EMD and Making Your Community

As I begin my term as the Energy Minerals Division president, I want to recognize the challenges faced by many of our fellow subsurface geologists in recent years, including the need to learn new – or adapt existing – skills and embrace new technologies. All this change presents both opportunities and learning curves for our profession, and it is in these times that communities can offer support and inspiration.

When I lost my job during the pandemic and oil prices turned negative, I quickly decided to move back to the basics of what I spent the last decade-plus working on: black shales. After many hours spent working with very smart geologists decoding the fascinating world of chemostratigraphy, it was clear we had an opportunity to study an aspect of great interest to me. What if we could develop an understanding of critical mineral concentration and distribution within a sequence-stratigraphic framework? Combining a resource society needs with a technique that has predictive capabilities would make a powerful area of research.

With no company to provide logs or cores or software, I partnered up with my former colleagues Randy Blood and Scott McCallum to develop a study where we built off published work, collected our own data and used freeware to analyze it. Randy suggested we conduct this study on the Dunkirk Shale along the Lake Erie shoreline of New York, a well-studied Devonian-aged black shale outcrop, and we all agreed. The three of us did a lot of work, created a lot of data and made it all available online in the hopes of starting a conversation around how this idea could be extended to other areas in the hunt for new domestic sources of critical minerals. While this pivot didn’t pay the bills, it did keep the geology wheels turning in my head, and it connected me with other professionals.

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As I begin my term as the Energy Minerals Division president, I want to recognize the challenges faced by many of our fellow subsurface geologists in recent years, including the need to learn new – or adapt existing – skills and embrace new technologies. All this change presents both opportunities and learning curves for our profession, and it is in these times that communities can offer support and inspiration.

When I lost my job during the pandemic and oil prices turned negative, I quickly decided to move back to the basics of what I spent the last decade-plus working on: black shales. After many hours spent working with very smart geologists decoding the fascinating world of chemostratigraphy, it was clear we had an opportunity to study an aspect of great interest to me. What if we could develop an understanding of critical mineral concentration and distribution within a sequence-stratigraphic framework? Combining a resource society needs with a technique that has predictive capabilities would make a powerful area of research.

With no company to provide logs or cores or software, I partnered up with my former colleagues Randy Blood and Scott McCallum to develop a study where we built off published work, collected our own data and used freeware to analyze it. Randy suggested we conduct this study on the Dunkirk Shale along the Lake Erie shoreline of New York, a well-studied Devonian-aged black shale outcrop, and we all agreed. The three of us did a lot of work, created a lot of data and made it all available online in the hopes of starting a conversation around how this idea could be extended to other areas in the hunt for new domestic sources of critical minerals. While this pivot didn’t pay the bills, it did keep the geology wheels turning in my head, and it connected me with other professionals.

That is when I was introduced to the Critical Minerals Committee within EMD. I met folks from around the world who were interested in knowing what is going on in the quickly changing world of critical minerals. We met at 3 p.m. Central Time so members in London (9 p.m.) and Australia (6 a.m.) could join the meetings at somewhat reasonable hours. In short-order, I agreed to be the chair of the Committee for the next two years. Even with the pandemic limiting our in-person capabilities, EMD hosted many events online to keep members engaged and learn about critical minerals and other interesting EMD topics.

I relay my story of getting involved in EMD because it has enriched my career. At a challenging time for many, I had a group of geologists I could turn to, who wanted to discuss topics that we all had interest in. This might not reflect your story, but the takeaway is that joining a committee in EMD is like joining a community. Perhaps you don’t currently work on any of the EMD committee topics, but if you have interest in learning more about it, please join and start building that network.

EMD Committees to Choose From

The skills and innovation to access new and transformational energy resources are within the minds of explorers. I encourage you to investigate the array of EMD committees, including longstanding groups like Tight Oil and Gas (merged with Bitumen and Heavy Oil), Coalbed Methane and Coal, Gas Hydrates and Geothermal, and newer committees like Hydrogen and Critical Minerals. The goal of EMD has always been to look at energy resources outside mainstream oil and gas reservoirs because diversification of knowledge is important in our ever-changing industry.

Involvement in these technical committees creates communities of like-minded professionals who can share information, resources and network with professionals you might not meet otherwise. I’m looking forward to connecting with AAPG members who are interested in exploring the options and opportunities within EMD, as well as current members who want to connect or re-connect. Our committees are always looking for great volunteers and ideas on how to enrich the experience for our members. Going into the fiscal year 2024-25, EMD has roughly 4,400 members on the books! If we could get just 10 percent of our membership to volunteer on our committees, we would have an amazing base of support to keep current initiatives going and begin new, exciting ones.

Finally, I must extend my deep gratitude to Susan Nash, director of innovation and emerging science/ technology for AAPG. When I look over the training opportunities, workshops and conferences she has spearheaded these last few years, Susan has assembled an impressive list of learning and networking opportunities for all AAPG members. Check out the past events on AAPG’s Virtual Academy webpage and sign-up for email alerts so you know when new events are coming.

EMD Events

Some recent highlights of EMD-related events include two workshops hosted by AAPG and Geothermal Rising. The Geothermal, Lithium, Hydrogen: New Energy from Subsurface Fluids Conference, held June 6-7 in Houston had great attendance and a lot of momentum to do it again in the future. The next opportunity is the 2024 Subsurface Geothermal Symposium: New Technology Drilling and Subsurface Characterization, slated for July 31-Aug. 2 in Reno, Nev.

If you attend IMAGE, check out sessions on geologic hydrogen exploration, geothermal and applications in the energy transition. Also, be sure to sign up for the EMD-DEG luncheon in which Benjamin Burke, CEO of Gradient Geothermal, will be the speaker about broad market trends in new energy resources. And don’t forget to check out the Geothermal Hub presented by Geothermal Rising. Content will include many aspects of exploring for geothermal resources, discussions about current policy challenges, plus networking opportunities.

It is inspiring to interact with other members so, please, reach out and join a committee or volunteer for a leadership position. Let’s get back to our fundamentals of exchanging information and growing as professionals, together.

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