Sedimentology in Deepwater Exploration

The

SEDIMENTARYRecord

The

SEDIMENTARYRecord

Volume 2, No. 1March 2004

INSIDE: DINOSAUR MUMMIESPLUS: HAND LENS ARTICLE ON “INTELLIGENT DESIGN”

PRESIDENT’S OBSERVATIONS • ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULEFIELD NOTES • ON DEEPWATER EXPLORATION

A publication of SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology

AAPG/SEPMAnnualMeetingApril 18-21, 2004 Dallas, TexasDallas Convention CenterSEPM BUSINESS MEETING AND LUNCHEONTuesday, April 20, 2004The Fairmont Hotel, 11:30am-1:30pm

This year’s SEPM luncheon speaker is Dr. John C. VanWagoner, Senior Research Advisor at ExxonMobil’sUpstream Research Company. Dr. Van Wagoner specializesin stratigraphy and sedimentology. The title of Dr. VanWagoner’s talk is “Energy Dissipation: Origin of Structureand Organization in Siliciclastic Sedimentary Systems.”

Dallas SEPM Short Courses and Field Trips (http://www.sepm.org/events/meetings/annmeeting/scandft.htm)After AAPG Pre-Registration closes, you can still get into any open SEPM events by contacting Judy Tarpley at 800-865-9765 or [email protected]

SHORT COURSES#9. Siltstones, Mudstones and Shales: Depositional Processes and Reservoir Characteristics #10. Recognizing Continental Trace Fossils in Outcrop and Core# 11. Sequence Stratigraphy for Graduate Students

FIELD TRIPS#8. Fluvial-Deltaic-Submarine Fan Systems:Architecture & Reservoir Characteristics#9. Imaging and Visualization of Reservoir Analog Outcrops Field Trip and Workshop #10.Applied Sequence Stratigraphy: Lessons learned from the Triassic Dockum Group, Palo Duro Canyon Area

SEPM Thanks its Sponsors (as of 2/26/04): Anadarko Petroleum Corporation; BP Amoco; Conoco Phillips; Eby Petrography & Consulting, Inc.; Energy & Geoscience Institute; ExxonMobil; Unocal Corporation; Ventex Oil & Gas, Inc.

We look forward to seeing you in Dallas!

SEPM President’sReception andAwards CeremonyDATE: TUESDAY,APRIL 20TIME: 7:00-9:30 P.M.LOCATION: THE FAIRMONTHOTEL REGENCY BALLROOM

SEPM President John B. Anderson and hiswife Doris invite you to an evening of cele-bration to honor the 2004 awardees of theSociety for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM).

THE AWARDEES ARE:Twenhofel MedalEmiliano MuttiPettijohn MedalH. Edward CliftonMoore MedalIsabella Premova-SilvaShepard MedalRichard SternbergWilson Medalnot awarded in 2004Honorary MembershipJohn M. ArmentroutDistinguished Service AwardGerald M. FriedmanOutstanding Paper in JSR, 2002:Eugene C. RankeyOutstanding Paper in PALAIOS, 2002: C. Dupraz, and A. Strasser Excellence of Oral Presentation, 2003: R. MeyerExcellence of Poster Presentation, 2003: E. du Fornel, P. Joseph, F. Guillocheau, T. Euzen, and D. Granjeon

SEPM will also be recognizing the membersof the 2003 Local Organizing Committee,student travel grant recipients and StudentSection Grant winners.

The reception will begin at 7:00 p.m.,with cocktails available at cash bars. Theawards ceremony will start at 7:30 p.m.

ScheduledActivitiesRESEARCH GROUPSSunday, April 182pm-4pm

Quantitative StratigraphyClastic Diagenesis

Monday, April 197pm-10pm

CarbonatesMarine MicropaleontologySequence StratigraphyTurbidite & Deep Water

OTHER ACTIVITIESFriday, April 168am-5pm

Open Forum: Research in theUpper Crust-Sedimentary Geology

Saturday, April 1712pm-5pm

Geosystems Committee Sunday, April 188am-5pm

SEPM Council Mtg9am-11am

Foundation Investment Committee Meeting

11:30am-12:30SEPM Investment Lunch

12:30-2:30pmSEPM Investment Meeting

3pm-5pmNAMS Board Meeting

Monday, April 1910am-11am

Foundation Bd or Dir./Members4pm-5pm

Research Concepts6pm-7pm

SEPM Student Reception7pm-10pm

Earth Science Cyber-InfrastructureTuesday, April 2011:30am-1:30pm

Annual Business Mtg. Luncheon6pm-7pm

Foundation Donor Reception6:30pm-7pm

Pictures of Awardees/Council7pm-9:30pm

President’s Rec. & Awards Ceremony

The Sedimentary Record

March 2004 | 3

The Sedimentary Record (ISSN 1543-8740) is published quarterly by theSociety for Sedimentary Geology with offices at 6128 East 38th Street, Suite308,Tulsa, OK 74135-5814, USA.

Copyright 2004, Society for Sedimentary Geology. All rights reserved. Opinionspresented in this publication do not reflect official positions of the Society.

The Sedimentary Record is provided as part of membership dues to theSociety for Sedimentary Geology.

4 Quo Vadis?Paleoenvironmental and DiageneticConstraints on Late Cretaceous DinosaurSkin from Western North America

9 Field NotesSedimentology in Deepwater Exploration

10 The Hand Lens—a student forumIntelligent design: Exhumation of an old,failed idea

11 President’s ObservationsWhat is SEPM and Who Runs It?

CONTENTS

EditorsLoren E. Babcock, Department of Geological Sciences, TheOhio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210<[email protected]>Stephen A. Leslie, Department of Earth Science, University ofArkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204<[email protected]>Marilyn D. Wegweiser, Idaho State University: Idaho Museumof Natural History; Pocatello, ID 83209: <[email protected]>AND Bucking Dinosaur Consulting; P.O. Box 243; Powell, WY,82435; <[email protected]>

SEPM Staff6128 East 38th Street, Suite #308,Tulsa, OK 74135-5814Phone (North America): 800-865-9765 Phone (International): 918-610-3361

Dr. Howard Harper, Executive Director<[email protected]> Theresa Scott, Business Manager<[email protected]>Kris A. Farnsworth, Publications Coordinator<[email protected]>Judy Tarpley, Event and Conference Manager<[email protected]>Michele Woods, Membership Services Associate<[email protected]>

Open Forum:Research in the Upper Crust

– Sedimentary GeologyFriday,April 16, 20048:30 am – 6:00 pm

Parisian Room, Fairmont HotelDallas,Texas

Who should attend?Anyone with a stake in the future of sedimentary geology:Academic, Industry and Government Researchers, TechnologyConsultants, and Students at all levelsPresentations•Introduction and Charge

The current perception of “Sedimentary Geology” as a science andhow the sedimentary geology community needs to communicate itsown perception.

•Grand Challenge Problems in Sedimentary Geology•Infrastructure Status and Needs

Current projects in infrastructure and an overview of data (exist-ing, available, new)

•Overview of Current Complementary ProgramsExisting programs and projects within the upper crust arena.

•Break Out Group DiscussionsSmall groups meet and discuss the information and ideas shown todetermine practical next steps in determining and communicatingthis community’s perception of its science

•Presentation of Group IdeasWhole group discussion of breakout group presentations

•Next StepsDiscussion and selection of “best” next steps and selection of a syn-thesis committee for production of a summary report from theworkshop.

For more information: [email protected] orwww.nced.umn.edu/Sedimentology_Stratigraphy_Initiative.html

Cover art: Outcrop photo from the Elk Basin, Wyoming,showing the Lance Formation and related Cretaceous strata(see Wegweiser et al., this issue).

INTRODUCTIONFossilization of non-biomineralized anatomyof terrestrial animals and the circumstancesunder which it occurred are of great impor-tance to our understanding of the processesthat have led to exceptional preservation.Fossilization processes provide proxy evidencein the interpretation of paleoenvironments.Evidence is provided of environmental toxins,salts, cold, or dry conditions and other princi-pal factors aside from burial rate and early dia-genesis that lead to soft tissue preservation invertebrate animals (e.g., Briggs et al., 1997;Babcock, 1998; Babcock et al., 2000;Chamberlain and Pearson, 2001).

Paleoenvironmental and diagenetic process-es combined during the Late Maastrichtian inWyoming’s Lance Formation resulting inexceptional preservation of dinosaur skin.Instances of fossilized dinosaur skin impres-sions are usually explained by desiccation andsubsequent burial in sediment (e.g., Cope,1885; Osborn, 1912; Brown, 1916; Sternberg,1925; Czerkas, 1997; Anderson et al., 1999;Murphy et al., 2002). This explanationrequires rapid onset of desiccation because itassumes fossilization in an arid setting andpresumes desiccation occurs mere hours todays after death to effectively restrict scav-engers and microbes responsible for decay

prior to burial. Whereas this argument couldbe compelling for corpses of relatively smallmass, it is less convincing for corpses of largemass. New laboratory and field evidence asso-ciated with a corpse of large mass, namely ahadrosaur dinosaur found in the Lance

Formation of Wyoming, suggests that pale-oenvironmental settings combined with diage-netic processes to play key roles in the fos-silization of soft tissues (Wegweiser et. al.,2003). Soft-part preservation occurred prefer-entially after the dinosaur was buried rapidlyin sediments saturated with seawater innearshore marine settings. Integument wasreplaced by beta-manganese dioxide (pyro-lusite) mediated by activity of some marine-adapted microbial consortia occurring relative-ly soon after burial, and prior to extensivecompaction and dewatering of the host sedi-ment.

In this paper, we summarize results of fieldstudies and laboratory analyses concerning thetaphonomic history of dinosaur integumentfrom a new occurrence in the LanceFormation from This Side of Hell Quarrylocated northwest of Pitchfork and Hell’s HalfAcre, Wyoming. Questions addressed in thispaper are: 1) How was dinosaur integumentpreserved? 2) What was the depositional envi-ronment in the Lance Formation that pre-served dinosaur integument? 3) How rapidlydid fossilization of dinosaur integumentoccur? Preservation of hadrosaur integumentin the Lance Formation in northwesternWyoming by pyrolusite provides new andintriguing paleoenvironmental evidence forthe exceptional preservation of non-biominer-alized tissue.

MATERIAL AND LOCATIONMaterial described here is from the LanceFormation (Upper Cretaceous, Maastrichtian)


4 | March 2004

Quo Vadis?Paleoenvironmental and Diagenetic Constraints on LateCretaceous Dinosaur Skin from Western North America

Marilyn D. Wegweiser, P.O. 243, Powell, WY 82435 and Idaho State University, IdahoMuseum of Natural History, Pocatello, ID 83209; [email protected] H. Breithaupt, Geological Museum, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071;[email protected] A. Matthews, P.O. Box 150034, Lakewood, CO 80215; [email protected] W. Sheffield, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College &State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061Ethan S. Skinner, Department of Geological Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus,OH 43210

ABSTRACTUpper Cretaceous sandstone deposits of the Western Interior Seaway include fossil skin(integument) associated with the skeletal remains of some dinosaurs. Skin preserves asthin pyrolusite (manganese oxide) coatings on sandstone molds and casts. Pyrolusite isan authigenic marine mineral used to map paleoshorelines, thus the dinosaur fossil isinferred to have been deposited in a nearshore marine environment. Rapid burial of thedinosaur remains in marginal-marine settings in the presence of seawater resulted in theinhibition of scavenging activity by other creatures. Seawater mixed with freshwater pro-moted the natural embalming of the corpse.Thus, it effected changes in the microbialconsortia responsible for decay leading to an increase in pH allowing for preferentialprecipitation of pyrolusite as a replacement for dinosaur integument.

Figure 1: Location of This Side of Hell Quarry in Elk Basin Anticline, Wyoming and UpperCretaceous stratigraphy within Elk Basin.

and is found in This Side of Hell Quarry,located in the Elk Basin Anticline in thenorthwestern Bighorn Basin in Park County,Wyoming (Figure 1). Dinosaur skin and skinimpressions associated with lambeosaurinedinosaur bone (Figure 2) described hereinoccur in the second sandstone interval of theLance Formation in Park County, Wyoming(Wegweiser, 2002). Specimens of dinosaurskin casts and molds (Figures 3) are repositedin the collections of the University ofWyoming.

SEM-EDX ANALYSISSamples of dinosaur skin, dinosaur skinimpressions, associated bone, and associatedmatrix were examined using the JEOL JSM-820 scanning electron microscope withOxford eXL energy dispersive X-ray analyzerof the Microscopic and Chemical AnalysisResearch Center (MARC) of The Ohio StateUniversity (Figure 4). The samples were leftuncoated and subjected to an accelerationvoltage of 10 keV. SEM-EDX analysis showssignificant evidence of Mn on the dark por-tions of the skin impression, but effectivelynone on portions that lack this material. Bonematerial lacks any evidence of Mn, while thesurrounding matrix contains only an isolated,small trace.

STRATIGRAPHY ANDSEDIMENTOLOGYThe Lance Formation in Elk Basin Anticline,Wyoming, consists of coastal dune depositsand fluvial to marginal-marine deposits(Wegweiser, 2002). Fine-grained overbank

deposits are interbedded with delta lobedeposits that were at times subaeriallyexposed. The Lance Formation in Elk Basin isdominated by pale orange, bentonitic, siltyarenaceous sandstone interbedded with siltysandstone, sandstone, silty shale, and occa-sional beds of siderite containing trace fossils(such as inferred arthropod dwelling traces)and nodules exhibiting desiccation cracks.Lenticular and vertically stacked sandstone,shale, and siltstone bodies are interbeddedwith sheet-flood sandstones.

Bedding plane exposures of sheet sand-stones, back-barrier deposits, coastal dunedeposits, and lagoonal deposits, some withorganic lags containing charcoal, iron-carbon-

ate beds, and thin lenses of conglomerate arepresent near the This Side of Hell Quarry. Inthe quarry, strata range through beds ofmudrock, silty mudrock, bentonitic muddysiltstone, and bentonitic silty fine-grainedsandstone. Flaser bedding and very fine-grained clay drapes occur in the quarry. Flaserbedding is an indicator of fluctuatinghydraulic conditions with transport and trac-tion followed by periods of quiescence. Flasersare thus commonly considered to be indica-tors of tidal flat settings. Sandstone containingdinosaur skin impressions is fine-grained ben-tonitic litharenite containing abundant micaand volcanic fragments punctuated by mica-ceous flasers and almost white clay drapes.Micro-ripple marks occur in the quarry in thefiner grained intervals. In general, the regioncontains stratigraphic units that imply deposi-tion in a low topographic area, such as on adelta lobe consisting of sandy braidplain flu-vial deposits interspersed with shallow inter-tidal bays that were occasionally subjected tovolcanic ash-falls, channel abandonment, andregular marine incursions.

Fluvial deposits in the Lance Formation inElk Basin consist of large-scale, wedge-shapedcross-trough bedded sands exhibiting inter-mittent very thin narrow conglomerate lensesand large-scale soft sediment deformationstructures. These deposits interfinger withmarginal-marine deposits characterized bythin, laminar fine-grained bentonitic sand-stone beds exhibiting reactivation surfaces,mud drapes, and flaser bedding. Fine-grainedoverbank units are interbedded with thesedelta lobe braid-plain deposits.

Thin (1 to 2 mm) clay drapes and truncatedlenses of light gray shale occur in direct associ-


March 2004 | 5

Figure 3: Section of pyrolusite (ß-MnO2) preserved dinosaur skin in situ, in the Lance Formation. Thelocation of the skin is from the scapular area of a lambeosaurine (hadrosaur) dinosaur whose ribs areshown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: An example of lambeosaurine (hadrosaur) bones in the process of excavation, located in theThis Side of Hell Quarry, Wyoming.


6 | March 2004

ation with the dinosaur remains. Sheet-floodsandstone deposits underlying the quarry rep-resent episodic deposition and proximal cre-vasse splay and interfluvial channel paleoenvi-ronments, as well as coastal dune deposits inwhich organisms were deposited during reces-sion of floodwaters. Finer grained deposits,with higher percentages of organic material,represent lagoons and back barrier bar envi-ronments, and contain fossils of vertebrate andinvertebrate organisms. Sheet-flood sandstonedeposits make up approximately 60 percent ofthe outcrop. Another 20 percent are composedof thinner, friable siltstone, silty sandstone,and fine-grained sandstone, some with desic-cation features. Another 5 percent of the out-crop are composed of strata containing sideriteand manganese nodules, and fossils replacedby siderite and manganese. Approximately 15percent are finer grained interfluve deposits.

Elongate log-like and ribbon-like lenticularstructures cemented by iron minerals are com-mon in the sheet-flood sandstone units of theLance Formation (Connor, 1992). Elongatelog-like concretions with distorted beddingand ribbon-like lenticular structures are indi-cators of paleochannel and paleoshoreline

positions (Connor, 1992), and are here inter-preted as the upper parts of transverse barsfound in non-braided, low sinuosity streamsof lower delta plains.

The Lance Formation contains one of thebest known and diverse Late Cretaceous verte-brate faunas from North America (Cope,1872; Clemens, 1964, 1966, 1973; Estes,1964; Breithaupt, 1982, 1985, 1997, 2001;Whitmore, 1985; Whitmore and Martin,1985; Derstler, 1994; Archibald, 1996; Webb,1998). Remains of cartilaginous and bonyfishes, amphibians, champsosaurs, turtles,lizards, snakes, crocodilians, pterosaurs,dinosaurs, birds, and mammals are knownfrom this unit. In addition, the LanceFormation is the source of the some of thebest-known Cretaceous dinosaurs from NorthAmerica (e.g., Triceratops, Thescelosaurus,Ankylosaurus, Edmontonia, Edmontosaurus,Pachycephalosaurus, Ornithomimus,Troodon, and Tyrannosaurus). Most verte-brate fossils from the Lance Formation arebiomineralized bones and teeth. Reportedinstances of exceptional preservation of skinsurrounding skeletal material are rare. Theseoccurrences have been primarily reported as

coming from hadrosaur dinosaurs (e.g.,Sternberg, 1909; Osborn, 1912; Lull andWright, 1942; Derstler, 1994; Czerkas, 1997).

TIMING AND STYLE OFINTEGUMENTPRESERVATIONDinosaur integument (Figure 3) in the LanceFormation has been preserved through a com-bination of molds and casts in sandstone andthin (1 to 2 mm) voids filled by pyrolusite(MnO2). Skin impressions consist of small (1to 2 mm) to large (5 to 10 mm) diameterpolygonal, primarily hexagonal, non-overlap-ping scales. Grooves between the scales rangein depth from 1 to 4 mm. Skin relief rangesfrom 2-5 mm in thickness. Skin fossils andimpressions come from the area of the quarrysurrounding the scapula of a lambeosaurine(hadrosaur) dinosaur. Pyrolusite preferentiallycovers moldic integument, and has not beenobserved to coat either adjacent bones oradjoining sediment. This indicates that themineral is an early replacement product thataffected only the integument.

Precipitation of pyrolusite occurs in envi-ronments that became more strongly alkalinethrough a combination of microbial decay(Kothny, 1983) and mixing of slightly acidicfresh water with more alkaline marine water.Fresh and marine water would be expected tomix in marginal-marine environments wherestreams enter the ocean. In order for man-ganese oxides to precipitate, Fe and Al ionsmust first be preferentially removed from thesediment, pH must be at least 8.0, and Ehmust be at least 0.75 (Figure 5). Once formed,pyrolusite is virtually insoluble (Krauskopf,1957). Manganese commonly precipitates innearshore and marine paleoenvironments,recording such events as periods of transgres-sion, delta-lobe abandonment, or stormbreaching (Curtis and Coleman, 1986;Guilbert and Park, 1986; Blatt et al., 1991;Connor, 1992). Even small amounts of for-eign ions (e.g., Fe, Al) present in soils from theweathering of minerals prevent the formationof pyrolusite (McKenzie, 1976).

Ion exchange of MnO2 is strongly con-trolled by Eh and pH (Guilbert and Park,1986). Anions of manganese are commonlyreleased and precipitate when river watersreach oxic marine conditions with higher pHvalues (generally exceeding 8.0). The isoelec-tric point for common colloidal particles ofmanganese is 4.0 to 4.5. As groundwaterinteracts with seawater within the phreaticzone, pyrolusite precipitates (Curtis andColeman, 1986). Burial of organic remainsunder these conditions results in deposition of

Figure 4: Backscattered electron image of dinosaur skin with EDX analysis. The brighter regions of theimage represent pyrolusite.


March 2004 | 7

manganese into voids left by the biologicalmaterial within the paleo-phreatic zone(Curtis and Coleman, 1986). Fe and Al areremoved first by the movement of groundwa-ter in different Eh and pH conditions (Figure5), leaving Mn that will precipitate given theappropriate oxidizing conditions.

DISCUSSIONPreservation of soft tissue in the fossil record isa relatively rare occurrence globally, requiringa narrow set of paleoenvironmental and diage-netic conditions. Preservation of soft parts canbegin to occur once the decomposing animalis buried below the taphonomically activezone. Occurrence of pyrolusite in the voidswhere the dinosaur skin decomposed afterburial in the Lance Formation is indicative ofextraordinary geochemical conditions in thesediment shortly after burial.

Pyrolusite (ß-MnO2) replacement of theLance Formation dinosaur skin from the ThisSide of Hell Quarry in Elk Basin, Wyomingresulted in 3-D preservation and suggests thatprecise oxidizing Eh and pH conditions exist-ed in the sediments around the dinosaur dur-ing decomposition. Such conditions had tooccur almost immediately after burial andwere sustained during diagenesis and the fos-silization process. A sustained pH of at least8.0 and an Eh of at least 0.75 (Figure 5) wasreached. These constrained conditions had tobe sustained in pore waters surrounding thedinosaur carcass during diagenesis for a fewweeks to at least a few months (see Lynn and

Bonatti, 1965; Burns and Burns, 1979; Curtisand Coleman, 1986; Guilbert and Park, 1986;Blatt et al., 1991; Connor, 1992).Replacement of integument by pyrolusiteprobably began within hours to days of burialand continued over a period of weeks tomonths (see Mackenzie, 1976). Integument isusually preserved three-dimensionally, mean-ing that skin diagenesis occurred before theoccurrence of significant compaction anddewatering of surrounding sediment. Cobaltand nickel commonly occur in associationwith other manganese oxides and sometimeswith pyrolusite formed in soils, but cobalt andnickel are not associated with material ana-lyzed by SEM-EDX from the LanceFormation. These results suggest that replace-ment of dinosaur skin by pyrolusite did notlikely occur in a soil horizon. Furthermore,the ratio of Mn/Fe is higher when acidicgroundwater percolates through soils deposit-ing much of the ferric oxide in the B soil hori-zon, thereby enriching the B-horizon in man-ganese (Krauskopf, 1957). A near lack of Fe inthe EDX Lance Formation material suggeststhat replacement of the dinosaur skin tookplace below the B-paleosoil horizon.Replacement of skin probably occurred afterthe carcass was buried in a marginal-marinesetting, possibly in the marine phreatic zone.

Paleosols in the Lance Formation wouldhave formed regionally during emergent con-ditions within deltaic complexes, and beingnaturally rich in Fe, Al, Mn, and CO2, wouldhave become leached as a consequence of netdownward movement of acidic water duringdeposition, provided Eh and Ph conditionscombined properly. Thus, the paleosols could

have provided a source of Mn and eventualprecipitation of pyrolusite.

SUMMARY ANDIMPLICATIONSThe dinosaur in This Side of Hell Quarry inthe Lance Formation fossilized in tightly con-strained paleoenvironmental conditions result-ing in replacement of integument by pyro-lusite. Sediments provided an environment inwhich sustained contact between the marine-fluvial interface and dinosaur integumentoccurred during diagenesis and fossilization.This suggests dinosaur skin replacementoccurred near to a source of marine water thatmixed with fluvial water. Replacement ofintegument was relatively rapid, having tooccur prior to total dissolution by decay andprior to the invasion of carrion eating meio-fauna. The apparent preferential preservationof hadrosaur dinosaur skin and the associationand partial articulation of the skeleton (Figure2), suggests that this dinosaur lived close tothe environment in which exceptional preser-vation of soft tissue could occur (Figure 6). Itfurther suggests rapid and nearly completeburial that occurred in this instance in fine-grained sandstone. The presence of pyrolusiteis proxy evidence that the environment inwhich fossilization and diagenesis occurredwas influenced by the marine-fluvial interface.

This Side of Hell Quarry is located relative-ly far to the west of the generally acceptedMaastrichtian paleogeography, which placesthe ancient shoreline well to the east (Figure7). Other Maastrichtian dinosaur skin occur-rences (Figure 7) should be examined andinvestigated for the mineralogy of the skin and

Figure 5: Phase equilibria diagram for deposi-tional environments of iron oxide minerals. Thered triangle indicates the window of environ-mental parameters necessary for the precipita-tion of pyrolusite to occur.

Figure 6: Paleoenvironmental model for the deposition of Lance Formation and related strata in thepresent-day Elk Basin, Wyoming.


8 | March 2004

thus, the potential geochemistry of the sedi-mentary environment surrounding the fossils.In the Lance Formation, in the This Side ofHell Quarry, possibilities that could result inthis mixing of marine and fluvial watersinclude the following: 1) Replacement bypyrolusite occurred because marine watercould mix with fluvial water, all in sustainedcontact with the dinosaur carcass duringdecomposition. 2) The dinosaur was buried insediments indirectly influenced by marineconditions such as a salt marsh, tidal-flat, ordeltaic complex during fossilization processes.3) Replacement by pyrolusite during decom-position can (and in this case probably did)happen in a matter of weeks to a few months,so preservation took place relatively rapidlyduring diagenesis as 3-D preservation ofhadrosaur dinosaur integument has occurred.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThis research is permitted and facilitated bythe United States Department of the Interior,

Bureau of LandManagement,Wyoming permitPA02-WY-069. S.Bhattiprolu and theMARC analyticalfacility at The OhioState University pro-vided access and assis-tance with SEM-EDXanalysis. S. Bergström,G. Faure, D. Hanson,S. Huson, V. Meyers,J. Murray, J. Mononi,and G. J. Wassermanprovided constructiveinput and/or physicalassistance to the facili-tation of the project.Howell Petroleum ElkBasin FieldOperations,Earthwatch InstituteVolunteer Teams of2002, and QuarryVolunteers 2003 pro-vided help in excavat-ing the This Side ofHell Quarry. L.E.Babcock, S.A. Leslie,and K. Polak providededitorial assistance inthe preparation of thispaper. We would liketo thank M. E.McMillan for herreview of this paper.

REFERENCESANDERSON, B.G., BARRICK, R.E., DROSER, M.L., and STADT-

MAN, K.L., 1999, Hadrosaur skin impressions from the UpperCretaceous Neslen Formation, Book Cliffs, Utah: Morphology andpaleoenvironmental context, in Gillette, D.D., ed., VertebratePaleontology of Utah: Utah Geological Survey, MiscellaneousPublication 99-1, p. 295-302.

ARCHIBALD, J.D., 1996, Dinosaur extinction and the end of an era:Columbia University Press, New York, 237 p.

BABCOCK, L.E., 1998, Experimental investigation of the processes offossilization: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 46, p. 252-260.

BABCOCK, L.E., MERRIAM, D.F., and WEST, R.R., 2000,Paleolimulus, an early limuline (Xiphosurida), from Pennsylvanian-Permian Lagerstätten of Kansas, and taphonomic comparison withmodern Limulus: Lethaia, v. 33, p. 129-141.

BLATT, H., BERRY, W.B.N., and BRANDE, S., 1991, Principles ofStratigraphic Analysis: Blackwell Scientific Publications, p. 428-429.

BREITHAUPT, B.H., 1982, Paleontology and paleoecology of the LanceFormation (Maastrichtian), east flank of Rock Springs Uplift,Sweetwater County, Wyoming: Wyoming Geological Survey,Contributions to Geology, v. 21, p. 123-151.

BREITHAUPT, B.H., 1985, Nonmammalian vertebrate faunas from theLate Cretaceous of Wyoming, in Nelson, G.E., ed., WyomingGeological Association, Thirty-Sixth Annual Field ConferenceGuidebook, Casper, p. 159-175.

BREITHAUPT, B.H., 1997, Lance Formation, in Currie, P. J., andPadian, K, eds., Encyclopedia of dinosaurs, Academic Press, SanDiego, p. 394-395.

BREITHAUPT, B.H., 2001, Passport-In-Time microvertebrate FossilProject at the University of Wyoming Geological Museum: LateCretaceous paleontological resources in the public eye, in Santucci V.L., and McClelland L. eds., Proceedings of the 6th Fossil ResourcesConference, United States Department of Interior - National ParkServices - Geological Resources Division, p. 107-112.

BRIGGS, D.E.G., WILBY, P.R., PEREZ. M., BERNARDINO, P.,SANZ, J-L., and FREGENAL MARTINEZ, M., 1997, The mineral-ization of dinosaur soft tissue in the Lower Cretaceous of Las Hoyas,

Spain: Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 154, p. 587-588.

BROWN, B., 1916, A complete skeleton of the horned dinosaurMonoclonius, and description of a second skeleton showing skinimpressions: American Museum of Natural History, Bulletin, No. 37,p. 281-306.

BURNS, R.G., and BURNS, V.M., 1979, Manganese oxides, in Burns,R.G., ed., Marine Minerals: Mineralogical Society of America ShortCourse Notes, v. 6, p. 1-40.

CHAMBERLAIN, A.T., and PEARSON, M.P., 2001, Earthly remains:Oxford University Press, 207 p.

CLEMENS, W.A., 1964, Fossil mammals of the type Lance Formation,Wyoming. Part I. Introduction and Multituberculata: University ofCalifornia Publications in Geological Sciences, v. 48, p. 1-105.

CLEMENS, W.A., 1966, Fossil mammals of the type Lance Formation,Wyoming. Part II. Marsupialia: University of California Publicationsin Geological Sciences, v. 62, p. 1-122.

CLEMENS, W.A., 1973, Fossil mammals of the type Lance Formation,Wyoming. Part III. Eutheria and summary: University of CaliforniaPublications in Geological Sciences, v. 94, p. 1-102.

CONNOR, C.W., 1992, The Lance Formation – petrography andstratigraphy, Powder River Basin and nearby basins, Wyoming andMontana: U. S. Geological Survey, Bulletin 1917-I, p. 11-19; 110-117.

COPE, E.D., 1872, On the existence of Dinosauria in the TransitionBeds of Wyoming: Proceedings of the American PhilosophicalSociety, v. 12, p. 481-483.

COPE, E.D., 1885, The ankle and skin of the dinosaur Dicloniusmirabilis: American Naturalist, v. 19, p. 1208.

CURTIS, C.D., and COLEMAN, M.L., 1986, Controls on the precipi-tation of early diagenetic calcite, dolomite, and siderite concretions incomplex depositional sequences, in Gautier, D.L., ed., Roles of organ-ic matter in sediment diagenesis, SEPM Special Publication 38, p. 23-34.

CZERKAS, S., 1997, Skin, in Currie, P. J., and Padian, K, eds.,Encyclopedia of dinosaurs, Academic Press, San Diego, p. 669-675.

DERSTLER, K., 1994, Dinosaurs of the Lance Formation in easternWyoming, in Nelson, G.E. ed., Wyoming Geological Association,Forty-Fourth Annual Field Conference Guidebook, Casper, p. 127-146.

ESTES, R., 1964, Fossil vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous LanceFormation, eastern Wyoming: University of California Publications inGeological Sciences, v. 49, p. 1-180.

GILLETTE, D.D., 2002, Skin impressions from the tail of aHadrosaurian dinosaur in the Kaiparowits Formation (UpperCretaceous), Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument:Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 34, no. 4,p. 6.

GUILBERT, J.M., and PARK, C.F., 1986, The geology of ore deposits:W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, p. 708-715.

HORNER, J.R., 1984. A ‘segmented’ epidermal tail frill in a species ofhadrosaurian dinosaur: Journal of Paleontology, .v. 58, p. 270-271._

KOTHNY, E.L., 1983, The nature of manganese oxides: CaliforniaMining Journal, v. 52, no. 8, p. 5-6.

KRAUSKOPF, K.B., 1957, Separation of manganese iron in sedimentaryprocesses. Geochemica et Cosmochimicha Acta., v. 19, p. 61 –81.

LULL, R.S., and WRIGHT, N.E., 1942, Hadrosaurian dinosaurs ofNorth America: Geological Society of America Special Paper 40, p. 1-242.

LYNN, D.C., and BONATTI, E., 1965, Mobility of manganese in diage-nesis of deep-sea sediments: Marine Geology, v. 3, p. 457-474.

McKENZIE, R.M., 1976, The manganese oxides in soils, in Varentsov, I.M., and Grasselly, G. eds., Geology and geochemistry of manganese:Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Geology andGeochemistry of Manganese, Sydney, Australia, p. 259-269.

MURPHY, N.L., TREXLER, D., and THOMPSON, M., 2002,Exceptional soft-tissue preservation in a mummified ornithopoddinosaur from the Campanian Lower Judith River Formation: Journalof Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 22, no. 3, p. 91A.

OSBORN, H.F., 1912, Integument of the iguanodont dinosaurTrachodon. American Museum of Natural History, Memoirs, Part II,p. 31-54.

STERNBERG, C.H., 1909, A new trachodon from the Laramie beds ofConverse County, Wyoming. Science, V. 29, p. 753-754.

STERNBERG, C.M., 1925, Integument of Chasmosaurus belli:Canadian Field Naturalist, v. 39, p. 108-110.

WEBB, M.W., 1998, A revised summary of Lancian (Latest Cretaceous)mammal localities with introduction to a new Lancian locality (LanceFormation) in the southwestern Bighorn Basin, in Keefer, W.R. andGoolsby, J.E., eds., Wyoming Geological Association, Thirty-SixthAnnual Field Conference Guidebook, Casper, p. 131-136.

WEGWEISER, M.D., 2002, Sequence Stratigraphy and Paleoecology ofLate Cretaceous Campanian-Maastrichtian Transition Strata in theWestern Bighorn Basin Region: Proceedings of the Tate Conference,Casper, Wyoming, p. 120-131.

WEGWEISER, M.D., BREITHAUPT, B. H., BABCOCK, L. E., SKIN-NER, E. S., and SHEFFIELD, J. W. 2003. Dinosaur skin fossils fromThis Side Of Hell, Wyoming: paleoenvironmental implications of anUpper Cretaceous konservat-lagerstätte. Journal of VertebratePaleontology, v. 23, no. 3, Supplement, p. 108

WHITMORE, J.L., 1985, Fossil mammals from two sites in the LateCretaceous Lance Formation in northern Niobrara County,Wyoming, in Martin, J.E., ed., Fossiliferous Cenozoic deposits ofwestern South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska: Dakoterra, v. 2, p.353-367.

WHITMORE, J.L. and MARTIN, J.E., 1986, Vertebrate fossils from theGreasewood Creek locality in the Late Cretaceous Lance Formationof Niobrara County, Wyoming: South Dakota Academy of Science,Proceedings, v. 65, p. 33-50.

Figure 7: Generalized partial Late Maastrichtian paleogeography map ofNorth America. The “This Side of Hell, Wyoming Quarry” with pyrolusitereplacement of dinosaur skin is shown in a red asterisk. Representativelocalities of additional Maastrichtian dinosaur skin occurrences are shownin blue asterisks (e.g., Sternberg, 1925; Horner, 1984; Gillette, 2002).Only the “This Side of Hell, Wyoming Quarry” dinosaur skin has under-gone SEM-EDX thus far to test for replacement mechanisms. Modifiedfrom http://energy.usgs.gov/factsheets/cret.coals/maas.gif.


March 2004 | 9

INTRODUCTIONDeepwater exploration geologists use sedimen-tology to develop and mature oil and gasprospects. The goal of exploration is to eco-nomically find significant hydrocarbonreserves. Properly assessing the risk and reservepotential of prospects is critical to makingsound business decisions to achieve that goal.

Four geologic risk elements are useful incharacterizing the risk of drilling explorationprospects: 1) trap (closure), 2) seal (contain-ment), 3) hydrocarbons (source, timing, andmigration), and 4) reservoir (stratigraphy anddiagenesis) (e.g. Rose, 2001). One of thecommon causes of failure in deepwater explo-ration is insufficient reservoir. Deepwaterwells (water depths greater than 1,500 ft) costtens of millions of dollars, making the abilityto accurately predict thick, high-quality paysands a critical factor for project success.

Subsurface exploration and developmentutilize biased data that make understandingdepositional systems very important.Wellbores are biased as they sample only aminute fraction of the reservoir. Seismic isbiased because such data is limited by its reso-lution, typically 200 ft or more depending onfrequency content. In subsalt reservoirs, areasof poor illumination can obscure seismicreflectivity. Understanding outcrop analogs isimportant to provide models that help predictreservoir heterogeneity, a difficult factor tocharacterize with subsurface data sets (e.g.Slatt, 2000). Exploration, therefore, com-monly requires that we be model driven inpredicting the distribution of deepwater tur-bidite sands.

Regional work is a key to better understand-ing the spatial and temporal distribution ofturbidite sands. Characterizing sequencesalong sediment fairways, understanding shift-ing deltaic sources, and utilizing sea-levelcurves are important for developing predictivemodels. Mapping of sediment fairways showspathways for sediments from the deltaicsource to a prospect. It is very important tomap the geometry of salt bodies at a giventime interval, as they commonly form topo-graphic highs that may deflect sands awayfrom or pond sands at a prospect. Changes insea-level not only affect sand deliverability to

deepwater prospects, but sea-level highstandscan create regional seals that can hold largecolumns of hydrocarbons.

Gulf of Mexico TurbiditesIn this overview I will briefly discuss three

turbidite depositional settings: 1) bypass, 2)confined/ponded, and 3) weakly confined. Itis important to understand these depositionalsettings to properly focus exploration efforts.Deposition in these settings has complexitiesthat are beyond the scope of this brief paper,but such details can be found in the selectedreferences below.

Regions of steeper slope gradient that lacksignificant slope accommodation space defineslope bypass settings. Slope gradient affects ifbypass is partial (less steep) or complete (e.g.steeper pre-existing topography). Slopes arecommonly marked by erosional channel orconstructional channel-levee complexes.Basin-margin sands are typically channelizedsheets that pass basinward to sheets, with dep-osition resulting from a decreasing gradient.Slope reservoirs typically have smaller reservesthan base-of-slope reservoirs. Examples ofslope turbidite systems are part of the LowerTertiary of the western Gulf of Mexico and themiddle Miocene of the eastern Gulf ofMexico. The Ram-Powell Field (Kendrick,2000) is an example of base-of-slope reser-voirs, and the sinuous channel-levee complexof the Main Pass 108 Field is an example ofsmaller slope reservoirs.

Intraslope basins that produce accommo-dation space that can trap turbidite sands onan otherwise bypass slope defineconfined/ponded depositional settings.Deposition in ponded settings has beendescribed by the well-known fill-and-spillmodel (Prather et al, 1988; Beaubouef andFriedmann, 2000). Salt movement results inlower gradients and topographic highs thatcause turbidity flows to slow and deposit.Sedimentation works to heal this topography,commonly resulting in successions of pondedsheet sands overlain by bypass channel-leveecomplexes. In some cases, depositional lowsare later structurally inverted to create struc-tural highs with very thick sands. The thicksands of inverted structures may contain largereserves, such as the turtle structure of the

Thunder Horse discovery (Yielding et al.,2002) in Mississippi Canyon.

Slope topography that is not high enoughto completely confine turbidity flows definesweakly confined depositional settings.Contractional tectonics of the Mississippi FanFoldbelt produced structures that correspondto minor depositional thinning, but thesetopographic highs did not completely blockflows. Sands were deposited as turbidity cur-rents slowed as they ran up and over such pos-itive features. Flow striping may occur onsome topographically higher contractionalstructures, where only the upper, lower-con-centration portion of turbidity currents passacross the structure. The Mad Dog Field(Apps et al., 2002) in southeast Green Canyonis an example of a reservoir in a weakly con-fined system in the Mississippi Fan Foldbelt.

SUMMARYSedimentology is an important aspect of deep-water exploration. Using geologic models topredict thick accumulations of reservoir sandswill help target lower-risk prospects with high-er reserves.

REFERENCESApps, G.M., Moore, M.G., Woodall, M. A., and Delph, B.C., 2002,

Using sequence hierarchy to subdivide Miocene reservoir systems ofthe Western Atwater Foldbelt, ultra deep water Gulf of Mexico, inArmentrout, J.M. and Rosen, N.C., eds., Sequence StratigraphicModels for Exploration and Production: Evolving Methodology,Emerging Models and Application Histories: Gulf Coast SectionSEPM Foundation, 22nd Annual Bob F. Perkins ResearchConference, p. 77-78.

Beaubouef, R.T., and Friedmann, S.J., 2000, High resolutionseismic/sequence stratigraphic framework for the evolution ofPleistocene intra slope basins, western Gulf of Mexico: depositionalmodels and reservoir analogs, in Weimer, P., Slatt, F.M., Coleman, J.,Rosen, N.C., Nelson, H., Bouma, A.H., Styzen, M.J., and Lawrence,D.T., Deep-Water Reservoirs of the World: Gulf Coast Section SEPMFoundation, 20th Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference, p. 40-60.

Kendrick, J.W., Turbidite reservoir architecture in the northern Gulf ofMexico deepwater: insights from the development of Auger, Tahoe,and Ram/Powell fields, in Weimer, P., Slatt, F.M., Coleman, J.,Rosen, N.C., Nelson, H., Bouma, A.H., Styzen, M.J., and Lawrence,D.T., Deep-Water Reservoirs of the World: Gulf Coast Section SEPMFoundation, 20th Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference, p.450-468.

Prather, B.E., Booth, J.R., Steffens, G.S., and Craig, P.A., 1998,Classification, lithologic calibration, and stratigraphic succession ofseismic facies of intraslope basins, deep-water Gulf of Mexico:American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 82, p. 701-728.

Rose, P.R., 2001, Risk Analysis and Management of PetroleumExploration Ventures: American Association of Petroleum Geologists,Methods in Exploration Series, Number 12, 164p.

Slatt, R.M., 2000, Why outcrop characterization of turbidite systems, inBouma, A.H., and Stone, C.G., Fine-Grained Turbidite Systems:AAPG Memoir 72/SEPM Special Publication 68, p. 181-186.

Yielding, C.A., Yilmaz, B.Y., Rainey, D.I., Pfau, G.E., Boyce, R.L.,Wendt, W.A., Judson, S.G., Peacock, S.G., Duppenbecker, S.D., Ray,A.K., and Hollingsworth, R., 2002, The history of a new play: CrazyHorse Discovery, Deepwater Gulf of Mexico: AAPG Annual Meeting(Abstract).

Rick AbeggGulf of Mexico Deepwater Business UnitChevronTexacoNew Orleans, LA [email protected]

FIELD NOTES

Sedimentology inDeepwater Exploration


10 | March 2004

INTELLIGENTDESIGN:EXHUMATIONOF AN OLD,FAILED IDEAThe deep history of the Earth, replete withshifting continents, fluctuating sea levels,and evolving life, is what sustains my fasci-nation with geology. Unfortunately, thisrich history is also what makes geology andpaleontology particularly tempting targetsfor creationists of all kinds. Ironicallyenough, creationists have become highlyskilled at adapting to the fact that the courtsin this country have consistently ruledagainst the teaching of creationism in publicschool science classrooms. Their latest strat-egy involves lobbying state school boards toadopt watered-down science standards thatde-emphasize or eliminate the teaching ofevolution, as well as other key concepts suchas the ancient age of the earth. This strategyuses a manifestation of old-earth creation-ism called Intelligent Design (ID) to claimthat there is conflict in the scientific com-munity regarding evolution. Playing to theneed for “fairness,” ID supporters argue thatthis conflict should be taught in scienceclassrooms because ID is a legitimate scien-tific alternative to evolution. On the con-trary, ID is simply an attempt to sneak cre-ationism into the backdoor of our publicschools.

Essentially, ID holds that some things innature, such as vertebrate eyes or complexbiomolecules, are “irreducibly complex”, socomplex that if you remove one part, thenthe entire mechanism fails to function(Behe, 1996). Such failure to function, theargument goes, indicates that natural selec-tion could not have led to the evolution ofsuch a structure, because any “intermediate”evolutionary forms would not be functional.Such “irreducibly complex” objects there-fore defy our explanatory powers and somust then by default have been designed bysome, presumably “higher”, form of intelli-gence. Such arguments are nothing new.William Paley first promoted these ideas inhis book Natural Theology nearly 200 yearsago (Paley, 1836). Paley’s arguments havebeen repeatedly tested and rejected by sci-ence ever since. So the current proponentsof ID, rather than being the innovators theyclaim to be, are merely resurrectors of a staleidea from the dustbin of science.

Even if one ignores the failed history ofID, this re-born idea of ID ostensibly as ascientific theory has fatal flaws rooted in itssimplistic view of biological evolution. Wenow know that form and function are fluidthrough time such that the same morpho-logical feature or biomolecule can be usedfor different functions at different times inthe evolutionary history of an organism.And there are abundant examples in biologyof seemingly simple, or “partial”, forms oforgans working perfectly well for certainanimals. ID also relies heavily on the factthat there are gaps in our scientific knowl-edge. But science requires such knowledge

gaps as fuel for the developmentof testable hypotheses. Themoment humanity acquires com-plete knowledge of the naturaluniverse, which will never hap-pen, then science, by definition,will cease to exist.

I happen to have quite a bit offirst-hand experience with ID andits proponents because of a scien-tific meeting that I attended inChina a few years ago.Unbeknownst to the organizers ofthis meeting, who did a wonder-ful job, it was sabotaged, if youwill, by prominent ID supportersfrom the Discovery Institute inSeattle, a conservative think tankthat funds much of the ID move-

ment. The meeting provided a glimpse attheir techniques and into their world. Ilearned that ID proponents are essentiallytrying to create their own alternative pseu-doscientific universe, complete with “SeniorFellows” with advanced degrees, often inphilosophy and religion, free-lance “science”writers whose job is to blatantly misquotescientists in later newspaper articles, andeven a young-earth creationist paleontologygraduate student who goes “deep undercov-er” at scientific meetings. Of course, theultimate goal of everyone in this little uni-verse is to get ID, and subsequently cre-ationism, into the science classrooms of ourpublic schools by whatever means necessary.

So what can students do to help defendscience education against such insidiousforces? I know that many students feelpowerless to do anything, but that is not thecase. First of all, students can support theNational Center for Science Education(NCSE). They are on the front lines in thefight for science education. Among manyother activities, NCSE provides crucialinformation for school boards approvingnew curricula and textbooks, conductsspeaking tours, and keeps the scientificcommunity aware of the latest creationistmaneuvers. Go to their website(www.ncseweb.org) to learn more.

Aside from supporting the NCSE, stu-dents can also defend science by respectfullycountering creationist propaganda whereverand whenever they encounter it. If this hap-pens in the classroom, emphasize that peo-ple certainly have the right to believe in anyform of religion, including those that teachstrict creationism, but that this is a scienceclass. As such, evolution, or deep time asmay be the case, will be taught because it isthe scientific perspective. They do not haveto accept evolution or deep time, but theyare responsible for learning it.

It is unfortunate that so much time andenergy has to be spent defending scienceeducation in this country. But it really is anecessary part of our chosen profession asgeologists, and students can certainly lendtheir weight to the fight.

REFERENCESBehe, M., 1996, Darwin’s Black Box. The Free Press, New York, 320 pp.Paley, W., 1836, Natural Theology. C. Knight, 392 pp.

Stephen Q. DornbosUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDepartment of Earth SciencesLos Angeles, CA 90089-0740

The Hand Lens—a student forum

UPCOMINGRESEARCH

CONFERENCESRecent Advances in Shoreline-Shelf StratigraphyAugust 24-28, 2004Grand Junction, Colorado

Geologic Problem Solving with MicrofossilsMarch 6-11, 2005Houston, Texas

Seismic GeomorphologyFebruary 10-11, 2005Houston, Texas

For more information, see the EVENTS section at www.sepm.org


March 2004 | 11

This is my last letter as president of SEPM.The year has certainly gone by fast, but I’vehad a great time and am grateful for thisopportunity to serve this society.

A few weeks ago I was headed out my doorfor yet another meeting and ran into myneighbor Harvey. I’m going to the GCS-SEPMmeeting I replied when he asked where I wasgoing. Well, he said, I can think of what theGCS stands for but what is SEPM? It’s theSociety for Sedimentary Geology, I replied.

I guess when you get right down to it,names don’t matter much. It’s what the socie-ty is all about that matters. I have belonged toSEPM since I was a graduate student, moreyears than I care to mention. It was throughthis society that I came to know many of mybest friends and colleagues. I would hardly getto see them if it where not for the annualmeetings and research conferences. Thosemeetings also provide great opportunities tolearn and generate new ideas. I usually leavephysically and mentally exhausted, but alsoenergized and ready to push on with myteaching and research. I try to take as many ofmy students to the meetings as I can because Isee them mature professionally at every one. Itis also a time for them to meet and talk withthose people whose papers they have read andto learn more about career opportunities.

In addition to our regular journals, theJournal of Sedimentary Research andPALAIOS, the Society publishes special publi-cations that encapsulate current knowledgeand new ideas about specific aspects of sedi-mentology and paleontology. Then there arethe research conferences. If you have not par-ticipated in one you really should.They are a remarkable learning expe-rience.

I guess if Harvey asks me whatSEPM does my response will be, weengage in continuing education forour membership.

During my four-year tenure ascouncilor for research, president-electand president I learned a lot abouthow SEPM works. I also came totruly appreciate the dedicated staff inTulsa. We can all rest assured thatthe society is in good hands. Officerscome and go, but the society contin-ues to operate, thanks to the staff.Howard Harper, our executive direc-

tor and Theresa Scott, who manages the Tulsaoffice, are the mainstays in this society.

Howard is the point man for the society.He maintains communication with other soci-eties, an increasingly important job, andmakes sure tasks are completed when they aresupposed to be completed. I cannot count thetimes I have had to rely on Howard to provideguidance when making decisions and moralsupport when it was most needed.

Theresa oversees the office staff and keepsthe societies financial records. I must confessthat, after four years and numerous meetingsdealing with the society’s financial matters, Iam still baffled by the process. Her job is anawesome one and I have watched in awe as sheand Howard have wrestled with the never-ending task of making predictions about salesof books and other income and tried to bal-ance the books long before proceeds are seen.I still don’t know how they do that, but I amconfident that the society is in good hands.The rest of our small staff is just as indispensa-ble for SEPM. Judy Tarpley is the primarypoint person on all of our events; KrisFarnsworth co-ordinates all of the special pub-lications production as well as handling thewebsite; and Michele Woods makes sure thatall of the members requests for books, journalsand renewals actually get done.

A good staff is essential to the success ofSEPM, but the society could not, and willnot, succeed without those members who vol-unteer their time and ideas. Among the vol-unteer ranks, two jobs in particular stand outas being especially demanding. That is thechairman of the Headquarters Business

Committee (HBC) and the director of theSEPM Foundation. John Robinson is the cur-rent chairman of HBC. While our staff does afantastic job, they depend on guidance fromthe membership, especially in making finan-cial predictions and in providing external over-sight of the business office. HBC providesthat guidance. John’s job is time consuming,but he has carried it out with competence andgood humor. Thank you John for your servic-es to the society.

When you see him coming, get out yourcheckbook. Tim Carr does a job that many ofus would not want. He oversees fund raisingfor the Foundation and guards those funds asthough they were his own retirement nest egg.If you want money from the Foundation, youhad better have a good reason, and that is theway it should be. Thank you Tim for yourservice to this society.

My last official function as president willbe to host the annual SEPM luncheon and thepresident’s reception and awards ceremony inDallas. John Van Wagoner will be the lunch-eon speaker. Those of you who have heardJohn speak know that it will be a lively andprovocative talk. At the reception we willhonor those members of our society who haveachieved great things. It is a chance for us allto acknowledge their contributions to sedi-mentology. Please join us at the reception forwhat I promise will be an enjoyable gatheringof mud and bug people.

John AndersonPresident, [email protected]

PRESIDENT’S OBSERVATIONS

What is SEPM and Who Runs It?

Council Members & Election ResultsOutgoing Council (2003-2004) Incoming Council (2004-2005)

President John B. Anderson Rick SargPresident–Elect Rick Sarg William Morgan*Secretary–Treasurer William Morgan Lesli Wood*Sedimentology Councilor Maria Mutti Maria MuttiPaleontology Councilor Dawn Sumner Dawn SumnerResearch Councilor John Suter Vitor Abreu*International Councilor Ole Martinsen Serge Berne*Editors—JSR Mary Kraus/David Budd Kitty Milliken/Colin North*Editor—PALAIOS Christopher Maples Christopher MaplesEditor—Special Publications Laura Crossey Laura CrosseyFoundation President Tim Carr Tim Carr*

Special thanks to John Robinson, Fred Behnken, Janok Bhattacharya and Gary Hampson who so kindlyagreed to stand for office and to all those members who actually voted.

*Newly elected to office

Documents

Sedimentology in Deepwater Exploration