Justin Everts (BS Geology, 2008)

I am currently employed by Tecton Geologic which is based out of Windsor, CA. They are a mudlogging company for geothermal wells all over California and Nevada. Thermasource Inc bought out Tecton Geologic back in September 2008. Thermasource is a geothermal drilling company based out of Santa Rosa, CA. They operate 11 drilling rigs mainly in Nevada and California. By adding Tecton under them, they have secured the mudlogging aspect of their drilling operations. So technically I'm a Thermasource employee now, but most often distinguished by being a member of Tecton.

I work 12 hour shifts at whichever drill rig I'm assigned to, most recently I've been working in Lake County. I say county and not a specific city because these drill rigs are quite far from civilization. The one I was recently working at was tucked deep away in these foothills above all the vineyards that inhabit that lower valleys. I hope to get some pictures from that area so I can show you how beautiful it is up there. Not the California most people think of for sure - with few people and vast, colorful vineyards and forest.

My job consists of numerous little duties, I would say I'm part geologist, part chemist, and part technician really. Sadly, the geologist aspect is quite small. While they are drilling I identify the lithology and mineralogy of the rock they're going through. I then record all this information on a data program that my boss created called TopHand. It pretty much makes a very detailed stratigraphic column for out client. The chemist aspect of the job comes from the need to abate high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide. Since it's reservoirs of hot steam that we're drilling for, a lot of times the vapor consists of toxic gases as well. I monitor any carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, or methane emissions. Hydrogen sulfide being the most common, I collect a sample of condensed gas and perform a titration to figure out the H2S concentration. If the levels are too high, it's required by county law that I reduce the emissions by pumping in a mixture of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide into the steam vent. This part of the job is the only stressful as well as fun part I think.

The technician aspect of the job is from me being responsible for every temperature probe, every pressure sensor, and other various other sensors on the rig like torque. All these sensors are hooked up to my main computer and then the data is relayed to the other personnel. And let's just say, they constantly need to be calibrated and fixed. This part of the job is probably the most annoying because drillers are not patient people and if my sensor reads something they don't like, they usually take it out on me.

Ever since I moved to California, I have missed my family and friends back in Washington. There are lots of things I like and dislike living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The weather and diversity are great, while the traffic is not so much. The neat thing about my current job is when I go on days off, it's usually for 7-10 days straight, so I have more opportunities to visit Washington. I'll probably stick with this job til I can save up enough money to take get my masters. Working in the geothermal industry has sparked my interest in reservoir geology or engineering geology. I hope to someday be the exploration and development geologist for a geothermal or natural gas company, but I have few years til that dream can come true.

My time at Central Washington University was very beneficial, I have definitely used what I learned in Mineralogy, Stratigraphy, and Chemistry in my current occupation. The geology department at CWU has a great bunch of people; from my beginning with Nick and Charlie in Bishop, to my Hawaiian adventure with Wendy and Marie, to my ending with Jeff at the Idaho field station. I had an amazing experience that I'll never forget.