Looking Ahead Together
Lucía Torrado (editor@hgs.org)
It’s a true honor to serve as editor of the Houston Geological Society Bulletin, and I want to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the HGS community for the warm welcome and trust. This society has long been a space where geoscientists of all backgrounds come together to share ideas, data, stories, and opportunities, and I’m incredibly proud to contribute to that tradition in this new role.
I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our outgoing editor Ted Godo for his patience, mentorship, and steady encouragement as I step into the role of the HGS Bulletin editor. His guidance behind the scenes -always generous and grounded- has made this transition not only possible but truly meaningful. Thank you, Ted, for your support and participation in this publication.
About the Editor
I would like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce myself. My name is Lucia Torrado, and I am a geologist originally from Colombia. After earning my B.Sc. in Geology in 2008 from the National University of Colombia and working for two years at Hocol, a subsidiary of the state-owned company Ecopetrol, I came to Houston to pursue graduate studies. I completed my master’s and Ph.D. with the CBTH consortium at the University of Houston (you can read more about this in the Feature Article). My research focused on regional evaluation in the Caribbean and Equatorial Atlantic Margin, and I am currently an independent geoscientist seeking new opportunities.
While being a research assistant with the CBTH, I became a student member of the major geoscience societies, including the Houston Geological Society. Over time, I transitioned into an active membership, and over the years, I’ve served as an HGS volunteer, as secretary, and now have the honor of serving as editor of the Bulletin.
Engaging the Next Generation While Honoring Experience
As I mentioned before, I first joined the HGS as a student who benefited from a free membership. What kept me involved, however, was the opportunity to give back through volunteering. Not every student continues their involvement after graduation, and despite the dedicated efforts of groups like the NeoGeos, our younger demographic remains relatively small. In her first editor’s letter, Caroline Wachtman included membership statistics that, I suspect, have not changed much since. This isn’t unique to our society, it’s a broader trend in professional organizations around the world. As our industry evolves, so too must our efforts to engage the next generation.
I encourage you to reach out to younger geoscientists and students—invite them to join, volunteer, and engage with HGS. Through the Bulletin, we aim to highlight the achievements of younger professionals while also featuring the wisdom and experiences of our more seasoned members. By combining fresh perspectives with the depth of experience in our community, we can strengthen the HGS for years to come. My hope with the Bulletin is that we continue to foster a space not just for technical excellence, but also for mentorship, dialogue, and inclusion across all experience levels and backgrounds.
New and Returning Features in the Bulletin
I will be bringing back the Pivot Profile series that former HGS Bulletin editor Caroline Wachtman created in her 2023-2024 term. The Pivot Profile spotlights geoscientists who have taken their technical training in new and unexpected directions, where these stories remind us that geoscience is not a fixed path: it’s a foundation that can lead to innovation across industries.
I’m also introducing a new -and hopefully fun- section: Rock-Solid Guess (yes… pun intended!). Each month, we’ll share an image and challenge you to interpret or identify what you’re seeing. Think of it as a playful test of pattern recognition, curiosity, and your sense of discovery. You’ll also continue to see Word Breccia, the word scramble puzzle that has become a staple of the HGS Bulletin: one that I admittedly used to spend far more time than I should trying to solve! Now that the roles are reversed, I hope you enjoy tackling it as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.
Finally, the HGS Bulletin thrives on the contributions of its members. Technical articles remain the backbone of the publication, keeping our community informed and connected to the latest developments in geoscience. At the same time, personal reflections, career stories, and insights from your own experiences add depth and perspective. By sharing your work, you help make the Bulletin a dynamic platform for a highly engaged technical audience and play an essential role in keeping our community vibrant and connected.
In This Issue of the Bulletin
● The “Los Aburridos” Mud Volcano in Colombia
The Technical Article on the eruption of Los Aburridos mud volcano -located in my home country of Colombia- was inspired by my years in the CBTH consortium, where the Caribbean Plate remains a focus of regional studies and its connection to petroleum system processes. The article explores the eruption’s implications for methane presence and potentially underexplored hydrocarbon systems in the northern South American margin. In fact, the inspiration extended to this month’s cover: a Google Earth image of the Caribbean region. If you look closely, the answer to “Rock-Solid Guess” can also be found in the photo.
● The CBTH Consortium: Honoring Two Decades of Regional Discovery
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Conjugate Basins, Tectonics, and Hydrocarbons (CBTH) consortium, a program that has played a defining role in the academic and professional journeys of many geoscientists, myself included. With the CBTH, I gained invaluable exposure to regional basin analysis, collaboration, and mentorship. So, it is with deep gratitude that I help commemorate the CBTH’s legacy in this issue’s Feature Article. Telling its story feels both like a tribute to a remarkable research initiative and a personal honor.
● Pivot Profile: A TED Talk with Ted Godo
Who better to interview for the first issue of this new year, than Ted Godo, our outgoing editor? You can read the story of Ted’s career from an impressive 45+ years as an oil and gas leader to starting up a consultant company— Geodog, in Pivot Profile. This interview highlights the skills geologists need to excel in starting a company, and Ted also recounts the pivotal moment that shaped the rest of his career.
● 2025 Student Expo Preview
The Student Expo Committee is excited to announce that the student poster session is returning this year! In this committee update, we highlight the growth of the Student Expo since its inception and how the event has evolved around the students’ needs.
● 2025 Summer Intern Visits at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS)
Dorene West (Science Fair Committee Chair) and Penny Patterson (2024-2025 HGS President) visited four interns at the HMNS who were sponsored by the HGS. The visits included live demonstration of OpenSpace’s interactive data visualization software and all of the interesting work that the intern did over the summer.