2020 GGE Newsletter_FINAL.pub (Read-Only)2020 Department Newsletter Page 1
Colorado School of Mines Earth and Society Programs Department of Geology and Geological Engineering
Message from our Department Head, Dr. Wendy Bohrson
Greetings from the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering (GGE).
Happy 2021. We had an eventful 2020 in GGE. We saw lots of success among students and faculty (see page 2 for more info on some of our outstanding faculty), progress on some of our strategic initiatives, and we have new and exciting plans emerging too. We, like everyone else on Earth, have also been continually adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covid hit us here at Mines in mid-March. The campus went into remote operation around that time, and as you might imagine, everyone—students, faculty, and staff alike—had to adapt
quickly to teaching and learning, conducting research, and managing the department from afar (mostly from our living rooms!). After we got the second half of spring semester launched, Mines began the process of getting people safely back onto campus for classes and research (and all else that happens on our busy campus) by summer.
Mines faculty, staff, students, and alums are well known for our problem-solving skills, and I can say that those skills were in full bloom as we engineered all of the safety and other protocols that had to be put into place to get people back onto campus. We developed lab plans, classroom limits, cleaning protocols, mask protocols…the list goes on. I particularly want to thank Dorie Chen and Cheryl Medford for the amazing work they did to get Berthoud open again for covid-safe business. I am also grateful to everyone in GGE for being a community of people who care about one another. Everyone followed the protocols we set in place to keep our department members safe.
Among the many people who adapted their labs and classes to the remote environment, special kudos go to Professor Bruce Trudgill and his faculty colleagues Mary Carr, Steve Enders, Yvette Kuiper, Paul Santi, Christian Shorey, and Steve Sonnen- berg, for successfully offering our first ever (and hopefully last ever) totally virtual summer field course. The faculty spent many hours pulling together Google Earth images, field site videos, data sets, and other resources so that students had a challenging field experience that allowed them to develop useful new skills. While a virtual field class will never replace the face-to-experience, we learned that some virtual content enhanced student learning. We saw this in other classes as well. So, while the remote learning environment presented many challenges, a silver lining is we now have some new approaches in our teaching toolkit.
Enhancing diversity, inclusion, and access (DI&A) continues to be a priority in GGE, and last year, we made great progress on several initiatives. A shout out goes to Professors Mary Carr and Danica Roth for their leadership, and to the whole DI&A committee (https://geology.mines.edu/diversity-inclusion-and-access/) for the work they are doing. Especially since sum- mer 2020, we have enjoyed regular zoom meetings where we discuss DI&A issues and are educated by experts. A group of engaged and dedicated students have brought great ideas to our DI&A efforts, and important among these was a series of graduate student seminars that focused on enhancing professional skills. Those seminars were very successful, and we plan to continue this effort. We are also working on community building in GGE. The pandemic has made in person events impos- sible, but we are excitedly planning a range of post-pandemic events that we hope will bring members of our department together to strengthen our ties.
In the midst of the pandemic, we also accomplished a number of our longer term goals. Among the most important is we achieved a modest revision of the undergraduate curriculum. The changes enhance how our students learn as they step through our curriculum while they maintain the rigor of our BS degree. We are about to embark on a similar analysis and revision of our graduate curriculum. The broader goals for our curricula review are to better prepare GGE students for the challenges of a 21st Century career.
Our department has also seen some personnel changes. I am pleased to welcome Professor Kevin Cannon to our department. Kevin arrived in Golden in late August (after moving cross country during a pandemic) and joined GGE and the Space Re- sources program. Kevin’s focus is in planetary materials and resources, and he brings energy, expertise, and new ideas to GGE and Mines. Professors Wendy Harrison and Richard Wendlandt retired from Mines, after long and successful careers. We reluctantly said goodbye to them (officially) but look forward to drawing on their knowledge and vast experience. We also said goodbye to Professors Alex Gysi, Reed Maxwell, and Richard Palin, all of whom left Mines for exciting new opportuni- ties. We will miss their contributions to our department and wish them all the best in their new lives. Finally, I am very hap- py to announce Professor Lesli Wood accepted the role of Associate Department Head in GGE. I am thoroughly enjoying working with Lesli, who brings knowledge of Mines, wisdom, and her classic sense of humor (sorely needed right now) to this position.
In spite of the tumultuous year, friends and alums of our department contributed in major ways—through expertise shared with students, through generous donations, and through advice that helped us improve who we are and what we do. An enor- mous thank you to all who support GGE.
And of course, it is time to get ready for #idigmines 2021. This year’s theme Past, Present, and Possibilities is perfect for GGE-geologists and geological engi- neers employ what we know about the past to the possibilities of today and tomorrow. I invite you to join us in donating to #idigmines GGE to support our amazing students.
Show your lava for GE students! Join us by becoming involved in #idigmines day—Thursday February 4th (see page 32).
Please read on further in our newsletter…you’ll find inspiring stories and new discoveries. I continue to be inspired by the people in GGE, and all the more in 2020, given the huge challenges we faced. We are successful because of dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends. I hope that you and your family enjoy good health in 2021 and that you have some new and exciting (post-pandemic) experiences.
Best regards,
Bohrson@mines.edu
2020 GGE Newsletter Index Page 2: General News and High- lights
Page 3: DIA Update
Page 5: Graduate Student Spot- light
Page 6: Undergraduate Student Spotlight
Pages 7-8: CoRE Center Update
Pages 9-10: IGWMC Center Up- date
Page 11: PM/NTS & Certificate Program Updates
Pages 12-15: Economic Geology Program Update
Page 16-17: Engineering Geology and Surface Processes and Geo- morphology Program Update
Pages 18: Hydrology Program Update
Pages 19-20: SAND Consortia Update
Pages 21-22-: MUDTOC Consor- tia and Weimer Trail Update
Pages 23-26: Summer 2020 Field Camp
Page 27: GGE ConocoPhillips Student Research Fair
Page 28: SEG and AAPG Stu- dent Chapter Updates
Pages 29-31: Theses and Disser- tations
Page 32: #idigmines 2021
GENERAL NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS
2020 Faculty Awards:
Alexis Navarre-Sitchler, Associate Professor: Ben L. Fryrear En- dowed Chair for Innovation and Excellence. Each Fryrear Chair receives $25,000 in discretionary funds a year for three years in exchange for driving a strategic initiative or program during that time that furthers the vision and mission of Mines. The oth- er sitting Fryrear Chairs are Geoff Brennecka, associate profes- sor of metallurgical and materials engineering, and Linda Bat- talora, teaching professor of petroleum engineering
The Fryrear Chair for Innovation and Excellence is an important engine for change on the Mines campus, and we are so excited to have Craig and Alexis serve in this leadership role as Mines continues toward its 150th anni versary in 2024. Both Alexis and Craig are outstanding members of the Mines faculty and part of the reason why Mines is among the top four engineering schools in the country. They also understand that we cannot rest on our laurels and are committed to doing their part to create the signature student experience at the heart of our MINES@150 goals. To learn more about Alexis and Craig’s Fryrear Chair projects, go to https:// www.minesnewsroom.com/news/alexis-navarre-sitchler-craig-brice-named-fryrear-chairs-innovation-and- excellence.
Piret Plink-Bjorklund, Professor: Promoted to full Professor and Halliburton STEPS Distinguished Speaker
For 2019-2020 STEPS program cycle, the theme is Planet to Pore Modeling, which is currently in action. Past year themes, projects, and Distinguished Lectures can be found here https://www.ienergy.community/STEPS1. This year, the first Distinguished Lecture was given by Halliburton Fellow Dr. Jeffrey Yarus on 08/29, and the 2nd one was held on 10/17 by Professor Martin Blunt from Imperial College. We are proud to announce that the 3rd will be held at Colorado School of Mines and given by Dr. Piret Plink-Björklund.
Thomas Monecke, Professor: Promoted to full Professor
Bruce Trudgill, Associate Professor: Awarded the Class of 2020 Outstanding Faculty award for GGE
Lesli Wood, Professor and Weimer Distinguished Chair: Received Tenure
Donna Anderson, Affiliate Faculty: AAPG Honorary Member award
Van Tuyl Lecture Series 2020:
In 2020, we hosted eight Van Tuyl Lecture Series speakers of which the last four in the Fall were held virtually. The Thursday lectures invite the public, are invaluable to the faculty and often act as an extra class for the students. The lec- tures we hosted in 2020 included: Antonio Arribas from University of Texas at El Paso, John Dilles from Oregon State, Anthony-Williams-Jones from McGill University, Jane Willenbring from University of California San Diego, Luk Peeters from CSIRO, Lorena Moscardelli from Equinor, Julie Rowland from the University of Aukland and our Colorado School of Mines Geology and Geological Engineering Professor Lesli Wood.
For our virtual Spring 2020 Van Tuyl lecture series, we currently have one scheduled speaker so far, John Eichelberger Geological Society of America Distinguished Lecturer from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Visit https:// geology.mines.edu/events-calendar/lectures/ to learn more!
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WRITTEN BY: DONNA ANDERSON, MARY CARR, AND DANICA ROTH
What a whirlwind of a year in a time of pandemic and concern over racial equity. The Geology and Geological Engineering department established our DI&A committee in January, and had just started formulating plans when campus shut down in March. Over the next few months, as classes, administration and research groups made the emergency transition to online learning and remote work, we focused on trying to make sure no one got lost or forgotten in the chaos. We estab- lished a GE Slack workspace for all department members to keep in touch and reach out for help, launched a department DI&A webpage managed by undergraduate Marisa Macias, and tried to provide support, encouragement and resources for those in need. The committee jumped back in with both feet starting in June, when Danica Roth responded quickly to the needs of students, helping them share their concerns and emotions following the death of George Floyd and the subse- quent demonstrations across the country. Along with several students, Danica also spearheaded the development of DI&A coffee hours that have met every other week since June, to discuss and act on issues impacting students and staff, as well as broader conversations on inequality in America. Out of these conversations, it became clear that our own graduate pop- ulation needed more support to integrate them into the department and to improve retention of graduate students, partic- ularly women. In response, graduate students Anne Fulton and Kim Cone developed the new Graduate Student Seminar, a monthly professional development workshop series to help graduate students navigate their time at Mines and beyond. Fall semester included 4 seminars on student-advisor communication, wellness skills, time management and writing. In a joint graduate student and faculty movement, we also joined the growing number of programs across the country that have made graduate admissions more accessible by dropping the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) requirement, that has come to be seen as an inaccurate predictor of student success.
Danica Roth also organized two hour-long workshops: one by Dr. Cassandra McCall on Enhancing Inclusion and Improv- ing Access in the Geosciences and Geological Engineering; the other delivered by Dr. Crystal Ng and Zhaashiigid Nooding (aka, Robert Shimek) on Transforming Research and Relationships Through Collaborative Tribal-University Partnerships on Manoomin (wild rice). The talks challenged us to change the ways we communicate and to examine our implicit as- sumptions about conducting research with non-academic stakeholders.
Starting in mid-December, Geology and Geological Engineering will be joining forces with Mining Engineering to engage in a series of 6 2-hour Collaborative Connections workshops tailored to the geologic and mining communities. Led by in- structors with mining industry experience, the workshops are aimed at evaluating the current DI&A climate in the two departments in order to build a more supportive, collaborative environment.
Committee Members: Mary Carr, Danica Roth, Yvette Kuiper, Bruce Trudgill, Donna Anderson, Anne Fulton, Kim Cone, Chance Seckinger, Rami Abousleiman, Marisa Macias
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ASSISTANT PROFESSOR KEVIN CANNON
I’m thrilled to be joining the GGE department at Mines, and to have recently made the move with my dog from the swamps of Florida to beautiful Colorado. I grew up just outside Vancouver BC, then moved out east to complete my undergraduate studies at Queen’s University in geology. It was there I got interested in ap- plying my studies to planets beyond Earth, and after graduating I went to Rhode Island to do a PhD in planetary geology at Brown University. My thesis research focused on using remote sensing and sample synthesis & analysis to better understand the crustal composition and surface processes on Mars. From there, I com- pleted a postdoc at UCF where I honed in on more practical re- search related to space resources on the Moon and Mars.
My current work involves basic science to better understand the nature, distribution, and accessibility of resources on different planetary bodies. It also includes an applied component where I work with private companies and space agencies to analyze land- ing sites, evaluate resource potential, and develop and test new technologies for making use of the local materials on planetary surfaces.
At Mines, I’ll be splitting my time between GGE and the Space Resources Program, which has exploded in popularity since launching in 2017 (over 100 graduate students currently en- rolled!). I’m already hard at work setting up some unique capabili- ties here. This includes the Planetary Cartography Lab in GRL 238, a new space with computing assets and equipment for geo- spatial analysis, remote sensing, AR/VR, and large-format 2D/3D printing. I’ll also be setting up shop in the Space Resources Lab in GRL 140, adding capabilities related to regolith simulants and space mining technologies.
I’m looking forward to getting to know and working with the stu- dents and faculty in the department as I grow my research group and pursue new collaborations. Feel free to reach out, or drop by my office once we get back to some semblance of normal life!
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GGE GRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ELIZABETH ANDREWS (PHD STUDENT, ALEXIS NAVARRE-SITCHLER)
I am a third year PhD student studying Hydrology with Dr. Alexis Navarre-Sitchler. In my research, I use numerical simu- lations to understand mineral dissolution rates in fractured rock. When we measure mineral dissolution rates in a field set- ting, the rates are orders of magnitude smaller than if we dis- solve the mineral in a laboratory setting. The mechanism for this difference hasn’t been fully explained, but I use reactive transport codes that can simulate fluid flow and chemical reac- tion to try and deduce it. I have modeled fractured rock in 2 and 3 dimensions and have found that when I put the average lab rate into my models, the output rate is similar to the rates observed in the field. These observations allow us to assess our conceptual model of weathering and explain the lab vs. field rate differences.
Prior to coming to Mines for my Ph.D., I completed my B.S. and M.S. in Geosciences at Penn State. When I first entered college, I thought I was going to be a chemistry or French education major. I even spent a semester in southern France, taking all of my classes in French to further this goal. It was actually a re- search initiative designed to introduce women into research labs that allowed me to find my passion for geology and the ge- osciences as a whole. Through this program, I was placed in the paleosol/weathering lab where I prepared paleo and modern soils for carbon isotopic analysis, and major and trace ele- mental analysis. From these measurements, I learned that I could estimate mean annual temperature and precipitation from samples that were 55 million years old. The application of chemistry to understand Earth systems through rocks is what convinced me that I wanted to be a geologist before I had even taken my first geology course. My interest in the geosciences has only grown since this expe- rience and I am most interested in using chemical properties of rocks, soils, and water to understand the processes that shape the Earth’s surface.
My time at Mines has been incredibly helpful to my professional development. With the amazing support of my advisor, and the department, I have been able to attend multiple short courses, including one on hydrologic modeling, and another on Critical Zone Processes held in Italy. These experiences have connected me with a group of early career researchers who will likely be my future collaborators as I pursue a career in academia. I have also learned so much about interdisciplinary research through these courses. I will also get the chance to teach a class this spring which will be very helpful in my pursuit of an academic career.
When I’m not working on my Ph.D., I love to explore the mountains and all the open spaces with my husband, Ben. He’s a meteorologist and has to constantly answer my questions about the different types of mountain clouds that we see here in Colorado. I am also really passionate about engaging girls with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I have volunteered at STEM outreach events at elementary schools, and I currently lead a Junior Girl Scout Troop, where we do fun science experiments, and explore the natural world around us.
Elizabeth Andrews
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GGE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: JOSHUA EBNER (BS STUDENT, PIRET PLINK-BJORKLUND)
My name is Joshua Ebner and I am an undergraduate senior in the Mineral and Petroleum Exploration Track, majoring in Geo- logical Engineering, and minoring in Mining Engineering. Through several research opportunities here at the Colorado School of Mines, I have developed a passion for economic geolo- gy and enthusiasm for geoscience research. Under Dr. Zhaoshan Chang and one of his Ph.D. candidates Kairan Liu, I was intro- duced to the operation of an LA-ICP-MS last spring where I identified analytical targets and learned how to operate the in- strumentation. That same semester, I also had the fortune of being a part of a research project under Dr. Thomas Monecke and one of his Ph.D. candidates Garrett Gissler. There I helped to further deduce the nature of deep-seated structural defor- mation within his field area.
Following the completion of field camp this past summer, I was employed as an undergraduate research fellow. Working with Dr. Katharina Pfaff, I learned how to operate many of the in- struments in her lab and studied the theories behind their oper- ation. My research focused on applying the analytical tech- niques I had learned to better characterize the distribution of germanium in core samples provided from an exploration pro- ject in western Alaska. By utilizing an array of hyperspectral instrumentation, I was able to provide new insights and aid in updating previously completed mineralogical studies.
This summer I also set up and operated the department’s new 3D rock scanner. From a rock sample, I would digitize it into a 3-dimensional model which could be used in place of the original hand sample for instructional purposes. Being able to help the department transition into a remote environment was gratifying and something I’m thankful to have been a part of. I’ve had the opportunity to continue this position throughout this past semester, handling some incredible samples as a consequence of my work. Aside from operating the 3D scanner, I’ve spent considerable time working in the Ransome Room reorganizing samples, and I also oversee a part- time desk staff at Mines Park. I am the president of Earthworks, a gardening and sustainability club here on campus, and the secretary of the Mines SEG student chapter.
If it weren’t for our SEG student chapter, I never would have discovered my passion for economic geology. During my sophomore year, unsure if I had chosen the right major, I joined a suite of professional geologic societies and sought to at- tend as many meetings as I could. After attending the first SEG student chapter meeting of the Fall 2018 semester, I had my answer; I was captivated. The field trip SEG took that semester to visit active mining operations in Montana exposed me to environments that I could see myself working in, and applications of geology that fascinated me. From the under- ground operations at the Stillwater Complex to the gaping open pit at the Golden Sunlight Mine, I was enthralled and have since sought to emulate in my work the same passion I had developed by the end of that four-day trip.
Better understanding the dynamics of ore deposits, their quirks, and elusiveness is a puzzle I’m apprehensive to begin working on in graduate school. Combining disciplines such as mineralogy, structural geology, and petrology to solve dy- namic geologic problems engages my academic interests and provides me with the opportunity to conduct research with real-world implications. I wish to make a difference in the world by becoming a productive member of the mining industry. To use what I’ve learned at Mines to aid in securing mineral resources for the next generation and to be a part of a sustaina- ble future of technological and scientific growth.
Joshua Ebner “happily standing next to my favorite rock formation (Baraboo Quartzite)”
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Visit CoRE on the web at https://core.mines.edu,. For more information, please contact Zane Jobe, CoRE Director at zanejobe@mines.edu.
Recent News:
CoRE’s most recent graduate Evan Gross (M.S., pictured at right work- ing on his thesis in eolian rocks in Utah that are a Ballymore analog) just started a full-time position with Chevron in Houston - congrats to Evan!
Luke Pettinga (Ph.D.) successfully defended his thesis on October 2, and starts a job with EOG in November – congrats to Luke!
CoRE and Chevron have a monthly Webex to talk about CoRE’s research projects - please email Zane Jobe (zanejobe@mines.edu) or Fabien Laugier to join in!
CoRE Research Summary: CoRE has been a Chevron-supported re- search group at Mines since 2004 and is currently directed by Zane Jobe. 25 students have graduated from CoRE, and 16 have been hired by Chev- ron! Currently, CoRE has 12 researchers, including 4 sponsored graduate students and several other graduate students who are CoRE-affiliated, but not funded by CoRE. Our current research themes include strati- graphic architecture and scaling relationships for reservoir connec- tivity prediction and EUR variance, sediment dispersal patterns for reservoir presence and quality predictions, and machine learning for facies prediction. We work closely with Chevron researchers Fa- bien Laugier, Morgan Sullivan, Ash Harris, and many others to customize research projects so that they have immediate business impact for Chevron assets. We try to get out in the field as much as possible to collect datasets for Chevron, and we spent more than 80 staff-days in the field in 2019, including 30 days in a new field area in the Cloridorme Formation, Quebec! 2020 fieldwork and travel for Chevron visits and meetings has been hampered by COVID, but we are all safe and working from home!
Current students and staff: Luke Pettinga (Ph.D.) will graduate in Fall 2020, and Kaci Kus (M.S., pictured at left) will graduate in Spring 2021 – both students have done fantastic work and we are very proud of them! Clark Gilbert (Ph.D.), Thomas Martin (Ph.D.), Chance Seckinger (M.S.), Hanaga Simabrata (M.S.), Ross Meyer (CoRE data scientist), Pengfei Hou (CoRE stats guru), and Mary Carr (CoRE program manager) are all hard at work on their projects.
A NOTE FROM THE CHEVRON CENTER OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (CORE)
ZANE JOBE, DIRECTOR
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New students: Nataly Chacón, below left, (M.S., sponsored by the Geology dept.) just started this fall amidst COVID, and had a rollercoaster ride to get her F1 visa! Leonela Aguada, below right (M.S., sponsored by Fulbright) was not able to get her J1 visa and will begin at Mines in Spring 2021.
Nataly (left) hails from Colombia and her project will be focused on automated facies detection from 3D outcrop models using machine-learning.
Leonela (right) comes to us from Argentina, and her project will likely be focused on depositional processes in the Vaca Muerta Formation, Argentina. We would love for Chevron to provide steer for these projects to make them more applica- ble to CVX assets!
Some photos of our recent work:  
In May 2020, Kaci Kus, Hanaga Simabrata, and Zane Jobe traveled to San Die- go (with proper PPE and social distancing) to take advantage of the lowest tides of the year that expose the Point Loma Formation. Kaci’s MS project is focused on better understanding the lateral heterogeneity of these submarine lobe de- posits.
Baby for scale! Pruet Jobe (son of Zane and Jessie Jobe) sits on cross beds of the Entrada Sandstone - this photo was taken during a trip to the Moab, Utah area in September 2020, where Mary Carr led a socially-distanced trip to the Entrada to scope out a new project looking at lateral facies heterogeneity between dune/interdune deposits. Luke Pettinga (right) is a much taller scale bar.
Zane Jobe and Hanaga Simabrata wait for a bubble tea after looking at some Wolfcamp core. Han is co-advised by Lesli Wood and his project was supposed to be a core-focused study of carbonate debris flow deposits in the Permian Basin, but access to core has been difficult during COVID, so he is transitioning to an outcrop project in the Cutoff For- mation – more on that in the next newsletter!
A NOTE FROM THE CHEVRON CENTER OF RESEARCH EXCELLENCE (CORE)
CONT’D
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REED MAXWELL , DIRECTOR
WRITTEN BY LISA GALLAGHER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH SPECIALIST
The Integrated GroundWater Modeling Center (IGWMC) is an internationally oriented research, education, and information center for integrated groundwater modeling. Our efforts focus on conducting research in practical, applied areas of ground- water hydrology and modeling, as well as engaging with our community through education and outreach initiatives. The IG- WMC also organizes and supports short courses, workshops, and conferences to advance the appropriate use of quality- assured models in groundwater resources protection and management. As for many, 2020 has been a year like none other. Here at the IGWMC, we have been continuing our work, supporting each other and our colleagues, and trying to do some of the “normal” things we would do each year.
Early in 2020 IGWMC Director Reed Maxwell and Education and Outreach Coordinator Lisa Gallagher collaborated with partners at the University of Arizona and Kitware to develop a virtual physical aquifer model, called the ParFlow Sand Tank Model (PFST). The timing of this educational tool proved to be pivotal when academia had to quickly transition to online learning. The PFST has a web browser interface, builds upon open-source software components developed by Kitware, exe- cutes the integrated hydrology model ParFlow, and uses a framework built upon Python scripting language. Our user inter- face allows participants to dive into the world of hydrology, making decisions about inputs to groundwater aquifer systems such as pumping rates and conductivity, visualizing outputs such as stream flow and saturation, and explore various factors that impact real environmental systems. This tool has already been used in a variety of educational settings and we feel this emerging educational technology can be used broadly in educational and research-based arenas and can be scaled-up to pro- vide greater accessibility for students and educators, especially in the current academic environment. Dr. Gallagher has pre- sented this tool (virtually) at the European Geophysical Union and the American Geophysical Union annual conferences.
This year also brought a new researcher to our center, with Dr. Chen Yang joining the group in late 2019. Her role is to devel- op the EcoSLIM program (Maxwell et al., 2019, Ecohydrology) by adding new features and accelerating it to applications of large-scale and long-term simulations. EcoSLIM is a Fortran program based on the Lagrangian particle tracking approach. It was developed to be seamlessly paired with the integrated ParFlow-CLM model for calculations of transient residence time distributions and source water mixing. In terms of new features, Chen’s work focuses on adding the random-walk dispersion and the transfer of particles across the interface between subsurface- and overland-domain. In terms of acceleration, she focuses on the parallelism of EcoSLIM with heterogeneous parallel architectures (e.g., the multi-GPU with OpenMP/MPI) and its applications in the North China Plain. The code is currently available on GitHub as a multi-GPU branch (https:// github.com/reedmaxwell/EcoSLIM).
Dr. Lisa Gallagher presenting the Par-
Flow Sand Tank Mod-
CONT’D
Dr. Hoang Tran, who has been a Post-Doc with the IGWMC since 2019, published his first paper with this group in March 2020. Hoang is a great resource to several graduate students in the Maxwell group, but works predominantly with Jackson Swilley on evaluating various subsurface configurations for the ParFlow-CLM model with a test bed in the Upper Colorado River Basin. Their goal is to select the best subsurface configuration for the CONUS hydrological simulation, used in the Maxwell Group for a number of research projects.
As we mentioned in the 2019 newsletter, IGWMC Director Reed Maxwell was appointed the Henry Darcy Distin- guished Lecturer for 2020. As you can imagine, it’s been a unique year to be on a lecture tour, but Dr. Maxwell han- dled it all in stride. Reed managed to give 11 in-person lectures prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, exciting audiences in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, New Mexico and Arizona. The brief in-person tour was continued with 24 lectures given virtually, to audiences at Indiana University, Texas A&M University, Argonne National Lab, the Univer- sity of California Davis, Newcastle University (UK), the University of Ottawa, Syracuse University, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, just to name a few. The final pre-recorded Darcy was presented during the National Ground- water Association’s Groundwater Week. Congratulations to Dr. Maxwell for delivering an entertaining and inspiring lecture series, despite the challenges of 2020.
Our last piece of information is both a bit sad and a bit exciting. The IGWMC will be moving from Colorado School of Mines to Princeton University in 2021, with several researchers and staff members coming along. The IGWMC has been based at CSM since 1991, and has hosted many iterations of the MODFLOW and More Conference series, as well as numerous short courses, workshops, and outreach events. We appreciate and will miss our colleagues in the Geolo- gy and Geological Engineering Department, as well as our Mines colleagues across campus. It’s been a fun ride and we hope you all will continue to follow our work!
Dr. Reed Maxwell giving his “Hydrology from the bottom up” Darcy Lecture during Groundwater Week (pre-recorded).
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A NOTE FROM THE GGE PROFESSIONAL MASTER PROGRAMS
(NON-THESIS) AND OUR NEW EARTH RESOURCE DATA SCIENCE GRADUATE CER- TIFICATE
The Department of Geology and Geological Engineering currently offers a Professional Master’s Degree (non-thesis) in three specialty areas: Mineral Exploration, Geological Engineering, Petroleum Reservoir Systems. The di- rectors for these programs are Dr. Zhaoshan Chang, Dr, Paul Santi, and Dr. Steve Sonnenberg (with faulty collaborators in Geophysical and Petroleum Engineering).
In addition, a one term Certificate is available in Economic Geology and Mineral Exploration (Dr. Chang), and in 2020 a new graduate Certificate is offered in Earth Resource Data Science by Dr. Zane Jobe. These are certificates are tailored to working professionals in the Mining Industry who wish to take a step increasing their education while remaining at work. Credits for these Certificates can be applied to a Master’s Degree.
Current Undergraduate students at Colorado School of Mines may take advantage of a “4+1” program whereby they can double count up to 6 credits from specific 400-level courses and need only an additional 24 credit hours to complete a Pro- fessional Master’s Degree.
Mary Doherty is the manager for the Mineral Exploration and Economic Geology programs, working with Dr. Chang and others in the department. The program has six students in the program for Fall term, and 10 scheduled for Spring term. Many of these students are returning from time working in the industry, and bring a variety of their own experience to the program. The current group represent students from the USA, Mexico, Canada, Kazakhstan, UAE, and Indonesia.
The Earth Resource Data Science graduate certificate is offered by Dr. Zane Jobe, new in 2020. Data science is a vitally important skill, particularly when paired with deep domain knowledge, and Mines is uniquely positioned to provide this training. This program will enable students to organize, analyze, and visualize earth-resource data as well as automate repetitive tasks, making them more efficient and innovative scientists. The program covers fundamental data science (no pre-requisites necessary!) and advanced topics including machine-learning and web-scraping. The program introduces the fundamentals of python data science as it pertains to characterization, extraction, and sustainable development of sur- face and subsurface Earth resources.
This graduate certificate consists of four courses (12 credit hours). All courses are fully online and 'asynchronous', meaning there is no official time that the class meets. All the work is done at your own pace, and from anywhere in the world! How- ever, there are structured times for students to be able to interact with faculty “live” via office hours and other means. Fourteen elective choices offer flexibility, allowing students to customize the certificate towards their industry or interests. The courses include DSCI403 Introduction to Data Science, GEOL557 Earth Resource Data Science I – Fundamentals, GEOL558 Earth Resource Data Science II – Applications and Machine-Learning. Elective choices and information: https://github.com/zanejobe/Mines-ERDS.
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WRITTEN BY MARY DOHERTY AND ZANE JOBE
Figure: Core photo and derived ‘psuedo gamma ray’ log for automated facies classification using python (photo courtesy Thomas Martin and Ross Meyer)
A NOTE FROM THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY GROUP
The faculty and staff in Economic Geology are globally focused on research, development, collaboration, and innovation to understanding mineral deposits, hydrothermal geochemistry, and developing mineral exploration techniques. Pro- jects are supported by the mining industry, as well as competitive federal funding and international agencies. The group’s work spans the USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, Fiji, and Australia. The team’s global impact is highlighted by the number of participants in Dr. Chang’s 2020 International webinars (2,000 global partici- pants during 2020 from around the world), the companies participating in our industry and academic consortium (CASERM) led by Dr. Monecke and Dr. Holley, and the four department laboratories managed by Drs. Chang, Mo- necke, Pfaff, Stolze and Joe Erickson. Department laboratories have state-of-the-art analytical capabilities used by many departments and programs at CSM and by external companies and researchers. The students participating in this department have exposure to a wide variety of exploration and analytical techniques, companies, and industry lead- ers.
In addition to the CASERM consortium, the Economic Geology team engage in active collaboration with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey. Collaboration and innovation will be key over the next decades to define, locate and develop the next set of mineral deposits. In particular, sustainable use of the Earth’s resources have become of great interest, encompassing traditionally held commodities such as copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, as well as critical commodities such as battery driven elements (Co-Ni-Li) and rare earth elements used for technology and energy applications.
The group is passionate about economic geology, and also teaching fundamentals in earth evolution, formation of min- eral deposits, development of new methods for mineral exploration, mining geology, geometallurgy and the environ- mental and social context of mining. Teaching the fundamentals of mineralogy, petrology, and petrography are im- portant to all geoscience disciplines, be it mineral exploration, petroleum technology, or environmental geoscience. Our Economic Geology team is diverse and collaborative; our programs remain a go-to resource for global mining com- panies for student training and research, evidenced by the global reach of companies supporting the program, and the international group of students in our graduate programs.
The Center for Advanced Subsurface Earth Resource Models (CASERM), is an Industry/University Coopera- tive Research Center that represents a collaboration among industry, government agencies, and Universities (CSM and Virginia Tech). Research funding and logistical support is provided by both center members and the National Science Foundation. The research focus of CASERM is to transform the way geoscience data are used to locate and characterize subsurface earth resources and, thus, to enhance exploration success, decrease prospect development time, and reduce overall spending. Corporate member Companies include AngloGold Ashanti, Newcrest, Rio Tinto, Ioneer, Seequent, Skeena, and Lundin Mining.
The Center represents a collaborative venture between Mines and Virginia Tech aimed at solving research challenges in the development of 3D subsurface geological models for mineral deposits, particularly as these models integrate diverse geoscience data to inform decision making and minimize geological risk, beginning with locating and mining subsurface earth resources and continuing through mine closure and environmental remediation. Research aims to enhance ex- ploration success for mineral resources, decrease prospect development time, and reduce overall spending. The Na- tional Science Foundation takes a supporting role in the development and evolution of the CASERM and provides a framework for its operation. Current projects include: (1) developing machine learning methods for resource modeling and mine planning; (2) defining distal signatures and vectors of hydrothermal systems in carbonates; (3) applying seis- mic and radar high-resolution 3D mapping of geologic features beyond the mined volume; and (4) using quantitative automated mineralogy to increase the value of hyperspectral core data.
Under the leadership of Thomas Monecke and Elizabeth Holley, as well as Erik Westman at Virginia Tech, this collabo- rative initiative continues to grow industry membership and diversify its research portfolio as the 3rd year of center operations begins. For more information, visit the CASERM web site, https://caserm.mines.edu/
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Staff, Laboratory and Program Updates
Wendy Bohrson, our Geology Department head, is an igneous petrologist who joined the group in 2019. Wendy teaches Pe- trology and Volcanology and is actively developing research programs and a research group.
Zhaoshan Chang resides in the Charles F. Fogarty endowed chair as a Professor of Economic Geology. He and his group work to understand the formation process of mineral deposits, and develop exploration tools for skarn, porphyry, epithermal, Iron- Oxide-Copper-Gold, and Tin-Tungsten deposits. His laboratory has one of the only laser ablation instruments coupled with a triple quad (MS-MS) instrument which is capable of precise and sensitive analysis of minerals, single fluid composition analysis, and U-Pb dating. The LA-ICP-MS laboratory has an ASI Resolution-SE ArF excimer 193 nm laser system and an Agilent 8900 ICP-MS/MS system. This instrument can analyze trace elements in minerals down to sub-ppb concentrations, provide mineral mapping of trace elements (see Figure), and provide U-Pb dating of zircon, titanite, and other suitable minerals. The triple quad- ruple setup allows separation of interfering masses through pre-filtering and mass shift. These open an entirely new field of min- eral characterization and the ability to provide vectors and genetic information about mineral deposits. During 2020, the group developed the mineral trace element mapping capacity. In-situ Rb-Sr dating and S isotope microanalysis methods are being de- veloped. The group also utilizes infra-red spectral techniques.
Zhaoshan works closely with the mineral exploration industry looking for prospective and diagnostic mineral chemistry signa- tures, minerals which either discriminate positive economic mineralization and/or provide zonation patterns capable of provid- ing vectors to higher grade and fluid source direction within a deposit. The methods use mineralogy, texture, spectral features, whole-rock chemistry, mineral chemistry, and/or unique isotopic characterization. The lab analyzes both internal and external samples.
During 2020, Zhaoshan was the Society of Economic Geologists International Exchange Lecturer, giving talks about skarn zona- tion patterns, lithocap characteristics and exploration, metal transport for high-sulfidation epithermal deposits, and mineral geo- chemistry and application in exploration. Through the year, he has been invited to give presentations by numerous organizations and conferences from 8 countries. Although it is not possible to travel due to the pandemic, Zhaoshan has delivered over 10 online presentations with ~2,000 global participants.
As the Director of the Professional Master’s in Mineral Exploration Degree program, Zhaoshan works closely with Mary Doherty (PM program Manager) to try to make it possible for geologists to take the program without leaving their jobs. Zhaoshan contin- ues serving as an Associate Editor for Economic Geology, Mineralium Deposita, and Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition). He is also an Adjunct Professor of James Cook University, Australia, a Guest Research Professor of the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, the Chair of the IAGOD Working Group on Skarn Deposits, and a SEG Mentor.
Zhaoshan teaches GEGN401 Mineral De- posits, GEGX571 Exploration Geochemistry, GEOL508 Skarns and Related Deposits, GEOL598 SWIR Spectral Analysis, and GEOL520 New Developments in Mineral Exploration. Two PhD students joined the team in 2020 to develop new methods in- cluding in-situ Rb-Sr dating, in-situ S iso- tope analysis, and U-Pb dating of unconven- tional minerals such as cassiterite, wolfram- ite, apatite and titanite.
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Mineral Map showing element zonation within a garnet sample. Note enrich- ment in La-Pr-Nd-Ho-Er-Y in the core, and outer zones relatively enriched in Al -Sn-Ti. Data from Laser – ICP Triple Quad MS.
Figure 2: Exploration Geochemistry students learn the intricate details of Water Sampling Procedure, used for
both Environmental and Explora- tion Geochemistry. U.S. Geological Survey scientists Karen Kelley (left) and Garth Graham (center) demon-
strate current practice and field measurements.
A NOTE FROM THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY GROUP CONT’D
Mary Doherty joined the group in May 2020 to manage the Professional Master’s Degree Program in Mineral Exploration. This non- thesis Master’s program is focused for students interested in Economic Geology and Mineral Exploration. The program is set up with Block courses of 1-2 weeks in length to allow working professional geologists to take up to 2 courses while continuing to work. On-campus students may take elective semester based courses which complement their study interests. We currently have students taking optional semester courses in Structural Geology, Mine Geology, Geostatistics, Data Analytics, Geophysics and Geochemistry. Our Professional Master’s students are a blend of those continuing from a Bachelor’s Degree, and those returning from years of work and interested in com- pleting their Master’s program. Mary taught Exploration Geochemistry GEGX571 with Dr. Chang and collaborators from the U.S. Geologi- cal Survey. She comes to Colorado School of Mines from 30+ years working in the Mining Industry for Newmont, Freeport, BHP, time as a Mine Geologist, Explorationist, Geochemist, and Business Leader. Her most recent post involved delivering advanced technologies for mineral exploration in a collaborative industry team. She is enjoying both mentoring the current students, and working to recruit for the Master’s program. Steve Enders continued in his role as Director of Subsurface Frontier through August 1st 2020, when he was appointed a Professor of Practice and the Department Head for Mining Engineering, with a joint appointment in Geology and Geological Engineering. He was ap- pointed to the Board of Governors for the CSM Foundation this Fall. Steve continues to teach GEGN403 – Mineral Exploration Design and GEOL514 – Business of Economic Geology. For 514, Steve took a cohort of students from those courses to the Prospectors and Devel- opers of Canada conference 2020, where they had outstanding opportunities to learn how the mineral exploration business works and to build their network of contacts. Steve co-taught the Mine Mapping module in Field Camp with Dr. Christian Shorey. Field Camp was vir- tual this year and a real challenge to teach field methods without going to the field. It turned out that drone photos of roadcuts in the Cen- tral City area and continuous photos of the Orica tunnel in the Edgar Mine were an excellent platform for mapping. Jae Erickson continues to expand the capabilities and capacity of the Thin Section Lab. In addi- tion to the new polisher and vacuum impregnation machine added during 2019, this year an ultra- violet glue curing station was added. Continued collaboration with other Colorado Universities has resulted in new relationships and research endeavors, and the lab has received praise and recom- mendations from industry partners. The lab continues to employ undergraduate students and ac- cepts samples from CSM, collaborative partners, and external geologists. Elizabeth Holley was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Mining Engineering during 2020, where she continues to bridge the gap between geoscience and mining. She recently stepped into the role of Site Director for the CASERM NSF IUCRC. Her current group comprises 6 PhD and one post-doc student, and the team's work spans the mining lifecycle. Addi- tional detail is provided at the website: https://mininggeologyresearch.mines.edu/. Elizabeth is working on a campus-wide initiative promoting innovation across the mining value chain to meet the mineral demands of the low-carbon energy future, and she would welcome input and collabora- tion from alumni and friends of Mines. She teaches GEOL/MNGN528 Mining Geology, as well as GEOL/MNGN 310 and 311 which comprise the undergraduate geology track for mining engineers. Yvette Kuiper started an International Geoscience Programme Project, a flagship program of UNESCO, along with Faouziya Haissen (Hassan II University – Casablanca, Morocco (Fulbright scholar in 2018), Pilar Montero (University of Granada, Spain) and Sandra Barr (Acadia University, Canada). This is the only United Nations organization with a mandate to support research and capacity in geology and geophysics. The project will be centered around field trips in Morocco, Iberia and eastern North America in the coming three or four years starting with virtual meetings. These are attended by >100 participants from 20 countries. For information, please note the website, https://igcp683.org/. Yvette is editor of a Geological Society of America Special Publication “New developments in the Appala- chian-Caledonian-Variscan orogen” to be published in 2021. Stay tuned! Yvette continues serving on the University Senate and started chairing the University Research Council in 2020. The field season was largely canceled due to the pandemic, but her MS students Dustin Shockley and Ben Magnin were able to conduct field work in Colorado. Allison Sev- erson finished her PhD and Logan Powell his Masters in Spring 2020. Students Sonia El- lison, Noah Fleischer and Robby Charnock simply keep going strong! Yvette’s theme on the teaching front was (unsurprisingly…) ‘going virtu- al’. This all started in Spring just like for everyone else. In Summer, she was part of the challenge of designing a virtual field camp. Because virtual travel is for free and takes no time, she took the field camp students out to Rhoscolyn, Wales, where there are some fabulously folded low grade metasedimentary rocks, with quartz veins that saw the later parts of the deformation. Students were able to roam the shoreline expo- sures of Rhoscolyn and enjoy the geology, without rain gear! In Fall she taught GEOL505 - Advanced Structural Geology, including the field component in Golden Gate Canyon State Park (masks on!). In Spring she teaches GEOL540 – Isotope Geochemistry and GEOL498 – Plate Tectonics.
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Figure 6: Dr. Holley panned for gold in Colombia during field work for the NSF -funded project on Responsible Mining, Resilient Communities.
Figure 5: A refolded fold in Golden Gate Canyon State Park taken during a GEOL505 field exercise on Halloween. Sparkly tarantula for scale!
A NOTE FROM THE ECONOMIC GEOLOGY GROUP CONT’D
Katharina Pfaff oversees the Mineral Characterization (MMC) Laboratory in the department and is active in methods devel- opment, including but not limited to automated mineralogy techniques. The MMC Facility is particularly delighted to announce the hire of former graduate student Kelsey Livingston to support day-to-day operations and methods development. The laboratory expan- sion and the newly established partnership with Bruker has proven to be a game changer for Katharina’s research and for the depart- ment. Research conducted by Katharina and her seven graduate students focuses on fundamental and applied research related to eco- nomic geology from early exploration, through mining and the sustainable use of Earth resource materials such as tailings. They com- bine field work with modern micro-analytical and machine learning techniques. An emphasis it put on magmatic and hydrothermal systems and ongoing projects focus on the formation, distribution and residence of REEs, Ge, Co, and other critical minerals in a vari- ety of deposit types. Ongoing collaborations with faculty from across Mines and researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey offer ex- citing research and internship opportunities for Katharina’s students. Katharina continues to be engaged in the department, to serve on the editorial board of the Mineralogical Magazine and as a reviewer for a number of journals and the National Science Foundation. If you are interested in our mineral and materials characterization capabilities or outreach efforts, please visit our website: https:// geology.mines.edu/laboratories/automated-mineralogy-laboratory/. Katharina taught two graduate classes in 2020 (GEOL523, ‘Reflected Light and Electron Microscopy’ and ‘XRF Methods’). M.Sc. student Kelsey Livingston graduated, and Katharina welcomed three new graduate students. Research experience opportunities for undergraduate students (one REU and two MURF students) in- clude work on collaborative projects with the Departments of Mining Engineering, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, and Metallur- gy.
Thomas Monecke continues with extensive research and development of Economic Geology concepts. He and his group specifically study metallogeny of modern and ancient volcanic arcs, economic geology of hydrothermal ore deposits, fluid-fluid, fluid-mineral, and fluid-rock interactions as tools to reconstruct fluid characteristics, Archean geology and metallogenesis, and hydrothermal geochemis- try. Thomas leads the Colorado School of Mines collaborative center for studies, the Center for Advanced Subsurface Earth Resource Models (CASERM) described earlier in this newsletter. https://caserm.mines.edu/ Thomas also continues to take a leadership role in the Center for Mineral Resource Science, a joint research center between CSM and the U.S. Geological Survey scien- tists. He manages the cathodoluminescence and fluid inclusion laboratory. This lab and the X-ray diffraction laboratory continue to support a large variety of research activities in the department. Thomas currently serves on the editorial board of Miner- alium Deposita and as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Thomas teaches GEOL524 - Economic Geology, GEOL513 - Hydrothermal Geo- chemistry, and GEOL519 - Abitibi Geology and Exploration Field School. Unfortunately COVID-19 prevented the other valuable courses which will resume in future: GEOL598-Drill Core Logging, and GEOL521 Field and ore Deposit Geology.
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Fig. : Complementary SEM and XRF imaging methods. A) SEM-based automated mineralogy image show- ing the mineralogy and textural relationships of a thin section (2 x 3 cm), B) µXRF scan showing the distri- bution of Fe and Ge, C) µXRF scan showing the distribution of Cu and Ge, and D) µXRF scan showing the distribution of Zn and Co of the same area shown in (A). The combined analysis shows that Ge primarily resides in areas that have experienced a secondary hydrothermal event at grain boundaries and around bornite or chalcopyrite.
The engineering geology industry continues to remain strong, in spite of the economic uncertainty during the pandemic, with plenty of employment options for our graduates. Likewise, research in the field is progressing along many interesting fronts. Dr. Santi continues to focus the bulk of his research on debris flow and landslide analysis, as well as other geologic hazards. Recent projects funded through the Center for Mining Sustainability (teamed with Dr. Wendy Zhou) are using GIS and remote sensing methods to map geologic hazards, and analyzing a massive landslide impacting the Pan American high- way (PhD student Andrew Graber). Andrew Graber also continues his research on rockfall recurrence in Glenwood Canyon, shifting the focus to post-wildfire effects, thanks to the recent Grizzly Creek Fire (funded by CDOT). Several students com- pleted their degrees: Cory Wallace developed methods to measure and predict landslide runout, Kyle Radach analyzed the Cedar Pass landslide complex at Badlands National Park, Matt Tello developed techniques to optimize landslide susceptibil- ity modeling in Puerto Rico, Omid Arabnia unraveled the timing of landslide and other deposits off the Grand Mesa in west- ern Colorado, Sam Rumel measured the change and recovery over time of soil properties following burning by wildfire, and Claire VandeYacht studied the accumulation of sediment and shallow landsliding following wildfire in the San Gabriel Mountains. Also, MS student Lauren Herbert received the Norman R. Tilford Field Study Scholarship from the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists to support her research on debris flow avulsion in the White Mountain of Cali- fornia.
The Center for Mining Sustainability, headed by Professor Paul Santi, received funding for a second phase of research in Peru, totaling $9M. Of the 8 new projects in this phase, several are related to geological engineering, such as research on the identification and prediction of geologic hazards, geophysical imaging of subsoils and land slides for a new massive irrigation project, and geochemistry and mineralogical influences of water quality in 5 ma jor regional watersheds. Center research is done in partnership with the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín in Arequipa Peru, involving approximately 30 faculty from each university.
Dr. Walton and his Computational Geomechanics Laboratory (geomech.mines.edu) have continued to focus on rock me- chanics in the context of underground excavation stability and remote sensing applications in rockfall hazard characteriza- tion and monitoring. Notable research outcomes include identification of climate triggering patterns for rockfall with unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution (M.Sc. student Heather Schovanec) and development of new approaches for analysis of ground-support interaction in mines (Ph.D. student Sankhaneel Sinha). Dr. Walton also recently gave a (virtual) keynote lecture, "Advances in Bonded Block Modeling", at Sweden's national rock mechanics day conference.
Dr. Zhou and her research group have continued to focus on geohazards and geoinformatics in the context of environmen- tal & engineering geology. Notable research outcomes include (1) backward erosion piping of earth dam & levees and flood prediction using remote sensing (Ph.D. students Stephen Semmens and Dorcas Idowu); (2) uncertainty assessment for 3D geologic modeling (Ph.D. student Ashton Krajnovich); (3) ground subsidence due to tunneling using remote sensing and machine learning techniques (Ph.D. students Kendall Wnuk and Linan Liu); and (4) Landslide susceptibility studies (MS students Lauren Southerland and Justin Manning). Dr. Zhou and her students also gave presentations (virtual) at national and international conferences in 2020, such as the Annual Meeting of the AEG (Association of Environmental & Engineer- ing Geologists), the world tunnel congress – WTC2020 and 46th General Assembly, and the 3rd Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences. In addition, (1) Ph.D. student Ashton Krajnovich received the USDOT (US Department of Transpor- tation) Outstanding Student of the Year award in January 2020 at an award ceremony in Washington DC; (2) and Ph.D. stu- dent Stephen Semmens won 1st place award (tied) at the 2020 Colorado Statewide 3MT (Three-Minute Thesis) Competi- tion.
A NOTE FROM THE ENGINEERING GROUP AND THE SURFACE PROCESSES AND GEOMORPHOLOGY GROUP
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The Surface Processes and Geomorphology group (Danica Roth and students) has been growing and thriving in spite of this year’s pandemic hurdles. After cancelling our first field campaigns in March, we focused on data-driven approaches that have since developed into exciting new collaborations with colleagues from over a dozen universities, the USGS and the US Forest Service. Claire Vavrus (MS, 2021) was awarded a CUAHSI Pathfinder Fellowship to study the impact of roads on post-fire rill and gully erosion, which she is in- vestigating with lidar and pho- togrammetric data collected in Montecito, CA after the 2018 debris flows. Caroline Bedwell (MS, 2021) received a GSA Graduate Student Research Grant to study the impact of climate variation on post- wildfire soil hydrology, and is now compiling and analyzing data from collaborators across the Western US, as well as field work at the recent Griz- zly Creek fire in CO. Both Caroline and Claire passed their MS proposal defenses this summer and will present their work at AGU. We welcomed two new group members this year: PhD student Hayden Jacobson (co-advised with Dr. Gabe Walton) will be examining the rela- tionship between surface roughness, biotic processes, hydrolo- gy and erosion after wildfires; and MURF intern Alex Coronado is examining the seismic signals generated by sediment transport and water turbulence in rivers. Our new gamma spec- troscopy lab is nearly ready to analyze erosion rates over days to decadal timescales, and we recently co-purchased a Distrib- uted Acoustic Sensing (DAS) system with several other Mines faculty, which we will use to study a range of surface processes. Danica now has a courtesy joint appointment with the Geo- physics Department and is a member of the Hydrological Sci- ences and Engineering Program; she also serves as a Steer- ing Committee member and the Geomorphology Working Group Lead for the NSF-funded DAS Research Coordina- tion Network (RCN), as well as the Mines Graduate Council and GE de- partment’s Diversity, Inclusion and Access Committee. She published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences this year, gave invited talks at Washington University in St. Louis, University of Pennsylvania, UC Santa Barbara and the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) Summer Science series at CU Boulder, and is convening two sessions on Environmental Seismology at AGU. Danica also teaches the newly redesigned undergraduate Engineering Terrain Analysis and Advanced Physical Geology lab courses, a new graduate course in Point Cloud Data Analysis (co-developed with Dr. Gabe Wal- ton), and a Wildfire, Erosion and Hazards graduate seminar. In addition to research, our group members are also taking steps to foster community support both in and outside the department, such as inviting fellow geo- morphologist Jane Willenbring (Stanford University) to visit Mines and share her experiences with Growing Up in Science and the #MeTooSTEM movement, developing the new Mines Employee Relief Fund, starting a biweekly GE coffee hour focused on diversity, inclusion and access, and contributing to the growth of student-owned initiatives for professional development and cohort-building. More information about the SPG group and our work can be found at https://surfaceprocesses.mines.edu.
A NOTE FROM THE ENGINEERING GROUP AND THE SURFACE PROCESSES AND GEOMORPHOLOGY GROUP
CONT’D
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Socially distanced Roth-Walton Supergroup Picnic/Happy Hour Plus Plus Ones and Friends (RWSPHHPPOF).
Caroline Bedwell setting up a transect to measure hydraulic conductivity after the Grizzly Creek fire in Colorado
The Surface Processes and Geomorphology group’s new gamma spectroscopy lab.
Despite the craziness of 2020, the Maxwell Research Group has had a great year continuing their study of hydrologic systems. The group also graduated one student, Mary Mi- chael Forrester, whose PhD work focused on the effects of groundwa- ter model configuration on lower atmospheric systems. Mary Mi- chael now works for NASA and lives in Tennessee.
Anna Ryken is a PhD candidate hoping to defend her dissertation this spring. Her work in the East River Basin is focused on eddy co- variance observations and model comparisons. Her work estimates evapotranspiration (ET) within the East River Basin using an eddy covariance tower and com- pares these estimates to mod- eled outputs. She is interested in understanding the sources of water from which ET is drawing and whether the catch- ment is water- or energy-limited. This re- search can lead to better ET estimates in complex terrain.
Lauren Thatch is a PhD candidate looking to defend her dissertation this Spring. Lauren’s research is centered around improving the representation of water management pro- cesses in integrated hydrologic models. The first part of her dis- sertation work estimated water use changes in the California Cen- tral Valley during the recent historic drought using a synthesis approach with integrated hydrologic modeling and remote sensing data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) remote sensing data. Currently Lauren is assessing the importance of model resolu- tion when using integrated hydrologic models to evaluate irrigation and groundwater pumping activities.
Danielle Tijerina is continuing her PhD work on intercomparing continental-scale hydrologic models over the continental United States. She was able to present the results of the intercomparison at the 2019 American Geophysical Union meeting, where she won an Outstanding Stu- dent Presentation Award. Danielle will continue her research, and her PhD, with Dr. Maxwell at Princeton University, where she started clas- ses this fall. There, she is interested in applying continental scale hydrologic models to better understand the impacts of climate-change in- duced land use and land cover change on the water cycle. She will also continue to work with collaborators on the NSF HydroFrame project to make continental-scale model data more accessible to other modelers, scientists, and educators.
Jackson Swilley is in his second year as a Masters student and will defend his thesis this spring, March 2021. He has been working to analyti- cally estimate and map hydraulic conductivity, K, at high-resolution over the contiguous United States (CONUS). Additionally, he is validat- ing these K data products in the Upper Colorado River Basin by way of integrated hydrologic modeling. He is comparing modeled groundwa- ter depths and streamflows to observed values and assessing the relative performance of a suite of hydraulic conductivity maps. Preliminary results show that analytically-derived K products validate well in comparison to published geology-informed hydraulic conductivity maps.
Other highlights:
Kamini Singha:
Sawyer McFadden, MS Hydrology, received a 2020 Geological Society of America Graduate Student Research Grant
Alexis Navarre-Sitchler:
Elizabeth Andrews, PhD Candidate - Los Alamos National Laboratory Center for Nonlinear Studies Fellowship
A NOTE FROM THE HYDROLOGY GROUP
Monthly evapotranspiration comparison of ParFlow 2014 monthly simulation results with MODIS and SSEBop remote sensing products over valley cells. Only results from ParFlow simulations that match
GRACE are presented.
Log-scale hydraulic conductivity maps produced using the Darcy analytical method (this study). Maps are a single layer with 1km lateral resolution.
Hello to you all!
I write to you two days before Thanksgiving from my home office, which I share with my pig Bartley. He is not the greatest office mate as he seems to have a habit of waking up just when I am in the middle of teaching or having a conversation with the Vice President of Research! He makes his presence known, but it keeps the kids awake and I am actually enjoying record attendance in all the classes that I teach on line! Apparently, when students are able to sit on their couch, eat cereal, answer questions, and talk to a pig, they are more willing to attend class. I get it.
COVID cut travel short for all of us in 2020, but I managed to squeak in a trip to Dallas and Amarillo to teach the Bill Hailey Memorial Short Course for the SW AAPG section in early January. A great group of colleagues in both cities, all en- gaged in listening and learning about subaqueous mass failures and their role in filling the many basins of the world. A great chance for me, as well to learn from the operators and explorers in these basins. I traveled to Calgary, Canada in late Janu- ary to provide a talk on paleo-seascape and –landscape evolution to the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. This talk on seismic geomorphology was given in the den of Henry Posamentier, so it had to be done right! Great crowd and great hospitality from our colleagues north of the border. My final face-to-face visit in 2020 was a trip on March 9 down to Roswell, New Mexico to present a talk to the Roswell Geological Society. Those guys have a small but really engaged group of geoscientists. I talked about our ongoing work in the San Juan Basin looking at the section from the El Vado down through the Gallup Sandstones. Lots of fun!
The shutting down of darn near everything in March has led to talks on-line to the Indonesian Society of Petroleum Ex- plorationists (214 attendees) and talks to ENI in Milan (62 attendees). If on-line presentations do one thing, they really boost the number of people from around the world who can hear scientific talks and interact with each other across sub- stantial distances, and time zones!
In May, we presented our very first on-line SAND Members annual Meeting for our industry consortium. Our consorti- um is celebrating its 20th year of industry support on 2020 and we were able to present our research to over 200 partici- pants from several companies over two ½ days of talks. I was proud of the students who continue to make progress in their careers despite the drama going on around them. This is a difficult time for anyone trying to build a career in the energy industry. Internships have been cancelled, delayed or gone to remote formats, which leave young scientists una- ble to really experience working in an industry setting. However, they are learning new skills in remote teamwork and we continue to grow. Funding of the consortium has been challenging this year, as we have gone systematically from ~$325,000 in funding in 2019 to $135,000 in 2020, and 2021 looks to be even more challenging. The energy industry is nothing if not volatile and we will manage as we have always done, through innovation of our science to meet industries changing needs. I and my colleagues; Drs. Zane Jobe, Piret Plink-Bjorkland, Brandon Dugan (GP) and Louis Zerpa (PE) are embarking in the coming year on a fact finding and design mission to look at how companies wish to interact in the future through funded research. Through this effort, supported by the CSM VP for Research, we hope to come up with some new models for how this will happen and bring more successful partnerships to not only the Department but to the University as a whole.
A bright light at the end of the 2020 COVID tunnel is that our students have responded this year with a record number of publications. We currently have published, in press or in review over 14 publications in peer-reviewed journals, special publications and volumes. Publications from the rift basin research, work in the deposits of the Miocene Riffian Corridor of Morocco, ongoing mass failure studies and statistical analysis of deepwater reservoir architectures are but a few of the topics that are in press.
A NOTE FROM THE ROBERT J. WEIMER CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF THE SEDIMENTARY ANALOGS DATABASE (SAND)
CONSORTIA WRITTEN BY LESLI WOOD
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Image with CSM researchers and Moroccan OHNYM and academic collaborators on tidally influenced deltaic barforms outcropping in
the Miocene-age wedgetop basin fills of the northern Morocco.
Students have continued to receive great funding for their research from the Bartshe and Keck funds, and the support is an immeasurable asset in this time. In addition, students have written successful proposals for funding from AAPG, GSA and SEPM, and taken TA positions to help with our support costs. We are pushing forward, as geology stops for no pan- demic.
I would like to summarize our year so far with two very positive items. This year saw three students graduating in May; Dr. Sebastian Cardona, Dr. Pengfei Hou and Ms. Alden Griffin, the later of whom finished with her master’s degree. Dr. Hou has remained in the area and is working with Dr. Zane Jobe and myself to revise our 20 year compiled database of sedimentary research and analytical data in to new formats and newly machine readable deliverables for our sponsors. Dr. Cardona is currently working as a Geologist with Equinor in Houston. Ms. Griffin is employeed with EOG in Midland, Texas. As for myself, after six years at CSM as a full professor, I was granted tenure at the University in June. It It is clear that tenure is not so much an imperative to success for those of us who have been at it for 30 years or so, as can be attested to by Dr. Weimer and Dr. Sonnenberg. However, for me, as tenure is now a key vehicle of academia, I think that academic tenure is important to be able to influence many of the decision processes that happen on campus. I hope that having such will make me a more effective leader on campus and off, and enable me to better assist with bringing opportunities to the Department and growing our programs.
I hope your families have been safe and remain prosperous in these difficult times. The aspen continue to turn gold and winter will be here soon enough! The number of sci- entific talks on line are proliferating, and we will soon be back to a brave new world of short and long distance science. Please come see us when you can, and thanks so much for your generosity and support. We could not continue to support our students and programs without you.
Sincerely,
A NOTE FROM THE ROBERT J. WEIMER CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF THE SEDIMENTARY ANALOGS DATABASE (SAND)
CONSORTIA WRITTEN BY LESLI WOOD
CONT’D
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Sonnenberg newsletter information 2020.
Steve Sonnenberg’s research focuses on unconventional petro- leum systems (from the micro-pore to outcrop scales). He runs the MUDTOC research consortium. This project is multi- faceted (geology, geophysics, engineering) and industry sup- ported. Monies from industry are used for tuition, fees, and stipends for students and laboratory analyses as needed. Stud- ies include the following North America areas: Bakken (Williston Basin); Niobrara (Rockies region); Mowry (Rockies area); Skull Creek Shale (Rockies area); Sharon Springs Mem- ber of Pierre Shale (Rockies region); Carrier Bed plays in the Powder River and Denver basins; Marcellus and Utica (Appalachian Basin); Haynesville Shale (Gulf Coast); Wolfcamp, Avalon, Bone Springs, Dean formations (Permian Basin).
Kathy Emme works as the research associate for the consorti- um.
Steve Sonnenberg is the Director/Manager of the Subsurface Core Laboratory.
Current Students Supervised MUDTOC: Cankut Kondakci (PhD Niobrara project), Alexa Socianu (Mowry project), Carolina Mayorga (Lewis project), Chris Mat- son (PhD Niobrara thesis), Andrew Wood (Marcellus project), Josh Shaw (Marcellus project), Corey Milar (Turner Sandstone thesis), Brian Hankins (Mowry-Muddy-Skull Creek thesis), Rebekah Parks (Shannon thesis), Lisa Reeves (Parkman the- sis), Nick Damon (Codell Sandstone thesis), Cahill Kelleghan (Permian thesis), Scott Manwaring (Niobrara thesis), Ryan Rogers (Bakken thesis), Patrick Sullivan (Skull Creek thesis), Adam Simonsen (Niobrara thesis), Sywei Yeap (Permian the- sis) Selena Neale (Permian Basin project); Chris Beliveau (CCUS thesis), Adrienne Bryant (Graneros Shale thesis), Scott Kennedy (Semilla Sandstone thesis), Chad Taylor (Niobrara thesis)
2020 Graduates Jennifer Blake MS, 2020, Geologic reservoir characterization of the Avalon Shale and 1st Bone Spring Formation in the Southern Delaware Basin, MS thesis CSM, 183 p. Courtney Bone MS, 2020, Petroleum geology of the Turner Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale, Weston County, Wyo- ming: MS thesis CSM, 143 p. Jacqueline Colborne PhD, 2020, A multi-scale approach to res- ervoir characterization of the Wolfcamp A, Delaware Basin, Texas: PhD thesis CSM, 237 p.
Sonnenberg Faculty Representative For:
idigmines ambassador
Classes Taught 2019:
GEGN 438, Petroleum Geology; GEOL 551, Applied Petroleum Geology; GEOL 552 Unconventional Petroleum Systems; GEOL 560 Imperial Barrel; GEOL 609 Advanced Petroleum Geology
2020 Awards
2020 Service Activities
2021 AAPG ACE General Chairman
2020 URTEC Program Committee
A NOTE FROM THE CHARLES BOETTCHER CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF THE MUDROCKS AND TIGHT OIL CHARACTERI-
ZATION (MUDTOC) CONSORTIA WRITTEN BY STEPHEN SONNENBERG
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A NOTE FROM THE CHARLES BOETTCHER CHAIR AND DIRECTOR OF THE MUDROCKS AND TIGHT OIL CHARACTERI-
ZATION (MUDTOC) CONSORTIA WRITTEN BY STEPHEN SONNENBERG
CONT’D
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Colorado School of Mines Weimer Trail Clean-up: Making sure our Nikki Hemmesch bench gets a fresh coat of varnish!
Masked up and ready to clean our Weimer Trail!
Field camp has been the one thing I was worried about since I got my acceptance letter from the school. It was going to be a new experience; camping, hiking for long hours, and not taking showers for several days are things I have never done before. Despite the fear I had, I was looking forward to it because I believed that going through this experience would allow me to get out of my comfort zone to learn new things in life and geology. Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not go to the field and had to do it online/remotely. It involved using Google Earth, Google Street View, drone footage, a virtual landscape, and pictures of the gorgeous areas we were supposed to visit. Nev- ertheless, it was one of the most fun experiences I had as a geology student. Whenever I look back at all the work I did for the six weeks, I feel proud of how much I have accomplished and realized that this is the start of an exciting journey in the future. Shahad Aldhamin
Week 1: Moab, Utah (Shahad Aldhamin)
Before we were informed that the field would be remote, I was dreading this week the most. I always heard that this week is the most difficult physically and mentally. Even though we did not get the chance to be in Arches National Park, it was still very challenging! As the start of the field camp, this week had the challenges of managing the time to finish all the required work by 10 pm on Friday, getting used to waking up before 8 am every day of the week to sit behind the desk for more than 10 hours per day, and dealing with salt tectonics. This week's map was not the neatest map I've created, but the area was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and I don't think I'll be forgetting its stratigraphy anytime soon because of how fascinating it is.
Week 1: Moab, Utah (Julia Esch)
During a typical, non-pandemic summer, week 1 of Field Camp would be a week filled with mapping, bug bites, sun burns, and incredible memories of tromping through the colorful, arid desert landscape of Arches National Park. Alt- hough the mapping part still applied, UV rays couldn’t reach any of us all in our houses, and the only bugs we had to wor- ry about were basement spiders. This summer, campers were inflicted with intense Google Earth training, eye strain, a new understanding of mapping, and the sudden ability to color like never before. Simply stated, Field Camp Summer 2020 was an interesting experience.
The most important goal of Week 1 was to map a large portion of Arches National Park. In the past, I had mostly mapped on site where I could see the formations from ground level. Google Earth offered a different perspective that was both useful and easy to maneuver. The aerial view proved to be really useful for spotting color changes in formations and see- ing large scale structures. The mapping was all done without any of the trek- king through drainage ditches, scan- ning the ground for snakes, or forget- ting to reapply sunscreen.
I visited Arches National Park later in the summer and was really excited that I was able to recognize formations that I had mapped earlier in the summer. On the hike up to Delicate Arch I even stopped to geek out over the defor- mation bands.
2020 GE FIELD CAMP WRITTEN BY BS STUDENTS, SHAHAD ALDHAMIN AND JULIA ESCH
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At the start of every week, I print all the important material and tape them on the wall behind me to look back at it whenever I need it. Shahad
Week 2: Durango, Colorado (Shahad Aldhamin)
This week was about the surficial mapping of glacial deposits in Durango, Colorado. It was a type of mapping that I have never done before, and this was the biggest challenge; I probably redid my Durango map three times before I was satis- fied with the result. It was interesting, but I do not think I want to do it again. One thing that happened this week was that I adopted a cat, and she was one of the reasons I was able to maintain my enthusiasm and motivation to do my best for the remaining four weeks.
Week 2 Durango, Colorado (Julia Esch)
Week 2 marked an important change in mapping and mapping techniques. While Week 1 consisted of mapping struc- tures and strata, Week 2 consisted of mapping surficial deposits. The previous week of field camp required the map to be completed by hand, but this week presented the new opportunity to map using technology. I chose to map using Adobe Acrobat and a pdf version of a Durango basemap.
Week 3: White Mesa, New Mexico (Shahad Aldhamin)
After mapping the glacial deposits in week 2, we went back to a mapping style similar to week 1, which made me feel a lot better, but I would not say that mapping the area was easy! This week was one of my favorite weeks; I started feeling like I know what I am doing and not just drawing and coloring a blank map. The area's challenging nature made it more fun; all the tiny faults and the colorful rocks that we saw on Google Earth piqued my interest. I believe I spent many hours trying to figure out how the units are appearing as we see them, and when I finally put the puzzle pieces together, it was one of the most beautiful maps I drew; it still fascinates me.
Week 3: White Mesa, New Mexico (Julia Esch)
I was back to mapping geologic structures and strata on a paper base map for Week 3. The transition back to structural mapping proved to be a bit easier than the transition to surficial mapping the week before.
The mapping area proved to be challenging with many faults and folds.
2020 GE FIELD CAMP WRITTEN BY BS STUDENTS, SHAHAD ALDHAMIN AND JULIA ESCH
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Before I start mapping, I prepare all the colors I will be using. This can take a lot of time. Shahad
Week 4: Rhoscolyn, UK (Shahad Aldhamin)
A new experience was awaiting us this week – the virtual mapping of Rhoscolyn in Wales, The United Kingdom. It was about mapping a folded and deformed metamorphic rocks of the Rhoscolyn anticline. Our goal was to try our best to make sense of the relationship between the observed features in the high-quality pictures to construct a geologic history of this beautiful area. This task was not easy; at one point, I felt so lost and discouraged because I could not understand what I was doing, but once I did, it became way more manageable. This proved to me that geology requires patience, and to learn something, one needs to put the most effort they could to achieve the best results.
This week was an excellent opportunity to study the geology of a place in a different country; what we have done this week would be an essential start for future projects of the same nature.
Week 4: Rhoscolyn, UK (Julia Esch)
This adventure in virtual geologic mapping brought me to Rhoscolyn, Wales. Although Week 4 of Field Camp is typically located in Colorado, the new freedom of going virtual allowed campers to explore a location that wouldn’t have been pos- sible during a typical week in Field Camp.
The strata this week was highly contorted due to intense folding and metamorphism.
I utilized Inkscape (a program similar to Adobe Acrobat) to create this map.
Week 5: Molas Lake, Colorado (Shahad Aldhamin)
I have mixed feelings about this week. After four weeks of constant work for long hours, I was starting to feel exhausted; it was the "burnout" week for me. Nevertheless, this was the week where I felt the most accomplished; most of the knowledge and experience I gathered in my rigorous journey through junior year and the one month of field camp started to make sense. The puzzle of this week was the most complex thus far. But I still remember how excited and thrilled I was when I figured it out; the feeling is unmatched. Eve- rything started to click after solving the puzzle; I began connecting all that we have learned in weeks 1-3 with this area. I was in awe when I realized that the deposits we mapped in week 2 were the deposits of the glaciers that shaped the spectacular mountains here and how some of the units differ from week 1's units despite both of them being part of the Paradox Basin. This is the beauty and charm of geology!
Week 5: Molas Lake, Colorado (Julia Esch)
Typically, week 5 is held in an alternate location due to the seasonal 10 feet of snow burying rock outcrops around Molas Lake, but going virtual allowed campers to map the area from the comfort of their own homes.
2020 GE FIELD CAMP WRITTEN BY BS STUDENTS, SHAHAD ALDHAMIN AND JULIA ESCH
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Week 6: Mineral and Petroleum Exploration (Shahad Aldhamin)
This week was interesting. I was planning to go with the petroleum exploration option, but I am so glad that the remote environment allowed us to do both the mineral and petroleum exploration. This week's workload felt so different; we had so much to do, yet it did not feel heavy and did not make me as stressed as week 5. I loved how organized it was; at one point, we were treated like mining geol- ogists who had to turn their work and mapped drifts by the end of the day. Then as geologists who had to figure out how to log a core in less than an hour. And lastly, as petroleum engineers/geologists who were required to assess and make decisions about a potential gas/oil field. Only in five days, we learned a lot about two essential geology disciplines, and I think it helped some of us decide what they would like to work on in their future careers.
Week 6: Mineral and Petroleum Exploration (Julia Esch)
In the event of a typical Field Camp, week 6 would have been held in Silverton, Colorado. This year, campers had the chance to map both in Silverton Colorado along with their choice of location in Peru.
The map in Silverton was focused on surficial deposits while the Peru maps were focused on hazards. The mapping in Peru was com- pleted in pairs.
Final Thoughts: Shahad Aldhamin
In the end, this experience made me appreciate geology more. It helped me become more observant of the fascinating features I see every day, whether it is a picture of a place I have never heard of, a Google Earth image, or a roadcut I pass when commuting to school.
I want to thank and send my gratitude to all the professors and TAs who made this field camp successful. We cannot deny that we have lost the essential in-person field experience, but the work done in all the six weeks was the pinnacle of all the hard work we did since the beginning with GEGN101, a massive leap into becoming geologists.
2020 GE FIELD CAMP WRITTEN BY BS STUDENTS, SHAHAD ALDHAMIN AND JULIA ESCH
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A selfie with my mapping partner. Shahad
Despite the impending threat of