WELDON H. BEAUCHAMP
Cornell University, Snee Hall
Department of Geological Sciences
Ithaca, New York 14853-1504
Tel. 607-255-5514
http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/people/weldon.html

Academic Training

• Cornell University: Graduate student-PhD-Geophysics (1993-1997), Ithaca, N.Y.
• Oklahoma State University: Master of Science-Geology, (1981-1983), Stillwater, Okla.
• New England College: Bachelor of Arts-Geology, (1978-1981), Henniker, N.H.
• University of Oklahoma: Majored in Geology, Norman, Okla.(1977-78)

Professional Experience

Sun International Exploration and Production Company

• Senior Geologist: (Jan.1991-May 1993)-Middle East/North Africa Group-London, England-Regional mapping of the Middle East and studies of the Paleozoic-New venture opportunities in Syria, Algeria, Oman, Yemen, United Arab Emirates and Colombia. Geologist for Sun's Amakeen block, Yemen.
• Staff Geologist: (Feb.1990-Jan.1991)-NW Europe Group-London, England-North Sea-Central Graben, Geologist for 22/13b, Regional mapping for the 12th bidding round, presented blocks 30/23b and 29/2c to Dept. of Energy, block 30/23b awarded to Sun-May 1991.
• Staff Geologist: (Nov.1988-Feb.1990)-Africa Group-London, England-Regional studies and operations of Sun's interests in the Makok permit, Gabon, Delta-H permit, Spain and Hurghada permit, Gulf of Suez. Recommended farming into Elf's Nkomi permit and Agip's Mpira and Tassi permits, Gabon. Approved by Sun. Tassi and Nkomi permits resulted in sub-commercial discoveries.
• Staff Geologist: (Aug.1987-Nov.1988)-Africa Group-Dallas,Tx. New Venture opportunities-Regional mapping West Africa-3rd. bidding round-Gabon. Field work and mapping in Gabon.
• Geologist: (Aug.1985-Aug.1987)-Mid-Continent Group- Dallas,Tx. Generated regional studies and prospects in Oklahoma which resulted in discoveries. Wellsite work in Anadarko Basin, Central Oklahoma/Golden Trend, and Southern Oklahoma, Arbuckle and Wichita Mountains. Represented Sun as a witness at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
• Associate Geologist: (May,1983-Aug.1985)-Mid-Continent Group- Oklahoma City, Okla., completed reservoir and mapping studies for N.E.Davis, S.E.Criner, Joiner City, Robberson and Fitts fields.
• Summer Project Geologist: (Summer-1982)-Sun Gas Division- Corpi Christi Tx. Completed a study of the North McFaddin Field, Victoria Co., Tx.

Mills Well Logging Service

• Mud Logger: (Summer 1980, and during school 1981-83)- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-worked in Roger Mills Co., Oklahoma Co., Carter Co., Rogers Co., and Stephens Co., Oklahoma.

Field Experience

• Extensive field mapping experience in the Wichita mountains, Oklahoma, Gabon, West Africa, Yemen and the Atlas mountains and Missour basin of Morocco.
• Wellsite geology experience onshore U.S. (Oklahoma and Texas) and Yemen. Responsible for wireline and mudlogging operations, picking core points, and drillstem and production testing.

Technical Skills

• Experienced with UNIX operating system.
• ProMAX (seismic processing)
• ERmapper (image processing)
• ARC/INFO (Geographic Information System)
• MATLAB (numerical computation and visualization)
• Adobe Illustrator (electronic illustration)
• Adobe Photoshop (graphic image processing)

Fellowships and Grants

• …Cornell University-Department of Geological Sciences-Long Fellowship (1993-1994) …
• Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF 29505-AC2), Dr. Muawia Barazangi-principal investigator, Weldon Beauchamp-graduate student researcher (1995-1996). …
• Department of Defense, AASERT-Augmentation Awards for Science and Engineering Research Training (DAAH04-94-G-0361), Dr. Muawia Barazangi-principal investigator, Weldon Beauchamp- graduate student researcher (1995-1997).

Current Research

• Intracontinental Rifting and Inversion: the Missour Basin and Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The Atlas mountains were formed by reactivation of the rift decollement and related syn-rift normal faults as thrusts, fault-bend and fault-propagation style folding and duplex fault zones within the Paleozoic above the reactivated decollement. Structural styles were studied using field mapping, seismic reflection data, LANDSAT-TM, air photos and well data.
• Evolution of the High Atlas Mountain Belt in Morocco. Based on a Geological and Geophysical Transect. A transect was constructed to better understand the tectonic evolution of the intracontinental rift basin to a major mountain belt. Seismic reflection data acquired by ONAREP (Office National de Recherches et d'Exploitations Petrolieres), was reprocessed, and combined with field mapping, LANDSAT-TM and gravity and magnetic data to enable the construction of a balanced transect across the Atlas mountains.
• Superpositional Folding in the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco: A Result of the Inversion of a Syn-Rift Accommodation Zone. Superpositional folding in the Atlas mountains has resulted in apparent "polyphase" deformation. It is proposed that the superposed folding recognized in the High Atlas mountains was formed by the reactivation of syn-rift normal faults across an accomodation zone in a single phase of deformation.
• Tectonic Evolution of the Atlas Mountains, North Africa. It is proposed to construct a map that documents the tectonic elements of the Atlas mountains, using remote sensing imagery, published geological maps, data from field mapping and GIS. These tectonic elements will help identify the stress orientations resulting from the interaction of the North African and European tectonic plates.
• The Study of the Tectonic History of the Atlas Rift and Mountains using Apatite Fission Track and Vitrinite Reflectance Data. Apatite fission track data were collected to document two phases of uplift and inversion of the Atlas rift system. The first event occurred between 160-75 Ma (Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous). This event may be related to the opening of the Atlantic and subsequent isostatic uplift of the Atlantic rift margins. The second phase of cooling occurred between 20-30 Ma (Miocene-Oligocene). This uplift phase corresponds to the Alpine orogenic event, responsible for the major uplift and inversion of the Atlas mountains.

Publications

Papers

• Beauchamp, Weldon H. , Muawia Barazangi, Ahmed Demnati, Mohamed El Alji, 1996, Intracontinental Rifting and Inversion: the Missour Basin and Atlas Mountains, Morocco, AAPG Bulletin, V.80, No.9, P.1459-1482.
• Beauchamp, Weldon H. , Alison C. Ries, M. P. Coward, Jennifer A. Miles, 1995, Masirah Graben, Oman: A Hidden Cretaceous Rift Basin?, AAPG Bulletin, V. 79, No.6, P. 864-879.
• Litak, R. K., M. Barazangi, W. Beauchamp, D. Seber, G. Brew,T. Sawaf and W. Al-Youssef Mesozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the Euphrates fault system, Syria and implications for regional kinematics, The Journal of the Geological Society,1996 (in press).
• Beauchamp, Weldon H., 1983, The structural geology of the southern Slick Hills, Oklahoma, Master's thesis, Oklahoma State University, 119 p.
• Donovan R. Nowell, Deborah Ragland, Mary Rafalowski, David McConnell, Weldon Beauchamp, David Marchini, David Sanderson, Pennsylvanian deformation and Cambro-Ordovician sedimentation in the Blue Creek canyon, Slick Hills, southwestern Oklahoma, 1988, in: Hayward, O.T., Centennial field guides, Geological Society of America, Vol. 4, P.127-134.
• Donovan R. Nowell, Deborah Ragland., Mary Rafalowski, Kathy Collins, Tekleab Tsegay, David McConnell, David Marchini, Weldon Beauchamp, David Sanderson , 1983, Geologic highlights in the Blue Creek Canyon area, Oklahoma Geological Survey, Guidebook No. 24; P. 84-91.

Abstracts

• Beauchamp, Weldon, H., Richard W. Allmendinger, Muawia Barazangi, Ahmed Demnati, Mohamed El Alji., Structural Styles of the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco: Potential Hydrocarbon Traps in the Footwall of Thrusts Developed From the Reactivation of Syn- Rift Normal Faults, Abstracts with Programs-AAPG and Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists; Vol. 1996, P.13.
• Litak, R. K., M. Barazangi, W. Beauchamp, D. Seber, T. Sawaf, and W. Al-Youssef, 1994, Intraplate deformation in the northern Arabian platform: Evolution of the Euphrates fault system, Syria, Eos Trans. AGU, 75(44), P. 273.
• Barazangi, Muawia, R. Litak, D. Seber, W. Beauchamp, F. Gomez, T. Sawaf, A. Al-Imam, W. Al-Youssef, B. A. Tadili, M. Ramdani, A. Ibenbrahim, A. Demnati, and M. El Alji, 1994, Active intracontinental deformation: Inversion tectonics and mountain- building processes in Morocco and Syria, Eos Trans. AGU, 75(44), P. 273.
• Beauchamp, Weldon H. , Alison C. Ries, M. P. Coward, Jennifer A. Miles, Masirah Graben, Oman: A Hidden Cretaceous Rift Basin?, Annual Meeting Abstracts - American Association of Petroleum Geologists and Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Vol. 1994; P. 102.
• McConnell, D. A, W. H. Beauchamp, R, N. Donovan, W. R. Marchini, D. J. Sanderson, 1986, Structural evolution of the Frontal fault zone, Wichita Uplift, southwestern Oklahoma, Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, 99th annual meeting; Vol. 18, No. 6, P. 687.
• Donovan, R. N. ,W. Beauchamp, D. McConnell,1984, Structure of the Wichita frontal fault zone, Abstracts with Programs- The Geological Society of America, South-Central Section, 18th annual meting, Vol. 16, No. 2, p.82.

Professional Organizations

• Geological Society of America
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists (CPG #4758)
• American Geophysical Union
• Houston Geological Society

Personal Information

• Citizenship: United States of America
• Place of Birth: Duncan, Oklahoma
• Language Skills: Reading capabilities of technical French and Spanish, some conversational abilities in French and Spanish.