October 2020 Outcrop by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 69 • No. 10 • October 2020

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

1999 Broadway • Suite 730 • Denver, CO 80202 • 800-970-7624 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.

2020 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2nd VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Jane Estes-Jackson janeestesjackson@gmail.com

Peter Kubik pkubik@mallardexploration.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Cat Campbell ccampbell@caminoresources.com

Jessica Davey jessica.davey@sproule.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

Ben Burke bburke@hpres.com

Chris Eisinger chris.eisinger@state.co.us

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER ELECT

Nathan Rogers nathantrogers@gmail.com

Rebecca Johnson Scrable rebecca.johnson@bpx.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Dan Bassett dbassett@sm-energy.com

Donna Anderson danderso@rmi.net

RMAG STAFF DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org DIRECTOR OF MEMBER SERVICES

Debby Watkins dwatkins@rmag.org CO-EDITORS

Courtney Beck clbeck14@gmail.com Nate LaFontaine nlafontaine@sm-energy.com Jesse Melick jesse.melick@bpx.com Wylie Walker wylie.walker@gmail.com

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

DESIGN/LAYOUT

Rates and sizes can be found on page 48. Advertising rates apply to either black and white or color ads. Submit color ads in RGB color to be compatible with web format. Borders are recommended for advertisements that comprise less than one half page. Digital files must be PC compatible submitted in png, jpg, tif, pdf or eps formats at a minimum of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, please call the RMAG office at 800-970-7624.

Nate Silva nate@nate-silva.com

Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details. DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

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WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS

RMAG Office: 800-970-7624 Fax: 323-352-0046 staff@rmag.org or www.rmag.org

Outcrop | October 2020 OUTCROP

AUGUST 15 - OCTOBER 15 Hike it, climb it, find it! The 2020 RMAG Geohike Challenge is designed for everyone and anyone to get outdoors and enjoy life in beautiful Colorado...or wherever you live! Sign up on www.rmag.org (it’s only $20) to get your t-shirt and then start hiking and posting your photos on LinkedIn.

Two ways to win: • Find and post photos of all SCAVENGER HUNT items • Have your photos selected in the PHOTO CONTEST

#rmaggeohikechallenge2020 RMAG’s VirtuALL Outdoor Event

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

12 Lead Story: Geology and the Skiing Experience

2 RMAG Summit Sponsors

32 2021 RMAG Board of Directors Biographical Sketches

4 RMAG Geohike Challenge 7 MiT Webinar Series: Upcoming Events 9 RMAG Geochem 101 short course

DEPARTMENTS 6 RMAG September 2020 Board of Directors Meeting 8 President’s Letter 22 Online Lunch Talk: Jesse Melick 26 Online Lunch Talk: John Curtis 30 In The Pipeline 47 Welcome New RMAG Members!

11 RMAG Data Science webinar series 23 RMAG/DWLS Fall Symposium

COVER PHOTO

25 RMAG/RPS Short Course on Fluid Saturation

Devil’s Castle Meadow near Alta, Utah. Photo by Brian Jones.

27 RMAG Data Science webinar series 28 2020 RMS-AAPG Awards

47 Calendar

29 Publish with The Mountain Geologist

48 Advertiser Index

46 News From The RMAG Foundation

48 Outcrop Advertising Rates

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

RMAG SEPT. 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING By Jessica Davey, Secretary jessica.davey@sproule.com

book!” Keep an eye out for upcoming virtual field trip opportunities; the On the Rocks Committee has been brainstorming some great ideas. The Committee is also pairing some other groups in Colorado to work on new and updated geologic signage around the state. The Educational Outreach Committee will have a presence at the virtual Colorado Scientific Conference on November 14; the Committee is also seeking new members; Please reach out to Debby or Kathy in the RMAG office if you’re interested in volunteering. I Googled “best outcrops to visit in the fall” and was super disappointed because a guide for the Rocky Mountains does not exist. I think I just volunteered myself to start compiling a guide! We’re lucky here in Colorado since we have so much visible geology already, but fall and winter are great times to visit outcrops since there isn’t too much green stuff in the way. My daughter and I have been hitting some of my favorite areas along the Front Range; last week, we visited Red Rocks for some hiking and discussed how the landscape would have looked during the deposition of the Fountain Fm. We love using Kirk Johnson’s Ancient Denvers book to help visualize the scenery and imagine which of our favorite dinos probably roamed the area. I think our next trip will be out to the Wheeler Geologic Area. Have you been out to look at any rocks lately?

Fall time is here! It’s time to enjoy (or loathe) pumpkin spice season. I hope you’ve been able to spend time outdoors in the slightly cooler weather we’ve been experiencing here in the Front Range. We’ve had great weather to get out and participate in the #rmaggeohikechallenge2020. If you haven’t registered to participate in the fun, you still have time! The RMAG Board of Directors met virtually at 4 pm on September 22. Everyone except for Pete Kubik was present. Treasurer, Chris Eisinger, and Treasurer-Elect, Rebecca Johnson Scrable, report that the RMAG financials are still looking good despite the pandemic throwing a wrench in the 2020 plans. Debby and Kathy are still wonderfully maintaining RMAG office operations remotely. Continuing Education Committee has been hard at work to ensure we have a full lineup of virtual luncheon speakers. Keep an eye on the RMAG website for upcoming talks. The Membership Committee has been focusing on coming up with more fun virtual events; please make sure RMAG has your most up-to-date email address for event announcements. The Publications Committee is still working away at adding DOIs to back issues of the Mountain Geologist, and just finished an analysis of publication sales for the past few years. Do you have a favorite RMAG publication? I still love my copy of “the big red

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

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

(720) 351-7470 donovan@petroleum-eng.com OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

Webinar Series 2020 Members in Transition

Visit Petroleum Pivoters for more resources!

Rocky Mountain Members in Transition (MiT) is a joint effort of members of AAPG, COGA, CU Global Energy Manament, DWLS, RMAG, SPE, WENCO, and WOGA in the Rocky Mountain region to help association members in the midst of a career transition.

Oct. 6 12pm-1pm

Webinars are free and open to all

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Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER By Jane Estes-Jackson

The Art of Geology “Geology, unlike most other sciences, is still dominated by the descriptive phase, and much time must be spent accumulating facts about the earth. Interpretation of these facts presents complex problems involving a large number of variables, which can never be represented adequately by mathematical formulae or physical models. In other words, geology is as much an art as it is a science, and solution of its problems requires imagination as well as vast accumulations of facts.” —John Eliot Allen (1956)

The Art of Geology, Journal of Geological Education, 4:1, 1-4, DOI: 10.5408/0022-1368-4.1.1

component to it. I think that is something that sets us apart from engineers. When Wallace Pratt, the founder of AAPG, famously said that “oil is first found in the minds of men” he was referring to the creative process. The best explorationists have good imaginations and can mentally visualize their prospects in multiple dimensions. Geology is an observationally-based science, and much of it is subject to interpretation. It has always been data-driven, but the recent development of “resource” plays combined with advances in computational power have made data the primary focus, rather than a tool. Certainly programs like GeoGraphix and Petra have streamlined our workflows and made our lives much easier. But I also think they have made us a little bit lazy. Push a few buttons and then presto! A map magically appears. I readily admit that I am biased when it comes to machine-contoured maps. I think they are an excellent tool for a first, or second,

As the above quote implies, one of the things that makes geology somewhat unique among the sciences is that there is a very strong creative

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RMAG Online Short Course

GEOCHEM 101: A Practical Introduction to Petroleum Geochemistry Mark Tobey, Ph.D., Ovintiv

10/22/20 Reduced Price! $75 members $110 non-members Register at www.rmag.org email: staff@rmag.org | phone: 800.970.7624 Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

1999 Broadway, Suite 730, Denver CO 80202

This one-day short course is an overview that will introduce attendees to some basic rock and fluid applications of petroleum geochemistry, including a description of the basic tools used and how to interpret the data from those tools. Some of these tools include Rock-Eval pyrolysis, rock extract GC, gas stable carbon isotopes, and oil GC. Short exercises will be prepared for the attendees to work after concepts have been presented to demonstrate some interpretation tools.

Online 9

fax: 323.352.0046 | web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

follow: @rmagdenver

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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or third pass, especially with a big data set. But I think there is a lot of value in spending the time to edit those contours to make that map more representative of your geologic interpretation, particularly something like an isopach map. As a geologist, your education and your experience are what set you apart from a machine, so use them to inform your maps. Algorithms treat data mathematically but an experienced geologist can use “geologic license” to honor all the data while still giving more weight to some data to result in the desired outcome. For instance, if you interpret your reservoir as having been deposited in a barrier island, then try to make your net sand map look like a barrier island. A map generated in this way will be much more accurate than one that is strictly machine contoured. Creating maps is one of my favorite aspects of being a geologist. Even as a child maps enthralled me. I learned the proper way to color a map from my fifth-grade teacher, and in college I parlayed that skill into a part time job hand coloring prospect maps for a friend of mine. I think one of the reasons that I enjoy mapping so much is that it lets me express my artistic side. I like to use a color palette that helps the viewer, who may not have a geological background, better understand my ideas. For example, I like to use shades of gray for net coal or net shale isopachs, and warm tones for net sand or net pay. I think it is worth the extra effort to make sure that the map is both accurate and aesthetically pleasing. Like it or not, appearances matter. It’s a lot easier to sell a prospect or get board approval for your project when your slides look good. Likewise, well-prepared manuscript figures can help better tell a story. One definition of art is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”. Geologic figures such as core descriptions, stratigraphic columns, and block diagrams certainly fit that description. Well composed photomicrographs and SEM photos are like abstract paintings. A thoughtfully crafted map, poster, slide deck, or cross section is a bridge between science and art.

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Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

RMAG/RPS SHORT COURSE

Introduction to Statistical Modeling and Big Data Analytics with Dr. Srikanta Mishra

10 / 26 / 2020

Online

This training course will provide an introduction to statistical modeling and big data analytics for petroleum engineering and geoscience applications. Topics to be covered include: (a) easy-to-understand descriptions of the commonly-used techniques, and (b) case studies demonstrating the applicability, limitations and value-added proposition for these methods. This course will inform engineers and geologists about techniques for data-driven analysis that can convert data into actionable information for reducing cost, improving efficiency and/or increasing productivity in oil and gas operations.

$200/RMAG members $235/Non-members Register at rmag.org

email: | phone: 800.970.7624 Vol.staff@rmag.org 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org 1999 Broadway, Suite 730, Denver CO 80202

fax: 323.352.0046 | web: www.rmag.org OUTCROP | October 2020 follow: @rmagdenver

LEAD STORY

GEOLOGY AND THE SKIING EXPERIENCE BY BRIAN K. JONES

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this when you’re a ski instructor. I got spoiled years ago. Even back in my early days of high school, skiing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I would often stop at the side of the run and let my friends go ahead. I was fascinated by the shapes of ski areas, the U-shaped valleys, the concave slopes, aretes, cirques, headwalls, hanging valleys, the pitches and the rolls. The Cascade Mountains were always fascinating to me as well, long before I became a geologist, before plate tectonics was a household word and before I knew a two-pyroxene andesite from a tholeiitic basalt.

There is a moment, right after sunrise, when the mountain seems to hold its breath. It’s cold alright, no more than a few degrees, but a windless cold doesn’t penetrate good gear, and ski instructors wear the best. On light snow mornings, when the ski patrol isn’t lobbing 4-pound bombs into every potential avalanche chute, we roll onto the chair lift at 8:45, a full 30 minutes before the public. The conditions are always soft, sometimes four inches of fluff, with 8% moisture that vaporizes with each turn in the cold morning air; sometimes soft corduroy that your edges cut through in wide arcing lines; sometimes nothing more than a mist. You can get spoiled by snow conditions like

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The author in his natural environment.

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LEAD STORY Fork Tillite, varved marine deposits with ‘drop stones’ rafted in by ice sheets. This tillite is one example of the global ‘snow-ball earth’, where about 800 million years ago, most of the earth apparently froze over. The Paleozoic section is well represented at Alta and off-trail skiers get to know many of these rocks far too well, when they choose the wrong line. The Cambrian Tintic Quartzite is bad news for your edges off-trail and the overlying Ophir Shale is hardly any better, always making its presence known on the High Traverse. Off-trail skiers at Alta get a crashcourse in Moh’s hardness scale as they discover the beveling of their edges. The middle and upper Paleozoic and much of the Mesozoic is represented by limestones, which are softer and easier on your edges, but these rocks tend to be cliff-formers. The pearls of the Paleozoic section are the Mississippian horn corals, beautifully preserved like miniature cornucopia in a horizon about a foot thick. The rocks get truly interesting when a 60 m.y. old granodiorite intruded the carbonate section, marmorizing, bleaching, decalcifying and finally

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I was in love with the whole experience. So, when the price of gold collapsed in 1998, I took a break from geology and applied for a job as a ski instructor at The Canyons ski resort in Park City, Utah. A year later I joined the staff of the Alf Engen Ski School at Alta, as a full-time ski instructor, a dream I had never imagined. The quality of the skiing and instruction was demanding at Alta. Although I was eager enough and bold enough, my skills were not well developed and it took several years of training to get me into shape. Eventually I was teaching mogul and powder lessons and arcing down the groomers with my colleagues. To my surprise, everyone - students and staff were interested in the geology of this alpine paradise. Starting in my first year of teaching at Alta I was encouraged by the ski school to give slide shows on the geology of the Wasatch Mountains in the evenings – always with a work sheet. People like having a work sheet. They were well attended. The late Precambrian is well represented at Alta by the Big Cottonwood Formation, a greenschist-facies felsic metamorphic complex and the Mineral

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SCHEMATIC OF COMMON GLACIAL FEATURES

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LEAD STORY

Glacial features at Mt. Conness: Glacial features of Mt. Conness (California). Blue oval defines the area of the glacial cirque.

forming a dizzying array of skarn minerals from grossularite garnets to feathery retrograde minerals. Along with this came the lead-silver minerals that made Alta famous as a mining district in the early years before skiing. There were lenses of ore in dolomite that contained 50% lead and 50 oz/ton silver. They were rich enough to be worth a fortune and complex enough to require a long train ride to New York, and a much longer ship ride to London for smelting. In 1938, most of the mines were running out of ore and a make-shift chairlift was constructed. They used spare parts from the old mining trams and the chair lift broke a lot. It finally operated in 1939 and opened the door to skiing in Little Cottonwood Canyon. All of these are stories for the evenings at a ski area in the winter, where the rocks are buried deep beneath the snow. The story that rings loudest to the skiers is the story of the glaciers. When I show slides of the shapes created by glaciers in the evening, skiers will identify these shapes the next day and feel them beneath their feet. The Little Cottonwood Glacier, 14 miles long, 2-4 miles wide and well over 1,000â&#x20AC;&#x2122; thick, was the trunk

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glacier. A trunk glacier is the main, large glacier that was fueled by the large ice field near the ridgeline. Little Cottonwood Glacier roared down the canyon 16,000 years ago at a handsome clip of about 10 ft/ day. The trunk glacier blazed a trail, following the easy way down the mountain, starting in Albion Basin and ending in Lake Bonneville. Today, near its top, it is the safe home of the beginning skier, because the glacier rounded all the rough edges, providing smooth skiing from top to bottom. Farther down canyon, tributary glaciers poured into the trunk glacier. The tributary glaciers were smaller and when they melted, they left behind steep, hanging valleys where there once had been ice falls. These are only comfortably navigable by experienced skiers. As the Wasatch Mountains were experiencing glacial events, mountain glaciers occupied most of the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountain Cordillera. Glaciers consistently carve out the same terrain: U-shaped valleys, concave slopes, hanging valleys, aretes, headwalls and glacial moraines. Many ski areas in the Rocky Mountains share these characteristics and these features are an adventure to discover.

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LEAD STORY Albion basin in the distance to the left. Note the post glacial creek valleys in the hanging valley at Peruvian Gulch. This makes for some tough sledding. Collins Gulch was also occupied by a tributary glacier and the steep hanging valley is well defined. At the top of the valley is a large, well defined cirque. To the left of Collins Gulch, the long, steep, continuous run into Little Cottonwood Canyon is called Alf’s High Rustler and is the signature run at Alta because of its length and pitch. But like all well-behaved ski slopes in U-shaped glacial valleys, the lower you go, the gentler the slope becomes. It scares the living daylights out of you at the top and seems like a piece of cake at the bottom, luring you back for another try.

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With surprisingly high attendance at my evening slide shows, the Alf Engen Ski School rented a small plane so that I could photograph glacial features to use as teaching tools. Photos 1 through 5 show a transect from west to east across the Wasatch Mountains. Photo 1 is a general view looking up Little Cottonwood Canyon with Snowbird in the foreground and Alta in the distance. Note the distinct U-shaped valley and concave slopes. At the far right is the steep run-out from Gadd Valley at Snowbird. Near the center is the hanging valley of Snowbird’s Peruvian Gulch. Photo 2 shows Peruvian Gulch at Snowbird on the right, Collins Gulch at Alta in the middle and

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BELOW: Map of the Wasatch Mountain Ski Areas

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PHOTO 1: (above) General view looking up Little Cottonwood Canyon. PHOTO 2:

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(below) Peruvian Gulch, Collins Gulch.

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LEAD STORY

Photo 3 is Albion Basin at Alta. This was the home of the trunk glacier and the giant ice field that fueled it. As a result, there is no hanging valley, no steep pitches and long easy slopes that suit beginning and intermediate skiers. The cliffs in the distance are Devil’s Castle, composed of upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic carbonate rocks. This is the headwall of the trunk glacier, which is also an arete, a knife edge ridge. Albion Basin is a broad cirque, with smaller, more distinct cirque depressions within it. One of these contains a tarn, a cirque that is partially filled with water. Photo 4 crosses the summit of the Wasatch Mountains to Brighton Ski Area. This was the home of the ice field and trunk glacier of neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon. Like Albion Basin, Brighton has lots of easy terrain, as well as every combination of more challenging terrain. Brighton intentionally caters to younger local skiers and snowboarders from the Salt Lake Valley. Photo 5 is Deer Valley. Located to the northeast on the leeward side of the mountain range, the topography is completely different from Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird. Deer Valley receives about 60% of the annual precipitation measured at Alta and Snowbird. Precipitation was also less during the most recent glaciation. The elevations are about 1,000’ less as well and the glaciers were not nearly as extensive. Deer Valley has the appearance of rolling hills, and the ski slopes are mostly convex, quite different from the concave slopes of the severely glaciated U-shaped slopes to the west. This has a huge effect on snow quality. North-facing concave slopes spend a lot of the winter in the shade, particularly near the glacial headwalls. When the sun does reach them, it’s at a low angle and causes little melting. Convex slopes are less shaded and feel the full force of the winter sun. Don’t get me wrong, Deer Valley is a wonderful ski area, but the snow quality does not compare with the other ski areas. Photo 6 brings us back to the western range front of the Wasatch Mountains. Little Cottonwood Canyon is visible in the shade to the left and Bells Canyon, an adjacent glaciated valley, is on the right. A terminal moraine is perfectly preserved at the bottom of Bells Canyon. Behind it is Lower Bells Canyon

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Reservoir, home of a large population of healthy cutthroat trout that have provided great fishing. To the left of this is a distinct straight ridge, which is the lateral moraine of the Little Cottonwood Canyon glacier. There is no remaining terminal moraine from this glacier, because the glacier extended into Lake Bonneville and the moraine was obliterated by wave action from the lake. Lake Bonneville was formed by the glacial outwash from the melting glaciers. It occupied a closed basin that extended up into southern Idaho (150 miles), west to Wendover (120 miles) and south to near Cedar City (200 miles). It was big. The Great Salt Lake is an evaporite, a remnant of Lake Bonneville. There is a distinct series of parallel fault scarps crossing the photograph, cutting the lateral moraine and running right through the Bells Canyon terminal moraine. Moraines are dated at 16,000-18,000 years. This is the Wasatch Fault, the primary geologic structure in the area. There is 100 to 130’ of vertical offset along some of these scarps, indicating repeated large earthquakes in the past 18,000 years. According to the Utah Geological Survey, major earthquakes (7+ magnitude) occur along the fault about every 1,000 years. The Wasatch Fault makes it all happen. The Wasatch Fault created the mountains, that trapped the snow, that formed the glaciers, that carved out the valleys and created the ski areas. And it is the Wasatch Fault that is lifting the mountains today. This causes storms to rise and dump mountains of snow in the alpine valleys each winter. The Wasatch Mountains are an amazing geologic feature. They are only about 20 miles across. They rise from the Salt Lake Valley at an elevation of 4,500’ to over 11,000’ over a distance of about four miles. It is a formidable barrier to the east-marching storms and marks the eastern edge of the Great Basin. Driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon we cross through six climate zones. Beginning in the desert steppe of sagebrush and rabbit brush, we travel through the oak woodland, a brief glimpse of juniper forest, then Douglas Fir and finally Engelman Spruce and Subalpine Fir. Hop on a chair at Alta or Snowbird and you’ll ride through the limber pines up into

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PHOTO 3: (above) Albion Basin. PHOTO 4: (below) Brighton.

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PHOTO 5: (above) Deer Valley and Park City. PHOTO 6:

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(below) Moraines and Range Front Fault.

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LEAD STORY Paper 201, 152 pages. Case, William F., Eldredge, Sandra N., Milligan, Mark R., and Wilkerson, Christine, undated, Geologic guide to the central Wasatch Front Canyons, Salt Lake County, Utah: Utah Geological Survey Public Information Series 87, 28 pages. Eldridge, Sandra N., and others, 1996, The Wasatch Fault: Utah Geological Survey Public Information Series 40, 17p. Jones, B. K., 2010, Geology and the skiing experience in, Altahistory.org, website of the Alta Historical Society, 60 pages. Kirschivink, Joseph, 1992, Late Proterozoic low-latitude global glaciation: The Snowball Earth in Schopf, J. W. and Klein, C. (eds), The Proterozoic Biosphere: a multidisciplinary study. Cambridge University Press, pp. 51-52. Richmond, Gerald M., 1964, Glaciation of Little Cottonwood and Bells Canyons, Wasatch Mountains, Utah: U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 454-D, 41 pages.

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the Krumholtz zone, the zone of stunted trees. Slap your skis over your shoulder to climb to the top of Mt. Baldy and you’ll stand in alpine tundra, all of this over a distance of about 10 miles. Skiing down you’ll ski over 800 million years of Precambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic stratigraphy, the granodiorite and the skarns and the silver deposits, in the valleys carved by glaciers a short 16,000 years ago. There is something magical about skiing, the nearly effortless turns floating through soft snow, where the laws of gravity prevail and the effects of friction are minimal. The cold, clear alpine air adds to this exhilaration and the short chair rides up the mountain give you time to reflect. There is life everywhere; ermine dashing through the trees, snow shoe rabbits hopping across the snow, coyotes wandering under the chairs every night, looking for dropped Clif bars. The moose have gone to the leeward side of the mountains for the winter, scrounging for limbs in the shallow snow, but they’ll be back soon. Birds are everywhere; the mournful call of the black capped chickadee, the rummaging through the snow of the Clark’s nutcracker searching for seeds and the long rhythmic call of the Northern Flicker. In spring we spot a pair of mountain bluebirds darting through the trees. When you listen closely you hear the constant rustling of life. I love to ski, but it is much more to me than round turns in the soft snow. It is a daily celebration of the mountains, the rocks, the trees and the glaciers, the history and the thriving community of critters that live in this alpine paradise. There is a moment right after sunset when the mountain seems to hold its breath. We ski down to the locker room and share stories about the day’s adventures. Then we organize ourselves into carpools and drive down the road. But the mountain is still there and all of the things that make it so magical are still there. And they’ll be there tomorrow and the day after.

BRIAN K. JONES is a consulting economic geologist, retired Alta ski instructor and writer. He has published numerous geologic articles, largely on metal zoning in porphyry copper systems, as well as over twenty articles on fly-fishing. He has also written three novels that he refers to as geo-thrillers, in which the hero is a geologist. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Alta Historical Society. He lives at the base of the Wasatch Mountains with his wife Barbara. He continues to give slide shows and workshops at Alta in the evenings. Always with a worksheet.

REFERENCES

Calkins, F. C., and Butler, B. S., 1943, Geology and ore deposits of the Cottonwood-American Fork area, Utah: U. S. Geological Survey Professional

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ONLINE LUNCH TALK

FREE!

Speaker: Jesse Melick Oct. 8, 2020 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

BERS MEM Y ONL

Increasing accuracy of well performance prediction Linking reservoir bodies to charge footprint, Eastern Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming By Jesse Melick, BPX Energy, Denver, CO

JESSE MELICK has 22 years of experience. Thirteen of those years were in academia performing field work on outcrops and subsurface datasets in the U.S. and Europe. The remaining nine years were spent in bp and now bpx. He spent three years in the technology organization BP, then four in L48 exploration. In 2018 Jesse and his wife moved to Denver to work San Juan Basin and now has been on the Permian team for just over OUTCROP | October 2020

salients episodically loaded the crust and invoked significant subsidence, creating an embayment of the Western Cretaceous Interior Seaway. Through multiple second-order transgressive-regressive sea level cycles and periods of subsidence and localized uplift, the GGRB was filled with two thick clastic wedges (nearly two miles thick). Toward the end of the marine deposition, the GGRB was split by the Rock Springs Uplift into an eastern and western structural basin in the late Cretaceous. This began about the time the Fox Hills-Lewis was infilling the eastern GGRB from north to south. After the Almond third-order regressive-transgressive sequence was deposited, a

Single-well economics are largely driven by gas to oil ratio (GOR) and with low gas prices, balancing the oil rate and viscosity optimizes value. With the advent of horizontal wells, further increasing return on investment, it is even more critical to delineate reservoir compartments to increase prediction of well performance. This example documents an integrated workflow that accurately predicted GOR in three wells drilled in two distinct but overlapping seismically mapped deep-water sandstone lobe bodies of the Fox Hills-Lewis depositional system. The Greater Green River Basin (GGRB) in southwest Wyoming coincides with an area of weak basement whereby Sevier Orogeny thrust

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a year. Jesse has worked primarily as a stratigrapher / sedimentologist, focusing on development and appraisal. He currently leads the geoscience community technical exchange forum at bpx and is also involved in the training curriculum. He has coauthored over a dozen papers on reservoir characterization. Jesse has led bp groups to the Almond & Lewis outcrops twice and the Brazos River Houston for the modern point bar trip for nine years now. 22

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

October 27, 2020

RMAG/DWLS Fall Symposium 2020 MAXIMIZING VALUE OF CORE AND FLUID ANALYSIS The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and the Denver Well Logging Society are teaming up again to present the 2020 Fall Symposium on October 27, 2020 from 8:30am-4:30pm (MDT). This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s symposium will be virtual! Price RMAG & DWLS Members: $75 Non-members: $110

Online

Registration includes 9 talks and program booklet pdf with slides & abstracts DWLS members: please contact the RMAG office to register with the member discount.

Registration opens Sept. 10th at www.rmag.org

email: staff@rmag.org | phone: 800.970.7624 Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

1999 Broadway, Suite 730, Denver CO 80202

fax: 323.352.0046 | web: www.rmag.org OUTCROP | October 2020

follow: @rmagdenver

ONLINE LUNCH TALK

» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

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period of subsidence and relative sea level rise deepened the shallow bay loosely coinciding with the eastern GGRB. Sand and silt, sourced from the Wind River Basin area, built a deltaic system that built southward in a series of well documented clinothems, each of which fed a series of deep-water lobe elements, sets and complexes (in increasing size). The overall size of the lobeset bodies is small (twothree square miles), but in places they coalesced into larger composite lobe complexes (up to 100s of square miles). This study defined a 50 square mile by 300-foot-thick lobe complex through well log net sand mapping but required seismic data to define the three internal uniquely charged 10-square-mile lobesets, due to the variable thickness of the fundamental lobe elements (up to 20 ft thick) interbedded with as variable shale. In this integrated study, we were able to predict GOR in three wells that penetrated two different lobesets and one well that penetrated the overlap area. The surprise came when one of the lobesets had significantly higher GOR than the first, even though they were on structural strike (similar depth). Through petroleum systems analysis using the lobeset footprints, we predicted that the second well was charged by more mature source rock than the first.

OUTCROP | October 2020

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11 05 20 email: staff@rmag.org | phone: 800.970.7624 Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

1999 Broadway, Suite 730, Denver CO 80202

RMAG/RPS Short Course IntroductIon to FluId SaturatIonS and ProPertIeS In unconventIonal ‘Shale’ reServoIrS with Andy Pepper This course, run by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists in partnership with RPS, provides a solid introduction to the ‘geochemical petrophysics’ of ‘Shale’ reservoirs. This course is designed for Geoscientists, including Petrophysicists, and Engineers seeking an up-todate understanding of the physics and chemistry that determine performance of these difficult reservoirs.

$200/RMAG members $235/Nonmembers Register at www.rmag.org 25

fax: 323.352.0046 | web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

follow: @rmagdenver

ONLINE LUNCH TALK

FREE!

Speaker: John Curtis Nov. 4, 2020 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

BERS MEM Y ONL

Geochemical Correlation of Late Mississippian-Sourced Crude Oils from the Western USA By John B. Curtis, John E. Zumberge and J. Alex Zumberge GeoMark Research, Houston TX

JOHN B. CURTIS has worked with GeoMark Research in various capacities since 1996. He is currently responsible for their U.S. and Canadian Rocky Mountain and SCOOP/STACK petroleum system/ resource potential studies. He received an A.B. and M.Sc. in geology from Miami University and a Ph.D. in geology from The Ohio State University. He is a licensed OUTCROP | October 2020

water column indications. However, workers have been challenged to correlate these type-area outcrop units of Central Montana to the sub-surface of the Williston Basin of western North Dakota (Bottjer et al., 2019). The Heath-sourced oils in the Williston are strikingly different than those of Central Montana. Although they both have PZE, Williston Heath/Amsden oils lack the evaporitic signatures seen in the Heath/Amsden oils of Central Montana, have very low sterane to hopane ratios (i.e., low algae/bacteria relative abundances), and most surprisingly, have extremely high C28/C29 regular sterane ratios. Prasinophytes are a unique class of green algae that produce C28 sterols as major steroid constituents and thrive in oxygen depleted environments that

Some twenty-five million years after the deposition of the renowned Late Devonian/Early Mississippian black shales across North America, Middle to Late Mississippian sediments also generated oils in western North America. These areas include Central Montana, western North Dakota in the Williston Basin, the Las Animas Arch area of eastern Colorado, the Arkoma, Ft. Worth and Permian basins of Oklahoma and Texas, as well as Railroad Valley of Nevada and the Thrust Belt in Central Utah. Using sterane and terpane biomarkers and carbon isotopes, these Mississippian-sourced oils indicate a wide range of source rock depositional environments. The Heath Formation of Central Montana generated oils with evaporitic/carbonate biomarker features including both photic zone euxinia (PZE) and stratified

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Professional Geologist (Wyoming). John was a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer and Instructor Launch Officer in the United States Air Force from 1972-1975. John is also Professor Emeritus of Geology and Geological Engineering and past Director, Potential Gas Agency at the Colorado School of Mines. While at Mines, he supervised graduate student 26

research and taught petroleum geology, petroleum geochemistry and petroleum design. He had 15 years prior experience in the petroleum industry with Texaco, SAIC, Columbia Gas, and Brown & Ruth Laboratories/Baker-Hughes, prior to being with Mines from 1990 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2016.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

R ocky M ountain a ssociation of G eoloGists

t uesdays o ctobeR 13 thRouGh

n oveMbeR 17

Data Science

WEBINAR SERIES 2020

Now Virtual!

The RMAG presents â&#x20AC;&#x153;Digital Workflows in Oil & Gasâ&#x20AC;? RMAG has pivoted! We have transformed the content of the Data Science Symposium we had planned for April into a series of hour-long online sessions taking place over the course of 6 weeks. Each webinar will feature either two talks or one talk and a networking/discussion session. See all the details at www.rmag.org.

Data analytics is more important than ever. Join us to explore this vital topic!

Register for individual sessions or the whole series at www.rmag.org Price: Individual session: $20 member/$25 non-member; Series: $75 member, $110 nonmember (includes RMAG membership) email: staff@rmag.org | phone: 800.970.7624 Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

1999 Broadway, Suite 730, Denver CO 80202

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ONLINE LUNCH TALK biomarkers. The Late Mississippian Williston and Las Animas Arch oils are the only pre-Cretaceous sourced oils we are aware that have these exceptionally high C28 steranes (C28/C29 > 1.5), and likely reflect a dominance of Prasinophyte algae in oxygen depleted waters. The Mississippian Barnett (TX), Caney (OK), and Chainman (NV) shale sourced oils are generally correlative with each other amid some variation in degree of upwelling and algal/bacteria sources. All have typically low Paleozoic C28/C29 sterane ratios (<1). The Covenant oil from the central Utah Thrust Belt correlates best with the carbonate facies oils from Central Montana.

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are unfavorable for other planktonic primary producers (Schwark and Empt 2006). High C28/C29 sterane values have only been measured in oils from Late Cretaceous to Miocene source rocks (reflecting the evolutionary rise of the diatoms), except for Late Mississippian reservoired oils on the Las Animas Arch. In fact, the Late Mississippian Las Animas Arch oils, likely sourced from Late Mississippian shales (perhaps from the Hugoton Embayment to the east in Kansas), also correlate best with the Williston Heath/Amsden oils with respect to the classic pristane/phytane ratio, carbon isotopic compositions, and lack of upwelling

2020 RMS-AAPG Awards

OUTCROP | October 2020

understanding of fundamental geology within the Rocky Mountain region. This year’s recipients are Michael Dolan, Debra Higley, and Paul Lillis, who edited the 2016 RMAG guidebook “Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in Unconventional Plays, Rocky Mountain Region”. Gus Gustason will receive the 2020 Julie Lefever Memorial Award, which is presented in recognition of those who have done an exceptional job at sharing geoscience knowledge with the science community and/or general public. In addition, Matt Thomas and Merideth Sparks, RMAG’s 2020 Teacher of the Year awardees, were runners up in the RMSAAPG Teacher of the Year Award. Congratulations to all of the 2020 RMS-AAPG awardees!

The Rocky Mountain Section of AAPG has announced their 2020 award recipients, several of whom are RMAG members. Robbie Gries is the 2020 recipient of the Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contribution Award, which recognizes contributions to the practice of the geosciences and/or petroleum geology in the Rocky Mountain region. Rob Diedrich will receive the RMS-AAPG Distinguished Service Award, which is presented to members who have distinguished themselves in singular and beneficial long-term service to RMS-AAPG. The John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award recognizes the authors or editors of a book, guidebook or other publication that has had exceptional influence on developing new hydrocarbon plays or providing deeper

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

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

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

IN THE PIPELINE AUGUST 15 -OCTOBER 15, 2020

OCTOBER 26-29, 2020

RMAG Geo Hike Challenge. Virtual Event.

SPE Virtual Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition.

OCTOBER 1, 2020

OCTOBER 26-30, 2020

RMAG Short Course. “Practical Python for Earth Scientists.” Register with CPES.

Women’s Energy Network (WENCO) Virtual Summit and Annual Luncheon. Email us at eventregistration@ womensenergynetwork.org. or call 1.855.390.0650

OCTOBER 6, 2020 Members in Transition: Getting Started with QGIS Speaker: Diane Fritz, register atrmag.org

OCTOBER 27, 2020 RMS-SEPM Webinar Meeting. Meeting starts at 11:45 AM (MT). Email questions to information@rmssepm.org

OCTOBER 8, 2020

RMAG/DWLS Fall Symposium. Virtual event, register at www.rmag.org

RMAG Online Luncheon. Speaker: Jesse Melick. “Increasing Accuracy of Well Performance Prediction: Linking Reservoir Bodies to Charge Footprint, Eastern Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming.” Presented Online via RingCentral Meetings.

OCTOBER 28, 2020 RMAG Data Science Webinar Series. Theme: Applications to Geology. Speakers: David Thul with PetroLuminary and Pengfei Hou with Chevron Research Excellence & Sedimentary Analogs Database at Colorado School of Mines.

OCTOBER 13, 2020 RMAG Data Science Webinar Series. Theme: Business Adaptation. Speakers Aymen Kaheel with Raisa Energy and Brian Towell with Lario Oil and Gas.

COGA Small Operator Half Day Training. 12:00- 5:00 PM

OCTOBER 20, 2020

OCTOBER 29-30, 2020

RMAG Data Science Webinar Series. Theme: Oilfield Data Science-Data Clean Up and Uncertainty Analysis. Speakers: Julie Sebby with SM Energy and Allie Jackson with Anthropocene Analytics.

SPE/IADC Virtual Managed Pressure Drilling and Underbalanced Operations Conference and Exhibition. www.iadc.org/event/spe-iadc-managedpressure-drilling-underbalanced-operationsconference-exhibition/

COGA Connect Virtual Event. TBA. 12:00- 1:00 PM. 303-861-0362

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

WE ARE GREAT WESTERN AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO:

PEOPLE

EXCELLENCE

TEAMWORK

GROWTH

STEWARDSHIP

RESILIENCE

WE ARE #CommittedtoColorado

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Ben Burke Candidate for President

EDUCATION • Bowdoin College, AB, magna cum laude (1999) Geology • Dartmouth College, PhD (2006) Earth Sciences • Texas A&M University, MBA (2010)

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 1999-2001 Geologist, Woodard & Curran Environmental Consulting, Cheshire, CT • 2006-2011 Geologist, ExxonMobil Upstream Companies, Houston, TX • 2011-2014 Geologist, Noble Energy, Denver, CO • 2014-2015 Geologist, Fidelity Exploration & Production Co., Denver, CO • 2015-2018 Geoscience Manager, Fifth Creek Energy, Greenwood Village, CO • 2018-present Geoscience Manager & Advisor, HighPoint Resources, Denver, CO

Funny, persistent, smart, cyclist, skier

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE:

USGS CRC Core D612, core of the Uppermost Pierre-Fox Hills The core shows the marine to nonmarine transition that occurred in the DJ Basin of Colorado, complete with color changes, percent clay variation, and wonderful sands in the Fox Hills. It’s the top of the top seal on the basin, and very important for water resources, too.

FAVORITE FOOD

Chicken Tikka Masala

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD?

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS • 2008-2009 GSA Academic & Applied Geoscience Committee, member • 2010 GSA Academic & Applied Geoscience Committee, chair • 2015 AAPG ACE (Denver) Stratigraphy session co-coordinator • 2019 RMAG 1st Vice President-Elect • 2020 RMAG 1st Vice President • 2020 Goldschmidt Session Coordinator • 2008-Present AAPG Visiting Geoscientist

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

• December 2019 RMAG Lunch seminar, “The Hereford Field of Colorado” • 2015, 2016 presentations to DAPL Fall Land Institute on “What Every Land Professional Needs to Know About Geoscience” • 2007, Coupling chemical weathering with soil production across soil-mantled landscapes, Earth Surface Processes & Landforms, 10.1002/esp.1443 OUTCROP | October 2020

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME

RMAG is a vital part of the professional life of many Rockies geologists. As President, I want to ensure that RMAG remains vital and is as relevant and accessible to as many geoscientists as possible. That relevancy is as important to both ends of the career spectrum, to students and retirees, as it is in the middle to working professionals. I will seek to maintain and honor the petroleum-based roots and current focus of the organization, while widening the appeal and technical offerings of RMAG into environmental geology, hydrogeology, and mining geoscience. After all, it’s all about fluid flow in porous media for all of us. It has been an honor to serve RMAG for the past two years and I am pleased and humbled at the opportunity to run for RMAG President.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Rob Diedrich Candidate for President Elect

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Dedicated, conscientious, determined, dependable, considerate

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE: EDUCATION • 1981, M.S. Geology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio • 1979, B.S. Geology, SUNY Oneonta, New York

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2020: Retired/Consultant • 2015-2019 Vice President - Resources, SM Energy, Denver CO • 2002-2014, SM Energy (fka St. Mary Land & Exploration and Nance Petroleum) Exploration Manager, Sr Geologist, Billings, MT • 2000-2002, Consulting Geologist, Billings, MT • 1996-2000, Sr Geologist, North American Resources Co, Billings, MT • 1981-1996, Sr Geologist, Marathon Oil Co, Tyler, TX, Houston, TX, Casper WY

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• 2016 - present: Chair/Cochair of RMAG’s On the Rocks field trip committee • 2016 & 2017 RMAG Counselor • 2007 - present, President & Director, Rocky Mountain Section AAPG Foundation • 2010 - 2015 AAPG House of Delegate’s Committees: Rules & Procedures, Nominating & Newsletter • 2006 General Co-Chair: AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Billings, MT • 2002-2006 President/Secretary/Treasurer, RMS AAPG • 1997-2001 Montana Geological Society President/Secretary/ Treasurer • 1987 Second Vice President, Wyoming Geological Association

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

• Stonecipher, S., Diedrich R., 1993, Petrographic Differentiation of Fluvial and Tidally Influenced Estuarine Channels in Second Frontier Sandstones, Moxa Arch Area, Wyoming. Wyoming Geological Association Fiftieth Anniversary Field Conference Guidebook, pp 181-200. • Diedrich R., Dyka, M.A., Miller, W.R., 1988, Editors, Eastern Powder River Basin - Black Hills. Wyoming Geological Association 39th Field Conference Guidebook.

The Patriot 1-19H core taken by SM Energy in Silo Field in 2011. Everyone knew about the Niobrara play in Silo, but this well also cored the Codell and found it to be oil saturated, opening a new horizontal play for the area.

FAVORITE FOOD

Who does not love the Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels?

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD? I want to join the RMAG Board:

• To continue developing relationships through my involvement with local geoscience societies, which has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career • To help RMAG build on some of the new ways that the association’s staff and board have helped our members stay connected, informed and safe during this year of pivotal change with the pandemic and job market upheaval • To work with the board and RMAG committees to provide the best and most relevant scientific, educational and social content for our members and the geoscience community

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Courtney Beck Candidate for First Vice President Elect

EDUCATION • B.S. in Geology, Texas A&M University (2010) • M.S. in Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2013)

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

My first (and only!) professional role was with Halliburton, from 2013 to 2020. I joined Halliburton in Houston as a Geologist/Earth Modeler for the Southeast Tech Team. In this role, I worked on exploration and asset optimization projects with operators in the Eagle Ford and East Texas. For asset optimization projects, I built the earth models for reservoir history matching. The exploration projects were a lot of fun: I built earth models and used seismic and petrophysical properties to assess reservoir quality. I used these models to determine well landing zones and build drilling programs. After a few years, my role expanded to include all of North America. I worked on similar projects in the Woodford, Utica/Point Pleasant, and Midland basin. In 2018, I was transferred to Denver and joined the North America Reservoir Solutions group. My team did similar work to my previous team and also evaluated investment opportunities. Working on these evaluations was a great learning experience because I got to see the entire process of developing an asset, from leasing land to actually selling oil. This role also took me to new plays, including the DJ basin, Montney, and Powder River basin. All good things eventually come to an end, and in April 2020, I joined the fellowship of unemployed geologists. After a lot of Netflix and soul searching, I’ve decided to pursue a career in science writing. In June, I started a freelance job as the technical editor of a mining geology website (Geology for Investors). This job lets me work with geologists from around the world (Canada, Brazil, South Africa, and Slovenia) and I get to write about my first love (hard rocks). I recently started another freelance job writing for the oil & gas startup firm Digital Wildcatters.

OUTCROP | October 2020

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Hard-working, creative, dependable, resourceful, (arts and) craftsy

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE: How can I pick just one outcrop? My favorite rocks are in Crested Butte, along the Slate River and the Oh Be Joyful trail. I’ll always have a soft spot for any outcrop of the Bass Lake Tonalite, the intrusive suite I studied for my master’s thesis. And my favorite mineral is beryl.

FAVORITE FOOD Chips and guac

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS • RMAG Publications Committee: Outcrop Lead Editor (2018-present) I really enjoy working with the other editors to put together the Outcrop every month. There’s a lot that goes into each issue: we work with the RMAG Board of Directors to publish their updates/monthly columns; we assemble a list of upcoming events around the Denver geoscience/petroleum community; we find authors to write lead articles; and we proofread everything. • RMS-SEPM Vice President (2020-present) I started as the Corporate Sponsorship chair last year and took on the Vice President role this spring. As Vice President, I manage the annual scholarships and core workshops. • Junior League of Denver (2018-present) The Junior League is a women’s organization committed to voluntarism and community improvement. I enjoy volunteering with JLD at the Food Bank of the Rockies and at a monthly kids and family program in Park Hill. • Halliburton Women Sharing Excellence Leadership and Professional Development Chair (20162017) I organized and facilitated monthly professional development events for employees at the Halliburton Houston office.

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

• Beck, C.L., Pinkett, J.C., and Horbatko, M., 2020, The Powder River Basin: a persistent player in Wyoming’s energy landscape: RMAG Outcrop, v. 69, no.4, p. 16-26. • Beck, C.L., Khadeeva, A., Sarmah, B. B., and Kimbell, T., 2019 Use of seismic attributes and open hole log data to characterize production variability in a fractured carbonate play: a case study from Madison County, Texas: Geophysical Society of Houston Technical Breakfast Meetings, October 1 and October 16, 2019. • Beck, C.L., Khadeeva, A., Sarmah, B. B., and Kimbell, T., 2019, Use of seismic attributes and open hole log data to characterize production variability in a fractured carbonate play: a case study from Madison County, Texas: SEG Interpretation journal. • Beck, C.L., Khadeeva, A., Sarmah, B.B, Whitsett, A., and Kimbell, T., 2017, Fracture likelihood analysis using seismic and triple combo log data in the stacked carbonate play of Madison County: Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, 1232-1244. • Beck, C.L., Bartley, J.M., Frazer, R.E., Coleman, D.S., Glazner, A.F., 2012, New insights into migration of the Cretaceous Sierran arc using high-precision U/Pb zircon geochronology: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 44, no. 7, p. 490.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD?

Being a member of the RMAG publications committee has created so many opportunities for me. A few months after I moved to Denver, I attended the AAPG conference in Salt Lake City. I asked a woman I met there for advice on how to get involved in the Denver geo community and her advice was to join an RMAG committee. The first few months on the Outcrop team were a whirlwind, but I quickly got the lay of the land. I’m glad I took her advice: joining the publications committee gave me the chance to meet people throughout the Rockies and work on some unique projects. When I finally emerged from the post-layoff fog of “what the heck am I going to do next”, I realized that my RMAG experience gave me the most valuable thing of all: transferable skills. The work I’ve done with the Outcrop and Mountain Geologist gave me the tools I need to move my career forward. I’ve developed so many new skills and ideas in the few months I’ve been doing science writing and editing, and I want to pour all of that knowledge back into RMAG. The current First Vice President, Ben Burke, has tons of great ideas for RMAG publications and media, and I want to help turn those ideas into reality as a member of the RMAG board. Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Justin Birdwell Candidate for First Vice-President Elect

EDUCATION • Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, 2007 • Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, B.S. Chemical Engineering, 2002

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Sep. 2012 - Present, Research Environmental Engineer, U.S. Geological Survey • Oct. 2011 - Sep. 2012, General Research Engineer, U.S. Geological Survey • Oct. 2009 - Oct. 2011, Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, U.S. Geological Survey • Jan. 2008 - Sept. 2009, Research Associate 4/Lecturer, Louisiana State University

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• AAPG HoD Affiliated Society Committee, July 2020 – Present. • AAPG Energy Minerals Division, President-Elect, July 2020 – June 2021. • AAPG Energy Minerals Division, Tight Oil and Gas Committee, Chair, 2019 – present. • AAPG Energy Minerals Division, Shale Gas and Liquids Committee, contributor, 2018 – 2019. • AAPG, Associate Editor, AAPG Bulletin, Jan. 2019 – present. • RMAG, Associate Editor, The Mountain Geologist, 2019. • AAPG House of Delegates, Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists delegate, 2017-present. • AAPG Energy Minerals Division, Oil Shale Committee, Chair, 2016-2018. • RMAG Publications Committee and Executive Editor, The Mountain Geologist, Jan. 2016 – Dec. 2018. • AAPG Energy Minerals Division, Oil Shale Committee, Vice-Chair – Government, 2015. • SETAC Exposure Modeling Advisory Group Steering Committee – Co-Chair 2012-2014. OUTCROP | October 2020

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Dedicated, Curious, Adaptive, Runner, Homebrewer

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE: Wolf Ridge Minerals John Savage 24-1 core (Piceance Basin, Green River Formation)

FAVORITE FOOD

• Solid: The Post’s fried cheese curds w/pickled cauliflower (unfortunately not currently available…) • Liquid: Melvin Brewing’s Hubert Pale Ale

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS • Birdwell J.E., Mercier T.J., Johnson R.C., Brownfield M.E., 2013, In-place oil shale resources examined by grade in the major basins of the Green River Formation, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012–3145, 4 p. • Birdwell J.E., Vanden Berg M.D., Johnson R.C., Mercier T.J., Boehlke A.R., Brownfield M.E., 2016, Geological, geochemical and reservoir characterization of the Uteland Butte member of the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah (Ch. 12), RMAG Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in Unconventional Plays, Rocky Mountain Region, Edited by Dolan M.P., Higley D.H., and Lillis P.G., p. 352-378. • Johnson R.C., Birdwell J.E., Mercier T.J., 2018, Controls on organic matter distributions in Eocene Lake Uinta, Utah and Colorado, The Mountain Geologist, Vol. 55, pp. 177-216. • Birdwell J.E., Lewan M.D., Bake K.D., Bolin T.B., Craddock P.R., Forsythe J.C., Pomerantz A.E., 2018, Evolution of sulfur speciation in bitumen through hydrous pyrolysis induced thermal maturation in Jordanian Ghareb Formation oil shale, Fuel, Vol. 219, pp. 214-222. • French K.L., Birdwell J.E., Lewan M.D., 2020, Trends in thermal maturity indicators for the organic sulfur-rich lower Eagle Ford Shale, Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol. 118, article no. 104459.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD? It is my opinion that membership and participation in professional and scientific organizations is one of the most rewarding aspects of a career in a technical or research-oriented field. It is also something of an obligation as members to maintain organizations like RMAG in order to ensure that future researchers and practitioners have a robust and active community to join as they enter their respective fields. I have also seen the personal and career benefits that can come from volunteering in service and leadership roles within professional organizations like RMAG, in that it is one of the best ways I’ve found to network with potential collaborators and make contacts that are beneficial for my work with the USGS. Having served as an author or co-author on a number of papers, book chapters and government reports, a reviewer for a variety of publications, and an executive editor of The Mountain Geologist and an associate editor for AAPG Bulletin, I believe I have the experience needed to help continue RMAG’s tradition of publishing excellence. As First-VP my goals will be to work with the RMAG Board and current Outcrop and Mountain G editors to continue improving how the manuscript handling and review processes work, making RMAG publications more visible to potential end-users and developing new publication products for the geoscience community in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Mark Millard Candidate for 2nd Vice President

EDUCATION • M.S. in Geology from Baylor University, 2007. B.S. in Geology from Brigham Young University-Idaho, 2005.

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Honest, Open, Engaging, Spontaneous, and Thoughtful

• Present – Novelstone Geologic Consulting • 2017-2020 – Geoscience Manager – Rockies Resources LLC • 2011-2017 – Senior Geologist – SM Energy • 2007-2011 – Senior Geologist – Pioneer Natural Resources

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE:

• Technical Session Chair – 2018 RMS AAPG Annual Conference • Technical Program Chair - 2017 RMS AAPG Annual Conference • AAPG House of Delegates – 2016-2019 • Montana Geological Society Executive Committee - 2012-2016 – President 2015 • BYU-Idaho Geology Department Advisory Board – 2016 – Present • AAPG Visiting Geoscientist (provide lectures to universities) – 2014 - Present

FAVORITE FOOD

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

Have participated in 30 abstracts/publications ranging from the Bakken to active tectonics in California to things as obscure as Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus in Peru (yes, it is an actual thing). In 2014 and 2015 I was awarded the A.I. Levorson award and the Frank Kottlowski Memorial award for best talks at the regional and national AAPG conferences.

OUTCROP | October 2020

The very first core that I collected from the Burns Gas Unit in the Edwards Formation in 2007. Vugs big enough to fit your fingers through! Pizza (is there really any other alternative?)

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD? RMAG is about much more than just rocks. Sure, we all signed up to be Geologists because we love studying the earth, but it is the personal relationships that we develop with others that encourages us to stay in the discipline. I want to server on the board to continue to foster these positive relationships through education, mentoring, and positive engagement.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Matthew W. Bauer, PG Candidate for Second Vice President-Elect

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Creative, Curious, Coder, Generous, Driven

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE: EDUCATION

Kansas City Group, I-50 & Raytown Road

• MS Geology from Colorado School of Mines • BS Geology from University of Missouri-Kansas City

FAVORITE FOOD

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2019-Present: 2M Energy - Director of Geology & Analytics, Rocky Mountains • 2020-Present: Colorado School of Mines: Department of Geology and Geologic Engineering - Volunteer: Data Science Earth Resources Program • 2018-2020: Colorado Geological Survey - Research Faculty • 2018-2019: Anschutz Exploration Corporation - Geologist • 2017: Antero Resources - Intern Geologist • 2016: Colorado Geological Survey - Graduate Research Assistant • 2016: AAPG IBA - Stoneley Medal & Rocky Mountain Section Winner • 2004-2014: ARCADIS - Staff Geologist

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• Instructor for RMAG Short Course. 2019-2020. Practical Python for Earth Scientists • Volunteer Instructor for AAPG Student Chapters. 2018-2020. Practical Python for Earth Scientists • Speaker for RMAG Luncheon. July 2017. Induced Seismicity in the Denver Basin Prompts Updated Basement Fault Configuration Model • Other Memberships: AAPG, SPE, SEPM, Denver Petroleum Club, & SPWLA.

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

• Mills, K. and Bauer, M.W., 2020. HackerVillage Project. YouTube. • Bauer, M.W., 2020. COGCCpy: A package for accessing COGCC data. • Bauer, M.W., 2017. Production trend analytics of the Pronghorn member of the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota. Master’s Thesis. Colorado School of Mines. Arthur Lakes Library. • Bauer, M.W., 2017. Production Trend Analytics: Utilizing Big Data to Minimize Geoscientist Capital Input. AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition.

Xicamiti’s TACOS!!!

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD? In short, to let geologists spend more time interpreting geology. I believe applied data science education will make us better geoscientists and free us from many repetitive workflows. I’ve been contributing to several projects that remove barriers to entry for geoscientists learning the transferable skill of python programming. These programs continue to improve continuing education opportunities for working geologists and employment prospects for the next generation. Serving as Second Vice President with the Continuing Education Committee aligns with my personal goals and would allow me to widen the scope of people that I assist in picking up new tools for their toolbelt.

• Harty, M.J. and Bauer, M.W., 2017. Induced Seismicity in the Denver Basin Prompts Updated Basement Stress and Fault Configuration Model. AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition. • Rassenfoss, S., 2017. Induced Seismicity: Filling in the Blanks To Limit Earthquake Risks. Journal of Petroleum Technology, 69(09), pp.39-42. • Bauer, M.W. and Harty III, M.J., 2016. Induced Seismicity in the Denver Basin Prompts Updated Basement Fault Configuration Model. GSA Annual Meeting.

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Andrew Keene Candidate for Treasurer Elect

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Outgoing, Adventurous, Driven, Curious, Friendly

EDUCATION • MSc, University of Montana; BA, Carleton College

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE:

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

Løkken Ophiolite, Western Norway

• Geophysicist at SM Energy (June 2019 – Present)

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

FAVORITE FOOD

• Member of RMAG Continuing Education Committee

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD?

Pasta

RMAG has been a consistently reliable source of personal and professional support throughout the three years I have been involved with the organization. From providing grants to my Student Chapter of AAPG at the University of Montana, to encouraging me to attend luncheons and networking events in Denver during my internship, they have been a pivotal part of my passion and dream to move to Colorado as a full-time geophysicist at SM Energy. Since I began working in Denver in the summer of 2019, I have been fortunate enough to become involved more directly with RMAG, in the form of the Continuing Education Committee. While serving on this committee, I have helped plan numerous events, including RMAG’s first online technical course. I would like to continue to develop and evolve RMAG for all current and future members, in hopes that the next generation of young geoscientists can take advantage of the same backbone of support that RMAG has already provided to many emerging professionals, such as myself.

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Michael Tischer

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME

Candidate for Treasurer-Elect

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE:

Burgess Shale, Walcott Quarry, Alberta, Canada (Access comes with a 10 km round-trip, 780 m elevation gain hike. It’s paradise!)

EDUCATION • PhD Geology, Columbia University (2005) • M.A. Physics, SUNY Buffalo (1997)

FAVORITE FOOD

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

• On The Rocks GeoConsulting, LLC, Owner (2020) • FractureID, Geologic Consultant (2018-2019) • NEOS GeoSolutions, Exploration Project Manager & Geoscience Lead (2015-2017) • Dolan Integration Group, Petroleum Geologist/Data Manager (2012-2015) • ExxonMobil, Petroleum Geologist (2005-2012)

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• RMAG member since 2012 • Member for RMAG’s field trip committee member since 2018 • Former judge for AAPG’s Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) program, Rocky Mountain Region

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

• Tischer, M., Zimbrick, G., Dolan, M. Tectonic Control on the Thermal Evolution of the Michigan Basin, In AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Search and Discovery Article #90216, 2015 • Tischer, M., Zimbrick, G., Dolan, M. Importance of Structural and Tectonic Inheritance for Unconventional Basin Play Prospectivity: An Example from the Powder River Basin, In Unconventional Resources Technology Conference, Denver, Colorado, 25-27 August 2014, pp. 58-63, 2014. • Tischer, M., U. Ten Brink, U., G. Karner, A. Goodliffe, M. Robb, B. Taylor, N. Driscoll, D. Ryan, Insights into along-strike passive continental margin variability from seismic reflection, refraction and gravity data, Northwest Australia, Eos Trans. AGU, 84 (46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract T51F-0218, 2003

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

Nimble, Curious, Understanding, Genuine, German

Kinder Surprise Eggs (The European version)

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD? I think everybody agrees that we’ve had a crazy year. COVID-19 changed everybody’s life, the oil and gas industry is struggling like never before, and science, more than ever, is under assault. It is no understatement to say that this has affected RMAG significantly. Yet I have seen first hand how resilient RMAG and its community can be in the light of all these challenges. I have been inspired not only by my fellow field trip committee members, who did their best to offer an exciting field trip season yet ultimately were shutdown by events beyond their control, but also by the rest of the RMAG organization who forged ahead without losing a beat to offer members engaging and informative programming, despite all current social restrictions. As a member of the board I would like to continue this tradition of excellence and help fulfill the organization’s mission over the next couple of years. Much has been accomplished, but much more can be done!

OUTCROP | October 2020

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Jeff May Candidate for Counselor

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME Perfectionist (is that good or bad?), Dogged, Responsible, Good communicator, Respectful

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE:

EDUCATION

Eocene of Black’s Beach, La Jolla, California

• B.A. Geology, Earlham College, 1975 • M.S. Geology, Duke University, 1977 • Ph.D. Geology, Rice University, 1982

FAVORITE FOOD Dessert

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

I have worked in the oil and gas industry for almost 40 years: as a research geologist with Marathon Oil Company (1981-1994); as a geological and geophysical consultant with Enron Oil & Gas (1994-1996) and GeoQuest Reservoir Technologies (1996-1998); as an exploration geoscientist with DDD Energy (1998-2001); and with EOG Resources beginning in 2001, first as Chief Stratigrapher and then as Chief Geologist, until taking early retirement in 2011. In addition, I recently became an Affiliate Faculty member in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines.

I have conducted sedimentologic, sequence stratigraphic, and seismic stratigraphic interpretation on numerous basins and fields worldwide. Areas of expertise include onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico; onshore and offshore California; Uinta, Green River, Washakie, Denver, Powder River, and Williston basins; northern and eastern Egypt; and Natuna Sea, Indonesia. At EOG, I provided technical evaluation of regional to prospect-scale projects plus in-house training for all 10 divisions. I continue to present a variety of classroom and field seminars on clastic facies, deep-water sandstones, sequence stratigraphy, and mudrock deposition and stratigraphy, most notably for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, Nautilus Worldwide, many oil and gas companies, and universities.

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD?

Perhaps two phrases, “paying it forward” and “moving us forward”, best summarize why I want to be part of the RMAG Board. I have been a member for 35 years and benefited from its many programs, including luncheons, field trips, short courses, and conferences. In addition, I value the sense of community available through RMAG, and have gained important insights and knowledge during informal interactions with so many of its members Serving as Counselor would provide an opportunity to repay the organization for aiding my career and increasing my geologic understanding. My primary goals are to increase networking opportunities and enhance the scientific impact offered by RMAG. In addition, serving on RMAG’s Educational Outreach Committee makes me realize that, to guarantee a strong future for our profession, we need to increase our visibility in K-12 schools and the community. We can dispel myths about our industry and inspire future scientists. Of special importance to me personally is increasing gender and racial diversity in the earth sciences. I would like to explore potential synergies with programs on inclusion and cognitive bias developed by other professional societies, such as SEPM and GSA. Finally, I view the Counselor role as a sounding board for and providing guidance to the other Board Members. Our industry and professional societies are facing many challenges. I would like to work with the Board to ensure RMAG meets those challenges and continues as a valuable and vibrant organization for the near AND long terms.

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

INVOLVEMENT WITHIN RMAG AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS • Best Paper (Kottlowski Award), Energy Minerals Division, 2011 Annual Convention Distinguished Lecturer, 2012-2013

RMAG

• Best Speaker Award, 1995 & 2013 • Best Speaker Award, 3D Seismic Symposium, 2003 • On-The-Rocks Field Trip Leader, 2012 & 2013 • Outstanding Scientist Award (with Donna Anderson), 2017 • Educational Outreach Committee, 2017-present • MiT Webinar Moderator, 2020

SEPM

AAPG

• Field & Classroom Instructor, 1993-2001 • Field Trip Leader, 1996 & 2015 • Editorial Board, 1997-1999 • Technical Advisory Committee, 2010-2013

• Symposium Chair, 1996 • Poster Session Chair, 1994 • AudioVisual Committee, 1989-1994 • Field Trip Leader, 1984 • RMS-SEPM Speaker Coordinator, 2003-2005

GSA

• Editorial Board, 1983-1986 • Field Trip Leader, 1979 & 1991

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS • May, J.A., 2013, The Sedimentology of Mudrocks: Organics, Organisms, and Occasional Occurrences: SPE-AAPGSEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference (URTeC), Denver, Paper # 1617711, 10 pp. • May, J.A., and Anderson, D.S., 2013, Mudrock Reservoirs – Why Depositional Fabric and Sequence Stratigraphic Framework Matter: American Assoc. Petroleum Geologists, Search & Discovery Article #80338, 53 pp. • May, J.A., Przywara, M.S., Clark, R., Mazza, T.A., and Perez, J.G., 2007, Amplitude anomalies in a sequence stratigraphic framework: Exploration successes and pitfalls in a subgorge play, Sacramento Basin, California: The Leading Edge, v. 26, p. 1516-1526. • May, J.A., and Warme, J. E., 2007, A rare exposure of an ancient submarine canyon: The Middle Eocene of Black’s Beach, La Jolla, California, USA, in • T.H. Nilsen, R.D. Shew, G.S. Steffens, and J.R.J. Studlick, (eds.), Atlas of Deepwater Outcrops: American Assoc. Petroleum Geologists, Studies in Geology 5, p. 378-382. • May, J.A., and Warme, J.E., 2000, Bounding surfaces, lithologic variability, and sandstone connectivity within submarine-canyon outcrops, Eocene of San Diego, California, in P. Weimer, et al. (eds.), Deep Water Reservoirs of the World: Gulf Coast Sec.-SEPM, 20th Annual Research Conf., p. 556-577. • May, J.A., 1993, Shelf sandstones of the deep Wilcox trend, central Texas Gulf Coast, in Rhodes, E.G., and Moslow, T.F. (eds.), Marine Clastic Reservoirs: Examples and Analogs: Springer-Verlag, Frontiers in Sedimentary Geology Series, p. 135-159.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

• May, J.A., Lohmar, J.M., Warme, J.E., and Morgan, S., 1991, Early to middle Eocene La Jolla Group of Black’s Beach, La Jolla, California, in Abbott, P.L., and May, J.A. (eds.), Eocene Geologic History, San Diego Region: SEPM, Pac. Sec., p. 27-36. • May, J.A., and Stonecipher, S.A., 1990, Depositional environments of the Wilcox Group, Texas Gulf Coast: stratigraphic and early diagenetic signatures: GCAGS, Trans., v 60, p. 551-574. • May, J.A., and Warme, J.E., 1987, Synchronous depositional phases in West Coast basins: eustasy or regional tectonics? in Ingersoll, R.V., and Ernst, W.G. (eds.), Cenozoic Basin Development of Coastal California, Rubey Volume VI: Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, p. 24-46. • May, J.A., Yeo, R.K., and Warme, J.E., 1984, Eustatic control on synchronous stratigraphic development: Cretaceous and Eocene coastal basins along an active margin: Sedimentary Geo., v. 40, p. 131-149. • May, J.A., Warme, J.E., and Slater, R.A., 1983, Role of submarine canyons on shelfbreak erosion and sedimentation: modern and ancient examples, in Stanley, D.J., and Moore, G.T. (eds.), The Shelfbreak: Critical Interface on Continental Margins: SEPM, Spec. Pub., No. 33, p. 315-332. • May, J.A., and Perkins, R.D., 1979, Endolithic infestation of carbonate substrates below the sediment-water interface: Jour. Sed. Pet., v. 49, p. 357-377

OUTCROP | October 2020

2021 Board of Directors Candidate

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Matt Silverman Candidate for Counselor

EDUCATION

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME

• M.S. Geological Sciences, University of Colorado • A.B, Brown University

PROFESIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 40+ years of experience, including: Robert L. Bayless, Producer: Exploration Manager; Gustavson Associates: Vice President – International; Total: Senior Geologist; Evans Energy: Geologist; and, of course, Consultant. • Involvement with RMAG or other professional organizations: • RMAG: President, Secretary. Founder and first Chair of the Corporate Advisory Board. Honorary Member. Editor of The Outcrop. • AAPG: Chair, History of Petroleum Geology Committee. Editor, Historical Highlights column in The Explorer. Certified Petroleum Geologist, #3385. • Denver International Petroleum Society: President. • Petroleum History Institute: President, Annual Convention Chair.

MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS

30-some publications and presentations on petroleum exploration and its history, including: Silverman, M.R., S.M. Landon, J.S. Leaver, T.J. Mather, and E. Berg, 2007, No fuel like an old fuel: Proterozoic oil and gas potential in the Beetaloo Basin, Northern Territory, Australia: “Proceedings of the Central Australian Basins Symposium,” Northern Territory Geological Survey.

OUTCROP | October 2020

Colorado, geology, skiing, history, family

FAVORITE OUTCROP/CORE: The Fountain Formation at the Flatirons.

FAVORITE FOOD

Fettucine Carbonara

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE RMAG BOARD? To support us through these rough times, to help celebrate RMAG’s centennial in 2022, and to plan for success for our next 100 years.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

Experience Experience truly truly integrated integrated 3D interpretation 3D interpretation with truly integrated truly integrated with industry's most industry's most advanced advanced 3D with 3D interpretation interpretation with geoscience geoscience system industry's most industry's system most advanced advanced geoscience system geoscience system GVERSE Geomodeling 2017 GeoGraphix 2017 GVERSE Geomodeling 2017 GeoGraphix 2017

GVERSE GVERSE

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Email: aford@lmkr.com P: +1 (303) 996-2153, C: +1 (720) 210-8889

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OUTCROP | October 2020

News From The RMAG Foundation The RMAG Foundation Trustees are pleased to welcome two new Trustees who will begin their terms in January, 2021.

JoDana Swanson is an Industry Solutions Advisor and Key Accounts Lead for Halliburton (Landmark PSL). In that capacity, she manages technical sales consultants and industry solution advisors whose collective goal is to utilize technical expertise and market research to enhance key accounts for the company. JoDana transferred with the company to Denver three years ago and brings a fresh view to foundation philanthropy and fundraising. Her extensive knowledge of many geoscience software applications and their functionality will help us to assess graduate student thesis and dissertation proposals.

Bob Tucker is a retired geologist with 38 years working domestic and international plays, with additional experience in petrophysics, geophysics, and senior management positions. Most recently, Bob was Vice-President of Geology for Antero Resources in Denver, but spent two decades with Amoco Production Company (in Denver and Houston) and with Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (in Cairo). His additional skills in engineering and GIS, as well as his international perspective, provide some breadth to the Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toolkit of skills in assessing scholarship applicants and geoscience programs.

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Jonathon Baker

Dana LoPorto-Kiss

Patricia Carlson

is a Geology MS Student, MUDTOC Research Assistant at Colorado School of Mines and lives in Golden, Colorado.

is in SVP Geoscience and Evaluations at Rio Oil and Gas and lives in Newark, Texas.

lives in Thornton, Colorado.

Patrick Sullivan

works for MnDOT and lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Jessica Eagle-Bluestone

Patrick Wagner

lives in Berthoud, Colorado.

is an MS Student at Texas A&M University and lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Adam Lane

is a student at University of Kansas and lives in Topeka, Kansas.

CALENDAR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OCTOBER 2020 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

RMAG Geo Hike Challenge. Virtual Event.

RMAG Short Course.

Members in Transition: Getting Started with QGIS

SATURDAY

AUGUST 15 -OCTOBER 15, 2020

FRIDAY

RMAG Online Luncheon.

13 RMAG Data Science Webinar Series.

20 RMAG Data Science Webinar Series. COGA Connect Virtual Event.

27 RMS-SEPM Webinar Meeting.

RMAG Data Science Webinar Series.

RMAG/DWLS Fall Symposium.

COGA Small Operator Half Day Training.

SPE/IADC Conference and Exhibition.

SPE Virtual Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition. WENCO Virtual Summit and Annual Luncheon.

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | October 2020

ADVERTISER INDEX

• Crestone Peak Resources �� 45 • Daub & Associates �� 21 • Donovan Brothers Inc. �� 6 • GeoMark Research �� 10 • Great Western �� 31 • Hollowtop Geological Services �� 6 • LMKR �� 45 • Schlumberger �� 24 • Sunburst Consulting �� 29 • Tracerco �� 31 • Tracker Resource Development �� 8

OUTCROP ADVERTISING RATES 1 Time

2 Times

6 Times

12 Times

Full page (7-1/2” x 9-1/4”)

$330

$620

$1,710

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2/3 page (4-7/8” x 9-1/4”)

$220

$400

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1/2 page (7-1/2” x 4-5/8”)

$175

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1/3 page horizontal (4-7/8” x 4-7/8”)

$165

$250

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1/3 page vertical (2-3/8” x 9-1/4”)

$165

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1/6 page (2-3/8” x 4-7/8”)

$75

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Professional Card (2-5/8” x 1-1/2”)

$20

$34

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$144

OUTCROP | October 2020

Vol. 69, No. 10 | www.rmag.org

October 2020 Outcrop

Articles inside

News From The RMAG Foundation

2020 RMS-AAPG Awards

Geology and the Skiing Experience

President’s Letter