Industry Paleontology

[hrlane@xxxxxxxxx]

     In reply to Mike Simmons:
     
     I never intended to say that Sequence Stratigraphy itself is/was the 
     demise of Paleontology in the industry, but we have allowed other 
     scientists to use it inappropriately as a substitute for paleo.  One 
     of the longest and loudest songs that was being sung within the IBC a 
     couple of years ago was how paleontologists were being declared 
     redundant because industry management felt sequence stratigraphy 
     answers simply duplicated those coming out of paleontology. The demise 
     was not the science itself, but only in the minds of men who really 
     did not understand the distinction/dependency of both.  Also, I guess 
     I must restate the query as to why we as paleontologists did not 
     develop/publicize the concepts of sequence stratigraphy?  Why did we 
     have to wait for it to come out of the geophysical side?  We were 
     already employing the concepts, but we allowed another sister 
     geoscience specialty to step in and take the credit.   I guess I keep 
     bringing this up, because I hope that this kind of thing does not 
     happen in other cases.  Another example, paleo has by far the cheapest 
     and quickest means of estimating thermal maturity, yet we have allowed 
     our geochemical brethern to take a driver seat role here also, even 
     though their processes are far more expensive and time consuming than 
     ours?   Paleontology must alter its self chosen role of  being the 
     handmaiden (see Shaw, 1971, Jour. Paleo) to other sister sciences.  
     Let them play the subserviant role once in a while.  It is all a 
     matter of attitude and self image.