Geology students and faculty members from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and Stanford University, with support from Aramco Services Co. (ASC), recently conducted a joint field seminar in Death Valley, California.

The group of 26 gained hands-on experience in recognizing and interpreting sedimentary environments while fostering ongoing collaboration between the two universities.

Before leaving for Death Valley, the delegation from KFUPM and ASC toured the Stanford campus and met with Stanford faculty members Dr. Roland Horne and Dr. Jerry Harris to learn about programs in petroleum engineering and geophysics.

The following day, led by Stanford Geology Professor Dr. Don Lowe, a convoy of five SUVs drove from Palo Alto to Death Valley National Park. The next five days involved hikes, some at a distance of 10  miles, to view geologic features such as alluvial fans, sand dunes, playas and ancient glacial, shallow-marine and deep-water deposits.

During the evenings, students and faculty members presented their research topics, many including field photographs from Saudi Arabia, California, New Zealand, South Africa and South America that rivaled the natural beauty of Death Valley.

Many members of the group have connected on Facebook so they can exchange photographs and keep in contact about projects of interest. The faculty members and ASC Upstream Research staff are already discussing plans for the next joint field seminar, possibly in Saudi Arabia.

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