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Geoscience Gateways is a product of Source Rocks, LLC and was created for the benefit of the Geoscience Community, but particularly for those Geoscientists working and living in the Oil Patch. Our focus is on functionality, ease of navigation, having the right content, the quality of that content, and keeping everything current. We attempt to mine the resources that are out there for all that they are worth, then identify, create, and preserve all the shortcuts possible to save you time. Our goal is to become the best Geo-Site Repository for the Geosciences.

In addition to Geoscience Gateways, Source Rocks, LLC also provides consultation for individuals, companies, and other organizations primarily in the Oil & Gas Industry by offering services such as Online Research and Cyber Reconnaissance for its clients. Source Rocks, LLC is located in Sugar Land, Texas.

Michael A. Lynch-Blosse, President	malynch-blosse@geogateways.com
Robert H. Ray	rhray@geogateways.com

Michael A. Lynch-Blosse

• Over twenty-five years of oil and gas industry experience with major and large independent producers and as a Geoscience consultant.



• Extensive background in hydrocarbon exploration/exploitation including prospect generation, property acquisitions, oil and gas project management, technical resource management, systems evaluation/optimization and computer-aided exploration.



• Degrees in Earth Science, Geology and Law; Certified Petroleum Geologist # 2978. Founder and Managing Partner of Resource Development Partners, Geoscience and Engineering Consulting Services for the Energy Industry.



• State of Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists - License Number 5279.

Robert H. Ray

• Twenty-four years of well-rounded geological experience as a petroleum explorationist in the oil and gas industry with both major and large independent producers and as a Geoscience consultant.
  
  
• Broad industry background, specializing in exploratory prospect generation, property exploitation/development, geological drilling operations, petrophysical interpretation, and computer-aided exploration technology. Areas of specialization include offshore Gulf of Mexico, onshore Texas Gulf coast, and the Rocky Mountains.
  
  
• Degrees in Geology, Archaeology, and History; Certified Petroleum Geologist # 5807.
  
  
• Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists - Licensed Geologist #277.
  

Source Rocks, LLC is affiliated with Resource Development Partners (RDP) of Sugar Land, Texas, a Geoscience and Engineering consulting firm that offers a broad range of outsourcing services to the Oil & Gas Industry. RDP specializes in Oil & Gas Property Valuation, Exploitation, Operations, and Management as well as the Identification of Acquisition Opportunities. Visit TeamRDP.com to learn more about Resource Development Partners and what they can do for you.

Technical Information

Geoscience Gateways is designed so that almost any computer system should be able to take advantage of its content. There are thousands of links currently in our Geo-Site Repository. The addition, editing and high-grading of these resources is ongoing and made possible due to our system's design. At the heart of Geoscience Gateways is a relational database where all entered links reside. Having this "data-warehouse" is a powerful advantage to a high-volume and dynamic application like ours. This design provides for essentially unlimited resource growth and offers some very handy capabilities, flexibilities and high-speed searches. Features can be easily added to improve functionality as Geoscience Gateways evolves. Formatting changes are easily accomplished to address site growth and new content. The database is maintained at a secure, remote location and is backed up every twenty-four hours.

The Geoscience Gateways database is searchable and offers interactive features (Geo Toolkit). While some dead links are inevitable, our link checking process helps to keep the number of inactive links to a minimum. The system design also provides for easy editing capabilities. Via the Geoscience Gateways Extranet, Geoscience Gateways can be simultaneously accessed by an unlimited number of approved staff with the appropriate security clearance and from any Internet location. This makes additions and changes to Geoscience Gateways during routine investigations very easy. Essentially, when a good resource is discovered or is recommended by a member of the Geoscience Community, it can be added immediately to the site's repository. We offer a "Legend" on our pages only for the purpose of helping to direct our visitor's investigations. It is not intended as an endorsement of any particular site.

A Word from the President

Early in my career as a Geologist with a major energy company in Houston, a few of us got to see, and occasionally use, computers in our exploration efforts. In the 70's this was not a common practice for a Geoscience staff. In those days, geoscientists that did get to work with computers on a routine basis were seldom regarded as prospect generators. In the early 80's I worked for a large independent that allowed the Engineers to use computers, the thinking being that there was "no good reason for a Geoscientist to have a computer". It took me a year to convince my supervisor that Geoscientists could make good use of the computer in prospecting for oil and gas. In general, many of us had more computer firepower at home than on the job. By the late 80's most of us had managed some kind of access to a computer in the workplace, maybe even a workstation. The tide had turned. A computer was now an appropriate tool for the Geoscientist.

In the early 90's, while still with a large independent, I argued with great difficulty for allowing Geoscientists and Engineers access to the Internet. I had to convince senior management of the wealth of information that was out there and that the time spent on the Internet was not counterproductive to carrying out our daily E&P business. Indeed, you can find a lot of oil and gas in cyberspace, and we did.

By the late 90's information resources for geoscientists had popped up everywhere. In my post-corporate days as a consultant, all these resources have become even more valuable. Once you've found good information and used it, the next logical step for most of us is to share it. And so the seed for Geoscience Gateways was planted in the late 90's.

Over the past decade or so there has been an explosion in information technology, one whose shock waves have rocked our industry and many others. Information now reaches our fingertips at an unbelievable rate. In the new millennium the existence of all this information is a given. The trick however is how to manage this information and be able to access what you need, when you need it.

As Geoscientists and Explorationists, we latch onto every benefit we can in the search for oil and gas. New tools and sources of information continue to appear every day. New doors are opened by all this information and technology. We all seek that competitive edge. The problem we encounter all too often is that we maroon these valuable links to knowledge on our own computers. We have good intentions, but don't really have the means or the time, to share this wealth of information effectively. Think of the time lost by searching the Internet for something you want, when all along the person down the hall had the site you needed. On top of that, there is no way we as individuals can keep track of this ever-growing hodge-podge of information. It would take a team of geoscientists to do this. This is precisely the point. Introducing the concept behind Geoscience Gateways: the power of Teamwork. Why not create a Geo-Site Repository for our profession?

Just like everyone else, my collection of useful Internet sites has grown over the years. Good sites were passed on to friends and in turn some sites were sent back and added to the pile. The best sites soon floated to the top. It became evident what most Geoscientist routinely use to take care of business. I soon asked myself, why not organize these sites and find a way to share them with other Geoscientists?

We structured Geoscience Gateways to mesh with the steps of prospect generation and the exploration and development process. It's a work in progress. Changes are inevitable. Yes, there are some excellent industry sites already out there. Let us know if you don't find them all in Geoscience Gateways. Some commercial sites are very impressive and state-of-the-art. Geoscience Gateways is not one of them. Our technique is more of a wing-it and learn-as-you-go style (sort of sounds geological). Nonetheless, we believe that this site is unique in its completeness and its approach to sharing information resources. It may offer some perspectives that the others don't. We prefer to let the development of Geoscience Gateways be the product of participation from the Geoscience Community. You tell the rest of us what you think is important and we'll adjust accordingly. We'll get better as time goes on through the contributions of our colleagues. This is an experiment. It'll be interesting to see what evolves.

Geoscience Gateways may have been published before its time. There are portions of this site that are under construction, links have yet to be loaded. It is understood that this kind of endeavor is never truly complete. However, I am not altogether comfortable putting something on display before it's ready. Even so, at the insistence of friends who have previewed this site, we've pulled the trigger and Geoscience Gateways has now become another droplet in the cyber-river of information.

Geoscience Gateways has been in the works for some time now. What started out as an educational pastime has evolved into something that hopefully will benefit others in the Geoscience Community? Exploration is serious business, but it should be fun too. You will find a fair dose of humor and a few diversions throughout Geoscience Gateways. I don't apologize for this. It was done on purpose. This is a reflection of the personalities involved and a common characteristic of Geoscientists in general. Explore and have fun!

Michael A. Lynch-Blosse