President/CEO - Serves in the role of Chief Executive Officer of Subsurface Consultants & Associates LLC, an international petroleum consulting and training company. As a working geoscientist, he generated numerous exploration and exploitation prospects, either as the sole generator or as part of an organized team, resulting in a total potential reserve exposure of over 10 MMGEBS. Largest Exploration Discovery - 250 BCF of gas offshore Gulf of Mexico (1998), Largest Exploitation Discovery - 4,500,000 BO offshore Gulf of Mexico (1980). Co-author of two new textbooks, "Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping" and "Quick Look Techniques". BA, Geology, Bloomsburg University, 1970; MA Geology, Temple University, 1977. Certified Petroleum Geologists No. 4114.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FIELD MAPPING TRAINING
Field Mapping is a key component to a good geoscience education. Field Mapping
teaches sound investigative techniques and problem solving skills. Geoscientists
make observations, collate, record and interpret data, step back and sort out
structural/stratigraphic relationships and learn to make interpretations based
on an incomplete dataset. Field Mapping is a skill that requires experience
to develop through field camps, field-oriented courses and field-related theses.
A realistic sense of "Scale" is perhaps the most important benefit of field mapping. Scale includes an understanding of the size of structural folds, the magnitude of depositional systems, the continuity of facies and the characteristics of rock outcrop versus well log character to name a few.
Petroleum companies expect new employees to become productive prospect generators as quickly as possible. In today's world of sophisticated technologies including fast computers and 3-D workstations on the desk of each geoscientist, field training and mapping is of paramount importance to each geoscientist. The field training not only provides a foundation in fundamental geoscience skills, but develops the general "confidence" each new employee needs to develop and present viable, three-dimensionally valid subsurface interpretations.
Petroleum companies are recruiting and finding qualified geoscience graduates
overseas. With over 3000 geology and geophysics departments worldwide from which
to choose, successful universities must provide the right education mix and
appropriate qualifications for its students to compete in today's market. Traditional
field mapping experience falls into the category of required hiring qualifications
for most petroleum companies.