SynergyOur unique spectrum of

superior geophysical technology

now brings you the best insight.

cggveritas.com

SEPTEMBER 2007

Vol. 28, No. 9September 2007

SEPTEMBER 2007

ByWILLARD “WILL” GREENWhat’s the easiest way to enter a

heated argument with your co-worker,neighbor or perhaps even your spouse?Just start talking about the range ofpossible reasons for the climate changeswe have recorded in the past century.

In my memory no subject has drawnsuch heated discussion (e-mail, forcurrent times) since the long-settledissue of continental drift.

AAPG members debated theprobable causes for climate changes bye-mail and Web discussion for almosttwo years. The Executive Committeerecognized that a number of memberswere not in agreement with our existingclimate change position paper. Then-president Lee Billingsley appointed avery talented seven-member ad-hoccommittee chaired by Jay Gregg inJanuary 2007 with the charge of writing aproposed climate change statement.

We all owe that committee a vote ofthanks for their many hours ofdeliberation.

The proposed statement was postedon our Web site and open for commentsfor 30 days. We received 93 responsesthat ranged from one end of the opinionspectrum to the other, with a number inthe middle ground.

With the member comments in mind,the DPA Governmental Affairs Committee(Carl Smith, chair) and Lee Billingsleywrote a revised Climate ChangeStatement. This statement, with minorchanges by the EC, was approved inmid-July and posted on the Web site onJuly 20, and printed in the AugustEXPLORER.

What a process! I invite each of youto log on and read the statement.

* * *

But that’s not the end.The EC also approved a new

standing committee called the GlobalClimate Change Solutions Committee.The committee will be composed of 12members recommended to the president– three from each of the three Divisions, –with the chair from the Division ofEnvironmental Geosciences – and threerecommended by the EC.

The committee should be in place bythe end of September.

The committee’s main charge is topromote and facilitate various fields ofgeologic study that relate to globalclimate change and potential solutions.Means of accomplishing the charge(mission statement) are:

� Communicate timely information onthe topic to members and the public.The communication forums will ideally bethe AAPG Web site, DEG’s

Environmental Geoscience journal andpossibly the EXPLORER.

� Provide technical content in theforms of technical programs at meetings,special publications and DEG journal

articles.� Recommend

updates for AAPG’sposition paper tothe ExecutiveCommittee.

� Monitor anongoing AAPGWeb forum onglobal climatechange andpotential solutions.

� Determinetopics for FAQs andwrite the discussionwith references.

Members will be notified when theWeb forum is open.

* * *

The DPA Governmental AffairsCommittee has written and the ExecutiveCommittee has approved, with relativelyminor editing, statements addressing 13other issues. These statements are titled:

� Atlantic Outer Continental ShelfResources

� Hydraulic Fracturing� Preservation of Geological and

Geophysical Data� National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

Access� Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Access� United States National Energy

Supply� Tax Reform� Natural Gas Supply Concerns� Reformation of the Endangered

Species Act� Reformation of the Clean Water

Act-Wetlands Access� Offshore OCS Access� Research and Development Needs� Oil and Gas Workforce Needs in

the 21st Century

All of these recently revisedstatements can` be found on the AAPGWeb site. To access the statements, clickon “AAPG Short Cuts” at the top of thehome page, then on “AAPG Statements”from the pull down menu. The ExecutiveCommittee will review all statements atleast every three years.

Buona sera.

3

On the cover: For our annual Geophysical Review, two photos thatcapture the world of today’s seismic crews. The camels standing in a lineby their cables were snapped in Algeria; the vaguely similar trucks wereon duty near Bakersfield, Calif. Photos by Global Geophysical Services.

Communications DirectorLarry Natione-mail: lnation@aapg.org

Managing EditorVern Stefanice-mail: vstefan@aapg.org

Editorial AssistantSusie Mooree-mail: smoore@aapg.org

CorrespondentsDavid BrownLouise S. DurhamBarry FriedmanKen Milam

Graphics/ProductionRusty Johnsone-mail: rjohnson@aapg.org

Advertising CoordinatorBrenda MeridethP.O. Box 979Tulsa, Okla. 74101telephone: (918) 560-2647(U.S. and Canada only:1-800-288-7636)(Note:The above number is foradvertising purposes only.)fax: (918) 560-2636e-mail: bmer@aapg.org

Geophysical Corner 54

Washington Watch 55

Foundation Update 58

In Memory 59

Regions and Sections 60

Professional News Briefs 63

Meetings of Note 63

www.Update 64

Membership and Certification 67

Readers’ Forum 68

Classified Ads 69

Director’s Corner 70

DEG Column 70

Think again: Starting your own successful company is rarely 6limited to having a good idea. Entrepreneurship requires more.

Working for a living, big time: Geophysical crews all over 12the world are keeping real busy these days.

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t grasped the uses and benefits 18of geophysical tools in unconventional plays – you’re notalone. But here’s something you need to know.

Seismic. Cables. You can’t have one without the other, right? 24Not exactly. Get ready for the “cableless world” – and realizethat seismic tools of the future are having an impact now.

The considerable hype about the Canadian oil sands action 30just keeps escalating – with good reason.

When is drilling for oil and finding water a good thing? If you 34said “never,” consider the Texas geologists who discoveredgetting into hot water isn’t always bad.

AAPG’s Distinguished Lecture program wants to cover the 44world with talks that are serious, challenging and, sometimes,just plain fun.

Sudden impact: The Barnett Shale play is generating wealth 46that goes far beyond the immediate oil industry.

Meet America’s top geologist: AAPG member Mark Myers 50talks about being director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

AAPG Headquarters – 1-800-364-2274 (U.S. & Canada only), others 1-918-584-2555

Green

Vol. 28, No. 9The AAPG EXPLORER (ISSN 0195-2986) is published monthly for members. Published at AAPG headquarters, 1444 S.Boulder Ave., P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101, (918) 584-2555. e-mail address: postmaster@aapg.orgPeriodicals postage paid at Tulsa, Okla., and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the U.S.A.Note to members: $6 of annual dues pays for one year’s subscription to the EXPLORER. Airmail service for members:$45. Subscription rates for non-members: $63 for 12 issues; add $67 for airmail service. Advertising rates: ContactBrenda Merideth, AAPG headquarters. Subscriptions: Contact Veta McCoy, AAPG headquarters. Unsolicitedmanuscripts, photographs and videos must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope to ensure return.

The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) does not endorse or recommend any products or servicesthat may be cited, used or discussed in AAPG publications or in presentations at events associated with AAPG.

Copyright 2007 by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to AAPG EXPLORER, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101.Canada Publication Number 40046336.

Canadian returns to: Station A, P.O. Box 54, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J5e-mail: returnsIL@imex.pb.com

‘Climate’ CoolsWithRevised Statements

AAPG will return to Africa for the 2008International Conference and Exhibition,with the announcement of the Oct. 26-29meeting in Cape Town, South Africa.

The theme is “African Energy –Global Impact.” The general chair isSipho Mkhize, and the vice chair is JeffAldrich. Both are with PetroSA.

AAPG last held its internationalmeeting in Africa in 2002, in Cairo,Egypt.

Organizers are planning for a wide-ranging technical program, field trips toworld-class deepwater sediment sitesand other activities that will takeadvantage of South Africa’s culture andgeology.

Other details – including abstractdeadline information – will be highlightedin an ad in the October EXPLORER, andongoing updates will be available onwww.aapg.org. �

AAPG Eyes CapeTown in 2008

SEPTEMBER 2007

4

5

SEPTEMBER 2007

SEPTEMBER 2007

‘Know Thyself’ – and Don’t Trip

Stepping Out? Step Out SmartlyBy DAVID BROWN

EXPLORER CorrespondentYou’ve finally decided to go

independent, to start your ownbusiness.

And the best thing is, youhave a great idea.

That could be your firstmistake.

“Evidence pretty stronglysuggests that entrepreneurs willspot an idea and fail to test thatidea. An idea is not the same asan opportunity,” said R. DuaneIreland.

“That can really be an issuewhen an industry is doing well,”he noted, “such as the oiland gas industry is today.”

Ireland serves as professorand head of the Departmentof Management in the MaysBusiness School at TexasA&M University.

In addition towriting numerouspapers and books onmanagement andbusiness start-ups,Ireland is co-author ofthe textbookEntrepreneurship:SuccessfullyLaunching NewVentures (secondedition, 2007;Prentice Hall).

Maybe your

company is going to be built around anew technology.

Start-ups can become infatuated witha specific technology but lose sight ofprofitable results.

“At the end of the day, technology isnice – but it’s only important to the

degree it can create value,” Irelandwarned.

An entrepreneur will dobetter to monitor emerging

technologies, choosingthose that benefit the

bottom line – and watching out for thosethat could threaten it, he advised.

“What are the new technologies outthere that will impact my business? Whatcan help me or what can hurt me?”Ireland said.

While investment money might bebountiful today, the oil industry is famousfor its highly leveraged operations.Companies may take on far too muchdebt or financial obligation in goodtimes, then struggle or fail in a downturn.

“The more leveraged you become,the more constrained the firm is. Thatcan be a huge, gargantuan risk that candrag down a venture,” Ireland said.

It’s also one more pressure on a newbusiness owner or operator, who mightpanic with a load of debt hangingoverhead.

“Too much leverage representing toomuch risk,” he said, “can causeentrepreneurs to make decisions tooquickly.”

First, Look in a Mirror …

G. Warfield “Skip” Hobbs ismanaging partner of AmmoniteResources in New Canaan, Conn. Hiscompany contracts with about 25independent geologists and otherconsultants.

Hobbs said the consulting geologistshould start with the saying, “Knowthyself.”

6

See Entrepreneurs, page 8

What is abreakthrough?

Global networking combined with first mile wireless

Industry innovation fueled by open development

Software solutions with team process built in

Collaboration wherever and whenever you need it

Schlumberger Information Solutions—Breakthrough Field-to-Office Collaboration

www.slb.com/sis_breakthrough

*Mark of Schlumberger © 2007 Schlumberger. 07-IS-381

Enhancing Collaboration

SEPTEMBER 2007

7

“Step one is, examine your skill set.What are you good at? What are you notgood at? Do you want to be aconsultant, or do you want to be anindependent who generates prospects?

“The other important thing is toprepare a business plan,” he said. ‘Whatis my timeline here?’ It takes muchlonger to establish yourself than mostpeople anticipate.”

A geologist going independentshould have the full support of his or herfamily and at least two years of workingcapital in the bank, Hobbs advised.

It also helps to have a specialty.“You have to be an expert in

something until you get established,” hesaid.

“Identify where the trends are and putyourself there,” he added. “Be on theleading edge. That’s what the market islooking for, not old ideas in old areas.”

Hobbs, an AAPG member and formerpresident of the Division of Professional

Affairs, said he decided to start his ownbusiness in 1980, a boom time for theindustry. He teamed up with GarethRoberts, now president of DenburyResources Inc.

But two years later their funding dried

up, oil prices crashed and Hobbs had tofind a new direction. He began advisinginstitutional investors with billions tied upin problematic oil and gas portfolios.

“In the 1980s I developed atremendous business in workouts withthese institutions,” he said. “I found aniche where there was nobody in theNortheast, from Boston to Washington,offering that kind of geotechnical-financial expertise.

“The message is, ‘Research themarket. Find a niche,’” he noted.

Working with other experts can opennew business opportunities: “If you havemulti-talents, fine. If you don’t, team up,”Hobbs said.

Teaming up with consultants inHouston has helped him stay centeredin the oil patch, all the way fromConnecticut.

“You can do it from anywhere,”Hobbs observed. “I have a virtualcompany. There are three of us workingon a project right now. One of us is inCalgary, one of us is in Houston and I’mhere. And the client is somewhere else.”

Virtual and Reality

The idea of “core competency” leadsmany start-ups to outsource all otherfunctions. It’s possible to build a virtualoil company – but be careful, Irelandcautioned.

“The more we outsource, the less is inour control,” he said. “That’s a real risk.The more control we lose, the greaterour dependency on those to whom wehave given that control.

“Your firm never wants to outsource toanother firm what it can do exceptionallywell,” he added. “Sometimesentrepreneurial firms don’t understandwhat it is they do well.”

Ireland said three problems for theentrepreneur account for the failure ofmany new businesses:

� Not fully understanding themarket’s needs.

� Not recognizing the differencebetween cash flow and sales/income.

� Not being able to cope with thesheer magnitude of stress involved.

That stress shows up in a number ofdifferent ways and comes from severaldifferent directions. One challenge is thenumber of roles a new business ownermust fill.

“One second I’m talking to a bankerabout capital,” Ireland said, “the nextminute I’m talking to someone in the fieldwho has a serious production problem.”

Also, moving from management in alarge company to ownership in a start-up means giving up the companysupport network – even the support thatused to come from above.

“There is no one else to turn to,”Ireland noted. “I’m the boss. It’s me.”

Great Expectations

Edward A. “Ted” Beaumont started abusiness as a consulting geologist – “Itwas something I always wanted to do,”he said – then watched the price of oildip toward $8 a barrel in 1996.

“I kept going but I was thinking, ‘Whatam I doing? Am I crazy?’” Beaumontrecalled.

“A lot of guys who were like me whowere consultants are no longerconsultants. There are a few who havehung in there anyway,” he added.

Beaumont, recently elected AAPGsecretary, said things are “incrediblybetter” today. But it’s still not easy for anindependent.

“We’re in an upswing, not a boom.People are still discriminating on whatthey want to take and what they’ll drill.They don’t want to drill wildcats,” hesaid.

A world of opportunities,revealed.

Ingenu i ty . Expand ing . Worldw ide . www .geok inet ics .com

Imagine the ingenuity it would take to create andconduct seismic data acquisition programs in eventhe most difficult-to-access areas of the world, fromBritish Columbia to Bangladesh. Imagine the depthof expertise necessary to identify and quantifypotential opportunities, cost-efficiently applyinnovative technologies and techniques, while over-coming the challenges posed by severe topography,ocean currents, tides or extreme weather. Now imagineit all being available at a single company, Geokinetics:a global leader dedicated to responding to yourimmediate needs and achieving your strategic goals.Our expanding array of specialists, methodology

and services makes us the provider of choicewhen you need 2D/3D seismic data acquiredand/or processed from land, Transition Zones orshallow water regions anywhere on earth. With 20experienced seismic crews who excel at transportingand operating sophisticated man- and heli-portableequipment in areas that would otherwise be inac-cessible, we can go wherever your opportunitieslead you. And bring back the seismic data thatreveal those that are worth developing. Count onGeokinetics for whatever it takes to reveal the truepotential of your next energy opportunity, no matterwhere in the world it may be.

SEPTEMBER 2007

8Entrepreneursfrom page 6

Ireland Hobbs Beaumont

See Niche, page 10

No matter how

complex the

reservoir, see it all.

PowerView® software.

The ultimate tool for geological and geophysical

interpretation and mapping workflows.

Designed for the DecisionSpace® environment.

With its extraordinary, all encompassing “vision,”

PowerView® software delivers synchronous geological

and geophysical interpretation in a common workspace.

Developed to address the challenges of today’s upstream

oil and gas business, PowerView technology enables

multi-discipline asset teams to gain the best understanding

of the reservoir in the least amount of time.

For complete details about PowerView technology, please

visit us at www.lgc.com.

Unleash the energy.™

Deeper knowledge. Broader understanding.™

© 2007 Landmark Graphics Corporation. All rights reserved.

HALLIBURTON

SEPTEMBER 2007

9

Biographies and individual informationfor the 2008-09 slate of AAPG officercandidates are now available online atthe AAPG Web site.

The biographies and responses to thetopic “Why I Chose to be a Candidate forAAPG Office” also will be inserted in anupcoming EXPLORER.

The president-elect winner will serveas AAPG president in 2009-10. The termsfor both vice president-sections andtreasurer are two years.

Ballots will be available in spring 2008.A complete list of AAPG rules and

guidelines governing the campaign – forcandidates and supporters – can befound online at www.aapg.org/business/candidates/rules.cfm.

The candidate slate is:

President-Elect� John C. Lorenz, Geoflight LLC,

Edgewood, N.M.� Ronald A. Nelson, Broken N

Consulting, Cat Spring, Texas.

Vice President-Sections� David H. Hawk, Energy Analysis and

Answers/Consultant, Boise, Idaho.�W.C. “Rusty” Riese, BP Americas,

Katy, Texas.

Treasurer� Edith C. Allison, U.S. Department of

Energy, Washington, D.C.� Kay L. Pitts, Aera Energy LLC,

Bakersfield, Calif. �

To get established, a consultinggeologist has to develop a reputation forspecialized expertise, Beaumont noted.That can be in a geographical area or atechnical area.

“If it’s seismic interpretation, that’sgood. If it’s log interpretation, it’s good.Find an area you can be a specialist in,”he said.

The solo geologist also needs thepatience and determination to see aproject to completion, according toBeaumont.

“It’s not like there’s a smoothtransition from when you get an idea towhen the well is drilled. It sort of goes inspurts,” he observed.

“The bottom line is, you’ve got to get

a well drilled. All those other things don’tmatter until you can get the well drilled,”he said.

Ireland compared the operationalchoices for an entrepreneur to thedifference between exploration andexploitation.

Some exploration has to get done inorder for exploitation to take place downthe line.

And the entrepreneur must deal with“that constant tension between doingthings today to produce profit, yetknowing the things I’m doing today arenot what I will need to be doingtomorrow,” he said.

In addition to the stress of operations,an entrepreneur has to secure themoney and the people to make acompany successful. That can be aproblem in the oil industry today, whencapable and experienced people are inshort supply.

“I would make certain that I havecommitments from the human capitalthat’s needed to make the businesswork,” Ireland said.

Staying Alive

In choosing a business path, anentrepreneur should play to his or herown strengths, Ireland agreed.

“The probability of entrepreneurialsuccess increases when you areengaging in a business that’s groundedin a skill set in which you are deeplyinvolved,” he said.

And an entrepreneur has to beprepared for the two most traumaticthings that can happen to a business.

The first is failure.The second is a great deal of

success.The challenge of success, of

managing a rapidly growing company,has confounded more than its share ofaspiring entrepreneurs.

“There are so many entrepreneursthat can grow the business to a certainlevel, but lack the skills to take it to thenext level,” Ireland said.

Finally, the independent geologisthas to be prepared to go on for manyyears when success seems just out ofreach. In three words:

Hang in there.“It takes persistence. My kids laugh

at me for my sayings, but ‘If at first youdon’t succeed, try, try again,’” Hobbssaid.

“Some people get lucky right off thebat. That could happen,” Beaumontcommented, “but most people I’vetalked to were doing it for a long timebefore the luck hit.” �

Candidates’ Profiles Now Online

SEPTEMBER 2007

10Nichefrom page 8

AAPG Student Chapter membershiprecently increased with the first studentmembership from Ecuador.

The international chapter, EscuelaSuperior Politecnica del Litoral, wasadded in August, bringing the StudentChapter total to 160 (80 domestic, 80international).

Membership in the Student Chapterprogram was largely domestic in theearly days after the program’sinception, but recent statistics areshowing the results of global outreach.

“It shows the growth in internationalmembership,” said Mike Mlynek, AAPGmember services assistant manager,“and that AAPG truly is an internationalorganization.”

To find out how you can have aStudent Chapter on your campus visitwww.aapg.org/member/student.

– SUSIE MOORE

Ecuador SchoolJoins List of AAPGStudent Chapters

SEPTEMBER 2007

11

SEPTEMBER 2007

Seismic Backlog

Channels Count, Along With Crews

12

INTEGRATED RESERVOIR

SOLUTIONS DIVISION

UNITED STATES

Tel: +1-713-328-2673

UNITED KINGDOM

Tel: +44-173-785-2390

www.corelab.com/IRS/studies/tgsemail: tgs@corelab.com

Benefit from the knowledge

gained through our highly successful

North American joint industry

project focused on tight gas sands.

Core Laboratories is now offering

the industry’s most comprehensive

evaluation of tight gas sands for

projects worldwide.

Reduce Risk and Increase Success

Access to the Largest Tight Gas Sands Database in the Industry

Detailed Core-Based Reservoir Characterization

Rock-log Calibration andPetrophysical Modeling

3-D Fracture Design and Completions

Fracture Production Forecasting

Real Time Monitoring

Post-Frac Evaluation

Historical Monthly Crew CountsWestern Hemisphere

Historical Monthly Crew CountsEurope, Africa, Middle East

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J M S J

U.S. Canada Latin America

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Europe Africa Middle East

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

Commodity prices continue to holdfairly steady, and the industry is runningon all cylinders, so it comes as nosurprise that seismic crews are workingdiligently worldwide.

In fact, the July 15 issue of WorldGeophysical News (WGN) notes workingcrews on the global scale tally 277compared to 260 one year ago.

Existing crews number 375, so 98remained available as of the publisheddate.

The breakdown of activity worldwideshows the heaviest concentration in theUnited States, which hosts 25 percent ofthe active crews.

Running a close second to thedomestic crew count is Africa (21percent), which is followed by:

� CIS: 15 percent.� Far East: 14 percent.� Latin America: 15 percent.� Europe: 7 percent.� Middle East: 5 percent.� Canada: 2 percent.

WGN breaks the global numbersdown further into 212 crews workingonshore and 65 offshore.

On the domestic scene, Texas boaststhe most activity, with 26 crews workingand none available.

See Activity, page 14

World Share of Geophysical Activity

Far East 14%

Latin America10%

Middle East 5%Canada 2%

Europe 7%

United States 25%

CIS 15%

Africa 21%

Data for charts provided by IHS

Where the action is: A quick look attoday’s geophysical world.

SEPTEMBER 2007

13

SEPTEMBER 2007

14

Full Speed Ahead

A caveat: There are crew counts, and thereare crew counts.

Today, it’s more about “channel count” –which has increased dramatically from years.

In fact, it’s imperative to look at both channelcount and crew count to fully understand wherethe industry really is today, according to JimWhite, executive vice president of Geokinetics(an amalgam of the former Trace Energy,Quantum, Grant Geophysical and GDC).

“In 1977, there were 944 seismic crewsworking in North America alone,” White said.“Today, it’s more like 80 – but if you look at thechannel count, you have an increase of 2,000percent in the number of channels, so theamount of channels on a crew far exceeds thatof years past.”

The seismic contractors may not be openlypopping corks on the bubbly, but they’re plentyhappy.

The backlog is strong as ever at onshore andshallow water player Geokinetics, according toWhite. He noted they’re seeing a steady flow ofbids coming in worldwide.

Enthusiasm is rife most everywhere.“We’re going full throttle shooting spec data

Activityfrom page 12

See Loyalty, page 16

The best just got better. NeuraMap, the oil and gas industry’s application for automated map digitizing, now includes volumetrics and reserves. Calculate timely and reliable recoverable reserves withNeuraMap.

This much-anticipated version has an even better, more intuitive interface, stronger editing capabilities, and updated features based on extensive user input. With NeuraMap’s automated digitizing, you can integrate paper maps into your interpretation work�ow, and calculate valuable map information from the digital data.

NeuraMap can use a full range of map types to calculate volumetrics and reserves, all based on industry accepted methods and employing the latest technologies. Custom reports can be incorporated into your studies or presentations.

Volumetric and reserve calculations with reports in text or htmlAutomated digitizing of contours, well symbols and shot pointsOn-screen quality control with interactive editingMerge and print multiple datasets

Call 1.281.240.2525 to get additional information on the new NeuraMap. Or, visit our web site: www.neuralog.com/neuramap. You’ll be glad you did.

Announcing a new NeuraMap... now with Volumetrics and Reserves

SEPTEMBER 2007

15

SEPTEMBER 2007

16

as we did last year,” said SteveMitchell, vice president and divisionmanager at Fairfield Industries. “Ourplans are to maintain the existing levelson our spec data base as well as theincreased activity in the nodal market,which has us going strong as ever – infact, we’re extremely pleased with theinterest and activity in the nodalmarket.

“We see this continuing into theforeseeable future,” Mitchell noted,“but we always keep an eye oncommodity prices.”

Leaders of the Pack

Contractors have their work cut outfor them when it comes to holding ontoexperienced crew members duringthese times of personnel shortages inthe industry.

It helps to maintain rigorous in-house training programs, which isbecoming a trend among thecompanies.

“We have a tremendous in-housetraining program, and we’ve been ableto maintain our own crew members,”Mitchell said. “Our competitors are alldoing this, too, so people don’t takecrews away.”

Global Geophysical Services, whichis launching 4-5 new crews a year, hasits own special way of attracting andholding onto crew members.

It’s all about owning a piece of thecompany.

Global has private equity and cashinvestors, but the employees own alarge piece of the firm and control theboard of directors.

“There’s a fixed pie out there interms of the number of seasonedprofessionals,” said Richard Degner,president of Global. “As an industry,we’re competing for the experiencedseasoned ones.

“We’ve been able to muster adisproportionately large amount ofinterest from those available folks in ourindustry to join our firm,” Degner said,“because of our ownership structure.”

This breeds loyalty, which can be apowerful tool.

“Every crew has 20 to 30 seismicprofessionals, and when those folksown a piece of the action, it affectstheir behavior in a wonderful way interms of organizational performance,”Degner noted. “They care an extraamount because they have ownershipin it – it’s their company.” �

Loyaltyfrom page 14

3-D vs. 2-D Survey Summary United States Crew Counts World Region Crew Counts*

Your favorite software solution and critical data uniteIHS delivers on its integration promise

PETRA® Enerdeq Direct Connect makes it easy to create and automatically refresh projects with the latest IHS data.

PETRA’s flexibility and ease of use supports a variety of workflows from mergers & acquisitions to exploration and exploitation around the world.

Download a trial version at ihs.com/energy/petra

Spend more time making decisions and less time managing data.

+1 888 OIL DATA ihs.com/energy

©2007

IHS

Inc.Allrights

reserved.

SEPTEMBER 2007

17

SEPTEMBER 2007

Trick Is to Get Correct – and Enough – Data

Tools Take Unconventional TurnsBy DAVID BROWN

EXPLORER CorrespondentThe use of geophysical tools has

become common in exploitingunconventional resources.

Today, operators can assess playareas and fracture systems with:

� Multi-component 3-D seismic.� Microseismic monitoring to image

the results of fracture stimulation usingdownhole or surface located geophones.

� Tiltmeter readings to detect smallchanges over time caused bysubsurface activity.

Unfortunately, geoscientists havefallen behind in understanding the usesand benefits of geophysical tools inunconventional plays.

And that includes geophysicists.“One thing that’s interesting to me as

a geophysicist is that the geophysicalcommunity is just catching up. It’s newtechnology that’s really been driven in thepast by engineers,” said Shawn Maxwell,chief geophysicist in Calgary, Canada,for Pinnacle Technologies Inc.

The petroleum geologist cancontribute essential interpretation whenthese tools image the subsurface.Petrophysics, geomechanics andstratigraphy all come into play.

“If we see a hydraulic fracture hitting abarrier that might be associated with afault, then the geologists tend to getmore involved in interpreting thoseaspects,” Maxwell said.

In one well-known example, hydraulicfracing of wells in an unconventional

resource play caused rupturing into anatural fracture system. That systemcommunicated with a water-bearingzone. Consequently, the fraced wellsbegan to water up.

Solid knowledge of the geologicalsetting can contribute to understandingboth natural and induced fractures in anunconventional resource.

Many operators already use 3-Dseismic for initial evaluation. BobHardage said he “preaches to anybodywho will listen” about the advantages of

multi-component seismic.“We look at unconventional resources,

which tend to be fracture-dominatedsystems, from the viewpoint of bothP-wave and shear waves,” he said. “Youreally have to use multi-componentseismic to do an optimal analysis ofunconventional resources.”

The Cost of Value

Hardage is a senior research scientistwith the Bureau of Economic Geology at

the University of Texas at Austin andheads up a geophysics lab studyingmulticomponent seismic applications.He’s also editor of and frequentcontributor to the EXPLORER’s popular“Geophysical Corner.”

Three-component (3C) seismic usesgeophones that have three orthogonalsensors that enable detection of bothcompressional (P) waves and shear (S)waves, as well as the direction ofpropagation.

Nine-component (9C) seismicrequires that three orthogonal sourcevectors be created at each sourcestation; yields a three-by-three matrix oforientation combinations; and capturesall possible S-wave modes.

“There are certain rock propertieswhere shear waves shine and do thingsthat P-waves just won’t do,” Hardagesaid. “Fracture-dominated systems are

18

AnswersWhileDri l l ing.com

Graphics courtesy of MicroSeismic Inc.

Oblique view of the microseismic events associated with the first four stages of aseven stage Fort Worth Basin frac job. Each color represents a different stage.

See Unconventionals, page 20

SEPTEMBER 2007

19

SEPTEMBER 2007

20

one of those things.”Analyzing the geophysical aspects of

unconventional resources begins with agood petrophysical model, according toHardage.

“It requires very careful rock physicsmodeling,” he said. “What we’re reallytrying to model is to get our hands onenough data to understand thereflectivity of all P- and S-wave models.”

Hardage estimated that 3C seismicprovides about 50 percent moreinformation than traditional seismic, and9C seismic about twice as much.

Because of the higher cost of 3-D/9Cseismic, however, operators may choose3-D/3C.

“What we’re trying to do in ourresearch is to develop the technologythat will bring down the cost a little bit,”he said.

Operators also should considerreprocessing and reinterpreting relevant,existing seismic, such as vertical seismicprofile (VSP) data.

“VSP technology is quite valuable,”Hardage continued. “VSP data havebeen acquired with 3C geophones formany years. You can use VSP to get abeautiful picture of fracture orientation.

“I find out again and again peoplehave very valuable VSP data withouteven knowing the data are in thecompany archives,” he added.

Structural plays might not require thedetailed seismic information needed forstratigraphic plays, but unconventionalresource plays tend to be stratigraphic innature, Hardage noted.

“More and more we’re seeinggeological requirements in which you

have to understand both P and S seismicstratigraphy,” he said. “It’s really difficultto dismiss the advantages you get frommulti-component seismic.”

Needed: Geological Input

The hottest current topic ingeophysics related to unconventionalresources is probably microseismicmonitoring.

Microseismic is sometimes called“passive seismic” because it does notcapture data from a specifically providedsound or energy pulse. Instead, it relieson natural or secondary energy sources.

(See “Low Frequency, But HighHopes,” June 2007 EXPLORER.)

Hydraulic fracturing produces micro-seisms, or mini-earthquakes, around thewell bore and to distances of 1,500 feetor more. The location of these events canbe determined using downhole 3Cgeophones to detect discreet acousticwave arrivals, or by “beam forming”(stacking) the output from a surface-located 1C geophone array.

In unconventional resources,“microseismic is right now predominantlyused for fracture monitoring. It has beenviewed primarily as a tool for completionsand reservoir engineers,” said ChrisNeale, vice president of businessdevelopment for MicroSeismic Inc.

in Houston.But the geoscientist’s input into

interpretation is essential because “whatreally makes these plays work isunderstanding the geomechanics of thesurrounding rock and how thecompletions strategy interacts with therock,” he noted.

“For instance, there are certain kindsof rocks that produce a louder acoustic‘bang’ than others when fractured,” hesaid.

The petroleum geologist can explainmicroseismic results in terms of rockproperties and the geological setting.Neale described variances inmicroseismic in adjacent wells thatrequired a geological explanation.

“Stacked fluvial tight gas sands,where there is almost no correlationbetween wells, even when they are closetogether, creates complex andunpredictable fracture patterns as theinduced fracs follow three dimensionalpathways within the sand bodies” heexplained.

“In the Delaware Basin, we may seevery high amplitude events in one welland very low amplitude events in theother. There can be significant changesin rock properties even (when wells are)within thousands of feet of each other,”he said.

Because interpretation is so

important, companies often assign ageologist as well as a completionengineer to a microseismic project,according to Neale.

“The real underlying issue is that thegeological understanding of whatmicroseismic is actually telling you iscritical, maybe even more so than theengineering side,” he said.

“I think that’s the piece that’s missingright now,” he added. “There’s notenough geological, geomechanical inputinto what we’re seeing.”

Tiltmeters’ Precision

Tiltmeter fracture mapping inunconventional resources also hasgained wide acceptance by the industry.

“We’re seeing a large uptake of thetechnology,” Maxwell said. “People havestarted to look at coalbed methanerecently to try to figure out how to beststimulate the fracture set in a coal.”

Most tiltmeters today work on thesame principle as a carpenter’s level orbubble-level, with extremely precisemeasurement by electrodes.

Tiltmeters downhole and on thesurface can be used to measure the tiltinduced by hydraulic fracturing.

“I don’t know if heavy oil counts as anunconventional, but we also do a lot ofwork in that area,” Maxwell said.

“In these thermal deposits, we quiteoften put an array of tiltmeters on surfaceand look at the surface uplift. As youinject steam even at relatively largedepths, the rock is heated up andexpands and you get the surface rise,”he noted.

Tiltmetering can be used for hydraulicfracture imaging even at depths of10,000 feet, according to Maxwell.

“When you’re creating a hydraulic

Unconventionalsfrom page 18

Hardage

“More and more we’re seeinggeological requirements in whichyou have to understand stratigraphy.It’s really difficult to dismiss theadvantages you get from multi-component seismic.”

See Downhole, page 22

Greater data accuracy,

far less data management.

Building on the OpenWorks® system’s reputation as

the industry’s leading G&G project database, the

breakthrough OpenWorks R5000 version eliminates

common database limitations and encourages better

collaboration and data quality. With the new concept of

interpretation projects, the result is greatly enhanced

accuracy, security and efficiency. This, plus cartographic

conversion-on-the-fly to minimize data duplication and

reduce data management.

Seeing is believing. For more about the

OpenWorks R5000 database, please visit

us at www.halliburton.com/landmark.

Unleash the energy.™

Deeper knowledge. Broader understanding.™

© 2007 Landmark Graphics Corporation. All rights reserved.

See how a singleproject-centric data store changes everything.

HALLIBURTON

SEPTEMBER 2007

21

fracture you’re pushing the rock to createthe void space for that fracture, and thetiltmeters are so precise you can pick upthe very small associated surface uplift,”he said.

“If you’re fracturing a shale, thetiltmeters can be used to determine the

azimuth of the fracture that’s beingcreated. You also can determine, forinstance, if you are creating a verticalfracture as opposed to a horizontalfracture,” he added.

Hydraulic fracture imaging can beused on every well in an unconventionalplay, or the operator may decide to maponly selected wells.

“In the Barnett it seems to be goingmore toward mapping every well. Inother areas, some clients like to use it ontest pilots (wells) to figure out what’shappening and to get the frac designdown,” Maxwell said.

‘A Very New Science’

With either microseismic or tiltmeter, atime-series of images can be producedto show the spread of fracturing.Downhole geophones are used foressentially real-time imaging inmicroseismic.

“We typically produce a little ‘movie’of the fracture with time, and it’ssurprising how much complexity there isin the creation of the fracture,” Maxwellsaid.

A major concern in current fractureimaging is how to broaden theapplication of the technology to more ofthe nearly 25,000 wells fractured in theUnited States every year. Downholemonitoring traditionally has required anobservation wellbore with 2,000 feet ofthe stimulated well. New plays typicallyhave a limited number of older wells thatcan serve this purpose.

In response, several servicecompanies are developing stimulated-well geophone arrays for downholemonitoring.

Also, surface-based monitoringobviates the need for an observation wellif surface access is available.

The other consideration is cost, withfracture imaging jobs usually rangingfrom $75,000 to over $300,000,depending on complexity and location.

“Longer term, the microseismicservice providers must find methods ofdata acquisition that will reduce overallcost, allowing for a broader applicationof the monitoring technology,” Nealesaid.

Applications in heavier oil depositsand methane hydrates represent a newfrontier for unconventional resourcegeophysics. Hardage’s lab already islooking at mapping hydrates offshore.

“You’re not going to be able to turnyour back on it,” he said.

“When Mother Nature makes thesehydrates, the gas molecules arecompacted so closely that the energydensity is 42 percent of LNG,” he noted.

For microseismic, the next big stepmight be in continuous, “passivelistening,” 4-D reservoir applications,according to Neale.

“Where the real value of this is in thefuture is in using microseismic as areservoir monitoring tool,” he observed.

“Fracture monitoring is accepted andrelatively well understood,” he said.“Long-term microseismic reservoirmonitoring has the potential to producemuch higher increases in addedreserves, but it’s a very new science thatwill require a true multi-disciplinaryapproach.” �

SEPTEMBER 2007

22

Downholefrom page 20

Neale

“Where the real value of thisis in the future is in usingmicroseismic as a reservoirmonitoring tool.”

Frac monitoring of a deep Delaware Basin well. The stimulation design allowed forgood containment of the frac within the Barnett Shale.

SEPTEMBER 2007

23

SEPTEMBER 2007

A Wireless Future?

Cables Can Tangle Seismic Plans

24

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

It’s a tough job, but somebody has todo it.

We’re talking land seismicacquisition, a challenging task for thefirst seismic crews who ventured into thefield early in the last century, and onethat remains challenging today.

To conduct surveys, seismic crewmembers traipse around in some plentytreacherous and unwelcoming territory,e.g. dense jungles, hot deserts with theirinfamous sandstorms, bayous andswamps teeming with unfriendlyvarmints, freezing winds in mountainousareas – you get the picture.

The survey effort becomes even moredaunting given the need to transportheavy cables and other equipment intosuch hostile areas, move this geararound during the shooting program andmaintain it in working order.

Yet after the dearth of seismic datademand only a few years back –especially onshore – complaints are fewand far between.

The welcome high activity level isonly part of the good news.

The equipment manufacturingcompanies have begun to introducemore efficient, lightweight acquisitionsystems that are easier to operate and tomaintain.

In fact, “cableless” has become theoperative word, with some folks

See Future, page 26

Photo courtesyof Chevron

Photos courtesy of Fairfield Industries

... and this is now. Seismic crews in the 1930s facedremote locations that meant difficult work. Today,geophysical crews can rely on plenty of technologicaladvances (right); however, the wave of the future (no punintended) may be found in cable-free land nodes(above), where a single channel P-wave sensor providescontinuous recording from a single point receiver station.

That was then ...

G e o s c i e n t i s t s

r e d e f i n e s t a m i n a

It takes a special type of person to find

energy. Someone who is ready to break new

ground in the industry – as well as their

career. A person with determination.

Knowledge. And the will to use that

intelligence to change things for the better.

If you’re ready to do whatever it takes to find

new sources of energy for the world, make

ConocoPhillips your source for personal power.

Together, we will achieve great things.

To learn more, visit conocophillips.com.

Apply online by clicking the Careers tab.

conocophillips.com/careers

EOE.

SEPTEMBER 2007

25

SEPTEMBER 2007

predicting the next generation systemswill be even more progressive, i.e.,completely cable-free – think selfcontained, autonomous nodes, whichalready have proven successful inacquiring data in deepwaterenvironments, such as the BP-operatedAtlantis Field in the Gulf of Mexico.

“Land seismic exploration today isentering a transitional period similar to20-something years ago when recordingmethods began the migration from 2-D to3-D surveys,” said Scott Labaume,director of sales and marketing atFairfield Industries.

“We’re on the cusp of a shift fromorthogonal line and swath surveys tofreeform nodal surveys.”

Concepts vs. the RealWorld

Labaume noted the modus operandifor today’s seismic industry is for surveydesign, systems and software toaccommodate grid geometries, whichcall for parallel lines of equally spacedreceivers deployed in geometric arraysalongside another geometric array ofparallel lines of equally spaced sources.

Of course, reality has a way ofintruding in the best laid plans.

“Where the real world meets theartificial Euclidian geometry of thesurveys, we use innovative operationaltechniques and intricate softwareroutines to ‘correct’ the differencesbetween our ideal survey and the realworld it encounters,” said Dennis Freed,technical marketing manager at Fairfield.

“What has evolved from this form ofseismic acquisition is an array ofavailable systems requiring an analogcable to connect multiple externalsensors to a remote unit in order for thatunit to amplify, filter and digitize theacquired analog signal,” Freed said.“Then there’s an external cable and oftena series of connectors used to transferthe analog signals sensed by theexternal sensors to each remote unit.

“Many systems also require anexternal cable to transmit the acquireddigitized seismic data to a centralrecorder,” Freed added, “and somesystems use this same external cable toprovide power to the remote units.”

This complex configuration can createone giant continuous headache for theseismic crew.

It’s not uncommon for crew membersto spend six-plus hours per day trouble

shooting both the sensors andcables/connectors for leakage andcontinuity problems. These componentscan all be damaged by a variety ofsources, both natural and cultural.

Paying the Price

The bottom line is that cables,sensors and such can eat a big hole inthe budget for a seismic shoot – directlyin terms of actual dollar outlay andindirectly via inefficiency.

Freed presented some estimatedcosts for a sample survey where a 4,000channel land crew might easily spend asmuch as $1.75 million for new cablesand sensors and then incur annualestimated maintenance costs between$200,000 and $400,000 to maintainthese components in operationalcondition.

Over a three-year period that includesinitial costs along with maintenance andreplacement costs, crew expenditurescould reach amounts that range from$4.1 to $4.7 million for cables,connectors and sensors alone.

After three or so years of use, thecables and sensors likely would have tobe replaced. Even if they’re notdamaged by the forces of nature or bycritters (including the human kind),pinhole leaks can develop over timecreating leakage and degrading theseismic signal.

The spread cables alone for fielding a4,050 channel crew with a stationspacing of 110 feet (plus 10 percent)would stretch out 490,050 feet, or 92miles, according to Freed. He noted thisdoesn’t include any cross line cablesthat many systems would require.

It is noteworthy that survey costs aregoverned in large part by surveylocation, as well as by any unusual orunique aspects of a shoot.

Who Needs Cables?

The quest to eliminate or, at the veryleast, reduce the number of cables usedin land surveys already has resulted inavailability of an increasing array ofcableless systems, e.g., Ultra fromAscend Geo, FireFly from I-O, UnITEfrom Sercel.

These cableless systems do notrequire cables to interconnect theindividual acquisition modules. However,they do have cables to interconnect onepiece of equipment to another and/oruse a string of geophones as theirsensors, according to Freed.

Autonomous nodes, on the other

26

The best way to avoid the unpredictability of drilling

below salt is to have firsthand knowledge before you start.

And now you do. Thanks to the data and best practices

developed from our Subsalt Joint Industry Project, the

subsalt environment is more predictable and the potential

for discovering the Gulf of Mexico’s largest field is much

improved. Be part of the success curve. Learn more at our

two-day workshop in October by joining our project today.

Go to www.knowsys.com/services/jip.aspx to find out how.

95 subsalt wells. $2,000,000 in research.One invaluable database.

More knowledge. Fewer surprises.

www.knowsys.com

©2007 Knowledge Systems, Inc.

Houston London Perth

See No Cables, page 28

Seismic Channel Count 2007 to 2025

300,000

250,000

200,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

02007 2014 2016 2022 2025

Futurefrom page 24

Data from Robert Heath, “Let It Flow, Flow of Ideas, Hydrocarbons and Business”

The information age on steroids: Seismic channel count growth projected into thefuture – from 5,000+ channels to nearly 300,000 channels. Some forecasters haveeven predicted 1,000,000 channel count crews.

SEPTEMBER 2007

27

hand, are self-contained sensors (thesensing element typically is ageophone) with batteries and a highlyaccurate clock, making these systemsentirely cable-free.

“We’ve tried to get away from cableson land a number of times,” said MarkFoster, land seismic R&D programmanager at BP. “Today, there are anumber of minimal-cable systems outthere, and they all have their place. Ithink the technology is reliable enoughtoday, we can get rid of cables.”

Dave Monk, director of geophysics atApache, concurs.

“The wave of the future is cablelesssystems, whether minimal cables likesome of the systems available today,

or no cables.”A major driving force in the move

away from cables centers on the ever-increasing number of recordingchannels used in seismic surveys.

“If you look at how many recordingchannels we typically use on a landacquisition system, the trend is it’sdoubled every three and a half years,”Monk said. “On a land program today,you may have 20,000 channels, so in sixto seven years you’re looking at 100,000

channels – the trend line is solid.“I don’t believe we’re going to have

100,000 channels connected withcable,” Monk added. “It won’t bemanageable.

“Most systems out there now will becapable of operating with 100,000channels,” Monk added, “but no onehas built 100,000 channels of anysystem yet.”

Reducing or eliminating cablespreads leads to reduced equipment

weight, resulting in more flexibility toplace the detectors – especiallyimportant in rugged terrain,environmental hot spots and urbanlocales – plus the lighter gear will bemuch easier to move around.

Quality Control

Taking the relatively simple andinexpensive cable-free node-type routeto acquisition creates a step change notonly in the number of units that can bedeployed but also in the quality of thedata acquired, according to Foster.

For those folks who may balk at theidea of deploying a node-type systembecause they must wait to see the dataafter retrieval of the unit rather thanviewing it in real time – such as withsome of the high tech cableless systemson the market – Foster has somereassuring words.

“When you have a small, lightweightset of equipment that’s very flexible andinexpensive (compared to cable), youcan deploy the units in such largenumbers,” he said. “I believe we’regetting to a state where the level oftechnology is such that these systemscan be reliable enough and deployed insuch quantity that even if you get a smallpercentage of failures the redundancymakes up for that.

“The advantage of going to thisrelatively inexpensive, almost disposabletype of cable-free system is that eachchannel will be relatively low cost,”Foster noted. “We want to be able todeploy huge numbers of these that allowus to either go in to an exploration typeenvironment very efficiently,” he said, “oracquire very high density – both in offsetand azimuth – in the productionenvironment.”

A big issue with node systemscenters on how long the nodes can belive, according to Foster. He noted this isa combination of battery life andmanaging the power the systems drawon the battery.

Freed succinctly summarizedFairfield’s view of the next generationland seismic data acquisition system:

� Fully self-contained node units(free from any external connectors orcables).

� Must meet or exceed the analogspecifications of current systems.

� Capable of remainingindependently on site where initiallydeployed until time to be retrieved bycrew – troubleshooting would be a choreof the past.

� Must be capable of not less than288 continuous hours of independentautonomous operation.

� Must have highest possiblereliability with a failure rate of equal to orless than 1.5 percent during a singledeployment (for a 10,000 channelsystem, this would require a reliabilityrate of less than six unit failures per day.)

� Coupling of the node to the earthmust meet or exceed the couplingcapabilities of a current geophone. �

No Cablesfrom page 26

“The wave of the future is cablelesssystems, whether minimal cables likesome of the systems available today, orno cables.”

SEPTEMBER 2007

28

A $500,000 contribution byChesapeake Energy Corp. hasfunded a “chair of geophysics” at anOklahoma City public high school,the first endowed faculty chair at apublic high school in the state.

The Chesapeake GeophysicsChair was established at theOklahoma School of Science andMathematics, a two-yearresidential public high school foracademically gifted math andscience students. �

Chesapeake ProvidesFunds for High SchoolChair of Geophysics

SEPTEMBER 2007

29

SEPTEMBER 2007

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

The considerable hype about theCanadian oil sands action just keepsescalating – and with good reason.

It’s understandable given what’sthere, just waiting to be recovered by theoperators.

We’re talking 174 billion barrels ofreserves, qualifying this resource assecond only to Saudi Arabia in the ranksof global oil reserves.

Not surprisingly, companiesworldwide are scrambling to get a pieceof the action.

The latest big-name entry into this hotplay is Marathon Oil Corp., whichrecently announced that it’s acquiringCalgary-based Western Oil Sands.

A short list of the many other notableplayers includes:

� Statoil, which purchased Canada’sNorth American Oil Sands Corp.

� Shell Canada and Royal DutchShell, which purchased Calgary-basedBlackRock Ventures.

� Total, which purchased Deer Creek.� China National Petroleum Corp.,

which recently acquired rights to explorein the oil sands.

Counting the Costs

Canada’s oil sands are found in theprovince of Alberta, where they occur inthree principal areas – the Athabasca,Peace River and Cold Lake regions –and encompass about 140,200 square

kilometers. The Canadian Association ofPetroleum Producers (CAPP) noted thatin 2005 industry investment in theAlberta oil sands reached approximately$10 billion.

Oil sands activity actually dates backmany years – back when $70-plus oilwas unheard-of. Suncor Energy, in fact,pioneered the world’s first commerciallysuccessful oil sands operation in 1967,

according to Brad Bellows,spokesperson for Suncor.

But this is no ordinary resource, andeconomic recovery on a large scale ispossible only when oil is bringing in aminimum of $40 per barrel, according tosome industry analysts.

The thick, heavy oil found in the oilsands is actually bitumen, whichessentially is a semi-solid hydrocarbonso viscous it might best be dubbed afirst cousin to coal. It is recovered eitherby pit mining or by underground in-situ(in-place) techniques.

“About a fifth of the resource isrecoverable by mining because it’s closeto the surface,” said Greg Stringham,CAPP vice president. “The cutoff is 200feet, so above that it’s economical toremove the dirt, put it into an adjacentpit and then reclaim it afterwards.

“If it’s greater than 200 feet – where

30

Photo courtesy of Conquest Seismic Services

Canada’s oil sands continue to be a major play, and geophysical crews are helping todefine and exploit the potential. Typical deployment there uses a single vibrator persource point to eliminate source array and meet high spatial resolution needs.

Coal’s Cousin Attracting Players

Price Puts Oil Sands in Spotlight

continued on next page

80 percent of the resource is – then youcan recover it through more conventionaldrilling techniques known as in-situ,”Stringham said. “At the currentproduction level, the split is pretty closeto 50-50.

“In-situ technology is relatively new,even though some has been aroundsince 1964,” he noted. “But in-situ is juststarting to take off, so more oil is comingfrom mining right now.”

SAGD: Drilling Two-by-Two

Canada’s largest in-situ bitumenrecovery project is found at Cold Lake,according to the Alberta Department ofEnergy. The sands are heated usingsteam injection to bring the bitumen tothe surface where it’s diluted withcondensate to be shipped via pipeline.

Longtime oil sands player EnCanahas been honing its skills with the now-commonplace in-situ technique knownas steam-assisted-gravity-drainage(SAGD) for a number of years – and hassome substantial production to showfor it.

“Our two prime projects are FosterCreek and Christina Lake,” said AlanBoras, manager of media relations atEnCana. “From these, we produce in theneighborhood of 50,000 to 60,000barrels a day on a gross basis.

“Foster Creek was a pilot projectdating back to 1997 and becamecommercial in 2001,” Boras said. “Soessentially we’ve been working onsteam-assisted-gravity-drainage for adecade.”

The SAGD process entails drillinghorizontal wells in pairs, parallel to oneanother and about 17 feet apart. Steam

is injected into the upper well to warmthe bitumen and make it less viscous soit can drain to the lower productionwellbore.

Boras noted that research anddevelopment into SAGD in Alberta datesback to the 1980s with government andindustry cooperative arrangements.

The two EnCana fields are located tothe south of the remote town of FortMcMurray. This now-bustling communityhas become a magnet for oil workersworldwide, including folks from

Venezuela who have extensive expertisein that country’s high profile heavy oilaction.

Seismic Activity

As might be expected in such a hotplay, the geophysical companies are avisible presence in the oil sands action.

For the most part, however, there’sonly a narrow window of time whenseismic data acquisition is possible.

“Typically, oil sands work must be

done on frozen ground,” said GaryJames, director of marketing andbusiness development at ConquestSeismic Services. “This is because mostof the surface in the oil sands is whatthey call muskeg, which is like a swamp.It’s a swampy, mossy surface that’s thickbut wet, so most of the work is in thefrozen winter.”

Conquest had six crews working inthe oil sands last winter season. James

continued from previous page

31

SEPTEMBER 2007

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

The all-out action in Canada’s oilsands shows no sign of abating.

But oil sands are a whole differentbreed of cat from other types of oildeposits, and recovering the oil andconverting it into something of value tomeet consumer and industrial needs isno ordinary oil field operation.

The Canadian oil sands, oftenreferred to as tar sands, are actuallydeposits of bitumen, which is a thick,gooey type of crude oil – it’s beencompared to cold molasses at roomtemperature.

Considerable upgrading is requiredbefore it can be refined to produce auseable fuel.

The Alberta Department of Energy(ADOE) defines bitumen in thetechnical sense as a “tar-like mixture ofpetroleum hydrocarbons with a densitygreater than 960 kilograms per cubicmeter; light crude oil, by comparison,has a density as low as 793 kilogramsper cubic meter.”

In fact, the heavy, viscous oil must

be heated or diluted with lighterhydrocarbons before it can even flowthrough pipelines, according to theADOE.

The Process

Canada’s oil sands, which arelocated in the province of Alberta,account for one of the two largestsources of bitumen in the world,according to the ADOE. The other isVenezuela.

Depending on depth of the resource,either open pit mining or in-situ (in-place) techniques are used to recoverthe bitumen. To produce one barrel ofoil via mining, two tons of oil sandsmust be dug out, moved andprocessed and then returned to theopen pit for reclamation.

Equipment such as cranes anddump trucks that are required for themining procedure are bigger than big.In fact, the huge trucks that transportthe sand to be processed reportedlyweigh in at 360 tons when empty.

Once the oil sands are mined, they

are broken up by crushers and sent toan extraction plant where the bitumen isseparated out to be moved to theupgrading facility. Following theupgrading procedure, the bitumenultimately is converted into diesel fueland synthetic crude, which istransported by pipeline to refineries tobe converted into a number ofproducts, including gasoline, jet fueland home heating oils.

In-situ recovery techniques are usedwhere the sands are buried deeperthan 200 feet, which applies to about80 percent of the resource, accordingto Greg Stringham, vice president of theCanadian Association of PetroleumProducers.

The in-situ methods include cyclicsteam stimulation and steam-assisted-gravity-drainage, which entail thermalinjection via vertical or horizontal wells,solvent injection and CO2 methods,depending on the in-situ techniquesbeing used.

The bitumen separation occurs inthe ground, so it’s sent directly to theupgrading facility by pipeline. �

See Oil Sands, next page

Turning ‘Cold Molasses’ Into Gold

SEPTEMBER 2007

32

said they’re optimistic for the same thisseason and maybe still one more.

For oil sands work, the companymakes the most of its Envio-Vibe (a mini-vibrator), which is designed for highproduction and high resolution seismicprospecting in an environmentallysensitive manner. It’s particularlyapplicable for low impact, shallow targetexploration.

“The oil sands play is a shallow playrequiring high spatial resolution,” Jamessaid. “Our crews are providing the abilityto get higher spatial resolution withshorter distances between receiverpoints and source points.

“We’ve found that where we can usethe mini-vibes, we can provide that at alower cost than having to do dynamite,”James said, “because we don’t have todrill holes and load dynamite. Also, weget earlier access, because with a holefor dynamite you need very hard frozenground, but with the vibrators we can goin earlier – with a narrow time window,

that’s important.”Heliportable survey projects provide

a way to circumvent the frozen groundrequirement – but they’re more costly.

In fact, Conquest will kick off aheliportable job early in the fall becausethe client needs the data early on.

“To do this, the ground must be highenough,” James said. “You can’t bedown in a wet bog.”

Full Speed Ahead

Participants in the current frenetic oilsands action don’t envision a slowdown.

“We anticipate an increase in oilsands activity industry-wide,” saidBoras. He noted that price is a majorcontributor (whether positive ornegative) to the growth pattern of thisactivity.

“We’ve had a confluence ofadvancing technology, which hascontinued to make the operations moreefficient, alongside rising prices,” hesaid, “in order to access thisunconventional resource.”

Stringham is equally optimistic.“What we’re seeing is this will grow

from about 1.3 million barrels a day now,up to three and a half or four millionbarrels a day by 2020,” he said. “It’s oneof the strongest growing areas in theworld.

“While we have the second largestresources in the world,” Stringham said,“we’re only about the eighth largestproducer in the world. And betweenourselves and the United States, we’rekind of the very few who are non-OPECmembers.

“We hope with this growth that we’llsee between now and 2017, that we’llprobably be up with the United States asbeing maybe the third largest producerin the world, after Saudi Arabia andRussia.” �

Oil Sandsfrom previous page

A closer view of operations at the Christina Lake heavy oil operation in Canada; (left) an insulated pipe and emergency shut-downvalve for the field’s SAGD operation in northeast Alberta, which is constantly being checked (right) for potential snags.

Photos courtesy of EnCana

An aerial view of the Foster Creek’s heavy oil in-situ oil sands SAGD (steam-assistedgravity-drainage) operations.

Halliburton delivers everything you need for optimal wireline

formation testing and sampling. Our complete line of services includes

the Reservoir Description Tool (RDT™) service which, with its modular

configuration, means job flexibility and time savings.

And for extremely hot situations, the answer is our

Hostile Sequential Formation Tester

(HSFTTM) tool . This tool has proven

itself in temperatures up to 400º F,

pressures up to 25,000 PSI and in

boreholes as small as

4 inches in diameter.

Before you get in too deep,

look into Halliburton

Wireline and Perforating

Services—the leader in

reliability and service

excellence. For more

information, please visit

www.halliburton.com/wireline.

Unleash the energy.™

For rock-solid reliability —miles underground — get the service that consistently deliverssamples in any environment.

© 2007 Halliburton. All rights reserved.

HALLIBURTON

HALLIBURTON WIRELINE AND PERFORATING SERVICES

SEPTEMBER 2007

33

SEPTEMBER 2007

New Future for DepletedWells

BypassedThermal Energy Has ValueEditor’s note: Richard Erdlac will

present two talks on geothermal potentialat the Gulf Coast Association ofGeological Societies’ annual meeting,which will be held Oct. 21-23 in CorpusChristi, Texas.

Both papers will be presented onTuesday, Oct. 23. They are:

� “A New Future for Deep DepletedWells – Geothermal Energy fromSedimentary Basins,” at 2:45 p.m.

� “Resource Assessment StatusReport on Geothermal Energy WithinDeep Sedimentary Basins in Texas,” at3:15 p.m. His co-authors are LindaArmour, Robert Lee, Susan Snyder, MikeSorensen, Mike Matteucci and JordanHorton.

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

Tapping into formation water ratherthan hydrocarbons when drilling a well isguaranteed to disappoint even the moststoic prospector – but, perhaps,unnecessarily.

In fact, a water “discovery” has thepotential to open the door to a whole newopportunity in sedimentary basins inmany areas – including the state of Texas.

Many thousands of wells alreadydrilled in the Lone Star state are deepenough to encounter temperatures morethan 250 degrees F, and sometimesexceeding 400 degrees F, at varyingdepths and in different geographic areas.

The extremely hot brine existing atthese depths essentially is a sleeping

heat energy giant boasting thousands ofexajoules to be used for powergeneration, according to AAPG memberRichard Erdlac, director of geothermalresearch and commercialization atEnergy America Geothermal in Midland,Texas.

To put this in perspective: Oneexajoule per year, as defined in a reportreleased by Lawrence BerkeleyLaboratory scientists, is equivalent to470,000 barrels of oil per day.

The Price is Right?

It is noteworthy that investigations toevaluate Texas heat reserves andresource value suggest that a Texasgeothermal industry could rival theexisting Texas oil and gas industry ineconomic value, Erdlac noted.

“I looked at some of the work done in

34

See Texas Geothermal, page 38

Potential Texasgeothermalresource areas(based on J.Valenza data).

SEPTEMBER 2007

35

SEPTEMBER 2007

36

37

SEPTEMBER 2007

the ‘70s (via the U.S. Department ofEnergy) and looked at the potentialamount of resource being talked aboutback then,” Erdlac said. “When I starteddoing the numbers, assuming a value ofthe resource at a little over five cents akilowatt hour, I was getting billions ofdollars on a yearly basis, consistentlyyear after year.“When I did this, oil was $43 a barrel

and gas a little over $5 per Mcf, andthat’s obviously changed,” Erdlac added.“But oil and gas in Texas is getting lessand less in volume each year, even if theprice goes up.”Just as operators often re-enter

abandoned wells to go after new oil andgas zones, they could just as well re-

enter them to produce hot water and thenextract the heat to generate power.“For the oil and gas industry to

continue treating hot water as waste isequivalent to flaring natural gas as oncewas the custom in the industry,” Erdlacsaid. “No one wanted it, and now it hasvalue.”He noted it’s the same thing with

thermal energy, but thermal has adistinctive plus in that it’s renewable – youextract the water, and additionalquantities move into the formation.Also, the deeper the water resides in

the earth, the hotter it gets.

Some Like It Hot

It’s common to think of geothermalenergy in terms of steam, but theresource isn’t always in vapor form. Whenproducing extremely hot water, a varietyof processes can be used to extract theheat at the surface.It is noteworthy that sedimentary

basins are oil and gas country, and thegeothermal industry is unaccustomed todealing with these types of systems. Yetfocusing only on traditional geothermalareas limits the future growth of thisresource.Partnering with oil and gas companies

would bring expertise and data thatstandalone geothermal operators wouldhave to develop internally at their ownexpense.Joining together also would benefit the

oil and gas concern, which likely couldproduce what ordinarily would beuneconomic amounts of hydrocarbons,with the geothermal side of the operationproviding the needed economic boost tomake the project viable.Erdlac noted that the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology released a studyearly this year acknowledging the hugepotential for geothermal energy, whichcan be compared to fossil fuels when itcomes to power generation capacity.“Once a power plant gets going, it’s

going for long periods of time,” Erdlacnoted. “It has a high capacity factor – thatmay mean it’s in operation maybe 98percent of the year and going 24/7.“Geothermal has a 90, 95, 98 percent

capacity factor – it’s on par with nuclear,natural gas, coal-fired power plants.”Erdlac is convinced that the time has

come to actively pursue this powersource in Texas.“There’s a huge amount of thermal

energy in Texas,” he noted, “and the oiland gas industry has tapped into it andsaid, ‘Well, we can’t use it.’“The thing is, it’s still there and being

replenished over time, so it’s veryadvantageous to go after it.” �

SEPTEMBER 2007

38

Interested in geothermal energy?A poster session on the subject

has been proposed for the next AAPGAnnual Convention in San Antonio,which will be held April 20-23.The session will be chaired by

Richard Erdlac, director of geothermalresearch and commercialization atEnergy America Geothermal inMidland, Texas, and Dave Blackwell,of Southern Methodist University inDallas.Organizers are waiting to see the

results of the meeting’s call for papersbefore releasing additional sessiondetails.Abstracts for the San Antonio

meeting should be submitted onlineat www.aapg.org/sanantonio, and aredue Sept. 27. �

GeothermalPosters Invited

Plot of the Trans-Pecos “Rim Rock” temperature-depth (t-d) data (orange circles) on topof Delaware-Val Verde Basin (DVVB) data. Graph is plotted in Celsius versus meters.

Texas Geothermalfrom page 36

The best way toget experience is

to actually have one.

For more info or to enroll call +1 918 560-2650 or visit http://www.aapg.org/aug/

More science than you can shake a pick at.

AAPG’s 2nd Annual Fall Education ConferenceHouston, September 10-14, 2007

Exploration in Stratigraphic Traps

Courses will include: • Sequence Stratigraphy for Petroleum Exploration • Deep-Water Sands—Integrated Stratigraphic Analysis • Carbonate Depositional Systems, Diagenesis and Porosity Development • Quick Guide to Carbonate Well Log Analysis • Seismic Imaging of Carbonate Reservoirs • Seismic Interpretation in the Exploration Domain • Understanding Seismic Anisotropy in Exploration and Exploitation

• AVO/Seismic Lithology • Evaluating Seals & Pay • Risk Analysis in Stratigraphic Traps • Geochemical Exploration for Strat Traps

HOSTED BY THE NORRIS CONFERENCE CENTER 9999 RICHMOND AVE., SUITE 102

HOUSTON, TX 77042 713-780-9300; FAX: 713-780-9490

SPECIAL AAPG GROUP RATES AT NEARBY HOTELS!

Tuition for the week is only $1295 for AAPG Members or $1395 for Non-members*

or $325/day for individual courses

*(price increases to $1395/1495 respectively after August 13, 2007)

SEPTEMBER 2007

39

SEPTEMBER 2007

40

Excellence That Runs DeepSCA - The Upstream Petroleum Experts

The Upstream Consulting Leader

Let the experts at SCA assist you in meeting your

ever changing human resource requirements for

technical generalists and specialist.

We can quickly provide the consultants you

need in various areas of expertise, including:

Geologists Petroleum Engineers

Geophysicists Reservoir Engineers

Petrophysicists Production Engineers

Geoscience Techs Engineering Techs

and Other Specialists

SCA has the capability to meet yourglobal demand for manpower requirements

with proven long/short termprofessional consultants

you can rely upon, TODAY!!!

SCA is authorized by IACET to award Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Visit our website www.scacompanies.com for a complete list and

schedule of public courses and to register online TODAY!

Subsurface Consultants & Associates, LLC.10255 Richmond Ave., Suite 300 - Houston, Texas 77042

Phone: +1.713.789.2444 Fax: +1.713.789.4449 www.scacompanies.comGeneral Inquiries: info@scacompanies.com

Training Course Registration & Information: training@scacompanies.com - Consulting & Direct-Hire Services: consulting@scacompanies.com

SCA’s Training Solutions for the Petroleum Industry

September 200711 - 12 Multiple Bischke Plot Analysis - Application of LogBust™

Houston 2 day course, instructor Mr. J. Brewton 13 - 14 Quick Look Techniques for Prospect Evaluation

Houston 2 day course, instructor Mr. J. Brewton 17 - 21 Principles of 3-D Seismic Interpretation

Houston 5 day course, instructor Dr. M. ThaparOctober, 2007 8 Geopressure & Pore Pressure Prediction Fundamentals

Houston 1 day course, instructor Dr. S. Shaker 9 - 11 Geopressure: Analysis, Application, Appraisal & Risk Assessment

Houston 3 day course, instructor Dr. S. Shaker 8 - 12 Principles of 3-D Seismic Interpretation

Kuala Lumpur 5 day course, instructor Dr. Mangat Thapar 15 Chimneys for Seal & Charge Risk Assessment

Houston 1 day course, instructor Mr. D.Connelly 17 - 19 Basics of the Petroleum Industry

Houston 3 day course, instructor Mr. H. Miller 22 - 26 Development Geophysics

Houston 5 day course, instructor Dr. T. Wittick 29 - Nov. 2 Descriptive Lithology Analysis of Cuttings and Cores

Houston 5 day course, instructor Mr. R. Merrill 29 - Nov. 2 Applied Subsurface Geological Mapping

Dallas 5 day course, instructor Mr. S. AgahNovember, 2007 5 - 9 Principles of 3-D Seismic Interpretation

London 5 day course, instructor Dr. Mangat Thapar 12 - 16 Integration of Log and Seismic Data

Houston 5 day course, instructor Dr. T. Wittick 26 - 30 Geophysics for Geologists and Engineers

Houston 5 day course, instructor Dr. T. Wittick

By KEN MILAMEXPLORER Correspondent

It’s been eons in the making, featuresa cast of thousands and cost in thebillions.It is Yucca Mountain, the proposed

geologic repository in Nevada for high-level radioactive waste.Few would argue that, geologically, it

is among the most studied pieces of realestate on the planet.Much of the most significant research

from the last 20 years has been gatheredin The Geology and Climatology of YuccaMountain and Vicinity, Southern Nevadaand California, published this spring bythe Geological Society of America.The study was conducted by the U.S.

Geological Survey and U.S. Departmentof Energy National Laboratories. It coversthe mountain’s tectonic setting anddetailed structural geology andstratigraphy, plus the climate history andpotential climate change that could affectthe site’s ability to keep radioactive wastesafely contained.While the ultimate decision of whether

the repository ever becomes reality restsin the political realm, the proposal issound geologically, said John Stuckless,who co-edited the book with Robert A.Levich. Stuckless has worked on theUSGS Yucca Mountain Project since1986.“You’re never going to find a ‘perfect’

site,” Stuckless said, but “from an earthscience perspective,” the plan will work,he said.Quick to state that the USGS never

endorsed the project, Stuckless saidyears of research indicates nuclear wastestored at the site never would betransported accidentally to the surface orinto the water table.

History

A series of large volcanic eruptionsformed Yucca Mountain 11 million to 15million years ago, Stuckless said. Itconsists of layers of ignibrite, or weldedtuff and semi-welded and non-weldedtuff. The repository zone is denselywelded tuff 1,000 feet below the surfaceand 1,000 feet above the water table,Stuckless said.Bounded by two normal faults, the

formation tilts to the east.“If anything, being in a unsaturated

zone was an advantage,” he said,“because the waste has to be retrievablefor 300 years.”It’s also supposed to remain safely

entombed for up to a million years,according to the legislation dealing withthe site.Chances of seismic or volcanic

disruption of the region are consideredextremely unlikely, researchers say.That leaves as the main concern the

cracks and fissures that could provide apathway for radioactive waste to find itsway into the water table.To address those concerns, the

mountain has been scrutinized at

See Yucca, page 43

Yucca Mountain is a ridge line insouth-central Nevada, about 100 milesnorthwest of Las Vegas. It is in a remotedesert area on federally protected landinside the secure boundaries of theNevada Test Site.The proposed facility lies 1,000 feet

below the surface and 1,000 feet abovethe water table. The main tunnel is U-shaped, five miles long and 25 feet wide.Alcoves branching from the tunnel are

used to stage experiments. Waste wouldbe stored in smaller tunnelsperpendicular to the main tunnel, whichare yet to be drilled.Waste would be sealed in multilayer

stainless steel and nickel alloy containerscovered by titanium drip shields.

More than $7 billion has been spentso far on the project. Total cost isexpected to range from $50 billion to$100 billion.

– KEN MILAM

N E V A D A

C A L I F O R N I A

DeathValley

NevadaTestSite

YuccaMountain

Site

AmargosaValley

Beatty

IndianSprings

Alamo

Tonopah

LasVegas

Pahrump

‘You’re Never Going to Find a Perfect Site’

Yucca Still A PendingWaste Tomb

Photos courtesy of Department of Energy

Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, looking west, with volcanic cones in background andSolitario Canyon in the foreground.

With GeoGraphix,®

framing it all just gota whole lot easier.

The Discovery™ FrameBuilder™ module.

As the industry’s most advanced structural and

stratigraphic interpretation and mapping solution,

it streamlines prospect development.

HALLIBURTON

The FrameBuilder™ module is a major addition to the

GeoGraphix Discovery™ suite of advanced exploration

and production technologies. Providing an exciting

breakthrough in cross-sectional interpretation and mapping,

this new subsurface interpretation model works with the

Discovery smartSECTION® cross-section tool to leverage

multisurface constraints and advanced surface topology

in 3-D sequence stratigraphy and structural modeling.

For accelerating the speed and accuracy of prospect and

resource assessments, it doesn’t get more advanced than

the GeoGraphix Discovery Framebuilder 3-D module. To

learn more, visit us at www.geographix.com.

Unlea sh the e ne rg y.™

© 2007 Halliburton. All rights reserved.

SEPTEMBER 2007

41

SEPTEMBER 2007

BY LARRY NATIONAAPG Communications Director

There currently are no facilities forpermanent disposal of high-levelradioactive waste, according to theWorld Nuclear Association (WNA), andnuclear countries are wrestling with theconundrum.

Since decay is the only wayradioactive wastes finally becomeharmless – and that can take hundredsof thousands of years – the wastes mustbe stored in a way that providesadequate protection for very long times.

Presently in the United States, spentfuel is being stored in large water-cooledpools and dry storage casks at nuclearpower plants. Also, U.S. defense-relatedtransuranic radioactive waste is storedabout 3,000 feet deep in a bedded salt-deposit located in the ChihuahuanDesert, outside Carlsbad, N.M.

Existing high-level wastes fromreprocessing are presently stored atWest Valley, N.Y.; Hanford, Wash.; IdahoFalls, Idaho; and Savannah River, S.C.Liquid high-level wastes are stored inlarge underground tanks of eitherstainless steel or carbon steel,depending on whether they are acid oralkaline.

Some of the liquid waste has beensolidified into glass, ceramic slag, saltcake and sludge.

* * *

Here is a roundup of other countries’plans:

� Russia’s policy is to close the fuelcycle as far as possible and utilizerecycled uranium, and eventually also touse plutonium in mixed oxide, or MOXfuel, an alternative to low enricheduranium fuel used in the light waterreactors.

The WNA reports that itsachievements in doing this are limited.

At present the used fuel is stored(mostly at reactor sites) and notreprocessed. No waste repository is yetavailable, though site selection isproceeding in granite on the KolaPeninsula.

In Europe some spent fuel isgenerally stored at reactor sites, similarlyawaiting disposal, according to theWNA.

� France has more than 30 years ofexperience transporting and

reprocessing radioactive waste andreprocessing at La Hague and at theMarcoule facility on the Rhone River nearthe southern city of Orange.

Spent nuclear fuel and high-levelradioactive waste are shipped by railwithin France; trucks carry the materialsover short distances. Five shipstransport the material inter-coastally.Spent nuclear fuel arrives at La Hagueby train in specially designed rail cars,as railway traffic.

A 15-year study that culminated in a2006 report called for more study in theBure area for a permanent high-levelwaste geologic disposal site, with adecision by 2015 and commissioning by2025.

In 2002, France stored 978,000 cubicmeters of waste. In 2020, the annualamount is expected to be 1.9 millioncubic meters, according to theCommissariat a l’Energie Atomique.

� Belgium, Germany, theNetherlands, Switzerland and Japan alsosend, or have sent in the past, spentnuclear fuel to France or to Sellafield inthe United Kingdom for reprocessing.The recovered materials are returned tothe owner and the separated wastes arevitrified, sealed into stainless steelcanisters and either stored or returned.Eventually they too will go to geologicaldisposal.

� Sweden has centralized spent fuelstorage near Oskarshamn and willencapsulate spent fuel there forgeological disposal by about 2015.

Sweden currently is carrying outadditional research to reach a decisionbetween the Östhammar andOskarshamm sites for a permanentdisposal solution.

� Finland, which formerly sent itswaste to Russia for handling, has twolong-term disposal sites for lower-levelwaste and is constructing a third. At theend of 2004, the sites held 5,400 cubicmeters of waste.

� In Canada, the Nuclear WasteManagement Organization said earlierthis year that a final repository probablywould be in Ontario, Quebec, NewBrunswick or Saskatchewan, and hostlocalities would need to volunteer for therole.

The search for a site was expected tobegin in 2009. �

42

World SeekingWaste Solutions

A whole lotta’ (test) shaking going on: Specialized trucks vibrate the ground to simulatenatural seismic activity at Yucca Mountain.

resolutions up to 1-to-250, Stucklesssaid.“Every fracture larger than a meter

has been recorded,” he said. “We have a750,000-year record of history on onefault.”Findings presented in the book are

the results of “fairly standard geologicaltechniques,” Stuckless said.“The larger problem is that we’ve

never really studied unsaturated zones ...what happens there,” he added.A second volume, expected to be

ready by year’s end, focuses onhydrology and geochemistry and willinclude more of the new technologiesapplied to the study.

How ’Bout ThisWeather?

If the geological premise for theproject is sound, what other factors couldconceivably pose risks?Climate change is one possibility that

has been researched.The region has experienced much

wetter climates in the past, and couldagain, but most of the geologic researchindicates slight chance of nuclear wasteseeping into the water table.Climatology examined in the book’s

final chapter does little to weaken thecase for Yucca Mountain as a storagefacility, but could be significant in termsof the global warming debate, said MikeCampbell, chairman of AAPG’s EnergyMinerals Division’s Uranium Committee.While many believe man’s influence

on global climate would be short-lived,some researchers postulate that theburning of fossil fuels could haveprofound effects arching over geologicaltime periods, Campbell said.Astronomical and orbital predictions

support the notion that Earth alreadyshould be entering its next ice age.Some of the Yucca Mountainresearchers, however, say it is possiblethat humans’ impact on climate couldlast up to 50,000 years and delay theglacial maximum for 100,000 years, hesaid.Such predictions may heat up the

global warming debate, but climatechange should have little effect on thegeology of Yucca Mountain.“I believe the plan is a good one,”

Campbell said, “especially after readingthis material.”

Further On Down the Road

Over the decades since it was firstproposed, the Yucca Mountain study“has kept a lot of people employed –thousands,” Stuckless said.When USGS suggested the former

nuclear testing site in 1976, it alreadyhad been the subject of 900 man-yearsof study, he said.Besides geoscientists, the project

involves a large engineering component,biospheric researchers and others, hesaid.As an example of how much study

has been devoted to the site, Stucklessnoted that one chapter in the book listsmore than 100 references going backsome 20 years.The prime contractor for the project,

Bechtel SAIC, a consortium ofgovernment contractors, Bechtel Corp.and Science Applications InternationalCorp., employs 1,300 people.The DOE is expected to submit an

application for a license to operate thefacility next year. March 31, 2017, is thetarget date for opening the facility andwhen it would begin accepting waste.If the project opens, utilities and

defense facilities would begin shipping

waste to the central depository from morethan 120 local storage sites around thenation.With the emphasis on storage rather

than disposal, the nuclear industry maybegin recycling the waste.“I predict that within 20 years, it will be

a natural resource again,” Campbellsaid.“Transportation on highways will be a

concern, but so much engineering hasgone into the containers the risk isminimal,” Campbell said.“We’ll see a period of well-meaning

people lying across roads (to blockshipments), but that will pass,” he said.If any waste did leak from its man-

made and geological tomb, the hazardwould be slight, he said.“Even if it did get out somehow, you’d

fence off the area for 680 years,”Campbell added, “but it wouldn’t float inthe air like Chernobyl.” �

SEPTEMBER 2007

43Yuccafrom page 40

In 1997, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Visualization Group collaboratedwith scientists from LBNL's earth sciences division to create a visualization showingthe Yucca Mountain storage facility. This visualization integrates divergent types ofdata, and will be used to ask "what if" questions pertaining to site water flow.

SEPTEMBER 2007

Some Serious, Some Fun

Diverse Topics Spice DL SeasonBy VERN STEFANIC

EXPLORER Managing EditorNew faces, new topics, continuation of

a new program and new energy.That’s the word about this year’s AAPG

Distinguished Lecture program, theAssociation’s flagship initiative forspreading the latest in science, technologyand professional information.This year’s DL program, funded in part

by the AAPG Foundation, will offer 14lecturers – nine domestic and fiveinternational. It is the largest slate ofspeakers in the program’s history.And in addition to those tours, AAPG

this year offers an expanded DistinguishedInstructor slate, featuring two instructors –one domestic and one international (seestory, page 45).It’s all part of a concentrated effort to

make information and expertise availableto as many geoscience groups aspossible, around the world.AAPG’s DL program was developed to

expose students, young geologists,college faculty members and members of

geological societies to current information,research and thinking.Last season’s domestic speakers

appeared at 60 universities and societies,reaching about 3,200 people. Theinternational speakers made 44 stops inthe Middle East, eastern/central Asia andAsia/Pacific, reaching about 1,850 people.This year’s program offers speakers

from both industry and academia, withtopics that range from timely subjects likegeologic-based evidence of climatechange, to Canadian oil sands, tofractured reservoir characterization.Among the new topics this year:

Hippos in London and “craquelure inmasterpieces of the Louvre.” Really.Something familiar about this year’s

lineup is the continuation of the intersocietylecturer effort – a cooperative program thatpresents an opportunity for cross-discipline lectures.This year’s AAPG/SEG Intersociety

Lecturer, sixth in the series, is on theinternational roster: AAPG member DonLawton, holder of the chair in exploration

geophysics at the University of Calgary,Canada.His topic is “Anisotropic Depth Imaging

and Interpretation in Thrust-BeltExploration.”In keeping with the annually alternating

logistical responsibilities for the intersocietylecturer, Lawton’s tour will be coordinatedby AAPG.And as also in past years, support for

several specific tours comes directly fromthe AAPG Foundation’s DistinguishedLecture Fund. They are:

� The Allan P. Bennison DistinguishedLecturer – An international lecturer whomakes a U.S. tour, funded by contributionsfrom the late Allan Bennison, a long-timeTulsa geologist.This year’s Bennison lecturer will be

Peter Skelton, reader in palaeobiology atthe Open University, London, England.He’ll tour the western part of NorthAmerica in early December and easternNorth America in mid-March, offering twotopics:

� “Rudist Evolution, Ecology andEnvironments.”

� “The Episodic History of CretaceousCarbonate Platforms: An Aptian CaseStudy.”

� The J. Ben Carsey DistinguishedLecturer – A domestic tour, provided bycontributions from J. Ben Carsey Jr. ofHouston, to establish a named lecturer inmemory of his father, who served as AAPGpresident in 1967-68.This year’s Carsey lecturer isGarry

Karner, senior research associate, newplay concepts, for ExxonMobil UpstreamResearch Co., Houston. He’ll tour easternNorth America in late November and earlyDecember, and western North America inlate March and early April, offering twotopics:

� “Depth-Dependent LithosphericExtension: Supporting Evidence, Structuraland Depositional Characteristics, andGeneral Applicability.”

44

Engelder Giles Johnson Johnston Karner Olson Peacock Skelton

continued on next page

� “Accuracy of Eustatic AmplitudeEstimates: Challenges in FlexurallyBackstripping Continental Margins.”

� The Haas-Pratt DistinguishedLecturer – A domestic tour provided bycontributions from the late Merrill W. Haas,in honor of famed geologist (and Haas’mentor) Wallace Pratt. The funding isgranted for emphasis on a specific casehistory application of geology in adiscovery.This year’s Haas-Pratt lecture will be

given byMike Peacock,exploration/development geosciencemanager, Imperial Oil, Calgary, Canada.He’ll tour western North America in lateNovember and early December, andeastern North America in February.His lecture is titled “Athabasca Oil

Sands: Understanding the Oil Sands fromthe Regional Scale to the Project Scale – ACase History.”

� The Roy M. Huffington DistinguishedLecturer – An international tour providedby contributions form the Huffington familyin honor of the oilman-geologist.The Huffington lecturer – whose current

tour of Australia and New Zealand ends inSeptember – is Peter McCabe, with CSIROin Sydney, Australia. He has offered threetopics:

� “Distribution of the World’s Oil andGas Source Rocks in Space and Time –Perspectives for Exploration in FrontierBasins.”

� “World Oil and Gas Resources – HowMuch is Left and Where Will It Be Found?”

� “Deltaic Systems and Super-Systems– Controls on Petroleum Accumulation.”

This year’s list of domesticDistinguished Lecturers also includes:

� Mike Blum, a professor in thedepartment of geology and geophysics atLouisiana State University, Baton Rouge.His tour of eastern North America will beSept. 17-28, and his western NorthAmerican tour will be in late February andearly March.He offers two talks:� “Subsidence and Sea-Level

Changes Along the Northern Gulf ofMexico: Response of Mississippi River tothe Last Glacial Cycle, and the FlexuralUps and Downs of Mississippi Delta.”

� “Signatures of Climate and Sea-LevelChange in the Gulf of Mexico RiverSystems Over the Last Glacial-InterglacialCycle: A Source-to-Sink View Ups andDowns of Mississippi Delta.”

� Terry Engelder, a professor atPennsylvania State University, UniversityPark, Pa. He’ll offer two talks:

���������������� �� ��� �������������

� ������������������ ��� ��� ��� �������� ��������� ���� ����������� � ������ ��� �����

��������������������������� ���������������������������������� ���������������������������������� ���������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������

�������������� �������� �������� �������� �������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������

� �������� �������������� �������������� ��

������� ������� ������� ���������������� �� ��������������� �� �������!"� ��������������� ����� ���#���$%

& ��������� ��������� ����� '������ ������&������(��������������� ���������������������������

��� )*+����������������� ����� �!�� "��������'�������������

������ ���������'���"��� #�$���%������� ���� $��������� ���

&���������� �������������"��� '������� �������� ���&��� ��� ��

�������� ������� �������� ���"

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������$$$"���������"����

�����(��������&��� ��� ��������� ����%������� )�� ����������� )�� ����������������

SEPTEMBER 2007

45

AAPG’s Distinguished Instructorprogram, entering its second season,will expand to two instructors – one fordomestic groups, and one forinternational.The Distinguished Instructor program

is intended to complement theDistinguished Lecture series. DIinstructors, who serve two-year stints inthe program, offer half-day, full-dayand/or two-day short courses asopposed to one-hour lectures.Their itinerary is based on requests

received at headquarters in Tulsa.This year’s instructors are:

� Vitor Abreu, last year’s inauguralinstructor, is back for a second year,offering a course on “SequenceStratigraphy for Petroleum Exploration.”

He is with ExxonMobil Exploration inHouston.His international itinerary to date

includes:� Nov. 9-10 – Associacao Brasileira

de Geologos de Petroleo, Rio deJaneiro, Brazil.

� Nov. 13-14 – Geological Society ofPeru, Lima.

� Nov. 16-17 – Geological Society ofTrinidad and Tobago, West Indies.

� Kevin M. Bohacs, seniorhydrocarbon systems analyst forExxonMobil Upstream Research Co.,Houston, is the domestic instructor.

His topic is “Sequence-StratigraphicAnalysis of Shales: Key to PaleoclimateArchives, Subsurface Fluid Flow andHydrocarbon Source, Reservoir andSeal.”His course will be “a hands-on

workshop on the expression andcorrelation of depositional sequences inseismic, well-log, core and outcrop datausing Paleozoic, Mesozoic andCenozoic examples.”

For information on the DistinguishedInstructor program – or to request aninstructor – contact Karen Dotts, atkdotts@aapg.org. �

Instructor Program Expands for Second SeasonOne for Domestic Audiences, One for International

Abreu Bohacs

See Lecturers, page 62

continued from previous page

SEPTEMBER 2007

Locals Reaping Benefits

Hot Barnett PlayCreatingWealth

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

The Barnett Shale natural gas play hasbecome so prolific it appears to have takenon a life of its own.Indeed, there’s speculation aplenty it

may become even bigger than thegenerations-old, giant Hugoton gas field inKansas.What’s especially unique about the

Barnett play is that a major piece of theaction is in a highly urbanized area. In fact,there are close to 500 wells within the FortWorth city limits, and predictions are thisnumber will double by 2010, according tonoted economist M. Ray Perryman, CEO ofThe Perryman Group (TPG), a Waco,Texas-based economic and researchanalysis company.If this prompts you to envision a drilling

rig stationed at each street corner indowntown Fort Worth as well as smack-dab in the middle of a homeowner’sflowerbeds, forget it.Thanks to horizontal drilling technology,

wells can be drilled at a considerabledistance from the target reservoir with theunseen horizontal leg traversing thesubsurface to the pinpointed location totap into the natural gas.An added plus: Multiple wellbores can

be drilled from a single pad, furtherreducing the footprint.About 177 companies have operations

in the Barnett Shale, and operators

continue to expand the play to the southand west, with varying results, meaning thereal action remains in the general FortWorth Basin region – in fact, 14 counties innorth and central Texas hosted 99 percentof the drilling in 2006.Overall, Perryman noted, thousands of

wells are producing hundreds of billions ofcubic feet of natural gas annually from theBarnett.

Drill Here! Drill Here!

Given the urban nature of the bulk of theactivity, it is noteworthy that an array ofarea chambers of commerce joined with asizeable number of industry participants tohost a recent Barnett Shale Expo in FortWorth. The objective of the free event wasto involve and educate the publicconcerning the numerous aspects of theplay.Both the citizenry and the local

government bodies are reapinghumongous benefits from the Barnett,according to a recently completed studyconducted by TPG and commissioned bythe Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.Perryman presented the results at the

Expo.The numbers are eye-popping enough

that even a hard-core NIMBY (not in mybackyard) might be convinced to rethink

46

Submission deadlineSeptember 27

According to the 2007 Annual Convention survey of attendees, the number one reason geoscientistsattend is to aquire answers, ideas and to address

specific needs from the technical sessions.

Plan now to be one of the experts who contribute to the world-class technical program in San Antonio.

Submit your abstract now!www.aapg.org/sanantonio

Abstracts are subject to review and acceptance by the Technical Program Committee.

Charitable Contributions to the Fort Worth Area by Survey Respondents – 2001-2006

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Th

ou

san

ds

of

Do

llars

Note: Selected companies include: XTO Energy Inc., Quicksilver Resources Inc., Dale Operating Company, EnCana Oil & Gas (USA), and Chesapeake Operating Inc.

Bosque

Clay

Comanche

Cooke

Dallas

Denton

EllisErath

Hamilton

Hill

Hood

Jack

Johnson

Montague

Palo Pinto Parker

Somervell

Tarrant

WiseYoung

Barnett Shale Primary Production Area

T E X A SBosque

lay

he

C

D

Dent

Erath

mi

Hi

Hood

Jack

JohnsonJ

MM ueuMontaguM u

o Pintooo Parker

SSSoS rvellrSomerSo r

Tarrant

Wise

Barnett Shale Known Boundaries

continued on next page

Graphics courtesy of the Perryman Group

before voicing the usual emphatic “No!” tooil and gas drilling in certain otherdomestic areas, despite their potential toyield badly needed “homegrown”hydrocarbon supplies.When summing all major categories of

stimulus associated with the Barnett Shale,the result is a whopping $5.164 billion inannual output and about 55,385permanent jobs, according to Perryman.Not surprisingly, the bulk of the impacts

stemming from the Barnett activity arespawned by exploration and drilling.Perryman noted the typical annual impactof activity over the next 10 years isexpected to include more than $7 billion inoutput and 64,375 jobs in the BarnettShale region.The projected average annual impact

of Barnett activity overall may well be morethan 108,000 jobs and $10.4 billion inoutput per year through 2015, accordingto Perryman. Given that many industryobservers predict activity in the play willcontinue for another 20 to 30 years, oreven much longer, the math tends tobecome mind-boggling.

A Populist Play

It is noteworthy that this play is not ascenario where the rich get richer, and allothers must continue making do asalways. In fact, the fallout in terms offinancial impact and improved quality oflife reaches citizens across thesocioeconomic spectrum.Myriad factors make this possible:� Property taxes paid on oil and gas

properties and enhanced retail sales andreal estate development are the twoprimary sources of income impacting localtaxing entities.

� Cities, school districts and othersreceive royalties and bonus payments.

� Severance taxes collected by thestate of Texas in 2006 tallied $165.4million.

� Permitting and other fees are paid tolocal governing bodies.

�Other kinds of levies includehotel/motel occupancy taxes.

� Companies involved in explorationand development in the Barnett aredonating millions of dollars to localcharities.Varying organizations have benefited

outright from the play, including:� The American Cancer Society – sold

mineral rights to donated land for about $5million.

� Area Girl Scouts – leased mineralrights to drill beneath a summer camp.

� A local church – received a signingbonus of $21,000 to allow drilling under itsproperty.

AffordableTradeoffs?

Perryman noted TPG estimated theoverall direct and indirect fiscalcontribution (excluding royalty and leasepayments to public entities) of BarnettShale activity totaled about $718.6 millionin 2006. This included $490.9 million instate revenues and $227.7 million to localgovernments.The aggregate amount is expected to

exceed $1 billion per annum in the future.Not surprisingly, this financial bonanza

comes with some trade offs – after all,drilling activity is accompanied by its ownconsiderable baggage, so to speak.Increased truck traffic, noise and water

usage go hand-in-hand with oil and gasdrilling, and the Barnett is no exception –and these issues can pose particularchallenges when the action occurs inurban areas.Perryman reported, however, these

downside elements are, in most instances,being dealt with to minimize any lastingeffects. �

SEPTEMBER 2007

47continued from previous page

The Current Annual Impact of All Major Sources of Stimulus Associatedwith the Barnett Shale on Business Activity

$1.524

$3.101

$5.164

$13.676

$1.704

$3.802

$6.395

$16.821

$0 $2 $4 $6 $8 $10 $12 $14 $16 $18 $20

Retail Sales

Personal Income

Gross Product

Total Expenditures

Billions of 2006 Dollars

TexasBarnett Shale Region

Source: The Perryman Group

PermanentJobs

65,953 - Texas55,385 - Barnett Shale Region

The Current Annual Impact of Exploration, Drilling, and Operationsin the Barnett Shale on Business Activity

$0.725

$1.706

$3.110

$9.487

$0.770

$2.038

$3.740

$11.256

$0 $2 $4 $6 $8 $10 $12 $14

Retail Sales

Personal Income

Gross Product

Total Expenditures

Billions of 2006 Dollars

Texas

Barnett Shale Region

PermanentJobs

33,539 - Texas28,493 - Barnett Shale Region

By LOUISE S. DURHAMEXPLORER Correspondent

Operators big and small continue tograb attention for their efforts in thehigh-profile Barnett Shale play in theFort Worth Basin.

Sometimes overlooked in all theBarnett buzz, however, is the fact thatmyriad crucial operations are requiredto turn the operators’ drilling targets intoactual wells and – ideally – successfulproducers.

It’s not easy. This play has a lengthy track recordfor experimentation, success and alsofailure, among the 6,500-plus vertical,deviated or horizontal tests or producersdrilled since the initial Mitchell Energywell in 1981, according to RandyLaFollette, manager of geosciencetechnology at Houston-based BJServices.

“From the standpoint of a servicecompany, we’re trying to sort throughwhat the issues are, what really drivesproduction results in the Barnett –there’s no simple, one-size-fits-all recipefor success,” LaFollette said.

“There’s a certain basic reservoirquality that’s there in terms of gas-in-place and deliverability – and these aretwo hugely different things,” he noted.“The hard part is to try to deconvolvethe effects of reservoir quality from theeffects of stimulation treatment – andfrom everything that happens from thetime the drill bit penetrates the top of theformation to present day.

“There are many fuzzy relationships,many non-linear relationships involved,”LaFollette noted, “so it becomes muchmore complex than trying to sort outwhat works and what doesn’t on aspreadsheet.

“We’ve been in the Barnett for a longtime,” he said, “and it’s an ongoingstudy.”

NewTechnologies Emerging

Barnett production patterns analyzedusing GIS methods show clear evidenceof sweet and not-so-sweet spots,according to LaFollette.

He also noted GIS has opened eyesin the engineering community where theengineers have been posting morestimulation treatment data on mapsalong with production results and

Barnett Shale PlayCan Be Complex

Their Success Doesn’t Ensure Yours

SEPTEMBER 2007

48

Bubble map showing log10 of six-monthnormalized cumulativeproduction in Barnett wellsacross the North TexasBarnett play. Productionresults vary by many fold,and production variationfrom well to well is oftensignificant.

Graphics courtesyof Randy LaFollette

continued on next page

(Editor’s note: Randy LaFollettewill present the paper “The BarnettShale Play of North Texas – Points toPonder in 2007,” on Oct. 9 at theRocky Mountain Section’s annualmeeting in Songbird, Utah.

LaFollette’s talk is part of the EMDsession on “Shale Gas Secrets –Lessons from Other North AmericanShale Gas Plays.”)

Schlumberger Geomechanics

© 2007 Schlumberger 07-DC-051

The right geomechanics plan is driven by all available data to identify, predict, and prevent costly events. It is built on a well-defined, fit-for-purpose mechanical earth model that optimizes your reservoir and brings value to the asset throughout the life of the field.

Schlumberger has been a leading provider of integrated geomechanics technology and services for more than 30 years, with an extensive track record of successful projects worldwide. For more information on our case studies around the world go to www.slb.com/geomechanics.

www.slb.com/geomechanics

Driven by data.Built on science.

SEPTEMBER 2007

49

reservoir quality information whenavailable.

BJ currently is studying the combo ofGIS with other data mining techniques,e.g., automated computer algorithms orneural network technology.

Slick water fracs and horizontaldrilling have been key to the Barnettplay’s success overall.

Going forward, a couple of othertechnologies that have the potential tobecome increasingly beneficial aresimultaneous fracturing of horizontalwells (simo-fracs) and ultra-lightweightproppants.

� The basic blueprint for simo-fracsentails taking two horizontal wells thatare in close proximity and roughlyparallel to one another and then fracingeach at once.

Simo-fracs initially entailed dual fracs,one in each of the two closely spacedhorizontals. Today, however, there are tri-fracs (often dubbed trifectas) and evenquad-fracs being applied.

“Given such low matrix permeabilityof the shale reservoir, a gas molecule inthe lifetime of a well may only be able tomove through the matrix on the order offeet,” LaFollette said. “You need toprovide very closely spaced fracs tohave a very nearby, high permeabilitypathway for the gas molecule to migrateand move into the wellbore.”

The theory behind simo-fracs is theymay increase the density of thehydraulic fracture network, or increasethe amount of surface area beingcreated from the frac job, LaFollettenoted.

“You can envision it to be like a sheetof auto glass and smacking it with ahammer,” he said. “It cracks in acomplex fashion, and this is probablywhat hydraulic fractures in the Barnettlook like.”

� Regarding the value of ultra-lightweight proppants in the Barnett, thejury is still out.

“When they first came out, theyweren’t capable of handling some of thefrac pressures in the Barnett,” LaFollettesaid.

“It’s not known if the ultra-lightweightsare going to take off and provebeneficial in the Barnett because we’rejust getting to the point with the strengthof the ultra-light-weights where they canhandle the Barnett closure stressrange.” �

“Exploration, Discovery, Success”is the theme for this year’s RockyMountain Section annual meeting – a“Rocky Mountain Rendezvous” – setOct. 6-9 at Snowbird, Utah.

In addition to the exhibits hall andtechnical program featuring the bestin Rocky Mountain science,technology and recent explorationdevelopments, the meeting offers:

� A public forum on “EnergyDevelopment on Public Lands.”

� Prospect booths and interviewrooms.

� An All Convention Luncheon onMonday, Oct. 8, featuring Charles B.“Chuck” Stanley, executive vicepresident of Questar Corp., on “NaturalGas in the Rockies – The Challengesand Opportunities of ResourceDevelopment on Public Lands.”

To register or for more information,go online to www.utahgeology.org/rms-aapg.htm.

RMS MeetingSet in Snowbird

continued from previous pageLeft: The bestvertical Barnett wellstend to be clusteredinto fairly small partsof the playgeographically.Outside these areas,Barnett gasproduction fromvertical wellsdecreases markedly,with few exceptions.

Right: Comparisonwith vertical wells(left) demonstratesthe impact ofhorizontal welltechnology onexpanding theBarnett play out ofthe main area ofvertical wellsuccesses.

SEPTEMBER 2007

Meet Mark Myers

USGS Head Faces the ChallengesBy BARRY FRIEDMAN

EXPLORER CorrespondentU.S. Geological Survey Director Mark

Myers, an AAPG member who wasnominated by President Bush andconfirmed by the Senate in 2006, headsup an entity that has more than 10,000scientists, technicians and support staff.The Survey, which has a budget of

more than $1 billion, is located in nearly400 offices in every state and in severalforeign countries and partners with 2,000agencies of state, local and tribalgovernment, the academic community,other federal allies, non-governmentalorganizations, and the private sector.Myers’ predecessor was Charles G.

“Chip” Groat, now director of the Centerfor International Energy and EnvironmentalPolicy at the University of Texas at Austinand is president of the AAPG Division ofEnvironmental Geosciences.The USGS is known for its field

investigations, direct observations ofnatural science processes andphenomena, and monitoring and datacollection.Before coming to the Survey, Myers

served as survey chief for field programsin the MacKenzie Delta (Arco, 1985), andAlaska’s Cook Inlet (State of Alaska/USGS,1997) and North Slope (Arco, 1999). Healso served as sedimentologist for 13other North Slope field programs.Past president and board member of

the Alaska Geological Society, Myers is anAAPG certified petroleum geologist aswell as a certified professional geologist

with the American Institute of ProfessionalGeologists and a licensed geologist withthe State of Alaska.And it was during his time as director

of Alaska’s Division of Oil and Gas that hereceived some notoriety for resigning hisposition when he thought a gas pipelinedeal that then-Gov. Frank Murkowski waspushing would short-change the state.While he wouldn’t talk about it for this

interview, he said in his resignation letter,“Staying in this position would require meto compromise my values as to what isright, both legally and ethically, and whatis in the interests of the state. I cannotcontinue as director and watch silently asthe state’s interests are undermined bycreating barriers for the new oil and gasparticipants that are so vital to theeconomic future of our state.”It is a testament to his ability to build

coalitions that Murkowski supported hisappointment to the USGS.In his confirmation hearings, Myers

addressed the sensitive subject of

scientific independence, whileunderscoring the independence of theUSGS.“It’s incredibly important that the

science is unbiased, that it is peerreviewed and objective,” he said. “That’sthe way it needs to be so the Survey candeliver objective information.”The EXPLORER asked Myers recently

for his take on a range of issues, fromresearch to funding to the tricky areas ofpolitics and science. While careful not toaddress the contentious issue of whetheror not the work of scientists has beenmuffled or distorted by the BushAdministration on issues that run counterto its political objectives, he does affirmthe independence of both the USGS andhis commitment to it.

EXPLORER: Why (how?) did yourjoining the USGS come about? Had youworked closely with the USGS during yourtime in Alaska?MYERS: As a state geologist, I was no

stranger to the workof the USGS andalways held its workin the highestesteem, both interms of the breadthand scope of thescience and theunbiasedinformation itprovided.I had been

involved in joint fieldresearch projects with USGS scientists onthe North Slope and Cook Inlet regions ofAlaska. As a resource manager in Alaska,I often faced a balancing act in trying toreconcile both sides of issues. USGS datawas critical in the decision-makingprocess and an invaluable resourcebecause of its objectivity and reliability.

You’ve been a member of AAPG since1979; what do you think should be theideal relationship between the USGS andAAPG? How can each organization besthelp the other?Yes, I have been a member since

1979, serving as a member of their Houseof Delegates prior to joining USGS. I holdAAPG in the highest regard and valuetheir mission to foster scientific research,advance the science of geology, andpromote new technology. It is a premiergeoscience organization that not onlyprovides wonderful opportunities for

50

“The USGS is a scientific researchorganization that provides information todecision-makers at all levels of governmentso they can address and resolve complexnatural resource problems.”

Myers

continued on next page

current and future geoscientists, but it alsohelps to educate the general public onissues related to energy resources.We have a synergistic relationship –

both organizations bring a national andinternational perspective to the criticalissues around energy.The strength of USGS is its ability to

provide unbiased technically accurateinformation on energy resources,particularly with respect to quantifyingundiscovered resources on a regional,national and international scale.We have a long-standing tradition for

developing methodologies of doingnatural and international assessments forundiscovered and technically recoverableresources.

You once worked for Arco; can youcompare/contrast the experiences ofworking in the private sector vs.government?There are similarities in large

organizations whether they aregovernment or private sector. However,the goal in the private sector is to bringprofit back to the shareholders, while ingovernment our goal is to serve thepublic.To be successful, a large scientific

organization such as the USGS mustemploy advanced technology as well ashave a strong research component. TheUSGS is a scientific research organizationthat provides information to decision-makers at all levels of government so theycan address and resolve complex naturalresource problems.Additionally, as a federal research

agency with a non-advocacy role, USGSprocesses require a level of transparencyand peer review of science different thanthat of a large corporation.

In thinking about becoming USGSdirector, what kind of preparation did youexperience prior to being nominated for thepost?I actually spent very little time

preparing.Even though the process of nomination

is a long one, the initial interview stagewas very short. For a job that is so broad –such as this – it’s just kind of “come as youare.” I did do a lot of soul searching –thinking about whether I was the bestperson for this job and could serve thiscountry well. I wanted to make sure that Imade a positive contribution to theorganization.I also had conversations with my family

to get their feelings on such a move, as itwould certainly be a significant change inlifestyle moving from Alaska toWashington, D.C.

How are you defining your duties/roleas director of the USGS?In my mind the duties or role of the

director is very clear – to be a leader inmoving the organization forward andbetter positioning the organization for thefuture as well as ensuring that the USGScontinues to live up to its promise ofproviding sound science for citizens anddecision makers.

What are your top priorities for yourself,and for the Survey?My top priorities are to chart a course

for USGS where it can thrive in the future.We have a long history of providing

unbiased scientific research andinformation to decision makers, and Ibelieve that need will only increase as ournation continues to address issues relatedto climate change, natural hazards,energy resources, water quality andavailability, human health and ecosystemconservation.In an effort to focus on societal

challenges related to those areas we havecrafted a USGS Science Strategy for the

coming decade that defines challengeswithin these areas and opportunitieswhere USGS science can serve thenation’s pressing needs; unites all of ourcapabilities; takes advantage of ourstrengths and our unique position as non-regulatory federal science agency withnational scale and responsibilities; and willhelp us to focus our science capabilitiesto meet the challenges of the 21st century.

As the new head of the USGS, you willbe in charge of funding for variousprojects. Where will you be receiving yourinput to make those decisions? How doesthat process work?As director it’s my responsibility to

ensure that the USGS stays fiscally andscientifically healthy. I work very closelywith my executive leadership team,program managers and senior scientistsfrom across the organization to definepriority areas and opportunities to servethe nation’s pressing needs. I also work

closely with other Department of theInterior and administration officials toensure that our goals and scienceplanning are complimentary and insupport of their mission and goals.

And of course, ultimately, Congress willhave the final say on USGS’s budget.

USGS data is often cited as variousexperts, geological and otherwise, wrestlewith the question of “peak oil.” What is yourposition on “peak oil?”The USGS doesn’t take a position on

this issue.There is certainly a need to better

understand the true endowment ofconventional and unconventionalresources to understand when and wherepeaks might occur, but one needs to takea number of things into considerationwhen discussing or projecting peak oil,such as economics, markets,transportation and energy efficiency.

What role can you and the Surveyplay?The USGS role is in understanding and

continued from previous page

Now there is a better method for identifying gas and measuring gas saturation in cased

holes. Baker Atlas is proud to introduce the GasViewSM service, a high-resolution measure-

ment and analysis service that produces an exceptionally clear picture of reservoir gas.

Using Baker Atlas’ RPMSM pulsed neutron system, the GasView service can be used to

measure reservoir gas in virtually any well. Applications range from identifying by-passed

pay in wells nearing abandonment to openhole log replacement for new wells.

Contact your Baker Atlas representative today to learn how the GasView service can help

you produce more gas with greater efficiency.

T h e B E S T C h o i c e

Focusing on Gas?

Formoreinformation,visitourwebsitewww.bakerhughes.com

©2007BakerHughesIncorporated.

SEPTEMBER 2007

51

See Myers, next page

assessing geologically based energyresources, both conventional andunconventional, characterizing thoseresources and understanding where theyoccur globally.

What challenges do you facewith/because of the current USGSbudget?We need to be able to prioritize our

science activities and ensure that we areproviding science that is relevant to theneeds of the nation.We also need to continue enhancing

our collaboration and partnership effortswith others in order to enhance the useand value of our science.

In light of the budgetary and political

arena, how would you describe morale atthe USGS? Does it feel it has the supportand faith of Congress and the currentadministration?Overall I believe the morale of

employees is good. Our employees areamong the most talented and dedicatedprofessionals to be found in anyorganization. They are very proud of theiroutstanding history of public service andscientific advances.While we have been faced with

declining budgets over the past severalyears, the USGS continues to be a leaderin collecting, monitoring, analyzing andproviding scientific information andunderstanding about our nation’slandscape, natural resources and thenatural hazards that threaten us.

Do you see the USGS’s expertise andperceptions of the U.S. and global energypicture as making an impact?The USGS provides critical science

information on energy resources, bothdomestic and internationally. One of ourstrengths is our ability to provideunbiased, peer-reviewed information andmake it broadly available to everyone.

What is the best thing that governmentcan do to enhance and invigorate thescientific work that USGS does?The high quality scientific research that

USGS conducts can’t be done in theshort-term, but requires long-termcontinuity. We need to look into the futurenow and start planning from both abudgetary and work force perspective.The key to any successful organization

is its work force, and we must ensure wehave the ability to hire the best and thebrightest in order to continue to conductthe high quality scientific researchneeded to address the societal issues ofthe future.USGS has an aging work force and

recruitment is a challenge for us. We needto have the ability to work collaborativelywith other geoscience organizations suchas the American Geological Institute andAAPG to educate and recruit futurescientists.

The USGS is, in a sense, where thecountry goes for its earth scienceeducation. What do you think is the mostimportant scientific horizon out there and,by the same token, the least understood?There is hardly a field of science today

that does not have exciting andenormously promising research areas.Just by way of example:

� Research at the USGS involvingseismic imaging, tomography,interferometry, laser altimetry and GPSpositioning is helping to interpret structureand dynamic processes from deep withinEarth to its surface.

� PCR-based DNA fingerprinting ishelping to understand and, in somecases, restore genetically diversehabitats.

� Satellite, broadband transmission ofreal-time discharge from our nationwidestream gage network is allowing ourscientists to develop mapping methodsthat deliver on-line flood maps – includingtime of arrival, depth and extent offlooding – before a storm hits.The new areas of fruitful study in the

earth sciences is near limitless. However,because Earth itself is made up ofcountless interconnected and dynamicsystems, it requires a kind of broad focusto begin to understand it.As I see it, the ability to look for and

find linkages, to establish relevantconnections is the important scientifichorizon out there and, by the same token,the least understood by way of therequired research need and level ofcomplexity. Debates engendered byissues over a range from global climatechange, water availability and quality,species and habitat preservation orenergy resources availability, must beinformed by a “systems” approach andunderstanding.This is not an easy task, for, historically,

science disciplines have extended agreat deal of knowledge through divisionand abstraction. “Isolation andabstraction” is still an important way bywhich most disciplines extend theirknowledge, but they have their limitations.Recent research in earth systems hasshown, quite poignantly, that when onetries to pick out anything by itself, it isfound “hitched” to everything else.To be involved in cutting-edge science

today requires viewing Earth as asynergistic physical system of interrelatedphenomena, governed by complexprocesses involving the geosphere,atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.It centers on relevant interactions ofchemical, physical, biological and

Myersfrom previous page

Exploration & Field Development Geoscientists

Santos is an Australian-based oil and gas exploration and production company pursuing an ambitious growthstrategy that provides exciting opportunities to advanceyour career.

If you’re a highly motivated geologist or geophysicist with superior capabilities in exploration or fielddevelopment who would like to be an integral partof our international oil and gas program, you could bejust who we’re looking for.

Successful candidates will benefit from working with a medium-sized company where you are recognised for your technical and leadership skills. You will makedecisions that shape Santos’ exploration and field

development programs and you’ll be involved in high-impact projects from start to finish.

Santos has a strong business position to deliver growth, with an extensive Asian footprint and excitingopportunities in Indonesia,Vietnam, India and Kyrgyzstan.And over the next five years we expect to drill 1000 oilwells in central Australia.

Working in Adelaide means you’ll be able to enjoy arewarding career, a state-of-the-art new workplace and an enviable lifestyle.

Take the next step in yourcareer and apply online at www.santos.com

Santos

AUSTRALIA’S MOST AMBITIOUSOIL AND GASPROGRAM NEEDSTHE WORLD’SMOST CAPABLEGEOSCIENTISTS

AUSTRALIA’S MOST AMBITIOUSOIL AND GASPROGRAM NEEDSTHE WORLD’SMOST CAPABLEGEOSCIENTISTS

SEPTEMBER 2007

52

continued on next page

Myers in a geologist’s setting.

dynamical processes that extend over ahuge range of spatial scales from micronto planetary size, and over time scales ofmilliseconds to billions of years.The Earth system approach is the

critical framework and important scientifichorizon from which to pose disciplinaryand interdisciplinary questions inrelationship to the important needs ofhumankind.

Under a new USGS policy, a USGSemployee must submit scientificdocuments for a peer review beforepublication – a review that may involvescientists either inside or outside theagency and must consider what thedirective calls, “potential high visibilityproducts or policy-sensitive issues.” Youropinion?Peer review is not new. In fact, it is the

bedrock of processes in any crediblescience organization, as it ensuresscientific conclusions or findings arerobust, independent and objective. TheUSGS has had such processes in placefor many years. As with any scienceenterprise, policies are periodicallyreviewed and updated to keep pace withchanges in the organization.Our recently revised policy has been

developed by scientists and sciencemanagers – not politicalappointees. Research supervisors arecharged with ensuring all USGS scientistshave addressed peer comments and arein compliance with USGS policies andthose of the federal government.The new policy standardizes the peer

review processes between our variousdisciplines. This standardization wasnecessary for the interdisciplinary sciencepublications that are increasingly morecritical to furthering scientificunderstanding of complex systems.

In the past year, when you consider thedebate over tsunami prediction andpreparedness, global warming and avianinfluenza, to name a few examples, givethe USGS a report card on how it handledthose and other challenges.The USGS has been a major

contributor to understanding the issuesyou’ve mentioned here as well as manyothers. USGS has an extensive and well-regarded history in studying climatechange and its impacts.Many within the climate science

community rely on our unique ability toprovide essential ground-truthing acrossmultiple scientific disciplines in a widevariety of spatial and temporal scales.Many of our scientists are conductingmonitoring and research that provideinsight to global climate change issuessuch as the monitoring of:

� Streamflow and ground-water levelsin order to access drought, flooding andwater use.

� Thawing permafrost in the sub-arcticand arctic regions of Alaska.

�Migration of plant communitiesproliferation of invasive species inresponse to climate change.

� Changes in snowpack and streamrunoff.

� Retreat of alpine glaciers.� Coastal wetland change related to

subsidence and sea-level rise.� The interplay between land use,

land-cover change and climate.� The changing distribution of and

impact of human and animal diseases.We are engaged with other scientists

from around the world throughinternational committees and workinggroups such as the International Panel onClimate Change to address the scientificissues related to global climate change.We also have been a key player in the

monitoring and surveillance of avianinfluenza in wild migratory birds.

How does the future look for theUSGS?The future of USGS looks very

promising, as the need for our scientificdata and information and understandinghave never been greater. Our strength liesin our ability to bring a multidisciplinaryapproach to tackling some of thechallenges this nation faces in the future.We are optimistic that our Strategic

Science plan – our 10-year science vision– will enhance our ability to conductinterdisciplinary and interagency researchand result in USGS making significantcontributions toward helping the economyremain strong and the environmenthealthy, while helping to retain the presentquality of life in the United States. �

continued from previous page

AMERICA IS BLESSED WITH A WEALTH OF NEW AND PROLIFIC ONSHORE NATURAL

GAS FIELDS. AS THE NATION’S #1 DRILLER OF CLEAN-BURNING NATURAL GAS WELLS,

CHESAPEAKE TAKES PRIDE IN PROTECTING AIR QUALITY AND PRESERVING THE LAND

WHERE WE DRILL. THAT’S OUR MISSION IN AMERICA TODAY AND THE PROMISE WE

MAKE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS. IT’S HOW CHESAPEAKE DOES THE NATION A WORLD

OF GOOD. IT’S HOW WE ALL WIN.

AWORLD OF GOOD

SEPTEMBER 2007

53

For the complete textof the Myers’ interview,visit the AAPG Website.

Mark Myers, director of the U.S.Geological Survey, will be the All-Convention Luncheon speaker for thisyear’s annual convention of the AAPGMid-Continent Section.The meeting will be Sept. 8-11 at the

Airport Hilton Hotel and ConventionCenter in Wichita, Kan. The theme is“New Ideas – More Oil and Gas.”Exploring that theme will be 52

papers and 15 posters that reflect thestate-of-art developments oneverything from shale gas to multi-component 4-D seismic in sandstonereservoirs. They will be complementedby a sold-out exhibits area.New this year for the Mid-Continent

is an emphasis on student

participation, first with no registrationfees, and second via a job fair forstudents, which will be held on Mondayand Tuesday, Sept. 10-11.Other meeting activities will include:� A field trip to the “Oread Group in

Eastern Kansas.”� A field trip to a “Kansas

Underground Salt Museum.”� A short course on “3-D for

Geologists.”Myers, an AAPG member, is

Alaska’s former state geologist andhead of Alaska’s Geological Survey. Heis the 14th director for the USGS sinceits inception in 1879.For registration or more information,

go online to www.aapg.org. �

Myers Set as Luncheon SpeakerFor Mid-Continent Annual Convention

(The Geophysical Corner is a regularcolumn in the EXPLORER, edited byBob A. Hardage, senior researchscientist at the Bureau of EconomicGeology, the University of Texas atAustin. This month’s column deals withreflection signals.)

By BOB HARDAGEAs seismic interpreters, most of us –

including the author – have developedthe mindset that robust reflection eventsare what we first try to associate withdrilling targets.For thin-bed units, reflection

amplitude increases as net payincreases within the target interval. Thin-bed interpreters conclude that “strongreflection events are good.”In a sand-shale sequence, gas

reservoirs produce P-wave bright spots.In this type of geology, interpretersfocus on the boldest reflection signalsto define drilling targets.Depending on the nature of the

seismic impedance contrasts in thetype of geology that is beinginterpreted, there are exceptions tothese two examples that drilling targetsare associated with reasonablyprominent reflection events. However,the association between robustreflection responses and drilling targetsis successfully applied across manyprospects and in several depositionalenvironments.In this article, we look at the opposite

principle and describe a drilling targetfor which the correct mindset is: “Drillwhere there is no reflection signal.”

* * *

The target in this example is a thinCaddo sandstone positioned at the topof the Bend Conglomerate interval in theFort Worth Basin.Distribution of the sandstone is

shown in map view in figure 1.This map, based on the

interpretation of well logs acquired inthe labeled wells, indicates that thesandstone is distributed along asouthwest-to-northeast channel-liketrend. Local operators consider thisparticular sandstone to be an attractive

drilling target, even though the averagethickness is only five meters (16 feet).At this location, the Caddo is

interpreted to have been deposited in adeltaic environment that had a lowaccommodation space. Incisedchannels similar in size and shape tothe trend shown in this map aretherefore not unexpected features.Two profiles (AA’ and BB’) are shown

that traverse the sandstone trend andconnect key calibration wells. Seismicresponses along these profiles areexhibited in figure 2. The interpretedCaddo horizon is shown on the seismicsections; the circled area on eachprofile identifies the intersection with thesandstone trend.Outside the circled areas, the Caddo

reflection is robust because a thincarbonate layer extends across thislocal area and creates a significantP-wave impedance contrast with theoverlying shale. Inside each circledarea, the Caddo reflection is absent, orminimal, because there is no significantP-wave impedance contrast betweenthe sandstone that infilled the erosionalchannel and its sealing shale.To position a well that will penetrate

this particular sand, an interpreter hasto adopt the attitude that “no reflectionsignal is good.”To illustrate this principle, the

average reflection trough amplitudecalculated in a narrow 30-ms windowimmediately below the top of the Caddohorizon is displayed as figure 3. The

low-amplitude, southwest-to-northeastresponse labeled channel-fill responserange on the color bar identifies thetargeted incised channel that downcutthrough the thin carbonate layer andthen infilled with sand.This no-reflection trend is the drilling

target.

* * *

The wells shown in these figureswere drilled before the 3-D seismic datawere acquired.Note the situation for the BYTS14

and BYTS11 wells. BYTS14 touched theedge of the incised channel andproduced; BYTS11 was an ever-so-close near miss (figures 2 and 3). �

54

SEPTEMBER 2007

No Reflection Signal Can Be Good

Figure 3 – Map of average negative amplitude in a thin 30-ms window immediately below the Caddo horizon defined in figure 2.The trend of weak reflection signal, labeled Channel-fill response range, is the drilling target.

Figure 1 – Map of a targeted thin Caddo sandstone drilling target developed from aninterpretation of well logs.

Figure 2 – Seismic sections along profile AA’ (left) and profile BB’ (right) shown on themap in figure 1. The top of the Caddo interval is identified on each profile. The circledarea on each section shows where the sandstone trend crosses the line of profile.

GEO-DC Events Have Int’l ImpactBy DON JUCKETT

This month’s column is a summary ofoutcomes of events that AAPG membershave participated in that relate to theefforts of the GEO-DC office. Most of theactivities have an element of “global” or“international” import as well as a U.S.domestic slant.

� Work Force Legislation – At thiswriting, the Senate, just ahead of theAugust recess, passed and sent to thepresident for his signature the legislationresponding to work force andcompetitiveness needs arising from theNational Academy of Science study“Rising Above the Gathering Storm.”The legislation, comprising almost

500 pages of specific mandates foreducation and competitivenessinitiatives is being hailed as a piece oflandmark legislation that will focusbroadly on science education.Included in the final language was

Section 5005, titled “HydrocarbonScience Education,” that includesmandates for the work force associatedwith petroleum geology and engineering.An analysis of its provisions will appearin a future column.

� Reserves Conference – Thepublished outcomes of the AAPG/SPEInternational Multidisciplinary ReservesConference will be completed by thetime this column is published. Theanalysis of the responses from the exitquestionnaire prepared by SPE suggeststhat the participants deemed theconference a resounding success.Each of the conference participants

will receive a CD containing thepresentation material and the text ofpresentations. We anticipate that thesame material will be available onAAPG’s Web site.The participating organizations will

make recommendations related to futureactivities focused on gainingacceptance by the industry, regulatorycommunity, the national oil companiesand ministries, and the financialcommunity.

� U.S. Geological SurveyCongressional Briefing – AAPGsponsored, hosted and moderated abriefing for about 55 congressional staffand reporters on climate change and theenergy. Three scientists from the USGSand the Department of Energy presentedon various aspects of global fossilenergy supplies, natural gas hydratesresearch and climate research.The focus of the climate research

presentation highlighted the need tounderstand the implications of climatechange in the context of making soundpolicy decisions that potentially havewide reaching social and economicimplications.The presentations on fossil resources

highlighted the present and futuredependence of the global economy onthe use of oil, natural gas and coal asprimary energy sources. Thepresentation also highlighted the state ofglobal resource assessments for oil andnatural gas being carried out by theUSGS, and the ongoing efforts tocomplete the assessments of the majorArctic basins – the largest remaining un-assessed basins in the globalendowment.The briefing on gas hydrates focused

on the joint international work under wayto obtain better assessments of thegeographic extent of hydrates offshore

and in the Arctic.The DOE presenter provided an

overview of the work carried out on theNorth Slope of Alaska in drilling andrecovering hydrate charged cores forscientific examination. Questions from

the audience probed the state ofknowledge regarding possible geo-hazard impacts, geologic existence andstability of offshore hydrate depositsand prospects for recovering thenatural gas bound in hydrates as a

future energy source.Questions from the audience focused

predominately on the science and theneed to continue to research to morefully understand the climate science andunderstanding of the global endowmentof fossil resources.

� NCSL – In early August AAPGsponsored a booth at the NationalConference of State Legislators inBoston. It was the first broad scaleopportunity for presentation of AAPG’supdated statements on OCS access,

Questions from the audience focusedon the science and the need to continue toresearch to more fully understand theclimate science.

SEPTEMBER 2007

55

SeeWashington, page 57

Nearly 1,000,000 documents.Twenty complete collections.One easy-to-use interface.

+1 918 560-9430 for a free 30-day trial or try us out at http://payperview.datapages.com/

More science than you can shake a pick at.

Visit http://payperview.datapages.com/ to sample the breadth and depth of the Datapages archives.

Corporate subscriptions start at $500. Tax-deductible, in perpetuity alma mater subscriptions also available.

Participating publishers and societies are as follows:

AAPG Bulletin

AAPG Special Publications

Ardmore Geological Society

Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists

East Texas Geological Society

Fort Worth Geological Society

Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies

Houston Geological Society Bulletin

Houston Geological Society Special Publications

Indonesia Petroleum Association

Journal of Petroleum Geology

Kansas Geological Society

Lafayette Geological Society

New Orleans Geological Society

Petroleum Abstracts Discovery Database

Oklahoma City Geological Society

Society of Sedimentary Geology JSR

Tulsa Geological Society

Wyoming Geological Society

Coming soon:

the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

SEPTEMBER 2007

56

There’s still time to sign-up for anAAPG education event that has becomea can’t-miss opportunity to sharpen yourskills and knowledge.The AAPG-SEG Fall Education

Conference, built on the theme“stratigraphic traps,” will be held Sept.10-14 at the Norris Conference Center inHouston.The conference will offer 12 subjects

in four concurrent sessions: educationtools, carbonates, deepwater clasticsand seismic evaluation.Courses may be purchased

individually, and the five-day badges canbe transferred to a colleague to takeadvantage of the classes.Those classes are:� Sequence Stratigraphy for

Petroleum Exploration (taught by AAPGDistinguished Lecturer Vitor Abreu).

� Deepwater Sands, IntegratedStratigraphic Analysis – A WorkshopUsing Multiple Data Sets (JohnArmentrout).

� Carbonate Depositional Systems,Diagenesis and Porosity Development(Art Saller).

� Quick Guide to Carbonate Well LogAnalysis (George Asquith).

� Seismic Imaging of CarbonateReservoirs (Rick Sarg).

� Seismic Interpretation in theExploration Domain (Don Herron and TimSmith).

� Understanding Seismic Anisotropyin Exploration and Exploitation (LeonThomsen).

� 3-D Seismic Attributes for ProspectIdentification and ReservoirCharacterization (Kurt Marfurt).

� AVO: Seismic Lithology (Mike Grauland Fred Hilterman).

� Evaluating Seals and Pay (WilliamAlmon).

� Risk Analysis in Stratigraphic Traps(Jim MacKay and Robert Otis).

� Geochemical Exploration forStratigraphic Traps and Other SubtleTraps: Methods and Case Histories(Deet Schumacher).To enroll, or for more information, call

(888) 338-3387; or go online towww.aapg.org/fallconference/. �

BECAUSE, WHEN SHE GOESAWAY TO COLLEGE, YOU’REGOING TO BE THERE FOR HER.

BECAUSE, WHEN SHE GOESAWAY TO COLLEGE, YOU’REGOING TO BE THERE FOR HER.

THE GEOCARE BENEFITS TERM LIFE INSURANCE PLAN. PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY’S FUTURE . . . AND YOUR

PEACE OF MIND. You have dreams for your family’s future. Make sure you have the financial resources

to make those dreams a reality, even if you’re not there—help protect your family’s financial security

with the GeoCare Benefits Term Life Plan. Apply for up to $750,000 in coverage, at a very affordable

group rate.

BE THERE FOR YOUR FAMILY, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, WITH GEOCARE BENEFITS TERM LIFE PLAN

COVERAGE. CALL 1-800-337-3140 OR VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.GEOCAREBENEFITS.COM FOR MORE

INFORMATION, INCLUDING ELIGIBILITY AND RENEWAL PROVISIONS, EXCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND RATES.

GeoCare Benefits Term Life Insurance Plans, P.O. Box 9006,Phoenix, AZ 85068, Email: geocarebenefits@agia.com. TheTerm Life Plan is underwritten by New York Life Insurance Co.(51 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010). All coverage is subjectto approval by New York Life.

SEPTEMBER 2007

57

work force, climate, energy security,research and development needs, datapreservation and other issues of interestto members.The revised and new statements can

be accessed on the AAPG Web site athttp://dpa.aapg.org/gac/index.cfm.This conference provided a great

opportunity for AAPG to engage statelegislative officials and staff and providethose individuals with access to AAPGscience-based publications and experts.

� NPC Study – The NationalPetroleum Council has issued its reportin response to the Secretary of Energy’srequest to conduct a comprehensivestudy that would examine the future of oiland natural gas out to the year 2030 inthe context of the global energy system.I recommend that members take the

time to read the 40-page executivesummary published on the NPC Website, at www.npc.org. The reportencompasses findings on “peak oil,”work force, geopolitical considerationsand technology trends.The full report and associated back

up documents, which run to hundreds ofpages of text and graphics, are availableon the site as well. �

(Editor’s note: Don Juckett, head ofAAPG’s Geoscience and Energy Officein Washington, D.C., can be contacted atdjuckett@aapg.org; 1-703-575-8293.)

Washingtonfrom page 55

Starts Sept. 10

Education ConferenceSlated for Houston

58

SEPTEMBER 2007

Foundation (General)Michael M. AdamsEnrique Aguilera-HernandezEric Thomas AllisonGrant L. AndersonThomas Westley AngermanTitilope Feyi Ariyo

In memory of Ayokunie OniSeymour R. BakerDorothea E. Baldwin

In memory of Rufus J.LeBlanc

Alex BambridgeDavid Bruce BannanA. Greer BarriaultRichard A.J. BartlettRichard Ted BartlettThomas A. Bay Jr.

In memory of Rufus J.LeBlanc

Dixie L. BearIn memory of Ted L. Bear

Andrew BellWilliam Alexander BellDon Gehr Benson Jr.Mark P. BettsLee Travis BillingsleyFrank D. BilottiMarc BlaizotJames Brian BlankenshipJeremy BoakGeorge Robert Bole

In memory of James O.Lewis

William Howard BowieNicholas G.K. Boyd IIIChristopher Howard BradleyRichard Randall BramlettDarinka Briggs

In honor of Louis Briggs Jr.Janet Sue BristerTimothy Scott BrownDavid Gerald BryantI. Philip BuchJames George BuchananTucker BurkhartBrian S. CaboteTimothy Robert CarrFrancis Cheng-Hsing ChangSteven L. CharbonneauMarilyn Taggi CisarJohn L. ClantonRobert Todd ClarkPeggy Susie ClementsJames C. CobbJames Bruce CoffmanCarlos Eduardo ConversGomezDavid Richard CookTimothy Mark CordingleyDouglas Lee CoreMaurice G. CoxWilliam W. CrumpDavid Kingsley CurtissJeff L. DanielsGeorge B. Davis IIICarolyn S. De VineJ. Pieter A. DietvorstCarl H. DokterDouglas Alan DravesWilliam F. Dula Jr.Craig Anthony EdmondsRichard A. EisenbergChristopher Frank EldersFranklyn R. Engler

In memory of George O.Scott

Truett E. EnloeTerence Brent EschnerJerome A. EyerRichard E. FaggioliJames C. FarmerGarrasino Cesar FernandezAndrea FildaniJames J. FlanaganJames W. FlanneryGlenn FletcherMcLain Jay FormanKatherine C. Foster

In memory of Burdette A.Ogle

Donald Wayland FramesScot Innes FraserMichael C. FriederichLarry P. FriendGerard Olivier FriesDavid Leon GarnerBoyd S. GetzMarco Antonio GhenoMelvyn Richard GilesChristopher Steven GilliamWilliam E. Gipson

In memory of Payton V.Anderson

John Patrick Gold

Goldman Sachs PhilanthrophyFundGift from Charles and CathyWilliamson

Ernest GomezChirinos Perez Gonzab F.Alfonso GonzalezChristopher James GotcherTimothy C. GrantScott W. GrassePatrick John F. GrattonSara Marie GrattonStephen Thomas GraysonMary Ann GrossJohn C. GuoynesGeorge A. HallWalter David Michael HallNeil Wallace HamiltonRussell Royden HammanJames A. Hartman

In memory of Rufus J. LeBlancPhilip Thayer HayesClyde Leon HebbronRobert Alexander Hefner IVRoss W. HintonRoger Emerson HivelyL. Edward HollingsworthSimon Thomas HoranAlfredo HosieHouston Geological Society

In memory of Rufus J.LeBlanc

Dan Allen HughesDudley Joe HughesKingdon R. HughesMoujahed Ibrahim HusseiniR. Thomas JackyErin Williams JanesJames Allen JohnstonJames Winston JonesRichard Anthony JonesRobert William KarlewiczJohn Michael KeatingEdward Reed KennedyJeroen Antonius KenterJohn Curtis KillingerNualjun KitvarayutAbdul KoharAnthony Joseph KolodziejPetr KostelnicekChristopher Mark KravitsWilliam Chris LachmarKenneth E. LakeKenneth M. LandgrenStephen Douglas LevineJuan Jesus LeyvaJohn F. LigonRoy Oliver LindsethLaurence Richard LinesKevin James LounsburyBarbara LuneauFrank Carlye Mabry IIIJuliano Magalhaes MacedoThomas Mairs

In memory of Charles H.Hightower Jr.

Joe A. MarekDavid F. MartineauGregory L. MasonBarry C. McBrideDavid Wilson McDonaldCourtney McElmoylTimothy Reed McHargueClifton Daniel McLellanCharles Henri MercantonZenith Samuel MerrittRuth Elin MidtboRobert Calvin MiliciBruce Allen MillerFloyd Henry Miller Jr.Steven K. MillerPhilippe Jean MontaggioniKirk Brannen MorganAtip MuangsuwanRicky Douglas Mullins

Stephen R. NarrLarry NationStephen Kenneth NewtonMark D. NicholsonJeanie Marie OdomOlusola Olufemi OgunkoyaNobuyuki OguraDavid M. OrchardLorenzo OsculatiEdward Allen PadenDavid Brian PattersonJonathan L. PayneJuan Ignacio PelaezMonica Alves PequenoMark Edward PetersenPeter John PickfordPeter Philip PickupLewis Stan PittmanEllyn May PontonSpencer Scott QuamDonald James RaeAdriana Raileanu Sr.James Lee ReevesFritz W. ReuterJames Warner RoachRobert Thomas RyderDayna Jean SalterJames Oliver SalvesonBernard Robert SangerWilliam SassiSteven SchamelThomas M. SchandleStephen Murray ScottBarry Peter SetterfieldEzekiel Olasupo ShadiyaJohn Charles SherrillJoseph Edward SiegmundAdrian Thomas SmithGeorge Taylor SmithJudith Terry SmithStacy Alan SmithDicky Eddy SoedigdjoBarbara Jeanne B. SolomonJohn Lee StoutDennis Allan TaylorJoy Griffin ThomasTerry L. ThyerDonald Allan TwaddleJames Ross Underwood Jr.Don A. UrbanecBarudzija UrosJohn H. Van Amringe

In memory of George FeisterMichael David Van HornLawrence B. Van IngenArthur M. Van Tyne

In honor of Linda Farrar andBill Fisher

Harvey Dale WalkerWilliam B. Walker Jr.William Cruse WardMark Francis WeldonKenneth Joseph WellsKeith R. WhaleyTerry L. WhiteJohn Thomas WilliamsBruce A. WilsonJohn Stephen WonforWarren George WorkmanChangshu YangSusan Wygant YoungMartin Andreas Ziegler

Awards FundRobert Berg Outstanding

Research AwardChangsu Ryu

Best Student Paperand Poster Award

Doru Ionut FloreaSteven George HenryJames Michael HostetlerAwirut Sirimongkolkitti IIAndrejs Karlis Svalbe

Ziad Beydoun Memorial AwardWafik B. BeydounJames Henry CockingsJoseph W. Hakkinen

A.I. Levorsen Memorial AwardRobert Irving LevorsenCraig Wayne Reynolds

Grover E. Murray MemorialDistinguished Educator AwardG. Randy Keller Jr.Martha Oliver Withjack

J.C. Cam SprouleMemorial Award

Douglas James Carsted

Continuing Education FundAlberto Hevia-AlmandozMichael John ColeyRobert K. Park

Digital Products FundRobert Stephen AgatstonPaul J. EnglishJohn Curtis KillingerPascal SchoepferJohn Thomas Williams

Baylor UniversityJohn Wayne Shelton

Colorado School of MinesStephen Paul Mitchell

Indiana University,Bloomington

Steven Wilford Young

Louisiana State UniversityThomas Richard Loftin

Oklahoma State UniversityKenneth O. DanielTorsten Scholz

Rice UniversityMark P. BettsJeong Pan-Yeong

Texas A&M UniversityBalazs BadicsGary Neil PolasekPhilip Arthur Wilshire

University of CalgaryHarry Roderick Warters

University of California,Berkeley

John H. and Colleen Silcox

University of IowaKenneth Michael Schwartz

University of KentuckyRudy F. Vogt III

University of Miami, FloridaVolker C. Vahrenkamp

University of MichiganVolker C. Vahrenkamp

University of TexasMark P. Betts

University of WisconsinFred H. Behnken

University of WyomingDonald Edward Lawson

In honor of Robert J. Weimer

Distinguished Lecture FundTom L. ArmstrongNigel Edwin A. JohnsonTim A. JohnsonDavid Robert MuerdterVolker C. VahrenkampJohn Thomas Williams

Haas-Pratt DistinguishedLecture Fund

James Manning EllisMaria Haas

Dean A. McGeeDistinguished Lecture Fund

Christopher Howard Bradley

Grants-in-Aid FundBarry Robert GagerGerard Julian GenikJohn Edward GilcreaseHoward Ross Gould

In memory of Rufus J.LeBlanc

Leigh S. HouseMary J. KrausNaresh KumarJohn Vincent LeoneMatthew J. PranterDonald E. RehmerJames Fredrick SwartzJames Orland Underwood

In memory of Jack BlytheJohn Thomas Williams

Gustavus E. ArchieMemorial Grant

Barry Robert GagerMatthew Reed Martin

Gustavus E. ArchieMemorial International GrantRobert Weeden

In memory of Robert andRamona Sneider

Don R. Boyd Memorial GrantCharles Julius Franck

Ike Crumbly – Minorities inEnergy Grant

Douglas Charles BleaklyRobert Loren Countryman

In honor of Ike Crumbly

Herbert G. Davis andShirley A. DavisNamed Grant

Herbert G. DavisIn honor of Robert D. Gunn

Fred A. and Jean C. DixNamed Grant

James E. Briggs

Norman H. FosterMemorial Grant

Brian Russell Frost

Peter W. GesterMemorial Grant

Kenneth Clark Gester

Robert K. GoldhammerMemorial Grant

Pierre De La CroixJose Guadalupe GaliciaChristoph Thomas Lehmann

Merrill W. HaasMemorial Grant

Maria HaasIn memory of Merrill W. Haas

Michel T. HalboutyMemorial Grant

Charles A. and LindaSternbach

Bernold M. “Bruno” HansonMemorial Environmental GrantDouglas Charles Bleakly

James E. HooksMemorial Grant

Kathryn Hickmon DandoMark Alan DandoRosann F. Hooks

Frank E. KottlowskiMemorial Grant

G. Randy Keller Jr.Christopher Arthur Rautman

R.E. McAdams Memorial GrantStuart Duff Kerr Jr.

Ken Stanley Memorial GrantJohn Thomas Eggert

Suzanne TakkenMemorial Grant

Frank L. Gouin

Weimer Family Named GrantAbdulkader M. AfifiDonald Edward Lawson

In memory of E.L. “Roy”Heisey

Sherman A.WengerdMemorial Grant

Scott P. Cooper

W. David WimanMemorial Grant

Carlos E. Macellari

James A. HartmanStudent Fund

William Otis WilliamsIn memory of Richard K.O’Connell

K-12 FundLarry F. AdamsonJohn Frank Bookout Jr.Charles Warren CampbellScott E. CaswellGeorge Thomas ChaneyGregory Quentin DollBarry Robert GagerGerard Cornelius GaynorJohn Edward GilcreaseWilliam E. Gipson

In memory of H.W.Hollingshead Jr.

Karl Gordon HenckJanet Marie HeppardPhilip Duryea HeppardPaul Dennis HessJulius Homer JohnsonOlav MalvikSandra MeyerDavid Gene RensinkGene R. RobinsonErik D. ScottDonald D. Solter Jr.Rudy F. Vogt IIIRandolph G. WhiteJohn Thomas WilliamsJohn Anderson WillottJohn Cochran Worley

Public Service FundJames A. Gibbs

In memory of Sam J. Cerny

Jack C. and Catherine I. ThreetPublic Service Fund

Jack C. Threet

E.F. Reid Scouting FundRonald L. HartBryan HawsJeffrey M. RaynerDavid R. Spain

Eugene F. Reid Dibblee FundJeffrey M. Rayner

Special Publications FundWin Meizarwin

L. AustinWeeks MemorialFund

Marta S. Weeks �

Foundation DonorsThe names that appear here are of those who have made donations

to the AAPG Foundation in the past month – predominately throughadding some additional monies on their annual dues statement.

To these people, and to those who have generously madedonations in the past, we sincerely thank you.

With your gifts, the AAPG Foundation will continue its stewardshipfor the betterment of the science and the profession of petroleumgeology.

The AAPG Foundation Trustees

The story of MartaSutton Weeks’ dedicatedand ongoing support of theAAPG Foundation hasadded a new chapter.Mrs. Weeks, widow of

Lewis Austin Weeks and arenaissance woman in herown right, has given$500,000 to theFoundation’s L. AustinWeeks Memorial Fund.Rick Fritz, executive

director of both AAPG andthe AAPG Foundation, saidthat the money most likelywill be used in support ofeducational outreachprograms funded by theFoundation.Mrs. Weeks, an ordained

Episcopal priest who resides inMiami, Fla., is a strong believer ineducation and supports variousprograms in the sciences andhumanities.This past June she provided the

funding for an AAPG Digital ProductsUniversity Subscription at ColumbiaUniversity in New York City, inmemory of her late husband, LewisAustin Weeks, who died in February2005.It was the fifth school to benefit

from Weeks’ support of the DPUSprogram since December 2005. Theothers are the University of Wisconsin(Madison), the University of Miami(Florida), the University of Utah andBeloit College.And it was just a little over a year

ago that Weeks announced anundesignated $10 million bequest tothe Foundation – the largest gift everreceived by AAPG.“The hope is that the gift is an

impetus for the Foundation to set its

goals high,” she said atthe time, “and that this bea prelude to new horizonsand even greaterachievements.”Her late husband was

the son of Lewis Weeks, asuccessful geologist whowas credited withdeveloping Australia’sBass Strait and who beganthe family’s legacy ofphilanthropy. It was abequest from Lewis Weeksthat in 1975 allowedbuilding of the WeeksTower at AAPGheadquarters in Tulsa.

* * *

Marta Weeks’ giftwasn’t the only act ofgenerosity shown towardAAPG Foundation-backededucation activities.John Bookout, retired

president of Shell Oil nowresiding in Houston, hasprovided a gift of $50,000to be used in support ofK-12 education –specifically for a teachertraining program that willinvolve a variety of earthsciences, includingexploration for petroleum.

Bookout received anAAPG Special Award in1990 for “excellence inexploration leadership.”

* * *

In other Foundationnews, another new memberhas been added to theFoundation TrusteeAssociates. He is:

� William D. Armstrong,Armstrong Oil and Gas,Denver.His joining brings the

Trustee Associates grouptotal to 265. �

SEPTEMBER 2007

59

Weeks Bookout

Gary Burrell Babcock, 69Littleton, Colo., June 15, 2007

Robert Bourne Harrington, 80Midland, Texas, May 23, 2007

Charles Henry Hightower Jr., 72Lafayette, La., May 25, 2007

Philip A. Mundt, 79Lago Vista, Texas, May 6, 2007

(Editor’s note: “In Memory” listings arebased on information received from theAAPG membership department.)

SEPTEMBER 2007

(Editor’s note: Regions and Sectionsis a regular column in the EXPLORERoffering news for and about AAPG’s sixinternational Regions and six domesticSections.

News items, press releases and otherinformation should be submitted to theEXPLORER/Regions and Sections, P.O.Box 979, Tulsa, Okla. 74101. Contact:Carol McGowen, AAPG’s Regions andSections manager, at 1-918-560-9403; ore-mail to cmcgowen@aapg.org.)

BY CAROL McGOWENRegions and Sections ManagerThe AAPG European Region will

conduct five field trips for the upcomingEuropean Region Energy Conferenceand Exhibition, which will be held Nov.18-21 in Athens, Greece.Three pre-conference trips and two

post-conference trips are planned ingeologically and historically rich areas –and in keeping with the conferencetheme and unique to Greece, the fieldtrips will “Challenge Our Myths” byleading participants to sites wheregeology, history and ancient Greekculture coincide.Participants can choose to explore:� The structural geology of Western

Greece.� The Corinth rift and its giant Gilbert

deltas.� The carbonate reservoirs and

evaporites of Zante Island and the IonianSea.

� The geology and ancient culturealong the Corinth Canal.

� Ancient silver mines.

* * *

According to Vlasta Dvorakova, themeeting’s technical program chair aswell as the European Regionsecretary/treasurer, key to the success ofthe field trips is the collaborationbetween European Region volunteers,local business sponsorship and supportfrom AAPG Convention Department staff.

By taking responsibility to identifyfield trip opportunities, along withhandling the field trip pricing and thebulk of the marketing, the Region willgenerate revenue for future activities.Responsible for planning and

promoting the field trips, the Region willbenefit and retain any potential revenuefrom the field trips (and bearresponsibility for any financial loss).

* * *

All AAPG Regions are encouraged toexplore this concept of locally organizedfield trips and to propose field trip ideasand opportunities to the organizingcommittee of any AAPG conference orevent.Region leaders will benefit by staying

in close communication with theconference organizing committee, as thefinal approval of proposed field trips fallswithin the purview of this committee.

* * *

The Athens organizing committeerelied on strong support andsponsorship from a local Greekbusiness, Hellenic Petroleum SA.Adding to the local flavor and input,

Hellenic petroleum geologist NikolasRoussos, along with Mary Ford,University of Nancy, France, serve asfield trip co-chairs. Both Ph.D. geologistshave extensive experience in Greece –Nikolas in petroleum geology and Maryin structural geology.Together they selected the field trips to

highlight aspects of well-known geologyas well as cultural Greek heritage – andthey have prepared the field trip guidebooks and will lead the tours.Transportation to each site is by bus,

followed by short walks to the fieldoutcrops.

60

Photo courtesy of Vlasta Dvorakova

The beautiful temple at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Cape Sounio offers a chance toexperience exceptionally slender Doric columns – and a panoramic view of the Greekcoast that ranks among the best in the world.

continued on next page

Field Trips Offer Geology of Greece

Those trips are:1. The Silver Mines of Ancient Athens

– The silver mines of the ancient city-state of Athens are located in thesoutheast part of the Attic peninsula, inthe hilly Lavrion district 50 kilometerssoutheast of Athens. Classical literatureand well-preserved remnants of ancientmining and processing plants, testify tothe scale of the industry and itsimportance for the rise of Athens toimperial power.The field trip includes stops at mines

in the Lavrion Technological CulturalPark and the Poseidon Temple at CapeSounion.

2. Geology and Ancient Culture ofCorinth, Along the Corinth Canal – Thisone-day field trip in the area of Corinth,70 kilometers from Athens, will visit theCorinth Canal, the fortress ofAkrocorinthos and the Epidavros ancienttheatre.The field itinerary includes crossing

the canal by boat to view the longestgeological section at a global scale in ageologically recent and tectonicallyactive environment. The canalexcavation revealed faulted Plioceneand Quaternary marine and terrestrialsediments that testify several cycles ofmarine regression and transgression.The Isthmus area cut by the canal is a

typical horst formed by extensionalfaulting that has been active since thePleistocene.

3. The Corinth Rift and its GiantGilbert Deltas – The Gulf of Corinth isone of the fastest opening rifts in theworld. The rift’s tilted fault blocks areexceptionally well exposed on the Gulf’s

south side due to rapid uplift and deepincision by rivers. The clastic riftsuccession includes a series ofspectacular giant Gilbert-type fan deltasthat are used as analogs for reservoirs inthe North Sea and elsewhere.

4. Carbonate Reservoir Types andEvaporite Exposures on Zante Island,Ionian Sea – A three-day field trip toZante Island, Ionian Sea, whereHerodotus first described the existing oilseeps in the 4th century B.C., will tour acarbonate platform with several discreteunits that form potential reservoir rocksin Western Greece.The chalky cliffs are reminiscent of

the Dover or Yorkshire Wolds Chalk inEngland.

5. Structural Geology of WesternGreece’s Fold and Thrust Belt – This fieldtrip provides an overview of the geologyof the External Hellenides thrust-foldbelt. Field trip participants will examineoutcrops of the Poseidonian marls aswell as the upper Cretaceous to Eocenefractured limestone, which constitutesthe main reservoir rock of the Ionianzone. Oil seepages will be observed indifferent stratigraphic levels.Furthermore, a structural model for

the evolution of this area, where deepsubsurface structures are present, willbe discussed in comparison withregional seismic sections.

Visits to several archaeological sitesalso are planned, including the Oracle ofDelphi, the site revered throughout theGreek world as the site of the“omphalos” stone, thought to be thecenter of the earth and the universe.Field trip registration is open and

additional details can be found atwww.aapg.org/athens/fieldtrips. �

61

SEPTEMBER 2007

DOWNSTREAM PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING ENGINEERSUNITED STATES LOCATIONS

Ever asked yourself how fish swim in sub-zero waters without freezing? We did. That’s how wecame up with the idea for a new chemical that stops hydrate plugs forming in our deepwater

pipes – based on a protein that engulfs ice crystals inside the fish’s body.

Fresh thinking, innovation, even leaps of imagination are part of our daily lives at Shell. Andright now we’re looking for more people to join us, including Chemical Engineers,

Rotating Equipment Engineers, Project Engineers, Control Systems Engineers andFixed Equipment Engineers. Can you apply a creative mind to some of the world’s biggest energy challenges? Search for jobs at www.shell.com/careers/technical

and quote reference FIS022F when you apply.

Shell is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

IDEAS PEOPLE WANTED

continued from previous page

Field trip locations for theAthens meeting (seestory for trip details).

Time is running out on your chanceto save hundreds of dollars on yourregistration fee for the AAPG EuropeanRegion Energy Conference andExhibition in Athens, Greece.Register by the first “early bird”

deadline of Sept. 19 and save up to$275 off the onsite member registrationfee.The historic conference – the first

joint venture meeting between AAPGand the AAPG European Region – willbe held Nov. 18-21 at the MegaronAthens International Conference Centrein the heart of Athens.The meeting will feature a

challenging and engaging technicalprogram – 348 technical presentations

that include 228 oral papers in fiveconcurrent sessions and 120 full-dayposters – plus a full-fledged exhibitshall and a host of social events toguarantee a memorable experience foreveryone.The meeting’s theme is “Challenge

Our Myths,” which will include threemain areas: Regional, Technical and aManagement Forum on “Energy Supplyand Demand Perspective on CurrentDynamics.”The official technical program and

registration announcement is availableonline at www.aapg.org/athens.For now, remember that time is

money – register by Sept. 19 to save alot of both. �

Sign Up Now, Save Big $$$

The abstractdeadline month hasarrived for the nextAAPG AnnualConvention andExhibition, which willbe held April 20-23 inSan Antonio.Specifically,

abstracts must besubmitted online bySept. 27.It’s also time for exhibitors to reserve

your place in what promises to be alarge and exciting exhibits hall.This year’s convention theme is

“Deliver the Conventional; Pursue theUnconventional,” and members of thehosting South Texas Geological Societyare preparing a program that addressesthe challenges of unconventional plays –including shale gas, oil shale andcoalbed methane.The convention’s technical program,

which will involve forums as well as theusual paper and poster sessions, will bebuilt around 12 areas. They are:

� Hydrocarbons from Shale and Coal.� Deepwater Slope to Basin Systems.� Structural Geology.

� Sedimentologyand Stratigraphy.

� ReservoirCharacterization andModeling.

� HydrocarbonSystems and BasinAnalysis.

� New andExpanded Plays inNorth American andGlobal Basins.

� Geospatial Technology andAstrogeology.

� Environmental Concerns Related toResource Development.

� Alternative Energy.� Shaping Our Industry: People and

Policy.� Student Presentations.For either exhibition space details

contact Steph Benton at 1-918-560-2696; or e-mail to sbenton@aapg.org.For sponsorship opportunity detailscontact Randa Reeder-Briggs at 1-918-560-2660; or e-mail rreeder@aapg.org.To submit your abstract go online to

www.aapg.org – and remember to do itby the Sept. 27 deadline. �

SEPTEMBER 2007

62

C H A N G I N G T H E W O R L D O F G E O S C I E N C E S

MULTIPLE HIRES IN CLIMATE SYSTEMS SCIENCE

The Jackson School is building a premier education and research program in Climate System Science. We seek scientists at the forefront of their disciplines attracted to challenging areas of scholarship that require collaboration across disciplines and programs. We seek the expertise required to address fundamental questions associated with a changing Earth system, including:

• What processes control the rates of change and variability of the climate system, including the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, land surface, and biosphere?

• Can we improve our ability to anticipate these changes and determine the potential impacts on society?

Over the next three years, we will hire six or more faculty and scientists who complement our growingstrengths. We will hire individuals who will enable us to build a comprehensive climate program andwho will make fundamental advances in our understanding of the climate system. These areas include, but are not limited to:

• Improved modeling of the Earth system, specifically including ice sheets, the global carbon cycle, and interaction between the components of the Earth system

• Enhanced observation of the Earth system, including remote sensing of Earth-surface processes and components

• Greater capability to utilize geologic archives to understand climate change, including paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, and paleobiology

• Improved ability to link climate and hydrology, particularly at the basin-to-continent scale • Increased strengths in atmospheric dynamics and physical oceanography• Increased ability to understand variability and quantify uncertainties, including

statistical climatology• Greater capability to address societal impacts and vulnerability, including adaptation

and mitigation

We encourage applications from innovative scientists in other areas that are related to climate system science. Opportunities exist at any level, can include cluster hires, and can be within or in combination with any Jackson School Unit—the Department of Geological Sciences, the Bureau of Economic Geology, or the Institute for Geophysics. The schedule of appointment is also negotiable.

NEW HIRES IN GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION

The Jackson School of Geosciences seeks individuals attracted to the challenge of geoscience educationat the university level. As leaders in geoscience pedagogy, candidates should excel as teachers and developers of courses set in field, laboratory, and lecture environments. The new hires may also contribute to the Jackson School's commitment to educate the wider community of the public and K-12 pre-college students.

We encourage applications from those with proven records of teaching and related experience at the college level. Candidates are expected to hold a PhD degree in the geosciences or a closely related field.Additional credentials may include experience in securing external funding, and a record of publicationsrelated to geoscience education.

Opportunities exist for appointments as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Adjunct Faculty, or tenure-track Faculty,depending upon credentials and interests. Appointments will be primarily within the Department ofGeological Sciences, but may include affiliations with the Jackson School’s main research units, theBureau of Economic Geology or the Institute for Geophysics. The schedule of appointment is negotiable.

Ph.D. is minimum requirement for application. Send inquiries and applications (cover letter, CV, list ofpublications, list of references, statements of teaching and/or research interests) to: Randal Okumura,Office of the Dean / Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin / PO Box B, University Station / Austin, TX 78713 or jobs@jsg.utexas.edu.

For more information on the school and its hiring program visit us online at www.jsg.utexas.edu/hiring.

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S AT A U S T I N I S A N A F F I R M AT I V E A C T I O N / E Q U A L O P P O R T U N I T Y E M P L O Y E R

� “Craquelure in Masterpieces of theLouvre (Paris, France) as Analogue Modelsfor Development of Joints in FracturedReservoirs.”

� “Acadian-Alleghanian Orogenesis asRevealed by Fracturing Within theAppalachian Foreland.”

� Katherine Giles, a professor at NewMexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M.She offers two talks:

� “Tracking the Migration of Salt DiapirsUsing Halokinetic Sequence Stratigraphy.”

� “Complex Feed Back LoopsControlling Heterozoan Reef Developmenton Salt Diapirs, La Popa Basin, Mexico.”

� Kirk Johnson, vice president ofresearch and collections, Denver Museumof Nature and Science, Denver.His talk is titled “Crocodiles in

Greenland and Hippos in London: A Fossil-Fueled Tour of Past and Future Climates.”

� David Johnston, senior geophysicaladviser, 4-D seismic applications,ExxonMobil Exploration Co., Houston.His talk is titled “Four-D Seismic in the

Deepwater – Challenges and Rewards.”

� Jon Olson, associate professor,department of petroleum and geostystemsengineering, the University of Texas atAustin. He offers two talks:

� “Fractured Reservoir Characterization:From Diagenesis and Fracture Mechanicsto Reservoir Permeability.”

� “A Geologist’s Guide to ExplainingNatural Fracture Phenomena with FractureMechanics.”

The other international lecturers are:

� Jose Luis Massaferro, explorationadviser, Repsol/YPF Exploration andProduction, Madrid (Spain) and BuenosAires (Argentina) offices.His talk is titled “Three-Dimensional

Seismic Imaging of Carbonate Reservoirsand Systems.”

� Larry C. Peterson, associate deanand professor of marine geology andgeophysics, Rosenstiel School of Marineand Atmospheric Science, University ofMiami.His talk is titled “Past Climate Clues from

Anoxic Basin Sediments: Cariaco Basin(Venezuela) as a Tropical Climate TypeSection.”

� John J.Walsh, lecturer and associateprofessor, Fault Analysis Group school ofgeological sciences, University College,Dublin, Ireland. He offers two talks:

� “The Growth of Fault Systems onDifferent Time Scales: Reconciling theLong-Term Growth and EarthquakeBehavior of Normal Faults.”

� “The Structure, Content and Growth ofFault Zones Within SedimentarySequences.”

For more information on the tours or theprogram contact Karen Dotts in theeducation department at AAPGheadquarters (kdotts@aapg.org); go to theAAPG Distinguished Lecture Web pages;and watch for monthly updates in theEXPLORER. �

Lecturersfrom page 45

Abstracts Due Sept. 27For Annual Meeting

Alton A. Brown, of Richardson,Texas, has won the A.I. LevorsenMemorial Award for presenting the bestpaper at the Southwest Section’sannual meeting.The meeting was held earlier this

year in Wichita Falls, Texas.Brown’s winning paper was titled

“Exploration Concepts for SlopeStratigraphic Traps in Carbonate Strata:Lessons From McKittrick Canyon,Guadalupe Mountains.”He’ll be recognized at the next

Southwest Section annual meeting, setFeb. 24-27 in Abilene, Texas.

Alton BrownWins Levorsen AwardFor Southwest Section Presentation

SEPTEMBER 2007

63

AAPG and AAPG European RegionEnergy Conference and Exhibition

Online registration is open! Register at www.aapg.org/athens by 19 September and save $140 or more.

On-site and online registration will be open throughout the conference and exhibition.

18-21 November • Athens, Greece

• 348 plenaries, oral sessions and posters• Sessions on carbonate and clastic reservoirs, structural geology and heavy oil

• Hot spots including the North Sea, Russia, the Caspian, Black Sea and West Africa • Exhibition highlighting comprehensive products and services

• 10 pre- and post-conference courses and field trips • 'Mythic' presentations at both the Opening Ceremony and Featured Speaker Luncheon

Discover new plays, best practices and the latest technologies for successful exploration and development in the

Circum-Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa regions:

Take advantage of special hotel rates through 15 October

(see website for details)

Dave Barrett, to executive vicepresident, Stephens Production Co.,Houston. Previously senior geophysicist,The Houston Exploration Co., Houston.

Justin Bellamy, to Permian growthcoordinator, Pioneer Natural Resources,Irving, Texas. Previously senior geologist,Pioneer Natural Resources, Denver.

Christopher H. Bradley, to seniorgeologist, Vanco Energy, Houston.Previously senior staff geologist, AnadarkoPetroleum, The Woodlands, Texas.

Michael D. Burnett, to chief executiveofficer, TameCAT, Norman, Okla.Previously associate, Fusion PetroleumTechnologies, Norman, Okla.

Paul D. Ching has retired as vicepresident–technical, E&P research anddevelopment, Shell. Ching is currentlyliving in Dallas.

Tom Eggert, to chief geologist,Occidental, Bogotá, Colombia. Previouslysenior geological adviser, Occidental,Houston.

G.P. Ganesan, to adviser-geology,Cairn Energy India, Gurgaon, India.Previously chief geologist, Oil and NaturalGas Corp., Dehradun, India.

Jim Granath, to independentconsultant, Denver. Previously principalstructural geologist, Midland Valley,Golden, Colo.

John Hooper, to chief executive officer,TameCAT, Norman, Okla. Previouslygeneral manager, Fusion PetroleumTechnologies, Norman, Okla.

Jeffrey Levine, to chief technologyofficer, WellDog, Laramie, Wyo. Previouslyself-employed, Richardson, Texas.

Ernie Mancini has been selected bythe University of Alabama to receive theBlackmon-Moody Outstanding ProfessorAward, a lifetime achievement honor, for2007. Mancini, the immediate past AAPGeditor, is at the University of Alabama,Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Roger R. Maxwell, to senior geologist,Waha Oil, Tripoli, Libya. Previously seniorgeologist, Justiss Oil, Jena, La.

Mark Millard, to geologist, PioneerNatural Resources, Las Colinas, Texas.Previously graduate student, BaylorUniversity, Waco, Texas.

Kazuo Nakayama, to managingexecutive officer, JAPEX, Tokyo, Japan.Previously with JGI, Tokyo, Japan.

Vaughn Robison, to exploration newventures adviser, Chevron, Bangkok,Thailand. Previously area manager-global

exploration new ventures, Chevron,Houston.

Philip Teas, to vice president-exploration, Black Gold Energy, Jakarta,Indonesia. Previously geologist, Chevron,Jakarta, Indonesia.

Douglas E. Thomas, to consultant,Searsmont, Maine. Previously geophysicalconsultant, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran,Saudi Arabia.

(Editor’s note: “Professional NewsBriefs” includes items about members’career moves and the honors theyreceive. To be included, please sendinformation in the above format toProfessional News Briefs, c/o AAPGEXPLORER, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla.74101; or fax, 918-560-2636; or e-mail,smoore@aapg.org; or submit directly fromthe AAPG Web site,www.aapg.org/explorer/pnb_forms.cfm.)

(* Denotes new or changed listing.)

2007 U.S. Meetings

Sept. 9-11, Mid-Continent Section, annualmeeting, Wichita, Kan.

Sept. 16-18, Eastern Section, AAPG,annual meeting, Lexington, Ky.

Sept. 23-28, Society of ExplorationGeophysicists, annual meeting, San Antonio.

Sept. 23-29, Association of Environmentaland Engineering Geologists, annual meeting,

Universal City, Calif.

Oct. 6-9, Rocky Mountain Section, annualmeeting, Snowbird, Utah.

Oct. 9-14, AAPG Foundation TrusteeAssociates, annual meeting, Maui, Hawaii.

Oct. 21-23, Gulf Coast Association ofGeological Societies, annual meeting,Corpus Christi, Texas.

Oct. 28-31, Geological Society ofAmerica, annual meeting, Denver.

* Nov. 11-14, Society of PetroleumEngineers, annual meeting, Anaheim, Calif.

2007 International Meetings

*Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Asia Pacific Oil and GasConference (SPE), Jakarta, Indonesia.

Nov. 18-21, AAPG European Region,Athens, Greece.

Dec. 4-6, International PetroleumTechnology Conference (AAPG, EAGE, SEG,

SPE), annual meeting, Dubai, U.A.E.

2008 U.S. Meetings

Feb. 7-8, NAPE-North American ProspectEXPO-AAPL, annual event, Houston.

April 20-23, AAPG Annual Convention,San Antonio.

Feb. 24-27, Southwest Section, AAPG,annual meeting, Abilene, Texas.

March 29-April 2, AAPG Pacific Section,annual meeting, Bakersfield, Calif. �

SEPTEMBER 2007

64

What Should You be Doing

With Geochemistry?

www.oiltracers.com USA 214-584-9169

• Assessing charge risk

• Predicting charge type and volumes

• Predicting fluid properties

• Characterizing unconventional resource plays

• Identifying missed pay

• Assessing reservoir continuity

• Allocating commingled production

By JANET BRISTERWeb Site Editor

For the casual viewer, the AAPG homepage looks new – but don’t be fooled.After weeks of research into other

popular Web sites and experimentationthat incorporated our members’ own

unique demands, the page simply hasbeen improved – much like a diamond inthe rough? – by compression.This “compression” enabled us to bring

together all 100-plus links from theprevious design into one screen view formost browser’s windows – depending, of

course, on the user’s computer screenand choice of default font size.(Yes, you have a choice in that; check

your “View” menu.)Immediately, you’ll notice that the long

navigation bar on the left side of the pagethat many of you may remember has been

streamlined into an expanding navigationtool.When you move your mouse over a

topic listed, it expands to links within thattopic.

New Design Makes ‘Looks’ Simple

continued on next page

Also, that topic is a link to a home pagethat should clarify what you can expect tofind in that area.

Less is More

As you proceed to the secondarypages you’ll notice the left navigation barchanges to a tool that focuses on thattopic.For example, in the “About AAPG” area,

not only do you learn about membershipwithin AAPG but you’ll find in its navigationtool all sorts of membership-related links.This includes a pay dues link, recruit

information, Section and Region as well asAAPG Foundation links.The idea here is to keep pages shorter,

quicker and easier to navigate.Web studies have shown that people

don’t read Web pages. They scan them.In making this transition we are catering

to that habit – and that should result inreturn visits from all types of surfers.

It’s Everywhere

On the top of every page is abreadcrumb trail of how you probablyarrived at the page. This empowers you to“back out” of that spot or simply return tothe AAPG home page.Under the breadcrumb trail and header

you’ll find bands of links focusing on twoaudiences: members (gold) and thegeneral public (gray).The gold bar will help members find

contact information, online services andassist the student membership.Of course, the gray bar is for both

members and the public, but it mainlyshould help site visitors quickly findeducational courses and offerings,meeting information, books andpublications for purchase as well as ourmajor magazines.As usual, the drop-down site short cuts

menu remains available on every page, soat any time you may jump to any otherpoint within the site.Also, notice the footer at the bottom of

each page.Here you’ll see the means to contact

AAPG through the “Talk to Us” form, or findcontacts for your staff and leadership.Plus, there are the site search tools,calendar and links or gateways to othersites of help to our membership.The RSS feed remains available as well.

More or less

Many extremely long pages remain inneed of being broken up into smallerscreen views. However, as you stumbleacross the shorter screen sets, such as theConstitution and Bylaws, watch for a PDFof that screen set’s material.We’ve been told that there are some

topics that many of you may want to print

in their entirety for a closer read. In thesecases we have provided a PDF of thematerial on each of the screen views.This way you don’t have to print each

screen, which will save you time andpaper.

Patience ….

Not all pages are converted to thisformat as we are in the process of makingthis change, so you may still run into theprevious design occasionally. For this weask your patience – and thank you inadvance.Please continue to provide us feedback

of all types. Some have already begun toweigh-in with their observations and theresults are already being incorporated.By the time the transition is complete

we expect you to find your AAPGWeb siteto be a tool you can continue to dependupon.

Good browsing! �

SEPTEMBER 2007

65continued from previous page

“Winning the Energy Trifecta” is thetheme for this year’s annual meeting ofthe AAPG Eastern Section, which willbe held Sept. 16-18 in Lexington, Ky.The meeting, set at the Lexington

Convention Center, offers a two-daytechnical program, workshops and avariety of field trips to view geologicallysignificant areas of Kentucky.The meeting theme, organizers said,

“reflects the triple challenges faced bythe energy industry in exploring,developing and sustaining energyresources.”Meeting highlights will include:� Training courses for Geographix™

and Petra™ geological software.� Workshops on CO2 enhanced oil

recovery and unconventional reservoiranalysis.

� A “Devonian Shalebration,” whichis a special display of Devonianorganic-rich shale cores from theAppalachian, Illinois and Michiganbasins.

� A tour of Mammoth Cave, theworld’s longest known cave system,and a coal geology trip to southeasternKentucky.

� Participation in a teachers’workshop will also be available at theFalls of the Ohio State Park nearLouisville.For registration or more information,

go to www.esaapg07.org. �

Eastern Section Annual MeetingSet for Sept. 16-18 in Lexington

SEPTEMBER 2007

66

PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCECOLLABORATION CONFERENCE 21st - 22nd November 2007The Geological Society, Burlington House, London

CALL FOR PAPERS DEADLINE: 31st August 2007

This international conference presents state-of-the-art collaborative industry-academiaresearch and addresses a range of geoscience topics. The conference aims to provide aforum for postgraduate research students to present their current work to potential futureemployers, whether directly affiliated with an industry sponsor or not. In turn, this conferenceprovides an excellent opportunity for industry to inspire and meet the latest postgraduateoutput from academia from across the UK and internationally. The conference is aimed atattracting a wide audience from the geoscience community engaged in academia-industrycollaborative research.

Suggested themes include but are not limited to:Petrophysics, reservoir geology and geological modellingClastic and carbonate sedimentology and stratigraphyStructural geology and basin evolutionApplication of seismic Interpretation in geological analysisMethods and impact of knowledge transfer between Academia and Industry

Seismic Interpretation workshopA one-day seismic interpretation workshop (affiliated with the British SedimentologicalResearch Group - BSRG) will be held at Imperial College the day before the conference onthe 20th of November. Please email Chris Jackson ( c.jackson@imperial.ac.uk ) for further information.

500 words abstracts are to be submitted toa.mcandrew@imperial.ac.uk by 31st August 2007.

For further details please contact Francesca Chapman, Events Co-ordinator:+44 (0)20 7432 0980 or e-mail: francesca.chapman@geolsoc.org.uk

Convenors:

Bernie Vining (Gaffney Cline Associates)

Adam Law(Equipoise)

Chris Jackson(Imperial University)

Richard Davies (Durham University)

Dorthe Hansen (Manchester university)

Andrew McAndrew(Imperial University)

Howard Johnson(British Geological Survey)

Jerry Chessell(PESGB)

Steve Veal(PESGB)

Elkie Lonnkivst(Univ. Bristol)

Alick Leslie(BGS)

At the forefront of petroleum geoscience

www.geolsoc.org.uk/petroleum

THREE CHALLENGING PAPERS ON THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY THE PACIFIC SECTION OF AAPG

________________________________________________________________

The Big Bend Segment of the San Andreas Fault: A Region Dominated by Lateral Shortening Rather than by Strike Slip

by Robert H. Paschall Excerpts: Between 1962 and 1997, nine authors and co-authors ascribed right lateral displacements on the San Andreas fault in its combined Big Bend and Southwestern Segments of 16, 116, 150, 210, 260, and 1000 kilometers. The time of initial displacement was assigned variously to four periods from Oligocene to Pleistocene. In no cases were earlier published opinions cited. Thomas Dibblee, California’s famed field geologist, said: “From field relations outlined above, it is evident that dextral displacement on the San Andreas fault zone within the late Miocene to Pleistocene sedimentary dill of the Imperial basin does not exceed 16 kilometers.”

__________________________________________________________

A Tale of Two Eocene Sands and

My Life with the San Andreas Fault by Henry Walrond

Excerpts: Waltham Canyon west of Coalinga is the obvious site of the strait that connected the San Joaquin basin to the Pacific Ocean. There is no evidence of offset of the depocenter of Pliocene sediments that lie unconformably on marine Lower Miocene where the strait crosses the San Andreas fault. Jack Clare, who engaged in extensive field and subsurface work, concluded that thick Lower and Middle Miocene sediments in the Caliente and Temblor ranges, juxtaposed across the San Andreas fault, show no indication of significant strike-slip displacement.

________________________________________________________ Send orders to: Chairman, Publications Committee

Pacific Section AAPG P.O. Box 1072, Bakersfield CA 93302

SEPTEMBER 2007

67

The following candidates havesubmitted applications for membershipin the Association and, below,certification by the Division ofProfessional Affairs. This does notconstitute election nor certification, butplaces the names before themembership at large.Any information bearing on the

qualifications of these candidates shouldbe sent promptly to the ExecutiveCommittee, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa, Okla.74101.(Names of sponsors are placed in

parentheses. Reinstatements indicateddo not require sponsors.)Membership applications are

available at www.aapg.org, or bycontacting headquarters in Tulsa.

For Active Membership

AlabamaCromwell, David William, EnergenResources, Birmingham (W.R. Green,D.L. Windle Jr., B.K. Cunningham)

ColoradoWatson, Jack E., Enduring Resources,Conifer (reinstate)

TexasAnderson, James Patrick, Shell EPW-U,The Woodlands (reinstate); Combs,Deanna Marie, Encore Acquisition, FortWorth (S. Sabatka, R. Stillwell, B.Johnson); Edwards, Simon L., DominionE&P, Cypress (T.J. Jones, R.F. Carroll,G.B. Martinez); McBride, Douglas Lester,Morning Star Consultants, Kingwood (D.Tearpock, H. Miller, R. Harrell)

CanadaBrown, David Ernest, Canada-NovaScotia Offshore Petroleum Board, Halifax(J.R. Hogg, G.D. Wach, G. W. Hobbs)

GermanyLampe, Carolyn, Integrated ExplorationSystems (IES), Cologne (K.E. Peters,L.B. Magoon, J. Wielens)

MalaysiaKalukal, Francis Advent, SchlumbergerOilfield Support Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur(S.M. Hansen, T. Basu, J.O. Lagraba P.);Malim, Edna P., Schlumberger, KualaLumpur (S.M. Hansen, J. Lagraba, Z.Safarkhanlou)

NetherlandsRijkers, Richard, Gaz de France,Zoetermeer (H. Graven, W.H. Asyee,R.A.G. Markgraaf)

NigeriaAgunwoke, Godwin Oguguah, Chevron,Lagos (V.A. Onyia, A.O. Ekun, K.A.Fabiyi)

PakistanAziz, Mohammed Zahid, BP PakistanExploration & Production, Islamabad(M.A. Hussain, M. Wasimuddin, A.Pervez)

Saudi ArabiaLiner, Christopher Lee, Saudi Aramco,Dhahran (R.T. Liner, J.W. Tucker, H.W.Mueller)

United Arab EmiratesIfeonu, Ifeanyichukwu Erasmus, DubaiPetroleum, Dubai (D.A. Roxar, A.A.Carim, O.C. Iwobi)

It’s called the “RRR program:” Recruit.Reward. Retain.And its all about making AAPG the best

geoscience assocation in the world.Here’s an easy way to help AAPG:

Recruit a new member.Here’s another easy way: Ask a former

member to rejoin.Here’s the easiest yet: Just talk about

why you’re a member of the world’s largestgeoscience association.Nothing works quite as well as personal

contact when it comes to attracting new members to AAPG.AAPG’s membership program was created to emphasize theimportance of one-on-one recruiting and to recognize andreward the members who work toward this achievement.

Participation in the program is easy: Justsign your name in the recruiter’s block on anActive application form and give it to acolleague who is not an Active AAPG member.Each new member that you recruit is worth

points for you in the “RRR program.”The more members you recruit, the more

points you get; the more points you get, thebetter AAPG becomes. It’s a win-win situationfor all.Details and more information on the RRR

program can be found online atwww.aapg.org/recruit/.You can have wonderful rewards, and you can help AAPG

become even better.Just start talking. �

Recruiting New Members – Easy and Rewarding

CertificationThe following are candidates for

certification by the Division ofProfessional Affairs.

Petroleum Geologist

LouisianaVoorhies, Coerte A. Jr., consultant,Lafayette (reinstatement)

TexasHartz, David M., Scotia Waterous,Houston (C. Noll, F. BiFano, G.DePaul)

SEPTEMBER 2007

68

ENERGY-RELATED GEOPHYSICS - OPEN RANK

The Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wyoming invites applications for a faculty position in the Department and in the newly created School of Energy Resources (SER) at the University of Wyoming, an institute dedicated to energy-related teaching and research in support of State, national, and international energy-related activities. This appointment may be made at any rank. The position can begin as soon as January 1, 2008. We seek an individual who will establish a well-recognized, externally

-

research. Applicants should complement and/or expand on departmental strengths in geophysics, structure geology and tectonics, sedimentology, and/or crustal studies. We seek a person with the ability to cooperate productively with other SER faculty in geology and geophysics, mathematics, chemical and

-cessful candidate will be involved in the undergraduate and graduate teaching mission of the Department of Geology and Geophysics. The SER is an ambi-tious, state-funded institute that seeks innovative researchers working on new

-mation about the School of Energy Resources is available at uwyo.edu/SER. Additional information on the Department Geology and Geophysics can be obtained at http://home.gg.uwyo.edu/.

Applications should include a statement of research and teaching interests and accomplishments, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact informa-tion for three individuals who can provide letters of evaluation. Review of completed applications will begin October 1, 2007; however, applications will

-tion to: Ms. Carol Pribyl at cpribyl@uwyo.edu; if you have additional applica-tion materials to send, please direct them to the Geophysics Search Committee, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Dept. 3006, Laramie, WY 82071-2000.

employer.

Deepwater OutcropsRegarding your story on the upcoming

release of the AAPG deepwater atlas(August EXPLORER): This is a very nicework by the AAPG. The “Atlas ofDeepwater Outcrops” will be useful for allthose who are involved in the petroleumindustry.Companies all over are looking toward

the deepwater petroleum resources,which are posing challenges to theindustry because of their inaccessibilityand the complexity of their mode ofoccurrence and host of the petroleumsystem. Gaining an understanding fromthe study of these diverse deepwateroutcrop data will help to effectively designexploration programs.This compendium definitely will be

useful to the petroleum industry, which isstruggling with the challenge of reservesdepletion, smaller reserves andinadequate technology efficiency andtheir resolution.

Vinay K. SahayChandrapur, India

(Editor’s note: AAPG Studies inGeology #56 The Atlas of Deep-WaterOutcrops will be available in lateSeptember through the AAPG Bookstore.)

CO2 SequestrationMuch ado about carbon dioxide

centers on sequestering excess powerplant emissions in underground storageor into existing depleting oil fields. Onlypassing mention is made of natural CO2being produced.The 20 TCF McElmo Dome wasn’t

even named in your July article on thesubject (“Corralling CO2 A Win-Win forOil,” July EXPLORER).Perhaps my personal stake in that field

colors my perspective but, frankly, wehave far more depleted oil fields thatcould benefit from CO2 injection than wehave CO2 to inject. Speculation about thepotential leakage of carbon dioxideshould be easily assessed by examiningthe engineering aspects of fields likeMcElmo or Sheep Mountain.Why not explore for carbon dioxide?Perhaps price is one problem. The

McElmo field was initially developed byShell with partners Mobil and MountainFuel. The promise was that CO2 would betied to the price of West TexasIntermediate at $28 to equal CO2 at$1/MCF.Today, the price is far less. There is no

credible reason why. Production inexisting San Andreas wells in west Texashas reportedly doubled – even tripled –with CO2 injection.Carbon dioxide is found in a number of

places, occasionally associated withhelium, an extremely valuable by-product. When I worked as a mudloggerthe pH of drilling fluids droppeddrastically while in the presence of carbondioxide. CO2 detectors were not muchhelp, as the mud neutralized the gas. Butif I suspected CO2 I was usually able toidentify potential zones just by looking atnearby scout ticket DST results and welllogs suggesting a non-flammable gaswas present.Off the top of my head I can think of at

least three areas where carbon dioxideappeared to have been present in wells Ilogged or examined. And if the price wasright, it would be worth exploring.If so much as 80 percent of the oil in

place still remains in old fields, it looks likethat carbon dioxide is badly undervaluedby the market and sequestration mightnot provide the volumes that could beused.

Terrel ShieldsSiloam Springs, Ark.

(Editor’s note: A follow-up article in theAugust EXPLORER, “CO2 Answers AreAs Elusive as CO2,” page 14, addressedsome of the points raised by Mr.Shields.) �

Editor’s note: Letters to the editorshould include your name andaddress and should be mailed toReaders’ Forum, c/o AAPGEXPLORER, P.O. Box 979, Tulsa,Okla. 74101, or fax (918) 560-2636;or e-mail to forum@aapg.org. Lettersmay be edited or held due to spacerestrictions.

Washington-directed efforts. AsCongress and the executive agenciesconsider legislation and programs thatdeal with water resource priorities,AAPG-based input to ensure thatenergy needs, especially related to the

energy areas we deal with mostdirectly, are included in theconsiderations.Our credibility in this area will be

strong, for we are an energygeoscience organization and we arerecognized for expertise in energysystems.DEG’s track record in dealing with

water systems adds to our portfolio ofcapabilities. �

DEGfrom page 70

POSITION AVAILABLE

U.S. Geological Survey MendenhallPostdoctoral Research Fellowship Program

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) invitesapplications for the Mendenhall PostdoctoralResearch Fellowship Program for Fiscal Year2009. The Mendenhall Program providesopportunities to conduct research in association withselected members of the USGS professionalstaff. Through this Program the USGS will acquirecurrent expertise in science to assist inimplementation of the science strategy of itsprograms. Fiscal Year 2009 begins in October 2008.Opportunities for research are available in a wide

range of topics. The postdoctoral fellowships are 2-year appointments. The closing date for applicationsis November 9, 2007. Appointments will startOctober 2008 or later, depending on availability offunds. A description of the program, researchopportunities, and the application process areavailable at http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc. TheU.S. Geological Survey is an equal opportunityemployer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)Position Available

Geologist

The USGS, Central Region Energy ResourcesTeam, is soliciting interest from qualified individualsfor a position of Energy Geologist in Lakewood,Colorado. This position will provide technicalsupport to geologic studies of sedimentary basins insupport of national and worldwide energy resourceassessments. Candidates must be able to work aspart of a multidisciplinary team of geologists,geochemists, geophysics, and engineers. Excellentskills in writing and oral presentation of scientificfindings are also required.Applications (resume and application questions)

for this vacancy must be received on-line via theUSGS Online Automated Recruitment System(OARS) BEFORE midnight Eastern Time(Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of thisannouncement. If you fail to submit a completeonline resume, you will not be considered for thisposition. Requests for extensions will not begranted. If applying online poses a hardship for you,you must speak to someone in the Servicing

Personnel Office listed on this announcement PRIORTO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance. ContactJennifer Farrell at 303-236-9566 or jfarrell@usgs.gov.The OARS system can be accessed at

http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/. The announcementnumber is: CR-2007-0587. The salary range is$46,597-60,574, depending upon qualifications.The closing date is October 26, 2007.U.S. citizenship is required. USGS is an Equal

Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)Positions AvailableResearch Geologist

The USGS, Central Region Energy ResourcesTeam, is soliciting interest from qualified individualsfor two positions of Research Energy Geologists inLakewood, Colorado. These positions will conductfundamental geologic research to evaluate andcharacterize the geologic framework andoccurrence of a variety of geologic energyresources, including conventional andunconventional oil and gas, coal, and uranium. Theunconventional oil and gas applications may includeoil shale, oil sands, basin-centered gas, shale gas,and coalbed methane. Candidates must be able towork as part of a multidisciplinary team ofgeologists, geochemists, geophysics, andengineers. Excellent skills in writing and oralpresentation of scientific findings are also required.Applications (resume and application questions)

for this vacancy must be received on-line via theUSGS Online Automated Recruitment System(OARS) BEFORE midnight Eastern Time(Washington, D.C. time) on the closing date of thisannouncement. If you fail to submit a completeonline resume, you will not be considered for thisposition. Requests for extensions will not begranted. If applying online poses a hardship for you,you must speak to someone in the ServicingPersonnel Office listed on this announcement PRIORTO THE CLOSING DATE for assistance. ContactJennifer Farrell at 303-236-9566 or jfarrell@usgs.gov.The OARS system can be accessed at

http://www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/. The announcementnumber is: CR-2007-0589. The salary range is$67,572-$87,847 depending upon qualifications.The closing date is October 26, 2007.U.S. citizenship is required. USGS is an Equal

Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Humble Geochemical Services, A WeatherfordCompany, is seeking to fill two positions in theirHumble, TX office. The Senior Geochemist positionrequires the candidate be an organic geochemistand have a minimum of 10 years experience. Theideal candidate has experience writing detailedtechnical reports on conventional or unconventionalpetroleum systems. Basin modeling experience aplus. The Electro-Mechanical Engineer positionrequires a minimum of 5 years experience and thecandidate must have analytical instrumentationexperience. It is a senior engineering position doingdesign, development, and manufacturing assistanceof analytical instrumentation used in the petroleumindustry. Email confidential resume with cover letterto HGresumes727@omnilabs.com. No phone callsaccepted.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Growing Dallas based independent oil and gascompany with large acreage position looking forboth an Exploration Manager and a Senior Geologistwith 15+ years experience generating oil and gasprospects in either the West Texas Permian Basin orin East Texas. Successful track record required.Experience using Petra and Kingdom software ishelpful. Excellent medical and retirement benefitswith competitive compensation package includingbonus and equity incentives. Send resume withreferences to RGBA, 12750 Merit Drive, Suite 990,Dallas, TX 75251-1210. All replies confidential

FOR SALE

Mudlogging units with easy to learn software.Very reliable, full featured, portable units. ContactAutomated Mudlogging Systems

(303) 794-7470 www.mudlogger.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

BOOKS. Rare and out-of-print books andperiodicals on geology and related sciences. Largestock on all phases of the oil industry, domestic andforeign covering geology, history, engineering,logging, geophysics, etc. Catalogs available. TheHannum Company. Box 1505-B, Ardmore, OK73402. info@hannum.cc

MISCELLANEOUS

SAMPLESTO RENT

International Sample Library @ Midland –formerly Midland Sample Library. Established in1947. Have 164,000 wells with 1,183,000,000 wellsamples and cores stored in 17 buildings from 26states, Mexico, Canada and offshore Australia. Wealso have a geological supply inventory.

Phone: (432) 682-2682 Fax: (432) 682-2718

SEPTEMBER 2007

69

Associate or Full Professor,Petroleum Geology

As part of a large expansion of its petroleum geoscience teaching and research activities, the Department ofGeoscience at the University of Calgary is seeking a petroleum geologist with significant industry experience.At this time, the department invites applications for a full-time tenure track position at the associate or full professor level to begin July 1, 2008.

Candidates require a PhD in a petroleum-related discipline of Geology. Appointments at the Associate Professoror Full Professor level will be considered for qualified candidates. Industry experience is essential for this position.The department requires industry experience and expertise for the successful delivery of the Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Petroleum Geology. Inclusion of material on the evaluation of hydrocarbon reservoirs is looked atas critical to in the success of this program and will help vault the program above others nationally and internationally.The successful applicantis expected to develop new curriculum in this area, undertake graduate student supervision, and develop a strong research program.

Successful research candidates will join other members of the department in collaborative research and in pursuing the development of strongties with the petroleum industry through the initiatives of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) and theGeoscience Professional Development Centre (GPDC). Further information about the Department, ISEEE, and GPDC is available at www.ucalgary.ca/geoscience.

Applications will be reviewed as received. Selection of candidates is targeted for December 2007, however the position will remain open untila successful candidate is found. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, list of publications, statement of research interests and teachingphilosophy, and arrange to have three reference letters forwarded to:

Dr. D. Eaton, HeadDepartment of GeoscienceUniversity of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NWCalgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 CanadaEmail: geojobs@ucalgary.caFax: (403) 284-0074

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.The University of Calgary respects, appreciates and encourages diversity.

To see all University of Calgary academic positions, please visit: www.ucalgary.ca/hr/careers.

CLASSIFIED ADS

You can reach about 30,000petroleum geologists at the lowestper-reader cost in the world with aclassified ad in the EXPLORER.Ads are at the rate of $2.10 per

word, minimum charge of $42.And, for an additional $50, your adcan appear on the classifiedsection on the AAPGWeb site.Your ad can reach more peoplethan ever before.Just write out your ad and send

it to us. We will call you with theword count and cost. You can thenarrange prepayment. Ads receivedby the first of the month will appearin the subsequent edition.

By RICK FRITZOnce again we are

approaching the timeof the year whenAAPG, its Sections,Regions and sistersocieties start theirannual technicalprogrampresentations atmeetings andconferences.Each year you

have the opportunityto hear some excellent talks and learnfrom great minds at poster sessions andother educational opportunities (seebox).Besides the annual Section meetings,

the upcoming regional meeting inAthens Nov. 18-21 promises someexcellent presentations. Of course, SanAntonio next spring will be a premierevent for AAPG. (See related stories onpage 60 and 63.)

Unfortunately, most of this informationis not published except in abstract form.

Fortunately, AAPG has established amechanism to capture many of thesepresentations through our Datapagesprogram and e-magazine Search &Discovery(www.searchanddiscovery.net).The Search and Discovery

e-magazine is the brainchild ofmembers John Shelton, Ted Beaumontand Ron Hart. Ten years ago theyrealized that AAPG was capturing onlyabout 10 percent of the output of itspaper and poster presenters.

Search & Discovery provides a placeto rapidly publish abstracts, luncheontalks, classic company reports andmuch of the miscellaneous material that

was missed by other, more formalpublication media.It’s earned its place as an important

part of AAPG’s technical publicationsmix – and the numbers show thatmembers approve.

* * *

I encourage you right now, as you arereading my column, to go towww.aapg.org (if a computer is notavailable please use your visualizationtechniques for now).First, please check out the new

AAPG home page. Janet Brister, AAPG’sWeb site editor, has done a great job ofredesigning the home page. Mostmembers are finding it easier tonavigate and use. Please let us knowwhat you think about the new design.On the lower right hand side of the

AAPG homepage you will find a smallblue box that says “Search &Discovery.” Please note that this littleblue box already has been “clicked”650,000 times this calendar year!When you click on the Search &

Discovery blue box now you will see itsmain page. If you click on “New Articles”

you will see a list of current articles.Note the articles that start with a “PS”

superscript are poster sessions from thisyear’s AAPG Annual Convention in LongBeach. How often have you seen aposter at a meeting and wish you couldreview it later? Now you can!I encourage you to scan through the

many posters on the site.One of the first poster sessions listed

is on the Covenant Field discovery,presented by Tom Chidsey and others.This is a good poster on a keydiscovery, and I encourage you to take alook.There also are numerous articles that

start with an “AV” superscript. These areoral sessions that you can listen to andwatch the corresponding PowerPointpresentation.There are several excellent talks. One

of my favorite talks is by John D. Graceon plays in the Gulf of Mexico. All youhave to do is click and listen. ThePowerPoint will move automatically withthe presentation.Finally, I recommend you take time to

browse the Search & Discovery site andfamiliarize yourself with its manyofferings. Each year over four million

pages are downloaded, and this yearSearch & Discovery will have at least 10million “hits” (bits of data presented), soyou are in good company.Although AAPG’s Search & Discovery

is growing both in content and users,there are still many presentations thatcan be placed on this site.Each year we ask presenters for

permission to use their oral and posterpresentations. Each year we askconvention presenters for permission touse their oral and poster presentationson Search & Discovery.It’s easy to say yes, so please

consider submitting your talk for postingwhen asked.

* * *

One of the defining facets of AAPG’smission statement is dissemination ofinformation. If you have a talk or posteryou would like to send to the Search &Discovery editorial board, pleasecontact site editor John Shelton atjws@aapg.org.If you have seen an excellent

presentation you would like torecommend, please let us know and wewill ask the author or authors.We live in an exciting time of access.

AAPG is committed to making sure thatyou, our members, have information youcan use at work and use in thedevelopment of your professional career.

By CHARLES G. “Chip” GROATDEG President

It is not unusual to hear thepronouncement from a speaker at ameeting or conference dealing withresources that while energy supply is oneveryone’s mind, water supply is lurkingas the greatest resource challengefacing much of theworld’s population.It is a fact that, for

many people,obtaining adequatesupplies of potablewater for domesticuse or water forcrops is a first-orderconcern with energysupply not even ontheir radar.It also is true that

there is scarcely apart of the developed world whereissues of adequate quantities of waterfor all the competing uses are notemerging to rival the traditional focus onthe quality of supplies. Growing citiescompete with agriculture and dry areasseek to move water to them from wetterones, creating winners and losers, andintensifying political debates.

* * *

The energy sector is dependent onwater throughout its range ofactivities.The largest uses are non-

consumptive, principally in coolingthermoelectric facilities or generatinghydroelectric power. Recent concernsabout the use of fresh water forhydraulic fracturing of Barnett Shalereservoirs in Texas and its impact onsupplies available for other uses, andabout the amount of water required toproduce corn-based ethanol, areexamples of the expanding breadth ofenergy-related water supply issues.As we move toward increased use

of unconventional fossil fuels we willsee water issues emerge, or re-emerge, as they have with coalbedmethane and with the prospect of oilshale development.As oil and gas fields mature and

produce more water, we need toexplore its use for energy-related andother purposes. The injection ofcarbon dioxide into saline aquifers tosequester it is currently raisingquestions about possible migrationinto fresh groundwater, possiblyaffecting porosity and permeabilitythrough chemical reactions.

* * *

The Division of EnvironmentalGeosciences has devoted many pagesof its journal Environmental Geosciencesto energy-related water issues, primarilyin the water quality area. DEG-sponsored technical sessions at annualand sectional AAPG meetings havesimilarly dealt with these matters.As quantity issues become more

widespread and prominent, both theAAPG divisions and the parentorganization have increasing motivationto bring our expertise to bear. Membersof both DEG and EMD have relevantcapabilities.Part of the discussion of AAPG’s role

in climate change centered around whatwe have and don’t have in the way of

relevant expertise hence credibility. Thesame discussion is appropriate for thewater supply area.How can we bring our

understandings of exploration,production, the subsurface and theenergy resources being developed intoposition to inform discussions of waterneeds for energy and the importance ofhaving this need adequatelyrepresented in debates about who getsavailable water supplies?How can we bring the tools we use to

understand the subsurface and fluidsfound there to better understand ourleast understood water resource,groundwater?Just as climate change science

provides AAPG and DEG with theopportunity to broaden the scope andrelevance of our expertise, the waterand energy scene provides theopportunity for us to add a dimensionbeyond those afforded by the traditionalwater organizations that have limitedinterest in the energy aspects.

* * *

Increased activity in the energy-waterarea has important implications for our

70

SEPTEMBER 2007

DEG Offers Experience and Expertise

Energy andWater Need to Mix

Groat

Fritz

Mid-Continent SectionSept. 8-11, Wichita, Kan.

Eastern SectionSept. 16-18, Lexington, Ky.

Rocky Mountain SectionOct. 6-9, Snowbird, Utah

GCAGSOct. 21-23, Corpus Christi, Texas

Europe Region/AAPGNov. 18-21, Athens, Greece

Southwest SectionFeb. 20-27, 2008, Abilene, Texas

Putting the Best of Science OnlineUpcoming AAPG Meetings

See DEG, page 68

SEPTEMBER 2007

71

Combining the seamless Schlumberger expertise of WesternGeco and Oilfield Services, we are taking the reprocessed E-Dragon Multiclient data set to a new level with the introduction of Beyond Seismic Solutions* – incorporating well-calibrated seismic and derivative products to facilitate the generation of earth models.

Incorporating the latest advances in seismic and reservoir technology:

• Wide-azimuth Cross-spread OBC – improved imaging and illumination • Velocity Fields – high fidelity, high accuracy tomographic velocities to 40,000 ft • Seismic Calibration – validated with wellbore and checkshot data • Answer Products – rock properties, lithology, fluid and pore-pressure volumes

Beyond Seismic Solutions – available in three complementary tiered products:

• Exploration Package • Exploitation Package • Engineering Package

To find out how Beyond Seismic Solutions can benefit you, and for further information please call +1 713 689 1000.

*Mark of Schlumberger © 2007 Schlumberger 07-SE-157

Take Geophysics Further for yourExploration, Exploitation and Engineering

www.slb.com/beyondseismic

Phase 1 Phase 2

Wide Azimuth Cross-spread OBC

Beyond Seismic Solutions

Pounds Per Gallon (PPG)

Pore-pressure Volume

Velocity Semblance

E-Dragon – 502 OCS blocks available

SEPTEMBER 2007

72