24
BULLETIN HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Houston, Texas
B U L L E T I N
HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Houston, Texas
OFFICERS
. F'resident ....................... Willfam A Gormsn .......... FA 3-0346 1st V k e President ............... Philip R . Allin ............. CA 5-0111
. 2nd Vice President ............... Benjamin T Simmons ........ FA 3-0493 Secretary ....................... Clerk Ed&comb. Jr . . . . . . . . . WA 8-2511 Treasurer . . . . . . . . . Thomar, M . Burke . . . . . . . . . . . CA 5-0331
G r e y Crmeis Shirley L . Mason
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMEN
Edd R . Turner. Jr., Ex-Officio Ben F . Morgan
Marian S . Roberta
COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
STANDING COMMITTEES
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finance Publications .................... Technical Program ............... Awards & Loens ................. Personnel Placement ............. Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Research 8a Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boy Scout ...................... Eaterta hment ...................
Bruce Forney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FA 3467 Philip R . Anin ............. CA 5-qIll Benjamin T . Simmons ........ FA 3-0493 Jack Colle ................. CA 7-6266 A.G. Sterr ................. CA 5-4411 lie N . Patternoh. Jr. . . . . . . . . CA 5-4411 William R . Waltun ........... CA 7-4371 Lowell K . Mower ........... JA 4-8628 Roy M . Rhodes ............. RI 7-1300
SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Ballot .......................... Convention Preparation ........... Distribution of Publications ....... Engineers Council . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exhibits G . C . A . G . S . A.A.P.G. : ..............
Foreign Papers .................. Lfbrary h Academic Liaison ...... Membership ..................... Preservation of Samples h Cores . . . Remembrance ................... Transportation .................. Advisors to Museum of Natural
Hia tory ...................... CGAGS Representative ...........
M . Stephen Kovac ........... CA 34645 WA . Thoma8 ............... CA 2-9121 I.W. Norman ................ CA 3-4901 K e ~ e t h A . Payne .......... CA 5-3040 Howard Schoenike . . . . . . . . . . M 0 5-7W9
B . Otto Pixler .............. JA 4-6381 Richaml B . Hdrlt ........... CA 5-0517 George C . Hardin. Jr . . . . . . . . M0 7-5601 Judd H . Oualline ........... CA 8-6321 Charles W . Stuckey. Jr . . . . . . . JA 9-4821 John .L. P. Campbell ......... WA 8-5311 Carleton D . Speed. Jr ........ CA 4-2523
E.W. Buck ................. CA 8-5161 Fred M . Schall. Jr . . . . . . . . . . . CA 2-9481 Wendell L . Lewis ........... CA 3-4901
T H E B U L L E T I N
THIS MONTH
VOLUME 3 NUMBER 5
Meeting Notice .......................................... P a g e 2
I t ems f r o m E d i t o r ' s Desk ................................ P a g e 3
............................ News of M e m b e r s . . . . . . . . . . . P a g e 6
News of Othe r Soc ie t i e s ................................. P a g e 8
GeoScience Notes ....................................... P a g e 13
THE BULLETIN OF THE HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Office -234 Esperson Bldg. - Houston 2 , Texas - FA 3-9309
Subscription Price $3.00 per year.
Published monthly, September to June by
CARDINAL PRINTING AND L E T T E R SERVICE, INC.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor W.K. Canada, Mobil Oil Co.. C A 8-0541
Ass't. Editor . . . . . . . . . Arthur S. Dickinson, Lion Oil Co. . . . . . . . . . CA 3-4011
. . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Editor Neil E. Hanson, MPS Production Co. CA 4-7871
M E E T I N G N O T I C E
Vol. 3, No. 5 J a n u a r y
F I F T H REGULAR MEETING - JANUActY 9
The fifth r e g u l a r m e e t i n g of the 1960-1961 y e a r wi l l be held on Monday evening, J a n u a r y 9, 196 1, on the 10th f loor of the l lous ton Club. The s o c i a l h o u r wi l l begin a t 5:15 p .m. , d inner a t 6:00 p . m .
A "local f i e lds" p r o g r a m wil l be p r e s e n t e d by four s p e a k e r s , cov- e r i n g the f ie lds l i s t ed below. E a c h s p e a k e r wi l l be a l lo t ted f r o m 10 to 15 m i n u t e s . T h i s p r o g r a m should be of cons ide rab le i n t e r e s t to a l l our m e m b e r s .
1) Midf ie lds F i e l d , Matagorda County, T e x a s - J a m e s 0. Lewis . M r . Lewis was g radua ted f r o m the Univers i ty of Kentucky in
1946, and w o r k e d with Magnolia 1948-50. He w a s with the Houston d i s t r i c t of P a t R u t h e r f o r d 1950-55, a t which t ime h e became a consu l - tant.
2) U m b r e l l a Po in t , C h a m b e r s County. T e x a s - John D. h l a r s h . M r . M a r s h , a c h a r t e r m e m b e r of The T e r r a Club and d i s t r i c t
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of the AAPG f r o m Houston, w a s b o r n n e a r Da l las , T e x a s and s e r v e d i n W o r l d W a r 11, a f t e r which he a t tended the Univers i ty of T e x a s , g radua t ing i n 1949 With a B.S. i n Geology. H e worked f o r F r e e p o r t Sulphur i n the o i l and gas divis ion unt i l 1955, a t which t i m e h e went t o w o r k f o r T idewate r . H e w a s recen t ly t r a n s f e r r e d t o Corpus C h r i s t i .
3) Redfish Reef F i e l d , C h a m b e r s County, T e x a s - E a r l Stout. M r . Stout was b o r n in Kaufman, T e x a s . In 1950 h e was g radu- -
a t e d f r o m T e x a s T e c h with a B.S. i n geology. Th i s was followed by a s t in t i n the A r m y , a f t e r which h e r e t u r n e d to T e x a s T e c h to e a r n a M a s t e r ' s d e g r e e i n geology i n 1954. H e h a s been with Humble s i n c e 1954 i n s u b s u r f a c e product ion geology. H e i s now a s s i s t a n t t o the a r e a product ion geologis t .
4) P a l a c i o s F i e l d , Matagorda County, T e x a s - W. T . Spurlock. M r . Spur lock w a s b o r n i n Houston, T e x a s . H e a t tended T e x a s
A&M f o r t h r e e y e a r s and f in i shed h i s d e g r e e i n geology a t the Univer - s i ty of Houston. H e went to w o r k f o r Walter S te r l ing i n 1948 and shif ted to T e n n e s s e e G a s & T r a n s m i s s i o n with that r eorgan iza t ion . H e s e r v e d a s a Lieutenant i n the E n g i n e e r s i n 1952-54 and r e t u r n e d to T e n n e s s e e G a s & Oil.
FEBRUAXY MEETING
DR. ROBERT W. DECKER, a Dis t inguished L e c t u r e r , wi l l speak a t the F e b r u a r y 13 mee t ing . H i s sub jec t w i l l be "Renewed Activity of Anak K r a k a t a u , " a volcano located i n Indonesia.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
Severa l years ago the South Louisiana Geological Society prepared a repor t of Scholarships in Geology and related courses of study avail- able in Louisiana. Such a repor t on a regional o r national scope would be helpful and most useful, and a very worthwhile project for the Hous- ton Geological Society to undertake.
The availability of scholarships and the conditions underwhich they a r e available a r e no s e c r e t s ; but this information is not easi ly acces - sible. Following is a n announcement sent by DeWitt Van Siclen, Head of the Department of Geology, University of Houston.
"Four- ear scholar ships ~ a y i n g a l l tuition, fees , and textbooks up to $1,000 per year a r e available for five male f r e shmen intending to major in geology (including geophysics), o r petroleum engineering at the University of Houston. If you know of a young man planning to enter college next fal l to ma jo r in one of these subjects , you should cal l h is attention to this opportunity. With such a scholarsh ip a man can even pay h i s en t i re way through college by working par t - t ime and during the summers , o r by borrowing at low in teres t r a t e s under the U.S. National Defense Loan P r o g r a m . The major oi l company that provides these scholarships a l so furnishes s u m m e r jobs to a s many of the recipients a s possible.
"To be eligible, the applicant mus t graduate in the upper one-third of h i s high school c lass . Scholarships a r e awarded on the basis of scholast ic ability, m o r a l cha rac t e r , and financial need. Applications should be submitted by 30 March 1961 to: Office of Loans and Scholar- ships, University of Houston, Houston 4, Texas. "
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE
You a r e a l l aware that the Houston Geological Society has a group insurance plan covering Accidental Death, Dismemberment, and Disa- bility in which some of our members participate. To be exact , there a r e 107 in the plan but this includes quite a number of wives.
It has recently been brought to our attention that some of our neighboring societ ies have more extensive plans of group coverage and your executive committee would like to know if there i s sufficient in- t e r e s t among our membership to war ran t a study of the various plans available, in o r d e r to select the most desirable for presentat ion to our group.
The New Or leans Geological Society made a study through a n In- surance Committee which resul ted in the i r recommending a plan of Disability Income, and a $10,000.00 Major Medical Expense P l a n for m e m b e r s and the i r fami l ies . It can a l so be i s sued to cover office e m - ployees if such coverage i s des i red .
The Dallas Geological Society h a s a plan offering a much wider range of coverage and the individual m e m b e r s may se lec t any of the various types of insurance which might sui t the i r par t icu la r need.
In addition to being contacted by the companies offering the above mentioned plans, we have been approached by two o ther insurance com- panies wanting t o presen t plans f o r consideration.
A g rea t dea l of study would be neces sa ry if our Society d e s i r e s to go into th i s ma t t e r . Your Execut ive Committee does not wish t o under- take th i s effort un less we have sufficient express ion of in te res t f r o m our m e m b e r s . If any member of the Society i s in te res ted in this type of group insurance, p lease contact one of your off icers and so advise.
NEW ADVANCEMENT PLAN
Many of you may have r ead in the November 14 i ssue of Oil and Gas Journal , Vol. 58 #46, about the new and ex t remely t imely advance- ment plan of the Lion Oil Company. The a r t i c l e i s repr in ted below by permiss ion of the Oil and Gas Journal , through F r a n k I. Gardner , to cal l to your attention what the management of one oi l company thinks about the r ewards due and cou r se of advancement to be offered geolo- gis ts .
Other companies may have a s imi l a r plan o r may have in prac t ice such a plan.
Geologists in oi l companies have often thought about their future with the oi l company. They have wondered whether the i r opportunities fo r advancement a r e only along the management o r administrat ive route . A geologist spends f r o m four to a s much a s s i x to eight y e a r s in college studying and s t r iv ing to p r epa re himself for a c a r e e r in geology. Many want to continue working in the i r chosen profession r a the r than in manager ia l o r administrat ive capaci t ies . The Lion Oil Co. plan should be studied careful ly by managements of other oi l companies and ser ious considerat ion given by those companies to rewarding and advancing those geologists whose g r ea t e s t contributions can be made i n finding and developing oil and gas.
The announcement by Mr . H. H . Bible, P r e s iden t of the Lion Oil Co., of the f i r s t appointment under the new plan followed ve ry short ly a f t e r the announcement of the plan. Our fellow member , Ar t Dickinson, was honored a s the f i r s t appointment. (See News of Members , page 6.)
FIND OIL - AND YOU'LL MOVE UP AT LION
. . .New plan for promotion gives rockhounds a choice. They can reach the top by going the administrative route, or--if paper work seems too irksome--they can get just' a s far by perfecting their professional abilities . Lion Oil Co. has come up with a plan for rewarding geologists and
geophysicists who can find new oil but don't want to be administrators. The company, a division of Monsanto Chemical Go., believes the
plan i s unique in the oil industry because it places the emphasis on "finding oil," rather than on experimental work in the laboratory. In 6ther words, if an oil finder wants to better himself without going the management route, he does i t by living up to his name--discovering new oil.
If he chooses to follow this course, he i s freed from administrative duties and will concentrate on his professional work. In such things as salary and fringe benefits, he can earn stature equal to that of compar- able administrators .
The purpose of such a plan, according to exploration director E. L. Maxwell at Houston, i s to upgrade men who have the "rare talent" for finding oil without burdening them with administrative duties. It i s not, Maxwell emphasized, a catchall for misfits unable to do administrative work.
'We will never tarnish this program by putting someone in i t s im- ply because he can't do anything else,Ir Maxwell said. "We want talented - geologists to be ambitious and become a part of this program.
How it works.. .Under the.table of organization, geologists and geophy- sicists will follow one of two routes after they have gone a certain dis- ,
tance in the company. All beginning geologists, for example, must f i r s t pass through the
categories of geologist 11, geologist, and senior geologist. Beyond the latter point they will branch off into one of two lines of progression-- administrative o r scientific. It i s the scientific line that i s new.
The three scientific categories: . . .Resident geologist. This man is comparable to a distr ict geol-
ogist in salary and benefits. To get the appointment, he must have demonstrated an ability to do
'high quality, original geologic work. He works under the regional geologist, and thereby has, a shorter channel of communication to the company's top brass in recommending drilling locations. . . . Exploration geologist. This man i s comparable in salary and benefits to a regional geologist o r regional exploration manager.
To win the job, he must have demonstrated lrscientific ability to find new oil and gas fields through original, independent geologic inves- tigation. t ' He has wide discretion in how he uses his time and talents.
He can work in any part of a given region (Lion has three in the U.S.), using his own oil-finding ideas on his own initiative. His imme- diate boss i s Lion's director of domestic (or foreign) production and
(Cont. on page 18)
NEWS (J,'~
IRA CRAM returns to Houston as Senior Vice President, Chairmanof the executive committee, and assistant to the President of the Conti-
nental Oil Company. Mr. Cram has been in the New York City office ofContinental in charge of world-wide exploration and production policyand will continue in this capacity in Houston.
DR. DeWITT C. VAN SIC LEN of the University of Houston spoketo the Dallas Geological Society about "Depositional Topography" onNovember 9th. This is the subject of his 1958 paper in the Bulletin ofthe AAPG.
DR. MAX F. CARMAN of the University of Houston delivered a"Geological Travelogue of Brazil" before a Graduate Technical Sessionat the Geology Department of the University of Texas on December 8th.Dr. Carman returned in 1959 from two years in Brazil, where he helpedto establish a school of geology for Petrobras, the Brazilian NationalPetroleum Company.
ARTHUR S. DICKINSON, district geologist for Lion Oil Company,has been named an "exploration geologist" under Lion's new advance-ment plan for rewarding and making effective use of geologists and geo-physicists who find oil for the company. (See page 4.).r
Dickinson, wh"o joined Lion in 1954as a geologist at Corpus Christi, is thefirst appointee under the scientific ad-vancement plan which was announcedby the company last month.
The new assignment for Dickinsonplaces him on a level comparable to aregional geologist or regional explora-tion manager, but without any of theadministrative duties. His duties and
responsibilities are "to investigate thegeology of any area he chooses" withinth e Southern exploration region, towhich he is assigned. He is expectedalso to use his own oil-finding ideas onhis own initiative, reporting his re-commendations to Lion I s director ofdomestic exploration.
Dickins on was promoted by Lionto district geologist at Houston in 1956. His headquarters will continueto be in Houston.
A native of Denver, Colo., Dickinson attended Colorado School of
6
Mines , obtaining a geolegical engineer ing d e g r e e i n 1950. P r i o r to h i s Lion Oil connection, he s e r v e d four y e a r s a s a subsur face geologist i n Colorado and T e x a s f o r a m a j o r oil company.
Dickinson h a s published a paper , "A Discuss ion of Hydrodynamic P r i n c i p l e s a s Applied to the E n t r a p m e n t of P e t r o l e u m in the Gulf Coast , " which a p p e a r e d i n 1956 in the T r a n s a c t i o n s of the Gulf Coas t Assoc ia t ion of Geological Societ ies . H e i s a m e m b e r of the A m e r i c a n Associat ion of P e t r o l e u m Geologis ts and the Houston Geological Society.
G L E N H . JOHNSON, D i s t r i c t Geologis t in the Houston Explorat ion Dis t r i c t , h a s been p r o m o t e d to Superintendent of Explorat ion, Wichita, K a n s a s , d i s t r i c t office, which i s in the Mobil Oil Company Denver divi- sion.
CHASE RITTS, Division Manager of P a n A m e r i c a n , h a s been t r a n s f e r r e d to Chicago a s Co-ord ina tor of Explorat ion, Produc t ion and T r a n s p o r t a t i o n f o r S tandard of Indiana. H i s p lace h e r e wil l be t aken by John C. Johnston.
J u s t before going to p r e s s we w e r e g r ieved t o h e a r of the t r a g i c death of BEN M. GAITHER. Ben was only 41 y e a r s of age and, a l - though r e c u r r e n t a t t acks of a mal ignan t i l lness had caused g r a v e con- c e r n , the news w a s a shock. His many f r i e n d s in the Society have suf fe red a g r e a t l o s s . An ob i tuary wil l a p p e a r in a l a t e r i s s u e of the Bulletin.
Recent new m e m b e r s a r e :
Anderson. Mitzi Annette (Anne) She l l Development Company Bender , M. J. Brock, J o h n L , G.. Jr . Bryan, Roger W. Coppedge, D. G. E l lzey , Rober t T., Jr. E v a n s , S a m R, Goheen, H u n t e r C. Heggland, R. W. L i e s e , Milton G. Love, Donald W. Mann, Wiley J . Marmaduke , R . C. Menconi, L a w r e n c e C. Michels , Joseph C., J r . M o r r i s , J a m e s L. M o r r i s , J e f f e r y Van Norden N e w f a r m e r , L e o R. R a d e r , Wil l iam L. Rickard , Hi l ton L. Spaulding, W a l t e r M. Stein. F. B.
Mobil Oi l Company Humble Oil & Refining Co. Union Oil Co. of Cal i fornia Sohio P e t r o l e u m Company Lion Oil Company J e f f e r s o n Lake Sulphur Co. Consultant Continental Oi l Company Texaco, Inc. T idewate r Oil Company T h e Super io r Oil Company A u s t r a l Oi l Corpora t ion Humble Oil & Refining Co. T e n n e s s e e G a s The P u r e Oil Company Sun Oil Company Shel l Oi l Company Sohio P e t r o l e u m Company She l l Oil Company Continental Oil Company T e n n e s s e e G a s & Oil
New m e m b e r s - Cont'd
Summers . P a u l H . T rav i s . H e r b e r t S. Weyand, J ack C.
Vernor Oil & Gas Company P a n Geo Atlas Corporat ion Sidney Schafer & Company
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 06
AGI OFFICERS
New of f ice rs of the Amer ican Geological Institute e lected Novem- be r 3, 1960, by the Board of D i r ec to r s a r e : P r e s iden t , Ian Campbell; Vice-Pres iden t , Gordon I. Atwater ( long-t ime m e m b e r of HGS); Sec- r e t a r y - T r e a s u r e r , Donald H. Dow. P a s t p res iden t of AGI i s Raymond C. Moore.
Recent ly e lected off icers of the Gulf Coast Section of the Society of Economic Paleontologis ts and Mineralogis ts a r e : Pres iden t , Claude M. Quigley, Jr., S tandard Oil Company of Texas , Houston; Vice-Pres iden t , Haro ld V. Anderson, Louis iana S ta te University, Baton Rouge, La. ; Sec re t a ry , E . A. Butler , Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, La. ; T r e a s u r e r , Edward Marks , Union Oil Company of California, Houston; Bus iness Represen ta t ive , H. L . Tipsword, Mobil Oil Com- pany, Houston.
CORPUS CHRIST1 GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
New of f ice rs of the Corpus Chr i s t i Geological Society a r e : P r e s i - dent, Cha r l e s M. Baker , Continental Oil Company; 1s t Vice-pres iden t , Dale R. Olsen, P u r e Oil Company; 2nd Vice-Pres iden t , Joseph W. McCullough, C a r r l Oil Company; Sec r e t a ry , Kenneth E . Nelson, Tex- aco ; T r e a s u r e r , F r e d M. Thompson, J r . , Houston Natura l Gas P r o - ducing Co.
LAFAYETTE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
New off icers of the Lafayet te Geological Society a r e : P r e s iden t , Samuel A. Spencer , Phi l l ips Pe t ro l eum Company; Vice P re s iden t , W. S. McAlis ter , Texas E a s t e r n T ransmi s s ion Co. ; Sec re t a ry , Jui ian Morgan, T idewater Oil Company; T r e a s u r e r , G a r y Reagan, Ohio Oil Company.
PAN GEO ATLAS CORP.
POINDEXTER EXPLORATION COMPANY
POPE GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY
PRECISION EXPLORATION COMPANY
RESEARCH EXPLORATIONS, INC.
ROBERT H. RAY COMPANY
SOUTHWESTERN INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS CO.
TAYLOR EXPLORATION CO., INC.
TEXAS GAS EXPLORATION CORPORATION
---- 0 ----
TEX-TUBE, INC.
TIDELANDS EXPLORATION COMPANY
EDGAR TOBlN AERIAL SURVEYS
SUPPORT YOUR BULLETIN ADVERTISERS
L. L. RIDGEWAY COMPANY
RINEHART OIL NEWS COMPANY
ROGERS GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY
OTIS RUSSELL DRILLING COMPANY
SCHLUMBERGER WELL SURVEYING CORP.
SEISMOGRAPH SERVICE CORPORATION
WELEX, INC.
---- 0 ----
APACHE EXPLORATION CO., INC.
---- 0 ----
INDEPENDENT EXPLORATION COMPANY
---- 0 ----
WILSON SUPPLY COMPANY
---- 0 ----
HOUSTON BLUE PRINT & STATIONERY COMPANY
---- o---
THE GEOPHYSICAL DIRECTORY
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY Space for Profrssional Cards of Members
R. P. AKKERMAN Geologist EXPLORATION Engineer
Review of Subsurface Data
3425 Bradford Place MA 3-4327 Houston 25, Texas
E. J. BARRAGY lndependent
3005 Buffalo Drive Box 13277
Houston 19, Texas
JOHN L. BIBLE Gravity-Magnetic Surveys
Interpretations
1045 Esperson Bldg. Houston 2, Texas
JOHN W. BYERS Consulting Geophysicist
5427 Lotus PA 3-4674
Houston, Texas
RALPH B. CANTRELL Petroleum
Geologist & Engineer
4005 Bellaire Blvd. Houston 25, Texas
LESLIE BOWLING Oil & Gas Consultant
503 California Bldg.
New Orleans. Louisiana
JACK COLLE Consulting Geologist
& Paleontologist 91 1 San Jacinto Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
PAUL FARREN Geophysical Consultant
1528 Bank of the Southwest Bldg. FA 3-1356
Houston 2, Texas
HERSHAL C. FERGUSON Consulting Geologist
142 1 Esperson Bldg. CA 8-84] 9
Houston 2, Texas - --
HAROLD L. GElS ionsulting Geologist
21 23 Bank of the Southwest Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
JOHN R. GRAHAM, JR. Consulting Geologist
331 1 West Alabama Ave., Suite 103
Houston 6, Texas
HUBERT GUYOD Well Logging Consultant
P. 0. Box 13243
Houston 19, Texas
GENTRY KlDD lndependent
81 3 Niels Esperson Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
B. J. "Bill" LADAS Drafting Base Maps Surveying
Lease Checks
Texas & Louisiana Bldg. CA 4-1 21 5 Houston 2, Texas
C. T. MacALLlSTER Consulting Geophysicist
6327 Vanderbilt
Houston 5, Texas
GEORGE N. MAY & ASSOCIATES Consulting Geoldgists
& Paleontologists
Nat Mouton Bldg. CE 4-3379 Lafayette, Louisiana
W. B. McCARTER C. E. McCARTER
Independents
1415 Sul Ross Houston, Texas
R. B. HOHLi Geological Consultant
Exploration-Exploitation-Valuation 241 1 Bank of Southwest Bldg.
CA 2-0081 Houston 2, Texas
R. B. MITCHELL lndependent
1418 First City National Bank Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
JOHN C. MYERS Consulting Geologist
1207 Bank of the Southwest Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
WALTER J. OSTERHOUDT Exploration Geophysicist
& Geologist
P. 0. Box 31 82 Durango, Colorado
SAM M. PENA Consulting Geophysicist
952 Mellie Esperson Bldg. CA 8-8505
Houston 2, Texas
C. H. SAMPLE Consulting Geologist
404 Esperson Bldg. FA 3-9997
Houston 2, Texas
FRED L. SMITH, JR. J. T. GOODWYN, JR. Consulting Geologists
1226 Bank of the Southwest Bldg: Houston 2, Texas
A. H. WADSWORTH, JR. Geologist
402 Texas National Bank Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
DAVIS M. WALLACE lndependent
1625 Bank of the Southwest Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
J. C. WALTER, JR. Geologist-Petroleum Engineer
2202 Esperson Bldg. CA 7-1 246
Houston 2, Texas
GEORGE F. WATFORD G. R. HINZ
Consulting Geologists
833 Bankers Mortgage Bldg. Houston 2, Texas CA 7-6935
JAMES A. WHEELER Consulting Geologist
151 4 Esperson Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
HERBERT E. WILLIAMS Geologist Oi l Producer
1420 Esperson Bldg.
Houston 2, Texas
KILROY COMPANY OF TEXAS, INC.
ADA OIL COMPANY
---- 0 ----
ANDERSON AND COOKE
CAMERON IRON WORKS, INC.
PERNIE BAILEY, DRILLING CONTRACTOR
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
MICHEL T. HALBOUTY
BIBLE GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY, INC.
---- 0 ----
BIG "6" DRILLING COMPANY
HOUSTON NATURAL GAS CORPORATION
HUMBLE OIL & REFINING CO.
JOHN W. MECOM, INDEPENDENT
SUPPORT YOUR BULLETIN ADVERTISERS
- - - - -
CYPRUS OIL COMPANY
BANK OF THE SOUTHWEST
BAROID WELL LOGGING SERVICE
---- 0 ----
BERG GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY
DOWELL DIVISION OF THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY
GINTHER, WARREN AND COMPANY
- - - - - - - -
BLAKEYS LOG SERVICE
BREWSTER-BARTLE DRILLING COMPANY, INC.
HARRY T. BRYANT DRILL1 NG, LTD.
ROBERT MOSBACHER
QUINTANA PETROLEUM CORPORATION
TEXAS GULF SULPHUR COMPANY
Abstract : Strat igraphy and Its Role in the Fu tu re Exploration for Oil and Gas in the Gulf Coast, by E . H. Rainwater *
The Gulf Coast of the United States i s pa r t of a la rge medi- 0 t e r r anean sea a r e a which h a s been in existence s ince Upper P u r a s s i c . The many s t ruc tu ra l fea tures within and adjacent to this basin which have profoundly influenced sedimentation a r e pointed out.
C Some principles of s t rat igraphy which must be understood in o rde r to decipher the geological h i s tory of this a r e a a r e briefly rev ised and i l lustrated. The habitat of oi l and gas , o r
the depositional conditions most favorable, l e s s favorable, and leas t favorable for the i r occurrence , i s described.
The need to make genera l s tudies in o rde r to have a f ramework into which detai ls can be fitted i s pointed out, and c r i t i c i sm is aimed a t s eve ra l types of " research" which ignore known s t ra t igraphic condi- t ions.
E a r l y s t ra t igraphic s tudies which establ ished the age and co r - relat ion and descr ibed the facies of Gulf Coast formations a r e briefly reviewed, a s i s a l s o the pa r t played in subsurface zonation by F o r a - minifera. The present s tatus of s t ra t igraphy and micropaleontology in petroleum explorat ion in this province i s described.
The paper is mainly concerned with the application of s t ra t ig- raphy in future exploration of the Gulf Coast. The Gulf basin h is tory i s outlined, andeach of the major producing o r potentially productive sec- tions i s descr ibed a s to environment of deposition. The relat ionship of oil and gas occurrence to depositional conditions is pointed out for each section, and the exploration problems which s trat igraphy can help solve a r e outlined. General ized depositional-environment sect ions of the productive and non-productive formations and sma l l - s ca l e dip sections showing depositional environment and s t ruc tu ra l position of the major s t ra t igraphic units a r e presented.
F r o m the amount of favorable facies of numerous s t ra t igraphic sect ions in many a r e a s yet to be explored, i t is concluded that m o r e oil and gas wil l be discovered in the future in the Gulf Coast than has been found to date , and that s t ra t igraphy wil l play a leading ro le in this d i s - covery.
*Paper presented before the Society December 5, 1960.
13
Review: Geology and Ground-Water Resou rce s of Wilcox County, Alabama, by P. E. L e M o r e a w and L. D. Toulmin: County Repor t 4, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1959. P r i c e $2.00. 256 pages; 60 f igures ; 4 plates , a s follows:
1, Map of Wilcox County showing location of wel l s and spr ings fo r which r e c o r d s a r e tabulated; s c a l e 1 inch = 1 mi le .
2. Geologic m a p of Wilcox County (in co lor ) ; sca le 1 inch = 1 mile .
3 . Genera l ized d i ag ram showing thickness and lithology of Pa l eo - cene and Eocene format ions in Alabama.
4. Map of Wilcox County showing contours on top of Cre taceous rocks ; s ca l e 1 inch = 4 mi l e s .
This r e cen t r e p o r t on the su r f ace and shallow subsur face geology of a c l a s s i c a r e a of T e r t i a r y rocks in the Gulf Coast i s wr i t t en by ex- p e r t s on the coas ta l plain s t ra t ig raphy of Alabama. LeMoreaux, now chief of the Ground Water Branch of the U.S.G.S., spent many y e a r s in Alabama working on the s t ra t ig raphy and ground wa t e r r e s o u r c e s of the Te r t i a ry . Dr. Toulmin, P r o f e s s o r of Geology a t F lo r i da State Univer- s i ty , h a s been working on the s t ra t ig raphy and paleontology of h i s native s ta te of Alabama s ince 1941, when he published h i s wel l known work on the Sal t Mountain (lower Eocene) Fo ramin i f e r a . Th i s County Repor t 4 i s a n excel lent example of cooperat ion by the F e d e r a l Geological Survey and a s t a t e geological survey . The su r f ace and n e a r su r f ace s t ra t ig - raphy t r e a t ed f i l l s a gap f o r t h e pe t ro leum geologists who mainly work on the deepe r subsur face geology. Also this r epo r t i s one of numerous r e p o r t s by ground wate r geologists which have some of the best s t r a t i - g raphic information to be found anywhere.
Wilcox County i s located in sou thwes te rn Alabama in the c l a s s i c a r e a of m a r i n e T e r t i a r y and Upper Cre taceous outcrops. Type local i - t i es of the following s t r a t i g r aph i c units a r e located within the county:
Wilcox group (named f o r Wilcox County).
Gramp ian Hi l l s m e m b e r of Nanafalia fo rmat ion (Wilcox). Named in this r e p o r t "from exposures in the Grampian Hil ls of southern W ilcox County .I' Replaces the old name "Pseudobuhrstone."
Grave l C reek sand m e m b e r of Nanafalia fo rmat ion (Wilcox). Named in this r e p o r t "from exposures on the south s ide of the valley of Grave l Creek on Alabama Highway 41. " Replaces the e a r l i e r name "Basa l sand."
Midway group (named fo r Midway Landing on Alabama River ) .
Coal Bluff m a r l m e m b e r of Naheola fo rmat ion (Midway). Named f o r Coal Bluff on the Alabama R ive r .
Oak Hi l l member of Naheola formation (Midway). Named f r o m exposures near Oakhill P o s t Office.
Matthews Landing m a r l member of P o r t e r s Creek formation (Mid-
way). Named f rom Matthews Landing on the Alabama River .
McBryde l imestone member of Clayton formation (Midway). Named f rom exposures in Alabama Highway 21 road cuts about 3 mi les wes t of McBryde Station.
P ine Bar ren member of Clayton formation (Midway). Named f rom exposures in Pine Bar ren Creek and in road cuts of Alabama Highway 21 just south of Creek.
P r a i r i e Bluff chalk (Upper Cretaceous) . Named for P r a i r i e Bluff on the Alabama River .
Some of these names a r e well known, and "Wilcox" and "Midway" a r e used throughout the Gulf Coast. The re i s no better place to l ea rn the s trat igraphy and depositional h is tory of Wilcox and Midway than in their type a r e a s , Wilcox County. This r epor t gives a wealth of infor- mation on each s t ra t igraphic unit exposed in the county (photographs, profile sect ions, and wri t ten descript ions of numerous exposures) . The la rge sca le geologic map, which a lso shows the highways and secondary roads, will make it easy for geologists to locate the many excellent outcrops. The key to an understanding of subsurface Wilcox and Mid- way strat igraphy in the cent ra l and wes tern Gulf region i s in Wilcox County, Alabama. This repor t will a l so be of grea t value to geologists everywhere who a r e concerned with the lower Ter t ia ry .
. . . E. H. Rainwater
A. I. M. E. FORMATION EVALUATION SYMPOSIUM
The Gulf Coast Section of the A. I. M. E. held a highly successful Format ion Evaluation Symposium a t the University of Houston, Cullen Auditorium, on November 21-22. This two-day meeting was attended by over 850 engineers and geologists who traveled f rom a l l par t s of the United States and f r o m a t l ea s t five foreign countries.
During the symposium sixteen papers were given covering a l l of the la tes t methods of formation evaluation. The P r o g r a m Committee used a unique approach in procuring the papers , in that they wrote the ideal p rog ram to cover the field of formation evaluation and then asked recognized authori t ies on the various subjects to prepare the papers . The resul t was a program of uniform quality and in teres t .
A fine exhibit sect ion was s e t up in the parking lot adjoining the Auditorium and many of the serv ice and supply f i r m s demonstrated the la tes t in formation evaluation equipment and techniques. Even a heavy
r a in s to rm failed to dampen the enthusiasm of those attending the se s - sions and exhibits.
In addition to those attending the meet.-ng, the Local Section r e - ceived o r d e r s for over 300 copies of the bound Format ion Evaluation Volume. This 250-page book will se rve a s a ready reference on the latest methods of logging, log interpretation, core analysis, d r i l l s t em and wireline testing, and r e se rvo i r analysis. It i s pr iced a t $5.00 per copy and can be obtained by writing a check payable to Gulf Coast Sec- tion A. I. M. E . and mailing it with your re turn addres s to W. H. LeGrand, P. 0. Box 14387, Houston 21, Texas.
WANTED
The Heterostegina zone and limestone a t Damon Mound, Brazoria County, i s being investigated by Miss Eva Oakley a s a Mas te r ' s thesis problem at the University of Houston. Several companies and indivi- duals have contributed well logs, cuttings, and cores . However, it would be desirable to have more cores , and e lec t r ic logs that a r e not available f rom commercia l sources . Anyone with mater ia l to contrib- ute or to loan should please cal l CA 4- 168 1, Ext. 408, and leave word with the sec re t a ry of the Geology Department, o r with Dr. Bishop, Ext. 546.
EVENING COURSES OFFERED IN GEOLOGY
The following courses a r e being offered in the Spring Semes te r 1961 by the Department of Geology, University of Houston. Classes will begin Februa ry 6, 1961, but a l l records necessary to reg is te r MUST be in the Graduate Office and approved before registrat ion be- gins February 1, 1961.
Geol. 563 INDUSTRIAL MINERALS. Occurrence, origin and uses of industr ial minera ls , emphasizing those used in the chemi- cal and construction industr ies . (Fuels and metal l ic o r e s a r e excluded. ) Prerequis i te : Mineralogy and Petrology. 3 c redi t hours. $65.
Tuesday and Thursday 6:30-8:00 P. M. Instructor: Dr. Robert Greenwood
Geol. 484 PETROGRAPHY O F IGNEOUS AND METAMORPHIC ROCKS Charac ter i s t ics and origin of igneous and metamorphic rocks a s determined under the petrographic microscope. Prerequis i te : Optical Mineralogy. 3 credit hours. $65,
Monday and Wednesday 5:30-9:00 P.M.
Instructor: Dr . Max F. Carman
Geol. 439 PETROLEUM GEOLOGY. P r o p e r t i e s , o r ig in and accumu- lation of petroleum and natural gas ; cha rac t e r i s t i c s of r e - s e rvo i r rocks and t raps . P r e r equ i s i t e s : S t ruc tu ra l Geology, Sedimentation and Strat igraphy. 3 c red i t hours . $60.
Tuesday and Thursday 8:OO-9:30 P. M. Ins t ruc tor : Dr. Marga re t S. Bishop
Geol. 436A MICROPALEONTOLOGY. Morphology, c lassif icat ion and occu r r ence of Fo ramin i f e r a , Os t racodes , Conodonts and other mic ro - fo s s i l s u sed in s t ra t ig raphic work. P r e r e q u i - s i t e s : Sedimentat ion and Strat igraphy, Inver tebra te Pa leon- tology. 3 c r ed i t hours . $65.
Monday and Wednesday 5:30-9:00 P .M. Ins t ruc tor : Dr. C a r l B. Rexroad
The introductory cou r se s i n Geology, and the optional l abora tory cou r se s , a r e a l s o offered in the evening.
Geol. 161
Geol. 111
Geol. 162
Geol. 112
PHYSICAL GEOLOGY. 3 c red i t hours . $60.
Tuesday and Thursday 6:30-8:00 P. M. Ins t ruc tor : Dr . Max F. C a r m a n
PHYSICAL GEOLOGY LABORATORY. 1 c r ed i t hour . $20.
Tuesday and Thursday 8:OO-9:30 P .M.
HISTORICAL GEOLOGY. 3 c red i t hours . $60.
Monday and Wednesday 5:30-7:00 P. M. Ins t ruc tor : Dr . Jules R. DuBar
HISTORICAL GEOLOGY LABORATORY. 1 c r ed i t hour . $20
Monday and Wednesday 7:OO-8:30 P. M.
SATURDAY MORNING COURSE
Geol. 575 ADVANCED PETROLEUM GEOLOGY. Selected topics, with emphas is on migra t ion and en t rapment , cha rac t e r i s t i c s of the pe t ro leum province, and des ign of the explorat ion p rog ram. P re r equ i s i t e s : Pe t ro l eum Geology, Subsurface Geology, o r equivalent experience. 3 c r ed i t hours . $65.
Saturday 8:00 A. M. - 1:00 P. M.
Ins t ruc tor : Dr. Dew i t t C. Van Siclen
New Advancement Plan - Cont. f rom page 5
exploration. He thus bypasses regional channels in making r ecommen- dations for drilling.
. . . Senior exploration geologist. This i s the blue-ribbon category for the man who has proved his oil-finding abilities over a period of years .
Lion would not expect to have more than one or two- -if any. He would be on a par with the director of production and exploration, but there would be no upper limit on his salary. He would be f r e e to roam the world in seeking new oil, and he would be h is own boss on theuse of his time.
Who's affected.. .Lion has about 60 professional geologists and geophy- s ic i s t s in i t s domestic operations and perhaps 10 m o r e in foreign work.
All would be eligible to advance under one of the two routes -- administrat ive or scientific.
Maxwell said there will be no specified l imit on the number of men who will eventually get t i t les in the scientific category. Perhaps 15 or 20 would advance into these ranks over the next decade.
Most oil f inders , he believes, will p refer to climb the administra- tive ladder because i t offers a wider variety of work. But he pointed out that administrat ive jobs a r e limited while those in the scientific line of progression a r e not. The scient is t does not have to wait for someone to die, resign, o r be promoted in o rde r to advance. All he mus t do i s prove he can find new oil.
Advantages. . . Lion i s not em- barking on a n uncharted s e a en- t i rely.
Other o i l companies have somewhat s imi lar plans, but in
Lion's New Plan for Advancement
Existing Plan New Plan
(Adrninislralive) (Scien~ik)
Manager, P8E Deparlmenl Senia bploralion GedaJirl
t Director of hploralion
t Regional Exploralion Manager
f hploralion Gmlcgirl
Regional GeolaJist
4 t
Senior Geologist
t t "i"Qi"
Geolqisl II
The Lion plan provides a shortcut to top management fo r gifted oil f inders who want to spend full t ime at their professional job. Their recommendations on where to dr i l l wil l very likely be followed.
Fur thermore , once a drilling s i te has been established, the scien- tific geologist can move on to other a r e a s and le t the administrat ive line do the follow-up work.
The plan a lso cal ls for giving a special is t in one of two top scien- t i s t categories a staff of h is own to do the detail work that would other- wise waste his time. He would not be required to do administrative work with this staff. Others would handle his budget, make repor ts , and per form allied duties.
H O U S T O N G E O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y
P U B L I C A T I O N S L I S T
1954 C r o s s sec t ions Upper Gulf Coast of Texas ( 4 s t r i ke and 2 dip sect ions) . Ver t ica l sca le 1" equals 800'. Horizontal sca le 1" equa ls 16,000'.
P r i c e per s e t - $10.00 plus postage
1954 HGS Study Group Report , Strat igraphy of the Upper Gulf Coast of Texas, and Str ike and Dip C r o s s Sections of Upper Gulf Coast . Approximately 50 pages. Genera l discussion of T e r t i a r y Format ions . F o u r fold-out Dip C r o s s Sections. Two fold-out Str ike C r o s s Sections.
P r i c e - $5.00 plus 25$ postage
1952 Geologic s t r i p maps . Highway 77 f r o m Texas-Oklahoma State Line to Dallas and Highway 75 f r o m Dallas to Galveston. Includes cul ture , geologic format ions1 outcrop at sur face , subsurface contouring, and F ie lds with pertinent data.
P r i c e - $1. 50 pe r copy, postpaid
1959 Geologic s t r i p maps . U. S. Highway 90 f r o m Texas- Louisiana State Line to Van Horn and U. S. Highway 80 f r o m Van Horn to Texas-New Mexico State Line.
P r i c e - $2.75 per copy, postpaid
1953 AAPG - SEPM - SEG Guidebook Genera l discussion, C r o s s Sections, and S t ruc ture Maps of 23 Gulf Coast F ie lds . Ar t ic les of s i x a spec t s of Gulf Coast Geology. I t inerary of five f ie ld t r i p s .
P r i c e - $5.00 plus 25$ postage
1958 Guidebook of the Annual F i e ld T r ip , HGS & SEPM, Upper and Middle Te r t i a ry , Brazos R ive r Valley, Texas
P r i c e - $3.25, postpaid
1959 HGS F r i o Study Group Report . The F r i o Format ion of the Upper Gulf Coast of Texas . Includes 3 li thofacies m a p s of Upper & Lower F r i o Format ion , Diagrammat ic Strat igraphic Section of F r i o Format ion , text explaining method of mapping, tabulation providing datum and detai l data f o r a l l re fe rence wells .
P r i c e - $3.00 per copy plus 25$ postage
C] 1959 Guidebook, Annual F ie ld Trip, HGS & SEPM. Lower Ter t i - a r y and Upper Cretaceous, Brazos River Valley, Texas
P r i c e - $3.25 per copy postpaid
1960 Guidebook, Annual Field Tr ip , HGS & SEPM. Jackson Group, Catahoula and Oakville Formations and Associated Struc- t u r e s of Northern Gr imes County, Texas
P r i c e - $3.50 per copy postpaid
Houston Geological Society Bulletin Includes abs t r ac t s of papers presented to the Society and other scientific notes. (Published September through June - 10 i ssues)
P r i c e - 50$ per copy $3.00 per year $4.00 per year foreign
On al l foreign o r d e r s please include 25$ additional per book for postage. This does not apply to o rde r s for the Bulletin.
USE THIS AS YOUR ORDER BLANK.
P lease make a l l checks payable to: Houston Geological Society, Academic Fund
Mail to: Houston Geological Society 234 Espe r son Building Houston 2, Texas (U.S. A. )
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Please type o r print:
SHIP TO:
ADDRESS :
BYERS EXPLORATION COMPANY
---- 0 ----
CAMBE LOG LIBRARY, INC.
CORE LABORATORIES, INC.
CARDINAL PRINTING COMPANY, INC.
EMRACO PRODUCTION LABORATORIES, INC.
EUROPEAN IMPORT COMPANY
HOMCO
---+ ----
HUGHES TOOL COMPANY
---- 0 ----
HYCALOG, INC.
---- 0 ----
INDEX GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
---- 0 ----
SUPPORT YOUR BULLETIN ADVERTISERS
FAILING EXPLORATION AND DRILLING
FIRST CITY NATIONAL BANK
GENERAL GEOPHYSICAL COMPANY
GEOPHYSICAL ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL
---- 0 ----
GEOPHYSICAL SERVICE, INC.
HALLIBURTON OIL WELL CEMENTING
LANE WELLS COMPANY
---- 0 ----
McCULLOUGH TOOL COMPANY
---+ ----
MEADOWS AND WALKER DRILLING COMPANY
---+ ----
MEREDITH AND COMPANY
--- +----
MILWHITE MUD COMPANY
---- 0 ----
M. P. S. PRODUCTION CO.
&ouston geoLo9~cal' Society 234 ESPERSON BUILDING
HOUSTON. TEXAS
GERALD A. COOLEY PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO. P. 0 . BOX 1967 HOUSTON 1, TEXAS
BULK RATE
U. S. POSTAGE P A I D
Houston, Texas Permit No. 5872
