2024 February Outcrop by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 73 • No. 2 • February 2024

OUTCROP | February 2024

Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

730 17th Street, B1, Denver, CO 80202 • 720-672-9898 The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology and allied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific research and to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.

2024 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2nd VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Mike Tischer mtischer@gmail.com

Ali Sloan ali@sloanmail.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Matt Bauer matthew.w.bauer.pg@gmail.com

Drew Scherer flatirongeo@gmail.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

Lisa Wolff lwolff@bayless-cos.com

Holly Lindsey hrlindsey@bafatoy.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER-ELECT

Nate La Fontaine nlafontaine@sm-energy.com

Astrid Makowitz astridmakowitz@gmail.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Jason Eleson jason@geointegraconsulting.com

Steve Crouch scrouch@whiteeagleexploration.com

RMAG STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Bridget Crowther bcrowther@rmag.org OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Kimberly Burke kbure@rmag.org LEAD EDITOR

Nate LaFontaine nlafontaine@sm-energy.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Elijah Adeniyi elijahadeniyi@montana.edu Marlee Cloos marlee.cloos@bpx.com Danielle Robinson danielle.robinson@dvn.com

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The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists DESIGN/LAYOUT: Nate Silva | n8silva.com

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Outcrop | February 2024 OUTCROP

2024 NETWORKING EVENTS MARK YOUR CALENDARS

JANUARY 10 FEBRUARY 7

JULY AUGUST

10 7

MARCH APRIL

6 3

SETEMBER 11 OCTOBER 2

MAY JUNE

1 5

NOVEMBER 6 DECEMBER 4

HAPPY HOUR TUESDAY 4PM *THURSDAY

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL

18 22 21 18

MAY JUNE

16 20

JULY 18 AUGUST 15 SETEMBER 19 OCTOBER 17 NOVEMBER 21

LUNCHEON WEDNESDAY 12PM

JANUARY 11* FEBRUARY 27 MARCH APRIL

26 30

MAY JUNE

21 25

JULY

AUGUST 27 SETEMBER 24 OCTOBER 29 NOVEMBER 19

COFFEE HOUR

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE EVENTS AND TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS COMING VISIT: www.rmag.org/events

THURSDAY 10AM

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

30 Member Corner: Cat Campbell

6 2024 RMAG Summit Sponsorship Packet

10 RMAG January 2024 Board Of Directors Meeting

36 In The Pipeline

16 Lead Story: 3,315’: A Story Of A Visit To Colorado’s Lowest Point

12 President’s Letter

36 Welcome New RMAG Members!

24 Hybrid Lunch Talk: Mike Blum

38 Outcrop Advertising Rates

26 Hybrid Lunch Talk: Abdulah Eljalafi

39 Advertiser Index

34 In Memoriam: Mitchell William Reynolds

39 Calendar

ASSOCIATION NEWS 2 RMAG Summit Sponsors 4 RMAG Networking Events 11 Tour The NSF Ice Core Facility 13 RMAG Monthly Coffee Hour 15 Geoland Ski Day 2024 25 RMAG Monthly Coffee Hour 28 Vote For The Best Outcrop Cover Of 2023 33 Consider Publishing In The Outcrop

COVER PHOTO

Colorado Ridge Map –Matthew Bauer

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IN 2023 YOUR SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS SUPPORTED: MEMBERS

1,200

EVENT ATTENDEES

2,000

WEBSITE VISITORS

8,000

OUTCROP READERS

8,500

COMMUNITY CONTACTS

5,000

EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS

3,500

NETWORKING EVENTS

CONTINUTING EDUCATION EVENTS

FIELD TRIPS

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Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

October 20, 2023

Geoscience Community: We greatly appreciate every Summit Sponsor and Event Sponsor that has contributed to RMAG over the last year. We could not exist without your support. The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists celebrated a year of remarkable achievements, bringing together a global community of over 300 geologists for the Helium Conference for one of the first events exploring Helium production from exploration to processing. Monthly Women's Coffee, Membership Happy Hours, and thematic luncheons provided a supportive networking environment. In these gatherings, experts delved into diverse subjects, with topics that spanned from landslides to the intricate geology of the Permian Basin. RMAG also offered classes on oil and gas property valuation, enriching the skill set of members. A core workshop facilitated hands-on learning, and field trips to quarries, crater impacts and other geologic marvels ignited the spirit of exploration. Notably, the association extended its community impact through outreach at community festivals and classrooms across the Denver Metro area, emphasizing our dedication to advancing geological understanding and appreciation. 2024 brings new opportunities for RMAG. Your sponsorship dollars will help RMAG bring to fruition an extensive calendar of continuing education opportunities, an exciting Field Trips season, and a dynamic list of luncheon speakers on topics ranging from the state of the industry to hydrogen and more. These dollars will allow RMAG Members impact the next generation at outreach events throughout the community and provide opportunities for the geoscience community to connect and build their network. Your sponsorship dollars will also support our excellent publications including the monthly Outcrop newsletter and the quarterly Mountain Geologist journal. We recognize your financial commitment with inperson signage, and website and publication advertising, as well as through social media before each online event. With a LinkedIn group of almost 3000 members, we make our sponsors visible to the geoscience community for both virtual and in person events. Thank you to those who are already a Summit Sponsor, we look forward to your continued support in 2024. If you are not already a sponsor, please look at the many complementary benefits included with the sponsorship levels. If our annual sponsorships don't make sense for your company, or you want to sponsor something specific, ask about our single event sponsorship opportunities. Please feel free to contact our staff with questions about sponsorship by email: bcrowther@rmag.org or by phone at 720-672-9898 ext. 102. We and the staff of RMAG thank you all for your continued support and look forward to seeing you in 2024. Michael Tischer 2024 RMAG President

Bridget Crowther RMAG Executive Director

P: (720)672-9898 staff@rmag.org www.rmag.org Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

730 17th Street, B1 Denver, CO 80202

OUTCROP | February 2024

RMAG ANNUAL

SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP PLATINUM, GOLD, & SILVER SPONSORSHIP LEVEL

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RMAG MEMBERSHIP Active or Associate Membership in the Association for employees

RMAG WEBSITE BENEFITS Company Logo on Summit Sponsor Page of www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | February 2024

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RMAG 2024 SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP Payment Options

All sponsor benefits event tickets follow RMAG event registration deadlines. All benefits end 12 months after registration. RMAG 2024 ANNUAL SUMMIT SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES Platinum Sponsor Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsor

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RMAG events are subject to change. Cancellation or rescheduling of events does not give the sponsor the right to refund. Summit Sponsors will receive benefits at any new events added into the RMAG schedule.

Thank you for your generous support! P: (720)672-9898 staff@rmag.org www.rmag.org Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

730 17th Street, B1 Denver, CO 80202 9

OUTCROP | February 2024

RMAG JANUARY 2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING By Drew Scherer, Secretary flatirongeo@gmail.com

OUTCROP | February 2024

bolstered by some of our events such as the Rockbuster’s Ball, which is great news to start the year. Our committee is hard at work optimizing our portfolio to strengthen our resilience as an organization. Our Continuing Education Committee has been working on the diversification of our educational content in all manners, especially expanding into the Energy Transition themes of Hydrogen, CCUS, Geothermal, Lithium, and other Critical Minerals. We hope to see you at our February Hybrid Luncheon at DERL (and streamed online) for Mike Blum’s talk, Fingerprints of Tectonics and Climate Change in Sandy Turbidites of the Deep-Sea Bengal Fan. The Membership Committee is keeping up with our monthly social events like RMAG Coffee and our Happy Hours, the most recent joint happy hour with the Denver Region Exploration Geologists Society (DREGS) saw a great showing with around 50 attendees who braved the cold for a great evening at CODA Brewing in Golden. Registration for Geoland Ski Day is open, which will be held in conjunction with the Denver Association of Professional Landmen (DAPL) at Copper Mountain on February 23rd. The Publications Committee is preparing our January 2024 edition of the Mountain Geologist for publication and has been creating digital resource compilations so you can take great geology information with you on the go. Our new Geoscience Outreach (GO) committee just kicked off their first meeting and is working the logistics for our continued outreach to local schools and educational entities. And lastly, but certainly not least, our On The Rocks committee is finalizing details on a number of exciting field trip opportunities for this year and beyond, some of which will be announced shortly. Hope you enjoy reading this rendition of The Outcrop and have a great February!

Greetings fellow Geoscientists! Hope you are enjoying the start to your new year! We are so excited for the many plans we have for 2024 as an organization. As the new Secretary for the Board of Directors, I am looking forward to keeping you all well informed about the activities of our great organization. The January Board of Directors meeting took place on Wednesday, January 17th at 4:00 pm online. All board members were present except one. Our membership roll has once again increased, and we are excited for our new members to take advantage of all RMAG membership has to offer. Please feel free to introduce yourselves at some of the great upcoming events we have been planning. The Finance committee was the first to present with an overview of our year-end financial health. Due to the strong performance of our financial portfolio we incurred a positive net revenue for the month of December,

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OUTCROP | February 2024

PRESIDENT’S LETTER By Mike Tischer

Hi, I’m Mike! Dear RMAG members,

OUTCROP | February 2024

I recently attended our first luncheon of the year and was very excited to see so many of you there. The place was packed! There was great interest to listen to Michael Rigby talk about what the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission is up to these days. A fascinating talk! I assume most of you know that we changed venue about six months ago and now host these monthly events at DERL, the Denver Earth Resource Library. Not sure if there is a better place in Denver to talk about geology and energy - amongst thousands of geoscience publications, mingling with likeminded folks who are just as nerdy about the subject as you are. If you haven’t been to one of our luncheons lately, I would encourage you to do so. There was one thing I noticed while I was at the January luncheon. Amongst the crowd of members present, there were many folks I did not know. Never met them. Did not know who they were. And then it hit me…they probably don’t know who I am either! Well, I’m here to remedy this situation. Wouldn’t it be good to get to know each other better? After all, I’m going to be your president for a whole year. So let me get started on this and do my part, and next time you see me, if you feel like it, say hi. You will already know something about me and I will have the opportunity to find out something about you. It’s a winwin! So let’s start! This is a (very!) abbreviated version of the past 5 decades.

I grew up in Germany, West Germany to be precise, during the 80s. Well, technically I was born in the 70s but who can remember much about their early years? Exactly, I can’t either. What I do remember though are hair bands, the Space Shuttle and, of course, Knight Rider (oh Hasselhoff, I could do an entire column on you). When I started high school, it became pretty clear that languages were not my thing. As a matter of fact, my very first grade was an F, in German, my mother tongue. With English and French on the horizon, this did not bode well for my linguistic career prospects. (I still marvel sometimes how I manage to be semi-coherent in English). Luckily, I seemed to do pretty well in science. So I made math and physics my besties and devised my grand plan: major in these subjects and go on to university. How hard could it be? I started my quest for science supremacy in 1993. Hair bands had been replaced by grunge and Knight Rider by Jean Luc Picard (Make it so!). Once I arrived at the University of Würzburg (in case you wonder, that’s in Bavaria), I spent two years as an undergrad and continued to study physics in grad school for another year before deciding that this could all be way cooler if I did it abroad. In 1996, as part of an exchange program with my German university, I arrived in New York to obtain my Masters in physics at SUNY Buffalo. But there was one problem. There was really no thesis topic in the physics department that interested me. What did interest me, however, was this beautiful waterfall at

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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department. It took me a while to get there but the journey was interesting and worth it. After graduating from Columbia, I entered the workforce and went to Houston. It’s a rite of passage for so many geologists who work in oil & gas. I spent 7 years working for ExxonMobil until I had enough of the heat & humidity, the mosquitos and there was no mountain or outcrop in sight for hours. So, I moved north and ended up in Denver. I’ve been in the Mile High City now for over 10 years, working for smaller outfits, startups and doing contract work along the way. And there hasn’t been a single day that I have regretted moving here. Well, there you have it. My journey from an F in German to a graduate degree in geology. That should give you enough material. So next time you see me, say hi. I like it when people say hi. Until then, take a look at this issue of the Outcrop. We have prepared lots of goodies for you. I hope you enjoy them.

the Canadian-US border north of the city. How did it get there? How old is it? I had so many questions? I walked over to the geology department and asked them if they knew anything about Niagara Falls? And oh, by the way, do you have anything I can work on? (Remember, it’s 1996, no Wikipedia or iPhone. You still had to ask people to find things out.) And that’s how I got a degree in physics with a thesis in geology. Case closed? Not quite. I liked this geology thing so much that I wanted to go on, learn more about this fascinating subject and get a ‘proper’ degree in it. Which brings me to the final stop on my academic journey. New York City. The year is 1998, grunge had been replaced by alternative rock and Captain Picard by Mulder and Scully. And me? After Buffalo I went back to Germany for a bit while applying to grad schools in the US. Eventually, I got a call from Columbia University. I had finally arrived where I wanted to be, a grad student in a geology

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Colorado Ridge Map OUTCROP | February 2024

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LEAD STORY

3,315’ A Story Of A Visit To Colorado’s Lowest Point By Matthew W. Bauer, PG

lowest point and its influence on human history. Soon after buckling our seatbelts and driving down the South Platte River Valley, we introduced ourselves. Some of you’ve probably experienced it personally but rather than handing out business cards I also like to hand out stickers. Ryan and Forest both got one of those stickers depicting a tricone drill bit. I then explained how the bits are used to drill wells to access water and oil. Forest and I quickly began chatting about Red Rocks Amphitheater. Its walls reflect sound and ambiance enhancing attendees’ musical experiences. We talked about how the amphitheater is composed of the sediments eroded from the Ancestral Rocky Mountains forming the Fountain Formation which was later uplifted and exposed with the Laramide Orogeny. Heading northeast on I-76 we pulled off at Fort Morgan to fill up on coffee and Santiago burritos before continuing down I-34 towards the Arikaree River Valley. This was a journey with a goal to share a tale of intersections of rocks and people, of ancient origins and contemporary perspectives that invites us to highlight facets of Colorado’s diverse topography and history.

A DRIVE OUT EAST In the vast and diverse landscapes of Colorado; where the towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains often claim the spotlight, Colorado hosts many lesser-known treasures that highlight the intersection of our state’s natural and human history. Colorado Public Radio’s Ryan Warner organized an episode for his show Colorado Matters where we made a trip to see one of these: Colorado’s lowest point. The lowest point in Colorado is located along the Arikaree River, part of the wider Republic River Basin, in Yuma County. The lowest elevation in the state hosted our party to conversations that intertwine the ancient narratives of the land with chapters of the human experience. Our party included Ryan, Forest Kelly of Face Vocal Band, and myself. As we embarked on our three-hour drive from CPR’s offices at 17th and Grant Street in Denver this expedition had the goal of not just visiting the lowest point but to uncover the rich tapestry woven by the forces of nature and the resilience of those who called this place home throughout history. Ryan had contacted RMAG looking for a geologist to join this trip to talk about the geology of Colorado’s Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

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Hand-painted sign pointing to the location of the meeting point of the Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas state lines.

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LEAD STORY MEETING SALLY

As our party pulled off the pavement of I-34 in Yuma County we were greeted by one of the contemporary stewards of the eastern plains in the first person with Sally Leinen. Sally’s connection to the land was palpable, her family had acquired the parcel with the lowest point in 1987 but homesteaded in the area starting in 1906. Her roots ran deep like the shortgrass prairie stabilizing the very contours beneath our feet. From the moment of meetPeak streamflow showing a decrease over time, USGS 06821500 Arikaree River near ing Sally, you get the impresHaigler, NE (https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/peak/?site_no=06821500) sion she is a kind, peaceful person who is strong and always prepared. After a brief riverbed, Sally shared anecdotes of her childhood, introduction, our guide Sally leads us in her blue when the Arikaree River flowed wide and robust. pickup down gravel roads through rows of stabiNow, the dry meandering channels stand testament lized eolian dunes running NNE-SSW. Driving down to the ebb and flow of time, reflecting the cyclical these roads we pass a red hand-painted sign pointnature of both geological and human histories. Saling to the monument marking where the state lines ly, with a deep well of stories, illuminated how her of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska converged. As we family’s history and the land’s evolution were indescend into the drainages of the Arikaree River that separable. Sally talks about how the river has been cut through the eolian deposits at the surface we can dry for ten years with it only carrying water during see the sands and gravels of the Ogallala Formation. flash floods which have been decreasing in frequenThose sediments carried to the east from the erosion cy. Walking across the crackling dry short prairie of the Rocky Mountains, tying the peaks to the plains. grass as a geologist you get a feeling of the imporAt the top of a hill while we stopped to open a series tance of groundwater carried in the Ogallala to peoof gates, Ryan and Sally were chatting; Sally was unple who earn a living through dry land farming and aware that Colorado’s lowest point was on her famiraising cattle on the eastern plains. Sally tells of the ly’s property until Ryan called to arrange access. EvArikaree River carrying water as a child and swimeryone shares in the joy of finding a bit of awe in the ming along its banks. She talks of her family’s oral ordinary and we continue down a dusty field access history and a flood in May 1935 that killed many road along a wheat field. Pulling in along rows of cotpeople. While estimates of how much rain fell from tonwood trees we park the vehicles. the storm that caused that event vary, some state as THE WALK IN much as two feet of rain fell in 24 hours. I imagined Stepping out of the vehicles and into the low the river out of its now dry channel, filling the floodgrasses we put on our boots and gathered our plain, but came back to the contemporary reality items for the walk to the river. As we walked to the of a dry riverbed. A river that flows so infrequently Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY that it’s channels are completely covered in grass. This drying trend across the wider Republic River Basin is attributed to the overuse of the Ogallala aquifer. As we crossed the floodplain and reached the multiple dry channels I checked my GPS to ensure we were inside the Colorado border. Walking to look at the multiple channels I ensure we’ve found the deepest one within the border. Within that channel slightly upstream of the border was a place in the channel where flowing water had eddied making a deeper hole; we’d arrived at our destination, the lowest point in Colorado.

SHARING OF EXPERIENCES

The lowest point in Colorado became more than a geographic marker. It became our stage for telling a story of nature’s grand production, inviting us to bring witness the intricate dance of time, rock, and human history. Sally, who seems to always be prepared, brought along a T-post to leave its witness to our visit to Colorado’s lowest point. As Ryan interviews Sally she pounds the T-post into the soil. Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio next to the T-post placed by Sally Leinen at Those thumps a fitting lead into Forthe lowest point in Colorado in the Arikaree River channel. est’s interview. Forest, a professional bass singer, probably sing a lower note here at the lowest point. had prepared to share a poetic choice Forest sang a dropping scale, this time reaching “a of verse from John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High: low A”. With Forest’s lowest note, it was time to talk about the natural history that made this place the “But the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, lowest in Colorado. I’ve seen in rainin’ fire in the sky. It was time to talk about the geology. With “The The shadows from the starlight is softer than Big Red Book”, RMAG’s Geologic Atlas of the Rocky a lullaby. Mountain Region in hand, I stood next to Sally’s Rocky Mountain high, Colorado. Rocky Mountain high. Colorado.” marker. Ryan commented on the size of the book and I explained that with it being out of print the Ryan asked Forest how low was the lowest note physical copies are harder and harder to come by in that verse. Forest replied a “B” but that he could these days. Opening the pages I begin explaining the OUTCROP | February 2024

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LEAD STORY

major tectonic units in the area. With western Colorado being held higher in elevation by the Colorado Plateau the eastern plains are lower. Situated in the northeast quarter of our state lies the Denver-Julesburg Basin. While the topography of northeastern Colorado is low hills and plains, the contact between sedimentary strata and the underlying crystalline basement has larger structures not always apparent in the topography of the surface. To the south, the Las Animas Arch, and to the northwest, the Hartville Uplift, raises the flanks of the DJ Basin. Compared to the Precambrian exposures in the Rocky Mountains the offset occurring on the crystalline basement contact can be obscured at the surface with sediment, where accommodation is created, and erosion of the sedimentary strata where it is uplifted. The uplift of the Rocky Mountains during the Laramide Orogeny gave potential energy to the precambrian units raised into mountains in western Colorado allowing for the erosion, movement of sediment, and deposition into other areas of accommodation. The sands and gravels of the Ogallala Formation, originating from the Rocky Mountains, now carry much needed groundwater Matthew Bauer at the lowest point in Colorado with “The Big Red Book” and an in its pore space to the people of the Inoceramus deformis fossil brought along for the trip. eastern plains. Some other facts I’d learned about is the oldest documented mine of its kind in North Colorado’s lowest point to put it in perspective. Our and South America. Settlers of the American West, lowest point is the highest of the lowest points in and current residents, found much needed groundthe United States. Our lowest is also higher than the water from within the pore spaces of the Ogallahighest points 18 of the other states and the District la Formation. I explained that if humans want to go of Colombia. beyond randomly finding these resources we need Throughout history when humans have stumthe study of geology to help us find and quantify bled across places where the earth’s resources are these resources. easily accessed. Paleo Americans had found hemaI explained that geologists use observations tite, or red ocher, along the Hartville uplift and bewith knowledge about geologic processes to make gan to mine the mineral. In 2022 Peloton, et al. used models about the earth’s structure where we cannot radiocarbon dates to place these activities starting 12,840 to 12,500 calibrated years suggesting this make direct observations. These observations can Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

include rocks at the surface, in the subsurface from boreholes, reflected sound waves, gravity, magnetism, and models of earthquake travel speeds. Geologists use these models to help us as a society find the things we need to make our lives better: energy, water, and materials. Energy from the earth is produced from products such as hydrogen, coal, geothermal, oil and gas. Water exists within the pore spaces within rocks. Materials to build all the things in our lives. Sand, soda ash, and lime to make glass. Limestone for the cement. Aggregate for buildings and roads. Clay for ceramics. Metals for our machines and move our electricity. Oil for our chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Natural gas for our plastics and anhydrous ammonia to provide nitrogen for crops. Potash to fertilize fields and feed our growing world. For more human history we called another expert who was not able to make the drive out; Sam Block. Sam is a public historian at History Colorado. Sam explained the namesake of the river bed came from the Arikara people, also known as the Sahnish. These people we removed from their land and are now one of the Three Affiliated Tribes or The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation. Sam also explained how this area Ogalalla conglomerate on Pink clay of Brule formation, the mouth of Ash was host to wars between the U.S. GovCreek, Nebraska. Looking north. Deuel County, Nebraska. Taken in 1900. U.S. ernment and the Plains Tribes after the Geological Survey Library, Photographic Collection, Darton, N.H. Collection Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Among album, Volume 2, no.303. these was The Battle of Beecher Island in September of 1868; just a few miles and deep plowing led to another challenging time upstream from our current location. The stone methe Dust Bowl. During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, morial of that battle was washed away in the flood this very region became a battleground against naSally spoke of in 1935 with only parts recovered. ture’s fury. Dust storms, intensified by poor land I found it hard to imagine so much conflict commanagement practices and prolonged drought, pared to an environment of hope and growth only swept across the plains, engulfing everything in 24 years later with the completion of the Equitable their path. The once-fertile soil became airborne, Building, the current home of RMAG and the Denver filling the air with a choking dust that blotted out Earth Resources Library. the sun and transformed day into night. The High Plains with its’ dune sand, silt, and loess met with regional drought, mechanization, Homesteaders experiencing harsh conditions, OUTCROP | February 2024

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LEAD STORY

Dust storm. Baca County, Colorado. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA (http://hdl.loc.gov/loc. pnp/fsa.8b26998)

CONCLUSION

In the vast and varied mosaic of Colorado’s landscapes, our journey to the lowest point in the state transcended the mere pursuit of geographic extremes. From the rolling hills of Yuma County to the dry riverbed of the Arikaree, this expedition became a pilgrimage, revealing the often overlooked facets of Colorado’s diverse geology & history. As we delved into the accounts of the resilience of dryland farmers in the face of environmental change with Sally Leinen; serenaded the lowest point with Forrest Kelley’s resonant tones; explored man’s relationship with the geologic history with myself, Matthew Bauer; and learned the local human history with Sam Block, the lowest point evolved into more than a geographical marker. It became a stage where the stories of rocks and Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

people intertwined, creating a captivating narrative that stretched across time. The plains, often overshadowed by the mountains, emerged as a canvas of subtle beauty and many untold stories. As we conclude our journey, the call to appreciate the diverse landscapes of Colorado echoes; a reminder that beauty exists not just in dramatic peaks but in the nuanced patterns of grasses, the echoes of ancient cultures, and the resilience of those who called the plains home. I also found a lesson in the cyclical nature of the stories we had heard on our trip. The Ancestral Rocky Mountains eroding to form the Fountain Formation echoes similarly to the Rocky Mountains eroding to deposit the Ogallala Formation. Equally, the human activities and natural events leading to the Dust Bowl are eerily familiar with the modern drying of the Republic River Basin. It’s a stark reminder that the threads of history intertwine with the present, urging us to learn from our past, understand the availability and limitations of the resources provided by the geologic fabric, and use those to influence our choices as we thread our interactions with the contemporary landscape.

faced monumental decisions. The challenges they confronted, from sand-filled cow stomachs to chickens roosting in daylight, epitomized the struggles of a community grappling with nature’s unrelenting force. Faced with loss of livelihood and dust-related illness many were forced to relocate causing millions to leave the Great Plains in search of a better life.

OUTCROP | February 2024

HYBRID LUNCH TALK Speaker: Mike Blum Date: February 7, 2024 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Fingerprints of Tectonics and Climate Change in Sandy Turbidites of the Deep-Sea Bengal Fan Presenter: Mike Blum, Earth, Energy and Environment Center, University of Kansas. sand-sized turbidite deposition, and after ca. 10 Ma core locations were close enough to the shelf for thick sand-rich turbidites to become the dominant type of deposit. Second, after ~4000 km of fluvial and turbiditic sediment transport, the DZ U-Pb record faithfully represents Himalayan and Tibetan source terrains, especially the <300 Ma ages from the Tibetan Gangdese magmatic arc; Gangdese arc signals are present by the Early Miocene, and increase in significance over time. Third, we infer signals of climate change in the Plio-Pleistocene record. For example, sand-rich turbidites accumulated only during glacial periods of low sea level when river mouths connected directly with slope canyons. Moreover, sand-rich turbidites display different proportions of DZ U-Pb age groups than modern river sands, especially after the Plio-Pleistocene transition when Northern Hemisphere glaciation began in earnest. We speculate these differences reflect pre-glacial vs. glacial period sediment production: Miocene and early Pliocene periods were dominated by monsoon rains and production of sediment from lower elevations, whereas Plio-Pleistocene glacial periods are instead dominated by higher-elevation cold-climate and glacial processes.

The Himalayan-sourced Ganges-Brahmaputra (GB) river system and the deep-sea Bengal Fan represent Earth’s largest source-to-sink sediment-dispersal system. The Bengal Fan is a “one-of-a-kind” in terms of scale, the largest clastic sedimentary deposit on Earth, as well as a globally significant CO2 sink. IODP Expedition 354 (2015) drilled a 7-site transect in the middle Bengal Fan, ~1400 km south of the shelf margin to more fully understand the impacts of tectonics and climate on fan deposition. Our recent work has developed a detrital-zircon (DZ) U-Pb record of provenance and sediment routing from IODP 354 cores and modern river samples, and detailed sedimentological analyses of turbidites in the cores, which provides insight into a number of issues. Bengal Fan turbidites record the strong tectonic and climatic forcing associated with the GB system in a number of ways. First, India’s NNE motion relative to Asia places IODP 354 drill sites ~800 km and ~400 km farther south from the GB delta at 20 Ma and 10 Ma, relative to where they are today. Prior to ca. 18 Ma, these locations were too far from the GB shelf to accumulate siliciclastics, whereas from ca. 18 to 10 Ma these locations accumulated muddy turbidites, but remained too far away for significant

MIKE BLUM is the Scott and Carol Ritchie Distinguished Professor in the Earth, Energy and Environment Center at the University of Kansas, where he teaches clastic sedimentology and surface processes. He received his Ph.D. in 1992 from The University of Texas at Austin, then held positions at Southern Illinois University, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Louisiana State University, and Exxonmobil Upstream Research before arriving in Kansas in 2014. Mike is a member of the IAS, a life member of AGU, a member and fellow of GSA, and a member of AAAS. He has been a member of SEPM since the early 1990s, and has served in various capacities, including Councilor for Sedimentology and SEPM President. Mike and his students work on modern and ancient sediment-dispersal systems in North America and elsewhere, and his research focuses on fluvial to shallow-marine processes and deposits, as well as source-to-sink relationships. He has published on topics such as fluvial responses to climate and sea-level change, Holocene sea-level change along the Gulf Coast, evolution and fate of the Mississippi delta, and detrital-zircon provenance and geochronology records of fluvial system evolution and sediment dispersal to deep sea environments. OUTCROP | February 2024

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HYBRID LUNCH TALK Speaker: Abdulah Eljalafi Date: March 6, 2024 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Rise and Demise of the Cretaceous Carbonate Platforms of the Western Gulf of Mexico Presenter: Abdulah Eljalafi the establishment of a reference- locality for Cretaceous Isolated carbonate platforms of central Mexico, and the development of a sequence stratigraphic framework that notes periods of aggradation, progradation, and retrogradation, punctuated by drowning near end-Albian time. Three composite sequences are presented in this study, which record platform-wide expansion followed by progressive drowning and carbonate factory shutdown coinciding with the timing of Ocean Anoxic Event id. The resulting stratigraphic framework sheds new light on the spatiotemporal variability in platform development and demise. The timing of carbonate factory shutdown at El Doctor is synchronous with land-proximal and land-attached platforms in northern Mexico (Coahuila) and southern Texas (Comanche) nearing the timing OAE1d onset. In contrast, the larger isolated platforms in central (Valles San Luis and Tuxpan) and southern (Guerrero) Mexico continued carbonate accretion during the Cenomanian until the onset of OAE2, indicating variable platform responses to changing oceanographic conditions in the region.

Shallow water carbonate platforms of the western Gulf of Mexico are among the best archives of global change during peak greenhouse conditions on Earth. Detailed documentation of the El Doctor platform, and comparison of this record with equivalent systems across the Western Gulf of Mexico, reveals regionally variable development and response to globally synchronous eustatic and paleoenvironmental forcing mechanisms. This variability suggests that regional differences in ocean circulation and tectonic drivers play an important role in shaping carbonate platforms. Therefore, detailed sequence stratigraphic analyses across these platforms are required to accurately evaluate regional vs. global drivers. This field-based study explores the isolated El Doctor carbonate platform in central Mexico, using a 7.5 km-thick collection of measured sections on both open ocean and craton-facing margins. Measured sections are supplemented by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle imagery and high-resolution panoramas (e.g., Gigapans) far platform-wide delineation of strata geometries and sequence correlation. The comprehensive dataset permits

ADULAH ELJALAFI, PH.D. received his doctorate from the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin in August of 2022. Today he is a Geoscientist for Ovintiv.

Well Log Digitizing • Petrophysics Petra® Projects • Mud Log Evaluation Bill Donovan

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

(720) 351-7470 donovan@petroleum-eng.com OUTCROP | February 2024

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CALL FOR PAPERS

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: February 29, 2024

PETROLEUM HISTORY INSTITUTE

2024 ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM AND FIELD TRIP May 20-22, 2024

Canmore, Alberta, Canada

Investors and other interested parties at the Dingman #1 wellsite, Turner Valley, 1914 REGISTRATION AND EVENING RECEPTION Monday, May 20, 2024 PRESENTATIONS – ORAL AND POSTER – Tuesday, May 21, 2024 Proceedings to be published in the 2024 volume of Oil-Industry History

The theme for the Symposium is Exploration in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Foothills: From Drilling the Bumps to Deeper Insights. Papers on all aspects of the history of the petroleum industry in Canada and around the world are welcome.

FIELD TRIP TO BOTH TURNER VALLEY AND THE MUSEUM OF MAKING – Wednesday, May 22, 2024 HEADQUARTERS HOTEL – Chateau Canmore Hotel info and event registration form will be posted soon at.www.petroleumhistory.org ABSTRACTS BEING ACCEPTED NOW Please send to Dr. Clinton Tippett at clintontippett88@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

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QUESTIONS? Contact Rick Green: vrgreen1@telus.net 27

OUTCROP | February 2024

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MEMBER CORNER

Meet Cat Campbell Science Advisor for Data Innovation at the ECMC State of Colorado HOW DID YOU END UP INVOLVED IN THE GEOSCIENCES? My first foray into the geosciences was a powerful poem titled, “My Pink Rock” that was published in 1988 in Canton, CT’s Elementary School Fall Poetry Compilation. From there, my passion for rocks was set. The defining moments that led to my career in geology are from incredible professors at Connecticut College and the University of Wyoming who taught me to never give up asking questions and let curiosity guide me to explore our world.

WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT JOB ENTAIL?

It is officially my first month of working for the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission as the Science Advisor for Data Innovation. I am working closely with the Colorado Produced Water Consortium to reduce freshwater use in oil and gas activities by encouraging the reuse and recycling of produced water. It’s a great blend of scientific review, geochemistry, and learning how our state government tackles tough problems.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE WORK AND FAMILY?

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The nice thing about geology is that it’s everywhere and not something that you can turn off. My kiddos (7 and 9) are patient with their mom on adventures when I run off to check out, “another brown rock,” but secretly I know they love it. And I bring snacks, which makes everything okay.

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Honestly being a full time geologist and a mom is extremely challenging, especially when working for an operator. I do think it’s important for my children to see me as a capable and respected scientist outside the home, but every moment with my kids is also cherished. Being present when I am with my family is the key and relying on my incredible network for support professionally and personally keeps me going.

RMAG’s Publication Committee is featuring a monthly Member Corner. We hope you’ll enjoy learning about the diverse community of Earth scientists and wide variety of geoscience disciplines that comprise our membership. If you would like to appear in an upcoming column, or if there is someone you would like to nominate, please contact staff@rmag.org.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

My definition of success has evolved through time. Initially it was the best title at work, publishing a paper, winning best talk, and other accolades. Now I am driven by a feeling of contentment. I want to wake up each morning and be satisfied with the life I’ve built professionally and personally. I seek to find

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joy on trail runs and the ski slope as well as cuddles with my family and sharing a laugh with friends. I’ve found a place career-wise that allows me to feel that I am making difference for the future while pursuing my passion for science.

OUTCROP | February 2024

MEMBER CORNER

WHAT WOULD YOU DO (FOR A CAREER) IF YOU WERE NOT DOING THIS?

IF YOU COULD PLAY A SCENE IN A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHICH CHARACTER WOULD YOU PLAY?

There’s something special about seeing a child completely engaged with science and witnessing the moment they grasp a concept. When I do science fairs, I bring samples with mud cracks and ripples and talk about what water looks like in the rock record. Then we review photos from all over earth with those features followed by a photo from Mars. When the student puts together that there are mudcracks and ripples on Mars and that those forms indicate water, it’s truly a light bulb moment. I would have a career that allows me to engage with the community to create those light bulb moments and share the joy that science brings me.

OUTCROP | February 2024

Dr. Ellie Sattler examining the sick triceratops in Jurassic Park.

WHAT IS ONE THINK YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

Inflatable dinosaur costumes. Did you have to ask?

WHAT THEME SONG SHOULD PLAY WHEN YOU WALK INTO A ROOM?

Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves is a solid choice. I respect the optimism and it has a great beat!

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CONSIDER PUBLISHING IN THE

We invite you to contribute to the vibrant and dynamic Outcrop, where your geological discoveries can find a home among like-minded professionals. Whether you have a compelling geological story, ground breaking research, insightful book reviews, or something else looking for it’s geologic home, the Outcrop is the ideal space to share your expertise with the geological community. Our publication process ensures a swift transition from submission to publication, allowing your work to reach a global audience in a timely manner. Additionally, every published lead article is entered to win the Outcrop article of the year, and entered to win a free RMAG field trip. Join us in fostering knowledge exchange and advancing the field of geology by considering The Outcrop as the premier outlet for your valuable contributions. Contact the outcrop Editor Nate La Fontaine with your submission at nlafontaine@sm-energy.com

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OUTCROP | February 2024

IN MEMORIAM

Mitchell William Reynolds

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Berkeley as an Assistant Professor of Geology, and after 3 years he rejoined the U.S.G.S. in 1972 where he served until 2019. In addition to south-central Wyoming, south-eastern California, and southern Nevada, Mitchell’s field work focused primarily on Montana, particularly the Helena, White Sulphur Springs, and Gates of the Wilderness areas. In his role on the RMAG Foundation Board, Mitchell was instrumental in contacting geology departments to advertise the Foundation’s scholarships. He was tireless in his efforts to manage scholarship applications, and he designed a scoring methodology which is used, in a slightly modified form, by today’s Foundation Trustees.

Mitchell William Reynolds, former RMAG Foundation Trustee, RMAG member, and USGS geologist, died on November 2, 2023, He received his BA in Geology from Harvard in 1959 and continued his education in geology at the University of California, Berkeley, as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow. He did his Ph.D. thesis work in Death Valley, California, where he mapped the stratigraphy and structural geology of the Titus and Titanothere Canyons. In 1963, Mitchell began his career with the United States Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.), primarily studying the geology of south-central Wyoming. In 1969 he returned to

Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

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Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2024

IN THE PIPELINE FEBRUARY 15, 2024

FEBRUARY 7, 2024 RMAG Luncheon. Speaker: Mike Blum, Talk Title: Fingerprints of Tectonics and Climate Change in Sandy Turbidites of the Deep-Sea Bengal Fan.” In Person or Online. Denver Earth Resources Library, 730 17th Street, B1, Denver.

WOGA Lean in Circle. FEBRUARY 20-21, 2024 Enabling Technologies & Innovation Consortium Workshop. Colorado School of Mines. Golden, CO.

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

COGA Mardi Gras Ball. Mile High Station, 2027 W. Colfax, Denver, CO.

RMAG/DAPL Geoland Ski Day 2024. Copper Mountain.

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

John Perri

Steffan Becker

from Denver, Colorado

with Brown and Caldwell and is from Martinez, Georgia

Matthew Ritter

Jeff Bryden

with Rockatology Consulting from Broomfield, Colorado

with Western Underground Exploration, LLC from Midland, Texas

Holly McCory Scott

is a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder and is from Loveland, Colorado

OUTCROP | February 2024

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Publish with… Publish with…

Expanded geologic focus: Why c • Entire greater Rocky Mountai • Rea • Qu • West Texas and New Mexico • Per • Great Plains and Mid-Contine • Qu

• Expanded geologic focus: • Entire greater Rocky Mountain area of North America Expanded geologic•focus: Why contribute? West Texas and New Mexico to northern British Columbia • Entire greater Rocky Mountain of Northregion America • Great Plains andarea Mid-Continent • Reach a broad industry and

Eve

• Westaudience Texas and New Mexico to northern British Columbia academic • Quarterly reviewed • Greatpeer Plains and contribute? Mid-Continent region Why journal https://www.rm • includes Reach a broad industry and academic audience • Permanent archiving AAPG Datapages • Quarterly peer-reviewed journal • Quick turn around •timePermanent archiving includes AAPG Datapages https://www.rmag.org • Every subdiscipline in the • Quick turn-around time geosciences • Every subdiscipline in the geosciences

Expanded geologic focus: • Entire greater Rocky Mountain

rea of North America area of North America northern British• Columbia West Texas and New Mexico to northern British Columbia region • Great Plains and Mid Continent region

Email: mgeditor@rmag.org

https://www.rmag.org/publications/the-mountain-geologist/

Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2024

Confluence Resources is an upstream exploration and production company Confluence Resources is an confluenceresources.com upstream exploration and production company confluenceresources.com

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ADVERTISER INDEX

•Confluence Resources �� 38 •Donovan Brothers �� 26 •Larson Geoscience �� 34 •LMKR Gverse Geographix �� 14 •Paul Denney �� 34 •Petroleum History Institute–Call For Papers �� 27 •Sproule �� 35 •Tracerco �� 35 CALENDAR – FEBRUARY 2024 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

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THURSDAY

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COGA Mardi Gras Ball.

RMAG Luncheon.

FRIDAY

15 WOGA Lean in Circle.

RMAG/DAPL Geoland Ski Day 2024.

Enabling Technologies & Innovation Consortium Workshop.

Vol. 73, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2024