May 2022 Outcrop

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 71 • No. 5 • May 2022

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

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OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

1999 Broadway • Suite 730 • 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.

2022 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2nd VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Rob Diedrich rdiedrich75@gmail.com

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

PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Ben Burke bburke158@gmail.com

Sandra Labrum slabrum@slb.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

Courtney Beck Antolik courtneyantolik14@gmail.com

Mike Tischer mtischer@gmail.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER ELECT

Ron Parker parkero@gmail.com

Anna Phelps aphelps@sm-energy.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Mark Millard millardm@gmail.com

Jeff May jmay.kcrossen@gmail.com

RMAG STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Bridget Crowther bcrowther@rmag.org OPERATIONS MANAGER

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org CO-EDITORS

Courtney Beck Antolik courtneyantolik14@gmail.com Nate LaFontaine nlafontaine@sm-energy.com Wylie Walker wylie.walker@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Elijah Adeniyi elijahadeniyi@montana.edu

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rates and sizes can be found on page 43. 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 720-672-9898.

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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

Danielle Robinson danielle.robinson@dvn.com

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DESIGN/LAYOUT: Nate Silva | nate@nate-silva.com

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Outcrop | May 2022 OUTCROP

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2022 RMAG FIELD TRIPS Registration open! (for most trips)

Unconventional Reservoirs of the Southern Denver Basin | May 21 | Pueblo, CO Trip leader: Jeff May San Juan River Raft Trip | June 14-16 | Bluff, UT Trip leader: Gary Gianniny, Fort Lewis on the Water (FLOW)

Colorado Glaciology | June 25 | Minturn/Vail, CO Trip leader: Vince Matthews

Leadville Mineral Belt Bike Tour | July 9 | Leadville, CO Trip leader: Fred Mark

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument & Clare Quarry Fossil Collecting | August, Date TBD | Florissant, CO Trip leader: Monument Visitor Center Staff

Detroit City Portal Rhodochrosite Mine Tour | August 19 | Alma, CO Trip leader: Dean Misantoni, Mine Geologist

Picketwire Dinosaur Trackways | October 22-23 | La Junta, CO Trip leaders: Martin Lockley & Bruce Schumacher Trip run in conjunction with Dinosaur Ridge

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720.672.9898 | w: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES 6 2022 RMAG Summit Sponsorship Packet 16 Lead Story: A large Paleozoic Impact Crater Strewn Field discovered in the Rocky Mountains near Douglas, Wyoming

ASSOCIATION NEWS 2 RMAG Summit Sponsors 4 2022 RMAG Field Trips 11 RMAG Powder River Basin Symposium 13 RMAG Golf Tournament Arrowhead Golf Club

26 History of Humor in the RMAG

15 On The Rocks: San Juan River Raft Trip

DEPARTMENTS

25 Call For Papers for The Mountain Geologist

10 RMAG April 2022 Board of Directors Meeting

38 The RMAG Membership Committee 40 Golden Rocks! A Free eBook for the RMAG Geo-Community 42 Special Awards Judging at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair 44 RMAG Foundation News 34 RMAG Foundation News 35 Call For Papers for The Mountain Geologist

12 President’s Letter 32 Hybrid Lunch Talk: Donna Anderson 34 Hybrid Lunch Talk: Andrew Keene 36 Member Corner: Ben (Benny) Gonzales II 43 In The Pipeline 43 Outcrop Advertising Rates 45 Welcome New RMAG Members!

46 Advertiser Index 46 Calendar

COVER PHOTO Taylor Park, CO, viewed looking northwest from Cottonwood Pass. The highest peaks in the photo are the Three Apostles, from right to left: North Apostle, Ice Mountain (most prominent), and West Apostle. This part of the Sawatch Range is underlain by Proterozoic basement rocks, Laramide-aged granodiorite, and the Eocene Grizzly Peak caldera. Miocene(?) extension formed the little-studied Taylor Park fault, which bounds the line of peaks in the center of this photo.

Photo by Ryan Frazer

RMAG Summit Sponsorship

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April 21, 2022 Geoscience Community: RMAG could not exist without the very generous support of our Summit Sponsors, and we greatly appreciate all the companies that have contributed over the years.

Following two pandemic years the world has reshaped itself and faces new challenges. Here in RMAG’s 100th year we have continued to adapt to the changing environment to meet both the needs of our members and the greater geoscience community, as well as honor our sponsors’ commitment to RMAG. In the past few months, we have transitioned from solely online events to hybrid lunches, where local members can gather for lunch and the talk and our members across the country and around the world can tune in for the talk. We will continue to do a mix of online and in-person short courses as the year progresses, creating opportunities for learning and networking for all our members.

Your generous sponsorship dollars are supporting seven field trips this summer, from a raft trip on the San Juan to a tour of Colorado’s Glaciology, and we’ve already had a behind-the-scenes tour of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and a virtual trip to learn about the soon-to-close CEMEX Niobrara Quarry. The RMAG Mentorship program is in full swing, connecting the next generation of geoscientists with veterans of the industry. As the weather improves and people return to the office, we look forward to many more events in person, from social to educational.

Your sponsorship dollars continue to support our excellent publications including the monthly Outcrop newsletter, the quarterly Mountain Geologist journal, and special publications such as Subsurface Cross Sections of Southern Rocky Mountain Basins. We recognize your financial commitment with website and publication advertising as well as through social media before each online event. With a LinkedIn group of over 2600 members, we make our sponsors visible to the geoscience community for both virtual and in person events.

If you are already a Summit Sponsor or are looking for a smaller way to financially support the organization, the 2022 Golf Tournament will be on June 7th with plenty of sponsorship opportunities, and later this year we will be throwing the 100th birthday party, with multiple opportunities to sponsor the celebration.

Thank you to those who are already a Summit Sponsor, and if you are not already a sponsor, please look at the many complementary benefits included with the sponsorship levels. Please feel free to contact our staff with questions about sponsorship by email: staff@rmag.org or by phone at 720672-9898.

We and the staff of RMAG thank you all for your continued support and look forward to seeing you in person this year.

Rob Diedrich

Bridget Crowther

2022 RMAG President

RMAG Executive Director

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OUTCROP | May 2022

RMAG Summit Sponsorship Platinum, Gold, & Silver Sponsors

Sponsorship Level

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over $9,000

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over $3,000

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4 articles & 4 large ads

2 articles & 2 medium ads

4 small ads

The Outcrop (receive benefits for 12 issues, monthly online publication)*

full page ad

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1/2 page ad

Company logo listed as a annual sponsor in The Outcrop

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Company logo looping in PowerPoint presentation

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Company logo on Summit Sponsor signage at all events**

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✓

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✓

Contribution Level Benefits Value

RMAG Website Benefits Company logo on Summit Sponsor page on www.rmag.org Articles and Ads on special Advertisers’ web page Publication Advertising

Event Advertising (included for all events except where noted)

Opportunity to offer RMAG approved promotional materials

*12 months of Outcrop advertising: In order to receive 12 full months, company logos and ad art must be received no later than the 20th of the month in which you register. If received after the 20th of the month, ad will start in the month following the month after you register, and you will receive 11 total months (e.g., ads received March 25th will appear in the May issue and run through the following March). **Previous Summit Sponsors need to submit only advertising information.

RMAG Educational Events†

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Number of registrations for each type of educational event are suggested; however, you may use your registration points for any of RMAG’s symposia, core workshops or short courses. For example, a Gold sponsor may use 4 of their 6 points to send a group to the Fall Symposium.

Symposium registrations

4

2

1

Core Workshop registrations

4

2

1

Short Course registrations

4

2

1

Total Registration Points

12

6

3

Platinum

Gold

Silver

RMAG Social Events†

Golf and other social event registration points may be used for RMAG educational event registrations. For example, a Platinum Sponsor may use one of their golf teams (4 points) to send 4 people to a short course.

Golf Tournament player tickets

2 team of 4 players

1 team of 4 players

2 individual players

Total Golf registration points

8

4

2

Total Social Event registration points

8

4

2

Platinum

Gold

Silver

RMAG Luncheons & Field Trips

Number of tickets for field trips and luncheons are suggested; however, you may use your tickets for any of RMAG’s 2022 day field trips or luncheons. For example, a Gold sponsor may use all 3 of their points to send a group on a field trip.

Field Trip tickets (may be used for any 1-day field trip)

2

1

1

RMAG Luncheon tickets

3

2

1

†Registration points may be used for any RMAG educational event. One registration point = one admission ticket to event. Luncheon and field trip tickets are not eligible to use for educational or social events.

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Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

2022 RMAG Summit Sponsorship All sponsor benefit event tickets follow RMAG event registration deadlines.

All benefits end 12 months after registration.

RMAG 2022 2 Summit Sponsorship Opportunities Platinum Sponsor Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsor

Summit sponsorship benefits term is for 12 months! Specify type of payment on signed form, and send logo to staff@rmag.org.

Company: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Company Representative: ________________________________________________________________________________

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Signature: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Payment by Check Mail checks payable to RMAG: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) 1999 Broadway, Suite 730 Denver, CO, 80202

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

email: staff@rmag.org

Thank you for your generous support!

phone: 720.672.9898

1999 Suite 730 Denver, CO, 80202 Vol. 71,Broadway, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

fax: 323.352.0046

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web: www.rmag.org

follow: @rmagdenver OUTCROP | May 2022

RMAG APRIL 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

By Sandra Labrum, Secretary slabrum@slb.com

The April Board of Directors meeting took place April 20th , 2022 at 4pm via Microsoft Teams. All board members except one were present. April was another great month for new members, as we had 29 join! Welcome to all the new members, we are so happy to have you. The Finance committee provided an overview of the financials for March. RMAG had a net operating gain due to summit sponsorships coming in this month. Additionally, the board voted to hire an outside financial consultant to help provide oversight and make suggestions on how we could make improvements to our finances.

The Continuing Education Committee is continuing to host hybrid lunches with great success.

Be sure to catch Donna Anderson’s History of RMAG talk in May. The Membership Committee is making progress on increasing the membership, and the mentorship program is in full swing. The Publications Committee is continuing to do great work bringing us a full slate of articles to celebrate the 100th anniversary of RMAG. If you would like to write an article for the Mountain Geologist, please let us know; the submissions for the 100th anniversary are due June 1st. Educational Outreach is spearheading the RMAG foundation teacher of the year applications (due June 7th), so be sure to nominate your favorite earth science teacher. On the Rocks has an amazing lineup for field trips for the year, see the calendar linked on the RMAG website for the full schedule. The next event is Unconventional Reservoirs of the Southern Denver Basin on May 21st. Finally, the Diversity and Inclusion committee is continuing to work on increasing the diversity in RMAG members and increasing the visibility of RMAG at events that we typically haven’t participated in.

I hope you all have a fantastic month and can get outside. For me I am spending as much time out as I can with my boys. Judging from the volume of rocks we have to bring home, it looks like an interest in geology is genetic. Until next time!

Hi everyone! Happy allergy season, hopefully the longer days and beautiful weather aren’t causing too much suffering. If you are looking for more opportunity to get outside registration for the On the Rocks 2022 field trips are officially open. If you see something you want to go on register today!

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

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

(720) 351-7470 donovan@petroleum-eng.com

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Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Powder River Basin Symposium & Core Workshop Sept. 14-15, 2022 • Sheraton Denver West

Call for Papers Deadline Extended to May 31, 2022 The RMAG is soliciting papers for presentation at their Fall Symposium, which will focus on the geology and petroleum development of the Powder River Basin.

Talks will be 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes for questions.

We will consider papers on any producing formation in the basin but with an intention to focus on the Niobrara, Turner, Frontier, and Mowry.

We are also looking for companies and organizations that would be willing to exhibit core from the basin. Cores will be exhibited on the afternoon of the 15th, and core presenters will be given the opportunity to present a paper on their evaluation of the core during the morning oral session.

Please submit your abstract and a short biographical sketch through the RMAG website or send them to the RMAG Office at staff@rmag.org.

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 11 e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720.672.9898 | w: www.rmag.org

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

By Rob Diedrich

“I touch the future. I teach.”

—Astronaut, Christa McAuliffe

Who are the memorable teachers in your life? I have many!

Mr. Klopp, my 8th grade teacher: He had taught at my school forever (he even taught my mother!) and had a reputation for being very stern. I was not a very good student and was nervous entering 8th grade. However, I discovered that Mr. Klopp was special in that he respected each of his students. That respect motivated me to take school seriously and work harder than I ever had before. He gave me leadership opportunities and helped me develop self-confidence. Mr. Klopp transformed High school students from the Denver School of Innovation & Sustainable Design examine me from a lackadaisical stuColorado’s Yule Marble on a building in Denver’s Capitol Hill. The building stone field trip was dent into the one who recoordinated by RMAG’s Education Outreach Committee. ceived “The Most Improved textbook and notes available at test time was comStudent” Award at 8th grade graduation. pletely foreign to me. Dr. Palmer’s test questions were Mr. Howe, my high school Earth Science teachhydrological puzzles, and he expected us to apply the er: Mr. Howe’s teaching style was project-based and proper concepts and formulas to solve those puzzles. hands-on. He introduced me to the concept of porosiDr. Palmer taught me how to think critically. ty using two beakers. One contained same-sized marIt is important to support teachers since they can bles and the other marbles of different sizes. When be most influential in a student’s education and fuwe added water to the beakers, the one with the sortture. The Education Outreach Committee is RMAG’s ed marbles held a greater water volume than the one teacher support arm. Its mission is to provide fun and with unsorted marbles. Mr. Howe’s simple demonengaging geoscience opportunities for K-12 students stration of porosity was a first step toward my underand adults. The committee connects RMAG memstanding of petroleum reservoir quality. bers with teachers and schools in a variety of ways, Dr. Palmer, my Hydrology Professor: Dr. Palmer’s exams were all “open book.” The idea of having my CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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RMAG Golf Tournament Arrowhead Golf Club June 7, 2022

13th hole @ Arrowhead ~ Photo by RMAG member Megan Cornelissen

2pm Shotgun | Grab & Go Lunch Starts @ 1pm Registration includes entry, 18 holes of golf, cart, lunch, dinner, & entry to win prizes Teams of 4 and individuals are invited to register!

Member Team: $600 Member Individual: $150 Non-member Team: $700 Non-member Individual: $175 Registration open at www.rmag.org Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 13 e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720.672.9898 | w: www.rmag.org

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER Speaking of education, do you know of any exceptional Earth Science teachers in your Colorado community? Urge them to apply for the RMAG Foundation’s Teacher of the Year award. Any elementary or secondary school educator who promotes the teaching of Earth Science to K-12 students in Colorado is eligible. The 2022 winner will receive $2000 for professional development. $2000 is also awarded to the winner’s school’s Earth Science program. Please encourage your favorite earth science teacher to apply at https://rmagfoundation.org/awards/. The application deadline is June 6th.

For my monthly Centennial anecdote, let’s go back to 1965, the year that RMAG Education Committee volunteers ran geology field trips for the National Science Teachers Convention. These trips were a huge hit, attended by 180 teachers and 600 school children. Now that is Education Outreach!

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from providing guest lecturers on geoscience topics (careers, rocks, fossil fuel energy, mining) to offering classroom sample kits to identify fossils, rocks and minerals. In April, RMAG members led two field trips for Denver area high school students. One led students through Denver’s Capitol Hill to examine Colorado building stones (see photo) and the other was a field/lab exercise on the J Sandstone outcrop in Turkey Creek Canyon.

Do you have an interest in sharing your love of geology with teachers and students in your community? Then the Education Outreach Committee has a myriad of volunteer opportunities for you. Could you help with the RMAG booth during Dinosaur Ridge’s Scout Days on Saturday June 4th? Please reach out to staff@rmag.org for more information on this and other education outreach opportunities.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of of RMAG

Rocky Mountain Section

THE FUTURE OF ROCKIES GEOLOGY HYATT REGENCY DENVER AT COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER

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SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER

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2022 RMAG FIELD TRIPS

San Juan River Raft Trip | June 14-16 | Bluff, UT Trip leader: Gary Gianniny, Fort Lewis on the Water (FLOW)

ON

-TH

Join us on the river!

Come join us for three days (and two/three nights camping) on a geologic float-trip through the Upper Canyon of the San Juan River, June 14-16.

Our trip leader, Dr. Gary Gianniny, Professor of Geosciences at Fort Lewis College, will lead us on rafts piloted by boatmen from the Fort Lewis on the Water program (FLOW). We will launch near Bluff, Utah on Tuesday, June 14, and float 27 miles to Mexican Hat, Utah, where we will disembark on Thursday June 16.

Geological highlights we will float through include: • • •

The Navajo Sandstone on the Comb Ridge Monocline Triassic and Permian terrigenous redbeds The spectacularly exposed cyclic Pennsylvanian carbonates, mudstones, and evaporites of the Paradox Formation

Classic shoaling-upward cycles, including phylloid-algal bafflestone buildups with ooid grainstone caps, are exposed at river-level near Eight Foot Rapid. We will also float through the spectacular Raplee Anticline on our traverse from the Paradox Basin onto the Monument Uplift.

Trip limited to 25 participants $850/RMAG member, $900/ non-member Registration opens soon!

See details at www.rmag.org

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 15 e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720.672.9898 | w: www.rmag.org

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A LARGE PALEOZOIC IMPACT CRATER STREWN FIELD discovered in the Rocky Mountains near Douglas, Wyoming Submitted by Doug Cook AAPG Astrogeology Committee, Colorado Springs Astronomical Society, The Second World Book Series- Author

Now, fast forward to August 20, 2017. I am standing on the precipice of what we now refer to as Crater SM-1 on the east-facing slope of Sheep Mountain near Douglas, Wyoming (42°39′7.30″N, 105°26′58.73″W).

1 I am doing geologic fieldwork with Jack Schmitt on a suspected impact crater in the Paleozoic Casper Sandstone Formation (Figures 2a,b, 3, 4a,b). I use my rock hammer and chisel to bang a sample out of the quartzite hard rock. We sampled in a traverse across the crater from east to west. Jack helps me photograph a sample of the sandstone that shows the geologic fabric of its ancient history as a sand dune. Jack had a laugh reminiscing about his fieldwork at Shorty Crater forty-four years earlier.

I

MAGINE STANDING ON THE PRECIPICE

of an impact crater with renowned Apollo 17 astronaut geologist, Dr. Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt, and making a ground breaking geologic discovery. If this were 20 minutes past midnight on December 13, 1972, I might be Gene Cernan taking a panoramic photograph of Jack Schmitt at Shorty Crater on Apollo 17 EVA 2 Station 4 at Taurus Littrow on the Moon. Jack announced, “There’s orange soil! It’s all over! Orange!” This was the famous discovery of volcanic glass micro-bead soil that had not previously been seen on the Moon (Figures 1a, b). But I was a senior in high school watching this scene on our new color TV (yes- really the first color TV in the neighborhood) only dreaming of being an astronaut.

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Figure 1a. Apollo 17 EVA 2 Station 4. Harrison Schmitt and lunar rover on the edge of Shorty Crater. “Orange soil!”

NASA Image AS17-137-21010HR. FIGURE 1A:

(above) Apollo 17 EVA 2 Station 4.

Harrison Schmitt and lunar rover on the edge of Shorty Crater. “Orange soil!” NASA Image AS17-137-21010HR. FIGURE 1B:

(left) Apollo 17 EVA 2 Station 4. Shorty Crater. “Orange soil!”

NASA Image AS17-137-20986

Figure 1b. Apollo 17 EVA 2 Station 4. Shorty Crater. “Orange soil!”

NASA Image AS17-137-20986 .

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Figure 2a. Harrison Schmitt on the steep west flank of Sheep Mountain Crater SM-1.

FIGURE 2A:

Harrison Schmitt on the steep west flank of Sheep Mountain Crater SM-1.

FIGURE 2B:

August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Casper, Wyoming. Left to right: NASA astronaut geologist Dr. James Reilly, Casper College Dr. Kent Sundell, and Apollo 17 Dr. Harrison Schmitt

Figure 2b. August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Casper, Wyoming.

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Left to right: NASA astronaut geologist James Reilly, Vol. 71, No. 5 Casper College Dr. Kent Sundell, and Apollo 17 Dr. Harrison Schmitt

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Tomorrow is the big total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 and we are in the centerline (Figure 2b). Our local geology expert is Dr. Kent Sundell, well known paleontologist from Casper College. Kent had obtained permission to enter the private Wills Ranch to access the crater field. The Wills family was most gracious and had showed up in force to meet and greet us.

Later, I sent the geologic samples from Sheep Mountain Crater SM-1 (Figure 5a) to Dr. Thomas Kenkmann at Albert-Ludwigs University in Germany. I had worked with Thomas previously on the Saqqar impact crater in Saudi Arabia where we proved the existence of one of the largest known terrestrial impact craters.2 I had also previously worked on five buried impact craters, including Saqqar, in Saudi Arabia. The impact craters were discovered in petroleum geology fieldwork with colleagues at Saudi Aramco.3 In astrogeology, almost any circular feature on another planet, the Moon, or asteroid that looks like an impact structure is accepted as such by analogy to Earth impact structures that have been studied intensively. The late Dr. Eugene Shoemaker of the USGS, is considered the father of impact structure science. He initially used Meteor Crater in Arizona as his laboratory. He gathered and processed geologic samples to develop the evidence that this compelling structure that looks so much like craters on the Moon was indeed caused by the impact of a high velocity body from space, rather than by some other mechanism such as a volcanic explosion or a cavern collapse.

Indeed the Earth, as a geologically active planet, does create many circular geologic features that are

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(above) Stratigraphy of Sheep Mountain, Douglas, Wyoming FIGURE 4B:

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(left) Stratigraphic Cross Section of Sheep Mountain, Douglas, Wyoming

600

Figure 4b. Stratigraphic Cross Section of Sheep Mountain, Douglas, Wyoming 19

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LEAD STORY

Pebble in mud d

Crater 1 a

5 cm

Figure 5. Drone images (credit of Sundell) Sheep of Mountain Craters 1-41-4 with FIGURE 5: (above) DroneKent imagesSundell) (credit Kent Sheep Mountain Craters characteristic with overturned flaps compared a pebble tossedtossed in soft mud. characteristic overturned flaps to compared to a pebble in soft mud.

Figure 6. Craters SM-15 and SM-17 (NORTH of CRATER SM-1) SOUTHERN SHEEP MOUNTAIN (NORTH of CRATER SM-1)

FIGURE 6: (below) Craters SM-15 and SM-17, SOUTHERN SHEEP MOUNTAIN

SM-17

SM-15

N

0

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20

20

40 m

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LEAD STORY

not impact structures. Using a trite analogy, a circular feature on Earth might look like duck, quack like a duck, and walk like a duck but it will not be accepted as a “duck” until lab samples are examined for “DNA” proof that it is a “duck”, or rather a terrestrial impact structure. The circular structure may have a raised central peak, may exhibit shatter cone structures, and may have gravity and magnetic anomalies that give Impact specialists reason to suspect that the circular feature is a “duck”. However, it has not been proven without forensic “DNA” evidence. In this case, the needed “DNA” evidence is microscopic planar deformation features (PDF) features in quartz grains that are caused by hypervelocity shock pressures above an instantaneous threshold of about 5 gigapascals of shock wave pressure. This is comparable to instantaneous pressures created by an atomic bomb. We had no reason to believe that the Wills Ranch in Wyoming was the site of atomic bomb blast.

My experience with impact structures in Saudi Arabia taught me these valuable lessons about the science of terrestrial impact structures. I, along with several of my petroleum geology colleagues at Saudi Aramco, had gathered evidence for five suspected impact structures in the Kingdom as side line of our search for oil and gas. We had good evidence that the features could be described as impact craters and published our claims in the respected journal of Middle East geology GeoArabia3. For the largest suspected impact structure we even presented our “DNA” forensic proof with PDFs in rock core samples from the 32 kilometer diameter Saqqar2 structure. That was enough to arouse the interest of Earth impact structure specialist, Dr. Thomas Kenkmann of University of Freiburg in Germany. He requested samples and soon contacted us saying that the Saqqar structure was confirmed since he had indexed the PDF shock features to crystallographic orientation. This could be accepted and published as proof positive “DNA” evidence. We coauthored a paper in Meteoritics and Planetary Science describing our proof of this structure being one of the twenty largest proven impact structures on Earth 2.

Our initial fieldwork on the Douglas, Wyoming Sheep Mountain craters allowed only a cursory inspection and limited sampling due to the time constraints and logistics of visiting the rugged site with a large

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group of geologists during the eclipse seminar. I was impressed with how spry Jack Schmitt was in the field and worried that any one of us could have a fall on the fifteen degree steep slope with every step impeded by cobbles and boulders. We can guardedly laugh at the historic video of Jack cartwheeling and taking a tumble on a steep slope in the Taurus Littrow highlands.

His peril there was the possibility of a torn space suit.

On Sheep Mountain, our peril is a twisted or broken ankle, rattlesnake bite, nasty cactus spines, or jagged edges of hard quartzite rock. Even sampling the Casper Sandstone presented a challenge. It was shock welded on impact and turned into quartzite over 280 million years of geologic time. A rock hammer makes the hard rock spark and ring. Safety demands wearing goggles.

Another challenge is navigating on the ground. In a gross sense, you can navigate by obvious landmarks as the astronauts did on the Moon during Apollo. I can appreciate how easy it is to “have your position in doubt” as Ed Mitchell and Alan Shepard reported in trying to find Cone Crater on the Moon on Apollo 14. We have the benefit of modern GPS, but even our small handheld GPS with just a digital coordinate does not do everything for keeping orientation. A larger tablet device tracking your location on detailed satellite imagery is preferred. We had to reconstruct our fieldwork later from recorded GPS waypoints. Field mapping was also aided by drone flight photographic traverses.

After the total eclipse experience and returning home, I documented our fieldwork and shipped samples with coordinates to Dr. Kenkmann. We waited a few weeks of snail mail, sample prep, and microscope evaluation time lag. I finally got the exciting news via email from Dr. Kenkmann that our Sheep Mountain crater SM-1 had the PDF forensic “DNA” evidence of hypervelocity impact. Positive sample results from the Douglas, Wyoming impact craters were presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston in March 2018. After the conference, Dr. Kenkmann and I drove up to Douglas to do more fieldwork on the crater strewn field. We were able to access and sample many of the 84 crater candidates on Sheep Mountain in three days of fieldwork (Figures 5-8). We now have 21 craters on Sheep Mountain proven with

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LEAD STORY

Figure 7. CENTRAL SHEEP MOUNTAIN Crater SM-34

SM-34

FIGURE 7: (above) CENTRAL SHEEP MOUNTAIN Crater SM-34

Figure 8. NORTHERN SHEEP MOUNTAIN Crater SM-80

FIGURE NORTHERN SHEEP MOUNTAIN CraterSM-80 SM-80 Figure8: 8.(below) NORTHERN SHEEP MOUNTAIN Crater

SM-80 SM-80

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10 10 22

N N

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LEAD STORY beginning 35 million years ago. So now the Sheep Mountain craters are exposed on the very hard top surface of the Casper sandstone.

Our ongoing fieldwork has expanded the size of the crater field to over 30 by 80 kilometers from northwest of Douglas, Wyoming, and southwest to the area of the Wheatland Reservoir. We have documented 31 impact craters of 10-70 meters diameter with PDF hypervelocity shock evidence. Many of the crater shapes allow us to infer the direction of oblique impact. Modeling evidence supports the hypothesis that the impact craters are secondary craters from hyper velocity debris from an inferred much larger primary impact crater to the southeast. Secondary impact

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PDF hypervelocity impact evidence (Figure 9).

We infer the age date of the impact from the evidence that the impacts occurred at the top of the Permian Casper sandstone in unconsolidated, fluid-filled sands. This claim is bolstered by the fluid-filled inclusions along the quartz PDF fractures. The craters were shock welded, and so resisted erosion while they were quickly buried by Permian Opeche muds. This mud later turned to shale with further burial. The craters and the Casper sandstone were increasingly cemented during burial under a few kilometers of sediment. All of the overlying sediment and the soft, red Opeche shales then eroded during the uplift of Sheep Mountain in the formation of the Rockies

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Figure 9a. Deformation microstructures in quartz grains of CraterFigure SM-1.9b. Concussion fracture (right) is decorated with fluid inclusion. Boehm FIGURE 9A: Deformation microstructures in quartz Photomicrographs were taken under crossed polarizers. (a) grains Cross-cutting lamellae on the left. Indentation and interlocking of quartz grains led to shock and fluid-decorated planar deformationwere features (PDFs) in quartz grain. of Crater SM-1. Photomicrographs taken under crossed lithification.

Hertzian-type concussion fractures follow point-to-point contacts Spacing is 3.5 μm on average.

polarizers. (a) Cross-cutting and fluid-decorated planar and stress chains through the grains. These tensile fractures and are filled with deformation features (PDFs) in quartz grain. Spacing is 3.5 fluid μm inclusions. on average.

FIGURE 9B: Concussion fracture (right) is decorated with

fluid inclusion. Boehm lamellae on the left. Indentation and interlocking of quartz grains led to shock lithification. Hertziantype concussion fractures follow point-to-point contacts and stress chains through the grains. These tensile fractures and are filled with fluid inclusions.

FIGURE 9C: Note that the fractures end at the round shaped

original grain surface and do not extend into the syntactic overgrowth seams suggesting that the impact occurred prior Figure 9c. Note that the fractures end at the round shaped original grain surface and to diagenesis. do not extend into the syntactic overgrowth seams suggesting that the impact occurred prior to diagenesis.

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LEAD STORY

» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

craters are noted on Mercury and Mars and with large impacts such as the Tycho Crater on the Moon. “A 10-kilometer diameter crater named Zunil in the Cerberus Plains of Mars created secondary craters 10 to 200 meter in diameter. Many of these secondary craters are concentrated in radial streaks that extend up to 1600 kilometers from the primary crater.”4 For the Douglas Crater Strewn Field, we are hopeful that geophysical evidence will point to a large, buried, primary impact crater somewhere in the northern Denver Basin near the Wyoming-Nebraska border.5 Kent Sundell and his students at Casper College are doing more thorough fieldwork on the Douglas impact craters with geophysical methods. They have found a promising resistivity anomaly near crater SM-1 that may prove to be remains of a nickel-iron impactor. Future fieldwork will involve drilling and coring the resistivity anomaly.

2.

3.

4.

5.

REFERENCES CITED 1.

Kenkmann, T., Sundell, K., and Cook, D., 2018, Evidence for a large Paleozoic Impact Crater Strewn

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Field in the Rocky Mountains, Nature Scientific Reports, V 8, Article no: 13246. https://www.nature. com/articles/s41598-018-31655-4 Kenkmann, T., Afifi, A. M., Stewart, S, Poelchau, M.H., Cook, D., Neville, A.S., 2015, Saqqar: A 34 km diameter impact structure in Saudi Arabia, Meteoritics & Planetary Science 50, 11:1925-1940. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.12555 Neville A. S., Cook D. J., Afifi A. M., and Stewart S. A., 2014. Five buried crater structures imaged on reflection seismic data in Saudi Arabia. GeoArabia 19:17–44. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/264421374 McEwen, A.S., Preblich, B.S., Turtle, E.P., Artemieva, N.A., Golombek, M.P., Hurst, M., Kirk, R.L., Burr, D.M., and Christensen, P.R., 2005, The rayed crater Zunil and in¬terpretations of small impact craters on Mars: Icarus, v. 176, p. 351–381, https://doi. org/10.1016/j.icarus .2005 .02 .009.

Kenkmann, T., Mueller, L., Fraser, A., Cook, D, Sundell, K., Rae, A., 2022 in press, Secondary cratering on Earth: The Wyoming impact crater field, GSA Bulletin.

Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

A Special Issue: Call for100 papers To commemorate years for… of RMAG, The for •papers for…

Mountain Geologist will publish a special issue this summer.

Call for papers for…

• Seeking historical overview papers that illustrate a century of advances in the subdisciplines of A Special Issue: Topics av pers for…

Rockies geoscience (or in Rockies study areas).

• To commemorate 100 years of RMAG, The • Stratig

al Issue: Topics available within: tecton Mountain Geologist will publish a special issue A Special Issue:• Stratigraphy, mining, structur Topics a this summer. paleo ommemorate 100 years of RMAG, The For more info o Call for papers for… • Seeking historical • To commemorate 100 years of RMAG, The • Strat overview papers that illustrate geoch untain Geologist will publish a special issue tectonics, hydrogeology, Mountain Geologist will publish a special issue tecto a century of advances in the subdisciplines of and m this summer. summer. paleontology, geophysics,paleo org https://www.rmag.org/p Rockies geoscience (or in Rockies • Manu • Seeking historical overviewstudy papersareas). that illustrate geoc king historical overview papers that illustrate geochemistry, petroleum geom a century of advances in the subdisciplines of and • Mane in Rockies study areas).

Formore! more info or ideas, ntury of advances in the subdisciplinesRockies of geoscience and(ormany Topics available within: kies geoscience (or in Rockies study areas).

• Manuscripts due June 1,ideas, 202 For more info or https://www.rmag.org/publicatio A Special Issue: Topics available within: e• 100 years of RMAG, mining, structure and https://www.rmag.org/publicat To commemorate 100 years The of RMAG, The • Stratigraphy, • Stratigraphy, mining, structure and For more info or ideas, email: mgeditor@rma Geologistawill publish issue a special issue tectonics, hydrogeology, gistMountain will publish special tectonics, hydrogeology, this summer. paleontology, geophysics, organic paleontology, geophysics, https://www.rmag.org/publications/the-mountain-geol • Seeking historical overview papers that illustrate geochemistry, petroleum geology, organic a century ofpapers advances in the subdisciplines and many more! petroleum geology, overview that illustrate of geochemistry, Rockies geoscience (or in Rockies study areas).

• Manuscripts due June 1, 2022. nces in the subdisciplines of and many more!

For more info ideas, email: mgeditor@rmag.org ce (or in Rockies study areas).

• or Manuscripts due June 1, 2022. https://www.rmag.org/publications/the-mountain-geologist/

For more info or ideas, email: mgeditor@rmag.org https://www.rmag.org/publications/the-mountain-geologist/

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FEATURE

HISTORY OF HUMOR IN THE RMAG

By Donna Anderson, Jane Estes-Jackson, and Matt Silverman

of whom presented memorably funny performances.

However, some did not, and not all of the jokes were appropriate or welcomed. Like it or not, those times are part of RMAG history, which serve to remind us of our origins and frame what we want to become.

Y

OU MAY BE SURPRISED TO FIND

that humor has been a persistant part of RMAG history, with venues at luncheon meetings, in the newsletter, and at social events. For example, a traditional role of the 2nd Vice-President was to “warm up the crowd” when luncheon talks were weekly events and commonly lasted more than an hour. Also, tracing the history of the RMAG newsletter that began in 1951, humor was a consistent thread in the written banter. That banter waxed and waned with editor-contributors over the years, perhaps culminating in the 1960s and ‘70s with the pseudonymous contributions of Ripley Marks (aka John Dolloff) and his long-suffering wife, Lamina, writing from Dissentary, Colorado. Later, writing under the pseudo-pseudonym of Hue N. Krye, Dolloff contributed a three-part history of the Outcrop, titled, “The RMAG newsletter: A technological aphrodisiac?” You can read it in the Outcrop archives at https://rmagarchives. wordpress.com/the-outcrop/ by searching under the tags “humor, history.”

Some members may remember the emcees at the annual Rockbuster’s Ball in the 1980s and ‘90s, some

OUTCROP | May 2022

THE RMAG HUMOR AWARD

You may be further surprised that the RMAG has a humor award that started in 1965, when a luncheon speaker cancelled at 11:00 a.m. on the day of his talk.

You can imagine the sweat pouring off the brow of the 2nd Vice-President, Bill Pugh, in charge of introducing the speaker at noon. Bill, faced with figuring out what to do within an hour and having an uncanny sense of humor, hit on a new “ceremony” to reward humor in the RMAG. Rummaging through the back room at the Petroleum Club, where the luncheons were held in the 1960s, Bill found a cheesy-looking rubber-tipped bamboo spear that had been used as a prop for the previous weekend’s “South Pacific” themed party. Unbeknown to past-President (in 1954) Bob Munoz,

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HISTORY OF HUMOR IN THE RMAG

FIGURE 1A:

Cartoon by Debra Higley

FIGURE 1B:

Cartoon by Debra Higley

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HISTORY OF HUMOR IN THE RMAG Table 1: Humor Awardees 1965-2014 Awardee

Year

RMAG Involvement

Bob Munoz

1965

2nd VP, President

Dave Evans

1966

1st VP, President

John H. Dolloff

1967

Secretary-Treasurer, 2nd VP, Outcrop Editor

Bob Chancellor

1968

2nd VP

Bill Mallory

1971

President, Chief Editor Big

Bill Pugh

1973

Treasurer, 2nd VP

Pete Matuszczak

1978

Counselor

Red Book

Larry Manion

1980

Treasurer, 2nd VP, 1st VP

Gary L. Nydegger

1986

2nd VP, President

Graham R. Curtis

1993

Counselor, 2nd VP

Debra Higley

1997

Secretary, 2nd VP, President

Ned Sterne

2003

2nd VP

Ronald W. Pritchett

2014

2nd VP (twice), 1st VP

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FIGURE 1C:

then (Table 1). Over the last 25 years, only three people received the award, with no award since 2014.

In 1997, Debra Higley became the first woman recipient of The Shaft for her sometimes edgy cartoons published in the Outcrop (Figure 1). In fact, out of the many RMAG awards she has received, Debra is most proud of her Shaft Award, which resides behind the door to her home office. Her award “ceremony” was memorable for other reasons, too. At the 1997 Rockbuster’s Ball held at Mount Vernon Country Club, the performance of the evening’s emcee, Gary Nydegger (1986 awardee), was, as Gary said, “almost single-handedly responsible for excommunicating the Rockbusters Ball from everyone’s social list.” Not only had an unfortunate guest caught her lovely gown on fire from a table centerpiece earlier in the evening, but

AWARDS OVER THE PAST 57 YEARS

The heyday of humor awardees was 1965 to 1973, diminishing from 1973 to 1997 and languishing since

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Cartoon by Debra Higley

who himself had an undying sense of humor and was known to heckle luncheon speakers, in lieu of a talk, Bill presented Bob with the spear saying the words, “We magnanimously award The Shaft, in recognition of your contributions to the well-being of the Association.”

Munoz graciously rose to the occasion in the spirit of the moment, and with tongue-in-cheek, thanked all “little people” who made it possible (Kellogg, 1997).

Putting the award name in context, use of the phrase “getting the shaft” became part of the modern vernacular in the 1950s. However, it was not used in polite company until the 1980s after popularization of Jerry Reed’s song “She got the Goldmine (I got the shaft)” (etymology from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the%20shaft). As used now, the phrase expresses highly unfair treatment. Bill Pugh’s usage was meant to bestow satirical honor on the recipient. Thus “The Shaft” became the RMAG humor award. It eventually came to be presented at the annual RMAG dinner dance along with other RMAG awards. Only the immediate past recipient could select the next honoree.

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HISTORY OF HUMOR IN THE RMAG

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the complement to that near-tragedy was Gary’s “over-the-edgy” commentary during The Shaft Award “performance.”

In 2002, we witnessed 2nd Vice President Ned Sterne give a “talk before the luncheon talk.” One memorable story was about his mom’s ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) store, replete with a converted oil storage-tank home. At another luncheon, he conducted an “oil-field trash” auction. Rising to ever more artistic performances, that year’s Rockbuster’s Ball featured a disco performance by Ned, in which he de-composed Tom Jones’ song “What’s New Pussycat” into “That’s My Wildcat,” complete with gyrations during the refrain, “Woo-oo woo-oo, woooo-oo.” Ned was awarded his Shaft FIGURE 2: The last Shaft Award to Ron Pritchett the next year. He proudly displays his award in the basement on the wall behind the furnace, in keeping with the satirical nature of the honor. program content and due to the pandemic, hasn’t been The last Shaft (Figure 2) was awarded to Ron held in the last two years. Yet, while 2nd VP seemed Pritchett (2nd VP in 2010) in 2014 for his creative into be the primary humor outlet, good and bad, most troductions of luncheon speakers and emceeing at awardees built serial “resumes” with writing, drawthe annual Rockbuster’s Ball. A natural punster and ing, speaking, and/or emceeing across RMAG venues. active in Toastmasters since 1997, Ron learned how Changing roles, shifting perceptions, and perhaps lack to “properly” introduce people. He recalled introducof awareness of an RMAG humor award have contribing a luncheon speaker from Texas who had a prouted to the current drought. nounced drawl and kept referring to drilling horizonHow could we survive in our business without hutal “whales.” The puns flew. Another time, introducing mor? Comedians thrive across all our media platforms.

Dr. Bob Weimer, Ron said, “We are fortunate to have Punsters flourish in our midst, some naughty, others Doc Weimer as our speaker today. Bob Weimer is one gneiss. But no comedians have risen out of our ranks of those smart geologists. How smart you may ask? He in the last eight years. Will someone break the current is so smart…he knows, for example, it is not wise to be drought? drinking downstream from the herd.” From his Toastmasters experience Ron became impatient with borSOURCES ing introductions. As he says, “It only takes a little ef• RMAG: The First Forty Years, 1961 booklet. fort to be more animated and entertaining. Once you • Kellogg, 1997, The 75th anniversary history of the see how it’s done, there’s no going back.”

RMAG, The Mountain Geologist, v. 34, no.4, 1997: • The RMAG Newsletter: A Technological AphroTHE FUTURE? disiac? by Hugh N. Krye, former Outcrop RovIncreasingly since 2014, the 2nd VP role evolved ing Reporter, 3 parts, June, July, and August Outaway from a “crowd warm-up” function at luncheons, crop, 2003. depleting a humor platform for the RMAG. Particular• President’s Column, by Donna Anderson in the Outly with the pandemic-driven pivot to virtual luncheon crop, April 2004. meetings in April 2020, meeting time tightened to one • Chats with Debra Higley, Ron Pritchett, and Ned hour, leaving little time for embellishments. Similarly, Sterne, and personal recollections. the annual Rockbuster’s Ball gradually changed in its

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Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

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HYBRID LUNCH TALK Speaker: Donna Anderson Date: May 4, 2022 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

RMAG: Celebrating The Past And Embracing The Future

By Donna Anderson, Jane Estes-Jackson, Matt Silverman since then.

The RMAG has a long history of scientific excellence and leadership. Four members are Halbouty awardees, 36 are Honorary Members of AAPG, and 28 have received the AAPG Distinguished Service award.

Seven members have received the AAPG Sidney Powers award; ten received the Pioneer award; and three the Robert Berg Outstanding Research award. One former member, John Hickenlooper, successfully pivoted to politics first as Mayor of Denver, then as Governor of Colorado, and currently as a U.S. Senator.

RMAG may have been ahead of its time when it elected Ninetta Davis in 1941 as its first woman president, although it would be another 60 years before Susan Landon was elected as the second woman president of RMAG. Women currently comprise 16% of RMAG membership but have had average Board representation of 33% over the last 20 years. Of the twenty RMAG members who have been AAPG presidents, Robbie Gries (2001-2002) and Randi Martinsen (20142015) were the first two women AAPG presidents.

The RMAG is proud to celebrate its accomplishments over the past 100 years and it will continue to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of its membership to remain viable into the future.

ABSTRACT Colorado has been an important petroleum province since oil was discovered at Florence Field in 1881.

Denver became an exploration hub in the early 1920s, when numerous companies opened offices there after several significant oil and gas fields were discovered in the Rockies by geologists using the newly developed science of petroleum geology. Many of these same geologists came together in Denver in January of 1922 (five years after the founding of AAPG) to create the Rocky Mountain Association of Petroleum Geologists.

The name was shortened to the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) in 1947 when the first bylaws were approved, and it became a non-profit in 1954. Over the last 50 years, RMAG membership has averaged around 2000, with an all-time high of over 4500 in 1984.

The RMAG has published over 65 guidebooks since 1937 and its peer-reviewed quarterly journal The Mountain Geologist since January of 1964. Technical talks became part of the luncheon program in 1950, and its monthly newsletter, The Outcrop, has been published since 1983. The RMAG hosted the first regional AAPG meeting in August of 1922 and 10 ACE meetings

JANE ESTES-JACKSON, DONNA ANDERSON, AND MATT SILVERMAN have been working on the Centennial history of the RMAG for the last couple of years. All are past-Presidents of the RMAG, and they collectively have over 100 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, much of it in the Rockies and all of it as RMAG members. That experience only covers the last 50 or so years of RMAG history.

For that and the first 50 years, they have also relied on Hal Kellogg’s 75th anniversary history, other archives, and the memories of RMAG members who lived the history from the 1950s to the present. As former Outcrop editors, they like to write, and they like history, with Matt currently being the President of the Petroleum History Institute. Donna was “elected” to give this talk, by virtue of her absence at the committee meeting at which the speaker was decided. Which only supports the saying that 90% of life is showing up.

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HYBRID LUNCH TALK Speaker: Andrew Keene Date: June 1, 2022 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Improving Drilling Efficiencies

by Utilizing 3D Seismic Inversion Data and Advanced Wellbore Planning, Permian Basin, Texas Andrew Keene, SM Energy early stages of well planning, in combination with a robust “dynamic drilling window” workflow, problematic zones are identified and avoided before the well is even spud. In 2020, these methods helped deliver an average increase in lateral drilling efficiency of 18% as compared to 2019. This paper presents a case study example and briefly describes the new well planning workflow.

ABSTRACT Optimizing drilling speed in the Permian Basin has tremendous impacts to an independent producer’s bottom line. Any gained efficiencies are largely a result of an integrated geology, geophysics, and engineering workflow. By using a new well planning workflow that utilizes 3D seismic inversion in the

Andrew Keene is going on 3 years as a geophysicist with SM Energy Company working primarily reservoir characterization, asset development, and operations optimization in the Permian Basin, Texas. Previously, he obtained a Master’s degree from the University of Montana, with a thesis on surface mass loading in the Susitna River watershed, Alaska. He has extensive geologic and geophysical field and laboratory experience in New Zealand and Norway, as a student and a researcher. Through these experiences and his current role, Andrew focuses on integrating geology and geophysics with math and software to creatively solve problems and engineer solutions.

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OUTCROP | May 2022

MEMBER CORNER

Meet Ben (Benny) Gonzales II Senior Geological Technician, Crestone Peak Resources (Semi-Retired) place to go was around CU Boulder campus on a Saturday afternoon. Now that was an experience to remember.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? I am a 2nd generation Denverite and 3rd+ generation Coloradan (with some Native American ancestry, but that is difficult to track without records). I grew up on the Denver West Side. I have watched my hometown grow and change. My father used to take us up Lookout Mountain and you could see where the city started and ended from the night lights. I remember when I was going to Denver West High School, I would look at all the tall high-rise office buildings in downtown Denver and thought to myself that one day I was going to work in one of those buildings. Well, I’ve worked in about 11 high-rise office buildings in Denver - all in the oil and gas industry. After entering the industry, I knew I found my place in a career.

HOW DID YOU END UP INVOLVED IN GEOSCIENCES?

In the winter of 1978, I took a drafting class and completed it in May, 1979. In June, 1979 I started working with a mechanical engineering firm in Denver as a mechanical draftsman. One day I got a call from a schoolmate talking about how she transferred to the oil and gas industry. Next thing you know, I too am in the oil and gas industry as a Geological Draftsman! This was in June,1980 and couldn’t come at a better time because my wife and I just had a baby girl. That is how I got started in the geosciences. I never thought I would spend the next 41 years in the same industry, much less living in my hometown all of those years. Working in the oil and gas industry taught me to live within my means. I’ve been laid off 7 times. Each time I got laid off, I managed to land an even better job than the one before. Sure, each time was stressful and worrisome as we were a single income family my whole career, but it always worked out.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?

My very first job was selling candy door to door for Teen Ambition after school and on weekends when I was 12 years old. I lived in the projects at that time. The boss would pick us up in his old late 1960’s van and take us to various neighborhoods. I sold out almost every night. When I got to work the “Main Drag” (East Colfax and other business streets) it was a guarantee that I would sell out. My favorite

RMAG’s Diversity and Inclusion 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.

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colleague leaving the company I worked for to move to another: “The thing I will miss the most are the people. The people make the company”.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB? I loved learning the computer mapping world back in the 1980’s. That was so exciting to learn how to create maps using computers. To give you an idea what it previously took to create a structural prospect map of 9 townships, the geologist first penciled in the contours and faults on a paper base map with well locations. Then, the drafting department would label all the text using a Leroy pen set and draw contour lines using crepe tapes. Next, a blue ray reproduction machine (ammonia based developing) would make multiple copies of the map for cutting out masks of various colors showing the subsurface structure. Finally, using an air brush, we would paint and fade out the colors. This took quite a bit of skill, patience, and practice. Fun times!

WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU MANY PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW?

When I was 10-11 years old, I belonged to a boy’s club. I played pool among other things, but pool was my best skill. At 10 years old I won the pool tournament at the boy’s club and that got me in the Colorado State tournament in Greely, Colorado back in 1969! In the final game of the state tournament, I was the 1st one to call out the 8-ball pocket for the win. I made the bank side pocket, but the cue ball went in the corner pocket as well and I lost that game and ranked 2nd in state. Yes, I lost to myself.

WHAT IS THE BEST CAREER LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED SO FAR?

My career has taught me that a great leader surrounds themself with people who are smarter than they are. This practice has proven to be very useful in my career. Not only have I been consulted by colleagues, but I’ve also consulted with colleagues.

I have to say that the oil and gas industry has the best people to work with. I remember the words of a

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WHAT 3 TRAITS BEST DESCRIBE YOU?

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First would be attention to detail; I’ve learned that good data in means good analysis out. Second would be dutiful; I’ve always been taught that if you’re getting paid for a job then you should be putting forth your best effort to earn it (my dad’s words growing up). Third is owning your mistakes and standing up to them. This one might be the hardest one to live up to.

OUTCROP | May 2022

The RMAG Membership Committee

By Holly Lindsey, Anne Steptoe, and Sandra LaBrum The Membership Committee is committed to the growth, diversification, and preservation of member participation in RMAG. We facilitate mentoring and networking between professionals and students. Brainstorming and executing activities to encourage participation has always been at the core of what we do. We strive to find ways to improve member experiences in creative and unique ways.

The COVID pandemic stretched all of us in unexpected ways. One of the events the membership committee created to replace so many of the things that were not an option in 2020 and 2021 was the GeoHike Challenge. We needed a way to do something together while remaining safely apart and outside – so we came up with the GeoHike Challenge: a scavenger hunt and photo contest. This event spans the warmer months and encourages members to get outside, hike (or whatever mode of transportation is preferred) and take pictures of the scavenger items.

We tried to think of a little something for everyone. In 2020 the scavenger hunt was based on Colorado Front Range geology, and in 2021 based on feedback the list was made more general so people could participate from wherever they were living or traveling. Members posted entries from long-awaited family vacations

and road trips, gleefully arranging family and friends for scale on the rocks! Contestants also participated in the photo contest, where members shared the joy of being outside, observing the geology, and sharing it with kids, dogs, friends, and family. Photos posted on the RMAG LinkedIn page gave members a chance at winning and shared the joy of others’ travels and adventures with a bit of a geology lesson. Photo categories included “cutest furry family member” and “cutest family member” as well as “wettest hike” and “craziest costume”. Entries came from several continents and solidified our new extended reach to members all over the world, nicely complimenting the luncheon lectures and short courses now available online.

The annual Golf Tournament has long been a great way to combine networking and cutthroat competition on the golf course for RMAG members. A shotgun start sends everyone scurrying off to their first hole, ensuring that they all arrive back at the clubhouse at approximately the same time for a meal, laughs, and awards. Industry sponsorships and special prize holes make for a fun event whether you are a participant or a volunteer.

The Mentorship program is also led by the Membership Committee, connecting members just entering the workforce with a seasoned professional. Participants

Former RMAG President Cat Campbell setting the bar really high for the ”craziest costume” and ”most unique mode of transport to the outcrop” GeoHike Challenge categories.

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are encouraged to meet as a mentor and mentee pair anywhere from once a quarter to once a month. Several events throughout the year bring all the program participants together as a group, including an ice breaker at the start of the program and a picnic in the summertime. We are excited to kick off the 2022 mentorship program with in-person activities after a couple of years of a modified format. New mentors and mentees are always welcome, so if this program appeals to you, please reach out to us to be included in 2023.

These programs are just a fraction of the work that the RMAG Membership Committee oversees every year.

If you have enjoyed activities such as the GeoHike Challenge, the Golf Tournament, or the Mentorship program, and like to volunteer, then consider joining the membership committee. We have a lot of fun planning and hosting these special events and we want to be sure members of RMAG get as much out of these occasions as we do! If you have a knack for coming up with ideas for fostering new member participation, dreaming up new activities, or finding new ways for people to connect at RMAG, then we would love your input. Whatever your skills are, there is a place for you on the membership committee. The value of an RMAG membership is multiplied in the many lifelong friendships and professional connections that have been made around a luncheon table, on the outcrop, or at the golf course. Join us and help RMAG grow!

Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

ABOVE: RMAG Membership committee member (and scavenger hunt runner-up) Megan Cornelissen hiking near a geo-hazard on the Pacific coast, summer 2021.

BELOW: Arrowhead golf club is the perfect venue for RMAG’s annual golf tournament, combining fantastic geology and a challenging course.

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OUTCROP | May 2022

Golden Rocks! A Free eBook for the RMAG Geo-Community After three long years, including a pandemic, Donna Anderson and Paul Haseman have finished their free eBook: “Golden Rocks: The Geology and Mining History of Golden, Colorado.” Written for the non-specialist, it is the first guide to the geology of Golden since the 1938 version written by F.M. Van Tuyl and others for Colorado School of Mines students. The free eBook can be downloaded for your laptop or tablet at: https://libguides.mines.edu/ld.php?content_ id=65441105 or from the QR code.

Golden Rocks consists of two parts. The first part develops the geologic history of Golden, building from the oldest to youngest rocks and recounting mountain-building episodes. The most famous of those is the Laramide Orogeny, which is well-expressed in the geology of Golden. Massive erosion and how the Ice Ages further sculpted the Golden landscape bring the geologic conversation to the present day. The geologic story concludes with a chapter on surface and groundwater. The story of water quality in Clear Creek

OUTCROP | May 2022

recounts part of the mining-pollution legacy of the Colorado Front Range. Groundwater, including historic intermittent springs, rounds out the water narrative.

Geo-vignettes, such as “The Great Rock ’n Roll Caper” on North Table Mountain and “Paleofloods and the Armory Building,” are sprinkled throughout the text.

The second part examines the history of the commodities mined within and near Golden, including chapters on gold and smelting, coal, clay, and stone, including aggregate of all types, building stone, and limestone for mortar. Those chapters discuss mining methods, the White Ash Mine disaster of 1889, mine locations and timelines, and historic structures, along with some of the major players in those mining efforts.

It concludes with legacies of mining-related historic railroads; coal and clay mine subsidence; and finally, the changing attitudes toward mining in the late 1960s that coincided with increasing urbanization. Changing attitudes brought about a move to preserve many former and proposed mine areas as dedicated open space in Jefferson County.

The 122-page book contains over 100 maps, photographs, and figures, and an extensive reference list. Currently, hardcopy books are available for circulation at the Jefferson County Public Library, Arthur Lakes Library at Mines, CU Boulder Earth Science and Map Library, and the Denver Public Library. Reference copies reside at the Golden History Museum, Mines Museum of Earth Science, History Colorado, Colorado Railroad Museum, and Dinosaur Ridge.

We hope you enjoy the book. It is our give-back to the amazing people in the RMAG geo-community!

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Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | May 2022

Special Awards Judging at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair The RMAG Foundation participated in the Special Awards Judging at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair in Fort Collins on April 7. The RMAG Foundation awarded two Junior Division and two Senior Division awards for Excellence in Earth Sciences. RMAG members Anna Phelps, Ginny Gent, Daniel Bassett, and JoDana Swanson judged on behalf of the RMAG Foundation.

JUNIOR DIVISION

Gabe Clark: Paleo-Ornithology: Experimental Taphonomy & Bird Origins (awarded $300) Saahithi Kasa: The Heat of the Matter: Increasing Relative Humidity with Soil Additives (awarded $200)

SENIOR DIVISION

Ada Pence and Hannah Shelton: Observing the Relationship Between Sand Temperature and Ambient Air Temperature on Different Slopes (each awarded $150) Elton Cao: The Effect of Oil and Gas Production on Tropospheric Ozone and Air Quality Emissions (awarded $200) OUTCROP | May 2022

RMAG members (pictured left to right) JoDana Swanson, Anna Phelps, Ginny Gent, and Daniel Bassett judged the Special Awards at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair on behalf of the RMAG Foundation.

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IN THE PIPELINE

MAY 4, 2022 RMAG Online Luncheon.

Speaker: Donna Anderson. “RMAG: Celebrating the Past and Embracing the Future.”Online or inperson. 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.

Logging Techniques Provide Cost-Optimized Solutions for Reservoir Characterization.”

MAY 19, 2022 COGA Financial Assurance Overview Webinar.

11:00 AM-12:30 PM. Register at coga.org/events.

MAY 12, 2022

MAY 21, 2022

WOGA Virtual Lean-In. Speaker: Germaine Porche. “Leading by Design.”

Zoom Meeting. starting at 11:00 AM-12:30 PM. Register at www.wogacolorado.org/event-listing.

RMAG On the Rocks.

Unconventional Reservoirs of the Southern Denver Basin. Trip Leader: Jeff May. Lake Pueblo State Park and Pueblo Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center, Pueblo, CO.

COGA End of Session Review.

Speakers: Jim Cole and Andrew Wood with Colorado Legislative Strategies. 8:00 AM-10:00 AM. 950 17th Street, Suite 2400, Denver.

MAY 24, 2022 RMS-SEPM Webinar.

See rmssepm.org/events to register.

DWLS Luncheon.

Speaker: Isaac Easow. “Advanced Surface

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Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | May 2022

RMAG Foundation News

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE 2022 C. ELMO AND KATHLEEN W. BROWN FIELD CAMP SCHOLARSHIP!

Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction

Leyna is a junior in the Geoscience program, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems.

She plans to graduate in December, 2022 and plans to go to graduate school. Her Honors Thesis involves mapping Quaternary river terraces of the Green River of southwest Wyoming and northwestern Colorado, and the use of detrital sanidine to date the terraces. Leyna has worked on the CMU campus, as well as completing a summer internship with the Museum of the West in Grand Junction, where she helped to excavate and prepare dinosaur fossils from the Rabbit Valley area.

Three students from Colorado colleges and universities are the winners of the 2022 Brown Field Camp Scholarship awarded by the RMAG Foundation. The scholarship was established in 2021 through a generous grant from Elmo and Kathy Brown. The winners are undergraduates participating in their department’s geological field camp this summer. The winners were recommended by the faculty at their respective schools and recognized for academic excellence, positive attitude, and contributions to the department and the community. The Foundation thanks the faculty for recognizing outstanding students.

JOSIAH “SI” ARNOLD

Fort Lewis College, Durango

RAYNI LEWIS

Si is a senior in the Geoscience Department. His Senior Thesis is focused on Permian mud mounds in the Grand Canyon. He has received a GIS Certificate, along with his geology studies. He plans to pursue a career addressing environmental geology, water management, and soil systems. Si is a non-traditional student, tutoring on campus and normally works as a raft guide during summer breaks.

Western Colorado University, Gunnison

Rayni is a senior in the Geology program, with a minor in mathematics. She plans to graduate this year and will spend the summer researching beaver dam analogues in Taylor Park, outside of Gunnison. She is passionate about water systems in the west and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in hydrology. She has been a teaching assistant for courses in the Geology and Mathematics departments, as well as working as a rafting guide in the summer.

OUTCROP | May 2022

LEYNA WELLER

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Vol. 71, No. 5 | www.rmag.org

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Andres Aslan

James Gardner

Thomas Monecke

teaches at Colorado Mesa University.

teaches at University of Texas.

teaches at Colorado School of Mines.

teaches at Colorado State University in the Dept. of Geosciences and lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.

teaches at University of North Dakota.

is a student at Colorado Mesa University.

Richard Aster

Graham Baird

teaches at University of Northern Colorado.

Kenneth Bannister

is Director of Environmental Services at Koontz Bryant Johnson Williams and lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Mike Blum

teaches at University of Kansas and lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

Wendy Bohrson

teaches at Colorado School of Mines.

Nicholas Czarnecki

William Gosnold Jon Harvey

teaches at Fort Lewis College.

Seyyed Hosseini

teaches at University of Texas.

Verner Johnson

teaches at Colorado Mesa University.

Rayni Lewis

is a student at Western Colorado University.

Sammy Malavarca is a student at Colorado State University.

Alexander Marr

is a student at University of Northern Colorado.

is a Masters Student at Colorado State University and lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.

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Sherri Randall Don Regan

lives in Grand Junction, Colorado

Sarah Schanz

teaches at Colorado College.

Vasey Stephens

is a student at Colorado School of Mines.

Scott Stookey

is a Geoscience Manager at Encino Energy and lives in Houston, Texas.

Sally Sutton

teaches at Colorado State University.

Matt Wanda

is a student at Fort Lewis College.

OUTCROP | May 2022

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CALENDAR – MAY 2022 SUNDAY

MONDAY

1

TUESDAY

2

WEDNESDAY

3

4

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

5

6

7

12

13

14

20

21

RMAG Online Luncheon.

8

9

10

11

WOGA Virtual Lean-In. COGA End of Session Review.

DWLS Luncheon.

15

16

17

18

19 COGA Financial Assurance Overview Webinar.

22

23

24

25

26

RMAG On the Rocks.

27

28

RMS-SEPM Webinar.

29

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30

31

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