February 2016 Outcrop by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 65 • No. 2 • February 2016

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OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

910 16th Street • Suite 1214 • Denver, CO 80202 • 303-573-8621 The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology and allied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific research and to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.

2016 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

TREASURER

John Ladd john.ladd@discoverynr.com

Tom Sperr tsperr@bayless-cos.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER-ELECT

Larry Rasmussen larryr@whiting.com 1st VICE PRESIDENT

Karen Dean deankaren@comcast.net SECRETARY

John Roesink jroesink@jaggedpeakenergy.com

Sarah Hawkins shawkins@usgs.gov

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

1st YEAR COUNSELOR

Kelly Foley foleykk@gmail.com

Rob Diedrich rdiedrich@sm-energy.com 2nd YEAR COUNSELOR

Jane Estes-Jackson Jane.estes-jackson@mcelvain.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rates and sizes can be found on page 24. Advertising rates apply to either black and white or color ads. Submit color ads in RGB color to be compatible with web format. Borders are recommended for advertisements that comprise less than one half page. Digital files must be PC compatible submitted in png, jpg, tif, pdf or eps formats at a minimum of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, please call the RMAG office at 303-573-8621. Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details. DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication.

RMAG STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Carrie Veatch, MA cveatch@rmag.org MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS MANAGER

Hannah Rogers hrogers@rmag.org ACCOUNTANT

Carol Dalton cdalton@rmag.org MANAGING EDITOR

Will Duggins will.duggins@i-og.net ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Holly Sell holly.sell@yahoo.com Greg Guyer Greg.Guyer@halliburton.com Cheryl Fountain cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu Andre Scheinwald aschein33001@gmail.com DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Nate Silva nate@nate-silva.com

WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS

RMAG Office: 303-573-8621 | Fax: 303-476-2241 | staff@rmag.org or www.rmag.org The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

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Outcrop | February 2016 OUTCROP

PTTC Presents: Workshops to Improve Your Skills Air Emission Analysis for State and Federal Air Compliance

Wednesday, February 17, 2016, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center Ballroom E Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Peter Galusky, Ph.D. P.E. Principal Environmental Eng. Texerra LLC.

This one-day course will provide an introduction and overview of the objectives and general process of estimating air emissions for state and federal regulatory compliance requirements. We will step through an Excel calculator developed by the instructor, using this to illustrate the course topics and to produce useable and defensible emissions estimates. Students are encouraged (but not required) to bring a laptop running Excel on Windows or Mac. Current versions of the calculator(s) will be provided to each student on a thumb drive. Time permitting, the course will also introduce the use of a simple air impacts screening model (EPA Screen 3.0), which is commonly required when siting oil and gas facilities near human receptors.

The Petrography of Shales: From Mudrocks to Chalks

Tuesday-Wednesday, March 15-16, 2016, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall room 243 Fee: $500, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Peter A. Scholle, and Dr. Dana Ulmer-Scholle, New Mexico Tech

Synopsis: In the last decade, interest in mudrocks has gone from their role as hydrocarbon sources and seals to being major reservoirs. Unlike most courses that consist of only lectures, this course provides participants the unique opportunity to have hands-on experience using standard petrographic techniques to better understand how the composition of mudrocks, their depositional environments as well as their diagenesis impact mudrock reservoirs. This class is designed for participants that have some fundamental knowledge of geology and some minimal petrographic experience (i.e., can identify common minerals like quartz, calcite, etc. under the microscope). The course: Integrating petrography into the study of mudrocks can often add information about their depositional environments and is an important tool to understanding their detailed composition and diagenesis. The information garnered from petrographic analyses can be utilized to better understand reservoir trends, diagenetic effects that impact reservoir quality and reservoir’s potential response to stimulation. This course combines half-day lectures with hands-on petrographic observations of thin sections from a variety of calcareous and siliceous mudrocks. Participants are also welcome to bring their own thin section samples to the class.

Petra Basics

Thursday – Friday, March 17-18, 2016, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 201 Fee: $500, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Jewel Wellborn Topics include: • • • •

Petra Main Module - Fm Top Organization, Zone Functions, and Computation of Isopach. Petra Mapping Module - Structure and Isopach using Gridding Functions and Hand Edits. Petra Cross Section Module - Correlation of Sand Bodies, and Reinterpretation of Isopachs Additional exercises and topics based on class participants interest

Class Descriptions and Register Online: www.pttcrockies.org For more information, contact Mary Carr, 303.273.3107, mcarr@mines.edu

OUTCROP | February 2016

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

26 Lead Story: Recent Landslide Near West Fork of Buffalo Creek

2 RMAG 2016 Summit Sponsors

DEPARTMENTS

16 RMAG Foundation Welcomes Marla Kula

6 President’s Letter

21 IHS Trainings for RMAG Members

12 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Speaker – Matt Silverman

25 3D Seismic Symposium

14 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Speaker – Sheri Bowman-Young 16 In The Pipeline 18 Mineral of the Month: Orpiment 24 Outcrop Advertising Rates 34 Welcome New RMAG members! 36 Advertiser Index 36 Calendar

30 The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2015 31 RMAG/DAPL Geoland Ski Day

COVER PHOTO

32 Paul Lillis Wins Luncheon Speaker of the Year for 2015

A crevasse recently formed in the sourthern end of the Big Horn Mountains. Photo courtesy SNS Outfitters & Guides

32 RMAG Foundation Sponsors the 2016 Excellence in Teaching of Earth Science Award 33 RMAG Mentorship Program 35 2016 Award of Excellence for Teaching of Earth Science

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2016

PRESIDENT’S LETTER By John Ladd

RMAG’s plans for you, our members

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

In last month’s column, I discussed the state of RMAG’s fiscal health, which is surprisingly good, given the current state of the oil industry. This month I will focus on what the organization plans to offer you, the members. From RMAG’s mission statement, two of our primary reasons to exist are “to disseminate scientific knowledge and to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members”, or more simply to provide our members with opportunities for continuing education and to network with our peers. These can be valuable anytime in our careers but they are especially so when we are looking for new employment or business opportunities, which will undoubtedly include many of us this year. Therefore, the Board feels that it is important to offer a full slate of social

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OUTCROP | February 2016

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OUTCROP | February 2016

President’s Letter

LOCATION we’ll lease it, permit it, gather it and sell it

ge 43

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

and educational events this year, in spite of the deficit that the organization will likely incur. After all, our savings are intended to be a rainy day fund, and 2016 sure feels at its start like it will qualify as a rainy year. Of course one thing we have to keep in mind is that most of our members started their career either during the boom of the 1970’s and early ’80’s or during the recently completed 1999-2014 boom. I used the accompanying photo with my daughter, an organic geochemist working at a research institute in Switzerland, because we are representative of the two demographic peaks: she’s 31 and I am 61. The photo was taken last winter in front of Monte Rosa, the highest mountain in the country while I was on a visit and, only incidentally of course, taking a tour of the local ski areas with her. These two age groups are facing really different issues with the current bust. For most of us in the grey haired group, we were in a position to profit from the latest boom and

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»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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OUTCROP | February 2016

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

President’s Letter

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

W.W.

now many of us are either recently retired or we are thinking about it given the low price environment and the reduced opportunities that this entails. At worst, we are facing the possibility of being involuntarily retired a few years before we were going to leave on our own. For those who started in the industry in the recently ended boom, things are a little more serious. You may have a mortgage and school loans to pay off and maybe one or more offspring to feed and you are probably wondering how you will survive in the career you have chosen. Some, like my daughter, have specialized skills that are useful in other fields so you can make a switch if need be, but for the majority, I suspect making it through the bust still employed in the oil industry is your preferred path. The Board, the staff and the Membership Committee have all been thinking about ways RMAG could help out. So far we have

As a diverse community of individuals working towards a worthy cause, we believe that your unique talents can bring us all forward. Volunteers are always needed and welcome! If you would like to volunteer for any of our committees or events, please contact the RMAG office at (303) 5738621 or staff@rmag.org

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | February 2016

President’s Letter

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

lunchtime lectures held on the first Wednesday of the month and the 3D Symposium, which is March 3rd at the Convention Center. There will also be some special events, including a Playmakers Forum on March 24th, held in association with AAPG-DPA, and a fall symposium on source rocks, as well as at least one core workshop, a possible AAPG Distinguished Lecture, several On The Rocks fieldtrips and maybe a short course. As for purely social or networking events, we will host a Ski Day March 11, the annual golf tournament in June, a sporting clay tournament in September and the Rockbusters Ball in November. A happy hour or two might also get thrown into the mix as well. Finally, if you are unemployed or underemployed and have some time on your hands, we could always use more volunteers to help out with our various committees. Please call the office and the staff can suggest how you might help. It won’t pay the bills but it will give you a chance to work with others in the business and expand your network. Who knows? It may pay dividends down the road.

two programs in the works. First, IHS has graciously offered to provide free Petra and Kingdom training at their offices to student and unemployed members. The first courses filled up almost immediately but they have offered to host a second Petra course and there may be additional course offered later in the year. This is a great opportunity for people who want to broaden their skill set, especially if your previous experience has been limited to Geographix. The second initiative is a mentoring program that the Membership Committee is starting. I will be vague on the details because at the time of my writing this, the program is still being developed, but the idea is to pair up a seasoned geoscientist, meaning those of us who lived through and survived the mid 1980’s bust, with younger members who might appreciate advice on career decisions. Along with these programs intended for younger members, there will be plenty of events open to all that fall under the banner of continuing education. There will the regular events, namely the monthly PETROLEUM

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OUTCROP | February 2016

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Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2016

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Matt Silverman — February 3, 2016

Tempest at Teapot Dome, Wyoming: the Greatest Political Scandal in the History of the American Oil Industry By Matt Silverman

Warren G. Harding’s presidential administration was probably the most corrupt in American history, and the oil industry wasright in the middle of the fun.The scandal surrounding Teapot Dome in the 1920s was the most infamous presidential malfeasance of the 20th Century until Watergate. The story includes sex, bribes, scandal, oil barons, crooked politicians, bathtub gin, smoke-filled rooms, the Roaring Twenties, blackmail, suicide and murder! In short, it’s just like today exHistorical postcard of Teapot , unidentified publisher cept that gin is made in distilleries and smoking is less popular than fracking. petroleum over coal for naval fuel had proved irresistA series of Presidential Orders created several ible, and the crude reserves were meant to provide a Naval Petroleum Reserves, including Teapot Dome in secure wartime supply. Natrona County, Wyoming in 1915. The advantages of Harding was elected in 1920 and chose New Mex ico Senator Albert B. Fall for his Cabinet. Fall was a successful rancher and lawyer, but one whose enthusiasm for the private exploitation of the nation’s straMatt Silverman was RMAG’s President in 2014 and is tegic resources led a contemporary to say, “It would Exploration Manager for Robert L. Bayless, Producer in Denver. have been possible to pick a worse man for Secretary He serves as General Chair of the Petroleum History Institute’s of Interior, but not altogether easy.” 2016 meeting in Casper. This paper represents the triple junction of his interests in petroleum exploration, American Fall wrangled the Reserves away from the Navy political history and bathtub gin. CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

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RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS the field. Its key producing zones are Cretaceous sandstones and shales, and the Pennsylvanian Tensleep Formation. Teapot still produces several hundred BOPD and several thousand BWPD from about 400 wells. There is undeveloped potential for primary and enhanced oil recovery, as well as in fill and horizontal drilling targets. Meagher Energy Advisors was retained in 2014 by DOE to solicit offers for Teapot Dome, and effective January 30, 2015, Teapot was acquired by Stranded Oil Resources for $42.5 million. Transfer of title to a new, private operator after 100 years as a Naval Petroleum Reserve represents another exciting chapter in the history of America’s most notorious oilfield. The scandal is over but the story continues. The Petroleum History Institute will meet in Casper, Wyoming, from July 28-31 in 2016. This meeting is open to the public and will include papers, posters and a tour of Teapot Dome and Salt Creek Field. For more information,please visit www.petroleumhistory.org.

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Department, and then leased the field in 1922 to independent oil titan Harry Sinclair in a secret, noncompetitive deal. Senate hearings followed, Fall resigned less than a year later, and Harding died suddenly a few months afterwards. Investigators determined that Fall had received about $400,000 (some tens of millions in today’s dollars) in “loans” from Sinclair. He was convicted and imprisoned in 1931 for felonies committed in office, the only Cabinet officer (so far!) ever to suffer such ignominy. Sinclair was jailed for contempt, the leases were invalidated by the Supreme Court, and Teapot was returned to the Navy. For decades Teapot Dome was administered by the Navy and then the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as the last Naval Petroleum Reserve. It is an asymmetrical, Laramide anticline on the southwestern flank of the Powder River Basin. Teapot includes basement-seated north-south faults on its western boundary and deep, east-west faults throughout

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2016

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Sheri Bowman-Young — March 2, 2016

Microseismic Event Growth and Interaction with Local Geology Across Multiple Horizons of the Permian Basin Marc Prince, Senior Seismologist, ESG Solutions

OUTCROP | February 2016

wealth of feedback on the nature of fracture stimulations in these formations. By characterizing and evaluating factors such as fracture containment, lithological characteristics, geomechanical properties, stress regimes and distribution of natural fractures, an opportunity exists to apply learnings to design more effective stimulation

As operators in the Permian Basin continue to focus on unconventional plays including the Wolfcamp, Bone Spring, Spraberry and Cline, geoscientists working in the region are increasingly using geological and geophysical data to optimize drilling and completions strategies in an effort to maximize well productivity. Microseismic monitoring is one such geophysical tool that provides operators with a

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RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS basin and demonstrate how operators are using these results to evaluate wellbore spacing, compare completions parameters, characterize out-of-zone growth and understand stress release in order to optimize subsequent treatments. The introduction of new sensor deployment strategies have also shed light on the relationship between hydraulic fracture stimulation and fault activation in other north American unconventional formations and may provide similar benefit to operators in the Permian. Evaluation of critically stressed fractures or faults in the vicinity of target production zones may have implications for estimates of reservoir deformation or communication across lithological boundaries. Understanding the nature of fault-related induced seismicity and their relationship to the injection processes is critical to define the potential for out-of-zone growth, but also to understand the role that larger-scale fractures play with respect to the dynamics of the reservoir.

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 programs. New developments in advanced microseismic analysis designed to better understand in-situ reservoir behavior are also emerging with considerable success. Here we present results from numerous case studies throughout the Permian

Sheri Bowman-Young is an engineer and senior level manager with ESG’s global energy services division, where she oversees all analysis, interpretation and reporting for microseismic projects related to hydraulic fracture mapping and reservoir monitoring. Sheri joined ESG in 2007 as a geophysicist and has since held positions of Geophysical Analyst, Project Manager and Manager of Data Services. Sheri has played an integral role in the growth of ESG’s FRACMAP services, leading efforts to better understand microsiesmic data beyond traditional event location while educating operators on the additional value that can be extracted from microseismic datasets. Sheri is a registered professional engineer (P.Eng.) and a member of the SPE and SEG. She holds dual degrees from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in Applied Math & Mechanical Engineering and Geological Sciences and has authored or presented over 20 papers on microseismic monitoring.

MENTOR!

Do you have more knowledge than you know what to do with? If so you are the person RMAG is looking for. RMAG will be launching a mentor ship program starting in the Spring of 2016. Click here for more information.

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2016

IN THE PIPELINE

DWLS Luncheon. Speaker Jennifer Market from Weatherford Labs. “Untangling Acoustics Anisotrophy.” FEBRUARY 17, 2016

NAPE Summit. Houston, TX.

PTTC Short Course. “Air Emission Analysis for State and Federal Air Compliance.” CSM, Golden, CO.

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

FEBRUARY 24, 2016

DIPS Luncheon. Speaker Terry Donze. “Realism Revisited: The Corrupted Claims of the Climate Cabal.”

Oilfield Christian Fellowship. For reservations, RSVP to OCF-DenverChapter@pxd. com or 303-675-2602.

FEBRUARY 10-12, 2016

MARCH 2, 2016

RMAG Luncheon. Speaker Matt Silverman. “Tempest at Teapot Dome, WY: The Greatest Political Scandal in the History of the American Oil Industry.” Maggiano’s Little Italy, Denver, CO.

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

RMAG Luncheon. Speaker Sheri BowmanYoung. “Fracture Size Scaling of Hydraulic Fracture Stimulations in Shale Reservoirs” Maggiano’s Little Italy, Denver, CO. MARCH 3, 2016 RMAG/DGS 3D Symposium.

DONATE TO RMAG

Click here to make a contribution online!

The RMAG Foundation welcomes a new Trustee.

Marla Kula Marla has a BS degree in Geology/Geophysics from University of Wisconsin. Marla started in the Oil and Gas Industry working Deep Water Oﬀshore for Schlumberger in the Gulf of Mexico in the mid-90's. After a 10 year hiatus to stay home with kids, Marla has been back in the industry in Denver on the service side for six years and has been doing Business Development for Columbine Logging for three years.

OUTCROP | February 2016

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

New Date: 24 March 2016 AAPG | DPA

The Rockies Playmaker Forum

Marriott Denver City Center I Denver, Colorado

Co-Hosted by: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG)

One Full-day Session The Denver Playmakers Forum will feature US Rockies plays that were put together by well-known, successful playmakers. The forum will feature case histories, learnings, strategies, and suggestions for future playmakers. The event is co-sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and the Division of Professional Affairs-AAPG.

For details contact educate@aapg.org

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

FORUM

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MINERAL OF THE MONTH By Ronald L. Parker, Senior Geologist, Task Fronterra Geoscience, 700 17th Street, Suite 1700, Denver, CO 80202 | ron.parker@taskfronterra.com

ORPIMENT Pretty poison

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Butterscotch-colored orpiment from Humboldt, County, Nevada. Photo by Mel Klinger.

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MINERAL OF THE MONTH: ORPIMENT Orpiment most often occurs in foliated, columnar or fibrous aggregates and sometimes as botryoidal masses. Orpiment is rarely observed as fine euhedral crystals. When observed as euhedra, orpiment usually appears as small prismatic or stubby crystals, with sharply pointed terminations shaped as triangular pyramids or chisel points. Crystals sometimes bear horizontal striations (Klein, 2002; Mineral.org, 2015; Mindat.org, 2015). Crystals may also appear pseudo-orthorhombic, a consequence of the fact that the β angle in this monoclinic crystal is so close to 90° (Johnsen, 2002). Orpiment is formed by several geologic mechanisms. The most common mechanism of orpiment formation is crystallization from low-temperature hydrothermal systems, volcanic hot springs and fumaroles. Orpiment most often occurs as fill in open space created by fracturing and brecciation (Hofstra et. al., 1995). Arsenic minerals are common constituents of Carlin-type gold deposits and the type of arsenic sulfide crystallized indicates the magnitude of sulfur activity in the crystallizing medium. At the highest sulfur activity orpiment is the stable phase; with decreasing sulfur activity realgar, native arsenic, arsenopyrite and, finally, loellingite are stable (Rytuba, 1984). Orpiment has been documented from mid-ocean ridge and back-arc seafloor hydrothermal vents where it precipitates out as vent waters cool below 100°C (Breuer and Pichler, 2013). Dekov et. al., (2013) describe an unusual case of biogenic orpiment formed by crystallization of arsenic sulfide around filamentous fungal hyphae in mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal systems. Orpiment is also found in evaporitic borate deposits and pods within highgrade marbles, although these occurrences are rare (Mineral.org, 2015). Recently, orpiment has been described from caves in Greece where orpiment precipitation is fostered by highly-acidic conditions where hydrogen sulfide-rich (H2S) steam oxidizes to sulfuric acid (H2SO4) after charging spring-fed streams (Lazardis et. al., 2011). Orpiment is commonly associated with other sulfides and sulfate minerals including barite, gypsum, cinnabar, stibnite and, especially, realgar – another arsenic sulfide. The association with realgar is substantial, as these two minerals are almost always

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Orpiment, arsenic trisulfide (As2S3 ), is a pretty, yellow-colored mineral found in close association with realgar (AsS) in volcanic hydrothermal deposits. The name derives from the Latin auripigmentum (golden paint), a reference to its dominantly yellow color, which was mistakenly thought to contain gold (Klein, 2002). Orpiment is a predominant ore mineral of arsenic, which has many utilitarian applications in modern society. Arsenic, itself, is remarkable for its paradoxical characteristics: it is a deadly poison, yet it saves lives. It is a carcinogen, yet it also cures some cancers (particularly, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), the most malignant form of leukemia (Chen et. al., 2011). Orpiment, and the arsenic it contains, has been known to the world for millennia. It remains a curious and interesting member of the mineral realm even today (Bentley and Chasteen, 2002). Orpiment (As2S3) consists of 61% arsenic and 39% sulfur. CRYSTALLOGRAPHY: Orpiment belongs to the

monoclinic crystal system (2/m – Prismatic). Unit cell dimensions are a=11.475Å, b=9.577Å, c=4.256Å, for an axial ratio (a : b : c) of 1.198 : 1 : 0.444. The β angle is very close to orthogonal at 90.27° - just enough of a difference to make it monoclinic, not orthorhombic. (Klein, 2002, Mindat.org, 2015).

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (MINDAT.ORG, 2015,

KLEIN, 2002, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED):

• Perfect cleavage along {001}; imperfect in {010} • Hardness: 1.5 to 2.0 • Specific Gravity: 3.49 • Luster: Resinous, pearly on the main cleavage surface • Color: Lemon yellow, golden yellow, orange yellow and brownish yellow • Streak: Pale lemon-yellow • Other properties: • Odor: Reported to have a distinct odor similar to sulfur (due to arsenic). • Sectile (able to be shaved with a knife). »» Diaphaneity: Transparent to opaque »» Photosensitive – Orpiment is degraded by prolonged exposure to light.

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»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

OUTCROP | February 2016

MINERAL OF THE MONTH: ORPIMENT pharmacolite, weilite, picropharmacolite, homesite, As-gypsum and As-Fe species (Zhu, et. al., 2015). Gem quality orpiment crystals are known from: La Libertad, Peru; Alsar, Macedonia; Takab, Iran; Jelamerk, Turkey; Loukhoumi, Russia; Hunan Province, China and Tajov, Slovakia. In the United States, notable occurrences are found in Tooele County, Utah and in Nye and Humboldt County in Nevada

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 found together. Realgar is known to photodecompose into a bright yellow mineral that was mistakenly thought to be orpiment (Marche, 2006). It is now known that photodecomposition of realgar creates pararealgar and arsenoline, not orpiment (Ogalde et. al., 2014). Weathering of orpiment bearing mine spoil creates a suite of secondary minerals including gypsum, native sulfur, arsenolite, claudetite,

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Subparallel orpiment prisms displaying chisel point pyramidal terminations. Shimen, Northern Hunan Province, China. The Shimen Realgar/Orpiment deposit has been mined for more than 1500 years (Zhu et. al, 2015). PPhoto used with permission from John Betts Fine Minerals. http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/ OUTCROP | February 2016

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MINERAL OF THE MONTH: ORPIMENT

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

(Mineral Data Publishing, 2005; minerals. net, 2015). Arsenic containing minerals have been recognized (and utilized) by humanity for thousands of years to enhance health, to celebrate health or to destroy health. Orpiment is a prominent ore mineral of arsenic and it is a substantive presence in the human history of arsenic utilization (Jolliffe, 1993). Although elemental arsenic was not isolated until the 13th century (from orpiment, incidentally), it was well known to ancient cultures in China, Egypt and Greece (Brooks, Orpiment rarely displays euhedral crystals. This display is a much more 2008). Orpiment was discovered as a grave common appearance of orpiment. Here, the yellow orpiment occurs as offering in an ancient funerary site (800-200 lamellar aggregates displaying cleavage along {001} and accompanied by BCE) in Chorrillos, northern Chile (Ogalde reddish streaks of realgar. Getchell Mine, Humboldt Co. Nevada. et. al., 2014). Schafer (1955) indicates that Photo used with permission from John Betts Fine Minerals. the “stony yellows” (the natural sulfides of http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/ arsenic – specifically orpiment) enjoyed an abundant trade in the ancient world includwith reported mortality rates ranging from 6% to 20% ing China, Persia, Egypt, Syria, Cappadocia, (Okazin et. al., 2013). Orpiment is not as acutely toxic Hungary, Macedonia, Georgia, Kurdistan and India (p. as other arsenic forms (particularly, arsenic trioxide). 73). Orpiment and realgar pastes were used by HipBuchanan et. al. (2013) describe the case of a 57 yearpocrates (460 to 377 BCE) as escharotic medications old man who arrived at an emergency room after atto treat skin ulcers (escarotics are caustic salves used tempting suicide by ingesting a massive dose (84g) of to treat skin diseases – a treatment methodology that powdered orpiment. Except for nausea, the patient’s is now largely discredited) (Jolliffe, 1993). Orpiment symptoms were “unremarkable” with a normal EKG is indicated as pigment used by medieval European and normal blood chemistry - the patient survived painters (Schafer, 1955). Orpiment and realgar have with non-intensive intervention. Orpiment is slowly been used for millennia in formulations for fireworks, soluble, particularly under acidic conditions and it is particularly for creating dazzling white incendiary poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract (Liu et. bursts (Skylighter, 2015). Orpiment and realgar were al., 2008). The solubility of orpiment increases linearimportant parts of taxidermy recipes for preserving th ly from acidic to alkaline conditions (Suess and Planwildlife skins. An 18 century recipe calls for realgar er-Freidrich, 2012). It may be that the slow solubility and orpiment dissolved in water and mixed with lime of orpiment in a low-pH setting makes it a poor choice or copper compounds to create an effective preservafor a quickly active ingestion poison, although specifics tive. Museum curators are warned to take special preof dose, route of exposure, duration of exposure, etc., cautions with potentially poisonous skins in their colare important variables. Still, I would recommend NOT lections (Marte et. al., 2006). ingesting orpiment – even if it looks like butterscotch. Not surprisingly, as an arsenic bearing mineral, Oxidation of sulfidic mine spoil containing orpiorpiment has a potentially deadly side. Ozakin et. al. ment results in pH-dependent dissolution and mo(2013) describe accidental poisoning from ingestion bilization of arsenic to the hydrosphere and bioof the orpiment used in hair removal formulations in sphere. Liberated arsenic forms highly redox-sensitive countries such as India and Iran. These materials have also been utilized for purposes of murder and suicide CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

»»

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MINERAL OF THE MONTH: ORPIMENT Geology, 348: 2-14. Brooks, William E., 2008, Arsenic: Geotimes, January, 2008. Buchanan, Jennie A., Eberhardt, Aaron, Tebb, Zachary D., Heard, Kennon, Wendlandt, Richard F., and Kosnett, Michael J. 2013, Massive Human Ingestion of Orpiment (Arsenic Trisulfide): The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 44(2) pp. 367-372. Chen, Sai-Juan, Zhou, Guang-Biao, Zhang, XiaoWei, Mao, Jian-Hua, de Thé, Hugues and Chen, Zhu, 2011, From an Old Remedy to a Magic Bullet: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Therapeutic Effects of Arsenic in Fighting Leukemia: Blood, 117(24): 6425-6437. Dekov, Vesselin, Bindi, Luca, Burdaud, Gaetan, Petersen, Sven, Asael, Dan, Rédou, Vanessa, Fouquet, Yves and Pracejus, Bernhard, 2013, Inorganic and biogenic As-Sulfide Precipitation at Seafloor Hydrothermal Fields: Marine Geology, 342:28-38. Hofstra, Albert, Leventhal, Joel S., Grimes, David J. and Heran, William D., 1995, Chapter 23 - Sediment-Hosted Au Deposits: in, Preliminary Compilation of Descriptive Geoenvironmental Mineral Deposit Models edited by du Bray, Edward A., United States Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-831, pp. 184-192. Jolliffe, D. M., 1993, A History of the Use of Arsenicals in Man: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 86:287-289. Klein, Cornelis, 2002, The 22nd Edition of the Manual of Mineral Science: New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 641 pp. Lazaridis, Georgios, Melfos, Vasilios and Papadopoulou, Lambrini, 2011, The First Cave Occurrence of Orpiment (As2S3) from the sulfuric acid caves of Aghia Paraskevi (Kassandra Peninsula, N. Greece): International Journal of Speleology, 40(2):133-139. Liu, Jie, Lu, Yuanfu, Wu, Qin, Goyer, Robert A. and Waalkes, Michael P., 2008, Mineral Arsenicals in Traditional Medicines: Orpiment, Realgar and Arsenolite: Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 326(2): 363-368. Mandal, Badal Kumar and Suzuki, Kazuo T., 2002,

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 aqueous species that pose major threats to human health and the environment in certain parts of the world, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, Mexico, China, West Bengal, Hungary, Vietnam and the Western U.S. (Suess and Planer-Freidrich, 2012, Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). Although the hydrogeochemistry and human health effects of arsenic are beyond the scope of this short note, there is an exhaustive literature on the subject. Excellent review articles are available, however, including Welch et. al. (2000), Smedley and Kinniburgh (2002), ATSDR, 2007, 2015). Orpiment is a mineral that has been used by humanity for millennia. It is pretty and it can hurt you. If you must have some orpiment in your collection, it is best to keep it out of your kitchen!

WEBLINKS:

• http://www.mindat.org/min-3021.html • http://webmineral.com/data/Orpiment.shtml#. Vm-GUUorL4c • http://www.minerals.net/mineral/orpiment.aspx • http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/index.htm • http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals. com/jhbnyc/mineralmuseum/gallery. php?init=orpiment&loc=&submit=Submit • http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/ tp.asp?id=22&tid=3 • http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/orpimentrealgar.asp

REFERENCES: ATSDR, 2007, Toxicological Profile for Arsenic: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 492 pp. ATSDR, 2015, Addendum to the Toxicological Profile for Arsenic: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 189 pp. Bentley, Ronald and Chasteen, Thomas G., 2002, Arsenic Curiosa and Humanity: The Chemical Educator, 7(2): 51-60. Breuer, Christian and Pichler, Thomas, 2013, Arsenic in Marine Hydrothermal Fluids: Chemical

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»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

OUTCROP | February 2016

MINERAL OF THE MONTH: ORPIMENT

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

Exploration, 25(1-2):237-8. Schafer, Edward H., 1955, Orpiment and Realgar in Chinese Technology and Tradition: Journal of the American Oriental Society, 75(2): 73-89. Smedley, P.L. and Kinniburgh, D. G., 2002, A Review of the Source, Behaviour and Distribution of Arsenic in Natural Waters: Applied Geochemistry, 17:517-568. Skylighter, 2015, Fireworks webpage, http://www. skylighter.com/fireworks/orpiment-realgar.asp, accessed 12/10/2015. Suess, Elke and Planer-Freidrich, Britta, 2012, Thioarsenate Formation upon Dissolution of Orpiment and Arsenopyrite: Chemosphere, 89: 1390-1398. Webmineral, 2015, Orpiment Mineral Data: http:// webmineral.com/data/Orpiment.shtml#.VmGUUorL4c, accessed 12/02/15. Welch, A. H., Westjohn, D. B., Helsel, D. R. and Wanty, R. B., 2000, Arsenic in Ground Water of the United States: Occurrence and Geochemistry: Ground Water, 38: 589-604. Zhu, Xiangyu, Wang, Rucheng, Lu, Xiancai, Liu, Huan, Li, Juan, Ouyang, Bingjie and Lu, Jianjun, 2015, Secondary Minerals of Weathered Orpiment-Realgar Bearing Tailings in Shimen Carbonate-Type Realgar Mine, Changde, Central China: Mineralogy and Petrology, 109:1-15.

Arsenic Around the World-A Review: Tantala 58 (1): 201-235. Marte, Fernando, Pequignot, Amandine and Von Endt, David W., 2006 Arsenic in Taxidermy Collections: History, Detection and Management: Collection Forum, 21(1–2):143–150. Mindat, 2015, http://www.mindat.org/min-3021. html: accessed 12/02/2015. Mineral Data Publishing, 2005, Orpiment: http:// rruff.info/doclib/hom/orpiment.pdf, accessed 12/02/2015. Minerals.net (2015) http://www.minerals.net/mineral/orpiment.aspx, accessed 12/02/15. Ogalde, Juan Pablo, Salas, Cristian O., Lara, Nelson, Leyton, Patricio, Paipa, Carolina, Campos-Vallette, Marcelo and Arriaza, Bernardo, 2014, Multi-Instrumental Identification of Orpiment in Archaeological Mortuary Contexts: Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society, 59 (3): 2571-2573. Ozakin, Engin, Can, Rumeysa, Kaya, FilizBaloglu, Acar, Nurdan and Cevik, Arif Alper, 2013, Arsenic Poisoning Due to the Intake of Orpiment: Journal of Clinical Toxicology, 3(5): 176. Rytuba, James J., 1984, Arsenic Minerals as Indicators of Conditions of Gold Deposition in CarlinType Gold Deposits: Journal of Geochemical

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LEAD STORY

Recent Landslide Near West Fork of Buffalo Creek

Big Horn Mountains landslide â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Photo courtesy of SNS Outfitter and Guides

OUTCROP | February 2016

www.wsgs.wyo.gov 26

Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

By Seth Wittke, Alan Ver Ploeg

INTRODUCTION

he recent landslide in Washakie County, known as “The Crack” was noticed by hunters in October, 2015. The following interpretation is based on review of historic photographs, web‐sources photographs of the slide, existing data, and local geology. The landslide is located south of Ten Sleep, Wyoming, near the West Fork of Buffalo Creek in the southeast corner of the Bighorn Basin. The immediate vicinity of the landslide includes outcrops of Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation and Cody Shale (Figure 1). The Frontier Formation is characterized by gray sandstones interbedded with gray to black shales and thin bentonite beds. The Cody Shale is primarily dull gray shale interbedded with thin sandstones and some thin bentonites. This corner of the Bighorn Basin is highly folded with several southeast to northwest trending anticlines plunging toward the northwest into the basin. The South Orchard Anticline is a low amplitude fold plunging to the northwest just south of the slide area with the bedrock dipping approximately 10 degrees to the northwest or plunge direction. The slide occurs on the north flank of the anticline’s plunging nose with Cody Shale detaching on what is most likely a bentonite bed in the lower part of the formation. Movement on the slide is down dip to the northwest.

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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OUTCROP | February 2016

LEAD STORY an inherent instability in the immediate area. Interpretations from recent aerial photography, as well as available web‐sourced images suggest the landslide occurred within the Cretaceous Cody Shale along a zone of weakness associated with a thin bentonite layer (Figure 2). By projecting the bentonite layer

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 The recent landslide appears to be a translational block‐slide with minor slump components. Based on previous mapping performed by WSGS staff, a prior block‐slide occurred directly southwest of the event (Figure 2). The prior landslide is observable on aerial photos dating to 1949; this implies

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

FIGURE 1: Geologic Map of Area near Recent Landslide, Ver Ploeg, 1992

OUTCROP | February 2016

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 2: Oblique view of recent landslide area showing existing mapped landslides (Red), the approximate scarp location of the

recent slide (Blue dashed), and the contact between the Cody Shale and Frontier Formation (Yellow). A thin whitish bentonite layer can be seen in the drainage below the landslide and behind the scarp (arrows). Vol. 65, No. 2 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | February 2016

LEAD STORY catastrophic failure of the landslide is unlikely. If it were to occur and effectively dam the drainage floor, we anticipate minimal runoff damming to occur. The drainage behind the potential earthen dam is approximately 0.4 mi2, it is unlikely to capture enough runoff behind the dam to overtop it catastrophically. Time and weather permitting, geologists from the WSGS will visit the landslide area and groundtruth our observations. At that time landmarks will be established to measure the landslide size and offset. Future measurements from the same landmarks will allow us to determine whether the landslide has stabilized or continues to move. The WSGS would like to remind individuals that walking on or near potentially active landslides is not advisable. Edges of recent landslides are typically unstable. Landslides can also suddenly mobilize, posing a risk to objects, including humans, in their path. If you see a landslide, historic or recent, feel free to report it at http://www.wsgs.wyo.gov/hazards/ report‐landslide.

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 along dip (10 degrees) into the subsurface from outcrop we can approximate the slip plane of the recent landslide as well as the historic landslide to the southwest. Photographic interpretation also indicates evidence of ephemeral springs, or near‐surface water tables, uphill and in close proximity to the new event. Near‐surface water could potentially infiltrate through the subsurface and accumulate along the bentonite layer causing additional weakness and ultimately failure of the slope. There is no infrastructure or property at risk from this recent landslide. Based on the orientation of this landslide the WSGS also does not anticipate future risks to infrastructure or property. The greatest risk associated with this landslide is objects, including humans, falling into the crevasse, either from unstable edge material or being in close proximity to the landslide if it were to suddenly mobilize. The historic landslide to the southwest suggests that a

The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2015

OUTCROP | February 2016

scale of cyclicity is second order with a duration of 10-15 million years. Their methodology used standard systems-tracts criteria using parasequence stacking patterns in marine strata extended into non-marine strata using the degree of amalgamation of the fluvial sandstones. This classic outcrop area has been utilized for many years in field courses, and this paper is expected to become a standard January 2015 Volume 52 Number 1 reference for students of sequence stratigraphy. All of the papers published this year in The Late Paleozoic Yuma Arch, Mountain Geologist are outstanding, which made the Colorado and Nebraska: Implications for Oil selection process difficult. We would like to thank all Exploration in Pennsylvanian Carbonate Reservoirs of the authors for their contributions to the journal. James P. Rogers, Mark W. Longman, William C. Pearson, Congratulations to Kurt, Bill and Jeff. Gregory P. Wahlman, Richard M. Kettler, Joseph Walseth, Jeanette —The Best Paper Selection Committee

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to announce the winner of The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2015. The winning paper is “Upper Cretaceous Sequence Stratigraphy of the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming” by Kurt W. Rudolph, William J. Devlin, and Jeff P. Crabaugh. This extremely thorough and well-illustrated paper presents a detailed study of sequence stratigraphy demonstrated beautifully by the outcrops of the Upper Cretaceous strata in the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming. Three scales of sedimentary cyclicity are observed in the Campanian- to Maastrichtian-aged strata based on sedimentary stacking patterns, facies successions, paleontological data, and geometric criteria from outcrop and subsurface data. The largest

Dixon, M. Ray Thomasson

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Denver, Colorado

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RMAG ♦♦ DAPL

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Paul Lillis Wins Luncheon Speaker of the Year for 2015 be the best of the year. Congratulations to Paul for a great talk! Of special note is the talk given by Lane Douglas on August 5, 2015 entitled “The Science of Land for the Geologist”. His presentation, which introduced the 12 skill areas of Petroleum Land, was also highly regarded by RMAG reviewers. Special thanks to Lane for his luncheon talk and to the rest of the luncheon speakers from 2015!

On February 4, 2015, Paul Lillis gave a talk to an RMAG Luncheon audience titled “Timing of Generation and Migration of Phosphoria Oils in the Bighorn Basin using Re-Os Chronometry”. The techniques he spoke about involves using Rhenium-Osmium isotope data to investigate the generation and migration of oils from eastern Idaho and western Wyoming during the Mesozoic. RMAG reviewers judged his highly technical talk to

RMAG Foundation Sponsors the 2016 Excellence in Teaching of Earth Science Award

RENEW! OUTCROP | February 2016

RMAG’s candidate to compete for the AAPG Rocky Mountain Section, Teacher of the Year award. This award honors the best earth science teacher in the Front Range area from either an elementary or secondary school. The teacher must submit the application, which includes two letters of recommendation and descriptions of their teaching philosophy and course curriculum. If you are a teacher or know of a teacher who could be a candidate, please contact the K-12 Public Outreach Committee through the RMAG office at 910 16th Street, Suite 1214, Denver, CO 80202, by telephone at 303-573-8621, or email at staff@rmag. org to receive an application form. Information about the award is available on the RMAG website www.RMAG.org. The application deadline this year is Friday May 6, with the winner to be announced on or before May 16.

In 2000, the RMAG Foundation instituted an award to honor an elementary or secondary school teacher who has promoted teaching of earth science to K-12 students. The winner receives a commemorative plaque and a $1000 cash award provided by the RMAG Foundation, and is recommended as the

Renew your dues for the 2016 year today! RMAG members make up the heart of the organization, and without our loyal membership, the RMAG would be unable to produce relevant publications, host strong technical talks, and provide great networking events. As a member you’ll enjoy discounted rates on events and publications, as well as access to the 6 most recent The Mountain Geologist issues, and much more.

CLICK HERE TO RENEW TODAY!

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RMAG Mentorship Program Collaborate Be a Mentor Thrive Navigate Be a Mentee Learn The RMAG will be launching a mentorship program starting in the Spring of 2016! RMAG young professionals will be paired with mentors to provide young professionals with a senior professional mentor who can provide career path and technical mentorship. Applications can be found on the RMAG website and are due to the RMAG office by 3/15/16.

Visit www.rmag.org for more information.

Inspire Growth email: staďŹ&#x20AC;@rmag.org

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WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Matthew Huels

is an Oil Scout at Devon Energy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

is a Student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

is a student at Fort Lewis College in Castle Rock, Colorado.

is a Consultant at Larry Irons & Associates in Lakewood, Colorado.

Ethan Coppage

Kevin Donegan

is a Senior Hydrogeologist at Colorado Division of Water Resources in Denver, Colorado.

Kuwanna Dyer-Pietras

Larry Irons

Andrew Krueger

is a Wellsite Geologist at Goolsby Brothers & Associates in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Michael Leibovitz

is a PhD Student at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.

is a Geologist at Caerus Oil and Gas LLC in Superior, Colorado.

is works at Blackstone Energy, LLC in Red Lodge, Montana.

is a Geophysics Student - Senior at Colorado State University in Littleton, Colorado.

is a Senior Geologist at California Resources Coproration in Long Beach, California.

is a Geologist at Seidel Geologic LLC in Loveland, Colorado.

Duane Estelle

Christopher Forster Daniel Halford

lives in Lakewood, Colorado.

Derek Hargrave

works at QEP Resources.

Kate Hartig

Joseph Linder

Daniel Lowrie

Christopher Matson

is a Business Development Geoscience Technical Advisor at Weatherford Laboratories in Golden, Colorado.

Tom McClurg

works at QEP Resources.

works at ConocoPhillips in Katy, Texas.

is a Staff Geologist in Aurora, Colorado.

works at Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development

Sara Hoovestol

OUTCROP | February 2016

Janelle McLean 34

A. Heath Anderson

in Lakewood, Colorado.

Blakelee Mills

is the CEO at Golden Software in Golden, Colorado.

Thomas Nickoloff lives in Midland, Texas.

Barbara Pickup

is a VP, Business Development at Fracture ID in Westminster, Colorado.

Paul Schwering

is a Geophysicist at Olson Engineering, Inc. in Golden, Colorado.

Joel Scott

is a Consultant in Salida, Colorado.

Christina Sherwood

works at Guerra, Sherwood & Ylanan, PLLC. in Fort Worth, Texas.

David Steyaert

is a Geologist Owner at Impact Energy Resources, LLC. in Denver, Colorado.

David Weber

lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Ingrid Williams

lives in Milliken, Colorado.

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2016 Award of Excellence for

Teaching of Earth Science Sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

THE WINNER RECEIVES A Plaque and a $1,000 Cash Award If you teach earth science in K-12 and think you qualify, contact the RMAG office at (303) 573-8621 for an application. Deadline is May 6. Previous winners were also selected to receive the Teacher of the Year Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists at the national and regional level.

The RMAG is a professional organization representing over 2000 earth scientists working in the Denver and Rocky Mountain area. In its capacity as the leading geologic organization in the Rocky Mountain area, each year the RMAG Foundation provides funding for an annual award presented to a teacher in recognition of his or her commendable efforts in introducing young minds to the earth sciences.

Check out the RMAG website at www.rmag.org.

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CALENDAR | FEBRUARY 2016 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

RMAG Luncheon.

DIPS Luncheon. NAPE Summit.

PRESIDENTS’ DAY

DWLS Luncheon.

PTTC Short Course.

RMAG office closed

Oilfield Christian Fellowship.

OUTCROP Vol. 65, No. | 2February | www.rmag.org 2016

Vol. OUTCROP 65, No. 2 | | www.rmag.org February 2016