently, when the Leadership decided to change the way the Advisory Council votes on honors and nominations. When a few of us fought the good fight many years ago to get representation for the International Regions on the Advisory Council, it was with the idea that there was a minimum number of AAPG  members required to have voting privileges. That number was set at 750. ALL Sections, Divisions and Regions were invited to participate, but 750 members were required to have voting rights.

Now, most of the Leadership has recommend that all Section, Division and Region representatives should have a vote – even if they only have a small number of actual members in their respective affiliation. So how is it fair and democratic for a Region who may only have 250 members have the same voting weight as the Gulf Coast Section, with 4,600 members (which is 33.2% of the total AAPG voting membership, which stands at 13,902 members)? This has a huge impact on fairness when it comes to nominations or honors and awards, the two functions that the Advisory Council is charged with every year. This is yet one more example of the dysfunction of some of the Leadership running this organization this year, and one more reason why I am questioning the future of the organization and the continuation of my membership.

The AAPG President has been heard saying (hearsay – I admit – but from a credible source) that he would love for everyone with 30 minutes and a credit card be able to become a member of the AAPG… what are we to become – The National Geographic
Society?

That’s my two cent’s worth – and my opinion only… I do not speak for anyone else in the Houston Delegation or any other member of AAPG. I am just expressing my concerns for an organization for whom I have put in many volunteer hours and hate to see it torn apart by some who have a different “vision” for the organization. This reminds me of the “not-so-Freudian-slip” by Past President Lee Krystinik when he was here in Houston as host of the Exploration Manager’s Luncheon, and he introduced himself as the President of the “Association for the Advancement of Petroleum Geosciences”… gird your loins, as you can bet that will be the next thing that comes down the pike… name change!

For now, I will probably pay my dues one more year…I certainly want to see if incoming President Paul Britt can turn this turmoil around during his year. I also want to be a member during the 100th year of this organization, and get one last “member discount” to the 2017 Convention here in Houston next year, which should be a great convention driven by HGS volunteers.

If you are an Active AAPG member (not Associate or Student), and want to be more involved in the governance of the organization, there will be another delegate election next year for the Houston area. At this point in time you can give me your name if you want to run as a Delegate for the House. As Past President, it will be one of my duties to find qualified applicants to nominate, and there will be multiple positions coming up. The Delegate position is a 3-year term, and one is obligated to go to the Annual Convention and represent the HGS in whatever issues come before the house. This year should be especially interesting – given all the above issues.

From the Editor - June 2016

I thought it might be of interest, as a counterpoint to this positive little “swan song,” to dig up and re-publish a contrastingly not-so-positive piece that I wrote in 1997 upon my  resignation from a major oil company that no longer exists. I received a lot of supportive feedback from my colleagues back then, and I think that some of the issues addressed are still relevant nearly 20 years on. So here it is again, copied verbatim with the exception of replacing that extinct major’s name with “Generic Oil Company”:

“On the occasion of my resignation from Generic, I would like to convey a few personal comments concerning the company. First of all, I want to express my appreciation for 16 years of continuous employment. Apart from this expression of confidence in my abilities on the part of the company, for most of this long phase of my career Generic has provided me with extensive training, access to all the technology I ever needed to carry out my projects, and many wonderful colleagues for whom I have the highest respect.

My decision to leave Generic came from both a desire to try my hand at a new career path, as well as my growing disagreement with many of the new cultural aspects of Generic that have been instituted in the last few years. The following criticisms pertain to a few of these aspects of the ‘New Generic’ which I believe are causing serious damage to the organization and account to a large extent for the current exodus of employees in the E&P sector. Based on many discussions with a broad cross-section (grade levels and disciplines) of fellow Generic coworkers over the past couple of years, I can assure you that the general criticisms presented here are shared by a large segment of the workforce. It is my hope that this criticism is viewed as constructive, or at least a ‘wake-up call.’

• In regards to the plethora of Human Resources programs imposed on employees (‘Renewal,’ ‘Progress,’ etc.), I would recommend that management eliminate, buzzwords and all, most of these activities which are extraneous to and parasitic on the core work. Generic has become more and more like the fictional company in the comic strip Dilbert. This comic strip is popular because the workplace absurdities that are portrayed ring true to many people in large corporations. Dilbert may be funny, but I don’t know of anyone who, given a choice, would actually want to work for Dilbert’s company. Take a confidential poll on the value added to employees’ work by these HR programs, and I think you’ll see the level of distaste for many of them.

• I believe that management should also relegate to the ash heap its expressed corporate philosophy of offering nothing to the employee but compensation for their work while at
Generic, and skills-enhancement to make themselves more ‘marketable’ inside or outside Generic. Intended or not, most employees have translated this to mean ‘you can do an excellent job, but we still may lay you off at any time—of course, the company doesn’t expect any loyalty in return (in the sense of remaining with the company for the longterm), and that’s OK with us.’ The central issues here are commitment and loyalty. I contend that most people, by nature, want to feel loyalty to the organization with which
they are associated. If they don’t feel a sense of loyalty, they will likely ‘jump-ship’ to another organization when a good opportunity arises. I’m not suggesting that a guarantee of
lifetime employment be offered, but there must be many other ways to foster that genuine feeling of attachment; and they are most definitely not artificially-fabricated ‘teambuilding
activities’ such as role-playing games or golf tournaments (no offense to the game of golf). I believe it is a mistake to attempt to standardize work processes, at least in the realm of exploration geoscience. The process of generating play concepts and prospects is a highly creative one, and the way an explorationist utilizes his or her creative power varies from one individual to another—a cookie-cutter approach, even within a single team, will stifle creativity. Also, although I believe that project planning is important, there has been a recent tendency at Generic to over-plan exploration work—a certain amount of freedom must be allowed to pursue ‘blind alley’ ideas for which the explorationist cannot predict the results, let alone assign some relative value to them. The ‘gut feel’ of the experienced explorationist is a real phenomenon, yet I no longer see any respect for this (unmeasurable) skill at Generic.

• I see it as a tragedy that the elders in the company have been so undervalued that they have been aggressively encouraged to make an early exit. Some of these people may lack the
newer technological skills (e.g. workstation savvy), but they possess a unique knowledge of the business on account of their extensive experience. Perhaps more importantly, they
can provide a great deal of inspiration and guidance to the younger members of the firm, and in this role promote growth. If you think of the company more like a family, you
will be able to solve a number of problems.

• Improved intra-company communication is a good thing, but it can be taken to an extreme that defies common sense. Management should not openly communicate issues that
will raise employee expectations, if there is a chance those expectations will not be met. Two recent examples come to mind. The first was management’s announcement that it
had studied the possibility of offering a retention package to employees who would agree to remain with Generic for a certain length of time, as some other companies have done—
and then announcing that after careful consideration, no such package would be offered. On the heels of this came the announcement that a new, market-based pay study was
being carried out, which would determine an adjustment in salary levels to bring compensation more in line with the rest of the industry; though not stated, the obvious implication
of this announcement was that Generic had recognized its pay was generally lower than the industry average, and wanted to increase compensation above the normal 1997
salary treatment in order to stem its workforce attrition rate. The ensuing picayune to nil salary increases doled out to only a portion of the employees left many with the feeling of
being let down yet again. These tactics only result in further decreasing employee morale and the creation of a sense that the company may actually desire an attrition in its workforce
for whatever reason.* I suspect that many of these problems that I perceive at Generic stem from management’s desire to follow the latest business ‘fashions’ in order to create the image of a ‘progressive’ company and thereby appease the analysts on Wall Street. I recognize the importance of the value of Generic’s stock and shareholder perception of the company—but the primary responsibility of a company should be to its people, who are its life-blood. Generic will not achieve its goals without the commitment of its employees.
I hope that the t ide can be turned in Generic, and that it may indeed achieve the premier status to which it purportedly aspires. Your remaining people, who have more patience than I,
deserve it.”

*Note: the company was subject to a (non-hostile) takeover a couple of years after my resignation.

Congratulations and thank you to these outstanding leaders for their commitment and service to the AAPG and HGS.

Sincerely,

Deborah Sacrey
President, AAPG Houston Geological Society (2015‌-‌16)

Free Range Geology is fundamentally, by definition, a field science; I’m not talking about potential fields here. I’m talking about lava fields, glacial ice fields, cow fields you need to cross to get to your outcrop—I’m talking about going outside!. (Written by Penny Patterson, HGS Director)

Most geologists agree that fieldwork and field-based experiences are intrinsic to the study of geology because they provide ground-truth; promote spatial awareness and three-dimensional visualization; and allow you to observe and synthesize natural geologic features in the context of the complex, interconnected systems in which they formed. Like surgeons, mechanics, and other practitioners, geologists also gain a deeper understanding of our subject with the practical application of concepts, theories, and models to nature. Most geologists will also tell you fieldwork is a lot of fun.

Field trips, fieldwork, and field-based courses have been an integral and formative part of my education from primary school through my graduate studies, and continue to inform every aspect of my career today. I’ve worked extensively in Iceland and the Southern Appalachian Blue Ridge; participated in studies in the Adirondacks, the Central and Northern Appalachians, and at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador Island; and attended geologic field trips to the Galápagos Islands, Grand Canyon, and the French and Swiss Alps. I can recall, with surprising clarity and detail, visiting kettle lakes, herds of drumlins, and the Tully Valley landslide on Ms. Foster’s class field trips almost 20 years ago. These experiences had a profound and lasting influence on my development as a student, as a geologist—and in many ways—as a person.

I believe deeply in the value of field-based experiences to inspire new generations, stimulate our thoughts, reinforce and deepen our understanding, and enrich our careers and lives. For this reason, I am very pleased to announce that we are now developing a fresh, revitalized field trip program that will make local, single-day and weekend field trips available to the HGS community once again. Our goal is to create a series of events that address a broad range of industry and non-industry topics, and accommodate many skill levels and physical abilities so all members have the opportunity to participate. We also plan to revive some of your favorite trips from years past, and to develop companion guidebooks for each trip that may also be available for general sale in the HGS bookstore, and at future HGS events. We look forward to possible future collaborations with other HGS committees, professional societies, and universities, and to your suggestions, requests, and enthusiasm.

Finally, to kick-off this new initiative in style, it’s my great pleasure to announce the revival of the much-loved Hockley Salt Mine tour—with many thanks to Janet Combes and Chuck Caughey of the HGS Educational Outreach Committee, whose engagement and quick actions made it possible.

From the Editor - May 2016

I say “ironic” and “sad” because so few of us geoscientists, at least in the modern day oil & gas industry, ever get out to the field anymore, at least for our companies’ business. And if we do, it’s typically not to perform traditional field work but rather to participate in brief field seminars. Why did this happen? I’ll suggest a couple of reasons. Time in the field has long been perceived by many non-geoscientist managers (and unfortunately, a few geoscientist managers too) as being frivolous and unproductive, contrived only for fun—i.e. “boondoggles.” Moreover, the geologist who’s doing field work is out of the office, out of sight of management, and therefore more difficult to monitor and control. While the latter may be true, the value of getting out in the field to study outcrops relevant to subsurface work in the same basin, or an analogous basin, is unassailable. And what’s wrong if a part of one’s job happens to be fun?!

If the main focus of the science of geology is the Earth, it logically follows that the primary approach to studying the Earth would be to observe it directly and gather data to analyze and interpret. And the only way to directly observe mesoscale features of the Earth is by getting out into the field. See page 5, where HGS Director Annie Walker makes her own concise, eloquent case for the value of field work.

It’s rare, but in recent years there still have been some larger oil & gas firms that have allowed, and even encouraged field work. One of the things I’ve admired about Mexico’s state oil company Pemex is that they required, up until a few years ago, that each new-hire geologist spend the first couple of years of his/her career doing field mapping as part of a team. These brigadas were typically led by senior-level geologists in Pemex, who used the program to pass on their years of accumulated knowledge to the next generation. In addition, through shared adventures in the brigadas, a strong sense of camaraderie was created which in many cases carried on through entire careers in the company.

There’s an iconic quote in geology that’s worth remembering: Herbert Harold Read (British geologist and Professor of Geology at Imperial College London in 1947-1948, and one-time President of the Geological Society) once said “The best geologist is he who has seen the most rocks.” Most recently, I saw this quote engraved on a plaque hung prominently on the wall at the head of the main hall of the Geology Department at the University of Yangon in Myanmar when I visited there in the summer of 2014 (see photo on page 11 of the January 2016 issue of the HGS Bulletin), and so was heartened to see that the value of field work is still recognized in some parts of our world.

A final note on this topic—one of the trends in our industry that I’ve observed over the course of my career has been an ever-increasing emphasis on safety. Among other improvements, this has resulted in beneficial new rules and regulations related to company-sponsored field seminars, such as the requirement to wear protective headgear. But sometimes these rules and regulations have at times become overly obsessive: such as the recent experience of one friend, who was instructed to wear a helmet while in the field in a prairie setting, with nary a rock to be found above knee-level. Maybe it was meant to mitigate the risk of a meteor shower…

- I’d like to thank geophysicist Elizabeth Desser
for her contributions to this column.

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

April 23, 2016

Governor Abbott has appointed Lindsey Bradford, Bereket Derie and Steven Fleming to the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists for terms set to expire on February 1, 2021. The board may set reasonable and necessary fees to be charged applicants and license holders, including fees for application, examination, licensure, and renewal of a license.  In addition, the board shall base a fee for examination in a discipline of geoscience on the costs associated with preparing, administering, and grading that examination.

Lindsey Bradford of Edna is owner of The Car Lot and L2 Cattle Company. She is treasurer of the Jackson County Cattle Raisers Association, member of Jackson County Farm Bureau and the Texas Farm Bureau’s Natural Resource Committee. She is a board member of the Texana Arts Council, volunteer with Helping Hands of Jackson County and member of both the Texas Community Futures Forum Group and Jackson County 100 Club. In 2015, she was named Jackson County Rancher of the Year. Bradford received a Bachelor of Science in political science from The University of Texas at Austin.

Bereket Derie of Round Rock is a licensed professional geoscientist and chief executive officer with Round Rock Geophysics. Prior to that, he was the geophysics department manager at Renewable Resource Consultants. He is a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Engineering and Environmental Geophysicists Society and Austin Geological Society. Derie received a Bachelor of Science in physics and Masters of Science in geophysics from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and a Doctor of Philosophy in geophysics from Loughborough University, UK.

Steven Fleming of Midland is a licensed professional geoscientist and environmental supervisor with Apache Corporation. He is a member of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association and Society of Texas Environmental Professionals. In addition, he is a member of Stonegate Fellowship Church. Fleming received a Bachelor of Science in biology from Sul Ross State University and a Masters of Science in limnology from Baylor University.

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

4/23/2016

Highlighting the Great Work of Our HGS Education Committees The Houston Geological Society (HGS) is a vibrant and integral organization in our geoscience community that provides critical resources to our members through HGS technical meetings and conferences, publications, social functions, and the HGS website. As Director 2 on the HGS Board, I have been overwhelmed with the breadth and depth that HGS contributes to our geoscience community through education, networking, and support. For the last two years, I have been fortunate to work closely with seven HGS educational committees, which provide training and learning opportunities for all ages, from our young geoscientists at the K-12 level through geoscientists actively engaged in academia and industry and to our retired geoscientists that continue to contribute to advancing and transferring our scientific knowledge. (Written by Penny Patterson, HGS Director)

Working with the educational committees, it has been an extremely busy time and concurrently a highly rewarding experience. Here are a few highlights of the contributions that these seven committees have provided to our Houston-area geoscience community.

Last October, the HGS Committee for Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), co-chaired by Inda Immega and Janet Combes, and the Earth Science Week (ESW) Committee, chaired by Sharon Choens, worked together and organized and hosted a two-week Earth Science Celebration. The event began with a full day of hands-on activities and demonstrations at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and was followed the next week by family-friendly field trips to some of our best, local geological sites, including the fossiliferous sites at Whiskey Bridge near Bryan, TX and High Island, TX. Earth Science Week events were highly successful in reaching out to our geoscience community with attendance exceeding 400 participants that range from family groups to Houston-area college classes. The HMNS committee also hosted the ever-popular Houston Gem and Mineral Show, which was held in November and is directed toward K-12 geoscientists, especially Boy Scout and Girl Scouts that are working on their geology merit badges.

The Educational Outreach Committee (EO), co-chaired by Jennifer Burton and Letha Slagle, joined in collaboration with other Houston-area organizations to participate in educational enrichment events for K-12 through junior college students. These events included the Sally Ride Festival and the Houston Scout Fair. The Sally Ride Festival was held in late October and is primarily focused on middle-school girls interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The Houston Scout Fair was held in April and is also an event that helps Scouts earn merit badges in geology. Both Educational Outreach events drew over 1000 Houston-area students and provided a robust and inspirational STEM foundation for our young geoscientists.

The Engineering Council of Houston (ECH) committee, co-chaired by Sue Pritchett and Claudia Ludwig, and the Science and Engineering Fair (SEF) committee, chaired by Mike Erpenbeck, worked together to support the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, which was held at the University of Houston. In May 2015, HGS proudly supported the Science Fair with a contribution of $50,000 to the Earth and Science Fair of Houston Foundation. In addition, HGS members volunteered as judges for the Earth Science category. Three Science Fair participants were selected from the Senior division (10th, 11th, and 12th grades) for the HGS-sponsored, research-assistant summer internship at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Science Fair projects completed by these young scientists are impressive and their presentations are truly inspiring; this is our next-generation of geoscience leaders.

This past spring, the Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) Committee, Chaired by Shawn Kushiyama, worked closely with AAPG and Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies and organized the regional AAPG-IBA competition in which graduate student teams from our local universities competed for scholarships and recognition for their university. The AAPG-IBA competition involves technical assessment of a real-world exploration opportunity that is provided to AAPG-IBA by an energy company. This competition is an excellent learning and networking opportunity for graduate students and their professors.

The Academic Liaison (AL) Committee, chaired by Germaine Johnson, is a new committee that is working with local colleges and universities to ensure that our students are receiving critical training for a rewarding career in geoscience.

HGS has over 40 committees that serve our members and the Houston-area community. It has been a pleasure and, quite frankly, an honor to work with the seven HGS committees and to see the immense influence that HGS has on educating, mentoring, and supporting our geoscience community.

From the Editor - April 2016

I recently started taking an online course about pre-colonial Mesoamerica (Mexico and Central America), and one of the interesting things I’ve learned is that the first exploration of the GoM by non-indigenous people is speculated by some to have been by the Phoenicians, the most accomplished mariners in the world during the period before Christ. Apparently there is good evidence that the Phoenicians (based in the eastern Mediterranean) had already circumnavigated Africa by 600 B.C., so perhaps were at least capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Their contemporaries in Mesoamerica were the Olmec people, who populated what is today the GoM coastal plain of southern Mexico. On some of the Olmec sculptures found at the ruins of La Venta, near the GoM coast in Tabasco State, there are depictions of men wearing headgear reminiscent of the Phoenician style, pointed shoes, and sporting full beards (rare among native Mesoamericans). This may be pseudo-history, but it’s kind of fun to contemplate.

Though some of my Norwegian colleagues at Statoil might propose that the Vikings were likely the first Europeans to traverse the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the first well-documented evidence of foreign exploration of the GoM comes from the first few decades after Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas in 1492. Surprisingly, Columbus never entered the GoM on any of his four voyages. The first European explorer known to navigate a portion of the GoM was actually the Italian Amerigo Vespucci (my friends over at Eni, take pride!), in 1497, who on his way back to Europe from the western Caribbean passed through the southeastern GoM and Straits of Florida. On Vespucci’s Caribbean/GoM expedition was Spanish cartographer Juan de la Cosa, who had also been a member of the crew on all four of Columbus’ New World voyages. After his return to Sevilla, de la Cosa published the first known map of the Americas, the Mappa Mundi published in 1500 (see page 9). Note the GoM and Caribbean were shown as being one and the same, and also the difference in accuracy of different portions of the map. Cuba and Hispaniola have a fair degree of detail as they were the first places to be colonized in the Americas. In particular, Hispaniola is depicted to have more or less the same shape we know today. In contrast, the very existence of the Yucatan Peninsula seems to have not yet been recognized, probably because Vespucci supposedly only sailed through the southeastern GoM, to the east of the peninsula.

In those earliest years of exploration, the Gulf of Mexico was called different names by the cartographers of Sevilla and elsewhere. As one might expect, initially it was named the Mare Cathaynum (Chinese Sea). Later, acknowledging the rapidly emerging doubts about the region’s proximity to Asia, it was known variously as the Sinus Magnus Antillarum (Great Bay of the Antilles); the Golfo de Flórida; the Golfo de Cortés, in honor of the most important of the conquistadores, Hernán Cortés; and the Mediterráneo de América, an interesting foreshadowing of the more recent view that both marginal sea regions were at one time in much closer proximity, and part of the same Tethyan geological realm. But since 1550, the name that stuck has been the good old Golfo de México.

Click here for Art's talk on Crossing A Boundary: A Return to Higher Oil Prices Is Not Straight-Forward

Thanks to all who have attended!

HGS EVENT: https://www.hgs.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1582

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

March 14, 2016

The TCEQ updates to the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) Tier 1 Protective Concentration Levels (PCLs) are now available at: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/remediation/trrp/trrppcls.html.

The 2016 PCL table update is a single Microsoft Excel workbook with each table on a separate worksheet.  The updates are also available as a print only Adobe Acrobat portable document format (PDF) file.  The Excel file and the PDF file each contain PCL tables 1 through 10 and the supporting tables in the following order:

• Summary of Updates

• Table 1 – Tier 1 Residential Soil PCLs

• Table 2 – Tier 1 Commercial/Industrial Soil PCLs

• Table 3 – Tier 1 Groundwater PCLs, Residential and Commercial/Industrial

• Table 4 – Tier 1 Residential Total Soil Combined PCLs

• Table 5 – Tier 1 Commercial/Industrial Total Soil Combined PCLs

• Table 6 – Tier 1 Individual Residential Soil PCLs

• Table 7 – Tier 1 Individual Commercial/Industrial Soil PCLs

• Table 8 – Tier 1 Individual Residential and Commercial/Industrial Groundwater PCLs

• Table 9 – Individual Risk-Based Exposure Limits (RBELs), Residential

• Table 10 – Individual Risk-Based Exposure Limits (RBELs), Commercial/Industrial

• Toxicity Factors

• Chemical/Physical Properties

• Organic Carbon-Water Partition Coefficient (Koc) Values for Ionizing Organic COCs as a Function of pH

• Gastrointestinal and Dermal Absorption Fractions (ABS_GI and ABD.d Values)

• 2011 List of Updates

The PCL tables updated in December 2015 were the most recent tables prior to this release.  A guide to the correct interpretation and use of the Tier 1 PCL tables can be accessed at the following link: http://www.tceq.texas.gov/publications/rg/rg-366_trrp_23.html

For additional information on the PCL tables, contact Mike Aplin at mike.aplin@tceq.texas.gov

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The Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) adopts an amendment to 22 TAC §850.62 concerning the licensure and regulation of Professional Geoscientists. This amendment is adopted without changes from the proposed text as published in the November 27, 2015, issue of the Texas Register (40 TexReg 8438). The amendment more consistently uses the defined terms of "professional geoscience" and "professional geoscience services" throughout the rules instead of "public geoscience services" and other similar phrases for consistency and clarity. They also adopted remove the phrase "public geoscience services" and replaces it with "professional geoscience services."

The TBPG also adopts new §851.26 and amendments to §§851.10, 851.20, 851.30, 851.32, 851.101, 851.102, 851.105, 851.107, 851.108, 851.112, 851.152, and 851.156 with changes to the proposed text as published in the November 27, 2015, issue of the Texas Register (40 TexReg 8439). The TBPG adopts amendments to §§851.23, 851.104, 851.106, 851.153, and 851.157 without changes to the proposal.

For more information on these amendments, go to:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/March112016/Adopted%20Rules/22...

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

3/14/2016

In the Spirit of Society Cooperation In a downturn such as this, it is incumbent upon the leadership of the various geoscience organizations to work together to provide ways in which the collective membership can have opportunities for expanding their career. This could be either through continuing education events, technical talks, or even sporting events. Networking and expanding one’s circle of contacts is one way of picking up leads for work or consulting.

In the good times, the HGS, GSH and SIPES each have their own events, and can usually find plenty of sponsorship to help facilitate positive cash flow for the organizations. However, this year is proving to be a tough environment, not only from a sponsorship point of view, but people are watching their wallets – and not attending all the events that have been planned around town.

This calls for “joint ventures” between the various professional organizations. Not only does this condense the number of events, but can sometimes bring different interest groups together for one cause – to help their members.

The HGS is joining up with SIPES to do just that! Normally SIPES holds their “How to be an Independent” course in the autumn, with excellent speakers addressing topics perfect for the people who have found themselves to be newly Independent. This year the two groups are going to take this theme and split it into two pieces, to better address the two demographics we see coming out of all the layoffs.

First, this spring, at a date and venue to be announced, the two organizations are going to have a “beginners” course, designed to appeal to those geoscientists with fewer than 10-15 years, and still want to continue their career in the oil & gas sector. How to access data, setting up an office and how to find consulting work would be addressed in this course. Then, in the autumn, a more “advanced” course would be given to appeal to more experienced geoscientists who are looking to use their severance or retirement package to “start-up” new companies, learn to buy and sell production, or even find mezzanine financing for projects (assuming there is still money around!).

I think this is an excellent way for the HGS to bring the experience of the SIPES organization (they are Independents after all) to our membership, and at the same time maybe recruit new “Independent” members for them! It is important that we work hand-in-hand to help our members.

The HGS Board is looking for other ways in which we can assist unemployed members – either through advanced education opportunities or networking events. If you have additional suggestions on Continuing Education programs you feel are needed in the community at this time, please do not hesitate to get in touch with anyone on the Board. We are all ears right now!

Best,
Deborah

From the Editor - March 2016

Hall observed that the thickness of the marine sedimentary section in the Appalachians (nearly 40,000’) is ten times the thickness of the equivalent section further west in the Mississippi River Valley. Hall’s assumption was that the thickness of the sedimentary pile was somehow responsible for its consequent deformation. “The key element for Hall was the accumulation of thick sedimentary layers, which he imagined must depress the crust and in the process become wrinkled to form the structures seen in mountain ranges, such as the familiar Appalachians. He envisioned compression of the upper layers and tension of the lower ones as subsidence occurred much as one can imagine by bending a ream of paper.” (Dott, 2005)

Dana built on the foundation that Hall had laid, but pointed out that Hall had not explained the critical part of the story, of how mountain belts were uplifted. But ultimately even Dana and his followers were never able to propose a satisfactory mechanism for the uplift of thick sediment prisms. Nevertheless, the geosynclinal theory not only survived as a unifying paradigm for more than 100 years, it produced a dizzying array of terminology that is today mostly obsolete. When was the last time you heard the term “zeugogeosyncline?”

As recently as the 1960’s, the geosynclinal theory was still considered by some to be the keystone of modern geology. Clark and Stern (1960) stated “The geosynclinal theory is one of the great unifying principles in geology. In many ways its role in geology is similar to that of the theory of evolution which serves to integrate the many branchesof the biological sciences. The geosynclinal theory is of fundamental importance to sedimentation, petrology, geomorphology, ore deposits, structural geology, geophysics, and in fact all branches of geological science… Just as the doctrine of evolution is universally accepted among biologists, so also the geosynclinal origin of the major mountain systems is an established principle in geology.” Just a few years after the publishing of Clark & Stern’s textbook, the plate tectonic revolution was in full swing, and widely accepted by the geological community as having totally supplanted geosynclinal theory.

Even though the geosynclinal theory is now generally considered to be dead, and entirely replaced by plate tectonic theory, I’ve wondered from time to time if there could be some element(s) of truth to Hall’s original assumption that there can be some sort of cause and effect relationship between sediment thickness and orogenesis—albeit an indirect relationship, not a direct one as he had imagined. The idea is this: that the sedimentary prisms developed on passive continental margins, if they become thick enough, will cause the underlying lithosphere to mechanically fail, with the lithosphere on the denser side (toward the ocean basin) bending downward into the asthenosphere and initiating subduction under the less dense side (toward the continent) by slab pull. I’ll probably be quickly shot down on this idea by those of you with much more knowledge of crust and mantle dynamics. But if it were to be plausible, it might explain the repeated opening and closing of ocean basins (the Wilson Cycle), because diverging passive margins (at least those with significant sediment accumulation) would ultimately be doomed to be converted to subduction zones, and reverse the opening of the oceanic basin by slab pull of the newly-downgoing oceanic lithosphere. I recently discovered this idea isn’t novel at all. Indeed, Stern (2004) even refers to it as a broadly accepted mechanism for initiating subduction zones that he calls “spontaneous nucleation of a subduction zone by passive margin collapse” (see cartoon). But the big problem is that there is apparently no documented evidence (e.g. from earthquake hypocenters or seismic tomography) of any present-day passive continental margin being transformed into a convergent margin. But perhaps this is another case (see my column in the February issue) of the present not necessarily being the key to the past.

So – could there be an incipient subduction zone lurking beneath us in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin, beneath the 40,000+ feet-thick geosyncline offshore Texas & Louisiana, one of the thickest sedimentary accumulations on the planet (see map)… and destined to become a mountain belt in the distant future? Personally I’m not sure… but I think James Hall would have said “absolutely!”

References
Clark, T.H., and C.W. Stern, 1960, Geologic History of North America: Ronald Press Company, 434 pp.
Dana, J.D., 1866, Observations on the origin of some of Earth’s features: American Journal of Science, vol. 42, p. 195-211
Dott, R.H. Jr., 2005, James Hall, Jr., 1811-1898: Biographical Memoirs, vol. 87, The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
Hall, J., 1859, Geological Survey of New York, Paleontology, vol. 3, part 1, p. 66-96
Stern, R.J., 2004, Subduction initiation: spontaneous and induced: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 226, p. 275– 292

The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
February 28, 2013
 
The Texas Board of Professional geoscientists has issued Advisory Opinion AOR #13 (2015).

Is Texas P.G. licensure and/or firm registration required if a P.G. licensed in another state physically moves his or her firm to Texas and engages in the following activities?
 
1. Establishes a Texas LLC (is a Texas corp. for at least some tax purposes).
2. Solicits and engages in work solely within his/her original state of practice and residence, except for the fact that the office-based portion of the work (report preparation, administration, etc.) is done in the new Texas LLC's office.
3. Maintains current licensure in the original state.
4. The LLC advertises that services are offered only in the original state of licensure.
 
Opinion: If the firm solicits and engages in work solely within another state, except for the office-based portion of the work (report compilation, administration, etc.); maintains licensure in the other state; and the LLC advertises that services are offered only in the state of licensure, the firm is exempt from TBPG registration.
 
If you have questions or comments, please contact the TBPG.
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If you are registered as a Professional Geologist in Arizona, you should be aware that there is proposed legislation to eliminate geologists as a registered profession in Arizona (HB2613).  HB 2613 (Regulatory Boards; Licensing; Revisions), introduced by Representative Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert), was heard in the House of Representatives Commerce Committee on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 in Phoenix. HB 2613 ends the licensure of Geologists and Landscape Architects, among other provisions.  A total of 14 individuals signed in to support the bill and 366 individuals, mostly Geologists and Landscape Architects, signed in to oppose the measure.  There was additional opposition from the American Council of Engineering Companies of AZ, the Arizona Chapter of Associated General Contractors, the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, the Arizona Planning Association, the Arizona American Institute of Architects and the Arizona Board of Technical Registration. The bill is being pushed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey as a solution to address the perceived over licensure of professions in Arizona.  The hearing for HB 2613 lasted approximately two hours and the committee heard testimony from four Geologists against the bill.  The bill was passed on a party line 5 - 3 vote with the Democratic members dissenting. The bill has two procedural hurdles before being considered by the full Arizona House of Representatives for an up or down vote. During testimony the Governor’s staff noted that the bill needs additional work and assured the interested groups that they will have input in this process. The American Institute of Professional Geologists and the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists is leading the opposition to this measure and is seeking to remove the Geologists from this bill.
 
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
2/28/2016

The Wise Report

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

February 6, 2013

The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) adopts amendments to§§3.5, 3.31, 3.38, 3.40, 3.45, 3.51, 3.52 and 3.86, relating to Application To Drill, Deepen, Reenter, or Plug Back; Gas Reservoirs and Gas Well Allowable; Well Densities; Assignment of Acreage to Pooled Development and Proration Units; Oil Allowables; Oil Potential Test Forms Required; Oil Well Allowable Production; and Horizontal Drainhole Wells, respectively. Sections 3.5, 3.31, 3.38, 3.40, 3.45, 3.51 and 3.52 are adopted without changes, and §3.86 is adopted with changes from the proposed text as published in the November 6, 2015, issue of the Texas Register (40 TexReg 7766).

The RRC adopts the amendments to establish a procedure for designating certain fields as unconventional fracture treated fields ("UFT fields"). A UFT field is a field in which horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing must be used in order to recover resources from all or part of the field and which is developed using either vertical or horizontal drilling techniques. This designation includes shale formations, such as the Eagle Ford and Barnett Shale, in which the drainage of a wellbore is based upon the area reached by the hydraulic fracturing treatments rather than conventional flow patterns. The substantive amendments to incorporate this concept are adopted in §3.86(i) - (l), with supporting and conforming amendments proposed in the other sections.

Additionally, the RRC adopts amendments to update various Commission requirements related to the drilling of horizontal drainhole wells as defined in §3.86(a)(5). The Commission adopts these amendments to incorporate common special field rule provisions, which apply on a field-by-field basis, into rules that apply statewide. The amendments will reduce and simplify field rule hearings, resulting in a more efficient regulatory process. The amendments would implement requirements related to the following: (1) take points through which a horizontal drainhole can be produced; (2) notification for off-lease penetration points when the proposed horizontal drainhole will penetrate the productive formation at a point not on the applicant's lease, pooled unit or developmental tract; (3) the creation and production of a structure known as a "stacked lateral" wellbore (a series of horizontal drainholes producing from the same geographical area at differing depths); and (4) plats for permitting, drilling and completion of horizontal wells.

Further, the RRC adopts non-substantive amendments to clarify, update, and conform the rules to current RRC practice.  For more information go to:  http://www.sos.texas.gov/texreg/archive/January292016/Adopted%20Rules/16...

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The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) adopgs amendments to §3.16, relating to Log and Completion or Plugging Report, without changes to the proposed text as published in the December 4, 2015, issue of the Texas Register (40 TexReg 8510).  The amendments reflect changes in Texas statutes relating to confidentiality of well logs.  For more information go to:  http://www.rrc.state.tx.us/media/32270/adopt-amend-3-16-well-log-confid-...

Henry M. Wise, P.G.

The Wise Report

2/6/2016

Peel Some Shrimp With Your Friends! Can’t believe it’s already 2016 as I am writing this. I don’t know where 2015 went, but I am pretty glad it’s history, as I know many of you are too.

Let us all hope and pray that 2016 is a MUCH better year…that prices of commodities will recover, and exploration companies will get back to doing what they do best — drill, baby, drill.

Your HGS Board is always trying to think of things to help the membership during these hard times, and one of the ideas is to organize events to assist in networking. We have decided to bring back the Shrimp Peel this month, and I hope everyone takes advantage of the networking opportunities this event will offer. Come and join 300 or 400 of your friends (and hopefully MORE!), and see who is doing what, or who may need help with a consulting project.

We are keeping the costs to break-even (even a little bit of a loss for HGS — but we feel the money is worth it to help the membership), so the costs are extremely reasonable considering renting the Race Park and the cost of food and drink. We are even keeping the cost of sponsorship at very modest levels to encourage even small companies to contribute — every little bit helps!

The date is February 27th — and yes, we know that is the same weekend as the Houston Rodeo BBQ Contest — but it was the only date we could reserve, make the press deadlines, and have really good, fresh shrimp at the same time. Would you rather fight the crowds and have to walk a mile to get BBQ, or come network at the Sam Houston Race Park, drink a couple of good brews, eat shrimp and hot dogs, and network with your friends? Oh — and it is my understanding that there is a Wine Tasting at the Race Park that day as well…you will need to call them to get information — but it is only $20! And who knows…you might get lucky betting on the horses too.

I will be going for sure, as the 28th is my birthday — and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate!

Another way the Board is trying to help the membership is to offer discounts for Continuing Education events, all of our conferences (Mudrocks, Africa, etc), and our lunch and dinner meetings. For the lunch and dinner meetings, one must call the HGS office to let them know you are an unemployed member who would like to register at the special rate. This rate is below cost for us —so members are operating on the honor system when calling the office!

Hope to see everyone at the Shrimp Peel.

Best,
Deborah

From the Editor - February 2016

Uniformitarianism was proposed as an alternative to catastrophism, the latter having been popularized by French paleontologist Georges Cuvier as a theory to explain the patterns of extinction and faunal succession observed in the rock record, but later used by others to support extreme events described in the Bible, such as the Noachian Flood.

Lyell attacked the catastrophists with dramatic flair: “We hear of sudden and violent revolutions of the globe… of general catastrophes and a succession of deluges, of the alternation of periods of repose and disorder, of the refrigeration of the globe, of the sudden annihilation of whole races of animals and plants, and other hypotheses, in which we see the ancient spirit of speculation revived, and a desire manifested to cut, rather than patiently to untie, the Gordian knot. In our attempt to unravel these difficult questions [of geologic history], we shall adopt a different course, restricting ourselves to the known or possible operations of existing causes; feeling assured that we have not yet exhausted the resources which the study of the present course of nature may provide, and therefore that we are not authorized… to recur to extraordinary agents.” (Lyell, 1833)

During the following century, Stephen J. Gould and others challenged strict, substantive uniformitarianism. Instead of an either/or situation, they argued that both uniformitarian and catastrophic processes and events have been and will continue to be important elements shaping Earth’s history. As someone stated (it may have been Gould himself), geologic history, like war, is characterized by “long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.”

By today, some catastrophic/extreme geological events and processes have gained wide acceptance, such as the Chicxulub bolide impact on the Yucatan Platform that caused the mass extinction which defines the Mesozoic/Cenozoic boundary. Another example is the recent body of research focused on extreme depositional systems (e.g. Chan and Archer, 2003).

Nevertheless, despite the reconciliation of the formerly competing concepts, there seems to be a persistent prejudice against hypotheses that contain elements of catastrophism. I’m not exactly sure why this is, but I’d suggest it’s related to a number of factors, among them a persistent view that “real” earth science must be based on direct observation of natural processes operating today, aversion to any ideas that could be viewed as sensationalistic, the fact that the creationist movement (seen by many as anti-science) has often used catastrophist hypotheses as a tool for promoting their cause, and perhaps just the natural human tendency to wish for a predictable/comfortable world. A recent example of this prejudice is the slowness of the geological community to give serious consideration to the Gulf of Mexico evaporative drawdown hypothesis, new evidence for which is described in the feature article by Rosenfeld starting on page 41 of this issue. n

References
Chan, M.A., and A.W. Archer, eds., 2003, Extreme Depositional Environments: Mega End Members in Geologic Time: Geological Society of America Special Paper 370, 281 pp.
Gould, S.J., 1965, Is uniformitarianism necessary? American Journal of Science, v. 263, p. 223-228
Hutton, J, 1788, Theory of the Earth: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, v. 1, part 2, p. 209-304
Lyell, C., 1833, The Principles of Geology, Volume 3, Chapter 1,
“Methods of Theorizing in Geology,” p. 6-7: John Murray publishers, London

Free, Low-Cost, and Open Access Data and Software for Petroleum Exploration and Production

Susan S. Nash, PhD

AAPG Director of Education and Professional Development, Tulsa, OK

Bryan Flynn

Geophysicist

HGS Continuing Education Committee, Houston

Thom Tucker, CPG

HGS Continuing Education Committee, Houston

Imagine a geologist, an engineer, and a landman sitting at their local Starbucks, their tablets and laptops out, discussing whether or not there are economical “stacked pays” in a play in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma. They are independents, and all of them have had experience with large independents or major oil companies. Each one is nervous about trying to launch a business on their own.

“I thought I had to have access to a $100,000 per year suite of data and software to be in the business,” said Tom, the landman. “But, that is no longer necessary. There are sources of production statistics, well logs, samples, geological reports, and more. And, there are low-cost maps and mapping resources,” said Raylene, the geologist.  “And, I can download software used in reservoir modeling, and I can also do basic data mining,” said Marcos, the engineer.

In addition to reports, surveys, databases, maps, software, there are also filings and legal reports which can help in decision-making. The fact that the information is readily available via the internet, and that there are many free cloud-based collaborative tools, makes it more viable than ever to work in teams to quickly put together ideas, evaluate ideas, and make recommendations.

Sources of Free and Low-Cost Data

State Information Sources

Texas Bureau of Economic Geology

http://www.beg.utexas.edu/

Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission

http://cogcc.state.co.us/#/home

Oklahoma Geological Survey: reports, maps, statistics

http://www.ou.edu/ogs

Oklahoma Corporation Commission: digitized well logs, production, well information

http://imaging.occeweb.com/

Oklahoma Well Search

http://occoapp1.occeweb.com/occoghlp/W_G27HELP.html

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (SONRIS – GIS, oil and gas data, well log information)

http://dnr.louisiana.gov/

Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Resources: 

http://dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/econresource/oilandgas/index.htm

Ohio: Information / Well Log Database

http://oilandgas.ohiodnr.gov/

New York: oil, gas, other data: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/1524.html

Information on 42,000 deep wells: https://esogis.nysm.nysed.gov/

New Mexico: well logs / data  http://ocdimage.emnrd.state.nm.us/imaging/default.aspx

California: http://www.conservation.ca.gov/dog/Online_Data

Wyoming:  http://wogcc.state.wy.us/

North Dakota: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/

GIS Information Sources and Maps

Intermountain Oil and Gas BMP Project: Great portal page for free / low-cost data and software

http://www.oilandgasbmps.org/resources/gis.php

US Energy Information Administration – Natural Gas

https://www.eia.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/analysis_publications/maps/maps.htm

Summary Maps: Natural gas in the Lower 48 States and North America    

Gas production in conventional fields, Lower 48 States PDF (2.8 MB) JPG (2.5 MB)    

Gas production in offshore fields, Lower 48 States PDF (0.4 MB) JPG (1.5 MB)    

Shale gas and oil plays, Lower 48 States (4/13/2015) PDF (1.4 MB) JPG (0.6 MB)    

Shale gas and oil plays, North America (5/9/2011) PDF (0.4 MB) JPG (1.2 MB)    

Major tight gas plays, Lower 48 States PDF (1.6 MB) JPG (2.2 MB)    

Coalbed methane fields, Lower 48 States PDF (1.8 MB) JPG (2.7 MB)

Natural Gas Production

https://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/data.cfm#production

Good overview: http://inside.mines.edu/LIB-Maps-GIS

US Energy Mapping System http://www.eia.gov/state/maps.cfm

Geospatial Data Gateway https://gdg.sc.egov.usda.gov/   click the Get Data Button

ESRI online: http://www.arcgis.com/home/group.html?owner=esri&title=ESRI%20Data%20%26%20Maps&content=all

EIA http://www.eia.gov/opendata/widgets.cfm

Data.Gov http://catalog.data.gov/dataset

The National Map http://nationalmap.gov/

EPA Map Viewer http://gis.epa.ie/Envision/

EPA Enviromapper http://map11.epa.gov/myem/efmap/index.html?ve=9,32.77814865112305,-96.79540252685547&pText=Dallas,%20TX

Maps

EIA Base Maps:  https://www.eia.gov/state/maps.cfm?src=home-f3

Google Maps for Oil and Gas:  https://www.google.com/work/mapsearth/oilgas/

Core Repositories (portal page – somewhat dated):  http://www.carbonates.us/cores.htm

State Geological Surveys

Core Information, Repositories, etc.:  http://www.carbonates.us/cores.htm

State Geological Surveys: Links / Searchable:  http://www.stategeologists.org/surveys.php

Portal to State Geological Surveys:  http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/other_surveys

Articles / Journals – Open Access

Directory of Open Access Journals:  https://doaj.org/

AAPG Search and Discovery:  http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/

PetroWiki (SPE):  http://petrowiki.org/PetroWiki

Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technologies:  https://doaj.org/toc/2190-0566

Oil and Gas Science and Technology:  https://doaj.org/toc/1953-8189

Petroleum and Coal:  https://doaj.org/toc/1337-7027

Journal of Petroleum Engineering:  https://doaj.org/toc/2314-5013

Mexico – Useful Information

Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH) Production:  http://www.cnh.gob.mx/5100.aspx

CNH Reserves (by Field): http://www.cnh.gob.mx/5600.aspx#

Pemex:  http://www.pemex.com/ri/Publicaciones/Paginas/IndicadoresPetroleros.aspx

Tectonic Map of Mexico (Dr. Ricardo Padilla y Sánchez, UNAM):

http://www.datapages.com/gis-map-publishing-program/gis-open-files/geographic/tectonic-map-of-mexico-2013

Data Mining

In addition, individuals and teams can analyze the information in new and/or innovative ways by using traditional and innovative processing and data mining techniques. Briefly stated, data mining involves statistical analyses to find relationships and patterns that arise from more than one variable, and has turned out to be ideal for all phases of oil and gas exploration, acquisition, and asset development.

The fact that data mining is capable of using machine learning techniques such as unsupervised artificial neural networks, which, through numerous iterations are used for pattern recognition tasks (including seismic signal processing and developing seismic attributes), means that there are numerous opportunities for finding new, potentially very meaningful relationships in data that were previously not considered relevant. It also helps posit potential causal relationships and helps uncover previously unsuspected interdependencies or interrelatedness.

Data Mining Software

Databionic ESOM Tools:  A suite of programs that perform data mining tasks such as clustering, visualization, and classification. They use Emergent Self-Organizing Maps as the core tool.

Vowpal Wabbit: Helps users develop fast, scalable, and useful learning algorithms:  http://hunch.net/~vw/

OpenNN – Written in C++ and consists of an open source class library which implements neural networks. Most appropriate for advanced users who can program well in C++ and who possess machine learning skills:   http://www.artelnics.com/opennn

Orange: Open source data visualization and analysis for novice and expert. It is maintained and developed by the Bioinformatics Laboratory of the Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia):   http://orange.biolab.si/

Weka:  Machine learning software written in Java, and developed by the University of Waikato, New Zealand:  http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/

RapidMiner: An integrated environment for machine learning, data mining, predictive analytics, and business analytic:   http://www.rapidminer.com

Here is a brief list of the ways that data mining is being used in petroleum exploration and development:

1. Identify zones of preferential enrichment:  Data mining is effective in processing and relating calculated total organic carbon (TOC) and oil and gas fingerprinting via isotopes.

2.  Target structural patterns / lineaments that relate to productive areas in shales. This is particularly the case in the Marcellus and Niobrara in North America and in the Tarim Basin in China.

3.  Relate seismic attributes and seismic stratigraphy, and propose relationships between depositional environments and potential areas for stratigraphic traps.

4.  Optimize completions and productions by identifying areas of optimum production, key production metrics, and places to re-frac, (tying microseismic, 3D seismic, oil/gas fingerprinting, pore pressure).

5.  Combine geomechanics with TOC and fingerprinting to find patterns that could correspond to migration pathways (big picture) + where to geosteer (close-up view).

6.  Combine well log information (thicknesses and structure) with current-day processes for basin modeling with patterns that show the relative likelihood of sand emplacement. The patterns can reflect various depositional models that can incorporate deepwater (turbidites & lobes) or shallow marine deposits.  

Tools and Software for Geoscience Interpretation

The following are useful resources that can be obtained at a low cost. In some cases, the software is open-source and free.

Golden Software

Surfer is a full-function contouring and surface modeling package that runs under Microsoft Windows. Surfer is used extensively for terrain modeling, bathymetric modeling, landscape visualization, surface analysis, contour mapping, watershed and 3D surface mapping, gridding, viewshed analysis, volumetrics, and much more.

http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/surfer

Strater displays your raw data as borehole and well logs, maps and cross sections. Strater offers unsurpassed flexibility in design and layout. Strater’s intuitive point-and-click user interface makes it easy to quickly visualize your subsurface data and create professional reports.

http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/strater

MapViewer is an affordable mapping and spatial analysis tool that allows

you to easily produce publication-quality thematic maps. Precisely display your data distribution with the most intuitive functions and features.

http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/mapviewer

Voxler. Create powerful, fast, customized 3D images and 3D models with a fusion of your geologic data, GIS data, well and borehole data, and point cloud data with Voxler 4. Easily import and combine data in a multitude of file formats to create stunning 3D models that visualize the relationships across your data set. This robust, yet user-friendly application gives you the power to display your data in full 3D. http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/voxler

Didger.  All the advanced georeferencing, digitizing, coordinate conversion, and mapping features you need in a low-cost, unbelievably versatile program. This is the ultimate geoprocessing and data conversion tool for any map maker, cartographer, geologist, oil and gas professional, or GIS analyst.

http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/didger

Rockware

The main webpage has links to videos for Demos: https://www.rockware.com/

Rockware version 17 comes as an integrated subsurface data and interpretation package with a selection of modules, and is available for purchase or annual rental at four (4) levels, one set of which are FREE!  Their overview page for the Petroleum industry, with videos at the bottom, is:  https://www.rockware.com/product/overviewSection.php?id=165§ion=40  

 Some of the modules are:

RockPlot2D Is used to view and edit your 2D images – borehole and sample location point maps, contours and colorfill maps, cross-sections, profiles and other diagrams such as stereonets and piper diagrams.  It is one of the Print Windows.

  https://www.rockware.com/product/featuresLobby.php?id=165&category=682

RockPlot3D Is used to view 3D images: solids, surfaces, fences, 3D objects, plan view maps, site diagrams and more.  https://www.rockware.com/product/featuresLobby.php?id=165&category=374

The ReportWorks window is used to lay out pages for printing and publication- use any of the images that you've created in your final presentation.

  https://www.rockware.com/product/featuresLobby.php?id=165&category=373

RockWorks Utilities contains the database, mapping and 3-D functionalities, and modules from Stereo Nets to Geosteering.

 https://www.rockware.com/product/featureCategories.php?id=165&parent=362

Logs, Log Sections and Log Maps

Create individual logs or multi-log cross sections and maps in 2D and 3D. Logs can be vertical, inclined, horizontal, or deviated.  The versatility of this module is worth reading.

  https://www.rockware.com/product/featuresLobby.php?id=165&category=999

Borehole Manager contains a relational database used to store surface and subsurface information.  It is used to create striplogs, cross-sections, contour maps, 3D block models and more. https://www.rockware.com/product/featureCategories.php?id=165&parent=984

Encom Discovery appears to be a plug-in module for making maps of any size and scale incorporating all related spatial data objects, filtered and sun-shaded grids, contours, graphics overlays, geo-located raster images, structural symbols, legends, graphs, tables, scale bars, and other mapping objects. You would compare it to Didger (above) or Global Mapper.

  https://www.rockware.com/product/featuresLobby.php?id=279&category=726  

RockWorks contains a free library of Public Land Survey data.

Low cost Seismic Interpretation software

Like it or not, we spend more time on workstations than on outcrops-- we must have some sort of software to do our jobs. That can be a pretty high barrier to entering the consulting market, but it doesn’t have to be.

There are low cost, or even free software packages for your use depending on what you are trying to accomplish. OpendTect (http://www.opendtect.org/) has an open source, free to use, interpretation platform that is fairly user friendly. It was the tools for most prospecting applications, as well as modules for expandable capabilities. They also have a public domain data sets for you to practice with, or use as examples to show your skills.

Both Crewes (http://www.crewes.org/ResearchLinks/FreeSoftware/) and Seismic Unix (http://www.cwp.mines.edu/cwpcodes/) provide robust packages of command line modules for seismic data processing. These can be very effective for small scale projects, but may not be efficient enough for commercial projects.

Open Geophysical (http://www.opengeophysical.com/) has a fairly low cost data processing package.

SeiSee (http://www.dmng.ru/en/freeware.html) is invaluable for scanning seismic headers so that you can properly load your seismic data.

KC Petrophysics (http://www.kcpetrophysics.com/) has a free LAS application which is great for reading vintage LAS files and converting them to be used in modern packages. Their Pro software is only $200 and very capable of most petrophysical work.

There are as many other software options. This is by no means an exhaustive  list, or an endorsement for any particular vendor.

Think “sharing economy.”  One thing that Millennials have figured out is how to monetize their assets while they aren’t in use. Talk to other consultants, they may have commercial licenses tied to workstations that they can sublet to you. The owner of the seismic data may have workstations onsite that you can use.

Be creative with your software vendors. Nearly every vendor has a free license period. It may or may not be allowed to be used commercially during that time but obtaining a trial license may keep you current, or allow you to learn a new software package. When you have a contract in, you may be able to negotiate a short term license arrangement. There are also some vendors who will generously train you on their software while you are finding your next opportunity.

These arrangements are only to be found through building relationships, so remember to not be greedy and pay it forward when you can. If KC Petrophysics software helps you with a job, buy the $200 Pro version. If Seismic Unix is useful in building a wedge model, maybe you can donate to the Colorado School of Mines. Or better yet, when your next contract comes in, maybe there is a recent CSM graduate that would love to learn from your experience.

Free and Low cost software for the Engineer

Free Petroleum Engineering Software: http://petroleumsupport.com/petroleum-software/freepetroleumsoftware/    

DOE /NETL Software

BOAST

http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/oil-and-gas/software/simulators#BVHS

EOR

http://www.netl.doe.gov/research/oil-and-gas/software/predictive-models#EORPM

These are very valuable resources. That said, it is important not to over-emphasize the free resources. Although extremely useful to people with limited capital, free software has its drawbacks, and they do not have the user-friendly convenience, power, and robustness of SAS, IHS, DrillingInfo, Petra, Petrel, and other popular packages. This is also true of data sets.

The Authors:

Getting Started as a Self-Employed Geoscientist

Thom Tucker, CPG

                                HGS Continuing Education Committee                                  

                                                  Cheryl Desforges, CPG                                                              

                                                                 HGS Vice-President                                                                        

Robert Pledger, CPG

HGS member, AAPG House of Delegates

Susan S. Nash, PhD

AAPG Director of Education and Professional Development

Bryan Flynn

Geophysicist

HGS Continuing Education Committee

Sorry you lost your job… Congratulations!  You are “Self-Employed” – by definition. We have assembled information from several sources, and nested-in our own experiences, to help you get started.

First, it might be a good idea to adopt the perspective that you have always ‘worked for yourself’ – following your dreams through school, maybe finding your passion that motivates you, and getting a job that, at least, sort of fits into that scheme as well as making a living.

The company for which you worked may have provided formal schooling or mentoring and on-the-job training.  Those decisions were made by others, from the perspective of your perceived capabilities and what was needed by the company.  Your days of corporate paternalism have ended.

Each of us is ultimately responsible for making our own living.  Especially within a corporation, we rarely “…know when or how conditions will change, only that they will.  That realization requires us to continue to learn and grow, and to adapt to new technologies, circumstances, and challenges.  In the ultimate sense, then, the only real job security we have is that which we can provide for ourselves.”¹

What can you offer?

“All of us possess unique knowledge, experience, and personal talents.  Success comes by recognizing and understanding…” these as “…our personal assets, and working to build on and enhance them.”¹  “Your assets are your keys to employment/work and personal fulfillment.  They may include proficiency in a specialty such as geophysics, petrophysics, drilling” and operations “or reservoir engineering, management information services, multi-media presentations, or a foreign language.  Or they may involve specialized knowledge in a particular geographic region, gained through work in or study of the area.  Specialized technical knowledge, applied within a specific basin of province, can be especially rewarding.”¹ Some might have business acumen, or the ‘nose’ for a deal. 

“Recent geoscience graduates may be apprehensive about establishing a” ‘consultancy’ “with little previous work experience, but they should take comfort in the realization that their education has probably prepared them for a much broader range of opportunities than they may have previously considered.”¹ Talk to your Graduate Advisor and get some additional ideas.

Task 1:  Taking inventory

“List in as much detail as you can your areas of expertise, your strengths, and your professional experiences.  List what attributes [and specific skills] you have that might be useful to a company, and what you could contribute to a company’s success.”¹  Yes, this could vary between an E&P company and a consulting company, but just GET STARTED!  “List the activities you like to do and what you do best.  Also identify those activities that you should not do, and stay away from them.”¹  Do you have a ‘niche’ in which you have some experience, knowledge or skill that is not common?  “Simply cataloging on paper your personal assets and your long-term objectives will help you determine the best use of your time and efforts… Most long-term independents will acknowledge that the greater difficulty is in deciding, from among the myriad of available activities, the few that offer the most satisfaction or profit potential.”^¹

Task 2:  Articulate what you have to offer

A. The 30 second elevator speech/pitch.  Now remember, you are looking for work – not specifically a job.  We have found people to be more receptive when they know you are trying to spread the word, and not button-holing them for a job (see section on networking below).

30 Second Elevator Speech - Job-Hunt.org

www.job-hunt.org/fired-to-hired/30-second-elevator-speech.shtml

Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools

www.quintcareers.com/job-search-elevator-speech/   

How not to embarrass yourself doing the elevator pitch

http://www.theladders.com/career-newsletters/how-not-to-embarrass-yourself-doing-elevator-pitch

Between Jobs Ministries (http://www.nwbc.org/betweenjobsministry) is a great resource to help you craft your 30 second commercial as well as a safe environment to practice, get feedback and revise it. Like it or not, you are in the marketing business now.

B.  Be able to express it in a few words or single phrase, such as what you will put on your business card.  For example:

Development Geologist

Prospect Generating Explorationist, East Texas & NW Louisiana

Consulting Geoscientist, Exploration and Exploitation

Geophysicist Consultant using Quantitative Analysis in Prospect Identification & Maturation  

A well-known member of the HGS, in addition to being owner of a company, summarizes as “Consultant specializing in 2D and 3D interpretation using Kingdom Software.” 

The point is to give the person you are talking to something simple and easy to remember!

Raise Your Flag!

Now you are ready to:

- Print your business card.

These can have as little as four items: your first and last name, telephone number, email address, and the few words or single phrase that articulates what you have to offer (from B above). These are available from your local ‘copy shop,’ as well as online.

- Build your LinkedIn profile.

In the ‘Summary’ section, start with your 30-second elevator speech, followed by a list of skills.  In the ‘Experience’ section, fill in a brief summary of what you did for each job situation, focusing on accomplishments which had an economic impact and illustrate skills you offer.

- Keep your resume up-to-date.

Make sure your resume is top notch! Check out this article on skills for resumes in 2019: https://novoresume.com/career-blog/most-important-skills-to-put-on-your-resume

- Affiliate to form strategic alliances

“No one is truly independent.  We all rely on others.”  Anyone in business “soon learns that they need the support and counsel of friends, business and professional associates, clients, investors, and others to conduct their business. Every day, we meet and mingle with others who can impact our business in some way.

As someone in business for themselves (independent, sole-proprietor), “no one can know or do enough working alone.  It may be helpful to affiliate with one or more professionals with similar or complimentary talents and experiences.”  Synergistic multi-disciplinary teams are more the norm within oil companies now than 20 years ago, and likewise, “effectiveness often increases when independents with different skill sets work together on projects.

 - A team approach is usually better at solving complex problems.

 - New ideas often occur in discussions with others.

 - New knowledge is often discovered at the interfaces of specialties and professions.

 - Associates can serve as mentors, critics, or partners.

 - Professionals work primarily in their areas of expertise. Team efficiency increases.

 - Teams can reinforce positive attitudes and goals and can encourage other team members to complete segments of work.”¹

One immediate way to look for alliances is with former co-workers who are now self-employed.  Another is to ask former co-workers, whether self-employed or still working for the company, who they might know and trust in the consulting world.  This is part of the “Who Do You Know?” approach to marketing.

Another way to meet people is to attend and join…

- Join/attend/network/participate in professional societies.

“If you are not already active in local, regional and national societies,” then you are probably not reading this when it is first published, but “now is the time to begin.”¹

Current President of HGS Deborah Sacrey wrote “Many geoscientists have ‘transitioned’ in their careers, similar to my experience… until they found themselves out on their own, either as a consultant, or as a small independent… Regardless of how one moves in their career paths, success is dependent upon the network of professional contacts and visibility within the geosciences community one can build.”²

“Many of my best friends and business associates are people with whom I have worked with on various committees, conventions, and other professional activities. By expanding my network through volunteerism, I have expanded my consulting business, and found additional opportunities for professional and financial growth.”²

Within the societies you have the opportunities to:

-  Diversify yourself -- learn more about other topics that interest you.

-  Keep your skills sharp: take courses, participate in workshops, even organize your own ‘lunch and learns’ or ‘coffee encounters.’

And if you are looking for a multi-disciplinary alliance, then attend the meetings of other petroleum professional societies. Team up and come up with a project with definable outcomes.

The authors of this article have intentionally listed one of their current roles in professional societies as an example.

Networking

Here are ten actionable tips to make the most of your professional meetings.

• Meet More – the key to any meeting is to meet others.  In a science and technology professions like ours, you may be drawn to the topic of the presentation.   But the biggest mistake most folks make is that they don’t meet more new people.  During the short, often half-hour social period before the meal, many people will cluster with people they know.  Many people tend to stay in ‘their group.’

Do not stay in your comfort zone!  One approach is to look for someone you know in one of the other clusters and see if there is a space beside them to join.  Another approach is to introduce yourself to people who are also standing alone, or turning away from the bar with a drink in their hand.  Make it a practice to sit at a table where you know the least number of people.  Or sit next to someone you recognize, but do not know.  Make it your goal at every meeting to approach ten people you don’t already know. This can include the people at your table.

• Get Business Cards, By Giving Them – It is customary in our business to, at an appropriate moment in the conversation, offer your business card and say “Here’s my business card. Do you have one on you?”  If they say “No, I forgot to bring some”; or “Actually, I just gave my last one away”, then you turn over one of your cards, hand them the blank side, and “Could I get your contact information so we can stay in touch?” Most will assent, some will decline, but respect their decision!

Then do ensure that, once you get back to the office or home, you send them a follow up email, Facebook or LinkedIn request, Twitter shout out.  You’ll meaningfully increase your odds of staying in touch.

• Be the Connector – there is great value in positioning yourself as the person that can connect people at networking events and meetings.  Take the time to introduce people that might be able to work together, are looking for jobs, or could be co-founders.   By positioning yourself as a connector at meetings you’ll find your professional/social credibility climbing steadily.

• Do Favors for Others: the law of reciprocity dictates that people want to help other who help them. Most folks at meetings spend most of their time talking about themselves or seeing what they can get out of the situation. By being the person that focuses on helping others you’ll instantly stand out among the crowd and will build a bank account full of goodwill that you’ll be able to repeatedly withdraw from in the future.  For more on this watch the video by Jason Nazar on How to Persuade People

    http://www.jasonnazar.com/2010/03/02/how-to-persuade-people-startups-uncensored-15/   

• Make Sure Others Know What You Do – how many times have you left a conversation with a long winded person, still having no idea what they really do.   Make sure everyone you talk to knows what you do, and could easily explain it to anyone else at the meeting.  Your goal is to have lots of people talking about you, and it starts by having others easily be able to communicate what you’re all about.

• Social Proof is Key – don’t make the mistake of telling others how great you are, get other people to do it for you.   Having someone else at the meeting point you out or suggest that you’re an important person to get to know, is infinitely more valuable than anything you could do to talk yourself up.

• Don’t Talk to Anyone for Too Long, especially if it is in your “comfort zone”  – the purpose of the Social Hour is to identify as many people as possible that you might be able to work or connect with in the future.  Save the very thorough conversation with one person for the meal table.  Meaningful business can get accomplished at meetings, but it is usually pre-arranged. 

• Set Up Meetings Outside of Meetups – you can do everything correctly at the meeting but if the connections end there, it’s all for naught.  Make sure to set up follow up 1 on 1 meetings where you can really sit down and get to know someone and build more meaningful relationships.

  Ask for informational meetings and referrals. You will be surprised how many people will make time for you when you’re are NOT asking for a job. Ask for 15 minutes of someone’s time. Ask “what they would do in your situation?” “who would they talk to?” “would they put you in touch with, or reach out to 2 people on your behalf. Try to understand their needs. Maybe there is a place you can help. Maybe not. Maybe you know someone that can.  But the goal of these meetings is to meet more people and get advice – NOT to ask for ‘a job’.

• Be the Organizer – there is a lot more value being the organizer than the attendee, mostly because everyone knows the organizer.  It may be more work up front, but the professional dividends that pay out over time make it very worthwhile.

  A recent example of this is Sydney Weitkunat, who returned home to Houston after earning her Master’s degree in Spring of 2015, but no work, because the oil companies were down-sizing.  She joined the HGS online, and in the “Are you interested in volunteering” section, indicated an interest in the Northsiders’ Group.  The previous leadership of this group had been moved by their companies, and the venue location became less-than-convenient.  Sydney agreed to chair the group at a new, more convenient venue location at Southwestern Energy's Conference Center, and was mentored by HGS VP, Cheryl Desforges.  Through this involvement, she re-connected with someone she had encountered in Graduate school, who referred her for some geoscience consulting work, launching her career. 

• Ask for the “sale”- indirectly, in the “Who do you know?” approach.  Usually, no one likes to be button-holed - for work or anything else!  Make sure everyone you talk to knows what you do [Task 2.A Elevator speech or Task 2.B Sentence ].

  Then toward, or at the end of the conversation say:

"If you hear of anyone needing a [short phrase Task 2.C], I would appreciate you letting me know!" or,

 "Keep me in mind if you hear of anyone needing a [short phrase Task 2.C]."  This is also said to acquaintances that you haven't seen in 4 weeks.

Contracts and Agreements

SIPES has developed, in conjunction with the DPA of AAPG, useful professional Model Contracts for Independent Geoscientists. A model Confidentiality Agreement form and Contract for Geoscience Services are now available.

It is recommended that you immediately become familiar with the model Confidentiality Agreement to understand how to work with people and companies concerning data and properties.

Before you start work, you will want to have a Contract which spells out the terms (hours and money) under which you will work, and what is expected of you, in specific and general terms.  For what to expect, see the model Contract for Geoscience Services.

These forms, in PDF, are available from: https://sipes.org/resources/model-contracts/

  “Time may be contracted on an hourly, daily, weekly rates and with a maximum of schedule flexibility.  It may include involvement in the company’s everyday business activities, or be specific to a project.  In every case, the short-term contract allows the company to benefit from the knowledge of a specialist while evaluating the effectiveness of the consultant’s contributions.  The professional gets to “try on” a new environment, meet other professionals, and add valuable work experience to their vita.” ¹

  “Determining an appropriate fee schedule may be troublesome.  Consulting fees span a wide range and are dependent on many factors: knowledge and expertise in a specific area, record of proven success, personal or firm’s reputation, state of the industry, and so on.  Conversations with others involved in similar work is perhaps the best means of initially setting rates; then fine-tune them as circumstances change.” ¹

Good Business Tips: Records, Receipts and Bookkeeping

- Buy a calendar, or appointment, book that will fit in the inside pocket of a suit jacket or a small purse.  This author prefers the style with the whole week on the 2 facing pages when the book is lying open on a table.  The smallest this author has found is a little smaller than a 3 by 5 card (write small!) for about $9.  Largest recommended in this category would be 3-7/8 by 6-1/2 inches with replaceable, spiral-bound year insert, for about $25.  The replaceable insert spiral bound annual calendar measures 3-1/4 by 6-1/4 inches.

- Keep Records: Use the appointment book to record Meetings, car Mileage, Tolls, and Parking.  Find and record the Blue Book value of your car for the mileage when you ‘started looking for work’.  Or do this for the New Year.

  Start a Spreadsheet to keep track of these.

- Keep and file Receipts: all business related expenses: Registration fees for society Meetings, Conferences and short-courses and other networking opportunities, Parking, Gasoline, Auto insurance and Repair, any cash payments.  Check with your tax adviser as to how these may be deductible as ‘Job Search’ or ‘Continuing Education’ expenses.

  Start a Spreadsheet to keep track of all these.

  At some point you may want to get a simple, inexpensive bookkeeping program.

When you know you have Work / a Contract coming, and no later, this author recommends:

  As much as possible, keep from mixing your funds / cash flow streams.

 - Get a separate Checking Account for Work.  It is so much simpler at Tax Time to have the ‘work checking’ separate from the ‘domestic checking’.  You will probably need to make a deposit (get it from your savings or domestic account) to open this account.  Keep things ‘clean and auditable’.  Also, many larger companies pay – even their contractors – by Direct Deposit.  This information will be requested among the other paperwork on the day you sign the Contract.

 - Get a separate Credit Card for Work.  Put only work-related expenses on it, e.g. registration for meetings and courses, professional society dues, sales Lunches – but not Gasoline.

  Of course, funds can be transferred between the two accounts, as long as they are clearly notated as such, and cannot be confused as income.  In the early months, amounts may need to be transferred from savings into the Work account.  Later, funds can be transferred from Work to the Domestic account for living expenses.

Business Strategy:  Consulting

In this article there is only room to focus on one, and the most generally applicable is Consulting.  Many “independents” have found their niche in consulting, having found that their specialty is useful in multiple basins nation-wide, if not world-wide.

“Companies that merge or down-size may release employees only to realize that” a specific project or projects require workers with the same skills “for an indeterminate period of time.” ¹ Finding such work is out there, but requires a lot of digging and networking.

“Small or start-up companies may not have the financial resources” or the need “to hire a specialist on a permanent basis but may occasionally need professional services.  They want access to high-tech knowledge and experience that the geoscientist gained with a previous employer.  Other companies need help managing electronic data, selling prospects,” selling geophysical data and services, “ or doing well-site evaluations.” ¹

“Do not evaluate properties for a client in an area where you are exploring!  If you tell a client that a local area has no oil or gas potential, you can never change your mind after more well control.  If you have a well drilled there, the client may accuse you of cheating him.” ¹

Persevere – “…establishing a reputation and garnering clients” can “take more time and perseverance than”…”expected.” ¹

Affiliate – Several of us have established strong relationships with different consultants in different disciplines who may already have an established client base.  While Gibbs (1999)¹ mentions that “sometimes they manage by affiliating with established consulting firms, handling the associates overflow work, or contacting prospective clients” ¹  we have found this to happen rarely.  Not the least of which is due to the consulting firm trying to retain its own worker base

References: [We recommend that you obtain these for yourself!]

1.  James A. Gibbs (1999)  Becoming an Independent Geologist: Thriving in Good Times and Bad;  Now On Sale for $ 5 (plus the shipping of $7.16 by FedEx)

    http://www.aapg.org/publications/special-publications/books/details/articleid/4359/becoming-an-independent-geologist-thriving-in-good-times-and-bad

2.  Guiding your Career as a Professional Geologist (2006) Rose and Sonnenberg eds., https://dpa.aapg.org/career_guide.pdf

3.  Alternative Strategies (Self Employed)   https://archives.aapg.org/careers/jobs/strategies.html

4. Adapted from:  Jason Nazar (2010)  Ten Networking Tips for Entrepreneurs

  http://www.jasonnazar.com/2010/06/29/networking-tips-for-entrepreneurs/

The Authors:

Thom Tucker, CPG, SIPES, SPE has worked for over 25 years in multidisciplinary Appraisal, Development, Revitalization and Reserves determination for Oil and Gas Fields in 18 basins world-wide.  This has extended into the evaluation of Oil and Gas properties and exploration Prospects.  Tucker consults to E & P operators, those with interests in, and those interested in acquiring, productive properties.  He has, and still serves, on several committees of the HGS, and on the Continuing Education committee for 20 years. He is also an active member of SIPES and SPE.

Cheryl Desforges, PG, CPG has 40 years of experience in exploration, exploitation, acquisitions and divestments, and reserve evaluations. She is currently consulting in property evaluations. She has served in numerous capacities of leadership, including her current position as HGS Vice President, and on committees, including the Continuing Education Committee, for the Houston Geological Society (HGS).  In addition, she currently serves as a Delegate from HGS to the AAPG House of Delegates. She is an active member of SIPES, as well as SEG and SEPM.

Robert Pledger, CPG  Consequent to his 40 years experience as an Independent oil and gas operator in 6 states and 9 other countries, Pledger now focuses on his consulting to numerous domestic and international companies involved in raising capital, acquisitions, divestitures, and taking companies public.  He has served in numerous capacities in professional societies (HGS, SIPES, AIPG, currently an HGS member for the AAPG House of Delegates) ; and on university and governmental advisory councils.  Pledger also provides professional support relating to oil and gas operations to investment banking firms.

Susan S. Nash, Ph.D. currently serves as the Director of Education and Professional Development for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in Tulsa, OK.  For the last 15 years, she has focused on developing programs that develop human and natural capital using a multi-pronged, interdisciplinary approach.  Her goal is to help professionals constantly reinvent and retool themselves for quickly changing times.

Bryan Flynn, is a Consulting Geophysicist committed to getting the most geologic information out of seismic data so that better decisions can be made more quickly. He has a background in seismic processing, quantitative interpretation, and prospect identification and maturation. Bryan has worked geologic settings ranging from deep water clastics to onshore carbonates, and still believes that the best geologists are the ones that have seen the most outcrops. He is a member of the HGS Continuing Education Committee, the AAPG, and the SEG.

Chuck Noll left this world to be reunited with his loving wife Jo Ann "Ivy" Noll and brother Edward Hooper Noll, on Christmas Eve, less than a month before his 85th birthday. Chuck was born January 22, 1931, the son of Charles Richard Noll and Christine Hooper Noll and is survived by his two sons Robert and Randy; his daughter-in-law Robin; three grandchildren (Austin, CJ and Julie Anne); step children Brian Eckhart, Jim Eckhart and Suzanne Hunt; in laws, Tom Hunt, Karen and Debbie Eckhart; step grandchildren Dusty, Derrick and David Hunt & Grant, Sam and Erin Eckhart, as well as numerous step great grandchildren.

Chuck will be remembered as a loyal and loving son, husband and father. In his public life, he was most proud of his accomplishments as a geologist in the oil industry, and most notably, as a wildcatting division manager with one of the highest discovery percentages in the industry during the 1970s and early 80s. Later in life, he took great pride in giving back to the industry through his recruitment of young geologists to the profession, his work at trade shows and his leadership in both the local and national levels of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Chuck was truly a man who refused to settle for normality in life, could easily laugh at himself, and enjoyed being the center of attention. Life had to be adventurous and Chuck always made a point of recognizing the humor and uniqueness that existed in his own life As a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was not shy of recognizing the fact that he shared a name and city with the famous championship football coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, an association that he often quipped had a great deal to do with his successes in professional life. He even once managed to avoid a speeding ticket on the Pennsylvania turnpike because the trooper recognized his name and likeness to the football coach. A "hidden dream" for Chuck was of being in the film biz....and in 2005-2006, he realized that dream by assuming the role of Executive Producer on a film (starring soap opera star, Maurice Benard, and film star, Richard T. Jones). He flew out to LA to be on set for the film and was like a kid in a candy store, watching the shots from the sidelines. One of the crowning moments of Chuck's "sitcom-like" personal life was a unique 60th birthday and life celebration, jointly sponsored and paid for by both his first and second wives, Marilyn (25 years and Jo Ann 27 years): the Cadillac Bar was packed to the brim with family and friends and ended with a classic "Chuck moment" in which he jokingly pre-invited all the guests to his Golden Wedding Anniversary, celebrating "his" 50 years of marriage to two different women, whom had become good friends in the year that followed his marriage to Jo Ann.

In high school, Chuck served on Student Council, was a member of the National Honor Society and was a football star, who led Avonworth High School to an undefeated season in his role as quarterback. Chuck received a bachelor's degree in geology from Dartmouth College and a master's from the University of Oklahoma. Chuck began his career in 1955 in Oklahoma City with Stanolind (which soon became PanAmerican then Amoco, now BP), where he eventually worked as district projects geologist and senior staff geologist in Tulsa, Jackson, Miss., and Houston. In 1971 Chuck established the Davis Oil Co. office and served as its division manager in Houston until 1982, when he joined Frio Exploration as exploration manager. As a member of the same management team, Chuck served as exploration manager and subsequently chief exploration officer of New Bremen Corp., Live Oak Reserves Inc. and their affiliations, most notably Copano Field Services, a gathering pipeline and processing company focused in the Texas Gulf Coast region. Noll also formed C.R. Noll & Associates in 1989 for three years with Neumin Production Co. as his client. In his years as an executive management team member with Copano, in association with CEO John Eckel Jr., the company grew in size and went public as "Copano Energy" and eventually was purchased by Kinder Morgan. Chuck's most significant exploration activities included the Gunpoint Field and the Dewey Lake area, both in Texas. In his career, Chuck was also been involved in activities in Louisiana, Mississippi, the Rockies, Appalachians and Michigan.

In the latter stages of his career, Chuck was very active in the Houston Geological Society and served on numerous committees with HGS. Joining AAPG in 1955, Chuck served as the local Society's president in 1986-87 and served as National Secretary for AAPG in 1999-2001. He was co-chairman of the 1991 Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies meeting in Houston in 1991, receiving the GCAGS Distinguished Service Award in 1992. Chuck was on the 1974 AAPG annual meeting coordinating committee and was a member of the AAPG House of Delegates in 1973-75, 1981-84 and 1986 to 2000, serving as Credentials Committee chairman in 1997-98. He received both the AAPG Distinguished Service Award and Certificate of Merit in 1995. He was vice chairman of the personal placement committee for the AAPG annual meeting in 1971, was on the Entertainment Committee for the 1979 annual meeting. He also served as general vice chairman of the 1995 AAPG annual meeting in Houston and on the Committee on Conventions from 1993-96. He was a member of the Division of Professional Affairs since 1982, Noll served as DPA president in 1992-93 and received the HGS Distinguished Service Award in 1993, the DPA Distinguished Service Award in 1996, and the Houston Geological Society (HGS) Honorary Life Award in 1999.

Other professional affiliations include: Member of OEI, PAPG, Member of HGS, CCGS, GCSSEPM, STGS, SIPES; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania PG 658G (registered); Applicant, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientist Registration, Alumni Advisory Council, OU School of Geology, Dartmouth College Alumni Council, Alumni Advisory Council, OU School of Geology; Chairman, Eastern Section Student Job Quest Committee.