Kansas Geological Survey director retiring

LAWRENCE — Scientists at the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) are good at searching for answers to the state’s toughest natural resources challenges. A different kind of KGS search is now under way at the University of Kansas as it begins to seek the next permanent director of a research and service division with origins that date back to the 1860s.

Rex Buchanan, interim director of the KGS since 2010, will retire in June 2016. He joined the KGS in 1978 as director of information. He became assistant director for publications and public affairs in 1983, associate director for public outreach in 1996 and deputy director in 2007.

“I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to work with outstanding colleagues on water, energy and geologic hazards,” Buchanan said. “These are some of the most important long-term issues facing the state of Kansas. The KGS is a leading source of research and information for policy makers and the public, and I’ve enjoyed being part of that.”

In addition to his role at the KGS, Buchanan chairs the Induced Seismicity State Task Force  and serves as secretary of the Association of American State Geologists. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the widely known and highly regarded co-author of Roadside Kansas: A Traveler's Guide to Its Geology and Landmarks as well as editor of Kansas Geology: An Introduction to Landscapes, Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils.

“Rex is a tremendous asset for the university, and it will not be easy to find his successor at the KGS,” said Jim Tracy, vice chancellor for research. “Under his leadership much has been learned about the state’s aquifers, the relationship between saltwater disposal from oil production and earthquakes, and the underground sequestration of carbon dioxide. His focus on providing service to Kansas is a model for all of us at KU.”

Tracy has appointed a 10-person search committee, chaired by KGS staff Greg Ludvigson, chief senior scientist for stratigraphic research, and Jim Butler, senior scientist and section chief for geohydrology. 

The KGS is based in Lawrence on the KU campus and maintains a Well Sample Library of drilling cores in Wichita. The director of the KGS also serves as the state geologist. More information about the KGS is available online.