Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists

Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists
Name	Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists
Abbreviation	SEPM
Formation	1940
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Region served	International
Fields	Paleontology; Mineralogy; Stratigraphy; Sedimentology

Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists

The Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists is an international learned society focused on applied paleontology, mineralogy, sedimentology, and stratigraphy with historical roots in North American petroleum exploration and mining. Founded by practitioners and academics, the organization has engaged with institutions such as University of Oklahoma, Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Kansas, and University of Tulsa while interacting with agencies like United States Geological Survey and corporations such as ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, Shell plc, and ConocoPhillips.

History

The society emerged during the mid-20th century in the context of oil booms associated with regions like the Permian Basin, Appalachian Basin, Gulf of Mexico, and Williston Basin, drawing founders from universities including Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, and Stanford University as well as industry players like Standard Oil of New Jersey and Gulf Oil. Early collaborations connected to organizations such as the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Geological Society of America, Royal Society, and British Geological Survey, and intersected with international efforts led by bodies like the International Union of Geological Sciences and UNESCO. Prominent scientists associated historically include figures tied to William Smith, Charles Lyell, Louis Agassiz, Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh, G. K. Gilbert, and A. K. L. Hagström whose work influenced applied stratigraphic practice. The society’s archives reflect interactions with institutions such as the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, and corporate collections from Standard Oil affiliates.

Mission and Activities

SEPM’s mission integrates research, education, and applied practice, partnering with universities like University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as research centers including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Curtin University, and Australian National University. Activities span field studies in locales such as the Burgess Shale, Green River Formation, Morrison Formation, Chesapeake Bay impact crater, Karoo Basin, and Sahara Desert, and collaborations with museums like the Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum, Royal Ontario Museum, and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The society engages with policy and regulatory institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency, United Nations Environment Programme, International Energy Agency, and World Bank on resource assessment and sustainability projects tied to regions like North Sea, Persian Gulf, Casablanca Basin, and South China Sea.

Publications and Journals

SEPM publishes monographs and journals distributed among libraries including New York Public Library, British Library, National Library of Australia, and Bibliothèque nationale de France. Its periodicals have been cited alongside works from Nature, Science, Geology (journal), Journal of Sedimentary Research, Palaeontology (journal), and Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Contributors and editors have affiliations with institutions like Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of Oslo, Heidelberg University, and Utrecht University, and authors include researchers connected to projects at IODP, ODP, USGS Paleontology Program, and regional geological surveys such as the British Columbia Geological Survey and Geological Survey of India.

Conferences and Meetings

The society organizes annual and regional meetings and field trips co-sponsored with organizations such as the Society for Sedimentary Geology, American Geophysical Union, European Geosciences Union, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, and Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia. Meetings have been hosted in cities including Tulsa, Houston, Denver, Calgary, London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago, Chile and have featured keynote addresses by scholars from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, Seoul National University, and University of São Paulo. Field conferences have included excursions to stratigraphic sites at Grand Canyon, Badlands National Park, Niobrara Chalk, Utah’s Green River Basin, and Denali National Park.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises professionals from corporations like Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, TotalEnergies, and IHS Markit as well as academics from Cornell University, Brown University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and McGill University. Governance structures mirror those of societies such as Royal Geographical Society and American Philosophical Society with elected officers, a board of directors, and committees analogous to panels within National Academy of Sciences and Academia Europaea. SEPM maintains partnerships with regional bodies including the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Geological Society of London, Deutsche Geologische Gesellschaft, and Sociedad Geológica de España.

Awards and Honors

The society recognizes excellence with awards and fellowships similar in prestige to honors from Guggenheim Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowship, Fulbright Program, and discipline-specific medals akin to the Lyell Medal, Wollaston Medal, Penrose Medal, and William Smith Medal. Recipients have included researchers affiliated with Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, and international academies such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences. Awards ceremonies are often held at joint meetings with Geological Society of America, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, and International Paleontological Association.

Category:Scientific societies