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I am a sedimentologist and research professor at Colorado School of Mines. My work focuses on using outcrop analogs to improve prediction of subsurface fluid flow.

I aim to better understand the stratigraphic architecture, scaling relationships, and sediment budgets for clastic depositional systems, with an emphasis on submarine environments. I use outcrop analogs, core, subsurface datasets, and modern-seafloor observations to improve prediction of reservoir architecture, heterogeneity, and fluid flow.

I also lead industry-focused field trips for integrated teams (e.g., geology, geophysics, petrophysics, reservoir engineers, production engineers, facilities) to outcropping deep-water deposits that are highly relevant for producing assets in the GoM, west Africa, and South America, including:

Southern California
Permian Basin, Texas
County Clare, Ireland
Magallanes Basin, Chile

I also enjoy cycling 🚴 in the summer and driveway snow removal 🪏 in the winter.

View CV Publications Google Scholar ORCID

Research Projects

Brushy Canyon Formation (2026-2030)

Brushy Canyon field image

Used as an outcrop analog for conventional reservoirs for decades, the Brushy Canyon Formation and broader Delaware Mountain Group are increasingly important for salt-water disposal and tight oil/gas applications in the Permian Basin. The #BrushyCanonRedux project is focused on integrating old and new datasets, including:

digitizing a legacy outcrop dataset (495 measured sections, photopanels, cross sections, and reservoir models) from the Slope and Basin Consortium;
integrating behind-the-outcrop core and well-log data from ExxonMobil;
new outcrop-based, digitally-native data collection in Guadalupe Mountains National Park
outcrop-to-subsurface correlation framework and probabilistic reservoir modeling workflows for fluid-flow prediction.

Key collaborators on this project include Christine Rossen, Rick Beaubouef, and Brian Burnham.

Check out our new website Outcrop Analog for more information.

Mechanical Stratigraphy of Carbonate Slope Deposits (2021-2027)

This study utilized outcrop analogs from the Guadalupe Mountains (Texas, USA), Sacramento Mountains (New Mexico, USA), and Bolshoi Karatau (Qazaqstan) to better characterize the stratigraphic architecture and fracture distribution of lower-slope carbonate deposits. The results of this study are being used to better parameterize reservoir models for the Tengiz and Korolev oil fields in Qazaqstan.
Chevron and Tengizchevroil funded this study in partnership with Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colorado, USA) and Nazarbayev University (Astana, Qazaqstan).

Colorado School of Mines:

MechStrat USA group photo

Faculty:

Zane Jobe
Arnoud Slootman
Mary Carr
Piret Plink-Björklund
Lesli Wood

Students:

Marat Ibagarov (PhD, 2026; funded by CVX/TCO): Carbonate slope breccias in the Bell Canyon Formation, Guadalupe Mountains, Texas.
Guldana Alimzhanova (PhD, 2026; funded by CVX/TCO): Carbonate submarine fan deposits in the Lake Valley Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico.
Rachel Aisner Williams (PhD, 2026; funded by CVX/TCO): Carbonate slope deposits in the Bell Canyon Formation, Guadalupe Mountains, Texas.
Sanjar Begimbetov (MSc, 2024; funded by CVX/TCO): Carbonate slope deposits in the Rancheria Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico.
Zaid Nadhim (PhD, 2026; funded by SAnD consortium): Carbonate submarine fan deposits in the Lake Valley Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico.
Viska Dewi (MSc, 2025; funded by Fulbright Indonesia): Sedimentology and fracture characterization of individual event beds using polished-slab and thin-section data.
Maximiliano Miguez (MSc, 2024; funded by Fulbright Argentina): Carbonate slope breccias in the Bell Canyon Formation, Apache Mountains, Texas.
Matt Musso (PhD, 2027; funded by SAnD consortium): Crinoid sediment transport, Sacramento Mountains.

Visiting Scholars:

Yessimkhan Seitkhaziyev (Bolashaq Scholar, September 2024 - June 2025)

Nazarbayev University:

MechStrat Qazaqstan group photo