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INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CORRELATION PROGRAMME
(I.G.C.P.)

Mr. W. Ah (Trinmar) and Mr. C. Motilal (Ministry of Energy) attended the 10th Argentine Geological Congress held in Tucuman, Argentina, 14th 18th September, 1987. Member countries of the International Geological Correlation Programme (I.G.C.P.) for Latin America held their 5th Reunion at this congress. Several regional correlation projects are currently being conducted under this U.N.E.S.C.O.-funded programme, many of which are of relevance to the Trinidad area. They include:

(i) Correlation and application of sea level changes.

(ii) Mega-faults of South America.

(iii) Regional stratigraphic correlations in the Caribbean.

(iv) The Cretaceous of Latin America.

(v) Correlation of Tethys and the Cretaceous (worldwide) deposition.
The Secretary of the l.G.C.P. programme, Dr. Dudich, indicated the group's interest in having Trinidad and Tobago participate in the various projects. Mr. C. Motilal, the Ministry of Energy's representative at the congress, in turn welcomed the opportunity to co-operate regionally and would be making suggestions to the Ministry on his return.
The l.G.C.P. Requires a national committee to be established. This Committee will be responsible for guiding any project in which the Country becomes involved and for soliciting any funds which may be required for conducting work.
The 10th Argentine Geological Congress and the 5th Reunion of the l.G.C.P. offered an invaluable opportunity to become acquainted with research projects which are being carried out regionally. Monitoring of these projects through l.G.C.P. annual reports and regular research journals would serve to enhance our knowledge of the geology of Trinidad and its neighbouring areas. Further, benefits to private institutions and Government departments could be forthcoming through regional co-operation with geologists from neighbouring Latin American countries.
Plans to establish a national committee are being initiated through the Geological Society and the membership will be informed of developments in due course.

MEETING OF HAZARD MAPPING EXPERTS

A "Meeting of Hazard Experts" was held in Kingston, Jamaica, between November 30th and December 4th, 1987. It was hosted by the Pan-Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Project (PCDPPP) in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness (ODP), and the Department of Geography, U.W.I. The primary objective of the meeting was to bring together for the first time, individuals who have been pursuing the mapping of hazards for the purpose of reviewing methodology, identifying training needs, comparing experiences and developing regional and sectoral plans within the next 3 to 5 years. Diane Bertrand, a geologist attached to the Coastal Area Planning and Management Division of the Institute of Marine Affairs, attended the Meeting. Mrs. Bertrand has been actively involved in research on landslides and floods in Trinidad and Tobago for the past 4 years.

G. S .T.T. CELEBRATES 10th ANNIVERSARY

The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 1986. The origin of the Society is briefly reviewed and its major activities over its first 10 years of existence are recounted.
ORIGIN OF THE G.S.T.T.

The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago was formed on August 18, 1976. This was indeed late in a country where mineral resources, especially petroleum, had been the mainstay of the economy since the beginning of this century. The reason for this appears to be deeply rooted in our colonial history and, more specifically, in the history of the oil companies.
During the colonial period, geological mapping in West Indian colonies was the responsibility of geologists in the employ of Her Majesty's Geological Survey (e.g. Geological Survey of Jamaica). In Trinidad, on the other hand, most of the geological work was left to the oil companies. During the pre-Independence era, the geological field was totally dominated by foreign exploration geologists, working with the oil companies, and by a few British geologists working with the Mines Department. National geologists were few and included people such as P.E.T. O'Connor and T.H. Bower. The umbrella organization for geologists was the Institute of Petroleum (Trinidad Branch), with headquarters in London.
During the early 1970s several important developments took place in the Trinidad society that precipitated the idea of a Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

These were:

1. An increasing level of national consciousness.
2. An increasing number of local graduate geologists, particularly from U.W.I., Mona.
3. The beginning of nationalisation of the local petroleum industry.
4. The Institute of Petroleum was inactive.
Against this background the "Founding Fathers" of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago started their work. These included, among others, K. Persad, K. Birchwood, J.P. Scott, T. Rajpaulsingh, M. Nath and
W. Lau.
Ideas for the formation of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago can be traced to as early as 1971-1972.
According to J.P. Scott (Chief Geologist in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mines during this period) "I had just attended a meeting of the Petroleum Institute at Pointe-a-Pierre. This organization had particular laws for locals and different laws for foreigners. For example, nationals who were members here did not qualify for membership at the Institute's headquarters in London".
However, nothing much happened until the 1974 Geological Conference in Guadeloupe. At that Conference the idea of a Geological ,Society of Trinidad and Tobago took shape based on discussions among local geologists present, spearheaded by K. Persad. Participants included J. Scott,
T. Rajpaulsingh, W. Lalla, W. Lau, M. Bhimull and K. Persad (who was based at Tesoro's headquarters in San Antonio, Texas at the time).
The Society finally got off the ground in 1976 on K. Persad's return to Trinidad. He immediately mobilised all local geologists and drafted a constitution. The inaugural meeting was held in the early part of 1976 at the Royal Hotel, San Fernando. The initial proposal was to call the Society the "TAPG" - Trinidad Association of Petroleum Geologists. However, after much deliberation and objections, this name was abandoned and a more broad-based name was suggested, taking all aspects of the geological sciences into consideration. This was the birth of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Society was officially formed on August 18, 1976 and the following officers were elected:
K. Birchwood - President
B. Carr-Brown - 1st V. President
W. Lalla - 2nd V. President
L. Milne (Mrs.) - Secretary
D. Smith - Asst. Secretary
T. Gabriel - Treasurer
0. Paul - Corporate Rep.
J. Tomblin - Non. Petroleum
Representative
K. Persad - Act. Imm. Past
President

The inaugural Dinner and Dance was held at the Trinidad Hilton on October 22, 1976 with Dr. K. Julien as the feature speaker.

A Review of the G.S.T.T's Activities,
1976-1986

Over the last ten (10) years the Society has been most active in the areas of technical sessions, specialist schools and field trips. Among these, the technical sessions have been most prominent, as they also serve as the forum for regular meetings of the membership. Over 60 technical sessions have been held since the Society's inception and they continue to form the base of the Society's activities. Short courses and field trips, although not as regular as technical sessions, have contributed to the members' development. The Petroleum Industry has been very supportive of efforts by the Society to conduct AAPG, OGCI and other foreign-run short courses. Special secondary school education programmes have also been held regularly.

Apart from these recurrent activities, the Society's executives have always been attempting to increase their areas of influence through special projects organised by other groups. Some of the special activities of the Society over the years have been:

- 4th Latin American Geological Conference, 1979. The executive and general membership played important roles in the planning and execution of this regional conference.

- AAPG affiliation in 1980. This brought the GSTT into the international arena.

- Review and Forecast Seminar on the Petroleum Industry. This seminar, initially a joint venture with Premier Consolidated Oilfields Ltd., became an annual forum for the country's businessmen to update themselves on the state of the industry.

- Newsletter: In 1981 the Society began publishing an official newsletter. Previous newsletters were restricted mainly to inter-membership correspondence.

- 1st Geological Conference of the G.S.T.T. Perhaps the Society's biggest achievement to date, this 3 day conference and symposium on the southeast Caribbean in 1985 was a resounding success. The Transactions of this meeting have been well received and are still available for sale.
The Society has become a recognised professional body over the years, and is being called upon by government and other bodies for advice and help in the geological and petroleum sectors. Although at times severely restricted by a lack of volunteer effort, and a general apathy among some members, the present executive is confident that in the years ahead more significant goals will be achieved.

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THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
P.O. Box 3524, La Romain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

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