Chevron Gives $1 Million to Enhance Nation's Largest Public Collection of Geological Materials

April 17, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas — Chevron has contributed $1 million to the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences. The gift will support the bureau's core research facilities, where scientists study materials in the nation's largest publicly available storehouse of geological cuttings and cores.

The gift comes in addition to $1.2 million Chevron donated to programs at The University of Texas at Austin last year and $3 million worth of core materials and support funding Chevron donated to the bureau in 2007.

Cores, cylinders of rock ranging from a few inches to up to 60 feet in length, and cuttings, ground up bits of rock, are collected during oil and gas exploration.

Warehoused in collections, they offer a library of Earth's subsurface. Geoscientists use the materials to locate energy resources, understand geohazards such as earthquakes and study environmental conditions such as groundwater pollution and climate change.

Core materials often gain new relevance for future generations of scientists as they discover new ways to use the Earth's resources. A geological formation that one generation ignored can become the source of great insight—and wealth—in the future.

"Chevron's generosity will pay great dividends for all of us," said Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology and the state geologist of Texas. "Their gift helps keep our collections publicly available. This opens the materials up to scientists tackling major environmental problems, seeking the energy we need today and building the bridge to our energy future."

The Bureau of Economic Geology maintains core research facilities in Austin, Houston and Midland. The facilities have combined holdings of nearly 2 million boxes of geologic material, the largest publicly available collection in the nation.

For more information, contact:
J.B. Bird, Jackson School of Geosciences, 512-232-9623;