Update on AAPG EMD Activities
Peter Warwick, EMD President-elect
The Energy Minerals Division of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (EMD, AAPG) continues to be very active to promote research and communication among scientists in the areas of remote sensing and earth materials capable of being used for energy production. The EMD is the primary sponsor for several sessions at regional, national, and international AAPG meetings. The EMD website has recently been updated to include technical reports on various energy mineral commodities and geospatial information. A Members-Only section has been added to the website to provide EMD membership with the latest committee and officer reports, as well as a searchable membership directory. Links to the Energy Minerals Grant (up to $2000 USD) for students are provided on the EMD website. The application deadline for the Energy Minerals yearly student grant is January 31. Please see the AAPG Foundation web page for student grant application instructions.
The Atlas of Coal Geology, published jointly by EMD and The Society for Organic Petrology (TSOP), continues to be a best seller. This publication along with several others is available for sale via the EMD website. The publications include:
Sequence Stratigraphy, Paleoclimate, and Tectonics of Coal-Bearing Strata
AAPG Studies in Geology, No. 51 (2004), Edited by Jack C. Pashin and Robert A. Gastaldo.
Unconventional Energy Resources of North America, AAPG Poster (2003), by John R. Dyni
Atlas of Coal Geology, AAPG Studies in Geology, No. 45 (2000), by Alexander R. Papp, James C. Hower, and Douglas C. Peters
Geology in Coal Resource Utilization (1991), by Douglas C. Peters
The second edition of the Atlas of Coal Geology is planned for publication by both EMD and TSOP. The volume addressing the microscopic aspects of coal, edited by Jim Hower, is progressing well. Authors are needed to handle chapters on sequence stratigraphy, CO2 sequestration, and stress environments (ground control, etc.). Please contact Jim Hower or Alex Papp if you are interested in contributing to this effort.
Other EMD-sponsored publications currently underway or in the planning process include a collection of papers from the recent AAPG Hedberg Gas Hydrate Conference, edited by Tim Collett; a collection of papers on CO2 sequestration edited by Jack Pashin and others; and a geospatial technology applications CD-Rom, edited by Sam Limerick.
Membership in earth-science professional organizations has recently been in decline. The EMD especially needs your help to continue to promote research in the areas of geospatial and the energy minerals. In order to continue to have a seat on the AAPG Advisory Council, EMD needs to maintain and increase its membership. There is much overlap in the goals of EMD and those of many other geological societies, so EMD invites related society members (if they are not already) to become a member of AAPG and EMD. EMD and AAPG membership application material is available on the AAPG/EMD website.