Society of Independent Professional
Earth Scientists

 Click here for the 2026 S.I.P.E.S. Dues Form - please use this form to update your contact information as well

Click here to pay your dues online

---

Next Event:

April 23, 2026

Our Presenter:

Ronald S. Bell

"Modern Geological Mapping: Boots on the Ground and Drones in the Air"

All attendees MUST RSVP!

Please RSVP by 11:30 a.m. on April 20

Click here to RSVP

When: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where: Wynkoop Brewery - 1634 18th Street, Denver, CO 80202

Cost Structure:

• Members $25 (Presentation & Meal)
• Non-members $30 (Presentation & Meal)
• Walk-ins will no longer be allowed due to an issue with the Wynkoop.  Please pre-purchase a lunch to attend.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Please feel free to share this information with any friends and colleagues who might be interested!

Mask requirements voluntary for vaccinated attendees.

Abstract:

Mapping the surface of the earth has never been easier nor as immediate. Anyone with access to the internet can download a Google Earth image of the earth’s surface along with SRTM digital elevation data. The next step is to simply fire up a favorite mapping application and “voila”, within minutes the start of a surface geological map will begin to emerge.

Many affordable, programmable drones come equipped with a high resolution camera capable of collecting the photographs required for creating a high-definition, detailed color orthophoto and a digital surface model (DSM). These modern mapping devices are so portable, a modern mapping field geologist can collect, process, map, and upload a high-resolution digital map of the geology to the cloud while in the field before returning to base camp or the office. The more advanced “field geos” will likely upgrade to a drone configured with a spectral or a thermal camera and in some cases, a gamma ray spectrometer with which to determine rock properties.

Geologists with a desire to map subsurface geology are deploying drones configured with a magnetometer to map the geospatial variations earth’s magnetic field or an electromagnetic (EM) system capable of mapping variations in electrical conductivity in the near surface or to depths of several kilometers. Magnetometers suspended from a drone are routinely deployed to locate unseen vertical steel pipes with no indicators on the surface. During the past decade, hundreds of legacy oil and gas wells along with associated buried infrastructure have been precisely located using drone magnetometry. Miniaturization of electronics and advances in sensor technology coupled with affordable, autonomously operated versatile airborne vehicles will continue to impact and improve how the earth is mapped and monitored.

Whether exploring for extractable resources, performing an environmental site characterization, or monitoring an earth process impacting humankind’s very existence, “Boots on the ground and drones in the air” is the modern way to map geology.

Bio:

Ronald S. Bell is the Senior Geophysicist and geoDRONEologist for Drone Geoscience, LLC, a geophysical consulting and services company headquartered in Denver, Colorado with an office in Houston, Texas. Ron has over four (4) decades of experience applying geophysical methods to mineral, geothermal, groundwater, and hydrocarbon exploration as well as environmental projects. He began using UAVs to map the Earth’s magnetic field in 2016. In 2021, drone-enabled electromagnetic (EM) methods for metal detection and soil conductivity were added to the toolbox.

WHAT IS SIPES?

The Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES) is the only national organization designed exclusively for the independent or consulting professional earth scientist. Members include geologists, engineers, geophysicists, geochemists, and other earth scientists.

---

Our Mission

To be the pre-eminent organization for furthering the professional business interests of independent practitioners of earth sciences. 

• Professional Competence

• Professional Business Ethics

• Presenting a favorable, credible and effective image of Society

Local Events:

Monthly Meetings

Meetings for 2026 will be held at the

Wynkoop Brewery

1634 18th Street

Denver, CO 80202