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

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

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 Geo

Graphix 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, » CONTINUED ON PAGE 10