Socorro, NM
May 7, 2020
The New Mexico Bureau of Geology is excited to welcome new Senior Petroleum Geologist Luke Martin. Luke joins the Bureau with thirteen years of experience in the oil and gas industry.
“I’m thankful to be working for the Bureau as a petroleum geologist,” says Luke. “It allows me to utilize my past experience, still be connected to the industry, and work in the service of others.”
Luke worked extensively in the Arkoma Basin in Oklahoma, east Texas and northern Louisiana, in the Anadarko basin of Oklahoma, and in the Delaware basin in west Texas. In his previous positions, he worked in planning and drilling of horizontal wells, he managed teams of geologists, conducted geologic mapping, interpreted 3D seismic sections, developed field exploitation plans, and provided geologic input for leasing and mineral acquisition opportunities.
He received his Master’s of Science degree from Northern Arizona University studying stratigraphy and sedimentology in the Longwell Ridges area near Lake Mead, Nevada.
“My time in the field taught me to always consider small-scale features that can affect well performance,” says Luke. “The mapping involved with my MS research trained me to think of lateral changes in facies. I am very interested in outcrop to subsurface correlation.”
Luke plans to apply his experience to several immediate projects, including refining and developing the digital subsurface database that allows people to access information about cores stored in the Bureau’s extensive subsurface library. Through his industry connections, Luke wants to form partnerships to study basins in New Mexico, and will likely include New Mexico Tech students on these projects.
“We are very excited to have Luke join the Bureau, and his combination of strong geoscience background and long industry experience make him a great fit for our organization,” says Bureau Director and State Geologist Dr. Nelia Dunbar. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the good work that he, along with his colleagues Joseph Grigg, Ron Broadhead and Annabelle Lopez, will do for the benefit of our state.”