21 YEARS AFTER HOUSE ARREST IN JIMSAR, XINJIANG PROVINCE, PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA, WHILE STUDYING THE PERMIAN/TRIASSIC BOUNDARY SECTION, A SOON TO BE RETIRED GEOSCIENTIST LOOKS BACK ON MANY INTERNATIONAL EXPLOITS

We are all well aware that rocks and the geologic processes that shape The Earth (or Earth) pay no attention to boundaries, of any form. As our world becomes smaller and smaller through high-speed communication networks of several forms, and we head toward 11+ billion people before the end of 2100, this author argues that there is a greater and greater need for international cooperation across all disciplines in the geosciences to address our key and growing challenges, before it is too late. My experiences with international cooperation came midway in life in the academy. In 1996, I and two colleagues from New Mexico and one from Hungary were fortunate to receive funding from the National Geographic Society to work with a group of Chinese colleagues on what was then considered to be Earth’s best preserved continental Permian/Triassic boundary section, along the Dalonkou River southwest of Jimsar, Xingiang Province. A lack of understanding, likely on all parts, led to collapse of the effort after about 10 days. I and my colleagues were, for all intents and purposes in house arrest and did not know what portended for our future. A quirk of circumstances and diplomatic reasoning allowed us to return home, without anything to show for the endeavor. In retrospect, the learning experience demonstrated the need for patience, respect for cultural differences, and planning ahead. More recent experiences in Yunnan Province, China, Mexico, northwest Vietnam, and the Karoo Basin, South Africa, all involved considerable in advance planning, including establishing the appropriate contacts and, where necessary, permissions. Efforts to establish reciprocal agreements, where foreign collaborators are encouraged/supported to conduct field and laboratory work in the US, have the potential for high impact. As part of this, US geoscientists should be mindful of the fact that we should appreciate the opportunities to work overseas—they are not a given. I have not included the names of individuals involved in any of these experiences; their efforts, perspectives, patience, and willingness to make things work are keenly acknowledged. Perhaps fate is allowing me to return to the Permian/Triassic sections in Xinjiang Province in summer, 2018.