Editor's Letter for November 2024

ROCKHOUNDING, WHAT TO DO WITH THEM AFTER COLLECTING  

By Ted Godo  

Greetings, fellow rockhounds. If you are like me, you might not recall all the cool-looking rocks you have accumulated over the years.  Perhaps, like in my case, they are stored in boxes in your garage and attic.  Sometimes, it takes a big event to cause one to look for or stumble upon them and then think again about what to do with them.  Particularly if you must sort through everything in the home and move as we did after the Harvey (2017) flood.  Our Houston house was gutted and rebuilt, sold, and we moved to a hill in Huntsville to avoid future floods.  But what about the rocks I had in Houston?   Well, those rocks in cardboard boxes that weren’t flooded were put in the pickup truck and moved into the attic of the new house.  Other cardboard boxes that fell apart in the water and the rocks were then repacked in fresh boxes and moved.  Why did I do that?  I blamed it on the brain fog created by the flooding turmoil, but now these treasures are still with me. My brain fog is gone, and yet I still haven’t decided what to do with them while continuing to collect!  The two feature articles in this issue discuss rockhounding and what you might do with the rocks after you bring them home. The Houston Gem and Mineral Society is where you can donate the rocks to have them find a new home, or you can cut, polish, and otherwise expose the rock/minerals' true beauty.

On a different subject, being the editor of your Bulletin presents an exciting challenge, such as increasing the quality of the Bulletin by offering a wide range of technical and feature articles.  Our current team has set that as one of our goals for the year.  This goal can continue to be emphasized as we steadily increase the bulletin's quality and quantity of articles.  For each month's issue, I consider at least one technical article and a feature article to be a minimum.  But who wants to meet the minimum monthly requirement when we have so many potential articles from many members that might contribute?  So, if you have or know of someone who might write even a short, 1500+ word article, please let me know, or anyone on the board, a director, or a subcommittee person, and have it forwarded to me.  The timing for submission is mid-month (~15th) to have enough time to get into the next month's Bulletin, which is released on the first of each month.   We want one of the Bulletins (December-January?) dedicated to international articles.  We do not have any, but we are networking to make it happen.  Many recently retired staff members may have time to give back to their industry.  The HGS team would appreciate it even if we can only feature a dry hole analysis sporadically; it would always be an open column to submit an article.  Other technical articles from the central and western Gulf of Mexico or onshore Texas (Tertiary clastic or Mesozoic carbonates) would add some variety to the recent entries from the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

We have been considering adding a recurring theme section to the Bulletin titled the “dry hole corner.”  If we get enough submissions, this themed section could be featured monthly or quarterly. It will present a detailed dry hole analysis from a well. The purpose is to share valuable learnings, including a pre-well prognosis and post-drill findings.  These learnings obviously would be for the betterment of all HGS members. This section will keep you informed and engaged, enhancing your understanding of the whys, the how, and the results of an exploration or development well.  Following a similar concept, HGS, in partnership with GSH (Geophysical Society of Houston), is offering a one-day symposium on case studies on November 14 at the Norris Center. 

This “Case Study Academy” will have four themed sessions titled

• Practical Paths to Informed Decisions
• Look Back Studies and New Ideas in Mature Areas
• Petroleum Systems Fundamental
• Geophysics in Play-Based Portfolios

The speakers at the "Case Study Academy "are well-known, experienced professionals in the industry. Check out the two-page ad in this issue and on social media. Attend and hear talks and experience interactive discussion periods, class exercises, and a lunchtime talk, with plenty of time saved for networking with peers. This is a unique opportunity to engage with industry experts and fellow members, enhancing your understanding and expanding your network.

Lastly, the popular annual clay shoot tournament will be held on November 22 on Pattison Road in Katy. This event is always a highly attended and enjoyable experience, featuring gun raffles, door prizes, Lunch and Drinks, and more. Check out this ad also in this issue. We look forward to seeing you there for a day of fun and camaraderie.