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Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists • Volume 55 • No. 3 • March 2006 Features 31 Thank You Thrust Belt Geology Exploration and Production Short Course Sponsors 34 Grad Student Fellowship at CU Endowed to Honor RMAG Past-President Bruce Curtis Departments 3 President’s Column 4 Friday Luncheon Program 6 Highlights of the January 2006 RMAG Board Meeting 22 In the Pipeline 22 RMAG Auxiliary 35 This Month’s Advertisers 36 Geo-Calendar Association News 18-19 3-D Seismic Symposium and Registration Form 20 RMAG 2006 Membership Application Form 32 Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists Foundation Contributors – 2005 In This Issue... by W. Dan Hausel, Wyoming State Geological Survey Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming Few gemstones other than jade, agate, jasper and a few others were reported in Wyoming prior to 1975. In 1975, another gem was found: diamond. Since 1977, efforts by the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) resulted in the discovery and/or recognition of additional diamond deposits as well as sapphire, ruby, peridot, aquamarine and helidor beryl, iolite, pyrope, pyrope-almandine, chromian diopside and chromian enstatite. In addition, jewelry-grade gold nuggets, labradorite, opal variscite, minyulite, amethyst and several varieties of jasper and agate (Figure 1) have also been recognized by various rock hounds and the WSGS (Hausel and Sutherland, 2000). Gemstones represent some of the more valuable commodities on earth. Knowing the geological conditions and environment where certain gemstones are found can lead to new discoveries (Kievlenko 2003; Walton 2003; Hausel and Sutherland, 2006). One recent discovery in the Canadian Shield (Krajick 2002) led to a multi-billion dollar Canadian diamond industry where none existed prior to 1998. In recent years, the value of gemstones has reached record heights. For example, a 0.95-carat purplish-red diamond sold for approximately $1 million. Putting this in perspective, one carat equals 0.2 gram or 0.007 ounce, thus this diamond sold for more than 285,000 times an equivalent weight in gold (at $500/ounce)! Another stone, a near perfect 8.01-carat Burmese ruby, sold at Christie’s of New York for $2.2 million (>78,000 times an equivalent weight in gold)! A necklace with 27 emerald-green jadeite beads sold in Hong Kong for $9.3 million and a 2-inch diameter jadeite bangle sold at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong for $2,576,600 (Hughes and others, 2000). Ward (2001) reported the sale of a 35.8 mm jadeite cabochon for $1.74 million! With such incredible value, the economic geologist should be aware of the geology, gemology, and marketing of these unique minerals. (Continued on page 7)

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Page 1: Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming Newsletter of the Rocky ... Discoveries.pdfNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists • Volume 55 • No. 3 • March 2006 Features

News

lette

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he R

ocky

Mou

ntain

Ass

ociat

ion

of G

eolo

gist

s • V

olum

e 55 •

No.

3 • M

arch

2006

Features31 Thank You Thrust Belt Geology

Exploration and Production ShortCourse Sponsors

34 Grad Student Fellowship at CUEndowed to Honor RMAGPast-President Bruce Curtis

Departments3 President’s Column4 Friday Luncheon Program6 Highlights of the January 2006

RMAG Board Meeting22 In the Pipeline22 RMAG Auxiliary35 This Month’s Advertisers36 Geo-Calendar

Association News18-19 3-D Seismic Symposium and

Registration Form20 RMAG 2006 Membership Application

Form32 Rocky Mountain Association of

Geologists Foundation Contributors –2005

In This Issue...

by W. Dan Hausel, Wyoming State Geological Survey

Gemstone Discoveriesin WyomingGemstone Discoveriesin Wyoming

Few gemstones other than jade, agate, jasper and a few others were reported inWyoming prior to 1975. In 1975, another gem was found: diamond. Since 1977,efforts by the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) resulted in the discoveryand/or recognition of additional diamond deposits as well as sapphire, ruby, peridot,aquamarine and helidor beryl, iolite, pyrope, pyrope-almandine, chromian diopsideand chromian enstatite. In addition, jewelry-grade gold nuggets, labradorite, opalvariscite, minyulite, amethyst and several varieties of jasper and agate (Figure 1)have also been recognized by various rock hounds and the WSGS (Hausel andSutherland, 2000).

Gemstones represent some of the more valuable commodities on earth. Knowingthe geological conditions and environment where certain gemstones are foundcan lead to new discoveries (Kievlenko 2003; Walton 2003; Hausel andSutherland, 2006). One recent discovery in the Canadian Shield(Krajick 2002) led to a multi-billion dollar Canadian diamondindustry where none existed prior to 1998. In recent years,the value of gemstones has reached record heights. Forexample, a 0.95-carat purplish-red diamond sold forapproximately $1 million. Putting this in perspective,one carat equals 0.2 gram or 0.007 ounce, thus thisdiamond sold for more than 285,000 times anequivalent weight in gold (at $500/ounce)! Anotherstone, a near perfect 8.01-carat Burmese ruby, sold atChristie’s of New York for $2.2 million (>78,000 timesan equivalent weight in gold)! A necklace with 27emerald-green jadeite beads sold in Hong Kong for$9.3 million and a 2-inch diameter jadeite bangle soldat a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong for $2,576,600(Hughes and others, 2000). Ward (2001) reportedthe sale of a 35.8 mm jadeite cabochon for $1.74million! With such incredible value, the economicgeologist should be aware of the geology,gemology, and marketing of these uniqueminerals. (Continued on page 7)

Page 2: Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming Newsletter of the Rocky ... Discoveries.pdfNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists • Volume 55 • No. 3 • March 2006 Features

www.rmag.org2 THE OUTCROP

RMAG OfficeSandi PellissierPhone: 303-573-8621Fax: 303-628-0546Email: [email protected]: www.rmag.org

Co-EditorsJane Estes-Jackson ([email protected])Terri Olson ([email protected])Kristine Peterson ([email protected])

Design/ProductionDebbie Everton ([email protected])

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is a nonprofitorganization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology andallied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific researchand to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members. TheOutcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.

The Rocky MountainAssociation of Geologists

820 16th Street • Suite 505 • Denver, CO 80202303-573-8621

President – Bob [email protected]

President-Elect – Jewel [email protected]

1st Vice-President – Jane [email protected]

2nd Vice-President – Neil [email protected]

2006 Officers and Board of DirectorsSecretary – John [email protected]

Treasurer – Kelly [email protected]

Counselor (1 Year) – Steve [email protected]

Counselor (2 Year) – Edward [email protected]

Friday Noon Luncheon Reservations ........... 303-623-5396

OUTCROP ADVERTISING RATESBlack and White Advertising Rates

Size Dimensions (in.) 1 Time 2-3 Times Ea. 6 Times Ea. 12 Times Ea.Full Page 7 1/2 x 9 1/4 $330 $310 $285 $2702/3 Page 4 7/8 x 9 1/4 $220 $200 $185 $1801/2 Page 7 1/2 x 4 7/8 $175 $165 $155 $1451/3 Page 2 3/8 x 9 1/4 $165 $125 $115 $1001/3 Page 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 $165 $125 $115 $1001/6 Page 2.616 x 4 7/8 $75 $60 $55 $50Prof. Card 2.616 x 1.453 $17 $17 $14 $12

Four Color Advertising RatesSize Dimensions (in.) 1 Time 2 Times Ea. 6 Times Ea. 12 Times Ea.

Full Page 7 1/2 x 9 1/4 $550 $520 $485 $4702/3 Page 4 7/8 x 9 1/4 $355 $335 $320 $3051/2 Page 7 1/2 x 4 7/8 $275 $265 $255 $2451/3 Page 2 3/8 x 9 1/4 $235 $210 $185 $1701/3 Page 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 $165 $125 $115 $1001/6 Page 2.616 x 4 7/8 $110 $95 $90 $85Prof. Card 2.616 x 1.453 $37 $37 $34 $32

PROFESSIONAL CARDS – Will be reduced to one column width, no vertical cards.HELPFUL HINTS – Both black and white and color art will be accepted. Absolutely no gray. If you aresubmitting digital files, please save in the PC format. Minimum resolution for jpg, tif, pdf or eps files is300 dpi. Simple line art and photographs provide helpful illustration. Borders are recommended on largecopy. An advertising agreement will be sent to you.

Welcome toNew Members

Roger AndersonRoger is a senior geologist with

SECOR International Inc. in Ft. Collins.He holds a BS in Geology from Ball StateUniversity. Roger is a member of AIPG.

Gary D. BeachGary is a geological advisor with

Occidental Oil & Gas Corp. in Houston.He holds a BS and MS in Geology fromOklahoma State University. Gary is amember of AAPG and SEG.

Jake W. BakerJake is a junior geologist with Berry

Petroleum in Denver. He holds a BA inGeology from Western State College.Jake is a member of AAPG.

Liselle Susan BattLiselle is a graduate student in

Geology at the University of Idaho. Sheholds a BS in Geology from JamesMadison University. Liselle is a memberof AAPG, GSA and SEPM.

John P. CarrJohn is President of Carr

Resources, Inc. in Tyler, Texas. He holdsa BS in Geology from the University ofTexas at Arlington. John is a memberof AAPG and HGS.

Kimberly Marie CochranKim is a geology student at

Montana State University. She is amember of GSA and SSA.

Ian James GreeneIan is a geology student at the

University of Idaho.

John D. JeffersJohn is Subsurface Manager-North

America at Schlumberger OilfieldServices in Sugarland, Texas. He holdsa BA in Earth Sciences from Dartmouthand an MA in Geology and Geophysicsfrom Rice University. John is a memberof AAPG. (Continued on page 17)

Page 3: Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming Newsletter of the Rocky ... Discoveries.pdfNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists • Volume 55 • No. 3 • March 2006 Features

www.rmag.org 3March 2006

President’s Columnby Robert Cluff ([email protected])

It’s Alive!IT’S ALIVE!

(Continued on page 16)

at the publicperception of science and what we do as scientists. Iread it in the papers everyday; I see it on the editorialpage, or in the comics, often on the tube, everywhere.At some point the American public came to theconclusion that scientists can probably invent prettymuch anything we want to, and if we don’t deliver thegoods, we must be holding back for some reason. Mostlikely, it’s not for any good reason.

I’ve decided it has to be the movies. The image ofthe mad scientist, laboring alone at night in thelaboratory until he or she“discovers” the secret tosome useful superpower,is so persuasive andingrained into ourculture that peopleactually think this is whatwe do! They view us as acult in possession of abody of secret know-ledge that we dole out ina miserly manner as itsuits our purpose,whatever that may be.Cut to our scientistsitting over his morningcoffee, hair askew andtalking out loud toh i m s e l f : “ H m m m m ,what should I discovertoday? Really big antscould be useful. They’restrong, they could carry stuff, and they can find theirown way home. The Army might be interested in buyingbig ants from me. Yeah, big ants, really, really big ones,

that’s the ticket, I’ll work on big ants today.” Of course,being simultaneously brilliant yet incredibly short

sighted, he never pausesto think about whatmight happen if ten-foottall ants ran amok inhis suburban neighbor-hood, devouring shrub-bery and all varieties ofsmall pets, so it will beleft up to the localtelevision news anchorwith his beautiful (ifslightly ditzy) weather galto save the day and putthings back in theirproper places.

It sounds absurd,but the late physicistRichard Feynman wasactually asked at somem u l t i - d i s c i p l i n a r yconference – and I amnot making this up – why

didn’t he go home and invent anti-gravity? Patientlyexplaining that anti-gravity was not possible considering

"Say Brain, what do you want to do today?""Same thing we do every night Pinky, tryto take over the World!"

Often times I marvel

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www.rmag.org4 THE OUTCROP

Friday LuncheonProgram

LuncheonReservation/Information

Call 303-623-5396Luncheons will be held at the

Marriott City Center at California and17th St. Please check the event listingin the lobby for the room. Peoplegather at 11:30 a.m., lunch is servedat 12:00 noon, and the speakerpresentation begins at about 12:20p.m. The price of the luncheon is$24.00. Checks should be madepayable to RMAG. No reservation isrequired for the talk only and the costis $3.00. Please make yourreservation prior to 10:30 a.m. on theWednesday before the luncheon.Please Note: If you make a reservationand do not attend the luncheon, youwill be billed for the luncheon.Cancellations are not guaranteedafter 10:30 a.m. the Tuesday beforethe talk. You may send someone inyour stead.

Your attendance is welcomedand encouraged. Bring aguest or new member!

March 3“Chevron in the Sudan: A

Classic and Successful ExplorationProgram Terminated by PoliticalInstability.” Speakers will be ThomasJ. Schull and Norbert E. Cygan.

March 17AAPG Distinguished Lecture

“Applying Deltaic and ShallowMarine Outcrop Analogs to theSubsurface.” Speaker will be JanokP. Bhattacharya, University ofHouston, Texas.

Friday LuncheonProgram and AAPG

DistinguishedLecture

Chevron in the Sudan: A Classicand Successful Exploration Program

Terminated by Political InstabilityThomas J. Schull and Norbert E. Cygan

March 3“OIL FIRM PHASING OUT OPERATIONS IN SUDAN AFTER FATAL

RAID” (AP Newswire, February 5, 1984).This headline reporting the death of three Chevron contractors and

the wounding of eight others by rebels of south Sudan reflected thebeginning of the end of Chevron’s classic and successful exploration inthe Sudan.

Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has a long tragic history beginningwith the exporting of Nubian slaves to the ancient Egyptian dynasties. In632 A.D., military conquest brought Islam into northern Sudan but thesouth remained animist and some tribes are converted to Christianity.This division remains today. The Muslims of the north control the politicsand economy of the country. The people of the south resent this controland have been in quiet and active rebellion for many years.

Turkey took control of the Sudan in the 1500s but was displaced byBritain and its Egyptian vassals in the late 1800s. In 1881, a Sudaneseholy man claiming to be the Mahdi (mystical leader) called for Muslimsto rebel against British and Egyptian rule. In the ensuing siege ofKhartoum, British General Gordon is killed.

In a campaign of reprisal, Britain regained control until after WWIIwhen with British approval, the Sudan moves to independence in 1955.However, rebellion flared again from the non-Muslim and lesseconomically secure south.

Chevron OperationsIn 1975, after pursuing regional studies of the East Africa Rift System

and unsuccessful exploration in Kenya, Chevron entered into anagreement with Sudan to explore for oil and gas in a previously unexplored200,000 square mile area of southern Sudan. Over an eight year periodChevron acquired a vast amount of geological and geophysical dataincluding extensive aeromagnetic and gravity surveys, 36,000+ miles ofseismic data and drilled 86 wells. This information defined several largerift basins now recognized as a major part of the Central African RiftSystem. (Continued)

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(Continued from page 4)

Friday Luncheon Programand AAPG Distinguished Lecture

The sedimentary basins of the interior Sudan arecharacterized by thick nonmarine clastic sequences ofJurassic(?)-Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary age. Over45,000 feet of sediment was deposited in the deepesttrough and extensive areas are underlain by more than20,000 feet of sedimentary rock. The depositional sequenceincludes thick lacustrine shales/claystones, floodplainclaystones and lacustrine, fluvial and alluvial sandstonesand conglomerates. The lacustrine shales/claystonesdeposited in suboxic environments provide good oil-pronesource rocks. Reservoir sandstones exist in a wide varietyof nonmarine facies.

The extensional tectonism that formed these basinsbegan in the Jurassic(?)-Early Cretaceous. Movement alongmajor fault trends continued intermittently into the Miocene.This deformation resulted in a complex structural historythat led to the formation of several deep fault-boundedtroughs, major interbasinal highs and complex basin flanks.This tectonism created a wide variety of structures, manyof which are effective hydrocarbon traps.

During Chevron’s eight years of exploration severalimportant oil discoveries were made and significantaccumulations were delineated in the Unity and Hegligareas. By 1983, the Chevron exploration program includedthe full time utilization of four seismic crews and four drillingrigs with an expenditure rate of approximately $200 million/year. In January 1984 a two-man Chevron team was sentto the Sudan to assist the expatriate staff in training of thelocal Sudanese earth scientists and junior governmentofficials who were beginning to assume responsibility forthe program. The team arrived in Khartoum on the day ofthe attack on the Chevron living quarters on a barge in theSudd, a swampy area of the upper Nile Basin in southernSudan. All drilling and seismic activity was halted andabandoned, and the visiting team was requested to providelectures, consultation, and lead field trips up the Blue Nileto investigate recent fluvial sediments and stratigraphy forthe Chevron staff and government officials while operationswere suspended.

Ongoing evaluation of the conditions in the operatingarea led Chevron to permanently halt exploration activitiesas the area was deemed too unsafe for company andcontractor personnel. After many years of waiting for theresolution of the issues in the south and improvement inthe operating environment, Chevron fully relinquished its

interest in the area receiving nominal compensation forreturning the blocks.

Subsequent OperationsIn the mid-90s, the areas were acquired by Canadian

oil companies who were eventually forced to relinquish theirinterest due to ongoing human rights issues. In 1996, aconsortium referred to as Greater Nile Petroleum OperatingCompany (CNPC (40%), Petronas (30%), ONGC (25%) andSudapet (5%) ) took over the operation. Their subsequentefforts resulted in the development of the oil fields, theconstruction of a 930 mile pipeline to the Red Sea and theinitiation of oil export in September, 1999. By June, 2004crude production was averaging 345,000 BOPD with plansto increase to the 500,000 BOPD level by the end of 2005.Although there have been additional discoveries since theoriginal Chevron efforts of 1975-1984 nearly all of thecurrent production is coming from fields discovered anddelineated in the early 1980s.

"HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH BLAMES SUDANESELEADERS FOR ATROCITIES…"

(New York Times, Dec.12, 2005)

AAPG Distinguished Lecture:Applying Deltaic and

Shallow Marine OutcropAnalogs to the Subsurface

Janok P. Bhattacharya,University of Houston, Texas

March 17A fundamental problem in subsurface reservoir

characterization is determining the continuity of flow unitsand flow barriers (i.e. sandstones, shales and cements). Inany given field, there will typically exist a combination offield-wide elements, elements that may extend betweenwells, but not across the entire field, and elements that donot extend between wells. (Continued on page 6)

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Highlights of the January2006 RMAG Board Meeting

by John Ladd

RMAG’s finances continue to be healthy, aided by theprompt payment of 2006 dues by a large percentage ofthe membership and a successful, sold-out short courseon the geology of the Overthrust Belt held in January. Theboard approved the 2006 budget during the meeting.

A full slate of continuing education programs is plannedby RMAG this year including the 12th Annual 3D SeismicSymposium on March 10, the COGA-RMAG RockyMountain Natural Gas 2006 Meeting in August and a fallsymposium on fractured shale reservoirs in September. Inaddition, the board has agreed to co-sponsor a PTTC shortcourse on source rocks to be held in conjunction with theAAPG-RMS meeting in Billings during June.

Several committee chair positions are vacant, includingDistinguished Lecture Series, Future Activities, MembershipDirectory, Publicity and Rockbusters Ball, and we arelooking for members to fill them. Interested in gettinginvolved? Then contact one of the board members or SandiPellisier at the RMAG office.

The Board agreed to invite the Denver GeophysicalSociety to join us as a co-sponsor of RMAG’s portion ofthe Rocky Mountain Gas Meeting in August. The advantagesof adding an additional sponsor include increasing theattendance of geoscientists at the meeting, and increasingthe likelihood of corporate sponsorships and exhibitors fromthe geophysical industry.

Our outcrop analog data bases provide:1. Regional and field-scale studies of reservoir and

non-reservoir elements associated with shallow marine,deltaic reservoir types.

2. Detailed 3D facies architectural studies of small-scale, intra-well heterogeneity (cements and “stochastic”shales) in specific depositional sub-environments (e.g deltafront facies) that may be incorporated into reservoir models.

3. Conceptual re-evaluations of shoreline and deltaicfacies models that may be applied by geologist interpretingor correlating seismic, well log or core data.

The subsurface geologist must use facies models andsequence stratigraphic concepts to correlate well data. Weshow several examples of deltaic reservoirs depicted asconsisting of horizontal layers (layer-cake). Our outcropexamples suggest that sandstones within the delta frontdip seaward. This fundamentally challenges reservoirmodels that invoke flat versus dipping beds and wedemonstrate how this can be applied to correlation of coreand well log data sets. Our regional-scale stratigraphic

(Continued from page 5)

Friday Luncheon Programand AAPG Distinguished Lecture

results study also suggest very different exploration modelsin the search for basin-distal reservoir sandstones.

From the perspective of general facies models,historically, “shorefaces: have been assumed to formhomogenous, uniform reservoirs that require little effort toproduce. These assumptions have not turned out to bevalid in the production behavior of many so-called“shoreface” type reservoirs. We show that many wave-dominated shorefaces are actually delta front deposits. Ournew model for wave-influenced coastlines suggests adistinct facies asymmetry with homogenous beach andshoreface sands accumulating on the updrift side of theriver mouth with significantly more-heterogenous facies onthe downdrift side. We have applied this facies modelto the re-interpretation of Cretaceous “shoreface” depositsin Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah and theseexamples should be applicable to other subsurfacedeltaic reservoirs.

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Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming(Continued from page 1)

DiamondsDiamonds were discovered in Wyoming in 1975

following the recovery of micro-diamonds from a garnetlherzolite nodule in kimberlite south of Laramie duringa research project by M.E. McCallum and ChuckMabarak at CSU (McCallum and Mabarak, 1976). Usingtraditional exploration techniques, more than 100kimberlites have been found in Colorado and Wyomingsince 1960. Even so, many of these have not been testedfor diamond nor have most of the several hundredmineralogical, geophysical, geomorphic, vegetation andremote sensing anomalies that are interpreted to berelated to kimberlite (Hausel, 1998a). Wyoming couldeasily host a major diamond province, but we may neverknow unless effort is made to budget for the testing ofthese hundreds of anomalies.

Within this province, the WSGS mapped the twolargest kimberlite districts in the US (Hausel and others1981; Hausel and others 2003), the largest lamproitefield in North America (Coopersmith and others 2003;1.Group of agates, jasperoid, kyanite and specularite

cabochons cut from various Wyoming specimens.

2.(a) Group ofgem-qualitydiamonds

(Continued on page 8)

2.(b) excellent quality 14.2carat gem octahedral diamondmined from the Kelsey Lakediamond mine along theColorado-Wyoming border(photos courtesy of HowardCoopersmith).

Hausel, 2006b) and investigated a clusterof diamondiferous lamprophyres (Hauseland others, 1999) as follow-up studies toprojects at CSU, U of Colorado, U of Utahand private industry. Twenty-two in situand some detrital diamond deposits havenow been identified in Wyoming; manycontain both gem-quality and industrialdiamonds. In total, more than 130,000diamonds have been recovered fromkimberlites and placers in the State Linedistrict, while the Kelsey Lake diamondmine produced some fabulous gemsthat ranged from <1 to a 28.3 carats(Figure 2).

Cape Rubies, Cape Emerald,Peridot

Other gemstones associated withkimberlites and lamprophyres include‘Cape ruby’ and ‘Cape emerald’. ‘Caperuby’ and ‘Cape emerald’ are actuallypyrope, pyrope-almandine and spes-sartine garnets and emerald green

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chromian diopside and chromian enstatite(Figure 3). These were initially recognizedas gems in the diamond fields of southernAfrica and represent part of the kimberliticindicator mineral suite used in exploration.

The garnets are burgundy, red, reddishpurple and yellow orange (Figure 4). Becauseof their relatively high hardness and specificgravity, they produce durable gems that arerecovered from stream sediment con-centrates as well as directly from kimberliteand some lamprophyres. The gems rangefrom tiny microscopic grains to rare nodulesup to 4 inches in diameter; most are small,typically <0.25 inch in diameter. The colorand fire of the Wyoming pyropes rival the bestquality pyrope gems in the world and oftenproduce better gems than the well-knownBohemian garnets. Some chromian diopsideproduces spectacular emerald green gems.The better gems found are 1 to 8 mm (0.3inches) rounded grains in anthills in theGreater Green River and Bighorn basins(Figure 5). These are also found in the BishopConglomerate (Oligocene), stream alluvium,and in a small group of diamondiferousbreccia pipes along the edge of CedarMountain where gems are as large as 12 mm(0.5 inch) across (McCandless and others1995).

Gem-quality peridot (olivine) wasidentified by the WSGS in lamproite in theLeucite Hills of the Green River Basin in 1998.The peridot is olive green, yellow-green andreddish-brown and produces excellentgemstones (Figure 6). Even though olivinehad been described in lamproites in theLeucite Hills as early as 1887 (Cross, 1897),the gem-character of the mineral wentunnoticed until recognized by the author.Hundreds of excellent, transparent peridotgrains were found in anthills. Many grains arequite clear, while others are frosted with

Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming(Continued from page 7)

(Continued on page 11)

4. (a) Fancy burgundy pyrope garnet.

4.(b) Burgundy and orangegarnets cut from gems collectedfrom anthills in the Green RiverBasin.

3. Sampling of gem-qualitygarnets ('Cape rubies') andchromian pyroxenes ('Capeemeralds') from anthills in theGreen River Basin.

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www.rmag.org10 THE OUTCROP

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Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming(Continued from page 8)

uncommon striations. During the discoveryof the peridot, two anthills collected adjacentto the Black Rock lamproite flow yielded morethan 13,000 carats of olivine in grains from2 to 8 mm in length (Hausel, 1998b). The 8mm grains are the maximum size that couldbe sampled by the ants: larger grains occurin nearby soils and in outcrop.

Iolite, Kyanite, Ruby, SapphireWyoming could host the world's largest

resources of iolite. Iolite, a gem-variety ofcordierite, is also referred to as dichorite andwater sapphire by gemologists. It formsbeautiful gems that mimic oriental sapphire(Figure 7). Unlike sapphire, transparentsapphire-blue iolite lacks fire. It also exhibitsmarked pleochroism such that the mineralwill change from sapphire-blue to violet-blueto gray-blue when rotated in natural light,enhancing its value as a gemstone (Hausel,2005b, 2006b).

The iolite occurs near other alumino-silicates (kyanite and sillimanite). These arefound in alumina-rich mica schists(metapelites) that have been subjectedto amphibolite- to granulite-faciesmetamorphism. Cordierite is meta-morphogenic, but has also been describedas a replacement mineral in alumina-richrocks of the Laramie Range anorthositecomplex. Significant specimens werediscovered by the author in 1996 at PalmerCanyon in the central Laramie Range (Hausel2005a). Since that time, additionaloccurrences were identified at Grizzly Creekto the south.

The two largest rough iolites in the worldwere collected at Palmer Canyon and GrizzlyCreek. One is a very high quality gem of 1714carats (Figure 8): the other is fractured, butweighs >24,160 carats. Larger masses inoutcrop provide potential for rough material>100,000 carats. The extent of these twodeposits is restricted.

(Continued on page 12)

5. Faceted chromian diopside (‘Cape emerald’) surroundedby a variety of fancy colored pyrope garnets from the GreenRiver Basin.

6. Group of faceted peridot surrounded by rough olivine fromthe Leucite Hills.

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Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming(Continued from page 11)

(Continued)

8. (a) The secondlargest iolite gemrough in the world(1,714 carats) sitsadjacent to the firstthree iolites facetedfrom cordieritecollected at PalmerCanyon in theLaramie Range.

7. (a) Some of the first iolite gemstones faceted from material collected at Palmer Canyon, (b) samplingof iolite gems (1 to 3 carats) from central Laramie Range (photo courtesy of Vic Norris).

7. (a) 7. (b)

8. (b) A much larger gem was later found at Grizzly Creek (24,160carats).

9. (a) A varietyof coloredkyanite gems.(photo courtesyof Vic Norris)

9. (b) Reddish corundum sits abovegem kyanite, and (c) typical kyaniterough from Palmer Canyon.

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Another deposit was identified south of Grizzly Creekin the Laramie Range anorthosite. This deposit remainsessentially unexplored for gems, and only minor granulargem-quality iolite has been identified to date. However, thisdeposit was reported by Newhouse and Hagner (1949) tocontain >453,600 tons of cordierite (a potential resourceof >2.0 trillion carats?). Possibly, this is the deposit thatwas briefly described by Sinkankas (1959). Other cordierite(iolite?) deposits are reported north of Palmer Canyon.

During the examination of Palmer Canyon and GrizzlyCreek, some other gemstones were found in the Archeancordierite gneiss, kyanite metapelite and corundum schists.Metapelites and vermiculites host gem-quality kyanite andgem-quality corundum (Figure 9). Some of the corundumproduces white, pink and rare blue sapphire and red ruby(Figure 10).

OpalWyoming is a potential source for considerable opal,

jasper and agate. A very large opal deposit (within portionsof 14 sections) was recently investigated by the WSGS atCedar Rim south of Riverton (Hausel, 2005a, b, c). Theopal is dominantly common opal with some fire opal foundin the northern part of the field with traces of precious opal.The presence of the precious opal in secondary, cross-cutting veins suggest a possibility for more extensiveprecious opal in the district (Figure 11).

REFERENCES CITEDCoopersmith, H.G., Mitchell, R.H., and Hausel, W.D., 2003, Kimberlites

and lamproites of Colorado and Wyoming, USA: Field ExcursionGuidebook for the 8th International Kimberlite Conference,Geological Survey of Canada, 24p.

Cross, W., 1897, Igneous rocks of the Leucite Hills and Pilot Butte,Wyoming: American Journal of Science, v. 4, no. 20, p. 115-141.

Hausel, W.D. 1998a. Diamonds and mantle source rocks in theWyoming Craton, with a discussion of other US occurrences.Wyoming State Geological Survey Report of Investigations 53. 1-93.

Hausel, W.D., 1998b, Field reconnaissance of the Leucite Hills peridot(olivine) occurrence, Rock Springs uplift, Wyoming: WSGS MineralReport MR98-2, 6p.

Hausel, W.D., 2002a, Iolite and corundum in Wyoming: Gems &Gemology, v. 37, no. 4, p. 336-337.

Hausel, W.D., 2002b, A new source of gem-quality cordierite andcorundum in the Laramie Range of Southeastern Wyoming: Rocks& Minerals, vol. 76, no. 5, p. 334-339.

Hausel, W.D., 2003, Cordierite (iolite) and corundum (sapphire, ruby)- Potential Wyoming gemstones: Proceedings of the 39th Forumon the Geology of Industrial Minerals, May 18th-24th (2003).Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Special Publication 33, p.130-138.

Hausel, W.D., 2005a, Geologists Locate Giant Gemstones: Prospectingand Mining Journal, v. 74, no. 7, p. 7-9.

Hausel, W.D., 2005b, Gemstones of Wyoming: Prospecting and MiningJournal, v. 74, no. 12, p. 9-12.

Hausel, W.D. 2005c, Geology of the Cedar Rim Opal Deposit, GraniteMountains, central Wyoming: WSGS Open File Report 05-1, 11p.

Hausel, W.D., 2006a (in press), Geology and geochemistry of the LeuciteHills lamproitic volcanic field, Rock Springs uplift, Greater GreenRiver Basin, Southwestern Wyoming, Wyoming Geological SurveyReport of Investigations, (submitted to WSGS).

Hausel, W.D., 2006b, Minerals and Rocks of Wyoming, A Guide forCollectors, Prospectors, Rock Hounds, and the Layman, WSGSBulletin 72, 125p.

Hausel, W.D., Glahn, P.R., and Woodzick, T.L., 1981, Geological andgeophysical investigations of kimberlites in the Laramie Range ofsoutheastern Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming PreliminaryReport 18, 13p., 2 plates (scale 1:24,000).

Hausel, W.D., Gregory, R.W., Motten, R.H., and Sutherland, W.M., 2003,Geology of the Iron Mountain Kimberlite district and nearbykimberlitic indicator mineral anomalies in southeastern Wyoming:Wyoming State Geological Survey Report of Investigations 54, 42p.

Hausel, W.D., Kucera, R.E., McCandless, T.E., and Gregory, R.W., 1999,Mantle-derived breccia pipes in the southern Green River Basin ofWyoming (USA): In J.J. Gurney et al (editors) Proceedings of the7th International Kimberlite Conference, Capetown, South Africa.p. 348-352.

Hausel, W.D., and Sutherland, W.M., 2000, Gemstones and other uniqueminerals and rocks of Wyoming - a field guide for collectors:Wyoming State Geological Survey Bulletin 71, 268p.

Hausel, W.D. and Sutherland, W.M., 2006 (in press), Gemstones of theWorld: Geology, Occurrence and Exploration: Society of MiningEngineers of AIME (submitted - 2005).

Hughes, R.W., and others. 2000. Burmese jade: the inscrutable gem.Gems & Gemology 36:1. 2-26.

Kievlenko, E.Y. 2003. Geology of Gems. Ocean Pictures Ltd., Littleton,CO, 432p.

Krajick, K. 2002. Barren Lands. Times Books, Henry Holt and Company,New York. 442p.

McCallum, M.E., and Mabarak, C.D., 1976, Diamond in State Linekimberlite diatremes, Albany County, Wyoming, and LarimerCounty, Colorado: Wyoming State Geological Survey Report ofInvestigations 12, 36p.

McCandless, T.E., Nash, W.P., and Hausel, W.D., 1995, Mantle indicatorminerals in ant mounds and conglomerates of the conglomeratesof the southern Green River Basin, Wyoming: Wyoming GeologicalAssociation Resources of Southwestern Wyoming Guidebook, p.153-163.

Newhouse, W.H. and A.F. Hagner. 1949. Cordierite deposits of theLaramie Range, Albany County, Wyoming. Wyoming GeologicalSurvey. Bulletin 41. 18p.

Sinkankas, J. 1959. Gemstones of North America. Van NostrandReinhold Company. New York, NY. 675p.

Walton, L. 2004. Exploration criteria for Coloured Gemstone Depositsin the Yukon. Yukon Geological Survey Open File Report 2004-10. 184p.

Ward, F. 2001. Jade: Gem Book Publishers, Bethesda,MD, 64p.

Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming(Continued from page 12)

(Continued on page 28)

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This is theLAST

Outcrop youwill receive

if 2006dues havenot been

paid!

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If you are interested in advertising in color or black and white,contact the RMAG office at 303-573-8621.

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President’s Column(Continued from page 3)

what we understand about physicsand how the universe works was notsufficient; the questioner persisted bypointing out Feynman was a verybright guy, and anti-gravity could bevery useful (just in case that wasn'tobvious), and he would probably makea lot of money by inventing it! Which,speaking of money, brings me aroundto the oil and gas business.

Of course we know this isn’t at alllike the movies. Our science is actuallya long, drawn out, often times tediousprocess of collecting data, organizingand analyzing the same, all to test (orjust develop) the particular variety ofhypothesis that we call a drillingprospect. Although some of our madprospectors do indeed labor alonedeep in the dark bowels of the DERLlibrary, more commonly it takes a lotof people, computers, and asubstantial investment in high techgadgetry (here comes the part aboutan electrical storm) to do all this. Thenwe have the temerity to propose thatthe oil or gas we think lies hidden in the earth might existin some terribly inconvenient location, like Kazakhstan, orunder some deep ocean basin, or in western Colorado nearall those very nice retirement homes they've been building.But at the end of the day, if we are not finding enough oiland gas to hold prices down at the level the public wantsto pay, it’s certainly not because we are not trying hard orwe're somehow holding back. It’s because oil and gas arebecoming increasingly difficult to extract, what remainstends to be located in rather challenging geography, and ittakes a lot more than just deciding what you want todiscover on that particular day of the week.

So what is the point to all this? It’s all aboutcommunication to our fellow citizens. They get conflictingsignals, and it's hard for them to break out of the mentalmodel they have developed from years of movies and popculture. Sometimes one of the big energy companies willrun an advertising campaign about the challenges of finding

new hydrocarbon resources; currentlyChevron is running one that I like, andthat does help in some ways to softenpublic opinions. The DiscoveryChannel runs a worthwhile showabout the science and engineeringthat goes into the hunt on occasion,but they are not widely noticed.Museums like DMNS are one of themost effective modes of publicoutreach – next time you are inHouston visit the Weiss Energy Hallat the Houston Museum of NaturalScience for an outstanding exampleof what I think needs to be seen allover the country. ExxonMobilsponsors, if memory serves mecorrectly, a good exhibit at DisneyWorld in Orlando that reaches literallymillions of people. Locally, RMAG hasa Popular Geology committee thatsponsors various outreach activities,we always need more volunteers tohelp with the events, and of coursewe can always do more if we haveinterested and committed people

willing to get involved. Finally, we all need to be a littlemore vocal on a personal level about what it is we do andhow we go about it. We need to communicate with ourfriends and neighbors outside the industry, to the childrenin our schools, to our politicians, to the business communityat large, that this isn't as easy as it may look and it getsharder all the time.

We return to our scientist friend standing slightly dazed,glasses askew, muttering to himself in the smoldering rubbleof his formerly quiet Denver neighborhood. “Humph, whowould have thought ants could be so much trouble. Ohwell, never look back I always say. What should I discovernext? How about giant cockroaches? No, too much likethose pesky ants. What about a TCF of gas, now thatcould be useful. I’d probably make a lot of money findinga TCF of gas. OK, a giant gas field it is, now what’s forsupper?”

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Jordan B. LutzJordan is a geology student at the University of Idaho.

Andrea Lynne MatthewsAndrea is a geologist with The Discovery Group Inc. in

Denver. She holds a BS in Geology from the University ofColorado at Denver.

Scott H. MathewsScott is a geologist with Kerr-McGee in Denver. He

holds a BS in Geology from Centenary College and an MSin Geology from the University of Southern Carolina. Scottis a member of AAPG.

Justin B. MilliardJustin is a geology student at the University of Montana.

He is a member of AAPG and SEG.

Eryn M. OsbornEryn is an associate geologist with Questar Exploration

& Production in Denver. She holds a BS in GeologicalEngineering from Colorado School of Mines. Eryn is amember of AAPG.

William F. Parker Jr.William is a geologist with Continental Resources Inc.

in Enid, Oklahoma. He holds a BS in Geology fromOklahoma State University. William is a member of AAPGand SEG.

Laura A. PodratzLaura is a geology student at the University of Idaho.

She is a member of AAPG.

Rachel E. PriceRachel is a geologist with Devon Energy in Oklahoma

City. She holds a BS in Geology from SUNY-Oswego andan MS in Geology from Rutgers University. Rachel is amember of AAPG.

Michael D. SchlagelMichael is an account executive/geologist with Geomap

Company in Plano, Texas. Michael holds a BA in Geologyfrom Gustavus Adolphus College and an MS in Geologyfrom the University of Tulsa. Michael is a member of AAPG.

James A. SmithJames is a senior technical sales advisor with

Halliburton-Landmark/GeoGraphix in Denver. He holds aBS in Geophysics from the University of Calgary.

Wendy StraatmannWendy is Manager of Geoscience-Rocky Mountains at

Dominion Exploration and Production in Oklahoma City.She holds a BS in Geology from Indiana University ofPennsylvania and an MS in Geology from the University ofMissouri at Columbia. Wendy is a member of AAPG, OCGSand SPE.

Jeffrey A. TannerJeff is Exploration Manager, West Region with Cabot

Oil & Gas in Denver. He holds a BS in Geology from TexasA&M University and an MS in Geology from the Universityof Houston. Jeff is a member of AAPG.

Garrett K. TimmermanGarrett is a graduate student at the University of

Montana. He holds a BS in Geology from Michigan TechUniversity. Garrett is a member of AAPG and GSA.

Christopher R. TincherKit is a geologist with EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. in

Denver. He holds a BS and MS in Geology from theUniversity of Kansas. Kit is a member of GSA.

Lindsay Ann WaltersLindsay is a geology student at the University of Idaho.

She is a member of AAPG.

Bruce H. WileyBruce is a geological advisor with Burlington Resources

Inc. in Houston. He holds a BA in Geology from MiddleburyCollege and an MS in Geological Sciences from theUniversity of Washington. Bruce is a member of AAPG,SEG, PBS-SEPM, PBS-SEG, WTGS, and HGS.

John P. WitnerJohn is Geology Operations Manager at Pason Systems

USA Inc. in Golden. He holds a BS and MS in Geologyfrom Northern Arizona University.

...and Welcome toReturning Members

Gordon F.C. StuckerRick is with Noble Energy in Denver. He holds a BA in

Geology from the University of Colorado. Rick is a memberof AAPG.

(Continued from page 2)

Welcome Back to New Members

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2006 Rocky Mountain Association of GeologistsAPPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

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If you have any events that you would like to post in this column, please submit via email to JaneEstes-Jackson at [email protected] or to the RMAG office at [email protected] forconsideration.

March 1012th Annual 3D Seismic Symposium. See page 18 and 19 for more information.

March 17AAPG Distinguished Lecture. See page 5 for more information.

March 21Denver Well Logging Society Luncheon. “Rock and Fluid Physics” by Quinn Passey, ExxonMobil.

See dwls.spwla.org for more information.

April 9-12AAPG Annual Convention, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston. See pages 19 and

29 for more information.

June 10-13AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Holiday Inn Grand Montana, Billings, Montana.

June 27RMAG/DGS Golf Tournament.

August 7-9Rocky Mountain Natural Gas, Revisiting Rocky Mountain Gas Reservoirs, Denver.

PipelineIn TheIn The

PipelineIn The

Neil H. Whitehead, III Consulting Geologist

Ph.D. CPG-AIPG PG WY

Rocky Mountain Basins

Wellsite to Petroleum Systems ArcGIS

303-679-8573 fax 303-679-8574 [email protected]

31634 Black Widow Way Conifer, CO 80433-9610

Paul F. OzanichIndependent Geophysical Consultant

Geophysical And GeologicalExploration Consulting

5894 Orchard Creek Ln.Boulder, CO 80301

(Home) 303-516-9653(Cel) [email protected]

RMAG AuxiliaryThe March 16, 2006, Luncheon/Program Meeting of

RMAGA will be held at Pinehurst Country Club. Social Hourwill start at 11:00 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon.

We will be honoring the past presidents since ourfounding in 1953. The program will be by Albert Galli,returning to delight us with music from “Our Era.”

If you are interested in attending the luncheon or infinding out more about RMAGA, please call Betty Ulricksenat 303-791-0660. Membership is open to current or formerwives of current or former members of RMAG or otherAssociations of Geologists. Lady geologists are alsowelcome.

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Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming(Continued from page 13)

10. (a) Faceted iolite, ruby, pink sapphire and onesquare-cut oriental sapphire (photo courtesy of VicNorris

11. Opal specimens from Cedar Rim,central Wyoming.

10. (b) high-quality rubyset in necklace (photocourtesy of ChuckMabarak). Specimenscollected from centralLaramie Range.

11. (b) fire

11. (c) precious opal.

11. (a) Common

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OOLSBY BROTHERS and associates, inc.G

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Rocky Mountain Association of GeologistsFoundation Contributors – 2005

The RMAG Foundation thanks the following individuals and companies for their generous contributions. In 2005, theFoundation benefited greatly from a $30,000 gift submitted by John and Erica Lockridge to underwrite the MinesScholarship. In total, 128 donors contributed $65,000. In addition to the Foster, Colorado School of Mines and BolyardScholarships, we are now seeking funding for CSU and Wyoming. If anyone has been inadvertently left off of this list, weapologize in advance for the oversight. The RMAG Foundation is an IRS tax-exempt code 501(c)(3) organization.

John and Erica Lockridge Colorado School of Mines Scholarship

The Gibbett Hill Foundation

Dudley and Marion Bolyard Bolyard and Foster ScholarshipsIn Memory of Alex Boardmanand Dennis Irwin

RMAG Golf Tournament

George Dolezal Jr.Patricia Irwin Foster and Bolyard ScholarshipsJames and Roberta Kreutzfeld Foster ScholarshipJohn RobinsonSteve Strachan Foster, Bolyard and Colorado

School of MinesWilliam Thurston Foster Scholarship

Ken BarrowTerrance and Colleen Britt Foster ScholarshipMarvin Brittenham Foster ScholarshipC. Elmo Brown Bolyard ScholarshipCharles Chapman Foster ScholarshipRobert and Mary Sue Cowdery Foster Scholarship

and In Memory of Alex BoardmanEdward and Carmen Dolly Bolyard ScholarshipHerb DueyFlagg Diamond Corp.Janet Foster Foster and Bolyard Scholarships

Ernie GomezDon Hembre Foster, Bolyard and MinesPaul Hess Foster ScholarshipRoger HivelyHouston Exploration Bolyard ScholarshipJim LightnerJohn Lucken Foster and Bolyard ScholarshipsCharles MankinDonald McKenna Bolyard ScholarshipWalter McMahan Jr.Chris Oglesby In Memory of Jack ParkerJohn Oty Bolyard ScholarshipStephen ReynoldsGeorge SimmonsSteve Sonnenberg Colorado School of Mines ScholarshipMatt and Deborah SilvermanC.W. and Joyce Spencer Bolyard ScholarshipCharles StarkNikos ThomaidisEdward WassonRobert and Ruth Weimer Bolyard and Colorado School of Mines

ScholarshipsAnna Wells

William AbbottDonna AndersonRogers Bailey Bolyard ScholarshipC.S. Venable BarclayFrederick Berry Bolyard ScholarshipRichard Blajszczak Foster and Bolyard ScholarshipsJames BrothersJoseph Bowman Foster ScholarshipArthur Butler IIINancy CampHarry CampbellTom Ann CaseyJohn ChatfieldRobert Cluff Foster ScholarshipSuzanne CluffStanley Collins Foster Scholarship

OVER $30,000

OVER $15,000

OVER $5,000

OVER $3,000

$500 – $1,000

$100 – $499

Up to $99

(Continued)

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This graph shows the financial growth of Foundation assets over the last 10years. In 2005, the Foundation provided over $16,000 in grants and awards.

James Collinson Foster ScholarshipMichael Connelly Foster ScholarshipLou Conti Bolyard ScholarshipKevin Corbett Foster ScholarshipMaurice CoxMichael Cruson Foster ScholarshipKenneth CummingsGraham Curtis Colorado School of Mines

ScholarshipNorbert Cygan Foster ScholarshipJeffery DampDonald Dodge Jr.Robert DoughertyMarlan DowneyJane Estes-Jackson Colorado School of Mines

ScholarshipRandall FergusonThomas FouchJohn FrederickJohn FrenchBarry GagerCarlos Garcia Foster ScholarshipElias GhattasThomas Grose Foster ScholarshipGeorge Hampton III Foster ScholarshipWallace Hansen Colorado School of Mines

ScholarshipNicholas HarrisSherod HarrisChester HaunEdward HeathMonty Hoffman Foster ScholarshipMary Anna IlhanOlin IshamCurtis JohnsonJohn Kinard Foster ScholarshipWalt KingDarrell Kramer Foster ScholarshipCristopher KravitsMax KreyJames LowellKathanne Lynch Bolyard ScholarshipAnson Mark Bolyard ScholarshipJerome Martinets Foster ScholarshipRandi Martinsen Foster Scholarship

Terry MatherKaren McGuireJohn MillerStanley MollerstuenB. Daniel Morris Foster ScholarshipKenneth NickersonRichard O'DonnellWilliam OlineWilliam Perry Jr. Foster ScholarshipForrest Poole Bolyard ScholarshipRobert PottRonald Pritchett Foster and Bolyard ScholarshipElizabeth Rall Bolyard ScholarshipRaymond Rall Bolyard ScholarshipMitchell Reynolds Bolyard ScholarshipGene Richards Foster ScholarshipJennie RidgleyKenton RiggsJohn and Phyllis Rold Bolyard ScholarshipSigmund RosenfeldFrederick SaffordAllen SpelmanDennis SponableStephen SullivanRichard Vincelette Foster ScholarshipJohn Warme Foster ScholarshipJohn Williams Foster and Bolyard ScholarshipsElizabeth Wilson Foster ScholarshipWhiting Petroleum

Rocky Mountain Association of GeologistsFoundation Contributors – 2005

(Continued from page 32)

Up to $99 (continued)

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Grad Student Fellowship at CU Endowed toHonor RMAG Past-President Bruce Curtis

by Matt Silverman

Five hundred thousanddollars has been raised topermanently endow the BruceCurtis Graduate StudentFellowship in GeologicalSciences at the University ofColorado. Financial contribu-tions by 150 RMAG members,friends of Prof. Curtis and theCU Geology Department, andother individuals, foundationsand companies within the oiland gas industry were crucialto realizing this goal.

Mary Kraus, the Department Chair, said, “We are alldeeply grateful to the many alumni and friends whosegenerosity will allow us to provide financial support foroutstanding graduate students in petroleum geology andthe other subjects that Bruce Curtis taught.”

“Since most major oil companies have dropped theirtraditional research and training roles, university geologydepartments must satisfy the growing needs of energyindustry personnel,” she added. “The petroleumgeoscientists of the future are receiving the preparationthey require at a few select universities around the country,including CU, and this will help us support their studies.”

Curtis profoundly affected the careers and lives ofgenerations of petroleum geologists in the Rocky Mountainregion. Through decades of service at CU and in theindustry, he educated, mentored and led hundreds ofstudents and professionals. Curtis is an Honorary Memberof RMAG, having served as Treasurer in 1952 and Presidentin 1956. He authored, edited and co-edited severalimportant volumes, including the 1958 RMAG Guidebookon the Pennsylvanian and AAPG’s 1968 landmarkpublication, Natural Gases of North America.

A Denver native, Curtis completed his graduate studiesin Geology at CU and Harvard, following service in the U.S.Navy in World War II. He worked as Rockies RegionalExploration Manager for Conoco until 1957, when he beganthree decades of teaching and research at CU. During that

period he taught subsurface methods, geology of organicfuels, and related subjects to hundreds of undergraduateand graduate students. Dr. Curtis directed scores ofgraduate theses, many focused on E & P topics that arestill vital today. He retired in 1983 and lives in Boulder.

Professor Paul Weimer, one of Curtis’ former students,directs CU’s program in petroleum geology. He was recentlynamed the youngest-ever recipient of AAPG’s DistinguishedEducator Award. The program is expanding, with apermanent position in reservoir geosciences filled byProfessor Matt Pranter, who worked previously atExxonMobil in reservoir modeling.

Several gifts to the Curtis Fellowship were made inmemory of Gerry Grocock, who was instrumental in thefundraising process before his untimely death.

Among the many generous donors were the following:BP Corporation North America, Inc., The Bayless CharitableFund, Bruce D. and Marcy H. Benson, Ensign Oil & GasInc., Samuel Gary, Jr., Carolyn Grocock, Aaron Harber,Anthony and Liz Brigham Moores, David C. Peterson,Quicksilver Resources Inc., Stephen M. Strachan, and AnnaWells and Michael Zakroff.

Deepest thanks also go to: American GeophysicalCorporation, Donald Lee Baars, Terry P. Bailey, BakerConsultants Inc., Fred G. Baker, Roland Leon Baldwin, ScottAlan Bennett, Benson Foundation, Benson Mineral Group,Inc., Dudley W. Bolyard, Tom Box, William L. Bredar, EthelH. Brende, John B. Brock, David A. Budd, Scott F. Burns,James Arthur Bush, Douglas R. Callier, Joanne LonayChapa, Douglas K. Childs, Circle M. Energy Limited, JohnR. Coash, Frank G. Cooley, Terry R. Courtright, Bruce F.Curtis, Rene G. Daigre, The Denver Foundation, DenverGeophysical Wives, Warren W. Dickinson, Robert E. Dippo,Robert D. Dougherty, The Dowling Foundation, John D.Edwards, Don L. Eicher, EnCana Corporation, Eric K.Ericson, Jerome Arlan Eyer, Carol Fielding, Neil Fishman,William Flores, Stephanie Gaswirth, Grocock-McDill Trust,Clare Gregg, Earl G. Griffith, David G. Griggs, Thomas L.T. Grose, Michael C. Hallock, O. Winston Hampton, JohnConrad Harms, Richard Cundiff Hepworth, Erich Carl

(Continued)

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www.rmag.org 35March 2006

This Month’s Advertisers

Heydweiller, David Jerome Hindman, S.B. Hixon, MorganHocker, Houston Geological Society, William Ervin Hupp,Kathryn L.K. Huwaldt, Patricia Irwin, Janet L. Kagie, E. AnnKirkpatrick, Louise M. Kiteley, Georgia G. Kofoed, KathyKnutson Kreidler, William D. Lancaster, Laura Lee Lang,Lario Oil & Gas Co., Mark W. Longman, Gerald G. Loucks,Steve Ludington, Marsha Morton Mander, Anson Mark,Stephen Keith Marks, John A. Masters, Terry J. Mather, BarryMcBride, Betty A. McGregor, Ronald, C. McLaughlin,Dorothyan S. McMaster, Michael B. Morgan, David G.Moysey, D. Keith Murray, National Geological Services, Inc.,G. A. Nelson, Connie W. Nowlan, Gary Alan Nowlan, OceanEnergy Inc., Bonnie O'Donnell-Painter, Chris A. Oglesby,Giorgio Pannella, Parson Oil, LLC, Elmer S. Parson, MaryReimer Parson, Hannah Flora Pavlik, Frank A. Penney,James Edward Peterson, James B. Phipps, Charles W.Pollard, Forrest G. Poole, Patricia Clark Poole, Ranspot

Grad Student Fellowship at CU Endowed to HonorRMAG Past-President Bruce Curtis

Family Trust, Henry W. Ranspot, RDD ExplorationsCompany, Joan B. Reinhardt, Kurt Reisser, Robert ReginaldRemy, Gene E. Richards, James Graham Ritchie, Lois Y.Rittenhouse, Rivington Capital Advisors LLC, John W.Robinson, James P. Rogers, John W. Rold, Samuel GaryJr. & Associates, Inc., Donatella and Mark Scanniello, EdwinC. Schuett, Seismic Micro-Technology, Inc., Anne F.Sheehan, John Small, William R. Smith, Anna WarshawskyStafford, Donald S. Stone, Strachan Exploration, Inc.,Robert F. Sweeney, James P. Syvitski, Regina Tempel, TexasCrude Operator, Inc., Janet Bauder Thornburg, TKMResources, LLC, John Todd, Laura Day Triplett, DavidMason Uhlir, Venture Resources, Inc., Theodore R. Walker,Valerie Kindred Walker, Dederick C. Ward, Paul Weimer, K.C. Weiner, Joseph L. Weitz, Chandler T. Wilhelm, RobertRalph Wilhour, and Pamela Leigh Wolf.

(Continued from page 34)

AAPG ........................................ 25, 29

A2D ................................................. 27

Automated Mudlogging Systems.... 18Barlow & Haun ................................ 31

Bechtold, G.D. ................................ 14

Direct Geochemical ........................ 31drilling-prospects.com ..................... 29

Gene R. George & Assoc., Inc. ...... 14

Geological Consultants ................... 18geoPlus Corporation ......................... 9

Goolsby Brothers ............................ 29

Infopipe ........................................... 28

King, Walt ........................................ 31

Minerals Diversified Serv., Inc. ....... 21Omni Laboratories, Inc. .................. 26

Ozanich, Paul ................................. 22

PGS Onshore, Marty Hall ............... 31PTTC ............................................... 23

Parsons, Kim .................................. 21

Petrobase ....................................... 18Petrolific Consulting Services ......... 21

Premier Data Services .................... 24

Promap Corporation ....................... 21

Rockware ........................................ 10

Sandia Exploration Consultants ..... 31Sproule Associates ......................... 31

Technically Write Consulting ........... 29

WELLDOG, Inc. .............................. 29WesternGeco .................................. 30

Wetterhorn Co. ............................... 21

Whitehead, Neil, III ......................... 22

Page 36: Gemstone Discoveries in Wyoming Newsletter of the Rocky ... Discoveries.pdfNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists • Volume 55 • No. 3 • March 2006 Features

www.rmag.org36 THE OUTCROP

RMAGLuncheon Speakers:Thomas J. Schull and

Norbert E. Cygan

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists820 16th Street, Suite 505Denver, CO 80202

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. PostagePAID

Permit No. 901Denver, Colo.

March 2006GEO-CALENDAR

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11

19

13 1514

22 23

16

5 6 7

21 25

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SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAYFRIDAY

24

10

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98

17

27 28

St. Patrick’s Day

31 2 4

AAPGDistinguished

Lecture

29 30 31

12th Annual 3DSeismic Symposium

GeoLand Ski Day

DWLS Luncheon