I Volume 32 #umber 5 Stratigraphic ~orwakd Model Baltimore Canyon " imwn Clast ics 'f Marine Sandg - Sea Level Subsidence Sediment Volume I+ - Output: Sequence Geometry Facies Distribution [3 T hermal/Maturity History 2 Million Year Time Lines JANUARY 8, 1990 (Dinner Meeting) "Seismic-Stratigraphic Analysis of the Miocene System, Offshore Texas - Models and Implications" Rusty Riese, William A. Hill, and Rashel N. Rosen, Arco Oil and Gas Westin Oaks Hotel, 5011 Westheimer Social Period 5:30p.m., Dinner and Meeting 630 p.m. Reservations made by name only, telephone 785-6402. Must be made or cancelled by noon Friday, January 5. JANUARY 17, 1990 (Dinner Meeting) HGS International Explorationists "Regional Structural Geology and Petroleum Geology of Guatemala" Rich Scattolinl, Aurora Enterprises, and Bob Johnson Westin Oaks Hotel, 5011 Westheimer Social Period 530 p.m., Dinner and Meeting 6:30 p.m. Reservations by advance ticket purchase only (page 10) Purchase tickets by Monday, January 15, 1990. JANUARY 18, 1990 HGS Short Course "Seismic Technology 1990 for Finding and Defining Hydro- carbon Reservoirs" Norman Neidell. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Exxon Auditorium, Exxon Bldg., 800 Bell at Travis. HGS JANUARY CALENDAR JANUARY 27, 1990 HGS Field Trip Core Analysis Laboratory; Routine, Special, and Petrographic Facilities Core Laboratories Facility, 5295 Hollister. 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. JANUARY 30.1990 Environmental/Engineering Geology Committee Short Course "Real Estate Transfer and Hydrogeologic Site Assessments -the Nuts and Bolts" J. Mike Munsil, Envrionmental Technologies, Inc., and Robert Rieser. Groundwater Technolgies. Inc. Paul Revere High School Auditorium, 1502 Briar Forest 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. JANUARY 31,1990 (Luncheon Meeting) "Application of Stratigraphic Forward Models in Explo- ration Settings" David T. Lawrence, Mark Doyle, and T. Aigner, Shell Houston Club, 811 Rusk Social Period I I:3O a.m., Lunch and Meeting 12:00 Noon Reservations made by name only, telephone 785-6402. Must be made or cancelled by noon Monday, January 29.
Transcript
I Volume 32
#umber 5
Stratigraphic ~orwakd Model Baltimore Canyon
" imwn Clast ics
'f Marine S a n d g
- Sea Level Subsidence Sediment Volume
I+ - Output:
Sequence Geometry Facies Distribution
[3 T hermal/Maturity History 2 Million Year Time Lines
JANUARY 8, 1990 (Dinner Meeting) "Seismic-Stratigraphic Analysis of the Miocene System, Offshore Texas - Models and Implications" Rusty Riese, William A. Hill, and Rashel N. Rosen, Arco Oil and Gas Westin Oaks Hotel, 5011 Westheimer Social Period 5:30p.m., Dinner and Meeting 6 3 0 p.m. Reservations made by name only, telephone 785-6402. Must be made or cancelled by noon Friday, January 5.
JANUARY 17, 1990 (Dinner Meeting) HGS International Explorationists "Regional Structural Geology and Petroleum Geology of Guatemala" Rich Scattolinl, Aurora Enterprises, and Bob Johnson Westin Oaks Hotel, 5011 Westheimer Social Period 530 p.m., Dinner and Meeting 6:30 p.m. Reservations by advance ticket purchase only (page 10) Purchase tickets by Monday, January 15, 1990.
JANUARY 18, 1990 HGS Short Course "Seismic Technology 1990 for Finding and Defining Hydro- carbon Reservoirs" Norman Neidell. 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Exxon Auditorium, Exxon Bldg., 800 Bell a t Travis.
HGS JANUARY CALENDAR JANUARY 27, 1990 HGS Field Trip
Core Analysis Laboratory; Routine, Special, and Petrographic Facilities Core Laboratories Facility, 5295 Hollister. 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
JANUARY 30.1990 Environmental/Engineering Geology Committee Short Course "Real Estate Transfer and Hydrogeologic Site Assessments -the Nuts and Bolts" J. Mike Munsil, Envrionmental Technologies, Inc., and Robert Rieser. Groundwater Technolgies. Inc. Paul Revere High School Auditorium, 1502 Briar Forest 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
JANUARY 31,1990 (Luncheon Meeting) "Application of Stratigraphic Forward Models in Explo- ration Settings" David T. Lawrence, Mark Doyle, and T. Aigner, Shell Houston Club, 811 Rusk Social Period I I:3O a.m., Lunch and Meeting 12:00 Noon Reservations made by name only, telephone 785-6402. Must be made or cancelled by noon Monday, January 29.
"Support those who support our Society."
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HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
BULLETIN Vol. 32, No. 5
BULLETIN COMMITTEE EDITOR: George Kronrnati, 556.4452
Arnoco Product~on Co. ASSISTANT Jo Ann Locklin, 954-6000 EDITOR: Tcxaco ASSOC. EDITORS:
Layout Sue vat1 Gelder*. 466-3348 Consulting Geologist
Features Kes Barcas*. 552-3833 Standard Oil Prod. Co.
Joe Keeling. 391-8553 Rib~ana. Inc.
Editorial Mary Jo Klosterman*. 973.31 12 Exxotl Internatiorial
J Todd Stephetison, 556-2929 Arnoco Production Co.
Neil Sdniuels, 556-3572 Amoco Production Co.
Mindy Kronman. 531-7424 Rtce Untverstty
Business Louis Bertoli - Pac~fic Enterprises Oil Co.
Technical Will~am H. Roberts*. 465-2228 Articles Hydrexco Company
Clailde M. Qutgley. 856 4220 Cotisuhant
Nelson C . Steenland. 666-0266 G e O p h y ~ t ~ l ~ t
Exploration Bill E~senhardt*, 774-6669 Review Consult~ng Geolog~st
Events Ddvid C Cdllaway*, 584-3445 Arco 011 & Gas
Dotind D ~ V I S . 961-0141. x374 P.I. Expl. Systems
Computerization John E. Bishop. 951-9006 J . E. B~shop, Inc.
John Hefner*, 468 9495 Consultttig Geologtst
Mtcky McGhee. 896-7605 Pennzoll
Computer Mark-W. Hodsot>. 629-6600 Marathot1
International Hugh Hay-Roe*. 358 5871 Cons~lltant
*S~rbconin?ittc.e cha~mien M ~ ~ I I L I S C ~ I P ~ S . ~liq~~lries. or si~ggest~otis should be
dtrectcd t o Editor, c o HGS Bullr~~ti, 7171 Harwtn, Su~te 3 14. Ho~~s ton , TX 77036 De'ldllne for copy 1s six weeks prior to ~)i~hl~c'i t~on. All copy 11111st he typewrllten and do~~hle-sl)dced oti btatiddrd wh~te palxi-. Line drawtngs 'ind other ~llustr~~tlons m~lst he photo re'idy. If prel~nred 011 d word processor, pledse send J ~ o p y of thecornpuler disc. prefercihly In ASCII formdt
ADVERTISING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: W . Dot1 Neville. 655-9666
Seismic - Stratigraphic Analysis of the Miocene System, Offshore Texas - Models and Implications W. C. Riese, W. A. Hill, and R. N. Rosen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Application of Stratigraphic Forward Models in Exploration Settings David T. Lawrence, Mark Doyle, and T. Aigner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Regional Structural Geology and Petroleum Geology of Guatemala, Rich Scattolini and Bob Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
OUR COVER PHOTO PRICE SCHEDULE- Stratigraphic forward model for a 320 kilo- JANUARY MEETINGS
meter dip section across Baltimore Canyon. U.S. (Non-members: add $2.00 to the meal price) east coast. The model simulatesclastic carbonate and mixed clastic/carbonate regimen for the Westin Oaks Hotel, January 8 period 200 million years to the present (see Dinner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00 abstract in this issue by Lawrence, T.W., et al).
International Explorationists Westin Oaks Hotel, January 17
RESERVATIONS POLICY Reservations are made by calltng the HGS offtce
(785-6402) At the meeting, names are checked against the reservation list. Those wlth reservations wtll be sold tickets ~mmediately. Those without reservations will be asked to wait for available seats, and a $2 surcharge will be added to the price of the ticket. All who do not honor their reservations will be billed for the price of the meal. If a reservation cannot be kept, please cancel or send someone in your place.
located at 7171 Harwin, Suite 314, Houston, Texas 77036. The telephone number is (713) 785-6402.
1 Houston Geological Soc~ety Bullet~n. January 1990
HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 7171 Harwin. Suite 314 Houston. Texas 77036
(71 3) 785-6402
. EXECUTIVE BOARD . President .................................................. Richard S . (Dick) Bishop. Exxon Prod . Research 973-3064 President-Elect ...................................... Ronald W . (Ron) Harlan. BHP Petroleum (Americas) Inc . 780-5032 Vice President .................................................... Cyrus (Cy) Strong. Shell Western E&P Inc . 870-21 29 Secretary ................................................................ .Paul F . Hoffman. Ladd Petroleum 622-691 1 Treasurer ............................................................... Larry D . Bartell. Bartell Exploration 227-8355 Executive Committeeman ('90) ..................................... David C . (Dave) Callaway. Arco Oil & Gas 584-3445 Executive Committeeman ('90) ............................................ F . Kenneth (Ken) Aitken. Pennzoil 546-8759 Executive Committeeman ('91) ....................................... Richard R . (Dick) McLeod. Independent 222-761 7 Executive Committeeman ('91) ........................................ Joseph S . (Scott) Laurent. Preston Oil 467-4841
- COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN - Academic Liaison ................................................................. John Chronic. Consultant 933-0371 Advertising .......................................................... W . Don Neville. Gulfstar Petroleum Co . 655-9666 Awards ........................................................................... Barbara Bentley. Amoco 556-4451 Ballot ............................................................................ Lisa Crawford. Marathon 629-6600 Boy Scouts .................................................................... Dan Helton. Midcon Services 963-3537 Bulletin .......................................................................... George Kronman. Amoco 556-4452 Computer Applications ....................................................... Kari K . Rekoske. Elf Aquitaine 739-231 2 Continuing Education ......................................................... John M . Biancardi. Consultant 937-8457 Entertainment .................................................... .Robert Ahlborn. Diversified Energy Mgmt . 376-0505 Environmental and Engineering ............................. Robert B . (Bob) Rieser. Groundwater Technology 680-1 51 5 Exhibits ........................................................ .Gerald A . (Jerry) Cooley. PetCons & Assoc . 665-8432 Field Trips ............................................................ Martin J . Oldani. Sandefer Oil & Gas 651 -1 551 Finance ..................................................................... David A . Fontaine. Consultant 975-0202 Historical .................................................................. Gary Snyder. GECO Geophysical 596-1 871 International Explorationists ....................................................... .Denise M . Stone. Amoco 556-4207 Library ......................................................................... Evelyn Moody. Consultant 654-0072 Membership .................................................................... Bruce Falkenstein. Amoco 556-2038 New Publications ........................................... Richard S . (Dick) Bishop. Exxon Prod . Research 973-3064 Nominations ................................................... Dietmar (Deet) Schumacher. Pennzoil Int'l . 546-4028 Personnel Placement ..................................................... Steven Brachman. BP Exploration 552-3850 Publications Sales ........................................................... Thomas Mather. Columbia Gas Public Relations ........................................ Gerald D . (Gerry) Prager. Energy Development Corp . 757-081 2 Rememberances .................................................... Renee Elosequi. Petroleum Information 961 -5660 Research ................................................................. Kathy McDonald. Exxon Co . USA 591 -5307 Technical Program ................................................ Cyrus (Cy) Strong. Shell Western E&P Inc . 870-2129 Transportation .................................................... Gregory (Greg) Burns. Coastal Oil & Gas 877-7807
- SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES - Advisor. Museum of Natural Science ............................... Morgan J . Davis. Jr.. Consulting Geologist 461 -1 81 7 Arrangements ................................................................ John Adamick. TGS Offshore 951 -0853 GCAGS Representative ..................................... Richard S . (Dick) Bishop. Exxon Prod . Research 973-3064 GCAGS Alternate ................................... Ronald W . (Ron) Harlan. BHP Petroleum (Americas) Inc . 780-5032 AAPG Delegate Foreman ......................................................... Synthia Smith. Exxon USA 775-6278 AAPG-DPA Representative ............................................................ Al Allong. Consultant 495-201 2 AAPG Group Insurance .................................................... Barbara & John D . Bremsteller 751 -0259 Memorial Scholarship Board ...................................... C . R . (Chuck) Noll. Jr.. New Bremen Corp . 621 -9558 HGS Foundation ................................................................... Merrill Haas. Consultant 468-1 906
- HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL AUXILIARY - President ............................................................ Mrs . Charles E . (Myrtis) Trowbridge 468-31 61 President-Elect .................................................................... Mrs . Stuart (Mary) Folk 781 -2336 First Vice President (Social) ...................................................... Mrs . Robert C . (Geri) Pace 855-7655 Second Vice President (Membership) ........................................ Mrs . James C . (Theresa) Barker 782-2754 Third Vice President (HGS Rep.). ............................................ Mrs . Gerald A . (Jeanne) Cooley 665-8432 Secretary ..................................................................... Mrs . William B . (Joree) Hill 474-7045 Treasurer . . ............................................................. Mrs . Charles E . (Linnie) Edwards 785-71 15
The Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bullef!n 1s published monthly September through June by the HouSton Geological Soc~ety . 7171 Harwin . S u ~ t e 314 Houston . Texas 77036 Subscript~on to the Bullet in 1s ~ncluded in membersh1pdues(515 0 0 annually) Subscr~pt~on prlcefor non members w l t h ~ n the conttguous U S IS 515 OOper year and 53000per year for thoseoutslde thecontlguous U S Slnglecopyprlce 1sS2 50 Subscrrptlons rece~vedafter March 1 will beappl~ed to the rema~nderof thef~scal year(end1ng wlth the June 1ssue)andalsoto the following year
The Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety was founded i n 1923 and ~ncorporated In 1975 The Soc~ety s object~vesare to stimulate interest and promote theadvancement of geology In thlsarea tod~ssem~nateandfac~l~tated~scuss~onof geological ~nforrnatlon. andtoenhance professional ~nterrelationsh~psamonggeolog~sts TheSoc~ety 1ncludesnearly4.500memberslocally and publishes spec~al sc~ent~f ic publ~cat~ons In addotoon to a monthly Bu l l e f~n The HGS also prov~des student scholarsh~ps and contlnulng educat~on programs for profess~onal geolog~sts
Houston Geolog~cal Soctety Bul le t~n . January 1990
"Suppa those who support our Society."
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FAX ( 7 1 3 1 6 2 3 - 0 0 9 8 DEBRA L. MOSLEY 1 5 0 4 1 5 2 4 - 5 1 9 3 FAX P A M E L A E . C A S E
3 Houslon Geological S o c ~ e l y Bul le t~n . January 1990
"Support those who support our Society."
Our Name Stands For
At GECO, we stand for exce !> .' 9
We never compromise the quality of our equipment and services, or the data we deliver. So,
%. ? + -
when you're looking for the best basis for an informed decision, remember:
We're the world's most experienced multi-streamer con- tractor, having originated and perfected the technique. We're one of the most experienced 3D processing contrac- tors in the world. We use the latest supercomputers, soft- ware and techniques to deliver top quality seismic results. We offer seismic, geophysical, geological and geochemistry interpretations worldwide. We have one of the world's largest banks of non-exclusive 2D and 3D data sets. We're equipped with CHARISMA, the industry's most pow- erful and flexible interactive interpretation workstation.
The list goes on. And, if you'd like to know more, just call your nearest "geophysical excellence company" office. Or GECO for short.
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Telephone: ( 7 13 ) 870- 1880 (Algary, Alberta. (Ianada T2f' 3W2 S;rlxun:r <;randr. Ilcllo Monte TcleF~x: ( 7 15 ) 5 9 6 1469 'Selephone: ( 4 0 3 ) 23'-932 1 <:;rr;ic;rs 1050. Vec-nczucl;r Trlex: 166 1 30 GECO I:T 'Selefax: ( 4 0 3 ) 263-9569 T d c p l ~ o ~ ~ c : ( 58 ) ( 2 ) -20'0 I
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PRESIDENT'S COMMENTSThe truly remarkable events in Eastern Europe have ushered in the nineties
with an unusual sense of optimism. We in the oil industry are also beginning tofeel some optimism as exploration activity increases. With a little luck and a lot ofhard work, there is growing confidence that we can make a living. The start of thenew decade is also a good excuse to exercise any lurking historical talents and tryto visualize what might be in store for the HGS. Number two son says this is the "Itold you so" syndrome; I prefer the "history teaches us about the mistakes we'regoing to make" syndrome.
"Trendology"has always been popular in the oil patch, so I'll continue thestrategy here and take the perspective of looking at the future by identifying somemajor trends and their possible impact on the HGS.
International: The current expanSion of the international activity will bringnew companies, visitors, and capital to Houston. Our city will still be the sourceof the expertise needed to make a deal. Conceivably the International group willcreate some new avenues of communication which will provide original ways forvisitors to communicate with the members. Because this is the only internationalgroup in the world which has a monthly meeting, it will also add social and profes-sional activities to the currently purely technical ones. The HGS will also enjoythe benefits of a growing foreign membership.
Production/Resenoir Geology:The reservoir geologist will enjoy increasingresponsibilities as oil prices rise and new field additions diminish, particularly fordomestic companies. The position slowlywill evolve into that of a "reservoirmanager",and will be recognjzed as a multidisciplinary science including reservoirengineering, geophysics, log analysis, statistics, and of course computer technol-ogy. The HGS will create a new committee/subdivision similar to the Internation-al and Environmental groups and it, too, will be not only unique but also willprovide leadership in publication, education and professional standards.
Hydrogeology/eogineerinWenvironmentalgeology:The cleanup of the U.S.probably will take more than a decade and the proper management of our waterresources will receive increasing scrutiny. Consequently, this group will grow notonly in Texasbut throughout the country and Houston will be one of several citieswith a large number of environmental/engineering geologists. This HGS commit-tee will continue to expand its leadership role and will become nationally recog-nized. The group will not only publish significant works but also will influenceboth the national educational curriculum and standards of registration.
Registration of Geologists:We shall all grumble but nonetheless learn to livewith registration; some of us will even benefit from it. The HGS should provideleadership in the drafting of a reasonable bill and even provide some of the con-tinuing education necessary to maintain registration.
Conferences:The explosion of both information and new techniques willforce us to improve the dispersal of information. One result of so much inform<..-tion is the axiomatic creation of more specialties. These small groups will use theHGS both to organize themselves and to communicate with others. The Geotechand SEPM/GCAGS Research conferences are present-day examples of short, fre-quently occurring, highly focused meetings which the HGS could organize in thefuture.
HGS Character: The enduring foundations of the HGS will remain gMlogi-cal education and the enhancing of professional relationships. Perhaps unlikeother societies, the HGS has growth potential from transfers into Houston,foreign geologists, and particularly local non-members. Consequently, the Societywill maintain its size as long as themembers are active and provide the leadershipnecessary for localprofessionals to do "their thing". Even growth can occur if folkslike Bruce Falkenstein spread the word about all that the tiGS offers. LookingDack,the eighties gave us all the highs and lows we probably wanted. Thenineties may too, but perhaps if we have a little luck and learn from our excesses,we shall also enjoy the quiet satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
Best wishes for the new year and the new decade.
DICK BISHOP
5 Houston Geological ;:)ociety Bulletin, January 1990
MEETINGSHGS DINNER MEETING-JAN UARY 8, 1990W. C. (RUSTY) RIESE-Biographical Sketch
Dr. Riese received hisBS in geology from theNew Mexico Institute ofMining and Technology in1973, and both his MS andPhD in geology from theUniversity of New Mexicoin 1977 and 1980 respec-tively. His work experienceincludes both the mineral(Gulf Mineral ResourcesCo., 1974-1981, andAnaconda Minerals Co.,1981-84) and petroleum(ARCO Exploration Co.,1984-to date) industries.
He is the author of numerous articles on minerals geo-chemistry and seismic stratigraphy.
WilLIAM A. Hill-Biographical Sketch
William A. Hill received his Bachelor of Arts degreefrom La Salle University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) in1979. He completed his Master of Science in Geology atTexas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas) ir. 1981.
Mr. Hill is employed by ARCO Oil and Gas Company,Southern District, Houston Texas (l981-current). He hasworked as a geologist in exploration and developmentactivities in Offshore Texas and Louisiana. This work haslead him to author and co.author articles on Gulf Coastgeology.
RASHEl N. ROSEN-Biographical Sketch
Rashel N. Rosen holds a BS degree from the Universityof Tehran, a MS degree from Ohio State University and aPhD degree from Louisiana State University. Rashel hasworked as biostratigrapher in the Gulf Coast area, onshoreand offshore, and has extensive experience in the MiddleEast, Africa, South America, Java and China. She has 22years of industry experience including working with theGeological Survey of Iran, Texaco Inc. in New Orleans,Deminex German Oil Company in Dusseldorf and theMiddle East, Robertson Research U.S., and since 1983working with ARCO Oil and Gas Company in Houston asDistrict Stratigrapher/Exploration Advisor. She has exten.sive experience in developing stratigraphic frameworks,establishing facies relationships, and correlating sections onboth a regional and local scale.
The application of traditional seismic-stratigraphicmodels to the Miocene System of offshore Texas was testedand found to be inadequate for the description of thissection. Although the basic principles inherent in theapplication of seismic stratigraphy are useful, there are
L"'"" '""'""," ...,." '°"",,".,""°'" ""
NOTE RESERVATION POLICYON PAGE 1
significant deviations from the model geometries of systemtracts in the Miocene System. The most significant of thesediscrepancies is the apparent absence of lowstand wedgesand shelf margin wedges.
Problems with applying the traditional seismic strati-graphic models to the interpretation of this section havebeen recognized by' others, and alternative ramp andgrowth models have been suggested. These, too, appear tobe inadequate for interpretation of this section: the rampmodel fails to account adequately for outer neritic bathy-metries in apparent outershelf settings during lowstands;the growth fault model fails to adequately explain down-thrown expansion of predominantly shale intervals.
The alternatives proposed here postulate a funda-
mental difference in global, or at least basinal, water budgetsfor Miocene time relative to the Pleistocene or Recent:
eustatic levels in the Gulf of Mexico during the Miocenewere apparently several hundred feet higher than during thePleistocene and therefore erosion of the shelf duringlow stands was minimal. It may also be inferred that surfacegradients on the Texas shelf were steep during the Mioceneand there was no pronounced continental shelf-slope break;without such a break there is no steep surface against whichto onlap the updip reaches of shelf margin wedges or lowstand wedges, thus accounting for the absence of thesegeometries in our seismic data. This accounts for the
presence of depositional fans in outer neritic, apparentlyshelfal settings during lowstands.
Expansion of shale-prone section down thrown to
growth faults is accounted for by noting the proximity ofwhat must have been a broad zone of structural founderingon the "outer shelf" to cold, nutrient-rich, deep-basinwaters. As sea levels rose during highstands of sea level tofurther transgress an already submerged shelf, upperbathyal ecozones were brought onto the "shelf", expandingthe geographic limits of cold water organisms. Morecritically, this brought nutrient-rich waters to a broaderreach of photic-zone organisms. It is the proliferation ofthese organisms that accounts for the expansion of shale-prone intervals along growth faults: these sections areenriched in fossil content.
POSTER SESSION
"Gulf Coast Geology - New Techniques"We are having another poster session this month
during our social hour before the Monday evening Societymeeting on January 8, 1990. We plan on having someexcellent posters and "speakers" on a variety of Gulf Coasttopics including the following:
Rich Adams:Effects of Inherited Pre-Jurassic Tectonics
on the Gulf Coast
Jim Brooks:Gulf of Mexico GeochemicalResearchProjects
6
Tom Browder:Satellite Gravity Offshore Gulf of Mexico -
Implications for Petroleum Exploration
Santiago Reynolds:Fracture Identification and Geomorphic Structural
Interpretation as Valuable Tools forLocating Larger Reservoirs
We are planning two other Monday evening postersessions for April and May. Tentative topics are a "StudentNite" and a "Development/Computer Applications Nite".Your input is welcome; call Pat Gordon at 654-5919.
HGS LUNCHEON MEETING-JANUARY 31, 1990DAVID T. LAWRENCE-Biographical Sketch
Dave Lawrence re-ceived his BA in Geologyfrom Lawrence Universityin 1977 and his Ph.D. ingeology from Yale Uni-versity in 1984. From 1977to 1979, he taught geologyat Yavapai College inPrescott, Arizona. He hasworked for Plateau Re-sources, Grand Junction,Colorado inuranium explo-ration and for the U.S. Geo-logical Survey CoalBranch, Denver, Colorado.Dave joined Shell Develop-
ment Company in 1984 where his current position is Sr.Research Geologist. His research interests include basinanalysis, geologic modeling, field studies and seismic strati-graphy. He has presented many papers to professionalsocieties including AAPG, SEG, SEPM, IGC, and GSA.
APPLICATION OF STRATIGRAPHIC FORWARDMODELS IN EXPLORATION SETTINGS
A two-dimensional'stratigraphic simulation programhas been successfully applied to clastic, carbonate, andmixed clastic/carbonate depositional regimes. The programmay be used to predict reservoir distribution, to constraininterpretations of well and seismic data, to rapidly testexploration scenarios in frontier basins, to calculate thermaland maturity histories, and to evaluate the fundamentalcontrols on observed basin stratigraphy. Applications toseismic and well-log data sets from Main Pass (U.S. GulfCoast), Offshore Sarawak (Malaysia) and Baltimore Canyon(U.S. East Coast) demonstrate that the program can beused to simulate stratigraphy on a basin wide scale as wellason the scale of individual prospects.
The Main Pass section, offshore Louisiana, Mississippiand Alabama is an offlapping sequence of Neogene clastics.The model simulates 17million years of geologic history at a200,000 year resolution and predicts the depth and locationof nearshore marine sands, intervals of sediment bypassinto deep water, paleobathymetry, shelf margin positions,major and minor sequence boundaries, and gross basin
geometry. A movie will be shown illustrating the geologichistory of Main Pass from the Miocene to the present.
Central Luconia, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia is animportant gas province with 7 giant gas fields and 20 smallerfields. Much of the production is from middle to lateMiocene carbonate buildups. Three of these buildups weresimulated using a sea level history optimized to reproducethe carbonate growth anatomy. The model predicts sub-aerial exposure phases associated with zones of enhancedporosity in two updip buildups with gas production. Seismicreflection geometries indicative of transgressive, aggra-dational, progradational and retrogradational phases arereproduced.
Jurassic to Pleistocene stratigraphic sequence geo-metries, mixed clastic / carbonate facies distribution andthermal/maturity history were simulated along a 300 kmregional dip line of the Baltimore Canyon Trough. Modeledfeatures of interest include a progradational Middle Jurassiccarbonate margin punctuated by clastic deposition duringsea levellowstands and a late Jurassic / early Cretaceousaggradational carbonate margin culminating in the develop-ment and subsequent drowning of isolated carbonatebuildups. This section is of particular interest because ShellOffshore Incorporated drilled three exploration wells inrecord setting water depths (maximum 2119 meters) to testthe Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous carbonate shelfmargin. The model predicts that, initially, carbonate build-ups formed coeval with interbedded clastics and carbonatesin an intrashelf basin. During a subsequent sea levellowstand, the margin was subaerially exposed with con-sequent leaching of carbonates and porosity enhancementof the buildups. As sea level rose again, the shorelineretreated landward and a shale seal was deposited. Modelpredictions are supported by detailed petrographic andseismostratigraphic analysis.
AAPG ROCKY MOUNTAINMEETING REMINDERS
February 1, 1990:Deadline for receipt of abstrClcts for 1990 AAPG-
SEPM-EMD Rocky Mountain Section Meeting's (Denver),September 16-19. Contact: Chris Oglesby, TechnicalProgram Chairman, P.O. Box 13947, Denver, CO 80202.September 16-19, 1990:
1990 AAPG-SEPM-EMD Rocky Mountain SectionMeeting, Denver, CO. ROCKIES '90, NEW DIRECTIONS.Technical program, poster sessions, field trips, shortcourses, exhibits, and special events. For information: MattSilverman, Gustavson Associates, Inc., 5757 Central Ave.,Suite D, Boulder, CO 80301.
TRADERS COLUMNNOTICE
Oklahoma Well Completions Cards For SaleFor all of the state of Oklahoma. Current through
September 30, 1989. Tickets date back to 1913 wellcompletions. Excellent condition and maintenance. Original-ly APCO (Anderson Prichard) scout tickets. Filed in"Steelcase" 15" x 28" cabinets. Price $25,000.
Contact either: Robert C. Johnston, 204 N. Robinson,Ste. 1116, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. Phone (405) 232-6200or Richard D. Ash, 204 N. Robinson, Ste. 1060, OklahomaCity, OK 73102. Phone (405) 232-6009.
7 Houston Geological Society Bulletin, January 1990
INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATIONISTS
Chairman's Column The secret to having a well attended meeting where
everyone walks out with a smile on their face, having learned something new or expanded their knowledge, is something all technical programing chairmen would love to know. What makes a good meeting? How could you plan to have good attendance all year long? How do you choose the speakers? By their topic or by their communication skills? Why do people come to the evening meetings? Is it the topic, the social hour or the menu that attracts them?
As the technical program coordinator for the Inter- national Explorationists for the last 3 years I have been able to monitor the attendance. In 1985, the meetings consisted of 50-60 participants. This past year we averaged about 120 per meeting. In addition to the interest for the timely topics, I should point out that we are an active group and our regular membership is increasing. Our core attendees are around 100 this year. Anything extra is due to the "secret" of the meetings. Let's look at some factors which make up this secret.
The topic of the presentation, the timeliness, and the extent of personnel working that region of the world in the Houston area seem to be the main attractions. Active exploration areas with lease sales or rounds, recent dis- coveries, and warming political climates in potential parts of the world are of interest to the explorationists working for an international company. Thus talks on recent large discoveries in Yemen (Ian Maycock of Hunt Oil, January 1989) and Syria (Bruce Cline of Pecten International, May 1989) had large attendance. The glasnost in Russia opened a new frontier for exploration. I can be pretty sure that any talk on Russia should have a large audience. If anyone would like to volunteer, please let me know! Although an active exploration and production area, the talks on North Sea are not too popular: not for the geological interest, but for the simple fact that the people working on North Sea are located in London or Stavanger. There is just not enough people working on that topic in Houston.
Communication skills of the speaker are very important to relay the topic and keep it alive for the listeners. Monotone or a high-pitched voice is no help either. Along the same lines, the quality of visuals play a big role in getting your point across. Few simple diagrams can give a clear, concise and to the point understanding of the topic. There is something to be said of the AAPG's speakers kit. It is worth the investment of a few dollars. Although these skills are hard to judge from a resume, I take it that anyone in the
anything away: that is why the discussions are usually very lively. An example is Pete Vail's talk two years ago at our group just after his retirement from Exxon Production Research Company. The attendance of 327 broke all previous records, and he talked about sequence strati- graphy concepts using world-wide examples!
Social hour is lively and well attended. Explorationists come to develop old contacts and make new ones, to pick up the latest news (some things are more up-to-date than in scout meetings), and catch up on old friends. The dinner at $20.00 is a bargain on top of all this. The menu is good but the hotel takes most of the ticket cost. We don't make anything significant to cover all our costs. Profits are sacrificed for the gourmands in our midst!
The "secret" for successful meetings can be summa- rized by the following points:
exploration & production topics, timeliness of topic, region and/or exploration technique, local interest, big discoveries, early release of information, big names for speaker or company.
In addition to those above, I have followed several guidelines in choosing the talks. I have asked all major companies working out of Houston area to contribute a talk of their choice if they are members of HGS. Usually I suggest several topics for them to choose. Last year this was very successful. But there are still companies out there who *
have not contributed. There is still time! In the program, I try to have representation of major companies, independents, academic institutions. service com~anies . and consultants. I have not allowed anyone to use our podium as an advertising tool for an individual or a company. Unsolicited abstracts are considered as well a s those I request personally. The main basis of selection was the technical content and timeliness of the topic.
The programs have been fun to put together and people have enjoyed them if the attendance records are an indication. I am still looking for speakers for this spring. If your talk fits any one of the categories above, please contact me at Exxon Production Research Company, P.O. Box 2189, Houston, Texas 77252 (Telephone: 966-6033)
PINAR 0 . YILMAZ Technical Program Coordinator
business should speak well and have good visuals to sell NOTE CHANGE OF SPEAKER: their prospects.
In addition, the name of the speaker and/or the HGS International Group-Jan. 17, 1989
company they are associated with have something to do Speaker: Rich Scattolini with drawing crowds. Companies are curious to know Topic: Regional Structural Geology and Petroleum about other companies and people make up these com- Geology of Guatemala panies. Most want to know if the speaker is going to give Authors: Rich Scattolini and Bob Johnson
i Houston Geolog~cal Society Bullet~n. January 1990
I NTERNA TIONALEXPLORA TION ISTSDINNER MEETING-JANUARY 17,1990RICH SCATTOLlNI-Biographical Sketch
RichScattolini, a con-sulting geologist/geophysi-cist, received a Bachelor ofArts from Temple Univers-ity 1969and worked for theUS Geological Survey inMenlo Park and the Arcticdoing Field Geothermalstudies. In 1972he obtaineda Masters of Science and in1978, a Doctorate inGeology from the Univers-ity of North Dakota. Whilein Grand Forks, NorthDakota, he was a staffgeologist for the North
Dakota Geological Survey, where he did work on the RedWing Creek oil field and intiated a Heat Flow and HeatProduction study of the Williston Basin.
In 1978,at PhillipsPetroleum in Sartlesville, Oklahoma,Rich worked a number of domestic and internationalprojects, including offshore China and Sumatra, offshoreCalifornia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and the Overthrust belt.After transferring from Sartlesville to Houston with Phillips,Rich generated prospects in the offshore Gulf of Mexico. In1982, Rich worked for the offshore Louisiana Group at
Santa Fe Energy. From August 1983 to December 1986,Rich was Senior Geologist and Senior Geophysicist at AGIPPetroleum in Houston.
Rich is an active and certified member of the AmericanAssociation of Petroleum Geologists, an active member ofthe Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the AmericanGeophysical Union in addition to the Houston GeologicalSociety and the Geophysical Society of Houston.
BOB JOHNSON-No Biographical Sketch Available
REGIONAL STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY ANDPETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF GUATEMALAUnderstanding the regional setting in Guatemala is
important for two reasons. One is scientific, to improve ourunderstanding of geologic history especially from thePermian to the Present and to improve our understanding ofpresent day plate tectonic processes occuring in thiscomplex region. The other reason is more related to theproblem of finding large hydrocarbon deposits by un.der-standing the development of the Peteri basin. In Mexico, atthe northern end of the Chiapas-Peten basin, lie theReforma area fields and Campeche field.The stratigraphy ofthe rocks differs slightly in Guatemala from those found inMexico, but the potential reservoir rocks have many of thesame characteristics as those found in the Mexicanoil fields.The reserves of the Mexican fields have been estimated atover 60 SSO.
In Guatemala, a country of 85,000 square miles whereonly 75 wells have been drilled, reservoir rock$ of the
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9 Houston GeoiogicBI Society Bulletin, January 1990
Coban can be found in basinal, and arch settings, both ofwhich are favorable for hydrocarbon entrapment. Faulttypes range from normal and thrust faults to more complexstrike-slip faults. Anticlinal folds are untested to under-tested.
Oil is found primarly in the Coban limestones but thereis also some potential for hydrocarbons in sands of theJurassic Todos Santos Formation. In the southern Petenbasin where commercial oil deposits have been found,evaporites have trapped hydrocarbons. In the northernPeten basin, structures of low relief willtrap heavy oilsimilarto that found in the Coban B's Xan horizon. The La Libertadarch, a major east-west trending anticlinorium, willrequireadditional drilling to find commercial quantities of hydro-carbons likely to be trapped there.
INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATIONISTSMEETING INFORMATION
Westin Oaks Hotel, January 17Dinner (5:30p.m.) $20.00
Admission to all International meetings is by advanceticket purchase only. Tickets may be purchased fromrepresentatives in the International departments of mostcompanies or by sending a check for $20.00 and astamped, self-addressed envelope to:
Houston Geological Society7171 Harwin, Suite 314Houston, Texas 77036
Ticket distribution and receipts are handled by ChrisNicholson (629-6600,x3817). Allinquiries should be directedbetween 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai penninsula, Egypt. FoldedCretaceous carbonates along Dead Sea strike-slipfault. (Photo by Pinar Yilmaz)
Call Margaret at785-6402
MOVINI?
Houston Geological Society Bulletin. January 1990
I
LOYD TUTTLE
PALEO CONTROL, INC.PALEONTOLOGISTS AND GEOLOGISTS
.Fh5625 NW.CENTRAL DR. 0-100
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(713) 690-4255
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CONSULTING GEOLOGISTSBIOSTRATIGRAPHIC STUDIES
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REGIONAL STUDIES
GULF OF MEXICO
TEXAS AND LOUISIANA
INTERNA TIONAL
LOUISIANA-MIOCENE AND OLIGOCENE
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YEGUA OF TEXAS AND LOUISIANA
PALEOENVIRONMENTAL MAPPING.
ISOPACH AND SAND PERCENT
COMPUTER FORMATTED DATA
USING THE "BUGIN" PROGRAM
FIRST OCCURRENCE. PRESENCE AND ABSENCE
AND ABUNDANCE CHARTS.
LITHOLOGY. PALEOENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC
ZONA TION CHARTS AND SUMMARY TABLES
INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATIONISTSGROUP COMMITTEEChairman & Finances:
What morsels of international geology are you keepingin your garage or office?? The International ExplorationistsGroup is looking for donations of exotic rocks collected byits globetrotting members to use for speaker's awards overthe coming year. If you have a rock (or mineral) that wouldlook presentable to mount on a 5x7 walnut base, considersubmitting it. Rocks should have a short summary identify-ing them by country of origin, locality, formation name, andsignificance to exploration, ifany. Please submit samples toDenise M. Stone at any International Explorationists dinnermeeting.
The Paris Basin, located in northern France, covers approximately 80,000 square kilometers (20,000,000 acres). It is about 450 kilometers in diameter, bounded by the Vosges and Rhine Graben on the east, Amorican Massif on the south, and the Brabant Massif on the north. The Paris Basin extends westward and encompasses part of southern England (the Wessex Basin). The center of the basin is located roughly 75 kilometers east of Paris, where over 3000m (10,000') of post-Carboniferoussediments have been penetrated. (Exhibit 1)
The Paris Basin is partly framed by outcrops of pre- Permian rocks affected by the Hercynian orogeny, which formed the primary basin structures during Permian and early Triassic.
Oil was first discovered in France at Pechelbronn in 1813 in the upper Rhine Graben near Strasbourg. It is not known when the field was put on production, as early records are sketchy. However, cumulative production through 31 December 1968 is recorded at 24,491,965 barrels. Gas and oil were next discovered in France in 1939 and 1940, respectively, in the Aquitaine Basin in the south- western part of the country. For over forty years this area had been the largest producer of oil in the country. The Paris Basin surpassed it in 1986.
Oil was discovered in the Paris Basin in 1954. From that time until the end of the 1950's, ten discoveries of modest reserves were made. During the 1960's, there were six. In the 1970's, there were three. Thirty-five discoveries have been made in the 1980's, fifteen of which were between 1983 and the end of 1985. There were seven discoveries in 1986, seven in 1987 and eight in 1988. Gas was discovered in 1982 and 1985. This brief history of peristaltic exploration for hydrocarbons in France has been cited in order to establish two important points:
1) Sufficient oil and gas have been proven and produced in the Paris Basin to firmly establish it a s a serious oil and gas province.
2) To preclude the inevitable question, "If the area i s so good, why has it taken s o long to be developed?" - the answer is very complicated and lies in a combination of historical, social and economic factors.
For the first time since 1813, serious exploration for oil and gas is underway in France and will continue for the rest of this century.
In the latter part of the 19th and early and mid 20th centuries, while the American oil industry was becoming a giant, Europe was devastated by three major wars. The combination of the military, along with the social, financial
and political yokes that harnessed the Continent at the time left little room for innovative entrepreneurism. The aggres- sive thinkers and future great men of modern enterprise had already, or were preparing to immigrate to the United States. The disintegration of the great royal houses, national ownership of minerals, national oil companies and stout reliance on the colonies to provide the necessities of life, all combined to stifle any serious endeavor to explore for oil at
NORTHERN FRANCE PROFILE
CONTOURS: THICKNESS OF MESOZOIC AND TERTIARY SEDIMENTS IN METERS
Figure 1
home. The remanants of this past still strongly influence exploration today.
The discovery of large gas reserves in northern Holland in the early 1960's, along with aggressive American explo- rationists, coupled with American offshore drilling tech- nology, launched Europe for the first time into serious hydrocarbon exploration. The discovery of Ekofisk oil in 1969 signaled the beginning of the first big boom. The rumble lasted until 1982.
During the early 1980's, new oil was found in the Jurassic and new gas in the Carboniferous of the southern North Sea Basin. Oil was found onshore in southern and eastern England and serious oil exploration began in the Paris Basin. The onshore areas of both countries are hot, and large quantities of oil and gas will be found during the next ten years. The serious part of the boom has not yet begun.
Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bullet~n, January 1990
Presently there are nine active producers operating forty-nine producing concessions in the Paris basin. These are:
Company SNEA(P) ESSOREP TRITON EURAFREP PETROREP TOTALEX SHELL
Concessions 23
9 3 4 5 4 1
Triton, Essorep and Shell are the three foreign-owned companies that produce oil in the Paris Basin. Triton is the only independent.
In 1980 the Paris Basin accounted for 16% of the total French domestic production. In 1985 it accounted for 42%of domestic production and in 1986 production from the Paris Basin represented 53%, and on to a high of 62% at the end of 1988.
LAND Lease acquisition in France may be summarized as
follows: One first applies to the government Direction des
Hydrocarbures, Service de Conservation des Giesments for Permis de Rechercher (Exploration Permit). The minimum size of a Permis de Rechercher is 23 square kilometers or 5700 acres. The maximum size is approxi- mately 5,000 square kilometers or 1,235,000 acres. The average Permis is 500-600 square kilometers. Competition for Permis is by work commitments proposed by the various companies interested in the acquisition of the prospective area.
The basic terms are: Signature Bonus: None Bank Guarantee: None Rentals: None
Term: Five years, with possibility of two 5-year renewals. There is a 50% reduction at the end of the first 5-year period and a 12 112% reduction at the end of the second 5-year period, leaving the remainder of the permit block for the remaining 5 years.
Work commitments: Are expressed in French Francs and vary with the individual cases. Usually involve a comprehensive program of exploration, leading to the drilling of a well or wells.
Royalty: Gas: 5% of wellhead value of production over 30 mmcflday; Oil: depends on field production rates.
Field Production Bbls/Year <350,000 350,000-700,000 700,000-2. lmm >2.lmm
Percent Royalty 0% 6% 9%
12%
There is a 50% corporate tax levied in France; however, direct tax credit is received for funds applied to further exploration. There are no restrictions on export of funds. It takes at least 1 112 years to acquire an exploration license from the time of application to time of award.
As of 1988 approximately 25 companies hold 151 Permis de Rechercher totalling about 43,445 km or 10,730,920 acres, 101 of these being in the Paris basin.
About 943 square kilometers presently are held by product- ion (232,920 acres) with at least a dozen applications for concessions (production licenses) pending. These are good for 15-20 years, or the economic life of the field. Currently, 26 companies or groups have applied for 131 Permis de Rechercher covering 35 tracts of varying sizes.
PRODUCTION Production is from Lower Cretaceous sandstones,
middle Jurassic-Dogger carbonates, and sandstones and carbonates of the Upper and Middle Triassic. Numerous shows have been recorded in the Permian and Carboni- ferous sandstones, which I consider to have great potential. Trap types include anticlinal and faulted features and stratigraphic pinchouts on structural nosing. Thus far, there are only three gas fields in the eastern part of the Paris Basin in the Trois Fontaine and Ancerville areas, which produce from Middle Triassic sandstone.
Objective depths range from 500m to 4,000m (1650' to 13,200'). Average depth of production is approximately 7000'. There are no major drilling problems. No protective casing has been needed thus far in drilling in the Paris Basin. Average pay thickness is 46m or 150'. The average produc- ing well will produce 300-600 barrels a day. Field sizes range from <1,000,000 to >100,000,000 barrels. SNEA(P) has tested wells in a Jurassic dolomitic facies west of Paris at a rate of 2000 bbl/day each.
By U.S. standards, drilling costs in France are 30.40% higher. They have, however, been considerably reduced within the last five years. I expect them to drop more as competition among the drilling contractors increases. These higher drilling costs are more than offset by the low royalties. Current estimates of reserves found in the Paris Basin are in excess of 300 million barrels. Daily production is currently 44,000 bbls.
SEISMlC EXPLORATION Seismic exploration costs about $6,000 per mile for a
vibroseis land crew. Costs are very comparable to those in the U.S. Total kms. have declined slightly since 1985, but more companies were active in 1988. New processing techniques have been primarily responsible for the explo- ration boom in the Paris Basin. There is excellent magnetic and gravity coverage over the entire country. In 1988, 14 companies shot 4,000 miles (kms)of data. Since 1983, 16,850 (kms) miles have been acquired. Speculative seismic data as we know it does not exist in France. However, all data over five years old becomes public domain and may be obtained from the government (Direction of Hydrocarbures). This has been cumbersome in that while the government agency has the r i ~ h t to distribute the data. one must retrieve it from - the company the French geophysical company, is in the process that shot it originally. This has been time- consuming! CGG, of collecting this data, reprocessing it and putting it up for sale as speculative data. I t should be coming on the market later this year.
In July of 1979, Triton was the only foreign independent that had annlied for a concession in the Paris Basin. In . . August of 1980, Triton was awarded an exploration license on 2,000,000 acres and committed to spend $2.6 million. Triton outproduced all of the other six French independents combined and was not far behind TOTAL in 1985. Triton's estimated reserves are apparently in excess of 40 million
Houston Geolog~cal Sochety Bullet~n. January 1990 12
"EXPLORING & PRODUCING OIL & GAS IN FRANCE" (A Practical Introduction)
A TOURING SEMINAR THAT SHOULD BE A MUST FOR LAND, EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION EXECUTIVES AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN THIS NEW EUROPEAN ON-SHORE PLAY.
TOPICS OF STUDY
History of Exploration Government Agencies Exploration Permits Negotiation & Terms Royalties Farmouts . General Geology Seismic Operations
Data Gathering Drilling Methods & Probiems Production Methods & Problems Environmental Regulations Surface Damage & Compensation Markets and Prices Taxes
MEET FRENCH OPERATORS AND CONTRACTORS VISIT SEVERAL MAJOR PRODUCING FIELDS IN THE PARIS BASIN
All of this while enjoying the richness that regional France has to offer in history, cutture, natural beauty, architecture, gastronomy and oenology.
Four ten-day expeditions are being planned for April and May of 1990. Each will be limited to 16 participants. Planned departure dates are April 6, April 20, May 4 and May 18.
For further information, call or write: Phil Berm P. Berm 6 Associates 1 100 Tulane Avenue, Suite 326 New Orleans, Louisiana 701 12 (504) 523-3534 (504) 522-7678 FAX (504) 5234669
Continued from previous page barrels. Exploration endeavors over the entire continent of Europe have been historically sluggish, and still are. In 1988 Triton produced -8300 bbls per day. Today Triton and TOTAL are about even in annual production.
Now is the time for independents to get involved. Currently, compared to Great Britain, Holland, Germany and Italy, France offers the best incentives to explore, such as low royalties, guaranteed markets for oil and gas, an excellent logistical infrastructure, plus an abundance of excellent academic geological support with sincere govern- ment interest to encourage the programsand tax incentives for continued exploration. The government guarantees purchase of oil at market price. Gas is currently being bought at $2.50/MCF.
It might be appropriate to insert a quote from A.I. Levorson, one of the great pioneers of U.S. oil exploration. He stated in the 1950's:
"If I were a barrel of oil, comfortably located in a pool, hidden in a trap deep in the ground, the region that would be safest for me - where I might live out another 50 or 100 million years in peace and dignity would be in some country where minerals and exploration are nationalized. The reason is that in such countries there is but one hunter, and the chances of eluding him are far better than being discovered. The most dangerous place for me to live, as a
barrel of oil, would be in the United States, where there are thousands of hunters and each has a different weapon."
Oil and gas are not so much the prisoners of the earth's rocks as of the laws that men make. The European continent has never experienced a protracted period of peace and prosperity like it is experiencing now. Europe is completing 44 unparallelled years of peace and economic growth. I have been witness to the evolution of European oil exploration since 1967 and during those twenty-plus years, I have observed definite progress and relaxation of the governments' attitudes, both socialist and conservative, toward oil exploration. Government incentives are being designed to boost drilling in several countries. It has been slow, because much of the time has been spent learning the business. But, with knowledge comes progress, and prog- ress is beginning to accelerate. In 1992 Europe will launch itself into the greatest economic alliance in history.
From 1965 to 1982 was the great European offshore boom. The onshore boom began in 1985 and will continue into the 2000's. A well-funded, properly organized group, that is prepared to drill can be a dominant factor in this new exploration play. France and the Paris Basin is a good area to begin.
Reprinted with permission from the New Orleans Geological Society.
Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bul le tm January 1990
Houston Geotech '90
Integration Into The 90's
February 25th-27th, 1990, Westin Galleria Hotel
Houston, Texas (Short Courses Feb. 28th & Mar. 1,1990)
T h eHouston Geotech Association is proud to announce the fifth Houston Geotech Convention, featuring technical papers, panel discussions, an exhibit hall, and short courses. The convention is intended for geoscientists with all levels of computer expe-
rience who want to know what computer tools are available now, and what developments to expect in the coming decade. This year, our focus will be on two main themes:
Horizontal Well Applications and
Geophysical/Geological Integrated Workstations At All Levels
R egistration: Pre-Registration for all three days of the convention is just $65.00. On-site registration is $80.00. One day registration will be available on-site for $40.00. Conven- tion registration is not required to enroll in a short course. Short course descriptions
will follow at a later date. For further information, please contact Convention Manager Jeannie Fisher at (713) 739-3455, during business hours.
A ccommodations: A block of guest rooms at the Westin Galleria Hotel is reserved for Houston Geotech '90 attendees. Prices are $120 per night for single or double occu- pancy. Please contact the Westin Galleria Hotel at (713) 960-8100 for reservations.
E xhibit Hall: Booth space in the exhibit hall is open to all hardware and software ven- dors on a first-come, first-serve basis. Ten by ten foot (lo' x 10') booth spaces are avail- able at $475.00. For information on booth rental, please contact Exhibits Chairman
Gary 1 ,. Branson at (713) 961-3300, during business hours.
S ponsorship: The Houston Geotech Association is sponsored by: The Geophysical Soci- ety of Houston, The Houston Geological Society, The Society of Professional Well Log Analysts, and The Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Houston Geotech Association 7171 Hanvin, Suite 314, Houston, Texas 77036 Phone: (713) 785-6402
Houston Geologrcal Soclety Bullet~n. January 1990 14
The HGS Continuing Education Committee Is Pleased To Present
FRACTALS I N THE GEOSCIENCES - A Mini-Symposium -
Date: Thursday evening, February 22, 1990, 5:30-10:OO p.m.*
Cost: $10.00 (postmarked on o r before February lo ) , $15.00 after Feb. 10
*Optional viewing of "Chaos" film at 5:30. Speakers begin at 6:30.
This series of lectures a n d exercises is designed for the geoscientist who has little knowledge of fractal geometry o r its use in geology. The lectures are for the novice who wishes to gain a new thinking perspective. The overviews require little math, and the audience should gain a n appreciation of the new descriptive geometry. The talks will include:
1. "A layman's introduction to fractal geometry" by PETER K. GROTH (Amoco Production Company, Denver)
2. "Examples of fractal applications in the petroleum industry" by WILLIAM L. PELZMANN (Amoco Produc- tion Company, Denver)
3. "Introduction to fractal geometry and its uses in the earth sciences" (including brief workshop exercise) by CHRISTOPHER C . BARTON ( U S . Geological Survey, Denver)
A thorough bibliography of fractal geometry publi- cations will be provided, which should assist participants in delving deeper into fractal applications and using their own creative resources. Attendees should not expect to gain a working knowledge of fractal applications, which is beyond the scope o f this empirical introduction to a completely new concept.
Please Register Early Send check to: Houston Geological Society
7171 Harwin, Suite 314 Houston, Texas 77036
(Attn: Fractals Mini-Symposium) Include name and phone number.
For further information, call Jim Lantz at 556-4454.
THE BUSINESS OF GEOLOGY The geologic environment has undergone signifi-
cant changes over the past several years, manifested a s greater instability in the energy industry and explosive growth in the groundwater/hazardous waste industries. Changes were due primarily to a shift in the petroleum markets from a supply-demand driven system to a politically driven system dominated by the activities of the O P E C cartel. As a result of this increased instability, reflected by huge movements in the mice of crude oil. a n increased emnhasis on the business aspects of geological functions has evolved. T o address this increasing concern a new column "The Business of Geology" will appear beginning with the February issue of the bulletin. Articles will focuson the direction and concerns of the energy and ground- water industries, effects of governmental policies, and the present and future states of these industries. Anyone wishing to submit a n article addressing these concerns should send it to: Lou Bertoli, Pacific Enterprises Oil Co . (USA), 3040Post O a k Blvd., Suite 600, Houston, Texas 77056.
We helped fill 50 jobs in the first half of 1989 We're the Personnel Placement Committee of the
Houston Geological Society. Helping fill vacant geology positions is a free service we provide to the energy industry and to our members.
HGS members file their resumes with us at no charge. When an employer has a job vacancy, he or she
specifies the qualifications required and we send resumes of qualifications required and we send resumes of qualified geology professionals . . . also at no charge.
Both the numbers of resumes on file and of jobs we're helping fill are increasing fast.
Can we help fill one for you, too? Contact:
Steven Brachman BP Exploration 9401 S.W. Freeway, Suite 1200 Houston, TX 77074 (71 3) 552-3850
15 Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ely Bul lel tn January 1990
NEW ACTIVE MEMBERS ARMENTROUT. RALPH H Geoiogrs t B G Services (USA) Inc 1100 Loumdna 112500 Houston. Texas 77002 757 7204 BOWMAN. J KEITH 625 Parkway Blvd # 1321 Coppell, Texas 75019 (214) 393 5269
BURNET, IAN L D~rec tor Geophystcs Kerr McGee Corp 3 Northpomt Houston, Texas 77060 591-3193
CANNIZZARO, CARL Geophyslclst Amoco Productlon C o P 0 . Box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253
COCHRAN, JOHN W Consultant 7411 W Suddley Castle Houston, Texas 77095 463 6985
COLLITON. JAMES E. Project Geologtcal Engr B r ~ t ~ s h G a s (US) 1100 Louisiana 82500 Houston, Texas 77002 757 3266
COPE. JERRY D 10150 Brmwood Houston. Texas 77043 468 2115
COTTON. WILLIAM R Sr Geophyslclst Halhburton Geophysical Srvcs. 6909 SW Frwy Houston. Texas 77236 778 3261
COWART, RICHARD E Geologist lntrex 3000 W k r e s t 8220 Houston, Texas 77042 977 5035
CRANFORD JR , K DENTON Geologst CLK Company 1001 Fannm XI400 Houston, Texas 77002 650 6800
DE VERTEUIL. D N Explr Pro] Mgr Pennroi E & P C o 700 Mdam St Houston. Texas 77252 546 8030
DENNEY. JAMES H Geolog~st Kelley 011 Corp 601 Jefferson XI100 Houston. Texas 77002 652 5259
DRISKILI.. BRIAN W Geologlal Pennroll 1440 Lake Front Cr #150 The Woodlands. Texas 77380 367 0353 DUEY, HERBERT D S r Staif Geolog~st Sant,, FP Energy 1616 V o i i Rd Houztmr. Texas 77057 EDGINGTON, JASON M B H P Petroleum (Americas) Ini 5847 San Fcllpr #3600 Hotliton Texas 77057
EGGERTSON, BRUCE Geolog~st Amoco Product~on C o P . 0 Box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253
ERICKSON. DAVID J Staff Geologlst Wwdward-Clyde Consultantr 7330 Westwew Dr Houston. Texas 77055 6889111
ESPESETH, ROBERT L lndependent/Consultant 13939 NW Frwy Houston, Texas 77040 690 7900 FARIS. CRAIG D Staff Geolog~st Amoco Product~on Co. 501 Westlake Park Blvd Houston, Texas 77253 596 7882 FOSSUM, BRET J Sr. Geolog~st Conoco Inc P 0 Box 2197 Houston, Texas 77252 293-2242
FRENCH, LEANNE S Staff Geolog~st Amoco Product~on C o P 0 . Box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253
GAFFORD, WILLIAM T Sr. Geophys~cal Assoc Amoco Porduct~on C o P 0 Box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253 596 7873
GARRIGAN, MICHAEL L Hydrogeolog~st Applled Earth Sciences 8323 Southwest Frwy. X710 Houston, Texas 77074 478 1767
GAY, WILLIAM L. Explr Sys Analyst S G Amoco Productton C o P 0 box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253 556-4322
GREENWELL. RAY D Dist Develop Geol Enserch Exploratlon 10375 Rlchmond Ave U1201 Houston, Texas 77042 954 4095
GROSSO. STEPHEN T S r Geolog~st Conoco Inc. 600 N. D a r y Ashford Houston, Texas 293 2303 GUIDROZ. WALTER S Staff Geologrst Amoco Product~on C o P 0 Box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253 556 2000 GUNDERSON, JAY A Petrophysnst B P Exploratton 9401 SW Freeway X391 Houston. Texas 77074 552 3860 HAKKIO, LISA B Staff Geolog~st Philltps Petroleum Cu 6330 W L m p S Beliairr, Texas 77401 669 3583 HAMPTON, BRET D Sr Geologist Shell Western E & P P 0 Box 99 1 Hous ton T ~ x a s 77001 870 2579
HILLHOUSE, JIM L President Enwronmental Drders Inc 2209 W~sconsm #I00 Dallas, Texas 75229 (214)620-8911
HOLLAND. WILLIAM CHARLES S r Geolog~st Hall Houston 011 C o 700 L o u ~ s ~ a n a U2610 Houston, Texas 77002 228-0711
HORKOWITZ, KATHLEEN O Geologtst B P Explorat~on 5151 San Fehpe Houston. Texas 77210 552 8942 JACKSON. JAMES B. Chevron USA P O Box 1635 Houston, Texas 77251 754 2830
JURIK. PAUL Prestdent Junk Exploration C o 234 Loyola Bldg U921 New Orleans, L o u ~ s ~ a n a 701 12 523-4536
KAPLAN, ANATOLY A S r Res Spec Exxon Prod Research C o P O Box 2189 Houston, Texas 77001 965-7236
KELLEY, LEAH E Geologxt Keliey 011 Corp 601 Jefferson U1100 Houston. Texas 77002 652-5200
KNAPP. GARY B. Staff Geologlst Amoco Product~on C o P 0 Box 3092 Houston, Texas 77253 556-2333
LAIRD, J O H N W Geologlst Amoco Product~on C o 501 Westlake Park Bivd Houston. Texas 77253 556-2000
LANCE, JAMES O Geophys~c~st Sanchez O 'Br~en Oil & G d s Corp 19 Bnar Hollow Ln #200 Houston. Texas 77027 629 9800
LEGG, THOMAS E Sr Geolog~st B P Exploratton 5151 San Fehpe Houston. Texas 77210 552 3150
LEVETT. J O N K Geologtst McBride Ratcldf & Assoc 7220 Langtry Houston. Texas 77040 460 3766
LILIENTHAL. RICHARD T Staff Geologst Amoco Productmn C o 501 Weitlake Park Blvd Houston. Texas 77253 556 2888 LYDYARD. ANDREW J Regional Exploration Mgr Greenhlll Pptroleurn Corp 11767 Katy Frwy US40 Houston, Texas 77079 558 0281 McSWEEN. HARRY Y Professor Unlv of Tennessee Dept of G e r h g ~ ~ a l Saunces Knoxbllle. Tennessee 37996 (615) 974 2366
MAGEE. HENRY C Sajex 439 Glendale Dr Metalrbe. Louwana 70001 (504) 581 7766 MAHER, KEVIN A Assoc Research Geolog~st Shell Development C o P . 0 Box 481 Houston, Texas 77001 663 2626
McCLURE. ROBERT K Dm Geologtc Coordinator Exxon C o USA P 0 . Box 4697 Houston. Texas77210 775 6826
McGUINESS. DORIS B Geologlst BP Explorat~on 9401 SW Freeway U1200 Houston, Texas 77074 552 8884
MICIOTTO, SAMUEL A Staff Geologlst Amoco Product~on C o P . 0 Box 3092 Houston. Texas 77253 596 7941
MIRSKY. JANICE P P 0 Box 1586 College Stahon, Texas 77841
MITCHELL, DAVID L ST Geolog~st Exxon C o USA P 0 . Box 4778 Houston, Texas77210 775-7620
MORREN, JAMES H Geologtst Independent 710 Buffalo Corpus Chrlst,. Texas 78401 (512) 881 8664
NAGEL. STEVEN P Geolog~st Amoco Product~on C o P O Box 3092 Houston. Texas 77253
NAHM, JAY W Geophysus t Amoco Product~on C o 501 Westlake Pk Blvd Houston. Texas 77253 556 7385
NORBERG. KEVIN O President Texas Hunter Servces C o 908 Town & Country a120 Houston, Texas 77024 468 8037
NORTH. PAUL E Assoc Geol Engr Shell Western E & P Inc 200 N D a r y Ashford Houston, Texas 77001 870 3484 NIELSON. R LARELL Assoc Prof of Geology Stephen F Austm St Unlv P 0 Box 1301 1 SFA Nacogdoches. Texas 75962 (409) 568 2248 NOLL, J O H N H Development Geolog~st Unocal Corp 4615 S W Frwy Houston. Texas 77027 623 8000 PAYNE. JAMES L President Sdnta Fe Energy 1616 S Vuss dl000 Houston. Terns 77057
PILKINGTON, DAVID L Area Explr Mgr Mendban 011 Inc 400 N Sam Houston Pkwy E #I200 Houston. Texas 77060 878 3700
RUEHR, BEN B S r VP Explorat~on Mendtan 011 Inc 2919 Allen Pkwy Houston. Texas 77019 831 1627 SADLER, DAVID L Staff Geologtst Oryx Energy Co. 14950 Heathrow Forest Pkwy Houston, Texas 77251 985-2239
SCHOLLNBERGER, WOLFGANG E V Pres Explr Amoco Product~on C o P . 0 Box 3092 Houston. Texas 77253 5563111
SHARPE. CHARLES L Geolog~st Arnoco Productlon C o 501 Westlake Park Blvd Houston. Texds 77079 556 7171
SPENCER. JEFFREY A Staff Gedogist Amoco Productmn C o 501 Westlake Park Blvd Houston, Texas 77253 556 2260
STACHURA. GERALD E Geoiog~cal Adwsor Conoco lnc 600 N Dalry Ashford ML3024 Houston. Texas 77252 293 4159
STEPHENSON. DAVID C Geologlst Independent 12131 Carnage Htll Houston. Texds 77077 556 5479
STEPHENSON, J TODD Staff Geologlst ( S G ) Amoco Productlon C o 501 Westlake Park Blvd Houston. Texas 77253 556 2929
STRATHOUSE. ELIZABETH C Geolog~st Marathon Od C o 5555 San Fel~pe Rd Houston. Texas 77253 6'29 6600
SUTEDJA. JANDI Geologist P r a ~ r ~ e Producing C o 1200 Smlth St R700 Houston. Texas 77546 654 0700
SWEET. MICHAEL L Sedmentologcat B P Explorat~rm 5151 San Fellpe Houston. Texas 77210 552 8604
TAI.UKDAR. SUHAS S r Geoc henmt D G S l 1544 Sawdust Rd $402 The Woodlands, Texds 77387 TAYLOR. JR . CARL A Stalf G r d o g ~ s t A m o ~ o Produrtwn Co P O Box 3092 Houston. Tern\ 77253 596 7989
Cont'd. on page 20
Houston Gealog~cal S o c ~ e t y Bulletln January 1990 16
ENVIRONMENTAL/ENGINEERING GEOLOGISTS
Notes From The Chair
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!For some this willbe the year fora new beginning, a renewal of sorts; for others it will bebusiness as usual. For the Environmental/EngineeringCommittee there is no such thing as "business as usual".With the birth of a new year comes the delivery 9f a newprogram from.the Education/re-Education group within theCommittee. These courses (field seminars, short courses,etc.) are geared toward the un-initiated, those who areeither contemplating or are actively trying to enter theenvironmental business. Announcements regarding thesecourses can be found elsewhere in the Bulletin and includethe following:Jan. 30 REAL ESTATE TRANSFER AND HYDROGEO-
LOGIC SITE ASSESSMENTS-the nuts and boltsFeb. 17 DRILLING AND SOIL SAMPLING TECH-
NIQUES, AND MONITOR WELL INSTALLA-TION
Mar. 17 LANDFILL AND LANOFARM TOUR, ANDWATER SAMPLING TECHNIQUES ASSOCI-ATED WITH RCRA PERMIT STANDARDS OFLANDFILL
Other items of note at this time include the Businessand Dinner meeting formats. In response to the poorattendance at Dr. Mathewson's talk at the Dinner meetingon October 24, the Committee, as of this writing (Nov. 14),has decided (1) to discontinue the Dinner meetings on amonthly basis. When they are held they willbe on topics ofgeneral interest and announced far enough in advance toallow for adequate publicity. (2) To change the location ofthe Dinner meeting from the southwest part of town nearthe Southwest Freeway (very congested at 6:00 p.m.) to amore centrally located site within the 610 Loop (location to
be announced). (3) To present technical talks only at theBusiness meetings, which are held on the second Wednes-day of the month. The Business meetings should be a forumfor the environmental professionals on the Committee.
As a reminder, this month's Business meeting will beheld on the 10th at Charlie's Hamburger Joint, locatedabout 1/4 mile south of the 610 North Loop on EllaBoulevard. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. See you there.ROBERT B. RIESERGroundwater Technology, Ine.The Chair
Huntington Beach, California. Expensive real estateoverlooking the Pacific Ocean will some day be not soexpensive due to coastline erosion. (photo taken by RobertRieser, Groundwater Technology, Inc. in June, 1988.)
FIELD SEMINARLANDFILL AND LAND FARM TOUR, AND WATER SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
ASSOCIA TED WITH RCRA PERMITTING PROCESS FOR LANDFILL
March 17,1990,9:00-1:00 a.m.
Gulf Coast Waste Disposal AuthorityCampbell Bayou Facility, Texas City (GCWDA/CBF)
A tour of the GCWDA/CBF Landfarm/Landfill, noting construction, RCRA permitting process forLandfill, and RCRA closure process for Landfarm.
Gulf Coast Waste Disposal AuthorityGroundwater Technology, Inc.
Anyone contemplating entering the environmental business.
$5.00 HGS members$8.00 Non-HGS members
Date:
Location:
Scope:
Speakers:
Who Should Attend:
Cost:
L
17 Houston Geological Society Bulletin, January 1990
Mr. Robert Rieser, CPG Houston Geological Society Environmental/Engineering Geology Committee
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Dear Bob:
The Environmental Law Conference conducted last Friday was a great success. It is with thanks to your organization and the others who endorsed it that it was such
a success. There were over 200 attendees! I hope members of your organization who attended benefitted from the information that was presented throughout the day.
On behalf of the TEXAS HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT SOCIETY, thanks again for the support. It is this sort of professional-appearing project in which we like to participate with other organizations such as yours.
Sincerely, James W. Beckman
HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ENVIRONMENTAL/EMGINEERlNG GEOLOGY COMMITTEE
SHORT COURSE REAL ESTATE TRANSFER AND HYDROGEOLOGIC SITE ASSESSMENTS - THE NUTS AND BOLTS
Date: January 30, 1990, 7:OO-9:00 p.m.
Location: Paul Revere High School Auditorium, 10502 Briar Forest. Located just west of Sam Houston Tollway (West Belt)
Scope: The basics of what and how to conduct site assessments involving real estate transfers, as well the hydrogeologic investigations involving leaking under ground storage tanks (UST's)
Speakers: J . Mike Munsil, Environmental Technologies, Inc. Robert Rieser, Groundwater Technology, Inc.
Who Should Attend: Anyone contemplating entering the environmental business.
Cost: $5.00 HGS members $8.00 Non-HGS members
FORNEY & McCOMBS
OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida
Forney & McCombs is actively seeking high quality drillable prospects or development of geological/geophysical ideas or leads. We can operate or participate with proven industry companies. Partial interests are acceptable.
5599 SAN FELIPE SUITE 1200 HOUSTON, TEXAS 77056 (713) 621-0033
1 Houston Geolog~cal Soclety Bullet~n. January 1990
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
POLLUTION OF WATER SUPPLIES A N D HOUSEHOLD METHODS OF FILTRATION
By HARRISON T. BRUNDAGE, Consulting Geologist, Houston, Texas
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article is excerpted from a paper presented to the Houston Geological Society Environmental a n d Engineering Committee meeting on November 8, 1989.
Water pollution has long been described in elementary geology texts, along with principles of hydrodynamics. Hydrodynamic principles have not changed much, i f at all - having been accurately established long before this author's time. I t was instructive t o learn that a n October 1988 Houston Geological Society (HGS) three-day hydrology short course constituted a review of 1940s-vintage ground water geology texts, essentially updated for more recent U.S. federal government regulations - mainly those of the U S . Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The first example of water well pollution taught in collegiate geology that comes to the author 's mind con- cerned a farmer whose water well tapped an aquifer immediately downdip from a neighbor's privy, with under- standably bad results. Today's water pollution is much more complicated, a s reflected by numerous EPA regulations, and is steadily becoming worse. Pesticides and other chemictils entering the environment are complicating gro~rnd ivaier pollution and anti-pollution technology by !eaps and hounds. (See Table 1).
Gra:iul;l!- sctivatzd carbon (GAC) filters are generally considc~izti as i h ~ most cost-effective means of filtering chlorine and organic manmade contaminants from water. Many municipal water systems have chlorine added to kill bacteria and other waterborne disease-causing agents.
However, chlorine is a bleach and a possible car- cinogen. As a practical matter, water chlorination and hydrolysis c ~ m b i n e to provide dilute hydrochloric acid solutions, forming one of nature's most chemically active
acids. Complicated water chlorination-caused organic chemical reactions form chemicals called trihalomethanes (THMs). considered t o be harmful to humans. , ,
O n e commercial line of household water filters augments GAC's organic chemical filtering ability with silver's bacteriostatic effect. Silver has no apparent human nutritional value - but is useful in dentistry - and inhibits bacterial growth, including that in the mouth and gums. Silver does NOT, however, kill bacteria. Household water treated with silver-enhanced G A C filters can retain minimal amounts of bacteria. Chlorine is removed, but a few bacteria remain. Some beneficial bacteria, notably Lacto- bacillus acidophilus, aid digestion of food in humans.
Some household water filters which lack silver impreg- nation - if unused for such lengthy time periods as a family vacation - can clog, and become useless. This is because bacteria thrive when unchecked by frequent flows of chlorinated water at room temperatures.
Tradition holds that silver's inhibition of bacterial growth was known t o the ancient Romans. The phrase, "three coins in the fountain," ascribed to ancient Roman waterworks. may reflect Roman concern with water quality aided by silver coins - particularly for the ancient Roman army, then the world's best.
Sediment filters composed of natural and artificial materials are well known. Basic silt and water filters are widely used in the oil fields. Filtration methods for drilling fluids are an ongoing petroleum engineering field of study and application. For potable water, sediment filters' main purpose is to remove rust, scale and other harmful particw lates nrior to human consumntion.
Ion exchange filters are useful to remove lead, arsenic. mercury, some nitrates and nitrites - and other harmful inorganic water contaminants. Such water filters require
Table 1 - Some chemicals which are increasingly polluting water supplies. Source: Herbalife International, Inc., Copyright 1988
dlquC>t Endo.wlf?n stlllate epichlorhydrln ethyl ace ta t e ethyl methacrylate ethylene dlbromide t.thylerie o d e f luor~de furiural Heptachlor Eposide hexachl~1rocyclohexme heuachlorophene
Bt.nzo (a ) gyrene RIS (2 chlorethyl) e ther butyl ace ta t e s 2-Chloronapht+alenes r a d r n j ~ ~ n , and compounds Carbon T r t ~ achlonde
Carbon Te t rxh lo r lde Chloramme Chlorine Chloroform ch lo rom~thy l methyl ether Chrysrr ie creu5ote cumerie
Lrndane (gamrnd.BHC) malonon~tnlu mercury-lnorgarirc methi>xycl~ior methyl mercaptan methqlamme 2~Nrtrophenol n-bulqlarnrnr naled n ~ c k e l carbonyl
n~ l ro to luene p chloro m-cresol psraldehyde PCB-1221 PCB~1254 pentach!ororthane
1. 1.Dichloroethane 1, 2 Dlchlorvethane 1, 2~Dl rh lo ropropane 1. 3-Dichloropropyleiie 1, 2, 5.6-Drbenzoarithrdcene 2. 4 D~methylpheiiol 2, 6~dichlorophenol 4, .1 DDI 4, 6 Drnrtro-o creso. D D T DiLn.ocyl phthalate drbromochioromethane
drchloroben;.enes Pentachlor~,phe~iol phenyl mercdptan ph tha l~c anhqdride Pyrene qu~nor ie 1, 1. 1 Tricliloroethant. 1. 2-Trans d~ch lo roe~hy lene 2 . 4. 5-T 2. 3. b Trrchlorophrnol rert-Dutylamilre tetraethyllead t h ~ r a m toluene 2. 4~dmm1rle Tr~chloroethylrne variad~uni x y e n r zrrconlurn
Houston Geolog~cal Society Bulletin. January 1990
both frequent backflush maintenance and replacement. Reverse osmosis filters are excellent for removing ALL
contaminants from municipal water. Osmosis is fluid passage through a semipermeable membrane.
However, such filters - and their installation - a re costly. Reverse osmosis filters are relatively inefficient, a s they must process much more water than they yield - and such DESIRABLE mineral nutrients a s calcium are filtered out. As with distilled water, some consumers complain that water s o treated tastes flat. Furthermore, if the membrane ruptures, the filter user may not know it. In such cases, the treated water can then become more contaminated than it was when untreated.
ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN GEOSCIENTISTS FOUNDATIONS OFFERS CHRYSALIS SCHOLARSHIPS
The Association for Women Geoscientists Foundation (AWGF) is pleased to announce that we will be giving two $300 Scholarships on March 1,1990. The Chrysalis will be given t o two women geoscience Masters o r Ph.D. candi- da tes to cover expenses needed t o complete a thesis. Candidates must have returned t o school after a n inter- ruption in their education of one year or longer. The support c a n be used for typing, drafting, child care expenses or anything necessary t o allow a degree candidate to finish her thesis and enter a geoscience profession.
Last year's recipient was Diane Bellis, a doctoral candidate in geochemistry at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and the mother of four. S h e received her Ph.D. in geochemistry last May and is currently a n AAAS Fellow responsible for U S . Science Policy in Africa and Latin America under the Department of Sta te in Washington, D C .
Applications should be made by January 31, 1990, and sent to the Foundation. For more information o r applica- tions, please write: Chrysalis Scholarship, Association for Women Geoscientists Foundation, c /o Resource Center for Associations, 10200 West 44th Avenue #304, Wheat Ridge, C O 80033.
The applicant should write a letter stating her career goals and objectives, describing how she will use the money, and explaining the length and nature of the interruption to her education. Her thesis advisor must submit a letter stating when the candidate will finish her degree and what requirements are a s yet unfinished. This letter should also include reference to the applicant's prospects for future contributions t o the geosciences. Two additional letters of recommendation are required.
PHILLIPS PETROLEUM FUNDS AWG SPEAKERS BUREAU
The Association for Women Geoscientists is pleased t o announce that funding is available for the Phillips - AWG Distinguished Lectures. Phillips Petroleum has given the AWG Foundation a $9000 grant over three years to underwrite travel for women geoscientists participating a s speakers.
Grants of up t o $300 for direct travel cos ts will be available o n a first come, first serve basis to non-profit, non-governmerlt institutions or organizations seeking speakers from the AWG Speakers Bureau. T h e Speakers Bureau provides a list of nearly 100 nationally recognized women geoscientists with a great choice and range of speakers ' topics t o those seeking speakers on geoscience tonics. ~.
The Association for Women Geoscientists was founded in 1977 t o encourage women t o become and remain geoscientists. AWG has 14 chapters and at-large members throughout the U.S. and in other countries. The AWG Foundation was established in 1983 t o develop and fund innovative programs designed to encourage women and girls t o study earth sciences and t o investigate career opportunities and the advancement in the geoscience professions.
For information on obtaining a list of speakers and a grant for speaker's travel, please write: Speakers Bureau, Association for Women Geoscientists Foundation, c/o Resource Center for Associations, 10200 West 44th Avenue #304, Wheat Ridge, C O 80033, (303) 422-8527.
NEW ACTIVE MEMBERS Continued from page 16 TEILMANN, Ill, GUNNAR J Sr Sales Enginerr Schlumberger Well Servres 5005 M~tchelldale rt280 Houston. Texas 77092 957-6629
UDE. JR., SCOTT C. Hydrogeologist Toxcon Engineering Co., Inc 3334 Richmond Ave. P200 Houston, Texas 77098 520 7667
VILLAMIZAR. ALVARO Worldwde ExpL Stl. Geol. Conoco Inc. MM N. Dairy Ashlord Houston, Texas 77252 293-1560
VINSON, THOMAS E. Exploralion Geologist Exxon USA Rt. 6. Box 875 Conroe, Texas 77302 (409) 231 2969
VROLIJK. PAUL D . Mkt9'Sales Mgr Jason Geosysterns 11200 Westhe~mer Houston. Texas 77042
WELLS. MICHAEL A. Explr. Supt. G C Dlvlsron C X Y Energy 12790 Merit Dr 4800 Dallas. Texas 75251 (214) 450 4678
WINSTON. ROBERT T Sr Staff Pel Eng. Amoco Production Co P O . Box 3092 Houston. Texas 77253 556-4398
WOODHOUSE. II. JOHN C. Consullant 15606 Fern Basm Dr. Houston. Texas 77084 5507848
WRIGHT-DUNBAR. ROBYN Sr. Research Fellou, Rice U n ~ v Geol. & Geop. P 0. Box 1892 Houston. Texas 7>251 285-5169
NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS FRAZlER WARREN W Exec VP Explorat~on Lemarco Operatmg Inc 5847 San Feltpe P595 Houston Texas 77057 782 5847
PORTER ARNlE L Seisrnlc Processing Supvr Amoco Product~on Co P 0 Box 3092 Houston Texas 77253
WEINER KANE CHRISTOPHER Texas Crude Explarat~on Inr 801 Trdvls 62100 Houston Texas 77002 228 8888
The HGS Academic Liaison Committee Needs YOU!
Call John Chronic 933-0371
Houston Geolog~cal Soc!ely Bulletin. January 1990 20
ENVIRONMENTAL UPDA TE
REVIEW: GEOPHYSICAL METHODS DETECTION A N D
INTRODUCTION Delineation of karst and karst-related features is a task
which figures in numerous economic and safety related enterprises. For example, recent collapse of homes and businesses into sinkholes in Orlando, Florida have provided eyecatching headlines and major financial losses to owners and insurance companies. Successful prediction of incipient collapse zones would ease a lot of human suffering. In related circumstances, investigation of karst development may be mandated by Federal regulation (e.g. foundation studies for nuclear power stations). Probably the most ubiquitous requirement for karst mapping is in relation to its considerable influence on groundwater - both from a supply standpoint and its potential for distributing hazardous wastes.
Successful application of geophysics to the problems of detecting and mapping karst features depends upon our ability to define the target (physical characteristics) and relate these to geophysical methods that are highly-sensitive to those specific characteristics. The thrust of this article will be to review, by method, ways in which karst features may be delineated and to provide some examples and reference materials for illustration.
TARGET CHARACTERISTICS For any geophysical target, the greater the contrast,
the better the chance of detection. A void often produces a maximum contrast; shear zones somewhat less. In one sense, detecting karst features should be a relatively easy task because they differ from the high seismic velocity and poor electrical conductivity of the surrounding, unaltered limestone.
If we consider the major types of karst features we can determine which characteristics they have that make them
TABLE 1. Listing of karst targets and geophysical characteristics.
TARGETS CHARACTERISTICS METHOD
VOIDS Chimneys & Caves Dry & Water Fill
VOIDS Collapsed Sediment Fill
FRACTURE ZONES
DISRUPTED OVERBURDEN
Large Acoustic Seismic Reflection Impedance Contrast
Large Density Contrast Gravity/Microgravity
Conductive Fill Electrical/EM (water, clay)
Magnetic Fill Magnetics
Conductive Fill Electrical/EM Flowing Water Self Potential
Lowered/lncreased Seismic Refraction Velocity Concentration of Clay Electrical/EM
FOR KARST
attractive geophysical targets. Table 1 provides a general listing of targets, particular physical characteristics of each type, and most sensitive geophysical method for those characteristics.
SEISMIC METHODS The presence of voids and fractures in a rock mass
significantly affects the way in which seismic waves travel through the rock. In terms of transmission, waves are slowed, attenuated, and sometimes eliminated by passing through a void or densely fractured rock. A void/rock interface creates a significant acoustic impedance contrast which results in large reflection coefficients (nearly 100% of the seismic energy is reflected off the void). The magnitude of the seismic effect, indeed with any geophysical measure- ment, is very much a function of the size of the karst feature. Therefore, there are practical limits as to how small a target can be and still be defined geophysically. As wave propaga- tion methods usually offer the best hope of such resolution, seismic techniques are among the better for defining smaller targets.
Reflection. Seismic reflection is the standard geo- physical technique in oil exploration and is only recently becoming popular in shallow, engineering and groundwater investigations. Voids/caves reflect seismic energy back toward the surface where it is detected. In such circum- stances, the seismic event indicative of a karst feature is ' recognized as either a) a large amplitude, relatively wide reflection (for a large cave), b) a diffraction hyperbola (for a small cave or feature), c) a disruption of an otherwise continuous reflection event (bedrock surface or sedi- mentary layer), or d) an area where deeper reflections are highly attenuated or disrupted. The last event occurs because voids reflect incident energy with such great efficiency that the energy available to transmit through the void to interrogate greater depths is greatly minimized.
Few case histories are available dealing specifically with seismic reflection for limestone dissolution features. One study considers bedrock dissolution beneath an earth-fill dike suffering from seepage problems (Dobecki, et al., 1989) Figure 1 is a portion of a shallow seismic reflection section showing bedrock dissolution features linked to fracturindfaulting of the soluble limestone. Other studies deal with sinkholes related to salt dissolution (Steeples, et al., 1986), abandoned coal mine workings (Dobecki, 1989; Steeples and Miller, 1987), and tunnel detection (Dobecki and Balch, 1987),
In general, seismic reflection is better at detecting discrete karst targets like caves or sinks and less applicable to detecting fracture zones. This is changing, however, owing to oilfield research which is utilizing shear wave
21 Houston Geolo~lcal Society Bulle*-n. January 1990
Figure 1 Shallow seismic reflection section showing bedrock surface and dissolution features associated with mapped faults (from Dobecki et al., 1989).
birefringence (splitting into fast and slow components) when such a wave passes through a fractured rock mass (Martin and Davis, 1987). When such analyses are perfected and scaled down, they will likely be very appropriate to similar studies in karst delineation.
Refraction. Seismic refraction, while being a mainstay of engineering and groundwater geophysics, is not a good method for direct detection of karst features. Most karst features have low seismic velocity, which refraction tends to skip over in its most classical application. However, refrac-
which are 1) shallow, 2) large and 3) air-filled. The first two points are valid for any geophysical method; the latter is particularly true for gravity as it maximizes the density contrast with the limestone. Fairly sophisticated data processing and filtering are required to extract the fairly small void anomaly due to a cave - especially if the region is one of substantial topographic relief. This precludes gravity from being a real-time method which enables making location judgements in the field. Figure 2 is a processed and
tion methods can be employed with great success in mapping bedrock surface; if karst features are developed on this interface, then refraction can map them. Another
refracted seismic wave must pass through the karst feature. In this case, delays,in the arrival of the refracted wave can indicate the karst feature. When co l la~se of a cavern occurs, significant modification of the overburden is induced. Substantial fracturing results in a localized lower- ing of the overburden velocity or localized horizontal com~ression of the overburden increases the overburden velocity. These, too, can be detected by refraction methods as an indirect means of cavity detection (Dobecki, 1989).
A novel seismic method for tracing groundwater flow in a karst region is neither reflection nor refraction, but most similar to microearthquake seismology. Arandjelovic (1969) placed small timebombs into flowing water in a cavern svstem. The bombs were set to detonate at varied intervals. A surface array of earthquake seismometers recorded the blasts and, using earthquake location algorithms, located the blasts which enabled tracing out the flow pattern and cave system. Contour interval = 0.02 mGAL
MICROGRAVITY AND MAGNETICS i CAVE
0 50 Microgravity. The mass deficiency caused by replac- %:tG
ing dense limestone with a void or void/fill alters the local gravity field. Using microgravity to map karst features has SCALE
been fairly popular in Europe (Colley, 1963; Neumann, 1967) but less frequently applied in the United States (Arzi, Figure 2 Residual microgravity map over a known cave 1975; Butler, 1984). The method is most effective for voids system (after Butler, 1983).
i Houston Geolog~cal Society Bullet~n January 1990 22
filtered gravity map over a series of caves in Florida. The gravity low over the cave is apparent.
Magnetics. Use o f magnetics for karst exploration is not intuitively obvious. The hypothesis suggesting mag- netics might be useful is that clay f i l l in fractures, sinks, or cavities typically has a higher magnetic susceptibility than limestone. This would not be an overwhelming effect and, in the case of a dry, air-filled cavern, might have no effect at all. This concept has been tested (Butler, 1983) and has not proven to be very successful. However, special circum- stances (e.g. unusually high concentration of paramagnetic minerals in fi l l ) might make a specific site very appropriate for magnetic investigation.
ELECTRICAL/EM (ELECTROMAGNETIC) METHODS
These methods which rely on contrasts in electrical resistivity, are probably the most frequently used geophysics for karst delineation. Fill, such a s water and/or clay in karst features is electrically conductive while intact limestone is poorly conductive. O n e of the other attractive features of electrical/em methods is the variety of ways in which they can be applied. While quantitative interpretation of almost all electrical,!em data is fairly complicated, the qualitative interpretalion is more straightforward and, with particular methods, rather simple.
Standard Galvanic Resistivity. These methods employ physical contact (via stakes, for example) with surface materials while inducing electrical currents to flow in subsurface layers. These generally work well (e.g. Dutta, 1970; Vincenz, 1968), albeit at a relatively slow pace, inareas of fairly conductive surficial soils.
An interesting variation on standard galvanic surveying is the misc-a-la-masse method. Here, the current is forced to flow in the conductive target by emplacing one current electrode into the target mass (water-filled cave, for example) at a point where it can be reached (an opening or an intersecting borehole). By causingmuchof the current to flow within the target, a n investigator can trace out the target by mapping induced voltages at the surface along a grid of lines (e.g. Chandra et al., 1987; Sheriff, 1989).
Self Potential (SP). Water flowing in a confined conduit, like a clayey fracture set , generates an electro- kinetic voltage which can be measured at ground surface. This has been an effective way of mapping seepage from reservoirs and has been used in India (Chandra et al., 1987) for mapping solution channels through pumping of a karst water supply well and inducing flow in the recharge system.
Passive EM. These methods employ electromagnetic waves (radio frequency, generally) generated by huge transmitters located around the world for submarine (naval) commun~cations (the "VLF" method). These waves travel out radially from the transmitters and are modified (tilt, phase shift, e tc . ) when they pass over conductors in the subsurface. The field gear is light, single operator portable, rapid, and cheap. There is a preferred orientation of the strike of the target with respect to direction from site to the transmitter which means the VLF may be good for certain strikes and poor for others, and this is not something which can be controlled by the operator.
Controlled Source EM. These are the more typical (and more expensive) em systems in which the em field is controlled (frequency, type, orientation) by the operator making them more flexible than the VLF. They are still quite portable and rapid; many offer direct, hard copy output from the device such that near real-time interpretations (qualitative) can be made while still in the field. As an example of such an em survey over karst features, Figure 3 shows the distinctive pattern in em response over a clay- filled chimney in Germany.
t 5 0 lnphase 3555 Hz -
9'.
,- - - - J -- .--- - _ _
-40 Outphase 3555 H z - '
ELECTROMAGNETIC SECTION
6 3 s o l 1 GEOLOGIC SECTION
r l C l a v
Shale
L l m ~ s l o n e o 1 7 1 l o o m
Figure 3 Electromagnetic profile showing resonses over a clay-filled chimney and normal fault zone (after Vogelsang, 1987).
Radar. This method is popularly viewed a s an electro- magnetic analog of seismic reflection; both show similar types of reflection time sections and features "look" the same o n each. Both, however, are quite different in terms of resolution (radar can see smaller targets) and penetration depth (seismic wins hands down!). The method has been applied in both cross-borehole (Kaspar and Pccen, 1975) as well a s surface (Ballard, 1983) modes. These have been successful, from the surface, at detecting voids at several tensof feet deeponly if the surface soilsare poor conductors (dry and sandy). When they d o work, radar methods probably have the best resolution of any geophysical method (with, correspondingly, the least amount of penetration).
SUMMARY
Geophys~cs should never be viewed as a substitute for exploratory boreholes. It should always be viewed as a cost effective means of cutting down on the total number of boreholes required to a d e q ~ ~ a t e l y complete an explorat~on
Houston Geoloqra l Society Bu lcl ln Janudry 1990
program. Geophysics can be fooled by "geologic noise" (e.g. a clay filled void may have the same apparent effect as a clay lens in the overburden) and requires companion boreholes to a) calibrate the geophysics so it can be trusted over a site and b) verify the geophysical interpretation. For karst delineation, electrical/em is probably the best overall method simply because of its cost and its effectiveness in a wide variety of of applications. Close behind are gravity and seismic methods. Magnetics may have occasional, special- ized application.
Much information can be gained if part of the karst system is accessible (through a chimney or intersecting borehole). Even if boreholes fail to hit a given target, additional geophysics can determine where the next bore- hole should be placed to intersect the anomaly.
A number of fairly expensive and uncommon geophysi- cal surveys have been described for void detection (e.g. cosmic ray tomography and induced void resonance) but I have purposely limited this discussion to familiar and readily available technologies.
REFERENCES Arandjelovic, D., 1969, A possible way of tracing ground
water flows in karst: Geophysical Prospecting, 17, 404-418.
Ballard, R.F. Jr., 1983, Electromagnetic (radar) techniques applied to cavity detection: Tech. Report GL-83-1 (Report 5 of a series), Geotech. Lab. US Army Engineer Waterways Exper. Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Butler, D.K., 1983, Microgravimetric and magnetic surveys - Medford Cave Site, Florida: Tech. Report GL-83-1 (Report 1 of a series), Geotech. Lab. US Army Engineer Waterways Exper. Station, Vicksburg.
Butler, D.K., 1984, Microgravimetric and gravity gradient techniques for detection of subsurface cavities: Geo- physics, 49, 1084-1096.
Chandra, P.C., Tata, S., Raju, K.C.B., 1987, Geoelectrical response of cavities in limestones - an experimental field study from Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India: Geoexploration, 24, 483-502.
Colley, G.C., 1963, The detection of caves by gravity methods: Geophysical Prospecting, 11, 1-9.
Dobecki, T.L. and Balch, A.H., 1987, Seismic reflection applications to the dormant tunnel detection problem: unpublished report prepared for US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station by Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden.
Dobecki, T.L., Mueller, T.L., and Savage, M.B., 1989, High- resolution seismic reflection investigations at Beaver Dam, Arkansas: Tech. Report REMR-GT-10, US Army Engineer Waterways Exper. Station, Vicksburg.
Dobecki, T.L., 1989, Seismic velocity anomalies due to stress concentrations above shallow voids: The First Break, 7, (in press).
Dutta, N.P., 1970, Detection of solution channels in lime- stone by electrical resistivity method: Geophysical Prospecting, 18, 405-414.
Kaspar, M. and Pecen, J . , 1975, Detection of caves in karst formation by means of electromagnetic waves: Geo- physical Prospecting, 23, 61 1-621.
Martin, M.A. and Davis, T.L., 1987, Shear wave birefrin- gence - a new tool for evaluating fractured reservoirs: Geophysics The Leading Edge, 6, 22-28.
Neumann, R., 1967, La gravimetrie de haute precision application aux recherches de cavites: Geophysical Prospecting, 15, 116-134.
Steeples, D.M., Knapp, R.W., and McElwee, C.D., 1986, Seismic reflection investigations of sinkholes beneath Interstate Highway 70 in Kansas: Geophysics, 51, 295-301.
Steeples, D.M. and Miller, R.D., 1987, Direct detection of shallow subsurface voids using high-resolution seismic reflection techniques: Second multidisciplinary conf. on sinkholes and the environmental impacts of karst, A.A. Balkema, Boston.
Vincenz, S.A., 1968, Resistivity investigations of limestone aquifers in Jamaica: Geophysics, 33, 980-994.
Vogelsang, D., 1987, Examples of electromagnetic pros- pecting for karst and fault systems: Geophysical Pros- pecting, 35, 604-617.
T. L. DOBECKI-Biographical Sketch
Dr. Thomas L. Dobecki is President of LCT, Inc. of Houston and Denver. He received a BS (Physics), MA (Geology), and PhD (Geophysics) all from Indiana Uni- versity. Since completion of his schooling, Dr. Dobecki has worked, primarily, as a geotechnical and groundwater geophysicist, having been Chief Geophysicist for D'Appolonia Consultants, Staff Research Geophysicist at Sandia National Labs, and Associate Professor of Geo- physics at Sandia National Labs, and Associate Professor of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines prior to joining LCT. Professionally, he has served as Chairman of the Engineering and Groundwater Geophysics Committee of the SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) and was recently invited by SEG to author a state-of-the-art assess- ment of engineering and groundwater geophysics for the SEG 50th Anniversary volume. Dr. Dobecki serves as a technical reviewer for Geophysics and Groundwater. His primary areas of research interest are shallow, high reso- lution seismic and potential field applications.
International A ~ m c n E . e r u r C ~ ~ F X V 10,001 Richmond Avenue
Houston Geolog~cal Socbety Bul lem. January 1990 24
U.S. Geological Survey
SIXTH V. E. McELVEY FORUM ON
MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES
ENERGY RESEARCH FOR THE 1990's: ANTICIPATING THE NEEDS
FOR THE 21st CENTURY February 20-22, 1990
Hyatt-Regency, Downtown - Houston, Texas
Technical Program: 80 oral and poster presentations, including:
Fractal geometry Search for subtle traps Evolution of sedimentary basins Reservoir characterization Coal quality Geochemistry
For more information, contact: Technical program Meeting arrangements
C . W. Holmes. MS 973 Buhler and Abraham, Inc. U.S. Geological Survey 8700 First Avenue Denver Federal Center Silver Spring, MD 20910
Denver, C O 80225 (801) 566-4177 (303) 238-7748
1990 McKELVEY FORUM T h e V.E. McKelvey Forum on Minerals and Energy
resources was established in 1985 to imnrove communi- cations between the USGS and the earth science com- munity by presenting the resultsof current USGS research o n non-renewable resources in a timelv fashion and bv providing an opportunity for individuals from other organi- zations to meet informally with U S G S scientists and managers. T h e McKelvey Forum helps make the U S G S programs more responsive to the needs of the earth science community, particularly the mining and petroleum in- dustries, and fosters closer cooperation between organi- zation and ~ndividuals.
The forum was named after the former Director Vincent E. McKelvey in recognition of his life-long contri- bution to research, development, and administration in mineral and energy resources, a s scientist! as Chief Geologist, and a s Director of the U.S. Geological Survey. The forum is a n annual event and its subject matter alternates between mineral and energy resources. This year the subject is energy research and the venue has been changed to Houston.
This years program will have both oral and poster presentations (88), based in the theme: "Energy research for the 1990's: Anticipating the needs for the 21st century." There will be 25 oral presentations and 63 poster presenta- tions. The tinal technical program is presently being edited.
SONAT TOWER 5599 San Felipe
P.O. Box 1513 Houston, Texas 77251
TYLER OKLAHOMA CITY
SHREVEPORT
Attention:
GEOLOGISTS GEOPHYSICISTS
PILGRIM WANTS TO BUY QUALITY PROSPECTS
OFFSHORE LOUISIAlYA
FEDERAL OR STATE WATERS
CASH PLUS AN ORRl
PLEASE CONTACT
Ed Jackson Sam Puryear Pilgrim Exploration Corp.
Citicorp Center 1200 Smith, Suite 600 Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 652-9010
25 Houston Geolog~cal Society Builettn January 1990
HGS SHORT COURSE SEISMIC TECHNOLOGY 1990 FOR
FINDING AND DEFINING HYDROCARBON RESERVOIRS DATE & LOCATION: Thursday, January 18, 1990; 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
SCOPE OF COURSE: Beginning with a historical prespective, changes and progress in seismic technology are described and illustrated. In particular we note the shift in philosophy from learning to interpret complex seismic images to simplifying the images to more directly represent complex geology. With the advances in improving the seismic picture came progress also in extracting detailed information about velocities, and in certain circumstances even permeability.
This summary discussion which addresses the practical explorationist who primarily has a geologic background, moves from current methods of seismic imaging and display (in non- mathematical terms) to other more sophisticated uses for the seismic data. The role of model studies and the effectiveness of calibrations with subsurface data are examined. Shear wave generation and amplitude variation of seismic methods with changing source to receiver separations are noted for their role in lithologic identification and hydrocarbon detection. The important role of computer interactive systems as a bridge between the exploration intellect and the seismic/well log data-base is outlined.
Lastly, some of the newer techniques and even emerging methods are considered in terms of their current and future role in exploration. These include three-dimensional seismic methods, multi-component seismic surveys and seismic techniques which involve the use of the borehole. Future directions for likely progress in this area are also indicated.
Data acquisition, processing and interpretive methods are all considered in some degree, however, the borad span of developments precludes in-depth or complete treatment of all topics. Emphasis will be on building insights and understanding of the tools and approaches with priority placed on those techniques which are currently proven and of most immediate utility. Discussion periods will bean integral part of the program to consider topics of special interest to the audience in greater detail.
Norman S . Neidell received a B.S. Degree from New York University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Geophysics from Imperial College and a Ph.D. in Geodesy and Geophysics from Cambridge University. He acquired basic experience with Gulf Oil and Seiscom-Delta, and undertook independent ventures and consulting in 1971 which remainsas hiscontinuing activity.
In 1973, he joined in the founding of GeoQuest International Inc. During 1976, he co-founded Zenith Exploration Co., and served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Late in 1979, he founded Delphian Signals to exploit applications of his basic research on dolphin echolocation. He has authored numerous technical papers and patents and made presentations before many learned groups both here and abroad.
He was an Adjunct Professor in the Geology Department of the University of Houston. Dr. Neidell is a Past President and Honorary Member of the Geophysical Society of Houston (GSH), a Distinguished Lecturer for the SEG, a Past Associate Editor of Geophysics and a member of several SEG committees.
INSTRUCTOR:
COST: Pre-Registration by Jan. 11, 1990 At Door Members $45.00 $55.00 Non-members $50.00 $60.00 Students $30.00 $45.00
REGISTRATION FORM Seismic Technology 1990 for Finding and Defining Hydrocarbon Reservoirs
NAME:
PARTNER'S NAME:
ADDRESS:
PHONE (home) (work) Enclose check payable to HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
Return with this form to: Houston Geological Society, 7171 Harwin, Suite 314, Houston, Texas 77036
Houston Geolog~cal Socfety Bu l le t~n January 1990 26
JAN. CALENDAR of EVENTS SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
HG S ENVIR/ENGIN
SHORT COURSE Rieser & Munsil Paul Revere H.S.
MEETINGS IN HOUSTON
UH Geal Alumnl Assur Luncheon I SPE Luncheon
SPWLA Westslde SPWLA Greonspom Luncheon I iunchran
HGS INT'L EXPL' HGS 18 DINNER MEETING SHORT COURSE
Rich Scattolini Norm Neidell
Bob Johnson Exxon Bldg. Westin Oaks I SIPES Luncheon
SPWLA Cased Hole Nannette K u ~ h Luncheon Pelruleurn Club
HGS LUNCHEON Dave l a w e n c e Hauston Club
GEO-EVENTS
HGS Dinner Meeting, Rusty Riese, "Seismic- Stratigraphic Analysis of the Miocene System, Offshore Texas - Models and Implications", Westin Oaks, 5:30 p.m., Jan. 8.
HGS Luncheon, Dave Lawrence, "Application of Stratigraphic Forward Models in Exploration Settings", Houston Club, 11:30 a.m., Jan. 31.
SCHOOLS AND FIELD TRIPS HGS Short Course, "Seismic Technology 1990 for
Finding and Defining Hydrocarbon Reservoirs", Norman Neidell, Exxon Auditorium, Exxon Building. 800 Bell, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Jan. 18.
HGS Field Trip, Core Analysis Laboratory; Routine, Special and Petrographic Facilities, Core Laboratories Facilities, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.. Jan. 27.
HGS Environmental/Engineering Short Course, Bob Rieser and Mike Munsil, "Real Estate Transfer and Hydrogeologic Site Assessments - Nuts and Bolts", Paul Revere High School, 7:OO-9:00 p.m., Jan. 30.
2 7 Houston Gealog~cal Sac~ety Bulleun. January 1990
COMMITTEE NEWS
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE DELUXE WEEKEND PACKAGE AT THE
WESTIN HOTELS UP FOR GRABS! OTHER SUPER PRIZES TO BE HAD BY
PARTICIPATING IN THE MEMBERSHIP DRIVE!
The MEMBERSHIP DRIVE CONTEST is HEATING U P and nearing MATURATION. Over 200 members have entered the contest, and yet anyone has a chance to win. The current leader in the H G S MEMBERSHIP DRIVE CONTEST isstill our very own, Deet Schumacher, whohas given us 12 new members s o far for this term. Several others a re close behind and the gap is closing. The key t o Deet's success is obtaining 2 or 3 new members every month. He identifies the nonmembers prior to partner's meetings, and brings the H G S applications with him. Why don't you try it too. There are lots of non-members dealing with you on a daily basis. Many are recent arrivals, either newly hired or transferred in. Surprisingly, there are non-members who have been around forever and have never thought t o join. Searchout your associates whoare not members, and have them join the HGS.
The prizes offered include H G S lapel pins, dinners for two, and deluxe weekend getaways. Remember, the member who is credited with the most new H G S members will take first nick from the selection of ~ r i z e s available. The more members you are credited with, the better your prize. You will have until May, 1990 to enter. One of the best prizes to be announced is the Deluxe Weekend at either the Westin Oaks o r the Westin Galleria, including either a Friday/Saturday or a Saturday/Sunday for two nights. What a great opportunity for a romantic weekend getaway or a classw d a c e to nut uo a snecial relative while thew visit you. N ~ ~ H G S LAPEL PINS are being made, and i i l l be offered to any member credited with 3 new members. Also, the Pappas family is sponsoring one of the dinner prizes. This is another winning restaurant for one of our winners. Pappas has many locations and tastes t o offer; their restaurant's include Papasito's, Papadeaux, PapaMia's, Papa's Seafood, Papa Taco's, and Strawberry Patch (and I've probably left some out)! O n e is in your neighborhood. Pasta Lamonte's is another fine restaurant offering a dinner prize. The H G S is lucky to have the support of Houston's top businesses. Now it's your turn.
It's easy to enter this contest, just follow these simple steps.
3. Print and sign your name a s the first sponsor (upper of the two sponsor spaces).
4. Get a second H G S member to sponsor the lucky prospective member.
5. Be sure the new member correctly mails the appli- cation to the HGS.
All of my committee membersand our H G S secretary, Margaret Blake, will be available with application forms and information regarding H G S qualifications.
COMPANY REPS: Amoco: Mike Deming
BP Exploration: Jim Webb ARCO: Ben Winkleman
Shell: Marilyn Taggi Cisar SITA: S . Kumar Bhattacharjee
Samadan: Jeff Waiters Amerada Hess Corp.: Robert Fryklund
H G S UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP F U N D ACKNOWLEDGES CONTRIBUTORS
The H G S Undergraduate Scholarship Fund gratefully acknowledges the following contributors:
Mrs. A. L. Selig (in memory of Harold L. Geis) Gulf Coast Geological Library
(in memory of Kenneth L. Gow)
These contributions will be used to help further the education of outstanding students at several local universi- ties.
Houston Geologrcal S o c ~ e ~ y Bullet~n. January 1990 2 8
HGS CORE ANALYSIS LABORATORY; ROUTINE, SPECIAL,
AND PETROGRAPHIC FACILITIES
DATE & LOCATION: Saturday, January 27,8:30 - 12:30, Core Laboratories Facility, 5295 Hollister Road, Houston. SCOPE OF TRIP: This trip is designed to familiarize the participant with the analysis processes applied to
sidewall and conventional cores. The tour will view the Houston Core Lab facility, which has three labs that specialize in routine, special, and petrographic core analysis. The Routine Analysis Lab is where tests are made for porosity, permeability, and fluid saturations. In the Special Analysis Lab, tests are done to determine electrical measurements, fluid sensitivity, and simulated overburden conditions. The Reservoir Geological Lab is where thin section, X-ray diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscope work is done. Each lab will be presented by its respective Core Lab specialist.
COST: $2.00 in advance, $4.00 at the door. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. Maps will be mailed to early registrants.
REGISTRATION FORM HGS Core Analysis Field Trip
NAME:
PARTNER'S NAME:
ADDRESS:
PHONE (home) (work) Enclose check payable to HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
Return with this form to: Houston Geological Society, 7171 Harwin, Suite 314, Houston, Texas 77036 *
29 Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bullet~n. January 1990
HYDROLOGY APPLIED TO ~~~~~~~ HYDROCAROON EXPLORATION
DO YOU SOMETIMES WONDER WHY
So many good prospects fail? Gas, oil & water don't obey buoyancy? Seismic reflections are poor above "bright spots"? Temperatures over oil pools are above average?
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED RE-THINKING YOUR EXPLORATION LOGIC?
SEMINARS AVAILABLE W.H. (BILL) ROBERTS Ill CALL (71 3) 465-2228 PRESIDENT
ADVERTISE IN THE HGS BULLETIN
FOR More Information
Contact: Don Neville
(71 3) 655-9666
.
Union Texas Petroleum
Houston 1330 Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056 (7 13) 623-6544
Denver Midland 14001 E. Iliff 4000 N. Big Spring
Suite 500 Suite 400 Aurora, CO 80014 Midland, TX 79705
(303) 695-8778 (9 15) 684-0600
DIGITAL DIGEST
DIGITAL DATA - TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE?
By MARK W. HODSON
Most, if not all, professional geologists are familiar with the concept of confidential information. The tenets of proprietary advantage and of not giving something for nothing are basic parts of our psyches. But new ideas and new tools tend to challenge basic tenets, and computers, with their new forms of data and their new, different, or enhanced abilities to use data, have complicated the rules on holding data "tite". On one hand you now have to consider the increased potential value of data in digital form. After all, the Competition might be able to crank seemingly inconsequential information through their semi-magical computer software and come up with a complete reservoir description of your latest discovery. Or you might gain those insights yourself, if you can just manage to get the data cleaned up into the right programs. On the other hand, digital data tends to grow at a tremendous rate, and the tasks of data collection, cleanup, organization, and main- tenance can quickly grow beyond the capabilities of the finite number of support personnel you can afford. So how do you decide what data you can afford to keep and what
you can afford to turn loose? To further complicate things, you have at least four
options. You can give your data away, by releasing it. You can keep it to yourself, and tite-hole the rest of the world. You can exchange it for something else of value, either by trading it or selling it. Or you can simply do nothing with your data, and watch it fade into oblivion.
Of the four options the release of confidential data may seem the most bizarre. Why would you hand out perfectly good, useful information, with no strings attached? You might give away data, or at least publicize your carefully designed data format, in the hope that the format might be adopted as an industry standard. If you are a vendor of software or data, widespread acceptance and use of your particular format helps you attract and keep customers. If you are a user, popularizing your format means that the sources of data and software may adopt it, and you might then be able to use their data and software more easily and cheaply. Schlumberger's LIS well log data format was not originally developed as an industry standard, but its wide-
Advantages of Satellite Gravity: Satellite Gravity is converted from geopotential '
(contour values in mGal). , , 'i.\ ! 1 More sensitive to deeply buried andlor horizontally distributed density contrasts than is shipborne or airborne gravity. Cost-effective in frontier areas compared to shipborne Tel: 7131651-8053 Tel: + 46-31-10 17 20
i and airborne gravity or 2D13D seismic surveys. Fax: 7131651-7879 Fax: + 46-31-13 01 37
Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bullet~n, January 1990 3 0
spread availability and usability has helped both Schlum- berger and the rest of the industry. My own employer has been known to release to software vendors datasets that illustrate particular geologic problems. Software developed and tested with the aid of this da ta is both more useful a n d more marketable. Another possible reason for releasing data is that the task of cleaning it up or supporting it may b e too great for your in-house resources. Companies have been known to supply API numbers and other data to industry groups trying to assemble comprehensive well files. Such a donor company may decide it lacks the resources to find and verify all the information it is missing or to get its data into digital form. A collective effort pools both re- sources and data to form a whole often greater than the sum of its parts, s o by giving something away both the individual donor company and the industry a s a whole may benefit. Group efforts with restricted membership, such as consortia and scout associations, a re fairly common. But since members of such efforts generally hope to gain a competitive advantage over non-members, I'll defer my discussion of their why's and wherefore's until I consider selling and trading.
For now let's consider why you might choose the opposite extreme, and keep your information to yourself. This course preserves your exclusive use and benefit of your data , but not without cost . Data collection, clean-up, storage, updating, and maintenance are not free, and none of us has unlimited resources. Certain types of data are obviously worth the cos ts of keeping them exclusive. Seismic data shot o r processed to your own specifications or over your latest prospect or hottest property certainly qualify, a s d o log tapes for recent wells (especially wildcats). Interpretive data, such as well tops and seismic interpreta- tions, a re also generally worth closely guarding, especially when they are new. But a s a n area matures, data volumes and support needs grow, common knowledge and under- standing of the area increases, and the proprietary advan- tage, especially of raw data, decreases significantly.
This is where the third option, selling or trading, comes to play. Your data may n o longer provide you with a decisive edge, but they are far from worthless, either to you or to the rest of the industry. Interpretations are often held confi- dential indefinitely, even in mature areas, but raw data, such as well iogs, and objective data, such as well locations and histories, may be easier to part with. Selling data brings in money, whether the data are digital o r not. Buying and trading well logs and seismic data to increase coverage has
been commonplace for years, but with the increased use of digital data buying and trading can offer other benefits a s well. The additional cos ts of digitizing logs or scout tickets you may have only in paper form may, in some instances, be hard to justify. Sometimes such efforts can become economic if you can increase your coverage or get someone else to help you pay for them. You can d o this either by selling or trading digitized data o r by joining a consortium that will pool its paper information and share the the costs and benefits of digitizing it.
Selling or trading may also help improve in-house datasets and hold down data and software support costs. Consortia and scout associations frequently pool data and the resources necessary to combine it andclean it up. These groups may get contentious, and they may require signifi- cant effort from each member company, but they often
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31 Houston Geo log~ca l Soc~ety Bul le t~n. January 1990
produce superior data and, occasionally, improved formats or standards. You may find commercial datasets which are more complete and sometimes more accurate than "home grown" equivalents. Commercial datasets become com- mercial because their creators believe the data is sufficiently superior to be worth charging for. And commercial software often comes prepared to read the more readily available public and commercial datasets, but may require custom modification (and subsequent custom maintenance) to read data in proprietary formats. But what if your dataset includes something the commercial ones lack; a critical data item, or data values in an area where the commercial source was unable to obtain information? If you feel your additional data gives you a large advantage, you may decide to bear the cost of supporting a proprietary dataset and its links to your software. But oftentimes data vendors will cut a deal to include your data in their dataset and provide you the resulting improved dataset at a reduced cost. While you lose exclusive use of the additional data you also lose some of your support costs, and you may gain much more additional data and a significantly increased usability of data in commercially available software.
At first glance the fourth option, oblivion, may seem almost as bizarre as giving away data. Actually, you may have good reason to ignore your data. Available public or commercial datasets may be more complete and, in some cases, more accurate than "home grown" equivalents. Public datasets often come from sources that receive everybody's data, such as the Minerals Management Service; sources that are force-fed more information than you can pry loose from your competition. And, as I explained earlier, commercial vendors may offer more complete or more accurate data that's easier to use in commercial software. Faced with superior data from other sources or expensive conversion and maintenance tasks, many companies have opted to let some in-house datasets fade away into disuse.
If you need more information on using your data, augmenting it, caring for it, or disposing of it, you might consider attending Houston Geotech'90. This conference, sponsored in part by the HGS, will be held February 25-28 at
the Westin Galleria Hotel. The two main themes this year are 1) Geophysical/Geological Integration Into the 90's, and 2) The Economic, Regulatory, and Technical Impacts of Horizontal Wells. The conference includes technical papers and an exhibition, and computer short courses, most of them "hands-on", will be offered on February 28 and March 1. If you want more information look for a Houston Geotech ad eslewhere in this issue, or call Convention Manager Jeannie Fisher at (713) 739-3455 during business hours.
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HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ENVIRONMENTAL/ENGINEERlNG GEOLOGY COMMITTEE
FIELD SEMINAR DRILLING AND SOIL SAMPLING TECHNIQUES, AND MONITOR WELL INSTALLATION
Date:
Location:
February 17, 1990, 10:OO a.m.
Meet at the office of Environmental Drillers, Inc. located at 9871 Tanner Rd., Ste. E (Between Beltway 8 and Campbell Rd., west of Hempstead Highway.)
Scope: An overview of environmental drilling and soil sampling methods commonly used in the installation of monitor wells.
Demonstrators: Environmental Drillers, Inc. Groundwater Technology, Inc.
Who Should Attend: Anyone contemplating entering the environmental business.
Lunch: Hot dogs and refreshments will be provided by Environmental Drillers, Inc.
Cost: $5.00 HGS members $8.00 Non-HGS members
Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bullet$n. January 1990
HGS SHORT COURSE RESERVOIR REDEVELOPMENT IN MATURE HYDROCARBON PROVINCES:
APPROACH AND POTENTIAL IN THE LOWER 48
DATE & LOCATION: Friday, February 16, 1990; 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Exxon Auditorium, Exxon Building, 800 Bell, Houston, Texas.
SCOPE OF COURSE: The magnitude of the unrecovered mobile oil target in the U.S., variously estimated at between 80 and 100 million barrels of movable oil, is the focus of this one-day short course. Emphasized are: 1) the delineation of unrecovered mobile oil in different depositional systems and the role that reservoir heterogeneity plays in recovery efficiency, and 2) case studies wherein the approach to greater recovery in specific reservoirs can be demonstrated. Both sandstone and carbonate systems will be included. Results of new research on incremental natural gas recovery in Gulf Coast sandstone reservoirs will also be included.
INSTRUCTOR:
COST:
Dr. Noel Tyler is a Research Scientist and Director of the Oil Resources Program at the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. He is an economic sedimentologist by training with many years experience in depositional systems and facies-architecture analysis and their direct application to optimum reservoir development. Noel has published extensively on these subjects and is a co-author of the authoritative Atlas of Major Texas Oil Reservoirs. He directs a multiple program reservoir studies group at the Bureau.
Dr. Robert Finley is an Associate Director at the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. He supervises all hydrocarbon research at the Bureau and is the head of a major research project on improved recovery from mature gas reservoirs in Texas. Rob has authored a number of publications on depositional systems and reservoir properties.
Pre-Registration by Feb. 9, 1990 After Feb. 9 Members $50.00 $60.00 Non-members $60.00 $70.00 Students $35.00 $45.00
REGISTRATION FORM Reservoir Development in Mature Hydrocarbon Provinces
NAME:
PARTNER'S NAME:
ADDRESS:
PHONE (home) (work) Enclose check payable to HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
Return with this form to: Houston Geological Society, 7171 Harwin, Suite 314, Houston, Texas 77036 (Phone 785-6402)
SINCLAIR EXPLORATION COMPANY ERWIN ENERGY CORP.
We welcome submittals of prospects from independent geologists. Submittals may either be in the form of geological ideas which need to be leased or ready-to-drill prospects. Only propects with 100% interest available are requested-no fractional interests please. Onshore non-pipe tests with development potential are preferred.
SINCLAIR EXPLORATION COMPANY 1 ERWIN ENERGY CORP. 81 5 WALKER, SUITE 1352, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77002 71 3/225-3530
3 3 Houston Geo log~ca l S o c e t y B u l l e t ~ n January 1990
PERSPEC TlVE
WANTED: 675,000 FUTURE SCIENTISTS A N D ENGINEERS
By CONSTANCE HOLDEN A shortage of technically trained workers is looming,
unless more women and minorities can be attracted to science.
The jobs market for researchers with freshly minted Ph.D.'s is tight right now, creating tough competition for those who want to advance in scientific and technical fields. But if the National Science Foundation's vision of the future is correct, the situation will soon reverse. A "sellers' market" will develop over the next decade, according to NSF, in which companies and universities will be falling all over each other to recruit young scientists and engineers to replace older employees who are coming up for retirement.
That will be good news for those now in the educational pipeline, but it could spell disaster for the U.S. economy. Even though better opportunities should lure able students into science, a shortfall of about half a million scientists and engineers is expected to develop by the end of the century. And this shortfall is looming at a time when overall educational standards in the United States are dismally low in comparison with those of America's major industrial competitiors. Says William 0. Baker of Bell Labs, the country can no longer operate on the old assumption that "the gifted and talented will see us through."
The crisis that is being widely predicted over the next decade is rooted in an incontrovertible demographic fact: because of low birthrates in the 1960s and 1970s, the college-age population-the raw material for tomorrow's educated workforce-is shrinking. According to the Census Bureau, the number of 18- to 24-year-olds will bottom out at a little under 24 million in the mid-1990s-compared with a peak of over 30 million in 1980. Currently, a little over 55, of 22-year-old Americans earn B.S. degrees. Unless that fraction is increased, says NSF, there will be a shortage of 400,000 scientists and 275,000 engineers by 2006.
The dip in the college-age population will be temporary-the children of the baby boomers will be entering their early 20s in growing numbers in the late 1990s. However, the nation could still be faced with a shortage of scientific manpower over the long term because of growing proportions of non-whites in the population. Current new additions to the workforce are mainly women, immigrants, blacks, and Hispanics, groups that have traditionally been grossly underrepresented in science and engineering.
In fact, Jaime Oaxaca of Northrup Industries, a mem- ber of a congressionally established task force on women and minorities in science, says recent trends make the NSF's shortfall projections "look super-optimistic." Says Oaxaca: "The dilemma we face is by and large America doesn't believe there's a problem because America's a short-term thinker."
Others are more sanguine. Hillard Williams, research director at Monsanto Corp., admits that a look at the demographic picture could easily persuade one that "we are headed for a period of immense crisis." But he believes that the fears are exaggerated and that market demand will draw in more people, particularly foreigners, to fi l l the gap. Aggressive recruitment of women and minorities is essential, he says, but as far as such programs are concerned, "I don't see much of anything having a profound effect in less than 10 years."
White men now make up 4700 of the total workforce and about 80% of the science and engineering workforce of 4.6 million. But they will constitute only 15% of the net number of 25 million people entering the workforce in the last 15 years of the century. By 2010, they will make up less than one-third of the college-age population.
Engineer Mildred Dresselhaus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who headed a National Academy of Sciences workshop on women in science and engineering, says that despite spot shortages, the manpower crunch is yet to be felt at higher degree levels. At the moment, she says, students fresh out of graduate school are actually encountering a constricted job market. Industry demand is "soft" because of slow growth in R&D expenditures and academic research funding is tight. Even though she
Houston Geolog~cal Soctely Bul let~n. January 1990 3 4
believes "demand and supply are pretty well matched now," she predicts "the tide will turn very rapidly" as the rate of retirements accelerates in academia.
On one point, all are agreed: If a long-term shortage of scientists and engineers is to be averted, unprecedented numbers of women and minorities will have to be attracted to technical careers. There are a few bright spots. Asian Americans, for example, are heavily invested in natural sciences and engineering; although they constitute only 2% of the population, in 1986they garnered 5% of the doctorates in these fields. But overall, recent trends provide scant hope that women and minorities will plug the projected gap.
The number of women planning careers in science and engineering appears to have plateaued after peaking in the late 1970s. Female participation in the science and engine- ering workforce has grown to about 15% from 13% a few years ago. The slowdown is not surprising: Women scient- ists still suffer higher unemployment, lower pay, and fewer opportunities for promotion at every degree level than do males. According to the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), "the gender gap in recruitment to and participation in science, reduced by two decades of gains, is in danger of widening again."
Although women account for about one-third of all doctorates in the sciences, they tend to be concentrated in the social sciences and psychology. In fact, the number of Ph.D.'s awarded to women in natural and computer sciences has stayed flat since 1983. A similar pattern prevails at the undergraduate level, with some exceptions- for example, 38% of the freshman class at MIT is now female, that only 11% of female SAT-takers, compared with 34"6 of the males, plan to study the physical sciences in college.
The situation for blacks and Hispanics is, unfortunately, even worse. From early elementary school onward both
The Ph.D. Shortlati
h r c c : NSF
The NSF has predicted a shortfall of 675,000 scientists and engineers by 2006 as a result of the dip in the college-age population in the 1990s. This assumes that about 5% of 22-year-olds will get B.S. degrees and 5% of B.S. holders will obtain Ph.D.'s. A shortfall of some 9000Ph.D. '~ is anticipat- ed by 2000, assuming the market causes a rise in salaries. The situation is aggravated by the accelerating pace of retirements from academia-bv 2000. about one-third of the current faculty will have to be replaced
Minority Progress Stalled
R.S. M S Ph D.
Source: Educating Scientists and Engineers, Grade School to Grad School, OTA, 1988
Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians continue to show high drop-out rates from high school and college, and college attendance has declined over the past decade. Blacks and hispanics make up more than 20% of the population but get only 7% of B.S. degrees and 4% of all science and engineering doctorates. In physical sciences, engineering, math, and computer sciences proportions of black and Hispanic doctorates each hover in the neighbor- hood of 1%.
groups continue to lag far behind whites. "The participation of blacks and Hispanics in engineering, as well as the physical sciences, shows little sign of substantial increase," says the OTA.
In some respects, the trend for blacks, particularly males, has actually been deteriorating. Blacks, now more than 12% of the population, make up about 2% of the science and engineering workforce. Although various reports claim that they now graduate from high school in roughly the same proportion as whites. the percentage of black high school graduates going on to college dropped from 33% to 26% in the decade ending in 1986. This mainly reflects the dramatic drop in black males going to college: black females on campus generally outnumber black males by two to one.
At the Ph.D. level, the situation is even bleaker. According to the National Research Council, the numbers of blacks earning Ph.D.'s in all fields has dropped by 27% in the past decade. More than half of all black Ph.D.'s are in education. In 1988, according to the NSF, the combined total of Ph.D.'s in the natural sciences and engineering for blacks and Hispanics was a mere 287.
Hispanics, who now make up approximately 9 8 of the population, have the worst high school dropout rate of any group and, as with blacks, college enrollment has declined in the past decade. Moreover, only 25% of Hispanics who attend 4-year colleges persist to get their bachelor's degrees. Despite their smaller numbers, Hispanics are getting rough- ly the same percentages of higher degrees in the sciences as blacks.
Can the pull of market forces lure more women and minorities into scientific careers, as Monsanto's Williams hopes? Even he is discouraged that "the minority com- munity doesn't realize what a gold mine of opportunity sits there today." Industrial competition for minorities and
3 5 Houston Grolog!cdl Society B u l l r t ~ n January 1990
women "is absolutely fierce" and big companies are some- times offering them higher salaries than white male com- petitors. But despite that, he says, "the hardest thing in the world to find is a Ph.D. female (or black or Hispanic) chemist."
The NSF does not express all that much optimism that the market alone will be enough to fill the gap. Peter House of NSF says the greatest immediate payoff would be from efforts to improve the college retention rate of students who already have an expressed interest in science and engine- ering. In an April report on future scarcities of scientists and engineers, the NSF says the problem could also be remedied if the 8% of high school graduates who don't to on to higher education, but whose grades and course-taking qualify them as "apparently able," could be induced to go to college. Furthermore, the agency says increased scholar- ship support would provide quick results, especially at the Ph.D. level. Foreign nationals won't make up the shortfall, it says, unless there are "significant reductions in barriers to obtaining student visas."
There are enormous numbers of government-, university-, and industry-sponsored programs now operat- ing at all levels of education that are designed to raise the participation of women and minorities in science. But the NSF report says that "it is too late for precollege programs to contribute" to alleviating looming Ph.D. shortages in science.
To NSF director Erich Bloch, it will take 20 years to bring about necessary improvements in precollege educa- tion. But even if schools eventually succeed in providing a solid early foundation for all students, there is no guarantee that blacks and Hispanics-or women-are going to gravi-
tate in great numbers toward physics, math, computers, and engineering. Policy-makers seem to have adopted the implicit assumption that these groups should ultimately distribute themselves in the disciplinary patterns favored by white males. But it may be that as the demography of science shifts the landscape too will be altered.
Reprinted with permission from Science, June 30, 1989
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b
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The w e l l s i n these d i p l i n e s a r e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f d i f f e r e n t sub-basins i n t h e areas a long n o r t h - s o u t h d i p l i n e s which a r e p a r a l l e l t o e x i s t i n g se ismic l i n e s .
Youston Geological Soclety Bulletin. January 1990 36
PERSPECTIVE
GLOBAL CHANGE
By PHILIP H. ABELSON For more than 150 years a major activity of geologists
has been to elucidate the great episodes of global change that have been wrought by natural processes. Today the challenge has expanded, for humans have become agents for environmental degradation with effects comparable to, and in some instances more profound than, those of nature. In assessing what is happening and in formulating remedial measures, earth scientists will have at their disposal a great array of instrumentation, data storage, and computational capabilities. In addition, geologists are accustomed to engage in cooperative international efforts.
The vitality, broad capabilities, and enthusiasm for tasks ahead was showcased at the International Geological Congress held9 to 19 July in Washington, D.C. About 5900 registrants from more than 80 countries attended the meeting. Presentations were made by scientists from more than 73 countries. Among them were geologists from Vietnam, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, and South Africa. All the Eastern Bloc countries sent representatives, includ- ing 207 from the Soviet Union. This was one of the few instances in which the Russians arrived as promised, and in which passport problems were largely nonexistent. The People's Republic of China sent 127. In the three decades previous to the 1980 and 1984 International Geological Congresses, the PRC was conspicuous by its absence.
A large number of activities were conducted in con- nection with the Congress, including field trips, committee meetings, short courses, and workshops. A major transfer of information occurred in 13 sessions involving 20 to 25 simultaneous 15-minute talks plus a total of about 650 posters. A feature worthy of copying by other scientific groups was a set of extended abstracts for each presenta- tion: no abstract, no place on the program. There were about 3500 abstracts, and these occupied 1858 pages. The average length was more than 800 words. From these it is possible to gain an impression of the status of earth science in the respective countries. As might be expected, geologists of the Third World were preoccupied with applied studies, for example, those relating to fossil fuels and minerals. Presentations from the developed world touched on a wide variety of additional topics including radioactive wastes, ground-water contamination, soil erosion, seismic tomo- graphy, continental deep drilling, high-pressure studies, isotope geochemistry, and comparative planetology. At one time, the typical geologist strolled to rockoutcropsand with pick and hammer obtained a hand specimen. Examination with a hand lens followed. Today, the most advanced equipment of the physical sciences is employed as well as supercomputers. Storage of information in databases and extracting information from them are now effective aids to progress in earth science. Cooperation between biochem-
ists and paleontologists using DNA techniques is producing new understanding of phylogenetic relationships between living and extinct taxa.
This was the 28th International Geological Congress. The first was held in Paris in 1878. The President of the current Congress was Charles Drake of Dartmouth, with Bruce Hanshaw of the U.S. Geological Survey as Secretary General. They were excellent organizers. The next Congress will be held in Japan in 1992 with the Japanese in charge. Collaborating closely with the successive con- gresses is the International Union of Geological congresses. The current President of the IUGS is Umberto Cordani of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In a speech to the Congress he surveyed the many current successful research activities of earth scientists. He also pointed to an expanded role for geoscience in cooperation with other sciences in a worldwide effort to achieve sustainable development. He further noted:
Damage to the environment and the many problems related to it are now a major worldwide concern. The challenges cut across the divides of national jurisdiction, and political decisions on the management of resources and land-use planning are crucial. Sustainable development will give rise to an unprecedented demand for information, advice, and technologies that only an integrated approach can satisfy. In many countries, the focus of the challenge ahead is shifting from protection and restoration to planning and prevention. Possible solutions to environmental issues are becoming more and more complex and dependent on the cooperation of a multitude of sectors -but first and foremost, that of science.
Reprinted with permission from
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37 Houston Geo iag~ca l Soclety B i ~ l l e t i n January 1990
HUMOR
COLD WEATHER EVAPORITES
By DAVID A. DesAUTELS Elf Aquitaine Petroleum, Houston, Texas
The chemical precipitation of halite at sub-freezing temperatures has been documented by this author. The phenomena was observed in Lansing, Michigan during the iast week of February, 1987.
Daily temperatures were reaching 50°F (10°C) during the week, while night-time temperatures dropped to 20°F (-7°C). Lansing is at a latitude of 42.8".
During one evening, the temperatures dropped to just below freezing. The author did not record the actual temperature; it was estimated based upon a light snowfall which began after dusk. The sky was overcast and the wind was minor. The news later reported a low temperature of 23°F (-5°C) for the night.
The next morning, halite particles were observed on the ground surface. These particles generally ranged in size from 2-5 mm. They were spherical to blocky with no definite crystal pattern seen. They showed no signs of inclusion. Later x-ray diffraction analysis indicated virtually 100% NaCI.
The halite was concentrated along streets and side- walks. None was observed in grass, landfills, or on any structure. The weight was approximately 10 grams/square-
meter. Evapor~te minerals as particles are not common in the geologic record (Friedman and Sanders, 1978) and may indicate transport. The particle nature, then, may be caused by the vehicular traffic.
The author has hypothesized that the reaction occurs due to the natural oxidatiotl of residual organic matter (perhaps enhanced near streets by the scattering of such matter by scavengers on trash day), liberating the sodium and chloride. A rapid catalytic reaction could be caused by the proximity to the asphalt or carbonates used for street paving.
As this reaction occurs in the absence of salt water, in a continental regime, there are astounding implications for the interpretation of ancient salt basins. No other evaporites were noted, so ancient basins with a suite of evaporite minerals can still be considered of marine origin. However, those basins dominated by halite, may have some con- tinental origins.
REFERENCE Friedman, G.M., and J.E. Sanders, 1978, Principles of
Sedimentoiogy: John Wiley and Sons, 791 pages
O N THE MOVE The address for Stephen P. Hartzell in the November
"On the Move" column was incorrect. Please make note of the correct address; Stephen P. Hartzell, 800 Gessner, Suite 1250, Houston, Texas 77024. Stephen can be reached at (713) 4686866.
Helen Sadik Macdonald has joined International Technology located at 2925 Briarpark, Suite 405, Houston, TX 77042. She can be reached at (713) 784-2800. Helen was previously with ERM-Southwest.
Lons time societv member. Otto J. Buis. has been
acreage. Mr. Russ will continue to be located at 811 Dallas, Suite 1419, Houston, Texas 77002. Telephone (713) 658-9167.
Andy Baumer, has joined the Conoco Safety, Health and Environmental Affairs Staff, Houston, as an Environ- mental Geologist. He was previously with Du Pont Environ- mental Management Services, Houston.
M. L. "Newt" Feldman, former Exxon, Ashland and Wolf Land Co. geologist has opened a geologic consulting practice. His new address is P.O. Box 440144, Houston, Texas 77244-0144. Phone (713) 556-1784.
appointe2 President and Chief Executive officer of MSR
Houston Geological Socjety Bulletm January 1990 38
Exploration, Ltd., a publicly owned company traded on the American Stock Exchange.
Mr. Buis is presently opening an executive office in Fort Worth, Texas. This office will eventually become the Corporate Headquarters of MSR Exploration, Ltd., as they expand their current Rocky Mountain and Canadian operational efforts to also include mid-continent and Gulf Coast ventures.
William E. "Bill" Russ of Rainbow Minerals, Inc. has formed Petrospect Oil & Gas Corporation as a prospect generation company emphasizing exploration of the on- shore Texas Gulf Coast area. Mr. Russwill be offering to the industry a full range of prospect types and will be soliciting farmout opportunities of undeveloped and exploratory
At the University of Alabama we are conducting research into balancing cross sections of diapiric uplifts and predicting the associated fault-block geo- metry. Our primary approach to the problem is through physical and kinematic models. We would like to test our results against well-documented field data. Do you have any examples of faulted domes or anticlines above salt or shale diapirs for which there is good seismic and well control? If you have an example that we can use, we would certainly appreciate hearing from you. Please write or call Rick Groshong, Department of Geology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0338. (205) 348-1882.
EXPLORATION ACTIVITY REVIEW National Rig Count: November 13--1045; Year Ago--897
Texas Gulf Coast Santa Fe Energy has staked a 17,000' deep Wilcox wildcat
one mile southeast of Jackson and Yegua oil production at McLean Field in the southeastern corner of Webb County. The #1 Marrs-McLean Trust is about two miles east of shal- lower Wilcox production at West McLean and Davis Fields. At the Carrizo Wilcox horizon the new test spots on east dip, immediately upthrown to a major regional growth fault, and approximately on strike with deep Wilcox production at Berry R. Cox Field, several miles southwest.
Just across the county line in extreme southwestern Duval County, Sanchez-O'Brien Oil & Gas will drill a 17,500' deep Wilcox test in the midst of Jackson, Yegua and Queen City production at Longoria and Bruni Fields. The #1 Longoria is 1 314 miles southeast of the 15,375' dry Santa Fe #2 Bruni-Kil- lam which logged nonproductive deep Wilcox sands. At the Carrizo Wilcox horizon the wildcat spots on the west flank of a fault-bisected and fault-bounded anticline.
A 7600' upper Wilcox test has been scheduled by PG&E Resources about a mile southeast of Wilcox gas production at Warmsley Field in southwestern DeWitt County. The #1 Adams is about 700' northwest of the dry Cox #1 Estrella which logged reservoir quality Wilcox sands between 7290' and 7615'. At the top Wilcox horizon the wildcat appears to spot on northeast dip between a pair of down-to-the-southeast faults.
I ASHLAND EXPLORATION INC. I
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A 2300' wildcat will be drilled by W. C. Miller one mile southeast of Taylor (Cooksey sand) production at Reasor Field in Wilson County. The #2 Sodrock Unit will evaluate NavarrotTaylor sands, and is about 800' northwest of and updip from the operator's #1 Sodrock which was abandoned in August at TD 2200' with no details released. Base Austin Chalk structure is regional southeast dip.
Robert K. Moses, Jr. will attempt to establish Taylor production 3 miles north of Serbin Field (Taylor and Wilcox oil) in western Lee County. The #1 Black Jack Ranch, per- mitted to 5500', is 2 112 miles north of a 7530' dry hole (H-M Oil #1 Birmbaum) which logged several thin, unproductive Taylor sands. Structure at the Taylor horizon is irregular southeast regional dip.
Zinn Petroleum will drill a 7200' Yegua test 5 112 miles northeast of Yegua production at Orange Hill South Field in the southeastern corner of Austin County. The #1 Sodolak is 3 314 miles northwest of the Wright #1 Kubecik, a 10,010' dry hole, which logged several well developed Yegua sands, ap- parently all water-bearing. At the top Yegua horizon the wildcat spots on moderate southeast regional dip, just east of the projected termini of two down-to-the-basin faults.
A 16,000' Yegua wildcat has been scheduled by Union Exploration Partners in the southwestern corner of Fort Bend County, 4 miles south of Miocene, Frio and Yegua production at Needville South Field. The #1 Bryne & Giese appears to
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For the Bulletin: For the Membership Dir.: 0 Whole page @ $2,780 (5 "x 8") Whole page $425 0 Half page @ 1,450 (5" x 8") Half page $235 0 Qtr. page @ 815 0 Eighth page @ 484 Mar. 1990 ad deadline is Feb. 1 , 1990. (My ad is enclosed.) Partial year rates available on request. Call Don Neville at 655-9666.
be located on the distal southeast flank of Boling dome at the Vicksburg horizon.
Stone Petroleum will drill a 13,300' Wilcox test 2 112 miles east of Yegua production at Indian Hills North Field in southern Montgomery County. The #1 Woodlands is also about 4300' south of the Mellon #1 Woodlands Development, a 12,206' Wilcox discovery on the south edge of Springer (Yegua) Field. At the top Wilcox horizon the wildcat spots near the crest of the upthrown fault block of a small, faulted structural high, and separated from the Mellon discovery by an apparent saddle.
South Louisiana The Griffin & Griffin Oil #1 Spillman has been completed
as a new lower Tuscaloosa gas discovery about 4 miles northwest of Austin Chalk production at the one-well Thompson Creek Field in northeastern West Feliciana Parish, opening Spillman Field. Flow rate was 1,598 MCFGPD and 246 BCPD from 13,928-932'. Lower Tus- caloosa structure here is southwest regional dip with subtle local nosing.
In northeastern East Baton Rouge Parish, Arkla Explora- tion will drill a 15,600' lower Tuscaloosa wildcat 5 314 miles west of lower Tuscaloosa production at Baywood Field. The #2 Harvey Estate twins the #1 which will be junked and abandoned. At the lower Tuscaloosa horizon the new test spots on moderate southwest regional dip, well downdip from the Baywood Field producers.
Oryx Energy is drilling ahead at their #1 First Guaranty Bank, a 12,500' lower Tuscaloosa test 4 314 miles northeast of Wilmer Field (lower Tuscaloosa) in northern Tangipahoa Parish. The wildcat is about 3 112 miles southeast of the dry Barnwell #3 Tangipahoa Unit which logged several well developed but water-bearing lower Tuscaloosa sands. At the lower Tuscaloosa horizon the new test appears to be located on the southwest flank of a broad west plunging structural nose.
Louisiana Land & Exploration has staked a 16,400' upper Tex L wildcat in southern Terrebonne Parish, about midway between Deep Saline Field (Tex L production) and Bay St. Elaine Field, productive from the Pliocene and upper Miocene. The #1(#2?) LL&E Fee appears to be situated on the faulted northern flank of the Bay St. Elaine salt dome at the Ampltistegina 'E' horizon
.MESOZOIC TREND
East Texas Goldston Oil has staked an 8000' wildcat in southern
Navarro County, about 6 miles west of Taylor, Woodbine, Rodessa and Smackover production at Reiter Field. The #1 Hashop, et a1 should evaluate the Smackover and possibly reach the Paleozoic. About 2 112 miles northwest, the Quest #1 Murray was D&A at 6930' with no details released after penetrating the Smackover and Paleozoic. Top Smackover structure here, updip from the Mexia fault system, is regional east dip with broad, subtle nosing.
In northeastern Van Zandt County, Wesson Energy has completed a new Smackover discovery 2 112 miles northwest
of Rodessa and Smackover production at Grand Saline Field. The #1 Holland-Browning flowed 20 MMCFGPD from 13,984-14,114'. At the top Smackover horizon the new producer appears to be situated in a salt withdrawal syncline northwest of the Grand Saline salt dome, suggesting the presence of a small local (fault?) structure in this area.
North Louisiana - South Arkansas Harvey Broyles Oil & Gas will drill a 5600' Tus-
caloosa/Paluxy test in northern Winn Parish just east of the Milam salt dome. The #1 Terral is about 3300' southeast of the Naylor Oil #1 Terral which was D&A in the Glen Rose at 6010' after extensively coring the Tuscaloosa and Paluxy and recovering only minor shows. At the base Annina horizon the wildcat spots on the east flank of the Milam dome.
Farther east, in central Madison Parish, Trident Oil & Gas has staked a 6800' Tuscaloosa wildcat 4 112 miles southeast of Tallulah and about 18 miles east of nearest Tuscaloosa and Paluxy production in Richland and Franklin Parishes. The #1 McNulty-Murphy is 1 314 miles northwest of a 19,000' Cotton Valley dry hole (Hassie Hunt Trust #1 Wall) which was re-entered by TXO and tested salt water from the Pine Island at 10,023-200'. Top Lower Cretaceous structure is southeast regional dip with broad local nosing.
Murphy Oil USA will drill a 6500' Smackover wildcat in southern Hempstead County, Arkansas, about 3 miles northwest of Smackover production at Bois D'Arc Field. The #1 Potlatch is about 2500' southeast of the dry Gulf #1 Cason which logged what appears to be igneous rock at 5017'(- 4728'). The Dyco #1 Moses dry hole, almost a mile southwest
1. Standard Geological Mud Logging 2. Total Computer Logging Service 3. Pressure Evaluation 4. Wellsite Geologist
Jackie Small, President Neil Cobb, V.P.
Houston Geolog~cal Soc~ety Bul let~n. January 1990 40
of the new location, logged about 30' of apparently porous and permeable Smackover. Smackover structure here is regional south dip with local nosing.
Alabama CNG Producing has staked a 9800' Jurassic test 7 miles
north of Smackover production at Toxey Field in Choctaw County. The #1 Meador is 2 314 miles north of the dry Justiss #1 Bryan which drilled from the Cotton Valley into the Paleozoic - the Haynesville, Smackover, Norphlet, Louann salt and Eagle Mills being absent. A normal section is present in the Sohio #1 Chapman dry hole, 2 314 miles east. Deep structure here appears to be controlled by a large post- Paleozoic unconformity.
Three Norphlet wildcats will be drilled by PG&E Resour- ces 2 314 miles east of Huxford in western Escambia County. The #1 Paramount A.T.I.C. 13-16, the #1 Paramount A.T.I.C. 13-9 and the #1 Paramount-Coley 24-1 are all projected to 15,000', and are centrally located between Hux- ford, Vocation and Barnett Fields (all Smackover producers). At the top Smackover horizon the new tests spot on local southwest dip, updip from Huxford Field.
Farther east, in southwestern Covington County, Pacific Enterprises Oil is preparing to drill their #1 Paramount-USA, a 14,800' Norphlet test 2 112 miles northeast of West Falco Field, discovered in May, 1989 and productive from the Haynesville. Nearest other Haynesville production is 30 miles northwest in Frisco City Field, Monroe County. At the top Smackover horizon the wildcat appears to be located on a broad, southwest plunging nose, possibly masking a deeper basement structure.
BILL EISENHARDT Consultant, Geol. Representative- -Geomap Co.
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Provided by PETROCONSULTANTS
EUROPE
Italy (Shelf) Sori reported a Pliocene gas discovery at their Azzura 1
wildcat (TD 2039 m, 6736') located about 35 km (21.7 mi.) northeast of Ravenna in the A.R. 76.R1 permit in the Po basin. The new producer is 9 km (5.6 mi.) northeast of Agip's 1968 Agostino 1 gas discovery.
Netherlands (Offshore) NAM's wildcat Ql16-7 in the southern part of the Dutch
shelf and only 10 km (6.2 miles) from the coast tested '33,000 MCFGPD from the Rotliegendes. An appraisal well is being planned.
Norway (Offshore) The Norsk Hydro 3019-8 appraisal well in the 3019 Omega
Field flowed up to 2,547 BCPD from the Middle Jurassic. This will upgrade the current reserve estimates for the field.
AFRICA
Libya Veba has discovered oil in the Maastrichtian at their
000-1-11, a deeper pool wildcat within the Hofra Paleocene Field in the Sirte basin. West of the Samah Field, Waha has suspended the 1A-6-59 as an oil discovery.
Tunisia (Onshore) Agip's wildcat Sanrhar Nord 1, located in the Bir Aoine
permit, was completed in September following extensive test- ing. Two drillstem tests over the gross interval 2173-90 m (7130-7183') in the Middle Triassic yielded an aggregate 1,080 BOPD (41 API). A DST in the Upper Silurian between 2392-2485 m (7848-8153') recovered small amounts of 36 API crude. Two zones in the Ordovician flowed only water.
A second oil discovery was announced by Shell in their Cap Bon-Gulf of Hammamet permit in northeastern Tunisia. Initial tests at the Zinnia 1 flowed 1,200 BPD of medium quality oil from the Upper Cretaceous Abiod formation. Test- ing is continuing.
LATIN AMERICA
Colombia (Onshore) The LasmoISun partnership has made the first discovery
in the eastern sector of the Giradot sub-basin of the Upper Magdalena basin, The Chenche 1 wildcat, located in the Espinal Risk Participation Contract, flowed 385 BOPD Gom
PROTEROZOIC PETROLEUM PROSPECTIVITY APPRAISAL
Proterozolc basins cover large areas of every continent. They represent a new frontier for petroleum exploration
Commercial quantities of oil and gas are trapped in Proterozoic reservoirs in several countries including
USSR, China, Oman and Australia. The new Petroconsultants report
Proterozoic Petroleum - Prospectlvity Appraisal answers the following
What particular characteristics of the known q4I) Proterozolc producing areas are conducive to 1+1 the generation and entrapment of Protero- g: zoic hydrocarbons? t s
How can Proterozoic hydrocarbons be distin- 51 guished from those hydrocarbons generated %m from younger source rocks? I# HOW many other countries have such poten- UQ tially prospective geological and structural t: relationships? Cb What special exploration concepts and tech- Ga niques will be required to discover Proterozoic CD petroleum accumulations in other parts of the a m World? )I
For m o r e ~ n f o r m a t t o n o n thts unlque and pioneering study a3 ( to be puSl15hed ~n 3rd quarter 19901 contact 9. North Amerrcan sales Agent PETROCONSULTANTS SALES CORP PO Box 740619 6600Sands Polnt Drlve Hauston Texas '7274 0619 J S A Telephone (7131995 1764 Telefax (7131 995 8593 Telex 4620521 PETCOY
Houston Geological Society Bullef~n January 1990
an unreported formation, Objective of the 2288 m (7507') test was the basal Tertiary sandstones.
The Argosy/Neo group's first test in the Santana B block has resulted in a discovery, the most northerly in the Putumayo basin, The 2877 m (9439') wildcat, Toroyaco 1, flowed 1,020 BOPD (29 API) from two zones in the well's secondary objective, the Upper Cretaceous argillaceous sandstones of the Lower Vileta U and T sands. Testing is continuing, presumably in the primary objective, the mid- Cretaceous sandstones of the Caballos formation,
FAR EAST
China (Offshore) The Ministries of Geology and Petroleum have announced
two gas condensate discoveries in the Donghai Basin, East Chiia Sea, The Canxue 1 wildcat, located 450 km (279 miles) southeast of Shanghai, tested 31,250 MCFGPD and 837 BCPD from three unspecified intervals. The Baoyunting 1 wildcat, located 390 km (242 miles) ESE of Shanghai, flowed 16,250 MCFGPD and 1,667 BCPD from two zones, not iden- tified. The latter discovery is 3 0 km (18.6 miles) north of the Pinghu 1 structure, where the Chinese discovered gas in 1983.
suspended as a gas discovery in October. Flow rate was 12,300 MCFD gas (with some condensate) and 21,000 MCFD gas with 730 BCPD (50.9 API) from a pay at about 2750-3000 m (9023-9843').
AUSTRALIA
Queensland (Onshore) Ampolex has reported two oil discoveries. Their Endeavor
1 wildcat (Cooper-Eromanga) flowed 342 BOPD on a test at 1304-27 m (4278-4354') in the Jurassic Birkhead formation. The Ipundu North 1 (Cooper-Eromanga) recovered 246' of oil (49.7 API) and no water on a drill stem test at 888-894 m (2914-2933'). A second DST at 886-908.5 m (2907-2981') recovered 761' of 49 API crude and 338' of mud-cut oil. Both tests ware in the Jurassic Murta sandstone member.
South Australia (Onshore) Santo's outpost test, the Pondririe 5 (Cooper-Eroman-
ga),suspended as a gas well in September, yielded 11,600 MCFGPD on 1/2" choke, which represents the largest flow on an open hole test in Pondrinie Field, and the second largest flow rate from the Permian Tirrawarra sandstone in the Cooper basin.
Philippines (Offshore) Occidental's deep water wildcat, Camago 1, their first test
in the NW Palawan Block GC-47 (Palawan Trough), was
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