About

Mark was born in Berwyn, Illinois and soon after moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he first learned about rock and rock hounding.  He attended Baylor University and The University of Oklahoma before returning to the West and graduating w/ a BS in Business from Southern Utah State University (now SUU). He went on to received his BS in Geology from Weber State University and a MS from University of Nevada-Reno MacKay School of Mines.  Most of his geologic career was in the oil and gas industry, with early work in the mining industry with Anaconda Copper and Phelps-Dodge in Nevada.  While doing a Master’s Thesis in central Nevada, Mark assisted Tenneco/HOM with the discovery of the Illipah Summit gold deposit at the south end of the Carlin Trend.