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Only 15 wells in the Rocky Mountain region have drilled through Precambrian to test the 3-6 million acres of sedimentary rocks that are concealed and virtually unexplored beneath mountain front thrusts. More than half of these wells had oil and gas shows and one was a producing oil well. These wells have not only set up an exciting play for the future, they have also helped define the structural geometry of the mountain front thrusts, including the angle of the thrust and the presence or absence of fault slivers of overturned Meso­zoic or Paleozoic rocks. Most important for further geophysical exploration, these wells have provided vital data on seismic velocities in Precambrian rocks. Analysis of these data will stimulate further exploration along the fronts already drilled. the Emigrant Trail Thrust, the Washakie Thrust, the Wind River Thrust, the Uinta Mountain Thrust, and the thrust at the north end of the Laramie Range. The geologic success of these wells has encouraged leasing and seismic acquisition on every other mountain front thrust in the Rockies. Wells are presently drilling on the Casper Arch and the west flank of the Big Horn Basin adjacent Oregon Basin Field. An unsuccessful attempt to drill through the Arlington Thrust of the Medicine Bow Range will probably only momentarily daunt that play, and the attempted penetration of the Axial Arch in Colorado has not condemned that area. Untested areas that will be explored in the near future are: the south flank of the Owl Creek Range, the northeast flank of the Beartooth Mountains in Montana, the east and west flanks of the Big Horn Mountains, the north flank of the Hanna Basin, the south flank of the Uinta Mountains, the White River Uplift, the north flank of North Park Basin, and the Front Range.

We have seen the "Me, too!" movement expand across all aspects of humankind. From Hollywood, where it grew legs, to Congress, state legislatures, the White House, huge corporations, small businesses, sports, television personalities, the military, the Olympics, religions, and, yes, to GSA. Before Harvey Weinstein-before something hit the proverbial fan-GSA was already receiving and addressing complaints from members who experienced harassment (ranging from bullying to sexual assault, but most commonly, gender harassment). We launched a review of our ethics position, our obligations, and our Code of Conduct to ensure our Society has the means to effectively deal with unprofessional behavior at GSA meetings, field trips, and other sponsored events. GSA recognized the absence of good definitions and effective procedures and made moves to correct that. GSA's initiative was timely and good strides have been made. We are taking "proactive measures." I believe people in the geosciences have excellent skills to address harassment, prejudice, and gender issues. We have the scientific skills and intellect to address many societal problems and we are good at using these skills. We routinely gather data, review published studies, and conduct in-depth conversations with experts. This is second nature to the professional geoscientist. What is not second nature to us is how to employ these skills in our interpersonal relationships, including our interactions with colleagues, staff, students, and even our families. And this can make a big difference. So, first, let's look at facts. The Facts. Data. The scientist's friend and staple for sound analysis. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published in the summer of 2018 a report, "Sexual harassment of women: Climate, culture, and consequences." Though mostly about women, because they are the target of most harassment, it includes substantial data on men, too. Incredibly, studies on sexual harassment from the 1980s through today continue to show that sexual harassment of women is widespread in workplaces and that the rates of sexual harassment have not significantly decreased. This is a disturbing finding. Let's look first at how sexual harassment was defined in the National Academies study: Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination that consists of three types of behavior:

In 1921, exploration for oil and gas was substantially assisted by the discovery that foraminifera could be used to more accurately correlate subsurface strata. This changed everything. It was at a time when the petroleum industry did not have the benefit of geophysical logging tools or seismic mapping capabilities. Micropaleontology was quickly embraced by industry and almost instantly expanded to global use. Three young women were responsible for this technological breakthrough—Alva Ellisor, Esther Applin née Richards, and Hedwig Kniker. They were hired by Texas oil companies in 1920–1921 for the express purpose of using paleontology, specifically macropaleontology, to try to solve the Gulf Coast stratigraphic problems. They were encouraged to collaborate—in itself an unusual phenomenon in the highly competitive oil and gas business—which they did with grace and skill and which led to their discovery of foraminifera as a major biostratigraphic tool. However, their role was downplayed over time, and by 1975 credit for this important technology was shifted to four men—men who had themselves failed to recognize the application, in fact one had ridiculed the idea, but who quickly embraced it when the women presented their evidence. It is time to recognize their revolutionary contribution to the improved economics of oil-finding as well as to the sciences of biostratigraphy and paleontology.

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