Corporate
Charles P. Watson
President and Chief Geologist
California Professional Geologist No. 7818
+
30 Years of academic and professional experience
Contact: cwatson@advancedgeologic.com

View PDF of Charles Watson's Professional Resume

Professional Resume/Profile: 2011

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE PROFILE

Charles Watson is an experienced and respected professional geologist whose background encompasses domestic and international projects specializing in precious and base metal explorations, geothermal resource assessments, regional earthquake reporting and paleoseismic investigations, environmental monitoring, and commercial and private geotechnical studies. His primary geologic experience comes from education and two corporate ventures that span more than 33 years. He is registered Professional Geologist with the State of California (No. 7818) and a Qualified Person as per the Canadian Instrument 43-101.

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

B.Sc. Geology (1978-1984; 2004), Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA.  

  • Undergraduate Thesis: Geology and geomorphology of the fluvial terrace deposits in a portion of Jacoby Creek Valley, near Bayside, California (Carver, G.A. advisor)
  • Senior Project: Geology of a portion of the Cerro Gordo Range, Southwestern Inyo Mountains, Lone Pine, CA 1983-2004; unpublished report (Carver, G.A. advisor)
  • Senior Project: The erosion of the Mad River Dune Complex, McKinleyville, CA. 1981-1984; unpublished report (Carver, G.A. advisor)

Related Short Course Certificates

  • The Geology of Gold Deposits (1988)
  • Precious Metal Mineralization in Volcanic Terrains (1989)
  • Understanding Mining Law, Richard Harris, et al. (1990)
  • Geologic Application in Remote Sensing (1992)
  • Applications of Down-Hole Geophysical Tools for Geothermal Resource Targeting (1992)
  • Expert Witness Training Course (2006)

Pre-Professional Education Experience

  • Miramonte High School, Orinda, CA, Graduate, (1970-1974)
  • Contra Costa Community College, Richmond, CA (1974-1975)
  • College of the Redwoods, Eureka, CA (1977-1978)

EXPERIENCE

Advanced Geologic Exploration, Inc.

(Advanced Geologic) 1987-Present; Advanced Geologic is a professional geological consulting firm located in Chester, CA. It’s former name, Watson Exploration, operated from 1982-1987 and contributed some minor experience. Advanced Geologic operated in Reno, Nevada from 1987-2002 and was incorporated as a Nevada Class C Corporation in 1998. The business relocated to Lake Almanor, California in 2002 and established an office in Chester in 2005. Advanced Geologic currently has four employees, who have been employed for +4 years each, and several preferred subcontractors. For more information, see http://www.advancedgeologic.com.

Charles Watson is the president and chief geologist of the firm. His 27 years of experience in project management has kept the firm a leader in the professional services community. Projects are performed either on a consulting, prime contractor or subcontractor-basis that often utilizes multiple contractors with appropriate skills and registrations to complete a project’s tasks. Mr. Watson’s broad knowledge across multiple geological service disciplines has kept his firm competitive and progressive. Joint Venture (JV) mining opportunities are available on several of the firms mining claims.

Numerous projects have been conducted across the history of the business. Primary work during the last few years has concentrated on the mineral mining and exploration market, servicing land acquisition pursuits, exploration and mine permitting, compliance representation, and geological and mining consulting.  Advanced Geologic produces several mineral exploration and testing permits (Notice of Intents (NOIs) and/or Plans Of Operations (POOs) every year for their clients. They have also successfully permitted full-scale mine sites in the State of California – the hardest place on the planet to permit a mine. Advanced currently hold active NOIs and POOs on their own mining claims in California, Nevada and Arizona.

Notable recent and/or ongoing projects include:

Mineral Claim Sales. (Geological Consultants, 2007-Present) Charles and Advanced Geologic are co-owners of a project that evaluates, locates and stakes, then sells the placer and lode mining claims. During the course of his career, Charles Watson has staked hundreds of claims for his clients and is knowledgeable on the legal attributes in securing the mineral rights to the land. He has provided expert testimony with his vast experience of the mining law and its application. In this specific capacity, Charles and Advanced Geologic use this knowledge for a substantial business opportunity, filling the needs of both the small prospector and the large resource companies by providing high quality placer and lode mining claims. Hence, the business project retains a significant national market share of mineral claims sales and maintains a substantial portfolio of high quality mineral claims. Approved exploration permits for small and large-scale mining operations accompany some commercial quality mining claims. Advanced Geologic has a 100% approval rating from their clients.

Brown Bear and St. Charles Hill Mines. (Geological Consultants, 2011-Present) Project consisted staking of 1010 acres of placer mining claims in Sierra County, California over a buried Tertiary auriferous gravel deposits. Further work included exploring and mapping underground tunnels and shafts, and limited surface exposures of the gravels. Subsurface geophysical profiles are planned for later this year. Borehole confirmation of geophysical targets is scheduled for the spring of 2012. The limited exposures will be sampled and evaluated for economic potential. An Exploration and Testing Permit will be required for this sampling.

Omega Mine. (Geological Consultants, 2011-Present) Responsible for preparing an Exploration and Testing Permit in Nevada County, California. Project consists of testing the auriferous gravel deposits left behind by intense hydraulic mining era in the Washington Mining District. Initial testing will be limited to a 1,000 cubic yards of processed material and under one acre of surface disturbance. Site reconnaissance has been performed and testing is ongoing and within legal limits as per Nevada County code and the State of California guidelines.

Jackpot Mine. (Geological Consultants, 2011-Present) Responsible for preparing a Plan Of Operations mining permit with the Bureau of Land Management, Yuma District, Arizona for the Jackpot Placer Mining Corporation. Project will consist of mining the massive auriferous gravel deposits in the Plomosa Mining District within the Jackpot collection of claim blocks (+830 acres). The project will initially process between 500-800 cubic yards per day and will be a world-class mine producing several hundred ounces of gold and other precious and base metals per month.

KD Mine. (Geological Consultants, 2010-Present) Responsible for preparing a Plan Of Operations with the Lincoln National Forest Service, Lincoln County, New Mexico. Project will consist of testing the massive auriferous gravel deposits in the Jacarilla Mining District within the KD claim block. Initial testing will be limited to a 1,000 cubic yards of processed material and under five acres of surface disturbance.

King Solomon Consolidated Mine. (Geological Consultants, 2010) Responsible for the staking 80 acres of new lode claims around the patented lands near Quincy, Plumas County, California and consulting on the Phase 1 reconnaissance methods for sampling and mining of the ore.

Giant King Mine. (Project Managers, 2009-2010) Responsible for the precious metal evaluation and land acquisition for the underground mine in the Washington Mining District, Nevada County, CA. They successfully identified and procured more that 580 acres of new mineral claims. A small-scale mining phase was planned.

Blue Lead Gold Mining, LLC. (Project Managers, 2008-Present) Responsible for the Nevada County Special Use Permit, SMARA approved Mine Plan and Reclamation Plan for the 73-acre Blue Lead Gold Mine, Red Dog Mining District, Grass Valley, CA. The project has included permitting, economic evaluation, expert testimony for compliance, and facilitating investor relations. In 2009, the owners opted for a Vested Mining Rights hearing, in which Advanced Geologic teamed up with a legal staff to conduct research, prepare documents, and to provide expert witness testimony. A Planning Commission 3-2-approval vote initially granted the vested rights, however, in a later hearing called by the misinformed public, the rights were rescinded.

Triple Duty Mining, LLC (Project Managers, 2008-2010) Lead Permit Coordinators for the Triple Duty Mine near Henley, CA. Responsible for development of the Exploration Plan, Use Permit and Reclamation Plan, and various related permitting requirements for the 132-acre placer gold mine. Advanced Geologic successfully procured the Special Use Permit from Siskiyou County and secured the Mine and Reclamation permit from the State of California. The mine is currently operating and producing gold.

Home Ticket Ventures, LLC. (Geological Consultants, (2009) Home Ticket Mine and the Sage Hill Mine, Forrest Hill, CA. Responsible for understanding of the valid mining claim status of the Last Chance Ridge and Sage Hill areas and procuring more that 1,300 acres of new mineral claims.

Plumas County School District. (Geological Consultants, 2006-2007) Evaluation of the Greenville High School Geothermal Well, Greenville, CA. The study conducted field investigations of the geothermal well, researched the current and past usages of the Indian Valley geothermal resource from Indian Valley Hot Springs Resort and the Indian Valley Community Hospital, and made recommendations for continued development.

Doyle Camp Enterprises. (Geological Consultants, 2006) Investigation of the Honey Lake Fault Zone near Doyle, California), Responsible for the Alquist-Priola study that outlined the paleoseismic history of the fault zone for a residential structure. The conclusions were later presented in a publication produced by the Nevada Petroleum Society in 2008.

Contour Development, Inc. (2005-2006) Project Managers, Deer Creek Ranch Estates 90-Unit Subdivision, Tehama County, California. Responsible for producing the technical aspects required for the Tehama County Special Use Permit.

Selected significant past projects that were principally performed as professional consultant include:

Lassen Volcanic National Park, Mineral, CA. (Geologist, 2002-2004); Geologic mapping, soil/tephra sampling and spring documentation was conducted in support of the wetland management applications for the Drakesbad Meadow Restoration Project. The project was planned and implemented by Charles Watson and peer reviewed. The project produced a number of unpublished reports and maps.

Geothermal Development Associates, Inc., Reno, NV. (Senior project geologist, 1990-1992) Responsible for the resource exploration and development of the Bradys 21 MW Geothermal Power Plant, Churchill County, NV. At the direction of the senior geologist, the team accurately identified a commercial geothermal resource for the Bradys Geothermal Power Plant. Well intercepts at depths up to 3,500 feet were successfully targeted by integrating detailed geologic mapping with surface and subsurface geophysical investigations.

Geoconsultants, San Jose, CA; Geologist, 1991-1992; Geologic mapping and economic property analysis for the RHT and GEL lode claims, Mineral County, NV. Detailed geology and geochemical report led to increasing the economic value of the properties. Evidence was rooted in detailed geologic mapping and sampling as well as organization of geochemical signatures.

Antilles Resources, Spokane, WA. (Geologist, Crew chief, 1990-1991) Economic property evaluation of the Island of Dominica, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean. Bedrock geology mapping and mineral inventory surveys were employed to recommend potential precious and base metal targets for future evaluations. Responsible for international logistical assignments and team-management of an island-wide stream sediment-sampling program. Based upon the teams recommendations, a diamond drill program was deployed the following year.

NERCO Minerals, Reno, NV. (Geologist, 1988-1989) Responsible for economic property evaluations for 12 map sections of the Northern Shoshone Range, Landers County, NV. Bedrock geology was mapped and economic potentials were identified Targets were evaluated through extensive field mapping and sampling, road cutting and drilling. The project included reconnaissance as well as site-specific evaluations over 12-map sections. Conclusions greatly enhanced the land position of the mining claims.

Seismo-Watch, Inc., (SWI) Chester, CA (formerly Reno, NV); 1992-2008. Seismo-Watch was a small earthquake information company that services multimedia, government and public clients. Nationally acclaimed earthquake reports had been featured in over 50 newspapers in California, Nevada, and Utah during its 18-year tenure, reaching over 7.5 million potential readers per week during its prime. SWI was a subsidiary of Advanced Geologic Exploration, Inc. until 2000 when its was spun off to form a Nevada Class C Corporation. The corporation transferred all its holdings back to Advanced Geologic Exploration in 2003 following collapse of the media industry the previous year.

Charles Watson was the president of the firm. He was responsible for all corporate and data production-related tasks. Various personnel have assisted with specific projects and have contributed to the ongoing success of the company’s goals. Earthquake information products have reached multimedia outlets spanning radio, television, newsprint and the internet. Limited distribution of the earthquake reports still occur, and a new product, the “Earthquake Report” is in circulation.

In summary, data is obtained from local, national or global seismic networks, converted into useable formats and then transferred to specific maps for individual applications. Simple magnitude and time/date annotations are made for significant events, graphs, tables and charts present activity trends, and bullet-style discussions briefly highlight notable activity. Significant effort is focused on providing current and accurate geological and seismological information in a way that is easy for the lay person to understand. The methods and business goal were peer reviewed in a presentation to the 2001 National Convention of the Seismological Society of America.

Charles has written numerous professional geologic reports, papers, and investigation summaries on earthquake activity and is widely used as a spokesperson for earthquake safety. He is the principal design engineer of seismo-watch.com, which, during its prime, received over two million hits per month. Charles was a board member of the Nevada Earthquake Safety Council from 1994-2000 and a member of the Western States Seismic Policy Council from 1995-2001. He has been a partner in earthquake safety with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US Geological Survey and many state and local emergency management organizations.

Charles has given expert deposition and testimony to the California Seismic Safety Commission and the Nevada State Legislature in support of earthquake safety measures. During his term with the Nevada Earthquake Safety Council, he played a key role on various committees, including the geosciences, awareness and education, and bylaws. Charles is a recipient of the Nevada Earthquake Safety Council Outstanding Achievement Award.

PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT RECORD

A vast amount of geotechnical experience was acquired between 1984 and 2008 from the following companies:

Kleinfielder and Associates, Inc., San Ramon, CA, Technician, 1984-1986
Construction Materials Testing, Inc., Concord, CA, Technician, 1986-1987
Pezonella and Associates, Inc., Reno, NV, Technician and Geologist, 1987-1988
Summit Engineering, Inc., Reno, NV, Geologist, 1988
Porter Geotechnical, Ltd. Reno, NV Geologist, Subcontractor, 1988-2004
Hock Engineering. Lake Almanor, CA Geologist, Contractor/Subcontractor, 2003-2008

REFERENCES

Selected Professional References
California Board of Geology and Geophysics, Professional Geologist No. 7818, (916) 263-2222
Geological Society of Nevada, Membership (775) 323-3500
Better Business Bureau, (703) 276-0100

Selected Recent Regulator References

Leslie Edlund, Mt. Hough Ranger District, Plumas National Forest, Quincy, (530) 283-0555
Rowland Hinkel, Planning Department, Siskiyou County, California (530) 842-8203
 
Jessica Hankins, Planning Department, Nevada County, California (530) 265-9851

Selected Recent Client References

Robert White, Blue Lead Gold Mine, LLC. (925) 787-1446
Panos Gianneotis  Jackpot Mining, LLC (310) 365-0783
Joseph Stack, King Solomon Consolidated Mine, (949) 723-1829, Ext. 315
Ken Davis, KD Mine (575) 258-5893

Additional References

Scott Herns, Publisher, ICMJ’s  Prospecting and Mining Journal, (831) 479-4385
Jason Muir, Holdrege & Kull, Consulting Engineers (530) 478-1305

Publications available upon request.

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