By Steve Earle HGS Editor
As I sit to write this, I am recently back from Belize, where I had the opportunity to dive the second longest barrier reef in the world, or at least the portion near San Pedro. There were lots of fantastic corals and fish to see and a chance to reacquaint myself with some modern carbonate sedimentary processes. Every trip is an opportunity to enjoy the wonders of geology.
Like most practicing exploration geologists, I usually enjoy the wonders of geology while sitting in my office interpreting representations of the earth, be they paper or electronic. Seismic lines, well logs, core and paleo reports—it is rare indeed when we can look at actual rocks. One of my better assignments while at ARCO was in a group that did frontier-style exploration in the Lower 48.We actually did field work. Initially we were collecting samples of a Mississippian source shale as part of a petroleum system study. We also attempted to map thrust structures for drilling. It was all very exciting because it was so different.
But excitement isn’t always the reaction that exposure to real rocks evokes. A few years ago, an industry group led by Amoco was looking at adapting drilling technology from the minerals industry for use in their petroleum exploration program. This was a highspeed slim-hole technique that had the option to retrieve continuous core.While our research drilling engineers were excited about the small footprint and portability of the rig, most of the geologists I talked to didn’t want the core: “Too hard to work with. How would you store it all?” To this day I feel we missed a great opportunity to collect more rock. Paradigm shifts can be difficult. If there’s a point here, it is probably related to something Henry Posamentier always said whenever I had the good fortune to be in the field with him. “Always go back to first principles.” And, I will add, always go back to the actual rocks whenever possible.
Any chance to get back to the field is a welcome event. HGS is offering some fine field trips that you should seriously consider attending. The Big Bend trip is on page 56. Gary Moore and Paul Britt are working to add even more field trips to the schedule. If you have a good idea for one, please contact them. Even if you cannot make a field trip, there are plenty of learning opportunities at HGS meetings.
A recent HGS dinner meeting I attended was the Sheriff Lecture and poster session that showcased studies by graduate students at the University of Houston. With over 30 posters ondisplay, I was only able to see half of them; nevertheless, I certainly enjoyed visiting with these students about their research. Dale Bird organized a competition to select the best posters and I happily volunteered that, as part of the prize, we would publish the work in the Bulletin. The Tier 3 winner for best poster by an experienced PhD candidate was Sushanta Bose and his work starts on page 30. I hope to publish Tier 1 winner Ugo Odumah and Tier 2 winner Hernon Reijenstein in an upcoming issue. Congratulations to all the students who participated; everyone was a winner that evening.
I hope y’all had a wonderful holiday. We now look forward to a new year filled with opportunity. Good luck is the intersection of opportunity and hard work.Seismic lines, well logs, core and paleo reports—it is rareindeed when we can look at actual rocks.
With that in mind, I wish you good luck. Your professional success can be helped by membership in the HGS and attending some of the many events we host. If you are looking for a good resolution for the new year, I’d encourage you to find an interesting talk each month and attend. You will learn something new, stimulate your thinking, and renew or enlarge your professional network.
Perhaps I’ll see you there.