Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structure, physical properties, dynamics, and history of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed. The field is a major academic discipline, and is also important for mineral and hydrocarbon extraction, knowledge about and mitigation of natural hazards, some engineering fields, and understanding past climates and environments with reference to present-day climate change.

Etymology
The word "geology" was first used by Jean-André Deluc in the year 1778 and introduced as a fixed term by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure in the year 1779. The science was not included in Encyclopædia Britannica's third edition completed in 1797, but had a lengthy entry in the fourth edition completed by 1809.[1] An older meaning of the word was first used by Richard de Bury to distinguish between earthly and theological jurisprudence.

-Source: Wikipedia.

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Corpus Christi Geological Society
P.O. Box 1068
Corpus Christi, TX 78403

Coastal Bend Geophysical Society
P.O. Box 2471
Corpus Christi, TX 78403

CCGEO Officer's Biographies

PAST PRESIDENT: Owen Hopkins born in Shawnee, Oklahoma

Education:BS Geology, Oklahoma University 1969, Norman, Oklahoma;
MS Geology, Tulane University 1977, New Orleans, Louisiana

Professional:
Chevron-1969-1977 Geologist, Lafayette & New Orleans, Louisiana
Holly Energy-1977-1980 Geologist, Corpus Christi, TX.
Sexton Oil-1980-1987 Contract Geologist, South Texas
Harkins & Company-1987-1990 District Geologist, Corpus Christi, TX.
Suemaur Exploration, LLC-1990-2005 Partner and Geologist, Chief Geologist and VP Exploration, Corpus Christi, TX.
Texas A&M Kingsville-April, 2005 Geology Lecturer for 4 Geology courses during the month of April
Suemaur Exploration & Production, LLC-Feb 2005 retired from active management but remain as a Partner


Organizations:
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) joined in 1973
     District Chairman, Statistics of Drilling, 1974, 75, 76
     Delegate 1992-1994, 2008-2010
     DPA Alternate 2007-10
     June 2007 AAPG Explorer article on the CCGS and our educational objectives
     March, 3 2009 - AAPG Explorer - Map Idea Pays Student Dividends

Corpus Christi Geological Society
     Treasurer 1981 and 1991
     Advertising 1979, 1987 and 1988
     Bookkeeper 1982, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90
     Computer 1985 and 1987
     Special Projects 1982
     Academic Liaison 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09
     Councilor Place I 1989
     Photo Directory Chairman 2000
     Photo Directory Chairman 2002
     President 2006-2007
     October 14, 2006 - Corpus Christi Caller Times - Geologist: Show students other lands
     April 3, 2007 - Corpus Christi Caller Times - Building rock solid interest in science
     March 2007 - Rotary International South Texas District 5930 - Programs Recommended by District Clubs
     April 12, 2007 - Corpus Christi Caller Times - Come back, graduates
     April 29, 2007 - Corpus Christi Caller Times - A 10-Year Odyssey
     August, 13 2007 - Corpus Beat - Math & Science: U.S. vs. World
     January, 16 2008 - Pearland Reporter, Pearland, Texas - Understanding the Past
     December, 10 2008 - Mathis ISD - Int. School Receives Thirteen Thousand Year Old Mammoth Vertebra...

Houston Geological Society 1977
New Orleans Geological Society 1973
South Texas Geological Society 1978

Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS)
     Transactions, Ad Committee Chairman for Corpus Christi Conventions in 1981, 1989, 1998, 2007

Society of Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES) 2004
     Director 2007-2010

Honors and Awards:
1991 Honorary Membership in Corpus Christi Geological Society
2006 GCAGS Distinguised Service Award
2009 AAPG Public Service Award

Published:
“Fifty Year Old Frio/Vicksburg Cage Ranch Field, Brooks County, Texas is rejuvenated with 3D” in 3D Seismic Case Histories from the Gulf Coast Basin, 1998, editor Howard Kiatta.

Videos:
Lecture on Astronomy - the first science - to 4 5th grade students
Lecture on Minerals - KIII TV morning news
Lecture on History of Oil and its importance to Corpus Christi Area - given to 4 5th grade students
Lecture on Oil/Gas exploration - given to 150 college freshman/sophomores at Del Mar College

View a collection of 28 (and counting) video clips on YouTube pertaining to geology, minerals, glacial warming, glacial cooling, and astronomy.


How I Got Into Geology

My parents did not go to college, and I was always apprehensive of going myself, but I did decide to go. I picked the University of Oklahoma because Oklahoma was in the center of the country.
After almost flunking out my freshman year (0.87 grade point second semester), I went to my guidance counselor for advice. He showed me a listing of his students and their grade point averages, and he told me that I was not the caliber of student he advised—he recommended I go to a different counselor. That was disheartening, but the new counselor reviewed by high school grades and said “well, you aren’t a dummy.” He suggested I take a variety of courses and maybe something would get my attention.
So, after barely being able to stay in school, I signed up for 19 hours – History of Art, Accounting, Invertebrate Zoology, English Literature, Geology, and Aviation (since my father was a pilot). I got my first A in college— Geology (B’s in all the others and quadrupled my grade point to 3.65), and I called by mother and told her I was going to be a Geologist!
I watched the Chevron interviewer circle my F in calculus and draw a line down to the A in calculus a few semesters later. That example might be an indication of how I might do if I ever drilled a dry hole.
Lessons learned: get advice from a higher power, learn from your mistakes and Don’t give up.

Owen Hopkins – Geologist



Map Idea Pays Student Dividends


by Ken Milam
EXPLORER Correspondent
March 2009

Hopkins
After retiring four years ago from a successful career as a petroleum geologist, Owen Hopkins wanted to spark his passion for science in those who would follow.

He called it “planting the seed of geologic knowledge.”

So the colorful and enthusiastic Hopkins pursued his idea, nurtured it and watched as it blossomed and began to bear fruit.

As president of the Corpus Christi Geological Society in 2006, Hopkins got the ball rolling with a three-pronged plan to draw public school students into his world.

  • He began with the idea of “maps in schools” – putting colorful, laminated, framed U.S. Geological Society time and terrain maps of the United States at eye-level for fifth and sixth graders in the Coastal Bend area.
  • He made personal presentations, speaking to kids and teachers in terms they related to, mentioning “Jurassic Park” and other popular themes.
  • He got colleagues infected by his enthusiasm to help him spread the message.
Today, thanks to Hopkins’ gift of gab and networking, some 1,100 geologic maps have been placed in schools around the country – and interest is growing internationally.

Several organizations, including AAPG, have lent financial and moral support.

Largely because of those efforts Hopkins is this year’s recipient of AAPG’s Public Service Award – but he is quick to name dozens of other individuals and organizations that have helped him plant and nurture his “seeds.”

“It’s like one of my prospects,” he said. “Instead of oil and gas reserves, the return is how many kids we can get interested.”

Getting Kids Interested

To say the idea has grown is an understatement. The project has branched, fractal-like, into other societies, organizations, cities, states and countries.

Boosters often add local or regional flavor, but the song remains the same: Put things into schools that will get kids interested in earth science.

Hopkins offered a summary of developments since the project began:
  • 307 framed maps have been placed in schools around the country. (Framed maps are intended for high-traffic areas; rolled maps are given to teachers for their classrooms.)
  • The Houston Geological Society purchased 200 rolled maps for area teachers.
  • The “Rocks in Your Head” programs, funded in part by AAPG, distributed about 650 maps to teachers who attended seminars in eight states during 2008.
  • The Tulsa Geological Society placed 33 geologic maps of North America in local schools.
  • Mike Pollok, a SIPES member in Oklahoma City, bought 50 framed maps to be placed in Purcell, Okla. area schools.
  • West Texas Geological Society placed 36 framed maps in Midland and Odessa schools.
  • The San Joaquin Geological Society is placing geologic maps of California in five schools each year.
A Bone to Pick

As the success of his maps in schools idea spreads (societies in several Texas cities, Tulsa, California, Florida, Louisiana and Mexico have launched similar efforts), Hopkins said he is learning from experience and moving to the next phase.

Now he wants to put “bones in schools,” to acquaint students with animals that thrived in their hometowns before there were towns.

Since 1990, a gravel pit near Corpus Christi has yielded thousands of La Brean-era bones and fragments. (Think of the movie “Ice Age,” Hopkins urges students when he discusses the bones.)

The site owners donated the bones to Texas A&M University in Kingsville, stipulating they be given away only for educational purposes.

Hopkins hopes to see bones placed in trophy cases, along with maps and a poster commissioned by CCGS depicting life in the Corpus Christi area 3,230 years ago.

Different Ideas

Hopkins keeps finding new ways to get maps and rocks into schools and to involve students.

He recently spoke to school superintendents from 11 surrounding counties, encouraging them to send teachers to a January workshop in Corpus Christi. Each school received a framed map, a mammoth bone on a stand and poster, all paid for by CCGS.

Hopkins also took his presentation to high school welding students at Craft Training Center. With the center’s cooperation, Hopkins asked each student to choose a bone and custom design and weld a stand for it.

The students take the stand, bone and posters back to their schools and have them placed in the trophy case. A plaque acknowledges the contribution of CCGS and the stand designer. The program is continuing with a goal of placing 50 such donations in schools by May.

Hopkins said two local welding companies donated materials for the stands.

Kingsville A&M biology department leaders donated 62 boxes of bones to two Corpus Christi schools, after Hopkins’ presentation sparked enough interest among students to start paleontology clubs.

“The goal is to have each student select a bone, determine its bone name, animal, and then give it to a school in a presentation with a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi geology grad students and a CCGS member,” Hopkins said.

Anyplace is a Good Place

The CCGS resolved to place some educational item in each of the city’s local libraries.

For the new Garcia Library, the society donated a 65 million-year-old fossil fish (Diplomystus) in limestone. CCGS also commissioned artist Dinah Bowman to make a 7.5 x 3 foot mural depicting a “snapshot of Nueces County 13,230 years ago,” which the posters will be copied from. Its scientific accuracy has been validated by experts at the University of Texas, Texas A&M-CC and Texas A&M-Kingsville.

A scanned enlargement 14 x 7 feet will be installed on a wall in the children’s area of McKinzie Library in spring 2009.

And why stop there? CCGS also is making coloring books of all the animals depicted in the mural.

 

Last Updated December 12th, 2011
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