The Minerals and Geotechnical Logging Society is a relatively young organization established as a Chapter at Large of the Society of Professional Well Log Analysts in 1983. We organized at that time to create a professional affiliation and forum for geophysicists and log analysts involved in borehole applications other than in oil and gas. The membership interest and staying power of our Society over the past decade clearly justify our action. During this time, changes have occurred in many of the technologies we use, in the applications in which we use them, and in the business world that supports our efforts. Perspectives of the future signal that changing times will continue to impact all aspects of the geosciences, including the. specific interests of the MGLS. We are reasonably capable of adapting to new emerging needs, solving new problems, and creating new technical approaches when required. Now, we must refine our ability to envision and anticipate new needs and to plan for the less predictable business world.
I am very pleased and honored to have this opportunity to speak before the membership of the Minerals and Geotechnical Logging Society on this tenth year since our organization was founded. We seized the moment in late 1982 to submit a petition to the Society of Professional Well Log Analysts and in 1983 were granted our request to become the first chapter at large of the SPWLA. The MGLS sought to be a chapter at large because our membership is so widely spread across the U.S.A., Canada, and 10 or 12 other countries. Although the MGLS is only a chapter of the SPWLA, we are truly an international organization.
We came together out of strong common interests and camaraderie in a multidisciplinary technical field of borehole geophysics that differed significantly from traditional SPWLA oil and gas well logging. In hindsight, our petition to become a chapter may only have been accepted because of the blinding euphoria prevailing in the industry at that time. More on this part of our background later. Needless to say, although our application interests are one step removed from those of our parent professional organization, we (and the SPWLA) have weathered a difficult decade reasonably well. But, it's not yet time to go out and admire our rutty wagon tracks. 'Me future beckons: the 21st century is only seven unrelenting years away; and we are facing some perplexing times ahead. It's time to talk.
Now is a time of change. We know this clearly because of the many reports of geo-industry restructuring, retrenching, and 'right sizing'. Many companies know it by the momentum inherent in geophysics... which can and has taken many to the brink and over the edge. Reduced to the essential premise, the problems and needs of the 21st century center upon population and population growth. At present, the world population is approaching 5.6 billion people and will exceed 6 billion by the year 2001; doubling approximately every 40 years. (How many doublings can we stand?). Geophysics and our MGLS geo-discipline are part of a complex process whose basic purpose is to support the global population with food, clothing, shelter, resources, energy, preserving a livable environment , and sustaining a good quality of life. This basic premise does not reduce us or anyone to fundamental survival. We must simply apply our skills and capabilities where they meet important needs in a timely manner.
Figure I shows a chronological reference frame designed to give a perspective of recent times and some thoughts on the future. To reflect the heyday in geophysics, I have used the well documented total seismic crew count to depict the geophysical industry status from the 1974 'normal' times through the exuberant early 1980's and then to the present. The OPEC pressures on the price of foreign oil in the middle and late 1970's activated the oil industry to a peak in 1981 which was, coincidentally, about the same time that the MGLS came to mind. Energy conservation and industry shifts toward non-OPEC development followed, with more new capacity, improved production, and new and better technologies which made obvious, even to the casual observer, the industry emphasis on developing and producing known reserves. The sign of fundamental change is even more evident by the fact that there are fewer active seismic crews today, though much better equipped, than there were when crew count records began in the 1930's. Environmental concerns emerged in the late 1980's, both as an industry awareness and as a growing application niche for shallow geophysical technologies and practitioners.
World population is also shown in Figure I for reference (today's 5.8 billion will be more than 1 1 billion in 2033). What may be ahead is also projected in general terms. Obviously, oil, gas, and energy production efficiency will continue to receive emphasis, new technology advances will persist, and environmental concerns will continue to impact (and indirectly benefit) the industry. More important, I envision a new philosophy emerging that will foster more oil and gas industry partnerships, pooling of resources, internationally organized industry, and a much more active expansion of exploration into new parts of the world. Information dissemination and ultimately technology dissemination will flow through these collaborations by the early years of the 21st century.
With this projected scenario of the future, conventional geophysics (energy resource oriented) may have a plottable course. But where does the MGLS fit in? The picture is much more cloudy. First, let's define ourselves:
FIGURE 1. CHRONOLOGICAL REFERENCE CHART DESCRIBING THE CHANGING TIMES IN GEOPHYSICS AND GEOSCIENCES
Mineral exploration leads to mineral production and mineral
production serves the economy. Geophysics plays an important role in
the research study and confirmation of mineral deposit origins, in
the evolution and use of exploration and mapping technologies, and in
field applications for discovery and pay-off. Finding and producing
mineral raw materials is not well appreciated... not like the
downstream business of manufacturing goods from those materials...
and not like the services surrounding the use of those manufactured
goods. Figure 2 symbolizes this imbalance. The challenge and
excitement of mineral finding is known to those working upstream and,
geophysics, including the disciplines in MGLS, is alive and well.
This minerals-sector message needs wider dissemination.
FIGURE 2. THE VIRTUAL IMBALANCE BETWEEN MINERALS GEOSCIENCE AND "MODERN" TECHNOLOGY
Engineering geophysics is steadily at work in the hands of geophysicists and engineers concerned with foundations, underground construction, load-bearing strength of ground, ground subsidence, soil properties, and offshore sediments where ever man-made structures are involved. Although seemingly routine, this field of practice as we know it in the MGLS is results oriented with a sense of guarantee to the client that transcends the expectations of exploration geophysics. Geotechnical work is inherently a part of all major construction projects and will be called upon where reliable engineering is practiced. I believe that it is alive and well and is capable of coping with the future. Let's make it stand out.
Other technical applications touched by the MGLS include ground water and environmental assessments. Although these applications were not foremost when the MGLS was first established, they quickly became evident from the interests of many of the joining members and they have been prominent topics in all of our MGLS symposiums. Borehole logging now plays an important and productive role in characterizing aquifer formations, evaluating aquifer water quality, and in supporting various geohydrology studies and research, including applications involving ground water contamination. Interwell measurements using several different technical approaches are also finding increased application in delineating shallow geologic structures, fracture detection, and assessing subsurface environmental pollution problems.
With respect to these applications, we must recognize that borehole measurements are not necessarily sufficient and may often not be allowed in certain site situations where hazardous waste contamination might be a threat. What is needed here is an integrated geophysics approach which incorporates borehole and surface techniques to provide a complete capability for problem solving. Such broadening of the scope of the MGLS, if appropriate, will be driven by the interests and technical applications of our membership and must be recognized as a growth adjustment in response to changing times. I suggest that we begin to refer to the environmental applications of integrated geophysical techniques as 'hazardous waste geophysics' and begin to build an appropriate MGLS niche for satisfying the activity interests of our membership. Here is where collaborations, not mergers, with other subgroups in other societies will allow the integrated geophysics approach to environmental and water resources to flourish.
To round out the definition of ourselves, there are some fundamental differences between conventional geophysics and the specializations that have been brought to focus in and by the MGLS. To speak broadly of conventional geophysics, mineral resources exploration and development is the dominant theme, of course, dominated by oil and gas but also embracing other minerals and ground water. Risk-taking decisions, supported to a very large degree by data gained from geophysical investigations, are the investments and the discovered and produced resources are the investment return. The MGLS is clearly involved in the non-petroleum aspects of such conventional geophysics.
Geotechnical and environmental applications are different in that they are practiced from an engineering discipline approach. That is, the providers of technologies relevant to these applications serve a client and are obligated to deliver reliable answers and results to the client based upon credible technical methods and efforts. In general, the tasks are aimed at delineating and solving problems that burden the client with some form of risk such as a structural failure, a pollution violation, a costly maintenance expense, or excessive liabilities. The client most often trusts and depends upon the provider without necessarily understanding the details of the technology being applied. Hazard reduction, cost savings, and safety are the returns on the investment. Conclusive results are expected from the services rendered and the practitioner is expected to stand behind and defend those results on behalf of the client. As the work in geotechnical and environmental geophysical services becomes more and more technology intense, those who are involved must be professionals of high standards, alert to the demands of the engineering approach expected, and, by necessity, entrepreneurial in spirit. I believe that MGLS can accommodate such practices and practitioners.
What I say next could probably be said equally well by many others here today. But the foregoing remarks cannot be left standing without some suggestions on what we should do next to cope with the changes that affect us. Therefore, as symbolized by Figure 3, 1 offer some food for thought and some broad challenges to ourselves that could make the MGLS better and more compatible with the future. I offer advance apologies if these suggestions might sound too obvious and axiomatic but the alternatives might be far worse.
FIGURE 3. WHAT TO DO IN TIMES OF CHANGE
Motherhood
(1) The MGLS will only be as relevant to the future as we make it.
(2) People have ideas, have imagination, have vision... not organizations.
(3) Ask not what the MGLS can do for you but... 'What can I do for the MGLS?'
(4) The blend of applied geosciences that has brought the MGLS together is a compelling and satisfying mixture of science, technology, personal challenge, and economics. The future of the MGLS is in the minds of its members.
Actions
(1) The MGLS is diverse and international in scope. It is well positioned for intersociety communications and collaborations (information exchanges, joint meetings, special conferences, and forums for airing common issues).
(2) Broaden MGLS scope and exposure: A 'gold-star' challenge to the members and to the leaders of our Society to define goals that count and ways to implement them.
(3) Stimulate the members of MGLS to develop inputs that can reshape our organization. Collect feedback from the membership recognizing that 'positive' views will contribute to revisions and growth but, equally important, 'cautious' or 'negative' views will provide stability.
(4) A general-purpose paradigm for our actions is: Find the facts... Sort the facts... Prioritize the facts... FACE the facts... Act on the facts... and Develop new facts!
Keys to Success
(1) Play a leading role in plying our skills:
(2) Visualize future needs. Try to see and be ready for what needs to be done (in the near and intermediate future) and be ready to do it.
(3) Times of change are also good times for leveraging our future through timely new ideas that take advantage of the changes.
(4) For the MGLS, develop an enduring 'trademark' theme and make it visible and respected.
First ideas are often crude but frequency contain the valuable nuggets from which new approaches and final products emerge. Your ideas for enhancing the MGLS will be most welcome. People, not organizations, make things happen. We can lift ourselves into the future by our bootstraps... but first we must be sure that our boots are equipped with straps!
FIGURE 4. DONE RIGHT, WE CAN FIND AND SERVE THE FUTURE!