How do you plan a geological fieldwork program?

Well 1st you get some beer maybe some whisky and a big bit of paper. Start scribbling and drawing with a whole heap of other intelligent individuals. Trust me good ideas will come

Have a clear understanding of what you wish the fieldwork program to accomplish - the questions that need to be answered. If there are outcrops - all well and good - what about in areas with no outcrops? What tools and equipment are intended to be used, is everyone familiar with what needs to be done and how to properly use the equipment - and what else can be combined usefully as additional work and study while doing the main exploration work plan? What photos to collect, what local land use data to record, what accessibility issues must be addressed.

Verify the existing data, confirm existing maps and review the accuracy of any reports. Where there is no pre-existing data - determine why.

Ensure that you have access to the areas of interest and the permissions to conduct the kind of work you intend doing. Depending upon the nature of the work do you need simple linear transects or something more of a gridding approach?

How to plan a geologic field work program for petroleum engineers in 6 easy steps; and none of them are; get with a geologist? This is just 6 steps for someone that wants to think they’re in charge to feel like they are in charge. Should we blame AI; or whomever allowed this waste loose on LinkedIn?

This looks like a ChatGPT narrative. Petroleum engineers do not do geological mapping, geologists do. Unfortunately fewer and fewer geologists actually get out in the field to study the rocks because their jobs do not require it. More time is spent making PowerPoint presentations for management than looking at real rocks (outcrops, cores, drill cuttings, thin sections, SEM images, etc).

It seems to me that this description gives fairly short shrift to safety in the field. ExxonMobil was sufficiently concerned about safety to prepare an entire manual of field safety, which AAPG later published industry-wide. Safety is mentioned (the word itself) in the description of development of a field program, but it get no separate plan. A colleague of mine at Los Alamos was convinced that he survived when the Galeras Volcano erupted while he was in the crater, when a number of others lost their lives or were seriously injured because of the safety plan that he and his supervisor made before that day. I look back with some anxiety at work I did in the field without such a plan.

Petroleum engineers don’t know much - and don’t want to know much - about field mapping. Field safety is a concern for graduate students in electing outcrop-based theses. Many women won’t do outcrop work without a companion in tow because they are vulnerable. They simply elect out. Men alone in isolated places are vulnerable too. Safety plans ought to at least consider a lunatic scenario. I did weeks-long field work for my dissertation in early 1980s, but I would not do it today without a weapon in my collecting bag.

Apparently Thomas you haven’t met any petroleum engineers from Colorado School of Mines. Geologic mapping in the field for several weeks is a requirement of the undergraduate degree.

Hands-on field experience is an invaluable asset for geologists when mapping a geological field plan, versus computer modelling programs. Fieldwork provides geologists with the opportunity to directly observe geological features, apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios, and develop essential mapping skills. Through hands-on experience, geologists enhance their spatial awareness, recognize subtle geological features, and integrate multiple data sources to build a comprehensive understanding of the geological setting. Furthermore, field experience fosters adaptability and problem-solving skills, enabling geologists to navigate field conditions and make informed “interprets”based on direct observation and data absorb in the field.