News and Events

Upcoming RMS Meetings

• 2012 - Grand Junction, CO
  Hosted by the Grand Junction Geological Society
   
• 2013 - Salt Lake City, UT 
  Hosted by the Utah Geological Association
   
• 2014 – Denver, CO 
  Hosted by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

GCAGS Meetings

The Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS) would like to invite you to their meetings. Their next meeting will be held in Verzcruz, Mexico October 16 – 20 and the rest of their schedule is as follows:

1. 2012 – Austin TX
2. 2013 - New Orleans LA
3. 2014 – Lafayette LA
4. 2015 – Houston TX
5. 2016 – Corpus Christi TX

For more details: http://www.gcags2011.com/
 

Utah Geological Association 2011 Annual Field Trip and Guidebook 

September 23-25, 2011

Field Trip Leaders:

Adolph Yonkee (Weber State University),
Ron Harris (Brigham Young University) and
David Elliot (Ohio State University)
 

Guidebook Editors:

Douglas A. Sprinkel (Utah Geological Survey),
W. Adolph Yonkee (Weber State University) and
Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr. (Utah Geological Survey)
 

The field trip will be a three-day examination of the structure, stratigraphy and evolution of the Sevier Orogeny.  The trip will range from north of Salt Lake City to central Utah near the new overthrust oil discoveries.  The three day trip will begin and end in Salt Lake City near the Salt Lake International Airport. 
Additional Field Trip details and registration available after June 30, 2011 at www.utahgeology.org
Guidebook available for purchase after September 30, 2011 at www.mapstore.utah.gov
 

Imperial Barrel Award

The Rocky Mountain Section of the AAPG supports the annual Imperial Barrel Award competition based on a 30-year program initiated by Imperial College of London.  Student teams are offered the opportunity to explore a career in the energy industry by acting as a New Ventures Group of an operating oil company. Students are provided a dataset, software and training and assigned the task of making a detailed assessment of the petroleum potential within a given area. They are expected to “think outside the box” and look at new exploration models based on the most recent published research and their given multidisciplinary educations.  In turn, the students receive real world career development experience, exposure to future employers, and a wonderful networking experience with other international teams.  For the 2010 contest, an Exxon-sponsored course outlining the IBA process and methodology was taught at the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous held in Laramie at the University of Wyoming.

Datasets will be delivered to registered university teams in January and the presentations to industry judges will be in March at a local Denver location. The RMS-AAPG provides first, second and third place prize money to the individual geology departments for scholarships.  The winner of the RMS-AAPG section contest wins a free trip to the annual AAPG meeting and participates in the international competition.  For more information, mentoring, judging or sponsorship opportunities, contact Kim Parsons at kim.parsons@comcast.net or go to www.aapg.org/iba.

RMS-AAPG appreciates the contributions of Steve Sonnenberg at CSM and Randi Martinsen at University of Wyoming for initially bringing the IBA competition to the Rocky Mountain Section.  RMS also appreciates the contributions of time and money by various individuals and companies. 
 

Previous Winners

• 2011
  First - Utah State University
  Second - Colorado School of Mines
  Third - University of Nevada - Las Vegas
  Undergraduate Honorable Mention - Brigham Young University - Idaho
   
• 2010
  First - Colorado School of Mines
   
• 2009
  First - University of Colorado
  Second - Colorado School of Mines
   
• 2008
  First - Colorado School of Mines
  Second - University of Colorado

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Please send your news items to: Sue Cluff