Gold, Silver, Palladium and Platinum in Wyoming – Part 1 ... Metals Part 1.pdf · 18 2006 Rockbusters Ball 24 Outcrop Statistics 30 4th Annual AAPG Winter Education Conference Association

News

lette

r of t

he R

ocky

Mou

ntain

Ass

ociat

ion

of G

eolo

gist

s • V

olum

e 55

• No

. 9 •

Sept

embe

r 200

6

(Continued on page 6)

In This Issue...

Gold, Silver, Palladium and Platinum inWyoming – Part 1 (South Pass)By W. Dan Hausel, [email protected]

INTRODUCTIONMuch gold mined in Wyoming was recovered from fracture-control veins and shear

zones in Archean host rocks. In addition to these lode deposits, gold was mined fromplacers (stream deposits) associated with the lodes, and some gold and silver was alsorecovered as a by-product of copper mining. At one time in the late 1800s and early 1900s,copper was king in Wyoming, but following the closure of the Boston-Wyoming mill andsmelter at Encampment, Wyoming, and a 35% drop in copper prices, the last great Wyomingcopper mine (Ferris-Haggarty) closed in 1908. Copper (with some gold and silver) wassporadically produced until 1946, but the industry never regained its stature (Hausel, 1986,1997).

Silver was also found in rich veins near Yellowstone along the margin of a large copper-porphyry deposit, but only minor amounts of the metal were produced. Platinumand palladium, both extremely rare precious metals, were mined fromhydrothermally altered shear zones at a small group of mines in theNew Rambler district in the Medicine Bow Mountains. In recentyears, the traditional palladium-platinum reefs in layeredcomplexes have provided excellent targets for explorationand have also yielded some attractive anomalies.

The geology of Wyoming is very favorable for thediscovery of precious metals. Even so, nearly all of thegold mined in the past was recovered from one regionof the state: South Pass near the southern tip of theWind River Mountains 30 miles south of Lander.Geological investigations by the Wyoming StateGeological Survey (WSGS) identified significant goldmineralization in this area, and also in several otherareas of the state (Hausel, 1989). Today, gold is stillfound by prospectors and treasure hunters whosearch this mineralized terrain for nature’s treasures.

In this article, I will focus on the gold at SouthPass. In two future articles I plan to discuss goldand silver elsewhere in Wyoming, and lastly willcover platinum and palladium. At today’s metalprices, there is considerable interest in the precious

Departments2 Welcome to New Members3 President’s Column4 Friday Luncheon Program9 Revisions, Moves, and Gyrations

11 Highlights of the July RMAG Board Meeting29 In the Pipeline35 This Month’s Advertisers36 Geo-Calendar

Features9 GeoToon18 2006 Rockbusters Ball24 Outcrop Statistics30 4th Annual AAPG Winter

Education Conference

Gold, Silver, Palladium and Platinum inWyoming – Part 1 (South Pass)

Association News10 2006 Denver Prospect Fair & TechnoFest19 Announcing: Outcrop Color Photo Contest

Winners!27 RMAG Auxiliary31 2006 RMAG and PTTC Present Shale Gas: From

Grass-roots Exploration to Production FallSymposium Registration Form

32 On the Rocks September and OctoberField Trips

www.rmag.org2 THE OUTCROP

Welcome toNew Members...


Jenifer E. BolinJenifer is a geological technician

with Western Gas Resources in Denver.She holds a BS in Geology from theUniversity of Wyoming. Jenifer is amember of AAPG.

Dale A. FritzDale is District Geological

Supervisor for Devon Energy inOklahoma City. He holds a BS and MSin Geology from the University ofWisconsin at Milwaukee. Dale is amember of AAPG and SEG.

Matt GrashaMatt is Owner/Engineer of Grasha

Oil & Gas in Olathe, Colorado. He holdsa BS in Chemistry and Petroleum Engi-neering from the University ofPittsburgh. Matt is a member of SEGand SPE.

Howard T. KingryHoward is President of Glenwood

Resources, Inc. in Wheat Ridge. Heholds a BS in Business Administrationfrom the University of Phoenix and anMBA from Regis University.

Philip L. JohnsonPhil is a supervising geologist at

Cotton Shires & Associates in LasGadas, California. He holds a BA inGeology from San Francisco StateUniversity and an MS in Geology fromSan Jose State University. Phil is amember of GSA, SEPM, IAS, and RMS-SEPM.

John M. MartinJohn is Director of Target Energy

Limited in Balcatta, Western Australia.He holds a BS in Geology from

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 Downs ([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.The Outcrop 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 – Denis [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 $50

Prof. 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 $85

Prof. 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. If you are submitting digitalfiles, please save in the PC format. Minimum resolution for jpg, tif, pdf or eps files is 300 dpi. Simpleline art and photographs provide helpful illustration. Borders are recommended on large copy. Anadvertising agreement will be sent to you.

www.rmag.org 3September 2006

Ka-BOOM!

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


RMAG President visits the 4-m Mayall telescope, KittPeak National Observatory near Tuscon.

OK, now it’s really official. I read it in the morning paper,and they used the B-word. The word we’ve all been avoiding,for fear of jinxing the whole deal. No, it’s not Beetlejuice.Nope, close on the heels of 4 of the top energy companiesreleasing second quarter earnings statements totaling over$30bn, in an article covering drilling activity in the PiceanceBasin, the News said it – we’re in the midst of an energyBoom.

Boom and bust – the nature of the oil and gas business,and most of us are old enough to have been through onecomplete cycle by now. Within any cycle there are alwaysseveral boomlets and bustlets (OK…I made that up),alternately providing hope that the bust is about to end ordashing hopes on a reef of red ink. This boom, however,has all the signs that it is going to last and we’re into thenext cycle. How long it will last, or where it will all lead,remains uncertain (but, if you have a crystal ball, please e-mail me at the address above). In the meantime, we haveto adjust the way we do business and change from thesurvival mentality that prevails during downturns to thegrowth mode that we need to capitalize on the uptick.That is not easy, and we’re seeing a lot of companiesstruggle with the transition. Mine included.

The biggest problem I see on the horizon, by far, is thecoincidence of this boom with what will likely be the largestwave of retirements the industry has ever seen. Some callit the Great Tour Change. This cycle somehow managedto align itself almost perfectly with the length of an averagecareer, so those of us who entered the business in the mid1970's ramp up are thinking about retirement. The bigcompanies that instituted early retirement incentives, andeven mandatory early retirement programs to deal withthe overstaffing of the late 1980s, are now reaping whatthey sowed as their most senior and capable staff leavethe company. How well we deal with the transition periodthat is now upon us will depend on how the universitiesrespond to the challenge of providing capable geologists,

geophysicists, and petroleum engineers into the pipeline;how quickly we can train our new hires to be productive oiland gas professionals; and how long this phase of the cyclelasts. From what I’ve seen thus far, I’m not encouraged.

The universities were hit hard, really hard, by thedownturn of the 80s and 90s. We've seen geologydepartments shuttered across the country as enrollmentsdeclined, or merged with geography or environmentalscience to maintain the critical mass needed to stay viable.Going with the flow of the times, their programs were alsoretooled to emphasize groundwater and environmentalgeosciences over stratigraphy, sedimentology, andstructural geology programs that traditionally have beenthe backbone of the oil industry pipeline. Petroleumengineering programs suffered similar fates, with many PE


Friday LuncheonProgram

FridayLuncheonProgram

LuncheonLuncheonLuncheonLuncheonLuncheonRRRRReseresereseresereservvvvvaaaaation/tion/tion/tion/tion/InfInfInfInfInfororororormamamamamationtiontiontiontion

Call 303-623-5396Call 303-623-5396Call 303-623-5396Call 303-623-5396Call 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 areservation and do not attend theluncheon, you will be billed for theluncheon. Cancellations are notguaranteed after 10:30 a.m. theTuesday before the talk. You maysend someone in your stead.

Your attendance iswelcomed and

encouraged. Bring aguest or new member!

September 15“The Use of Geophysics During

Exploration and Developmentwithin the Piceance Basin.”Speaker will be Steven Natali, VicePresident of Exploration, WilliamsProduction Company.

The Use of GeophysicsDuring Exploration andDevelopment within the

Piceance BasinSteven Natali, Vice President of Exploration,

Williams Production CompanySeptember 15

Beside mud logs and conventional electric logs, two geophysical toolshave proven their worth in the extension of production into more remoteareas of the Piceance Basin:

• Potential fields data have proven useful in delineating large, through-going basement fault systems.

• Seismic data (both 2-D and 3-D) give detailed images of structuralgrain, and permit the mapping of basement-related shear zones.Some faults locally enhance natural fracturing, leading to increasedwell productivity in their vicinity. Seismic data allow the successfulextension of productive trends into new areas. Other faults serve asconduits, bringing water from deeper water-bearing sands into thereservoir section and/or breaching the overlying seals. In localizedzones near these faults, the reservoir produces with a higher watercut and/or is pressure depleted. Under these more adverse conditions,seismic data identify “hazard zones” to be avoided during futuredrilling.

In tight gas reservoirs, wells must often be drilled as densely as everyten acres. Under these circumstances, it is critical to understand theorientation and aspect ratios of the drainage ellipses associated witheach well. Two geophysical tools have proven invaluable in placement ofclosely-spaced wellbores within developing fields:

• Borehole image logs yield the orientation of natural and drilling-induced tensile fractures, which in turn indicates the alignment of thein-situ stress field.

• Real-time monitoring of the microseismicity associated with hydraulicfracturing operations allows completion engineers to determine theexact azimuth and half-wing fracture lengths of the hydraulically-induced fracture. This, combined with multiple borehole image logs,allows the optimal placement of well locations, assuring that themaximum gas is drained from the reservoir.


(Continued from page 2)

Welcome to New Members

University College in London. John is a memberof AAPG, CSPG, and the Geological Society ofLondon.

Christopher J. McCarthyChris is a reservoir engineer with EOG

Resources in Denver. He holds a BA inMathematics from Carroll College and a BS inPetroleum Engineering from Montana Tech.

Joseph Mustacchia IIIJoey is a sales account manager at Roxar, Inc.

in Houston. He holds a BS in Geology from theUniversity of Houston. Joey is a member of SEPMand SEG.

Richard E. NewhartRich is Chief Geologist at Questar in Salt Lake

City. He holds a BS in Geology from the Universityof Florida and an MS in Geology from MichiganState University. Rich is a member of AAPG, SEG,and UGA.

Laurence E. RoeLaurie is Managing Director of Target Energy

Limited in Balcatta, Western Australia. He holdsa BS in Geophysics and Computer Science fromthe University of Adelaide. Laurie is a member ofSEG.

Tim L. RynottTim is a senior geologist with Forest Oil in

Denver. He holds a BS in Geology from theUniversity of Illinois. Tim is a member of AAPG.

Nicholas K. SommerNick is a graduate student at the University of

Colorado in Boulder. He holds a BS in Geologyfrom the University of Texas at Austin and willreceive an MS in Geology-Stratigraphy in 2007.Nick is a member of AAPG.

Mike SchlorholtzMike is a senior geologist with BP in Houston.

He holds a BS in Geology from West VirginiaUniversity and an MS in Geology from Kent StateUniversity. Mike is a member of AAPG.

Mike D. WracherMike is with Venoco, Inc. in Carpenteria,

California. He holds a BS in Geology from FortLewis College and an MS in Geology from SanDiego State University. Mike is a member of AAPG,GSA, and SEPM.

...and Welcome Back toReturning Members

Joseph M. AlfanoJoe is owner of Alfano Enterprises, Inc. in

Castle Rock. He holds a BS in Geology from theUniversity of Dayton, an MS in Geology from OhioUniversity and an MBA in Finance from theUniversity of Colorado. Joe is a member of AAPG.

George DavenportGeorge is President of Belport Oil, Inc. in Tulsa.

He holds a BS in Geology from Yale University.George is a member of AAPG.



(Continued on next page)

metals. Gold is selling (July, 2006) at an average of$650/ounce, silver at $12/ounce, platinum at more than$1,250/ounce and palladium at about $330/ounce.Copper, which is not quite in the category of a preciousmetal, is at historically high values of $3.60/pound.

South PassSouth Pass lies at the southern tip of the Wind River

Mountains of western Wyoming and remains a favoritelocality for gold and treasure hunters (Figure 1). Everyyear, prospectors find gold at South Pass (Figure 2).South Pass is also popular terrain for field trips forgeological, geochemical, historical, mineralogical,prospecting and rock hound groups as well as thegeneral public. Every year since 1980, the author hasguided one or more field trips through South Pass, andin some years, as many as 10 field conferences havetoured South Pass with the author (Hausel, 1984;Snyder and others, 1989; Hausel and Hull, 1990;Hausel and Love, 1991).

South Pass provides an excellent classroom whereprospectors and geologists can study Archean (>2.5Ga) volcanic and sedimentary processes, geochemicalevolution, structural deformation and metamorphism,gold mineralization and granitization. Like manygreenstone belts worldwide, South Pass has excellentrock outcrops that include banded iron formation, pillowbasalt, cumulate-textured serpentinite, cross-bedded andbedded metagraywacke, porphyritic meta-andesite andmore. The district is also known forits iron ore and gold deposits.

Greenstone belts are suchsignificant sources for gold that theterm 'greenstone belt' and 'gold belt'have often been used inter-changeably. Such belts exhibit distinctpatterns of volcanism, sedimentationand structure. The gold at South Passis found in a variety of host rocks andfor the most part is structurallycontrolled (Bow, 1986; Hausel, 1986,1987a, b).

Similar greenstone belts havebeen mapped in the LaramieMountains (Graff and others, 1982),Seminoe Mountains (Blackstone andHausel, 1991; Hausel, 1994) and

Rattlesnake Hills (Hausel, 1996). A similar supracrustalbelt in the Owl Creek Mountains (Hausel and others, 1981)is better classified as a high-grade metasedimentary belt,similar to the Tobacco Root Mountains in Montana.

Greenstone belts are Archean toProterozoic terrains that exhibitsimilar structural-lithological settingsof deformed synformal basins withcharacteristic tight to isoclinal folding(Figure 3). The base of greenstonebelts is typically underlain by maficto ultramafic volcanic rock(komatiites) and related intrusivesthat grade upward into thicksuccessions of tholeitic basalts (withpillows). Higher in the succession, thevolcanics become more evolved andare chemically characteristic of calc-alkalic basalts and andesites.Sedimentary units commonly gradefrom pelites and exhalites upward

Figure 1. General location map of the South Pass greenstone belt inthe southern Wind River Mountains of western Wyoming.

Figure 2. Flour gold, gold nuggets and goldspecimens are found every year at SouthPass. Some treasure hunters haveaccumulated over a hundred nuggets in arelatively short period at South Pass, andperiodically, some lucky prospectors makesome significant finds such as this 7.5 ouncenugget (photo by Dave Freeman).



Ice-Age Floods(Continued from page 6)

into graywackes. The inter-pretation is that these beltsrepresent ancient island arcbasins that received sedi-mentation from both aprimitive island arc on oneside, and an old continentalmargin on the other. Today,greenstone belts lie along themargin of cratonic cores andexhibit low-grade meta-morphosed rock that resultedin many primary texturesbeing preserved. In manysuch terrains, metamorphismis dominated by greenschistfacies (hence the termgreenstone belt). South Pass includes greenschist faciesand amphibolite facies rock.

ProspectorsLike any historical gold district, South Pass has had

its share of prospectors, which flavor the geology andhistory of the area (Figure 4). Four of my favorite:

(1) One prospector set up a trainof exposed abandoned porcelainmonuments along the edge of themain road running throughdowntown Atlantic City as a porcelainrest stop for non-paying customersof the Atlantic City Mercantile (Figure5). Apparently, a large group ofpeople demanded use of theestablishment's restrooms butrefused to purchase any items fromthe restaurant. To make a point thatthese customers were not overlywelcomed, the toilets made anappearance on the street with a largesign that indicated that this was a reststop for them. To use the unshelteredrestroom, it was indicated that “nopurchase was necessary.”

(2) During the latter years of the Carissa Mine before it

was purchased by the stateand incorporated into thestate park, various owners ofthe mine would hire localprospectors to live at the oldmine superintendent’s houseand be the property’scaretaker. One reclusivep r o s p e c t o r - c a r e t a k e rdeveloped a reputation as awatchdog. On one fatefulday, some uninvited visitorswalked down to the oldCarissa mill, and decided toremove an old rustic wooddoor from the mill as asouvenir. As they carted their

newfound prize up the hill to their car, they were shockedto find someone else had collected a souvenir – their cardoor was missing. After a short period of negotiations,both parties reattached their respective prizes.

(3) Most everyone who had spent much time in AtlanticCity either personally knew or knew of Wet-Pockets, also

known as Shorty. Shorty was aprospector’s prospector who hadworked on the Rock Creek Dredge inthe 40s. Everyone had their ownstory about this colorful individual.For myself, I met Shorty when he hada singlewide trailer on the AtlanticCity main street. The trailer was thetypical prospector’s mansion – theonly way to improve it was to haul itaway for scrap-metal, otherwise,there was nothing much worthsaving. It was reported by neighborsthat the bathroom for the trailer wassimply a hole in the floor that drainedto a honey-pot located beneath thetrailer (I always wondered what wasthe source of that not so friendly odorin town). Shorty often would tell methat he was the most successfulprospector in the area, and that none


Figure 3. One of many isolinal folds found in the South Passgreenstone belt.

Figure 4. Sketch by the author of goldprospector at South Pass.

Gold, Silver, Palladium and Platinumin Wyoming – Part 1 (South Pass)


of the others had any idea what they were doing. As hewould tell me his story, my mind would wander throughhis living quarters and wonder why he was living in,should I say, such a ‘rustic’ condo if he was so successful.But during one conversation he pulled out several balljars that were filled full of gold nuggets that were stashedin the walls of the condo: enough gold to have paid formuch better quarters. Shorty was a great prospector!

(4) Another group of prospectors received fundingfrom an anonymous investor to mine a portion of RockCreek. Rock Creek has always been a very good placeto search for gold. Even the old dredge tailings in thecreek still have considerable gold missed by the earlierminers (Figure 6). There were historic reports of manylarge nuggets from South Pass that included a 34-ouncenugget (Figure 7) and a small boulder in the creek thatcontained an estimated 630 ounces of gold. But insteadof putting the money into the creek where there was asure thing, the group listened to a dowser who claimedthat the side of the hill contained the mother lode. Thegeology did not quite agree with the dowser, nor did thelater mining results. All of the money was spent chasingafter a dowser’s dream, and nogold was produced.

HistoryHistorical reports suggest that

a fur trapper found gold at SouthPass in 1842. This discovery waspurportedly made in the vicinity ofthe Lewiston mining district alongthe eastern limb of the South Passsynclinorium. Today, the area ofthe discovery is known to containa small group of parallel shearzones that have narrow, sporadic,pockets of high-grade gold. Thesechutes would have provided agood source for the gold that wasfound (and is still found) in the nearby creeks. In additionto the known shear structures mapped by the author(Hausel, 1988), hidden shears are suggested by thepresence of altered rock chips found in nearby regoliththat is characteristic of wall rock alteration in known shear



Figure 5. Approaching downtown Atlantic City (photo by SharonHall).

Figure 6. Some of the gold missed by the earlyminers on Rock Creek. Sample courtesy of GeraldStout.


zones, as well as by the presence of linear depressions.Hearing of the discovery, other prospectors arrived

several years later. In 1855, one group of 40 found goldnearly everywhere in the Sweetwater River and in many of

its tributaries. This is very likely asgold is stil l found in thesedrainages. The gold is con-centrated in tributaries that draina complex of northeasterly-trending auriferous shear zonesmapped along an 8- to 10-milestrike length (Hausel, 1991). Thiscomplex of anastomizing shearstrend through present day SouthPass City and Atlantic City andcontinue northeasterly to thehistoric Miners Delight mine,where the shears (herein referredto as the SAM Shear Complex)project under younger sedi-mentary rock (Figure 8). During

my 6-year study of the South Pass granite-greenstone belt,I was able to verify that all creeks crossing this complexcontain gold, and in some cases, considerable amounts.


Revisions,Moves, and

GyrationsGary L. Thompson has joined Lisle Gravity’s Denver

office as Geophysical Manager. He brings over 20 years ofprofessional experience in Potential Fields Geophysics,Geology, and Geographic Information Systems in supportof domestic and international oil and gas projects. Hisexpertise complements Lisle’s extensive gravity andmagnetic database and expands the company’s capabilitiesto provide custom geophysical interpretations, including2-D and 3-D modeling.

GeoToon

“Our VibroseisMassage Mattress has

4 frequency and 10amplitude settings.”



Highlights of the July 19, 2006RMAG Board Meeting

By John Ladd

The Board welcomed Denis Foley as a new member,taking over Neil Hurley’s position as 2nd Vice President.They then agreed to add to the responsibilities of his newposition. Effective immediately, Denis will serve as Boardcoordinator to the Continuing Education Committee. Thiswill become a permanent feature of the 2nd Vice President’sposition. In addition, the 2nd Vice President will take overas Committee Chair for the year immediately following hisor her year on the Board. We feel that this will improve thecontinuity of the Chair position for a committee that isextremely critical to the mission and finances of the RMAG.Thanks again to Denis for agreeing to take over in mid-year!

Speaking of the Continuing Education Committee, theboard heard a report on their long-range planning of events.They now plan to host a symposium on Rocky MountainStructure/Paleostructure on September 7, 2007. Inaddition, a symposium on hydrothermal dolomites will beheld sometime during the winter of 2008.

The Board approved a request from Sandi Pellisier tohold a sale on all RMAG publications, except for the BigRed Book, at the COGA/RMAG Rocky Mountain GasConference. Publications were to be offered at 20% off list

price on a cash and carry basis only. This was done toreduce inventory of older publications.

Financially, everything continues to be great. Revenuefrom all events and publications remains above projectionsand costs are staying within budget. Copies of the Big RedBook on DVD continues to fly off the shelf and it was amajor contributor to the over $12,000 in publications salesrecorded during the 2nd quarter. The Golf Tournament wassuch a success that it allowed RMAG to increase thecontribution to the scholarship fund. On the downside,funding cut backs at PTTC means that they will no longerbe able to co-sponsor events with RMAG.

A few miscellaneous items: the server for the RMAGoffice has been installed and is fully functional. The newmembership database is now expected to be operating bythe first of October. The Networking Committee has agreedto continue holding happy hours at the Supreme Courtinstead of moving them to the Denver Athletic Club.And finally, the editors of the Mountain Geologist haveseveral papers in review for the final issue of 2006 butthey have put out a request for papers to be submitted for2007 issues.

BARLOW & HAUN, INC. _________________________________

Mark J. Doelger President Phone 307-234-1574 WY PG #737 Fax 307-234-1576 [email protected] or [email protected] 225 So. David Street, Ste. A, Casper WY 82601


Figure 9. View of Oregon Buttes from South Pass. Oregon Buttes andthe area surrounding (drenched in sunlight) are underlain by EoceneWasatch conglomerates including some that contain gold. These weresuggested by the U.S. Geological Survey to have as much as 28.5million ounces of gold eroded from an unknown, nearby source terrain.


(Continued on next page)

Figure 7. Large 34-ounce nugget from South Pass(photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Museum of NaturalHistory.



The gold content of the creeksdiminishes over relatively shortdistances downstream from theSAM complex (Hausel, 1991).

After this group of pro -spectors left South Pass to winterat Fort Laramie about 250 milesto the east, it apparently wasn’tuntil 3 years later (1858) that oneof the members returned with 8other prospectors and beganmining rich (but small) placers onStrawberry Creek in the Lewiston

area and continuedmining over the

next two years.A n o t h e r

group of5 2

prospectors worked fur-ther west on Willow

Creek in 1861. Thislatter group wasattacked by Sho-shone Indians and

driven from South Pass.Willow Creek proved to be

enticing to the prospectors as itdrains across the richest lodein Wyoming. There is noinformation on what this grouprecovered, but it is likely theyfound flour gold near theintersection of the creek with theSweetwater River. As theyworked upstream along WillowCreek and approached within ashort distance of the Carissashear, they would have foundmany nuggets. News of thisdiscovery would not becontained.

And it wasn’t. Other groupsentered South Pass. One

arrived on Willow Creek in 1866. As they moved upstream,they intersected the source of much of the gold in the creekwhen they struck a supergene-enriched pocket on thenortheastern bank of the creek on June 8th, 1867, thatcontained visible gold. This lode was named ‘Carissa’.Based on the surface rock in the area, the structure must




Figure 8. The Carissa shear zone.



have been quite notable. In 1867, thiswould have appeared as an outcropof strongly foliated, black to dark-grayrock with distinct shear fabric hostingnumerous parallel and folded,branching milky quartz veins, veinletsand boudins found over a width thatcould be as much as 1000 feet. Theshear zone is stained by rusty ironoxidized from pyrite and arsenopyrite.The quartz boudins would have beenparticularly concentrated in a smallerwidth where the rock was morestrongly iron-strained. The presenceof considerable visible gold in thegossan would have drawn attention.But a problem that plagued SouthPass was a never-ending conflictbetween Indians and prospectors. Ashort time following the discovery,Indians attacked the group and 3prospectors were killed while the otherswere forced to retreat until late July.By winter, more than 400 ounces wererecovered from the lode using only very

primitive tools. Four tons ofsupergene enriched ore wasshipped by wagon to Springfield,Utah, where more than 1,400ounces of the precious metal wererecovered from the rich gossan thataveraged >350 ounces per ton.

The discovery invited specu-lation. In Utah, according to the1867 American Journal of Mining(vol. 10, number 4, p. 83), “OnSunday last, Brigham Young in thecourse of his discourse is said tohave declared his belief in theirrichness and of all men who havenot been there he is the mostcompetent to pronounce an opinionon the matter.” But of the peoplewho had been there, it was clearthat considerable gold was to befound.

Production records for theSouth Pass granite-greenstone beltare unclear and the total amount of





gold recovered can only be estimated. After examining thehistorical records, the maximum amount of gold producedfrom the belt is thought to be only about 350,000 ouncesthat would be worth more than $220 million at today’sgold prices. Considerable iron ore was mined many yearslater. Total iron production amounted to more than 90million tons produced from open pit mining from 1962 to1983 (Hausel, 1991).

Were all of the gold deposits mined out as suggestedby some historians? Geologically, this is impossible!Actually, the prospectors barely touched the surface. Thedeepest mine in the district was the Carissa, which reacheda depth of only 400 feet – a very shallow depth for minesof similar geology in greenstone terrains around the world.The next deepest mine in the district was only 250 feetdeep (Miners Delight). It is clear that the past prospectorsdid not realize what they were dealing with – nor do modernbureaucrats have any better handle.

The SAM Shear Complex shows very distinct tight toisoclinal folding that includes a strike-slip component,which resulted in numerous gold-enriched saddle reefstructures that plunge to great depth. The old prospectorsfocused on two dimensions – the width and the strikelength of the ore chutes – the 3rd dimension was overlooked.Mining of the saddle reef structures along strike would resultin high-grade ore being intersected in the fold closures(saddle reef) that would dissipate a short distance alongstrike. The ore chutes plunge nearly vertically and pinchand swell to unknown depths – most likely to depths ofthousands of feet.

The possibility of very large gold deposits in this areais likely, but following the gold-bearing structures has beendifficult for past and modern prospectors. Possibly the besthigh-grade gold lode in the entire state is the Carissa shear.Even though the mine was developed to depths of 400 feetwith more than 2300 feet of drifts, this property was barelytouched. The saddle reef structures continue to unknowndepths below the mine workings, and drilling beneath theworkings in the 1970s and 1980s intersected potentiallyeconomic ore intercepts. Furthermore, this high-grade oreis enclosed by a very wide shear structure that is as muchas 0.2 mile wide that contains low-grade gold. In otherwords, based on the limited mining, drilling, and surfacesampling, the Carissa mine has the makings of a verylarge and rich gold deposit that could potentially be

amenable to open pit as well as underground mining. Thisdeposit was recently incorporated into the state parksystem, resulting in a loss to science and economics.

The Carissa may be unique in size, but it is not theonly saddle reef in this district. The SAM Shear Structurecan be followed along strike for at least 10 miles where itwas destroyed by later intrusion of the South Pass granitealong the southwest, but still continues under younger rocksto the northeast for an unknown distance. All along theshear complex are an unknown number of saddle reefs,any one of which could be a significant source for gold.

PlacersTertiary paleoplacers are abundant in Wyoming as well

as at South Pass. These consist of fanglomerate and fluvialconglomerates that locally include giant boulders erodedfrom the nearby uplifts (Figure 9). The more highlymineralized conglomerates lie adjacent to greenstone belts.For example, the South Pass greenstone belt is flanked bytwo giant paleoplacers known as the Twin Creek (Antweilerand others, 1980) and Oregon Buttes paleoplacers (Loveand others, 1978). According to Love and others (1978)as much as 28,500,000 ounces of gold is probablycontained in the Oregon Buttes paleoplacer alone. Otherextensive paleoplacers covered vast regions of northwesternWyoming (Antweiler and Love, 1967).

The source for the gold remains unknown; however,the Twin Creek (Oligocene) can be traced upslope adjacentto the abandoned Atlantic City iron ore mine. The OregonButte paleoplacer (Eocene) is in part a very extensiveboulder conglomerate that was explored by Hecla Mining,which suggested that the source of the gold may have beenadjacent to the paleoplacer at depth (Forster Howland,personal communication).

Generally, the commercial placers contain pay streaksthat average about 0.01 ounces/yard3, although exceptionalplacers have averaged 0.1 ounces/yard3. Nuggetsrecovered from Wyoming placers include walnut sizenuggets from Mineral Hill, Douglas Creek, and the SouthPass greenstone belt. The largest nugget reported in thestate came from the South Pass area and was describedas fist size containing 34 ounces of gold. Most nuggets inthe state are rounded typical of detrital transport, althoughDay and others (1988) report slivers and hairs of gold from






This year, like last year, submissions to the annual photo contest indicate that RMAG has a lot of talented photographersamong its members. We had a hard time selecting the winning entries. The editors are pleased to announce the winners:

First Place: Peter Link, for a photo of Devil’s Tower, WyomingSecond Place: Ulli Limpitlaw, for a photo of West Elk brecciaThird Place: Bill Pelzmann, for a photo of “The Egg Garden” in Bisti Wilderness Area

There are also numerous photos that garnered Honorable Mention. Look for these and the award winning photos infuture issues of the Outcrop. Thanks to all the geologist photographers who submitted their photos.

Jane Estes-Jackson, Terri Olson, Kris Peterson

Devil’s Tower, an exhumed igneous intrusion in northeastern Wyoming. Devil’s Tower National Monument was proclaimed the firstnational monument in the U.S. by Teddy Roosevelt in September, 1906. This photo is the first place winner in the RMAG Outcrop 2006Color Photo contest.

Announcing: Outcrop ColorPhoto Contest Winners!






Figure 10. (c) one of many quartz vein.

Figure 10. (b) Faulted quartz vein in the Mary Ellen goldmine near Atlantic City.


Figure 10. (a) More than enough evidence forgold can be seen at South Pass,


gravels in the Lewiston district. Nuggets encasing sandgrains have also been found in the South Pass-AtlanticCity district (J.D. Love, personal communication, 1990).

SUMMARYAlthough South Pass was the first locality in the state

where gold was found, the area has only been sporadicallymined with significant mining operations developed onlyat the Atlantic City open pit iron mine, the Rock Creek-Atlantic Gulch placer, and the Carissa and the MinersDelight mines. Based on the type of complex ore chutesfound in the district, there are some very good possibilitiesfor discovery of significant gold mineralization overlookedby earlier prospectors and companies. In addition, thepresence of some large paleoplacers surrounding theSouth Pass area strongly suggests that a major golddeposit(s) remains to be discovered (Figure 10).

Other significant gold mineralization in Wyoming hasbeen identified in the Rattlesnake Hills, Mineral Hill, BearLodge Mountains, Laramie Mountains, Seminoe Mountains,Medicine Bow Mountains and Sierra Madre. These will bedescribed in Part 2.

REFERENCESAntweiler, J.C., Love, J.D., Mosier, E.L., and Campbell, W.L.,

1980, Oligocene gold-bearing conglomerate southeast marginof Wind River Mountains, Wyoming: Wyoming GeologicalAssociation 32nd Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p.223-237.

Blackstone, D.L., and Hausel, W.D., 1991, Guide to the geologyand mineralization of the Seminoe Mountains, Wyoming, in


Directional well heads on a pad in thePiceance Basin. Photo by Tom Carpenter.

average page count

05

10152025303540

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

The average number ofpages in the Outcrophas increased from 17in 1996 to 35 in the first8 months of 2006.

Outcrop StatisticsThe cost per issue printedis the sum of layout,printing, and mailingcosts minus the adver-tising revenue. Such costshave remained reasonabledespite the increase inproduction costs fromglossy paper and colorpages due to an as-sociated increase inadvertising revenue.Thanks to Sandi Pellissierin the RMAG office forproviding these data.

unit cost

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006





S. Roberts, editor, Mineral Resources of Wyoming: WyomingGeological Association 42nd Annual Field ConferenceGuidebook, p. 201-210.

Bow, C.S., 1986, Structural and lithologic controls on greywacke-hosted gold mineralization within the Sweetwater district,Wyoming USA, in Turbidite-hosted gold deposits: GeologicalAssociation of Canada, Special Paper 32, p.107-113.

Day, W.C., Hill, R.H., Kulik, D.M., Scott, D.C., and Hausel, W.D.,1988, Mineral resources of the Sweetwater Canyon wildernessstudy area, Fremont County, Wyoming: U.S. GeologicalSurvey Professional Paper 424-C, p. 168-172.

deQuadros, A.M., 1989, Report on the diamond drill program(July-August 1989) at the Carissa mine property, South PassCity, Fremont County, Wyoming: Consolidated McKinneyResources Ltd, Vancouver, B.C., 76p.

Graff, P.J., Sears, J.W., Holden, G.S., and Hausel, W.D., 1982,Geology of Elmers Rock greenstone belt, Laramie Range,Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming Report ofInvestigations 14, 22 p.

Hausel, W.D., 1984, Tour guide to the geology and mining historyof the South Pass gold district, Fremont County, Wyoming:Geological Survey of Wyoming Public Information Circular23.

Hausel, W.D., 1986, Preliminary report on the geology and goldmineralization of the South Pass granite-greenstone terrain,Wind River Mountains, western Wyoming (USA), in Workshopon the Tectonic Evolution of Greenstone Belts: Lunar andPlanetary Institute, Houston, Texas, p. 114-115.

Hausel, W.D., 1987a, Structural control of Archean goldmineralization within the South Pass greenstone terrain,Wyoming (USA), in The Practical Applications of TraceElements and Isotopes to Environmental Biogeochemistryand Mineral Resources Evaluation, TheophrastusPublications, Athens, Greece, p.199-216.

Hausel, W.D., 1987b, Structural control of gold deposits in theSouth Pass granite-greenstone belt, Wind River Mountains,Wyoming, in North American Conference on Tectonic Controlof Ore Deposits Proceedings, University of Missouri-Rolla,p. 160-165.

Hausel, W.D., 1988, Geologic map of the Radium SpringsQuadrangle, including the Lewiston gold district, FremontCounty, Wyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming MapSeries 26 (scale 1:24,000).

Hausel, W.D., and Hull, J., 1990, Guide to gold mineralizationand Archean geology of the South Pass greenstone belt,Wind River Range, Wyoming, in Roberts, S., Geologic fieldtrips to western Wyoming: Geological Survey of WyomingPublic Information 29, p. 178-191.

Hausel, W.D., and Love, J.D., 1991, Guide to the geology andmineralization of the South Pass area, in S. Roberts, editor,Mineral Resources of Wyoming: Wyoming GeologicalAssociation 42nd Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p.181-200.

Hausel, W.D., 1994, Mining history of Wyoming’s gold, copper,iron, and diamond districts: Mining History Association 1994Annual, Reno, Nevada, p. 27-44.

Hausel, W.D., 1986, Mineral deposits of the Encampment district,Sierra Madre, Wyoming-Colorado, in New interpretations ofnorthwest Colorado geology: Rocky Mountain Associationof Geologists 1986 Guidebook, p. 283-288.

Hausel, W.D., 1989, The geology of Wyoming’s precious metallode and placer deposits: Geological Survey of WyomingBulletin 68, 248 p.

Hausel, W.D., 1991, Economic geology of the South Pass granite-greenstone belt, southern Wind River Range, Wyoming:Geological Survey of Wyoming Report of Investigations 44,in press.

Hausel, W.D., 1994, Economic geology of the Seminoe Mountainsmining district, Carbon County, Wyoming: Wyoming StateGeological Survey Report of Investigations 50, 31 p.

Hausel, W.D., 1996, Economic geology of the Rattlesnake Hillssupracrustal belt, Natrona County, Wyoming: GeologicalSurvey of Wyoming Report of Investigations 52, 28 p.

Hausel, W.D., 1997, The geology of Wyoming’s copper, lead,zinc, molybdenum, and associated metal deposits inWyoming: Geological Survey of Wyoming Bulletin 70, 224p.

Hausel, W.D., Graff, P.J., and Albert, K.G., 1985, Economicgeology of the Copper Mountain supracrustal belt, Owl CreekMountains, Fremont County, Wyoming: Geological Surveyof Wyoming Report of Investigations 28, 33 p., 3 plates(scale 1:24,000).

Love, J.D., Antweiler, J.C., and Mosier, E.L., 1978, A new look atthe origin and volume of the Dickie Springs-Oregon Gulchplacer gold at the south end of the Wind River Mountains:Wyoming Geological Association 30th Annual FieldConference Guidebook, p.379-391.

Pfaff, B.C., 1978, Atlantic City nuggets: Baroil, Wyoming, 155p.

Snyder, G.L., Hausel, W.D., Klein, T.L., Houston, R.S., and Graff,P.J., 1989, Precambrian rocks and mineralization, southernWyoming Province: 28th International Geological CongressField Trip Guidebook T332: American Geophysical Union,Washington D.C., 48p.


departments merged into chemical engineering or phasedout all together. These shifts demonstrate that theuniversities are capable of responding to changing marketconditions for their primary product (i.e. graduates), butlike a supertanker at sea they tend to turn slowly and somechanges require changing the mix of the faculty. In the worldof tenured academia that takes some time. The studentswill notice the demand for geoscience degrees and thepaychecks being offered to new hires, but my sources tellme they still seem more interested in the environmentaland groundwater courses than petroleum-oriented classes.This bodes ill for those of us who will be hiring fresh gradsover the next several years, and suggests the need for betterindustry training to bring them up to speed than ever before.

Back in the 70s, most of the major companies hadformal training programs with extensive offerings of in-house courses geared to bringing new geoscientists up tospeed as fast as possible. My first consulting gig wasteaching at “Amoco U” in Tulsa, which was essentially adedicated micro-campus complete with adjoining hotel forthe employees. Unfortunately, these programs did notsurvive the downturn, as companies found them a fat targetto reduce costs without a measurable impact onproduction. In their place a variety of independent vendorsoffer similar courses for a fee, many of them based oncourses formerly taught in-house for the majors. Oneinnovation has been to sell large blocks of hours tocompanies which they can distribute amongst employeeswho pick the individual classes of interest from a catalog.This, I predict, will be a fast growing model for industrytraining needs. What is unclear is how the training ofindividuals will be monitored, or whether there will beanything comparable to “degree requirements” to assurethey take a balanced selection and learn all the aspects ofthe business they will need to know over a full career. Inparticular, I worry about the interdisciplinary aspects of ourbusiness and the need to lower the barriers betweengeologists and geophysicists, or geologists and engineers,and I don’t see a lot of truly interdisciplinary courses offered.

The other cornerstone of training new hires to theindustry, the mentoring model, appears to be broken – avictim of understaffing in a period of high activity. Bluntlyput, nobody has the time to mentor the new hires. Thishas got to change, and we have to invest the time and


President’s Column

energy to bring them up to speed. The oilfield experiencewe all gained while in our 20s and 30s watching wells,running samples, catching cores, witnessing logging jobs,might seem antiquated in our 21st century computer-drivenoffice environment, but it’s absolutely essential tounderstanding what the data mean and differentiating goodfrom bad information. If you have never seen the datacapture process and don't know what they are doing in thefield, it all looks good. That ability to discriminate is notbeing passed down dip.

Once again, what to do? This one is for the managersout there. You need to make the training and mentoring ofyour new hires a high priority. Impress on your senior staffthe need to pass their knowledge and expertise on, andgive them the time and the incentives to do it. Set up aformal training protocol, so that by the end of 5 years yournew employees have been through a program of basicindustry courses and a selection of advanced interpretationschools that interest them. Send them into the field – ifthey haven’t personally supervised a couple of wells, severallogging jobs, seen a frac job or two, they probably are notgoing to make good decisions about those activities whenthey gain the responsibility 5 years from now. Invest in yourown future – it's the kids.

RMAG AuxiliaryThe next RMAGA luncheon/program meeting will be

held on September 21, 2006, at the Pinehurst CountryClub. The social hour starts at 11:00 a.m., with lunch servedat noon. The cost is $15.00 per person. The program willbe announced at a later date. A review of the activities forthe year will be done at this luncheon.

Any spouse of an RMAG member, or any lady geologist,is eligible to join the Auxiliary. We have luncheon/programseach third Thursday for eight months. We also have anumber of interesting activity groups. If you are interestedin joining the Auxiliary, or would like to attend the luncheon,please call Janet Foster at 303-757-1153. We would loveto have you.


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

www.rmag.org 29 September 2006

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

PipelineIn TheIn The

PipelineIn The

September 7 Desk & Derick Annual Industry Awareness Luncheon. Speaker will be Patricia Limerick with the Cente r for the American West at CU Boulder. Luncheon begins at 11:30 at the Holiday Inn, 1450 Glenarm Place. For reservations, please contact Kim Warn at [email protected] or by calling her at 303-357-1412.

September 9 On the Rocks Field Trip. See page 32 for more information.

September 11-15 1st Annual AAPG Fall Education Conference. See page 30 for additional information.

September 15-19 WGA Field Conference. September 15-22 2006 TSOP Annual Meeting. The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP), 23rd Annual Meeting, September 15-22, 2006, Beijing, China. Information: Prof. Kuili Jin, Key Laboratory of Coal Resources, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), D-11, Xueyuan Road, Beijing, China, 100083, Phone/Fax: 86-10-62341868; E-mail: [email protected]. For further details: http:// www.cumtb.edu.cn/frameset/tsop/index.htm.

September 19 DWLS Luncheon. “Shale gas – What do we need to know, and how will we get there?”, Nicholas B. Harris, Colorado School of Mines. Cost of the luncheon is $15. Luncheon begins at 11:20 a.m. at the Wynkoop Brewery. For reservations contact Eleice Wickham, phone 303-573-2781, email [email protected].

September 25 RMAG/PTTC Fall Symposium. Shale Gas: From Grass-roots Exploration to Production. See page 31 for more information.

September 26 RMS-SEPM Luncheon. “Where Does the Mud Go? The Dispersal of Mud From Rivers and the Stratigraphic Implications,” Robert W. Dalrymple, President, SEPM. Cost of the luncheon is $15.00, walk-ins (talk only) are $3.00. Lunch is served at noon, talk begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Wynkoop Brewery. For reservations send an email to [email protected] or contact Dave Uhl, [email protected] or 720-876-5092.

September 28 SIPES Luncheon. Dave Read, independent geologist from Denver, will be presenting “Complex Structures and Selected Producing Fields of the Criner Hills Uplift – Ardmore Basin – Arbuckle Mountains Region, South Central Oklahoma.” Cost of the luncheon is $20. Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Wynkoop Brewery. For reservations contact Sarah Jones at Questa Engineering, 303-277-1629, email [email protected].

October 7 On the Rocks Field Trip. See page 32 for more information.

October 30 2006 Denver Prospect Fair and Technofest. Sponsored by RMAG, DAPL, DGS, IPAMS, and SPE. See page 10 for more information.

November 15-17 8th Annual Unconventional Gas Conference, hosted by the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas, Telus Convention Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For more information contact Kerri Markle, CSUG Society Manager, [email protected], 403-218-7720, http:/ /www.csug.ca.

November 18 2006 Rockbusters Ball. Annual Professional Awards Presentation and Dinner Dance. See page 18 for more information.

February 12-16, 2007 AAPG Winter Education Conference, Houston, Texas. See page 30 for more information.




ON THE ROCKS SEPTEMBER ANDOCTOBER FIELD TRIPS

The Livermore Transfer Zone of theNortheastern Front Range: Oblique Thrust

and Strike-slip Faulting at the Transition fromWest- to East-directed Laramide Thrusting in

a Classic Locality for Vertical Tectonics.Trip Leaders:

Scott M. Larson and Eric A. ErslevSaturday, September 9, 2006

This field trip will visit the newly acquired Red MountainRanch and adjacent private lands, which expose thecontroversial transition from west-directed to east-directedLaramide structures along the northeastern flank of theFront Range. This transfer zone is marked by unusual,NE- and E-striking faults and folds from Livermore, CO,to the CO-WY border. The complex structural geometry ofthe Livermore Transfer Zone has been explained by bothvertical tectonic models invoking folding over basementblocks bounded by high-angle dip-slip faults and horizontalshortening models combining thrust and strike-slipfaulting.

This field trip will involve moderate walks to severalscenic exposures at the Red Mountain Ranch, which will

For further information or to register for a field trip contact one of the 2006 co-chairs:

Bruce Wahle ([email protected], 970-221-1881)Dan Plazak ([email protected], 303-525-9902)

not be open to the general public until 2009, andadjacent private lands. Join us as we discussprevious hypotheses and present new fault, seismic,paleomagnetic and well data that resolve thedebate. Fracture mechanisms and timing will berevealed during lunch on continuous exposuresacross a spectacular anticlinal crest. This field tripis a great opportunity to observe and debate RockyMountain structural evolution while experiencingFront Range foothills undisturbed by humandevelopment.

Soils and Quaternary Geology atthe Colorado Piedmont-Front Range

Junction Between Boulder and GoldenTrip Leaders:

Pete Birkeland, Ralph Shroba, Ed LarsonSaturday, October 7, 2006

This field trip will consist of a discussion of keylandforms and soils in the western part of the ColoradoPiedmont. Because pre-Quaternary soils are rare, we willfirst see the buried soil at the base of the Fountain Formation(soil is formed in Boulder Creek Granodiorite), on theFlagstaff Mountain road. Is it a soil, and does it represent ahumid climate as Ernie Wahlstrom published in the last1940s. Then we will view the Quaternary terraces in thearea, and where outcrops allow, their associated soils.Things are a little complicated as the area lies at theboundary between noncalcic and calcic soils. The youngestsoil we will see is about 100,000 years old, and the oldestis about 2 million years old. If we can get into RalstonReservoir we will show the evidence using buried soils andpaleomagnetism for thinking the deposits underlying RockyFlats are close to 2 million years old. We end at the mouthof Coal Creek Canyon on an old soil on bedrock and willdiscuss the relationship between soil development andstream incision rate.

Looking west across the September trip area (photo by Bruce Wahle).




This Month’s AdvertisersA2D ............................................................ 25AAPG ......................................................... 35Automated Mudlogging Systems .............. 28Barlow & Haun .......................................... 11Bechtold, G.D. ........................................... 11CoreLab/Steve Leeds ................................ 28Direct Geochemical ................................... 9Gene R. George & Assoc., Inc. ................... 5Geological Consultants ............................ 35geoPlus Corporation ................................. 21Goolsby Brothers ....................................... 22Humble Geochemical .............................. 17

IHS ......................................................... 20Infopipe .................................................. 22King, Walt ............................................... 28McKee Well Records ............................ 35Minerals Diversified Serv., Inc. .............. 35Omni Laboratories, Inc. ........................ 33Ozanich, Paul ........................................ 22PGS Onshore, Marty Hall ........................ 9PTTC..................................................... 18Parsons, Kim ......................................... 35Petcom .................................................. 22Petrobase .............................................. 35

Petrolific Consulting Services ............... 11Premier Data Services ......................... 34Rockware ............................................. 15Sandia Exploration Consultants ........... 11Schlumberger ...................................... 24SMT, Kim Parsons ............................... 35Technically Write Consulting ............... 22Welldog Inc. .......................................... 17WesternGeco ....................................... 16The Wetterhorn Company ................... 28Whitehead, Neil, III ............................... 28

www.rmag.org 36 THE OUTCROP

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 820 16th Street, Suite 505 Denver, CO 80202

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage PAID

Permit No. 901 Denver, Colo.

September 2006 GEO-CALENDAR

16 10

9

17

11 13 12

20 21

14

3 4 5

19 23

24

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY FRIDAY

22

8

18

7 6

15

25

2

26 27 28

1

RMAG/PTTC Fall

Symposium

RMAG Luncheon Speaker: S. Natali

1st Annual AAPG Fall Education Conference WGA Field Conference

WGA Field Conference

2006 TSOP Annual Meeting

2006 TSOP Annual Meeting

On the Rocks Field Trip

Desk & Derrick Luncheon

DWLS Luncheon

RMS-SEPM Luncheon

SIPES Luncheon

Gold, Silver, Palladium and Platinum in Wyoming – Part 1 ... Metals Part 1.pdf · 18 2006 Rockbusters Ball 24 Outcrop Statistics 30 4th Annual AAPG Winter Education Conference Association

Documents