Letters to the Editor
Sir:
During the recent (4-11-05) HGS dinner presentation, J. Blickwede/UNOCAL in an excellent presentation showed some data that will profoundly influence our understanding of the Gulf of Mexico basin development: On a seismic section across the general Trident deepwater area, primary Jurassic salt was shown to pinch out from NW to SE into the present abyssal basin. A similar section has been published in AAPG from the deepwater Mississippi Delta area, and Industry may have more. If indeed Jurassic salt has pinched out against the area of the present abyssal depth portion of the Gulf Basin, all attempts to use present absence of salt here as proving a breakup and drift-apart of a once continuous salt basin would be wrong. Rather, a Jurassic topographic high may have prevented salt deposition in the present basin center. This present basin center then more likely was a structural uplift, caused by a thermal mantle dome. And, when we extend this thought further back, metamorphism and South-to-North nappe tectonics in the Texas-Oklahoma Marathon/Ouachita belts can be seen as result of mantle dome events that began in late Pennsylvanian time. Collapse of such a dome led to deposition of thick Permian marine and continental sediments in northern Louisiana, finally to the Triassic/Jurassic and younger Gulf Coast Basin. In this context a recent article in the AAPG bulletin of February 2005 by D.E.Bird et al is quite interesting: It requires acceptance of a Jurassic mantle dome for Gulf Coast Basin development, a major step forward from past theoretical plate tectonic models.
J. Chris Pratsch
Geologist

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The following, in blue italics, are excerpts from a letter from J. Chris Pratsch, published earlier, with responses by Alan Morgan. [Ed]
(Pratsch) Dear Mr. Berman:
I''d like to congratulate you to your article in the February 2005 HGS Bulletin ”The Sumatra Earthquake of 2004: Forty Years of Ignoring Plate Tectonics”. The article brings a welcome fresh wind to the Society Bulletin and is well placed because our society is not a Houston Petroleum-Geological Society that many assume, but a Geological Society; and so we can and should discuss general/alternate non-petroleum geology as well. I am a petroleum geologist but just love to see more from other fields.
The only thing is that it appears highly questionable to what degree plate tectonics or their acceptance have anything to do with this earthquake and its horrible effect on people; at least it appears that we do not yet have the right answers here. Why is this earthquake just on a dot along a multi-1,000 mile zone within a basically identical geological framework? It would seem that a point-like event occurred, like the uplift of a magmatically-driven body of rocks (not necessarily tectonically driven magmatics, as your model requires). This would be in line with volcanic-magmatic events elsewhere in onshore Sumatra through the Tertiary.
(Morgan)
January 30, 2005
Mr. Arthur E. Berman
Editor
Houston Geological Society
Here is your answer as to why the seismic data appears to be a point event.  Seismic recording stations depend on wave data and time of recording to determine the distance from the station to the event.  Three stations are required to triangulate an actual position of origin, as a single station cannot tell which direction the wave came from.  The reason the event is recorded as a point lies within the method of determining the epicenter and the definition of epicenter.  Seismic waves travel through the ground at velocities tied to the rocks they travel through.  If an event takes place over a 1000km area, the method to determine the distance still will only use the p-wave and s-wave.  The event had to start somewhere, which was the rupture event recorded as the event epicenter.  A simple experiment will illustrate this:
Take a cardboard box containing moderately heavy contents inside and place it on a rough concrete surface.  Using one hand, apply force to one side of the box to the point that it barely moves.  You will notice that the box started moving at a single point, not along the entire box.  Empty the box, turn it over and examine the scratches on its bottom side.  You will notice that you will be able to identify the friction point where the box first started to move.  This is analogous to the Sumatra event.  You cannot claim that the box only moved at the single point.
(Pratsch) And, subduction-related melting of basic crust can hardly ever lead to magmatism of granite, as you explain for Krakatau acidics. Therefore, we may need another explanation for the magmatism in Sumatra and elsewhere.
(Morgan) Rejecting the plate tectonic model leaves you at a disadvantage for the answer to this.  Oceanic (basaltic) plates subduct along continental (granitic) plates.  The Indonesian island arc is composed of continental material.  The crust subducting beneath this island arc is oceanic.  Friction along this subduction path along with heat flow migration pathways allows for melting of BOTH materials along their interface.  Mixing of basaltic and granitic magmas can and does often occur.  The surface expulsion of these magmas does not always reflect the entire contents of the original melt, as the laws of physics like to keep more dense material (melted basalt) beneath lighter material (melted granite). 
(Pratsch) As one result of these thoughts one can hardly see  “articulation of the plate tectonic model ”would “prepare…. citizens for the inevitability of an event like this…..”. Plate tectonics or not, people know tsunamis for hundreds of years, and the guilt of Indian Ocean-surrounding countries (for not having tsunami warning system in place) lies more in their lack of acceptance of available technology that can be applied for sufficient tsunami warnings; it is not that they know nothing about plate tectonics (may be it would even be better for them if they don’t) and therefore presumably have not organized a tsunami warning system.
This brings me to another point - are plate tectonics really valid today? Is this a theory that is proven or useful? I doubt that it is. In no case known to me are there unique one-sided data or facts that prove the plate tectonic theory as real, thus as useful:  We only can detect relative movements of plates, which leave always questions unanswered: It may not be subduction of the oceanic plate but obduction of the continental plate that is the basic mechanism (why else are there mantle domes and their final collapse as main tectonic events causing such regional features as Alboran Sea/Rif/Subbetics, Hungarian Plains/Carpathians, Black Sea, northern Gulf of Mexico/Ouachitas, Michigan Basin...?)  It would be quite educating for all if one could get together a conference or other way of an objective discussion of pros and contras of plate tectonic theory as seen today.
(Morgan) You offer obduction as an alternate to subduction.  One cannot exist without the other, much like the hanging wall and foot wall of a thrust.  As to relative motion, is

Article and Photos
by Arthur E. Berman,
editor@hgs.org

From the Editor    

June, 2005    

Ideas Are Like Stars:
The Current Oil Boom, 2001-2005

Many years ago, Robert Weimer asked my stratigraphy class to explain what we observed shortly after arriving at an outcrop along the Colorado Front Range.  Several people offered interpretations of possible depositional environments and sedimentary facies relationships as we stood by our vehicles.
Weimer responded, “I asked for observations, not interpretations.  How can you interpret the geology when you haven’t gotten close enough to the outcrop to describe it?”
That incident didn’t make an immediate impression on me but it produced an echo in my mind.  I have recalled it and Weimer’s comment so many times that now it has become part of my approach and response to many situations in life. 
In May, I wrote about the period of high oil prices from 1973 to 1986 (Berman, 2005, in press).  I discovered that many of my recollections and impressions of that period were, at best, incomplete and parochial.  My intention for this, my last “From the Editor” letter, was to carry the story to the present, draw some conclusions and perhaps make some predictions about the current high price cycle we are experiencing in the oil industry. 
As I researched the topic, I discovered an analogy to Bob Weimer’s complaint on the outcrop years ago:  people are making and publishing high level interpretations without first getting close enough to the data to observe and describe what is there.  Analysts, pundits and other industry experts focus on three ruling theories to explain high oil prices and the current environment in the oil business:  peak oil production, failure to discover new reserves, and unanticipated demand from China and India. 
I am not implying that these factors are incorrect or without basis.  I am suggesting that a simple story is being told to explain factors that are, in the case of the present high oil price cycle, much more basic and fundamental.  Please join me as we move away from the vehicles, walk up to the outcrop and describe what we see.  Maybe after that we can move on to interpretations.
Peak Oil Production:  The World is Running Out of Oil
The first theme or ruling theory I encountered while reading for this and last month’s “From the Editor” letter is the notion that peak world oil production is imminent or has already occurred.  According to its advocates, peak oil production leads irrevocably either to the demise of civilization as we know it or, at the very least, to radical adjustments in lifestyle for industrialized countries that are dependent on oil.
Many call peak oil production “Hubbert’s Peak” referring to predictions made in 1956 by M. King Hubbert. Hubbert correctly predicted that United States oil production would peak in 1970.  His other predictions about peak U.S. gas production and world oil production were incorrect. 
The discovery of the Prudhoe Bay Field in 1967 complicated Hubbert’s prediction about U.S. peak production and nearly discredited his predictive method.  Prudhoe Bay began production in 1977 and, by 1985, daily U.S. production had climbed to 96% of its 1970 peak (Figure 1).
 
Hubbert’s method involved questionable assumptions:  production rise and fall would be symmetrical and log-normal, and reserves would remain static.  Hubbert assumed that peak production would occur when exactly half of proved reserves were depleted.  The problem, of course, is that proved reserves must remain static in order to predict the midpoint of depletion. Prudhoe Bay was simply not in the model (Figure 2).  Neither were Kuparuk River or Point Thompson in the Alaskan Arctic.  Likewise, other important discoveries in the Wyoming-Utah Overthrust Belt and the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico were understandably not anticipated when Hubbert performed his calculations.
Extrapolation always leads to errors because it fails to recognize the ingenuity of people and technology to find new reserves and to produce more supply than estimated from existing fields.  It is difficult to imagine that today’s proponents of peak oil methods can rule out significant new reserves yet to be discovered in regions far more likely to contain large fields than the United States.
Remaining conventional, proven world petroleum reserves are estimated to be 2130.5 billion barrels equivalent (Figure 3).  Depletion is estimated to be 807-822 billion barrels (Bentley and Smith, 2003) Using the Hubbert method, peak global production has not yet been reached.  Proponents of imminent peak production argue that Middle Eastern reserve estimates are exaggerated, and perhaps they are, but we must use the data that we have.  Present world consumption is about 30 billion barrels per year (Energy Information Administration).  This suggests that peak world production will be reached in less than 8 years (other reliable sources, notably the United States Geological Survey, do not anticipate peak global production until 2030). 
So what?  If someone has recommendations about what should be done about the impending peak in global oil production, I would like to hear them.  History is full of predictions that, more often than not, don’t occur.  What ever happened to the famous prediction of the Y2K disaster in which all the world’s computers would stop working when the calendar changed from 1999 to 2000?  Billions of dollars were spent preparing for this event and yet nothing happened. 
Petroleum is abundant and will be an economically important commodity for a long time.  What is certain is that the cost of petroleum will increase as it becomes scarcer. Peak oil thinking does not account for systemic changes in oil consumption as prices increase or for new reserve additions through exploration or field growth. It does not consider advances in technology either in exploration or production, or in consumption efficiency. 
 

Looking Back at the Year -
Well Done Members, Well Done
As my tenure as HGS President comes to an end, I have two words to describe the HGS volunteer membership – WELL DONE. We can take pride in the accomplishments this year and the continuance of a fine professional “community” now having completed its 82nd year.  Somehow there arises a bevy of hard-working people that bring enormous contributions to the society, whether they are committee members that step forth to lead at a critical moment or last minute article contributors to the Bulletin to fill needed pages.  Thankfully we have our  “usual suspects” of regular and reliable volunteers that form the bedrock of the organization, and fortunately are reinforced by new workers and leaders.
Well done is better than well said.
Benjamin Franklin
The work of the Houston Geological Society is not only to fulfill the objectives written in the HGS by-laws but to grow the organization and to encourage participation. It is a perpetual dilemma between strict adherence to HGS traditional methods and progressive change. The HGS must encompass both each year to remain vibrant for both the established and new members.
One example of progressive change is the HGS directory. The cost to print and mail the book to all HGS members has skyrocketed to a whopping $30,000. Mail costs have soared, paper and printing costs have escalated, and upon completion the printed directory is practically out-of date as members’ phone and e-mail addresses change so rapidly. Advertisers provide only a quarter of the costs of such a directory. In response to these costs the HGS executive board has created a plan that will allow members to soon download on-line to a CD or to print. Members without computers will be able to call the HGS office and request a directory to be printed that can be retrieved at a nearby FedExKinkos location. Look for this to be available soon.
The HGS Bulletin has also undergone a significant transformation this year in order to provide you with a quality magazine. The annual cost for the ten annual issues including the layout labor, printing, and mailing approaches $150,000 to $160,000. Advertisers have kindly provided for a large portion of the revenue to offset these costs and for this we are most grateful. However expenses will exceed advertising revenue in 2005 and we will have to tap into HGS reserve funds. Editor Art Berman has provided an exceptionally high quality Bulletin this year, my view is that it was the best the HGS has ever generated. To reduce the Bulletin size to fit into our budget, extended articles and photos were placed into the HGS website. Therefore we reduced printing and mail costs, and upgraded our website for our members.
We made a few new additions to modify things this year. We instituted a Volunteer of the Month in the Bulletin and on the web to recognize the fine efforts by the membership.

Social events such as the “Rockets Night Out” and the “Astros Night” were added. A “Ballet Night” will be held on June 9.The First Annual Scholarship Benefit Party “Scholarship Rock Dance” was held to generate funds and to provide awareness of the two scholarship programs. A community service project “Project Respect” was organized with several dozen volunteers participating. An added bonus of this event was the addition of participants from our sister society, the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists.
The HGS accomplishments for the 2004-2005 year are numerous but I created an abbreviated list to make us aware of a great organization we are.

Professional Growth and Assistance

• Free public seminar (September) – HGS members coordinated the seminar “Flooding in the Houston Metropolitan Area, Past, Present & Future” for the Engineering Council of Houston. Local city and state government agencies presented, and the Houston Chronicle attended.
• Continuing education programs (Dec– May) – Five seminars developed as a mini-series entitled “Petroleum Reserves – Avoiding Write-downs”. A DVD was prepared of the mini-series 1 & 2 by HGS volunteers. The DVD will be available for sale at the Calgary AAPG Convention. 
• HGS Geojob bank – Completed 9 years as a free website geoscience job search resource, having posted over 2650 jobs.

Public Outreach

• Houston Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show (September) – over 3000 students, teachers, scouts and parents stopped by the first-ever HGS booth at this annual event in Humble.
• Earth Science Week (October) – many HGS volunteers assisted with teaching children & adults at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) and throughout schools citywide. Held 2 successful field trips to the Blue Lagoon Rock Quarry and Landmark Visualization Center.
• University of Houston Digital Geologic Library (October) – HGS donated $1750 to match the AAPG contribution to support the library. It is provided for students and HGS/AAPG members alike.
• HMNS “Dino Days” (November) – HGS assisted in the funding of this event with a $3500 donation to enable the world-renown vertebrate paleontologist Dr. Robert Bakker to attend as the keynote speaker.
• Community Service “Project Respect”  (April) – 27 volunteers from the HGS and the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists provided mowing, trimming, and tree removal at the 177-year-old  Evergreen Negro Cemetery located in the 5th ward of east Houston. Future work includes a GPS survey, and geophysical (GPR) and magnetometer surveys for unmarked grave identification for purposes of recognizing the site by the Texas Historical Commission.

Scholarship Support

• First Annual Scholarship Benefit Dance (February) – Fundraiser attendees contributed $3500 in silent auction donations toward the HGS Foundation and Calvert Memorial Scholarship funds.
• Calvert Memorial scholarship dedication (October) – 4 university geoscience graduate students reviewed by the Calvert committee were awarded $3000 each.
• HGS Foundation undergraduate scholarship dedication (February) – 7 university geoscience undergraduate students reviewed by the Foundation committee were awarded $1500 each.
• HGS University Scholarship dedication (March) – 7 geoscience students chosen by regional universities were awarded $750 each from the HGS general operating fund.
• HMNS summer internships (June) – will provide funds for summer internships for two Houston Science Fair exhibitor winners at Guest Night (June 11).
• HGS Undergraduate Foundation and
  

Houston Geological Society and Engineering, 
Science and Technology Council of Houston
join forces to increase public and governmental awareness
of an impending, but silent geologic disaster
By Cheryl Desforges, Continuing Education Committee Chairman, and Robert Traylor, TCEQ
Inundation of the Louisiana and Upper Texas Coasts is becoming one of the great geological disasters of the 21st century.  This could have a huge economic impact not only to the inhabitants of the Gulf Coast, but also to our whole nation.   The public has become aware of subsidence through press coverage of the elevated frequencies of flooding and increases in the loss of coastal areas in recent years.  Unfortunately, the press and even some governmental agencies have only focused on identifying man-induced causes, such as fluid withdrawal from groundwater and petroleum extraction, as well as sea level rise due to global warming.  As scientists, who are intimately familiar with the Gulf Coast, we know this subsidence is primarily due to the complex geological setting of the Northern Gulf Coast Basin itself, as well as contributions from man-induced causes in isolated localities.  Today’s scientific analysis does not allow us to quantify the proportion of each cause across the region.  The major impediment to this type of analysis is the difficulty measuring vertical tectonic movements, because of an inadequate and outdated datum reference plane.    Research has been conducted in Louisiana to enable quantification of the various causes of subsidence, but has not been carried into Texas. 
 
Planning for significant and costly public works projects is currently underway in Louisiana and at the Federal level.  Most efforts to date have been directed at programs that would help to restore wetland areas of the coast.  However, recognition that the entire coast is subsiding, including populated areas, have prompted some to call for massive public works projects.  These include building coastal levees to protect life and property.  Input from scientific evaluations of all the causes of the problem is now critical, so we, as a nation, can direct these public works expenditures to projects that will have satisfactory outcomes.
To increase the awareness of the issues, the HGS and ECH are organizing a three day conference “Coastal Subsidence, Sea Level and the Future of the Gulf Coast”, to be held November 3, 4 and 5, 2005.   The first day of the three-day conference will be devoted to understanding the reasons for subsidence, how to measure them, and how to analyze for each component’s contribution to the overall subsidence budget.  On the second day, the focus will be twofold: one part on assessing the economic/cultural impact and the second part on reviewing mitigation efforts, options, and consequences.  A field trip on the third day will visit sites of active faulting and subsidence within the Houston area.
 
Conference participants and speakers will include contributions from the scientific community, government agencies, elected officials, construction and real estate industry representatives, members of the media, and the general public.  We invite you to join us for this event and also ask that you help spread the word about this issue.  We are also seeking corporate sponsors to help defray some of the expenses for this non-profit community service project, so please encourage your companies to become sponsors.

Book Review
Page J., and Officer, C. 2004, The Big One, 239 pp. Houghton Mifflin Company, $24.00. 

Reviewer: George O. Chandlee, Source Environmental Sciences, Inc.
The three largest earthquakes known to have occurred in the continental United States were in December 1811 and January 1812 near New Madrid, Missouri. The most powerful of these quakes is estimated to have been magnitude 8.3.  The event has been described as “a profound shuddering of the earth”. “Subterranean fires threw down the arches or vaults of the earth, abyssal waters combusted, fermented or electric fluid pervaded the bowels of the earth, driven by volcanic impulses” causing a heaving of the ground “upward in coruscations and explosions”. This was an inexplicable catastrophe, “the very world itself gone mad”. Near the pioneer town of New Madrid, the night air became “redolent with foul odor”, and near the mouth of the Ohio River, the ground shook incessantly, as one resident described it. In what was then a sparsely populated wilderness, some 1,500 people were killed. The tremors reached as far as Montreal, Canada. An area as large Texas, centered in Missouri and Arkansas, was affected. This series of earthquakes constituted the “Big One”.
For illustration, it is worth comparing the New Madrid earthquakes with the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. A few minutes past five o''clock in the morning on April 18, 1906, a fracture occurred in the rock in the earth’s crust beneath San Francisco. The fracture expanded in various directions, soon traveling at 5,600 miles per hour. It reached the surface in a matter of seconds.  The fracture propagated along the San Andreas Fault. At locations on the surface, the ground on either side of the fault moved about twelve feet. The well-known San Francisco earthquake was a magnitude 7.6.
In the book entitled “The Big One” Jake Page (a natural history writer) and Charles Officer (a Dartmouth earth scientist) detail the history of seismology and describe the current state of seismology.  The authors translate descriptions of the 1811-1812 earthquakes associated with the New Madrid fault zone into an informative narrative of the historical development of seismology.  As an example, they discuss Jared Brooks, an American engineer, who was an early pioneer in scientific seismology. He used pendulums of different lengths and summarized the earthquake history of the New Madrid earthquakes. Brooks was one of the first to develop a scale and detailed rating of earthquakes based on the damage resulting from an earthquake. 
John Milne, an English geologist, was unquestionably what could be called “the father of modern seismology”. The Japanese offered Milne, a widely traveled mining geologist, a professorship at the Tokyo Imperial College of Engineering, at that time the largest technical school in the world. Milne lived in Japan for twenty years.  Because Japan is one of the most seismically active areas in the world, it was a good place to study earthquakes. He used the same techniques as Brooks, pendulums of various lengths (some up to 3 feet long) so he could measure and record the magnitudes of earthquakes.
The name of Charles Richter is perhaps best associated with earthquakes in the public mind.  Richter was an amateur astronomer and used the word “magnitude” to describe levels of earthquake activity.  The Richter scale is based on the greatest amplitude of waves reaching a seismograph.  The Richter scale does not measure the intensity of an earthquake, which is essentially the damage that an earthquake inflicts.  Giuseppe Mercalli, an Italian, developed the scale that is widely used today. The scale was subsequently modified by two Americans, Harry Wood and Frank Neumann and is now known as the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale. It is a finite scale specifying 12 levels of intensity. These levels range from “Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable circumstances” (I) to “Damage total. Lines of sight and level are distorted. Objects thrown into the air.” (XII)
The authors describe how scientists, engineers, and others have tried to understand what caused buildings to be destroyed by earthquakes and how corrective and protective measures could save lives and ensure increased safety. Readers will learn about the Scottish engineers who worked with Japanese engineers to develop new methods for measuring earthquakes, and how that work led to new building codes. Recent advances in ways to describe the severity of earthquakes are discussed, as well as the ways that new studies have generated more precise estimates of the strength of historical earthquakes. The book presents black and white drawings of historically important seismograph measuring devices as well as maps showing areas of earthquake activity around the world.
The December 2004 tsunami has focused our attention on the devastation and global effect that earthquakes can have.  Earthquakes are inevitable and, thus, knowledge concerning their cause, effect, and historical impact is important.  Thus, this not-overly technical, book is worth reading.  The authors present a clear discussion of the science of seismology .The appeal of natural history and catastrophe stories assure the book will enjoy a wide audience, among geoscientists and non-geoscientists alike. 

Book Review

Copyright 2005, James Allan Ragsdale (reviewer).
Earth:  An Intimate History
By Richard Fortey
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2004, 405 pp. + index $30.00

Richard Fortey has done it again.  The English paleontologist, already author of two acclaimed popular science books, Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth and Trilobite!  Witness to Evolution, has produced a third which may be the best of the lot.
In Earth: An Intimate History, Mr. Fortey takes the reader on a grand tour of the geology of the world, starting at the Bay of Naples with a description of Mount Vesuvius and then swooping from outcrop to outcrop around the planet, finally returning to Italy for his finale.
Some of the finest pleasures of his previous books have been Mr. Fortey’s descriptions of terrains.  His technique in Earth is to first describe the landscape of each area of interest and its relationship with the people who live there before delving into the geology that created the terrain.  Along the way, he tells the stories of the scientists who, through hard work and trial and error, have unraveled the history of our world. 
Mr. Fortey leaves few geological bases untouched as he goes around the earth.  His lucid explanation of plate tectonics is woven through the entire fabric of the book as he explains how so much of the form of the Earth is the result of the collisions, splitting aparts, grinding togethers, and subductions of the mobile crust of the planet.
The book describes in geologically delicious terms many of the critical places in the history of our science and the geology of the earth, with chapters devoted to   Pompeii and Herculaneum, Hawaii, the Alps, the development of the theory of plate tectonics, the “ancient ranges” of t

Evergreen Cemetery Clean-up – April 2
by Steve Levine

The bright sunshine made for a splendid day on Saturday, April 2nd as 23 HGS volunteers spent the morning supporting the community. Click to see some snapshots taken that morning.

HGS members were united with volunteers from ConocoPhillips, Houston Wheatley High School, and the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists to make the Evergreen Negro Cemetery teeming with workers. Volunteers grabbed lawnmowers, weed-eaters, rakes and hoes in a coordinated effort to beautify the site. In a four-hour time span the cemetery was transformed to a presentable state with weeds cleared around the headstones, grass trimmed, and large dead trees cut and removed. HGS member Walter Light even used his four-wheel drive vehicle to pull down one of the larger trees.
The cemetery dates back to before the Civil War and served as a resting place for black slaves and freedmen. Originally on the site of a cotton plantation, only a quarter of the cemetery remains today from the original grounds that once encompassed 20 acres. Construction on I-10 likely removed a part of the cemetery. It is located 2 miles east of downtown Houston in the 5th Ward area proximal to Wheatley High School. LaVaughn Mosely and Dr. Woody Jones are leaders of a coalition called “Project Respect”, formed to restore the cemetery and to prepare the site to be designated a historic landmark with the Texas Historical Commission. Once a weed-infested lot with barely a headstone visible, it now is periodically maintained by various volunteer organizations and Wheatley High School senior class students.
In the near term, HGS members will assist in the installation of a wooden fence around the perimeter of the cemetery and a through the courtesy of the geoarcheological firm HRA Gray and Pape, will conduct a total GPS survey of the site.  Future plans are to perform geophysical surveys with ground penetrating radar and magnetometers to identify unmarked graves, and hopefully Texas Historical Commission site recognition. 

Prime Source Office Solutions was inadvertently omitted from the contributors of the Scholarship Benefit Party held on February 5. Please accept our apologies. Prime Source has provided the HGS with an exceptional quality HGS Bulletin each month since becoming our printer in 2002.

HGS Awards 2004-2005
Gerald Cooley Award
Dan Smith
Honorary Life Membership
Deborah Sacrey
Paul Britt
Distinguished Service Award
Carl E. Norman
Craig Dingler
Linda Sternbach
Rising Star Award
Mike Jones
Mike Allison
Frank Walles
Corporate Star Award
Dominion E&P
A2D/TGS-Nopec
BHP Billiton
Diversified Well Logging
HRA Gray & Pape
President''s Award
Art Berman
Ken Nemeth
Cheryl Desforges
Marsha Bourque
Andrea Reynolds
HGA Distinguished Service Award
Shirley Gordon

Dan Smith - Gerald A. Cooley Award
Written by Jeff Lund
The Gerald A. Cooley Award honors the memory of the man we knew, loved and remember as the personification of dedication, service and leadership continuing long after official office terms expire. It recognizes true dedication to the profession of petroleum geology in general, and to the Houston Geological Society in particular. No one I know would disagree that Dan L. Smith is a profoundly deserving recipient of the Cooley Award.
I have known Dan since he welcomed me to my first Houston Delegates meeting many decades ago, through our current simultaneous service on the AAPG Advisory Council. He has been a friend, a mentor and an inspiring leader to me and countless other geologists, and he continues doing so actively every day!
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1958 and immediately began his career as a petroleum geologist with Pan American Petroleum (now BP). In 1967 he joined independent oil company Roberts and Whitson Petroleum as exploration manager.
Continuing his entrepreneurial bent he became part owner, executive vice president and exploration manager of Texoil Co., until 1992 when he joined Texas Meridian (now Meridian Resource Corp). He retired from Meridian in 1999 as vice president of new ventures. More recently, Dan brought his prospect generating expertise and business skills to Sandalwood Oil and Gas where his prospects are a key factor in Sandalwood’s notably successful drilling program.
Dan’s business career has always been paralleled by his contributions to the profession of petroleum geology. Joining AAPG in 1959, he has held many offices including President of the Association in 2002-2003. He is a Certified Petroleum Geologist and an AAPG Foundation Trustee Associate.
Dan has been active in the AAPG House of Delegates (HOD) for nearly 20 years serving as a delegate and foreman of the Houston delegation. He was elected chairman of the HOD in 1997-98. He has served as chair of the Constitution and By Laws Committee, Nominations Committee, Special Resolution Committee on International and Domestic Representation and as a member of the HOD Procedures Committee. Dan’s extensive HOD service was recognized in 2000 when he received the first Distinguished Service Award made by the body.
AAPG Standing Committees have benefited from Dan’s leadership. His contributions include service on the Committee on Conventions, Committee on Committees and the Visiting Geologist Committee. He chaired the Summit on Sections Meeting in 1997.
The Department of Professional Affairs (DPA) of AAPG has been an arena of great interest to Dan. He served as DPA vice chair for the 1995 annual meeting as well as being DPA program chair and receiving the Best Paper Award.
Most of us in HGS see Dan’s service more directly through the Houston Geological Society, and for sure HGS, has been another beneficiary of Dan’s dedicated talent. His term as President in 1987-88 and Vice President in 1985-86 capped years of service recognized by HGS having presented him Honorary Membership and Distinguished Service Awards. Not all of us remember how he lead the HGS during a painful decline in the price of oil when optimism was a critical leadership quality, and required unusual to budget challenges.
Dan has long been concerned with scholarship support of young geologists and has served many years as chair of the Graduate Memorial Scholarship Board and the HGS Advisory Committee.
HGS is the largest local society in the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS). Dan co-chaired a very successful 1991 GCAGS Convention and served for many years as the GCAGS Convention Committee chair. GCAGS awarded him Honorary Membership and Distinguished Service Awards and in 2001 dedicated the Transactions volume to him, one of the rarest of honors.
Of significant note is his participation in other earth science organizations including the Society of Independent Earth Scientists, Association of Independent Professional Earth Scientists, Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Houston Producer’s Forum and regular attendance at the Chief Geologists and Exploration Manager’s Luncheons.
I believe the most important contribution Dan’s long service has brought to our profession is his optimism and positive vision for petroleum geology. His term as AAPG President emphasized his concept of making AAPG every geologists “Career Partner for Life” as industry rapidly evolves away from lifetime employment with a company.
Dan’s Presidential address at the Salt Lake City Convention Opening Session focused on the “big picture” of the earth’s energy future and its importance not just to geologists but to mankind.
Even today, Dan chairs

HGS Continuing Education Committee Responds
to Recent Petroleum Reserve Write-downs
by Mike Allison and Cheryl Desforges
Large corporate reserve write-downs have increased attention of financial analysts, investors, rating agencies, banks, the U.S. SEC and corporate boards to the process of estimating and reporting reserves. In response to concerns raised by the recent reserve write-downs, the HGS Continuing Education Committee, in conjunction with a number of sponsors, has enlisted the help of leading industry experts to put on a series of four one day short courses focused on ways to avoid petroleum reserve writedowns. The short courses include:
An Overview of Reserve Definitions and Reporting Requirements presented by John E. Hodgin and Thomas Wagenhofer of Ryder Scott Co. on December. 15, 2004.
Could ignorance of SEC and SPE/WPC definitions or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act result in a reserve write-down for you or your company? Who are subject to civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance or false reporting? What issues does the SEC routinely question in letters of inquiry regarding reserves? What are the SEC "Red Flags?"
An Overview of Recommended Geological Practices presented by presented by Daniel J. Tearpock of Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC on January 20, 2005
Learn what common geologic errors contribute to the inaccuracy of reserves estimates. Learn the geologic practices recommended to avoid these reserve pitfalls
An Overview of Recommended Engineering Practices presented by Ed Travis and Bill Kazmann of LaRoche Petroleum Consultants on May 20, 2005
Learn basic reservoir evaluation techniques from performance to volumetric analysis. Learn which common engineering errors contribute to the inaccuracy of reserves estimates. Learn the recommended engineering practices to avoid these reserve pitfalls. Learn the fundamentals of economic evaluations and their impact on reserve volumes.
An Overview of Recommended Petrophysical Practices will be presented by Bill Price of Petrophysical Solutions, Inc., John Kulha , Consultant, and Ted Griffin, Core Lab, on September 21, 2005
Obtaining accurate net pay counts from correct petrophysical analysis is one of the basic ingredients of accurate reserve estimations. Understand the dangers of the digital world in which we live. Discuss why the proper integration of data is still undervalued. Learn the rules of wireline pressure interpretation and use of core data to validate reserves. Learn the ten causes/sources of LRLC response and how to adjust your petrophysical evaluation to compensate. Learn a proven methodology to evaluate LRLC pays and when to apply it. Real world examples will be presented
 
Attendance at the first three short courses has been overwhelming. There is one more important short course remaining in the mini-series. Your participation is critical to the success of this mini-series. You can register for the CEC sponsored short courses on the HGS web site.
In order to deliver these short courses to a much broader audience, each one day short course is being recorded live and presented on a single CD-ROM. Each CD-ROM contains an easy to use menu listing each topic covered during the short course. The viewer simply clicks on the topic of interest and a high quality video is played on their local computer. The video contains a very high quality recording of the presentation and the speaker’s voice. The recordings are live and provide the viewer the opportunity and convenience of playing these short courses over and over again in the convenience of their office, a conference room or in their home.
The HGS will be selling these CD-ROMs as early as at the AAPG Annual Convention in Calgary. The cost will be $120.00 for all four short courses. When you purchase the short courses you will receive the first three short courses on CD-ROM and a spot for the fourth CD-ROM when it becomes available later in the Fall. Inside the case will be mailer that you simply fill out and drop in the mail. When available, the fourth CD-ROM will be mailed it to you and so it can be placed it in the case along with the other short course CD-ROMs.
You will also be able to purchase the short course sets through the HGS web site or during the HGS luncheons and evening meetings starting during the Fall 2005-2006 season. Please support this important effort by purchasing these short course CD-ROM sets. The proceeds from the sale of these CD-ROMs will benefit the HGS and allow us to continue producing short courses on CD-ROM in the future. As many of us retire over the next 10-15 years we need to preserve our knowledge and pass it on to the next generation of geoscientists and engineers.

Government Update

by Henry M. Wise, P.G. and Arlin Howles, P.G.

Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists News
Chairman Kevin Coleman and Vice Chairman Ed Miller will be retiring in April.  There is currently no news as to who the new Chairman and Vice Chairman will be, but the two new board members are Glenn Lowenstein, P.G., President of Terrain Solutions in Houston, and Lynn Clark, a consultant from Dallas.

The TBPG''s website has finally been revised.  You can now do everything you could do before through it, but you can now read the most recent version of the proposed continuing education regulations as well.

Texas Board of Professional Engineers
Kimberley Robinson Phillips of Houston is being reappointed to the board.   She serves as an officer of the commercial law section of the National Bar Association and is a council member for the appellate section of the Houston Bar Association.  Phillips is a former board member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and St. Philip''s School.  She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Junior League of Houston.  A graduate of Central Missouri State University, She received a law degree from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
It has been noticed recently that the Texas Board of Professional Engineers (TBPE) Policy Advisory Opinions have been excluding everyone but Professional Engineers from performing various types of work that has traditionally been performed by others, including geologists and hydrogeologists.  There has been a small group of individual Professional Geologists who have been watching out for Geologist interests who deserve our thanks.  These opinions are important to take notice of because they often become the basis for future regulations.  We need to make sure we are not excluded from work we have traditionally been performing.

During the TBPE March 25, 2005 Stakeholder''s meeting regarding the Environmental Document Preparation Policy Opinion several issues regarding environmental document preparation and who should perform them.  Two of the more important points are:
1) It was brought out several times during the meeting that the federal law, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) specifically identifies qualified professionals for preparation of environmental documents.
2) It is important to note that the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) changed their procurement process to allow the environmental assessments to take place independent of engineering decisions.

Environmental document preparation has been well defined federally and privately (i.e.:  ASTM guidance documents).  There was little justification for the basis of the request from the Council of Engineering Companies (CEC) to restrict all environmental assessments to be performed by (or under the supervision of) Professional Engineers.  TXDOT had already separated environmental document preparation out of the engineering activities and CEC probably did not like that turn of events.  By requesting and obtaining a Policy Opinion stating that environmental document preparation is considered to be engineering, the CEC effectively over rides TXDOTs own management of their projects.

Mark Baker, P.G., with the Texas Association of Professional Geologists is trying to establish the TAPG as the lobbying body for professional geologists in Texas.  If you think having a lobbyist representing Texas professional geologists is a good idea and want to join his group you can contact him at:
POB 495457
Garland, Texas 75049-5457
469-443-0990 Office
469-443-0989 Fax
http://www.bakeresi.com

Pending Texas Legislation
There are several pending bills in the Texas Legislature of interest to geologists/hydrogeologists.  These bills are:
• Senate Bill SB-1413 by Senator Shapleigh on Brownfield regulations.  It states that engineers and contractors will perform all assessments.
• House Bill HB-1116 pushes back the sunset review of the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists (TBPG) by a couple of years, to 2015.  However, it also includes a provision that the review is to be conducted by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).  The big question is, does the TDLR also review other professional boards, such as the PE board?  Evidently, Bill Kuntz, director of the TDLR, is pushing this effort, and this isn''t the first time the TDLR has tried to take over the TBPG.  HB-1116''s companion Senate Bill, SB-412 is still languishing in the Senate Government Organization Committee.  If/when they craft bill analysis language we need to make sure it does not link the TBPG to the TDLR in the sunset review process.

You can find more information on these two bills at:  http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

TCEQ News
A question recently came up regarding whether we should be using the old or new Affected Property Assessment Report (APAR) form from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  The TCEQ has reported that they will be finalizing their new APAR form in May.  In the meantime, keep using the old form until the new one is posted on the TCEQ website.

The TCEQ has posted its annual update of the PCL tables.  They can be downloaded from the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) web page at:  www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/permitting/trrp.htm.

The TCEQ announce the publication of TRRP-14, "Screening Chemicals of Concern from PCL Development".  This document is available at:  http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/permitting/remed/techsupp/guidance.htm 

Clean Air Interstate Rule Signed
On March 10, 2005, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Stephen Johnson signed the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which is expected to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired power plants by roughly 70% by 2015. Utilities operating in 28 Eastern States and the District of Columbia are to engage in a cap-and-trade system in order to meet these industry-wide limits.  For more, go to:  http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis109/cleanair.html.

New EPA Mercury Rule In a Ton of Trouble
On March 15, 2005, the EPA mandated a cap-and-trade program to control mercury emissions from U.S. coal-fired power plants in two phases in their Clean Air Mercury Rule.  The first phase of caps would reduce emissions from 48 to 38 tons per year by 2010, reached as a collateral benefit of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), a similar program for SO2 and NOx issued five days earlier.  The second phase of limits would reduce national emissions to 15 tons per year by 2018, a 70% reduction.  EPA also reversed the Clinton Administration finding of December 2000 that it was appropriate to regulate coal- and oil-fired power plants fo

HGA News

By: Norma Jean Jones, President
I am delighted and honored to have been elected as the Houston Geological Society Auxiliary President for the 2005-2006 year.  I will endeavor to serve the organization to the very best of my ability.  Margaret Eisenhardt Jones, outgoing President and the Board of 2004-2005 are to be congratulated on an exceptionally fine year.  Each social has been well attended and thoroughly enjoyed.
Congratulations to Shirley Gordon, upon receiving the HGS-HGA 2004-2005 Distinguished Service Award.   Shirley is certainly deserving of this award.
Our annual Business Meeting and luncheon was held at the Briar Club on Thursday, May 12.  The membership and guests all enjoyed a lovely lunch and musical entertainment by The Kingsmen.  A sincere thanks to Lois Matuzak and her committee for an excellent event.  After lunch, a brief business meeting was held, and the new officers were installed.
In reviewing the slate of dedicated and talented officers elected to serve this year, I fell confident that HGA will have another great year.  Let me introduce you to the 2005-2006 Board:
President Norma Jean Jones
President-Elect Sally Blackhall
First Vice President Winona LaBrant Smith
Second Vice President Norma Jean Bacho
Third Vice President Edie Bishop
Secretary Vicky Pickering
Treasurer Betty Alford
Historian/Photographer Suzy Stepanek, Myrtis Trowbridge
Parliamentarian/Past President Margaret Jones
Directors: 
 1. Mary Harle
 2.  Margaret Jones
 3. Anne Rogers
 4. Millie Tonn
A highlight of next year will be the AAPG National Convention to be held in Houston in April, 2006.  The HGA has received word that members of the HGA will be called upon to assist with the Ladies’ Hospitality Room and Activities.  I hope that all members will keep this in mind and be prepared to volunteer as opportunities arise, to help the Houston Geological Society make this a very successful event.
Please make note of news from your summer vacations and activities and report them for the Eclectic Log.
We want to encourage all wives of HGS members and all female geologists interested in joining the Auxiliary to fill out the membership application form printed in the HGS Bulletin and get your application and dues in soon, so that your name and address can be included in the Year Book.  Our first social will be held in September and we will be advising you regarding details of our five upcoming events.
HGS Guest Night is June 11, 2005.  Dr. David Applegate, USGS Senior Seismic Advisor, will speak on “Magnitude 9 Tsunami and Earthquakes, Learning from Indonesia’s Experience”.  This will be at the Houston Museum of Science, from 6:30 to 10:00 P.M.  Ladies, join your spouses or friends for a fun evening.

Update on AAPG EMD Activities
Peter Warwick, EMD President-elect

The Energy Minerals Division of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (EMD, AAPG) continues to be very active to promote research and communication among scientists in the areas of remote sensing and earth materials capable of being used for energy production.  The EMD is the primary sponsor for several sessions at regional, national, and international AAPG meetings.  The EMD website  has recently been updated to include technical reports on various energy mineral commodities and geospatial information.  A Members-Only section has been added to the website to provide EMD membership with the latest committee and officer reports, as well as a searchable membership directory.  Links to the Energy Minerals Grant (up to $2000 USD) for students are provided on the EMD website.  The application deadline for the Energy Minerals yearly student grant is January 31.  Please see the AAPG Foundation web page for student grant application instructions.

The Atlas of Coal Geology, published jointly by EMD and The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP), continues to be a best seller.  This publication along with several others is available for sale via the EMD website.  The publications include:

Sequence Stratigraphy, Paleoclimate, and Tectonics of Coal-Bearing Strata
AAPG Studies in Geology, No. 51 (2004), Edited by Jack C. Pashin and Robert A. Gastaldo.

Unconventional Energy Resources of North America, AAPG Poster (2003), by John R. Dyni

Atlas of Coal Geology, AAPG Studies in Geology, No. 45 (2000), by Alexander R. Papp, James C. Hower, and Douglas C. Peters

Geology in Coal Resource Utilization (1991), by Douglas C. Peters

The second edition of the Atlas of Coal Geology is planned for publication by both EMD and TSOP.  The volume addressing the microscopic aspects of coal, edited by Jim Hower, is progressing well.  Authors are needed to handle chapters on sequence stratigraphy, CO2 sequestration, and stress environments (ground control, etc.).  Please contact Jim Hower or Alex Papp if you are interested in contributing to this effort.

Other EMD-sponsored publications currently underway or in the planning process include a collection of papers from the recent AAPG Hedberg Gas Hydrate Conference, edited by Tim Collett; a collection of papers on CO2 sequestration edited by Jack Pashin and others; and a geospatial technology applications CD-Rom, edited by Sam Limerick.

Membership in earth-science professional organizations has recently been in decline.  The EMD especially needs your help to continue to promote research in the areas of geospatial and the energy minerals.  In order to continue to have a seat on the AAPG Advisory Council, EMD needs to maintain and increase its membership.  There is much overlap in the goals of EMD and those of many other geological societies, so EMD invites related society members (if they are not already) to become a member of AAPG and EMD.  EMD and AAPG membership application material is available on the AAPG/EMD website.

Joint HGS and GSH Calendar
 
The HGS Website has a combined calendar listing all future events for the HGS and the GSH. The GSH Website''s combined calendar is similar, but includes SPEGCS events. 

The Houston Energy Council and the Engineering, Science and Technology Council of Houston also have new combined calendars. For the moment, they are identical to the GSH combined calendar, but they can add events for member organizations and even for non-members.

HGS Executive Officers for 2005-2006

President
Dave Rensink
President-Elect
Steven Brachman *
Vice President
Linda Sternbach *
Director (Two-year term)
Jim Doyle 2005-2007 *
Erik Mason 2005-2007 *
Elizabeth Fisher 2004-2006
Bill Dupre 2004-2006
Treasurer
Ken Nemeth
Treasurer-Elect
Cheryl Desforges *
Secretary
Susan Black *
Editor
Paul Britt
Editor-elect *
Bill Rizer

* means newly elected.  The candidates were listed at http://www.hgs.org/elections/

Front Row L-R - Steve Brachman, Susan Black, Linda Sternbach, Cheryl Desforges
Second Row L-R - Ken Nemeth, Dave Rensink, Jim Doyle, Erik Mason
Not pictured - Paul Britt, Bill Rizer, Elizabeth Fisher, Bill Dupre

"Lessons from Sumatra:
Reducing Earthquake Risk Worldwide”  
HGS Guest Night, Saturday, June 11, 6:30pm to 10:30 pm at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  Sign up using a credit card on the HGS web page.  Deadline for registration is June 6.
Five Reasons to Sign up for HGS Guest Night now!
 
#1. Learn about what caused the 2004 magnitude 9 earthquake in Indonesia!  Be informed about the USGS plan to reduce our nation’s vulnerability to earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and tsunami floods. Dr. David Applegate, USGS senior science advisor and geologist, will present the latest government strategy.
 #2.  Show your friends and family the newly renovated Weiss Energy Hall which has new exhibits on oil and gas exploration and production! Browse the dramatic gems and minerals on display at the Museum, while enjoying food and drinks from Goode Company BBQ.
 #3. The incredible 45-minute IMAX film “Forces of Nature” is part the Guest Night program, included in the event price! During the IMAX film, you will experience dramatic footage of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and landslides.
 #4.  The night’s activities will include valuable door prizes, awarded during the evening, and all attendees are automatically entered to win.
 # 5.  Your friends and family will have a fun Saturday night at the Museum, and will gain a special appreciation for the role of geoscientists as heroes of earth science, working for public education and solutions to important world problems, such as the search for energy, and saving lives during natural disasters.
Order your tickets today!

HGS Guest Night is made possible thanks to our corporate sponsors, BHP Billiton, TGS-Nopec, Schlumberger and BP:

Published 9 May, 2005

Webnotes

The 2004 HGS/GSH Membership Directory
Will Be in Electronic Format Only
The 2004 HGS/SGH Membership directory was created from the office database on March 23, 2005.  Copies will not be mailed to the membership.  Instead, the directory will be available in Adobe PDF format on the HGS and GSH Websites and can be downloaded by active members.  Active members are those current in their 2003-2004 dues and a few others, like Honorary (Life) members.
Information on how to download the directory is available only to active members.  They should log in and use the Navigation menu to find the appropriate links.  Non-members cannot access the pages that explain how to download the directory, nor can they be found using Google. 
If members want a printed copy, there are several options:
1. They can download the file from the Website and print it on their own printer. This is not the best choice because the Directory is 337-pages. 
2. Members can also copy the file to a CD or other portable memory device and take it to a print shop, like Kinkos, where they can get it printed on a high-speed printer and even have it bound if they like.
Members are not to make copies of the Directory for non-members or anyone else. Non-members should be encouraged to join the HGS to get a copy of the Directory and members are encouraged to make frequent use of the Website.
For those members who have no Internet access, the HGS/GSH office will provide a “loaner” copy of the Directory on CD that they can take to a print shop, get a paper copy made, and then return the CD to the office within a week.  Just go by the HGS office and checkout a copy. Since only a limited number of CD''s are available, members are also permitted to make a copy of the CD, for their personal use only, either from the loaner or the downloaded copy.
In addition to the annual directory format, there is a member-lookup facility on the Website that is available to any registered user. That information is more likely to be current than the annual directory; members are encouraged to keep their contact information on the Website up to date. Changes made in member records on the website will immediately update the office records, and vice versa, but will not change the annual directory until the next publication cycle.

Houston Geological Society Newsletter
May, 2005

HGS Events Calendar

Technical Programs

May 9. HGS General Dinner Meeting, Cindy Yeilding, Global Geoscience Manager at BP, discusses the pros and cons of computer visualization.  She''ll be showing us that, while the technology is very powerful, there remain many useful non-computerized techniques that haven''t yet been duplicated and that would serve us well to remember and use.  It should be an eye-opening, thought-provoking program.  Westchase Hilton, Social 5:30, Dinner 6:30.
 
May 16. HGS International Explorationists Dinner.  NOTE SPEAKER CHANGE!   Katrina Coterill of Vanco Energy will speak on "The Evolution of Submarine Channel, Canyon and Fan Systems as Evidenced on West African Seafloor Images and Spectral Analysis of 3D Seismic Data in Offshore Morocco." Westchase Hilton, Social 5:30, Dinner 6:30.
 
May 17. HGS Northsiders Luncheon, Larry Zarra, ChevronTexaco, "The Wilcox: Outcrop to Deepwater."  Hotel Sofitel, 11:30 am.
 
May 17. HGS Environmental/Engineering Dinner, David Reel, "City of Houston''s Brownfield Redevelopment Program."  Guadalajara Hacienda, 5:30 pm.
 
May 20. HGS Short Course.  Part 3 of Petroleum Reserves--Avoiding Write-downs, "Overview of Recommended Engineering Practices."  This popular course series wil show you how to avoid the pitfalls that have caused reserve write-downs.  Each unit is free-standing, so you don''t have to have attended the earlier (sold-out) courses to come to this one.  Register by May 14 for the discounted price.
 
May 25. HGS General Luncheon.  We''re pleased to have well-known Barnett Shale expert (and current AAPG President) Pat Gratton presenting "Barnett Shale, Big and Getting Bigger."  Petroleum Club, Social 11:15, Lunch 11:45 am.

Other Events

Don''t forget to vote!
HGS Board and officer ballots must be received by May 6th.
May 18. AAPG Town Hall Meeting, 6-8 pm, Marriott Westchase.  Come hear about AAPG''s plans for the future and make your opinions known.
May 20. HGS Tennis Tournament, Houston Racquet Club, 11:45 am.
 
June 9. HGS Night at The Houston Ballet.  Come see "Giselle" at a discounted HGS price.  Contact Marsha Bourque, 713-789-9525.
June 11 is HGS Guest Night!  Come join your fellow HGS members and bring your guests at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  This year David Applegate, head of the USGS Earthquake Hazards program, will speak on "Lessons of Sumatra, Reducing Earthquake Risk Worldwide," in the IMAX amphitheater, followed by the IMAX film, "Forces of Nature."  Stroll through the exhibits and have BBQ and fajitas catered by Goode Co. BBQ.  Registration is now open on the HGS website, and will close as soon as we reach our 400 limit, so buy your ticket early and pay online to be sure it''s yours.  This is a great event and a sellout every year!

Plan to attend 2005 Technofest August 2, 2005!
Details to be announced soon.

Published 3 May, 2005

Support of Our Geoscience Professors

I have been very fortunate to visit with many outstanding university professors as a recruiter for the last 14 years. So many of these professors were likely the brightest in their university classes and could have easily chosen industry positions. We are fortunate that they elected to pursue education and research over industry.
Teaching at any level is hard work, just look at the turnover rate among the teachers in our K-12 classes. Amplify this hardship with the expectations of the universities and you might expect high turnover rates and quick burnout, but not so. Why not?  Perhaps it is desires to become world-class experts in their chosen discipline, a satisfaction in lecturing, or simply a preference to stay in a college atmosphere and location. Whatever the case, we know it certainly was not for the money, and we should be thankful for those that have made a sacrifice to stay with teaching or to migrate towards teaching from industry. It takes an enormous amount of energy and fortitude to instruct at the university level. Pressures for teaching faculty are everywhere – annually adjusted budgets, department head changes, competition from other departments for funding and prized students, college deans from different education/industry backgrounds, tenure pressures, too few undergraduate students, too many undergraduate students, not enough funds for graduate students, inadequate facilities, insufficient supplies, too few scholarships, under-achieving students, research funding campaigning, daily lecture preparation, test preparation, grading, field trip coordination, summer camp, weather, student safety, etc.
Despite all of these deterrents, practically every college professor I have met has remained upbeat, positive, and enthusiastic. It is as though no matter how much the outside forces try to beat them down – they retain that enduring sprit to convey the passion for the science to their students. That same passion had driven them into teaching in the first place. Their resilience and perseverance is most commendable.
Are there any ways that the HGS can work more effectively with the universities and community colleges for the betterment of the faculty and students? Yes, I believe we can. We can increase our visibility by linking guest lecturers from our membership to the universities, invite more of their members to HGS technical talks and social events, and visit university AAPG student chapter meetings.
Some HGS members have actually made significant linkages to the students and faculty. HGS members Michael Deal and Martha Lou Broussard have been instrumental in the success of the Student Expo. The AAPG has been a major supporter of recruiting students through the AAPG/SEG Student Expo programs. The next Student Expo is scheduled for October 6-8 in Houston at the Westin Galleria. Interested companies may sponsor the events that include field trips, meals, or coffee breaks. 
Upcoming AAPG “Town Hall” Meeting in Houston
The AAPG will conduct a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, May 18 at 6:00 PM at the Marriott Houston Westchase (formerly the Adam’s Mark). This is a free reception for all AAPG, HGS members and guests (with complimentary wine, beer, soft drinks & hors d’oeuvres). A short presentation by AAPG leaders including President Pat Gratton, President-elect Pete Rose, and Executive Director Rick Fritz will be followed by an open discussion and Q&A. Please RSVP by May 10 to (800) 364-2274 ext. 409.
The Leaders Among Us
An impressive list of local HGS and AAPG members are serving on executive boards and national committees. I would like to recognize them for their enormous contributions to our profession.
AAPG Executive Board
Dwight “Clint” Moore – Treasurer (HGS Past President)
AAPG Advisory Council
Dan Smith  (AAPG Past President)
Jeffrey Lund (HGS Past President)
AAPG Divisions
Division of Environmental Geosciences (DEG)
Craig Dingler – At-Large Member of Advisory Board
Robert J. Menzie, Jr. – Managing Editor
Daniel Tearpock – Vice President
Division of Professional Affairs (DPA)
Deborah Sacrey – President-elect
Robert Shoup – Past President
AAPG Foundation
John Amoruso – Vice-Chairman
Michael Wisda – Vice-Chairman of Trustee Associates
AAPG Committees
Convention
Pinar Yilmaz
Barry Katz
Convention Coordinating
Charles Sternbach
Computer Applications
Bill Osten
Corporate Advisory
John Gibson
Distinguished Lecturer
Marianne Weaver
Education
Eugene “Skip” Rhodes
Grants-In-Aid
Kevin Meyer
Investment
George Bole
Membership
Gonzalo “Gonz” Enciso
Jeffrey Lund
Preservation of Samples & Cores
Sherilyn Williams-Stroud
Public Outreach
Dwight “Clint” Moore
Publications
William Demis
Gretchin Gillis
Research
Jim Handschy
Reservoir Development
Jeffrey Yarus
Reservoir Evaluation
Jeffrey Yarus
Resource Evaluation
Dwight “Clint” Moore
Earl Ritchie
Bob Stancil
Student Expo
Michael Beal
Martha Lou Broussard
Sister Societies
Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG)
Allyson Anderson – President
National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG)
Robert Johnson – President
Marian Walters – Treasurer
Society of Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)

March 6, 2005
Lorraine Manz
President
North Dakota Geological Society
P.O. Box 82
Bismarck, ND
Dear Ms. Manz,
RE: Professional Registration of Geologists is Costly and a Waste of Your Time and Money
I would like for the fine geologists of North Dakota to consider not supporting any form of registration of geologists. The reasons I have are based on my personal experience and on my opinions after reading transcripts from hundreds of registration boards'' meetings, from state boards in California to Washington to organizational pep-rallies in New York State (NY has no licensing). At the very least I would like to introduce my comments and experience in a Letter to the Editor of your organization. Others may share my opinion or may wish to add to or to debate the matter.
These boards are supposed to protect the public, so they say; it all sounds so nice. Protection requires penalties. The penalties, when there are any, are for not placing a rubber stamp imprint (professional seal) on all documents. Or for running an ad for geologic services (as a professional) after the geologists dues were late in payment. One geologist wouldn''t stamp a document claiming his opinion could be challenged; he was held accountable saying that even without the stamp/his official seal, that his opinion was certified. It was his opinion that if he didn''t place his seal on the report it was ok. Guess again.
Recently, in 2004, and I couldn''t believe it, in Texas alone, 6500 geologists paid $200 per year each (that''s $1,300,000 per year, actual dollars may be closer to $1,100,000 according to a critical and friendly colleague) to be qualified as a professional. This money goes/''went'' to pay the salaries of managers and office staff and for facilities for the administration of registration in Austin, Texas. To me, that''s a total waste of money and the money comes from earnings which these geologists would have used to support real professional activities, for instance the dues of local professional societies, such as your own in North Dakota and ours in Houston, Dallas, Midland and anywhere in Texas. That money would have paid for 60 to 100 geologists'' tuition at state and private schools.
Registration is restrictive. Even reciprocal registration (from one state to another state) requires an examination based registration or license (not a grandfathered license) and fees of $300 per year or more for each state and each specialty. For instance in my line of work I must specialize as a geologist, a geophysicist and as well an engineer because the analysis and recommendations crosses-over into these professions. The 21st Century is a century ready for multi-disciplinary professionals, not isolated polarized restrictions on work practices. The fine institution of Penn State recognizes this by awarding a special preference to interdisciplinary studies in the earth sciences and engineering.
The director of the Texas board is bragging that he had a great year! What made it great? He stole $1,300,000 from good hearted geologists; that''s what made it great.
The strongest argument I have heard in favor of registration by applicants is that they may, in the future, need to move to a new career (away from mining and
petroleum) and may need to be registered to pursue it. This is a fear. This is also non-sense because there are very few jobs in the environmental area and all are very low paying jobs for publicly involved geologists. The owners of the environmental services companies do quite well, though.
None of the state registration boards require any form of professional liability insurance or even have it recognized as ''in the public''s best interest''. The fact is most professional geologists don''t know why they would need liability insurance. Well, duh.
The AAPG has a DPA division and there is the AIPG. Both these groups are charged with identifying and confirming the education and experience of its members. Every country I have worked in has its own professional group that confirms our members credentials.
I have been a professional geologist and geophysicist for almost 40 years; I have maintained an independent practice for over 25 years. My work involves public safety and welfare. I have testified in state and federal courts and advised foreign (non-USA) ministries on matters involving best practices of geology, geophysics and damages to individuals and companies from malpractice of earth sciences and earth engineering. In every one of these cases, the individual or company team involved was more than qualified professionally, and was simply ''interpreting'' the geologic data improperly; this, I believe, is the very nature of earth science. It is the reason that two geologists may have quite different opinions. Geology is an experienced based profession. The credentials of an honest geologist can be confirmed in 5 minutes with just one or two phone calls.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Ralph W. Baird

Art,
 
I read your report on tsunamis and found most to be extremely well presented and informative.  However, I think the idea that this disaster could have been prevented is simplistic.  Here in this very country we have literally millions of well educated and informed people with access to alarms, email, phones and fog horns...building and living along the active faults in California.  Our inability to predict magnitude is just as real in California as it is in the Indian ocean...and another disaster will occur because of our being unprepared for the un-predictable magnitude...and for people''s insistence on doing what they want to do, living where they want to in spite of the dangers. 
 
We have been warning people of overpopulation for 45-50 years...and even with the devastating onslaught of AIDS, people are throwing away free condoms and refusing to limit families in spite of starvation and famine and incurable disease.  The message gets to people even in Africa and Asia because the media is so much better now than 50 years ago.  However, just like someone living on the San Andreas with a PhD and a Blackberry in their pocket...people chose to ignore the information and live with the danger. 
 
My family evacuated from Hurricane Carla in the ''60''s in Texas...then my mom said...''Gee, it missed us!''  Even though she saw the homes obliterated just 100 miles north of us at Port O''Conner, she chose to ride out the next one at her home on "Bay View" with three small children in the house.  Her luck---the wind tore the windows out as the eye went over her home, but the water didn''t rise far enough to drown them all.  Duh.    
 
Robbie Gries
 
Priority Oil & Gas LLC
P. O. Box 27798
Denver, CO USA 80227-0798

Declining Science Education Puts Nation at Risk – How did it happen?
                                               George D. Klein
    

May, 2005 HGS Bulletin in HTML Format
May, 2005 HGS Bulletin in PDF Format (6 megabytes)
Regular Monthly Articles:

From the President
From the Editor
GeoEvents Calendar
HGA/GeoWives
Professional Directory
Letters to the Editor

Feature Articles:
HGS General Dinner Meeting "Is the Workstation ''Killing'' Geology?"

HGS International Explorationists Dinner Meeting "Deep Water Clastic Turbidites of NW Borneo"
 
HGS Northsiders Luncheon Meeting "Wilcox Depositional Systems - Shelf to Deep Basin"

HGS Environmental and Engineering Dinner Meeting  "The City of Houston''s Brownfield Redevelopment Program"
 
SIPES Luncheon Meeting "Reservoir Modeling for the Rest of Us"
 
GSH Potential Fields Dinner Meeting "Gravity Study of a Sinkhole in the Permian Basin"
 
HGS General Luncheon Meeting "Barnett Shale Play: Big and Getting Bigger"

Volunteer of the Month: Mike Allison
 
An Interview wih Joel Bartsch, President of the HMNS: Gold, Re-opening of the Weiss Energy Hall and Hall of Gems and Minerals, and Distinguished Lectures on Earthquakes and Tsunamis by Arthur E. Berman

HGS Guest Night, Saturday "Earthquakes and Tsunami," Featuring USGS Senior Science Advisor Dr. David Applegate by Linda Sternbach and Bill Osten.
 
HGS Guest Night Speaker David Applegate is a Field Geologist at Heart by Linda Sternbach.
 
2004-2005 Outstanding Student Awards

HGS International Group AWARDS best talkand top student posters for 2004-2005.Volunteer judges evaluate each talk during the year for the HGS International Group.  Awards are presented at the last meeting of season, which is May 16 this year. Best talk for 2004-2005 (May 2004 – March 2005) goes to Lesli Wood, for her talk on ”Quantitative Seismic Geomorphology of Clastic Reservoirs and Systems”.  Dr. Lesli J. Wood is a Research Scientist and Lecturer at the Bureau of Economic Geology in the University of Texas Jackson School of GeosciencesSTUDENT POSTER AWARDS:Student poster awards are selected at the annual R. E. Sheriff Lecture, held this past November 15 at U of H. The R. E. Sheriff Lecture is an annual event jointly organized by the Department of Geosciences at the University of Houston, the University of Houston Geoscience Alumni Association, and the International Group of HGS.This year 14 volunteer judges reviewed 39 posters prepared by graduate students in the department of Geosciences at University of Houston in three tiers:Tier I: New graduate students (5 Posters) Yardenia Martinez,  “Evaluating Topographic Correction Techniques for Satellite Data in Steep Slope Areas: Case Study - Iron Lake Fault, Salmon River Mountains, Central Idaho”, Advisor, Shuhab KhanTier II: Experienced masters students, new PhD students (18 Posters)Katarina Jovanovic,  “Vector VSP's P and S waves separation by Antialias Discrete Radon Transform”, Advisor, Kurt MarfurtTier III: Experienced PhD students (16 Posters)Connie, VanSchuyver, “3-D Refraction Migration”, Advisor, Kurt MarfurtEach student will receive a plaque, and the advisor will receive a certificate commemorating the accomplishment.   Awards will be presented at the May 16 Dinner meeting of the HGS International Group.Many thanks for the volunteer judges at the Sheriff Lecture, and at International Dinner Meetings. Special recognition is due to Bonnie Milne-Andrews who diligently organized the judging activities.

Mike Allison - Volunteer of the Month
Mike Allison is the HGS May Volunteer of the Month.  Mike is a consulting geoscientist who has special expertise in geoscience project management, information technology and geotechnical software development related to the upstream oil and gas industry.  Mike has become very active in the HGS over the past couple of years since moving to Houston from Lafayette.  He is the treasurer for the very successful HGS Northsiders Group.  Mike is also a member of the HGS Continuing Education Committee responsible for videotaping and producing CD-ROMs of the Reserves Series short courses.  Mike has been instrumental in putting together a portable and cost effective video production system. The cost of the equipment and production of the CD ROMs is completely funded by outside sponsors. The proceeds from the sales of the CD ROMs will go directly to the HGS. He has completed a CD ROM set summarizing the first two of these short courses.  Mike is currently a candidate for HGS Treasurer-elect.
Mike is currently working for Geoscience Data Management and as a geology instructor at Cy-Fair College. He has a B.S. in geology from the University of Miami at Coral Gables and an M.S. in geology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.  Mike previously worked for Landmark Graphics Corporation as a research and development product geoscientist.  Before that he worked for Chevron and Gulf Oil on a variety of assignments since 1983.
 
 

2004-2005 Outstanding Student Awards
These outstanding students were selected by the geology department faculty of their respective universities.  The students were presented a check and a commemorative plaque at the April General Dinner Meeting.

Carol Groze, Lamar University
Carol Lewis Groze is currently a junior geology major at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.  She was born and raised on a farm in northern, Illinois and graduated from JD Darnall High School in Genesseo, Illinois in the year of 1975.  She returned to college, after raising two children to complete her college career.  Her desire for outdoor activities ans science has always been of interest to her, resulting in choosing the field of geology.
During her time at Lamar university, she has been on the President’s List twice and is a member of the Lamar University Geological Society, currently holding the position of Secretary.  After receiving she Bachelor of Science degree, she intends to pursue a graduate degree.  Her interest are hunting, fishing, camping and hiking.

Alex Simms, Rice University
It is a pleasure to write this letter on behalf of Mr. Alex Simms, who is our department’s nominee for the 2005 HGS outstanding student award. I have been fortunate to have some very good PhD students in my career. Alex stands out among all my students as the most academically qualified and creative. He came to Rice with a 4.0 undergraduate grade point average, so we had high expectations of him from the start.  We were even more impressed with Alex after we came to know him and had the opportunity to observe him conducting science.  He has an exceptionally inquisitive and creative mind.  He is also extremely competent in the more quantitative aspects of science, a rarity in young sedimentologists these days.   Since coming to Rice he has taken very demanding courses in geology, geophysics and engineering and continued to maintain a perfect grade point average. He currently holds an NSF fellowship, which is quite an honor.

Alex has now reached that stage in his career when he is moving away from course work and undertaking full-time research. Being exceptionally bright and creative, it is no surprise that he has taken on more than one research project and is managing to balance these efforts extremely well.  His original research project was a coastal geology project, specifically a study of the origin of the Corpus Christi Bay/Barrier complex.  The objective of this research is to understand the response of linked barrier-bay systems to past climate and sea level change.. I am confident that his work will serve as a basis for predicting coastal response to future changes in the rate of sea-level rise and climate change.  Thus, this research has considerable societal relevance.

Alex has already submitted three papers to peer reviewed journals, one on the origin of Corpus Bay, one on incised valleys, and another on the origin of Mustang Island.  He is currently in Australia, working with Kurt Lambeck on a geohydroidal-isostatic model for the Gulf of Mexico.

Alex is a truly outstanding student.  He has a bright future ahead and is a well deserving of this award.
Sincerely,
John B. Anderson
Maurice Ewing Professor of Oceanography

Lynn Holik, Sam Houston State University
Lynn is a senior at Sam Houston State University and will graduate in May with degrees in both geology and geography.  In addition to being a full-time student, she is also a wife and mother of twin boys and works as an employee of the Harris County district Attorney’s Office.  While attending SHSU, Lynn has been very active within the department of Geology and Geography.  She has served as secretary of the Sam Houston Association of Geology Students (2001-2002) and as president of the Gamma Chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon (2003-2005).  In addition to her club activities, Lynn is a student teaching assistant for physical and historical labs and is currently working on two research projects.  Her primary research is a sedimentary research project, under the direction of Dr. Chris Baldwin.  A secondary project involves using the SEM to look for micro-organisms in the Jurassic Entrada and Navajo sandstones for Dr. Dennis Netoff.  Lynn has received a number of honors and awards while attending SHSU, including the HGS Outstanding Student Award, the HGS Undergraduate Scholarship Award, the Cannon Geological Scholarship, and the John H. Bounds Geography Scholarship.  Lynn plans to join the work force following graduation.  She hopes that her experiences in the work force will be as rewarding and memorable as the years she has spent at SHSU.
Marcy Stonecipher, Stephen F. AustinCurrently a senior at Stephen F. Austin State University, Marcy plans to graduate with a major in Geology in May and pursue graduate studies in the fall semester.  She is very active in all three departmental organizations, Geology Student Association, student chapter of American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and Sigma Gamma Epsilon..  Marcy currently serves as President of the Geology Student Association and as Secretary of SGE.  She has been on the Dean’s List for six semesters and was a Houston Geological Society Scholarship recipient during Fall 2004.  Marcy’s hobbies include playing the guitar, camping, and hiking.
Shannon Renee Bourque, Texas A&MRenee is a senior majoring in geology at Texas A&M University.  She spent the summer of 2004 working in Utah at the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, and volunteering with the College of Eastern Utah’s Prehistoric Museum. Renee has worked on two research projects with Dr. Philip Rabinowitz: one involving the use of GPR to locate and record dinosaur tracks in Colorado, and the second researching and cataloguing all DSDP and ODP sites containing the KT boundary.  In March, she will present posters on each of the projects at the Texas Academy of Science.  Renee has served as an officer in the Geology and Geophysics Society since 2003, currently

Article and Photos
by Arthur E. Berman,
editor@hgs.org

HGS Bulletin From the Editor 
May, 2005  

The Oil Boom, 1973-1986: A Simple Story?

by Arthur E. Berman

This article is best viewed in Printer Friendly Mode.

After 23 years of contentious public debate, the United States Senate rather quietly approved a measure on March 16, 2005 that could open the Arctic National Wilderness Refuge (ANWR) to for petroleum exploration.  I received only one e-mail message from Environmental Defense (formerly the Environmental Defense Fund) in the past month and it did not mention ANWR.  I didn’t get any mail about ANWR, in fact, from any of the environmental organizations that I support, or from groups who support drilling there. It seemed peculiar to me that, after so many years of strong opinions on both sides about opening the Arctic to further exploration, news of the Senate’s action scarcely held the interest of the American public for more than one day.Possible opening of ANWR was quickly smothered by news of a special session of the Congress to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who sustained severe brain damaged after heart failure 15 years ago. At this writing Terri Shiavo has died, but the case continues to dominate the news.There are other things I have noticed about oil and public perception that seem unusual.Gasoline reached $2.00 per gallon in March and I haven’t heard any complaints about oil company conspiracies to gouge consumers.  One lead article in the Houston Chronicle business section explained that Coca-Cola costs $3.20 per gallon, Windex costs $17.01 per gallon, and a cup of Starbuck’s Chantico coffee costs $56.53 per gallon (Cook, 2005).  The point of the article is that gasoline is actually a pretty good deal at $2.00 per gallon!I have thought for years that ANWR would be the strongest and, perhaps, last stand by the environmental community against petroleum exploration. Its 19.6 million acres are so remote that potentially giant oil accumulations may not be economically feasible even if there were no environmental objections to drilling (Berman, 2004).  The evidence for large reserves in ANWR is not strong and, over the past decade, many oil companies have abandoned efforts to open the reserve to exploration based on internal reserve and cost-benefit studies.  It will take about 10 years after a discovery is made in ANWR before any oil arrives at Unites States refineries. Even the most optimistic supporters of opening ANWR to drilling concede that ANWR’s oil will do little to alter the nation’s dependence on foreign sources of petroleum. While ANWR may supply as much as a million barrels per day to the United States, this is only 5% of our current consumption.  The Senate vote does not mean that ANWR is open for petroleum exploration.  Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have promised to oppose the bill (Kieily, 2005).  The vote on the measure was close, 51 to 49.  The bill opens only 1.5 million acres along the coastal plain (Section 1002, Figure 1) of ANWR’s almost 20 million acres.  The vote does, however, represent a breakthrough for the oil industry, which has been trying since 1987 to gain access to the refuge''s coastal plain. This is the first time that the Senate, the House and the president agree on what should be done with ANWR.Please God, Just Grant Me One More BoomIn 2005, we are in the midst of an oil boom.  On the day that the Senate voted on ANWR, the price of oil reached $56.46, the highest level since this price cycle began in 2001 and about the same level in constant dollars as it was in 1984.  For some of us, it is the second period of high oil prices in our lives.  The last time was between 1973 and 1986.  We have all seen signs and bumper stickers that refer to that period:  Please God, just grant me one more boom and I promise not to piss it away!   How will we manage that? My own recollection of the 1970s and 1980s is not so clear.  I remember high oil prices and a few years when there seemed to be few limits to where a geologist in the oil business might go in the course of a career.  I also recall many difficult years of low oil prices and layoffs in an oil industry that seemed caught in an agonizing struggle with death.In the early 1970s, I lived in a rural part of western Colorado. While I remember the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo, it did not make a strong impression on me, probably because I wasn’t affected by shortages in the same way that many urban Americans were.  When I entered the Colorado School of Mines in 1974, admission into the geology program was, fortunately for me, hardly competitive.  I was completely unconscious of the petroleum industry. It

HGA Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon

By Margaret Jones, President
HGA will complete the year on May 12th with a luncheon and musical program by The Kingsmen at the Briar Club. The chairperson is Lois Matuszak. She and her committee are planning a lovely meeting. The annual business meeting will be held at that time with the election of officers for the coming year 2005-2006. I congratulate in advance the new officers and directors on their election to these important positions. I wish a wonderful year for all of them.  I hope many of the members will be there to participate in this important event.
HGA would like to invite all wives of HGS members, widows of HGS members and female geologists who are members of HGS to join the Houston Geological Auxiliary for the coming year 2005-2006. Membership forms are found in the Bulletin.
I would like to say thank you again to the chairpersons and committees for the September Dinner at Magic Island; the December Luncheon at the Lakeside Country Club; and the Game Day on Valentine’s Day at the Junior League. Also, I thank you for the Spring Style Show “Butterflies Are Free” with fashions by Harrold Powell at the Houston Racquet Club. We felt we learned the new slant on style after seeing the style show. Special thanks go to the Co-Chairs Shirley Gordon and Norma Jean Bacho and their committee.
We were saddened to lose two of our members this year: Kathryn Bennett and Nancy Remick, as well as former member Dot Cooke.
“Cinco-Mas” Bridge group will meet the second Thursday in May.  Reservations can be made by calling Audrey Tompkins at (713) 686-0005.  Petroleum Club Ladies Bridge will meet the third Wednesday, May 18th. Those reservations can be made by calling Daisy Wood at (713) 977-7319.
I can’t let the year end without expressing my heartfelt appreciation to the Executive Board, Directors and chairpersons for their untiring efforts during this past year. Every member went beyond the call of duty to see that everything went smoothly.
Thanks to the following Executive Board Members:
Norma Jean Jones, President-Elect
Sally Blackhall, First Vice-President-Programs
Debra Munsell, Second Vice-President
Vicky Pickering, Third Vice-President-HGA Liaison
Edythe Bishop, Secretary
Jean Allred, Treasurer
Millie Tonn and Mary Kae Dingler, Historian/Photographer
Betty Alfred, Parliamentarian/Past President
Stephanie Levine, wife of HGS President, Steve Levine
Thanks to the Directors:
Betty Alfred, Elinor Macmillan, Geneva Quigley, and Mikki Ledbetter Wunderle.
Thanks to Committee Chairpersons:
Gwinn Lewis, Yearbook
Debra Munsell, Membership
Dene Grove and Connie Griffith, Notification
Mary Harle and Janice Haye, Courtesy
Winona LaBrant Smith, Editor of the Eclectic Log
Vicky Pickering, Substitute Office Service (SOS)
Daisy Wood, Game Day
Audrey Tompkins, “Cinco-Mas” Bridge group
Daisy Wood, Petroleum Club Ladies Bridge group
A new committee, Transportation, was formed to provide transportation for our members who no longer drive and can not attend unless some arrangement is made for them. Former President, Edie Frick, responded to the challenge and has done a beautiful job as chairperson in this capacity.
The 2005-2006 HGS/HGA Distinguished Service Award is presented to Shirley Gordon. We thank her for many years of service to our organizations.
I ask you to join me in welcoming Norma Jean Jones as our new President. May she have a wonderful year.
I want to let all of you know it has been an honor to be your President this year 2004-2005. This is a great organization and here’s hoping it will continue for many years to come.
Best wishes to all of you for a wonderful summer.
Margaret

Geo-Wives Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon
By Debra Munsell, President
Geo-Wives annual luncheon and business meeting will be held on Thursday, May 19, at Cohen House, the faculty club at Rice University. Come and join us in welcoming the new 2005-2006 Geo-Wives Officers. The Co-Chairs are Martha Lou Broussard and Anne Rogers.
We have had a very good year 2004-2005 with activities including the Social Brunch at Dene Grove’s home in September; the HGS Shrimp Peel at Sam Houston Race Park in October; the METRORail train ride to downtown Houston in November; Christmas caroling at Tremont Retirement Community in December; Pot Luck Luncheon at Dene Grove’s home in January; Master Gardener program in February at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church; the program on India in March at Lois Matuszak’s home was very educational as well as entertaining; and the annual trip to study Texas history in April with a drive to Nacogdoches. The Play Reading group enjoyed meetings this year under the leadership of Lois Matuszak.
Members give a very big thanks to all the officers and committee persons for a great year of fun, fellowship, and activities.
Thanks to the Officers:
Dene Grove, First Vice-President
Susan McKinley, Second Vice-President
Linnie Edwards, Secretary
Janet Steinmetz, Treasurer
Thanks to Committee Chairpersons:
Janet Godfrey, Notification
Lois Matuszak, Courtesy
Adrian Lewis, Yearbook
Please join us in September for the beginning of another fun-filled year 2005-2006 with our new slate of officers.
Membership forms are found in the Bulletin.

An Interview with Joel Bartsch,
President of the HMNS
Gold, Re-opening of the Weiss Energy Hall and Hall of Gems and Minerals, and Distinguished Lectures on Earthquakes and Tsunamis
by Arthur E. Berman
[This article is best viewed on smaller screens in printer-friendly mode]
Gold was first discovered in the United States in 1799.  The discovery was made in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, by Conrad Reed, age 12.  The 17-pound rock was used as a doorstop in the Reed home until 1802 when Conrad’s father, John Reed, took it to a Fayetteville jeweler to learn if it was worth anything.
“He asked Mr. Reed, ‘What do you want for it?’”, relates David Temple, Director of Volunteer Services at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  “And he thought he was asking for a lot of money and he said, ‘Well, I’ll take $3.50.’”
That began the first gold rush in the United States.  Subsequent gold discoveries on Cherokee land in North Carolina led to the first of many broken treaties and forced relocations of native Americans.  One of the most vocal opponents of the 1830 Indian Removal Act was a young legislator named David Crockett.
“Davy Crockett stood up and said that this was wrong.  He was blamed as a traitor by (President) Andrew Jackson, blackballed, lost his bid for reelection, had his life destroyed and he had to start over.  That’s why he came to Texas and that’s a pretty interesting Texas connection,” says Temple.
Gold has a lot of interesting connections that can be discovered at the Houston Museum of Natural Science exhibit, Gold! Natural Treasure, Cultural Obsession, that opened in February and continues through August 7, 2005.
The Gold! Exhibit
“Gold! is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of gold objects, natural gold specimens and gold bullion ever assembled,” said Joel A. Bartsch, president of the Museum and former curator of the world-renowned Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals. “In addition, this exhibition is exclusive to the Houston Museum of Natural Science and will not be seen anywhere else. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore the fascinating diversity and worldwide significance of this much-coveted mineral."
 
Gold is magic.  It has been part of human history since at least the time ancient Lydia and has exerted considerable influence on the course of history in the United States.  With the power to inspire mass madness like the gold rushes of the 19th century and retain value through world turmoil, yet still be transformed into an object of pure beauty, gold is truly a mineral like no other. Beautiful, fascinating and valuable, gold has inspired millions, adorned the powerful and changed the world.
The HMNS Gold! exhibit provides visitors with the opportunity to explore the role of gold through history, art, culture, science and myth. The discovery of gold in 1848 at the Sutter Mill in California sparked the greatest gold rush of all time.  Tens of thousands of gold seekers from around the globe streamed into the U.S. and the quest for gold was a major factor in the settlement of the American frontier. 
“It’s something I think that really appeals to the human soul,” says Joel Bartsch.  “Gold is so malleable that an ounce of gold can be spread out over 500 square feet or something like that.  And a pound of gold could make a wire that stretches to the moon and back.  It made the United States of America the economic power that it is today.” 

“One of the central parts of this exhibition is the shipwreck of the Central America,” says Bartsch.   “When it sank, it created a major financial crisis in the United States.  It lead to the Panic of 1857 because all the eastern banks were waiting for that shipment to show up to rebuild their coffers. When it sank, it caused a major financial panic in New York and along the whole eastern part of the United States.”
The Gold! exhibition is divided into eight sections, each designed to provide an in-depth exploration of the role of gold through history, art, culture, science and myth.  The first area is called Aurum Naturae, Latin for "natural gold," and includes examples of the finest natural gold specimens in the world, each of them unique. These include the famous Latrobe Nugget, the world-famous Golden Horn and the spectacular crystalline Dragon.
The “Placer Places, Lode Locations” section of the exhibit examines the different areas where gold is formed and found, from volcanic deposits to the world’s largest and most surprising deposit of gold—the ocean. Here the visitor can see how gold is mined from rock and panned from rivers as well as how it is found through modern exploration techniques, and see a quartz pocket lined with crystalline gold, just as it was discovered in nature.
In “The Rush Is On to Find the Mother Lode!” the three major gold rushes of the 19th century—California, Australia and the Klondike—are featured.  “Golden Ages” explores how the world’s most powerful cultures have utilized and cherished gold, from ancient Egypt to pre-Columbian cultures to the Renaissance. “Troves and Treasures” immerses visitors in the mystery of the deep in search of some of the greatest treasures known to man. Here we learn about sunken Spanish galleons and see a map leading to local treasures in Texas.
“The Gold Standard” explores why and how gold became the standard medium of exchange throughout the world. A variety of coin

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
60 Revere Drive, Suite 500, Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: (847) 480-9095 Fax: (847) 480-9282
E-mail: svp@vertpaleo.org Web site: http://www.vertpaleo.org/
Public Rollout of the Paleontology Portal
Scheduled for May 1, 2005!

The New Portal is Located at http://www.paleoportal.org/
This award-winning Web site provides immediate access to paleontology in the United States through interactive geologic maps and time scales, an image gallery, distributed paleontological collections data searches, and more. As there will be a public rollout for the site on May 1, now is the time to make sure that your state and your institution are well represented.
1. Visit your state page and enrich it by submitting more links and images -- just use the "add to site" button at the top of the page.
2. Add any events that you would like to register on the calendar-- again, just use the "add to site" button.
3. Take advantage of the May 1 public rollout to advertise any events or exhibits through a joint press release.
4. Help spread the word!
The Paleontology Portal is produced by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, the Paleontological Society, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the UC Museum of Paleontology, in collaboration with the Paleontological Research Institute, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which serve as hubs for the project. The National Science Foundation under award no. 0234594 funds the project. For more information contact Judy Scotchmoor.
First Circular:
The First Circular for the 65th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has mailed and will arrive in your mailbox within the next few days. A PDF copy is posted for download on the SVP Web site.
Abstract Submission Site:
The abstract submission site is now open and accepting abstract submissions.
The deadline to submit an abstract is April 11, 2005.
SVP Awards, Prizes, Scholarships and Grants:
Members who plan on submitting an application or nominating someone for an SVP Award, Prize or Grant are reminded that the deadline is April 11, 2005.
Preparator''s Grant
This message is to encourage any and all who might be interested to consider submitting an application for a Preparator''s Grant. The grant is the largest award given by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology each year--$5800 was awarded in 2004, and generally around $5000 is given annually to support projects that will further the field of vertebrate paleontology through the advancement of preparation.
The grant is funded through the generosity of Dr. Joseph F. Chance, and has had a major impact on the training of preparators, the development of new techniques and use of new media, and the improvement of standards for the proper treatment and stabilization of fossils. It is open to all in the vertebrate paleontological community, and, for example, is appropriate for situations where important fossil material might benefit from the help of outside expertise or training; where preparators can learn new ways of preparing fossil material; where novel techniques might be developed; or where comparative studies might be made on the use of different media for consolidation or other tasks.
The application is relatively brief and simple to complete (three pages, and a short CV-please keep the CV to no more than three pages). The application should be sent to Dr. William J. Sanders, Vertebrate Paleontology, Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079 USA. The DEADLINE is 11 April 2005. If you are involved in any aspect of preparation, please consider applying for this award.
2005 Spring News Bulletin #188:
The SVP Spring News Bulletin #188 is now available for viewing and downloading.
Member User ID and Password Information:
In order to view and print the News Bulletin, you will need a user id and password. Misplaced your user id and password? Retrieve your user id and password via e-mail.
Have You Moved?
Has your email address changed or have you have moved recently? Remember to update your mailing address and contact information on the SVP Web site. Remember, this is the address for all mailed SVP correspondence, including the Journal.

HGS Continuing Education CommitteeCourses on Petroleum Reserves Write-Downs

by Mike Allison and Cheryl DesforgesLarge corporate reserve write-downs have increased attention of financial analysts, investors, rating agencies, banks, the U.S. SEC and corporate boards to the process of estimating and reporting reserves.  In response to concerns raised by the recent reserve write-downs, the HGS Continuing Education Committee, in conjunction with a number of corporate sponsors, enlisted the help of leading industry experts to produce four one day short courses focused on ways to avoid petroleum reserve writedowns. There was good attendance for the first three short courses, which we hope to repeat for the final segment offered next September.   Audience participation is critical to the success of this series.  So bring your questions and you will leave with answers from industry experts, as well as well as a bound set of course notes.  You can register for the CEC sponsored short courses on the HGS web site.As a new venture of the HGS, our corporate financial underwriters and presenters have provided the HGS with the means to deliver these short courses to a much broader audience, as well as to preserve the knowledge of these industry experts for the next generation of geoscientists and engineers.  A single, easy to use CD-ROM is being prepared for each one day short course.  Each CD-ROM will contain a very high quality recording of the presentation and the speaker’s voice.  They can be played on a local computer and are easy navigated by the simple click of a mouse on a menu of topics.  These live recordings will provide a convenient source of review, which can be replayed at home, in the office or in a conference room.  The HGS will be selling this mini-series as a set of four CD-ROMs for $120 dollars, as early as the AAPG Annual Convention in Calgary.  Sets will also be available for purchase through the HGS web site and during the HGS lunch and dinner meetings starting next fall.  The CD-ROM for the final course, presented during September, will be mailed later in the fall to all early purchasers who simply return a coupon contained in the original case.  Your support of this important effort by purchasing a CD-ROM set for your personal library will immediately benefit other HGS programs and provide revenue, which will fund CD-ROMs of future short courses. The “Petroleum Reserves – Avoiding Write-down” series includes:
“An Overview of Reserve Definitions and Reporting Requirements,” which was presented by John E. Hodgin and Thomas Wagenhofer of Ryder Scott Company, LP on December 15, 2004.•    Review SEC and SPE/WPC definitions, as well as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act•    Find out who is subject to civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance or false reporting•    Review the issues the SEC routinely questions in letters of inquiry regarding reserves•    Review SEC “Red Flags”
“An Overview of Recommended Geological Practices,” which was presented by Daniel J. Tearpock of Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC on January 20, 2005.•    Review common geologic errors which contribute to inaccurate reserve estimates•    Review geologic methods and techniques recommended to avoid these pitfalls
“An Overview of Recommended Engineering Practices,” which was presented by Ed Travis and Bill Kazmann of LaRoche Petroleum Consultants, Ltd. on May 20, 2005.•    Review basic reservoir evaluation techniques from performance to volumetric analysis, as well as fundamental economic evaluations and their impact on reserve volumes.•    Review common engineering errors which contribute to inaccurate reserve estimates and the recommended practices to avoid these pitfalls.
“An Overview of Recommended Petrophysical Practices,” which will be presented by Bill Price of Petrophysical Solutions, Inc., John Kulha, Consultant, and Ted Griffin of Core Lab, on September 21, 2005.
•    Review the rules of wireline pressure interpretation and use of core data to validate reserves. •    Learn the ten causes/sources of LRLC response and how to adjust petrophysical evaluations to compensate, as well as when to apply a proven methodology to evaluate LRLC pays.•    Real world examples will be presentedAs with most major projects, this effort could not have been completed without help from many sources.  The HGS Continuing Education Committee is indebted to the above mentioned presenters and their companies, our financial underwriters, Dominion Exploration & Production, Seismic Micro-Technology, and Fugro-Jason, and the organizations who provided venues for each course, Noble Energy, Shell Oil Company, Marathon Oil Corporation and the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.

Volunteers Needed
For Two Community Service Projects
This Saturday, April 30
HGS Members Supporting Houston 

Project Respect - Evergreen Cemetery" 

Join geoarcheologist Jim Foradas and others on Saturday, April 30 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm for multiple duties at the Evergreen Negro Cemetery.  It''s a Civil-War era slave and freedmen cemetery on the site of an old cotton plantation that we are are helping get declared as a historical landmark by the Texas Historical Commission. It is located at Lockwood & Market - 2 miles east of downtown off  I-10 at the Lockwood exit.
Projects include:

• Assist with GPS gridding operations with a Trimble 5600 Total Station
• Monitor the fence post excavations for archaeology and soil stratigraphy documentation
• Mowing and trimming
• Perimeter wood fence construction
• Digital camera documentation of headstones (forms provided)

Jim Foradas of the geoarchaeological and anthropological firm of HRA Gray and Pape will be on site Saturday, April 30 using a Trimble GPS Station courtesy of J.T. Byrne, Vice President of Western Data Systems to begin to generate a detailed digital grid rather than a string grid. This may be an opportunity for HGS members to learn to use of the instrument. The data will be downloaded onto a laptop to make the project area maps in house.
 
Volunteers are needed to monitor the tractor-auger fence post excavations in order to ensure no human remains are impacted. In addition, the posthole excavations can be used to map local soil stratigraphy. HRA Gray and Pape can provide forms for describing post-hole tests and screens for systematic excavation of the holes. Digital cameras are encouraged and forms that can be used to record photographs of headstones and other features of the cemetery will be provided.

 
Questions? Call or e-mail Steve Levine at (281) 293-3896 or (281) 221-5529 for further details. 

While you are there Saturday, be sure to get your free HGS-volunteer T-shirt!!

"Rebuilding Houston Together"
We will be working on "Rebuilding Houston Together" this Saturday April 30th, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm for a home repair project. The address is 2620 Live Oak in the 3rd Ward.
 
HGS members who would like to come out and join us are welcome. Plenty of small jobs to do, like carpentry, prepping, painting and yard clean up. For more details, you may call HGS member Walter Light on his cell phone at (713) 823-8288. Again, HGS-volunteer T-shirts will be available.
 
I''ll see you there!
Steve Levine

Published 28 April, 2005

Changes and events at HGS next week
The April 18 International Explorationist''s Dinner program has been changed.
We are pleased to be able to bring you a talk by Dr. Kevin Burke, which was one of the highlights of the PESGB/HGS Africa conference held last fall in London, updated specifically for HGS.
"New perspectives on African tectonics and petroleum systems of the past 200 million years," by Kevin Burke, Nick Cameron, Duncan MacGregor and Sue Webb.
Since 1990, 76% of the oil and 88% of the gas in major new African discoveries has been found in currently active delta systems.  Now the exploration focus is moving towards predicting and exploring past sediment foci that may not be represented in current drainage patterns.
Understanding the river systems of Africa, both past and present, is critical to frontier exploration.
Dr. Burke will discuss the river systems of Africa, including those that are no longer active, how they have developed over the past 200 million years, and the role played by the sediments carried by those rivers in both intra-continental and offshore deposition.
The dinner will take place at the Westchase Hilton, Social 5:30, Dinner 6:30 pm.

The April 19 Northsider''s luncheon will present an innovative deepwater seafloor interpretation technique. 

The Northsiders'' April 19 Luncheon program will present an emerging technology now being used by large independents in both West Africa and the Far East deepwater.  By integrating 2D seismic data with multibeam seafloor mapping (with a 2.5 bin size) it''s possible to get a 3D vision of the seafloor. Integrate it into your 2D interpretation and you can make a much better interpretation of large project areas for very minimal cost.
Our speaker, Dan Orange, is energetic and enthusiastic about the science associated with mapping and identification of seafloor features associated with hydrocarbon migration.  He will be covering examples where multibeam and 2D efforts have revealed previously unknown and unrecognized features.
The luncheon will take place at the Hotel Sofitel in the Greenspoint area, 11:30-1:00 pm. Register now to take advantage of the preregistration discount!

The HGS Road Rally, originally scheduled for April 23rd, has been postponed until the Fall of 2005.
 

April 2nd was the second weekend during which HGS members participated in "Keep 5 Alive" community-service projects.  Check the HGS events calendar this Summer for additional service events scheduled on fridays and saturdays.
These are a few snapshots taken by Steve Levine April 2nd: