OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
Volume 61 • No. 1 • January 2012 Volume 61 • No. 1 • January 2012
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Vol. 60, No. 12
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January 2012
OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
CONTENTS Features 6 Lead Story: Ready, set, download!
the Rocky Mountain Section – AAPG
13 Smart Apps
21 The Outcrop Needs YOU!
Association News
27 CALL FOR PAPERS: THE MOUNTAIN GEOLOGIST
4 Mark Your Calendars! 11 18th Annual 3-D Seismic Symposium 12 The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2011 12 RMAG Foundation News 12 RMAG Teacher of the Year Selected as AAPG Teacher of the Year 12 The Mineral and Energy Economy in Colorado – Legislative Reception 13 3D Seismic Symposium Set for March 2, 2012 14 Congratulations to the New RMAG Board of Directors!
Departments 4 RMAG December Board of Directors Meeting 10 President's Column 16 Luncheon Programs 23 In the Pipeline 24 New Members 25 Advertisers Index 25 Calendar of Events
17 Call for Papers to the 2012 Annual Meeting of
COVER PHOTO Mt. Lassen in Mt. Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Mt. Lassen is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range and is the result of subduction volcanism. At 10,462 feet, the mountain is not high in Colorado terms, but it made itself known through a series of eruptions between 1914 and 1917. A dacite on Lassen’s summit is likely the youngest rock in California . Photo is a view to the west from the Cinder Cone located in the northeast part of the Park. Photo by Peter J. Varney. Volume 61 • No. 1 • January 2012
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RMAG December Joint Board of Directors Meeting By Heather LaReau, Secretary (Heather.LaReau@encana.com)
On December 9th, 2011 a joint board meeting was held at the Marriott Hotel with both the incoming 2012 and outgoing 2011 RMAG Board of Directors. For me, the meeting was bittersweet! The 2011 BOD presented a summary of accomplishments, changes and areas of improvement over the past year as well as move forward items that the 2012 BOD will have to pick up and keep rolling. The 2011 BOD faced fiscal challenges without any large national events, such as AAPG conventions, to help bolster our income. However, we decided to plunge forward and run the organization on deficit budget while emplacing many changes and improvements so we are in a better position for 2012. Most notable changes with the largest impact for the organization were: 1) the new and improved RMAG website and 2) the Outcrop publication going digital, and 3) forming a sponsorship committee. We have already seen many improvements from the website such as record breaking p u b l i c a t i o n s a l e s , i n c r e a s e s vot i n g participation, and very successful tracking of events. I believe the 2012 BOD will realize great monetary savings to the organization from the digital Outcrop and the sponsorship committee. The Outcrop did not go digital until October and therefore was unable to cut any major costs from the spending budget of 2011. Organized sponsorship solicitation will help round out and plan each events budget with monies allocated early in the year. The 2011 BOD also provided a 2012 budget for the incoming board for a guideline. All in all, the board did a very good job aligning projects, budgets and move forward tasks so that the 2012 BOD can be up and running without any lapse. It has been a fantastic year and I look forward to seeing all of you at upcoming RMAG events!
Mark Your Calendars RMAG and DAPL Present: GEOLAND Ski Day Friday March 9th, 2012
More information will be posted on the website at www.rmag.org in the next month!
Neil H. Whitehead, III Consulting Geologist PhD
CPG-AIPG
PG WY
Rocky Mountain Basins Wellsite to Petroleum Systems ArcGIS 303-679-8573
fax 303-679-8574
31634 Black Widow Way
Conifer, CO
neil3@q.com 80433-9610
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Vol. 60, No. 12
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January 2012
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The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 910 16th Street • Suite 1125 • 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.
2012 Officers and Board of Directors Co-Editors Kristine Peterson k.peterson@laramidegeo.com Holly Sell hsell@nobleenergyinc.com Catherine Campbell Catherine.e.campbell@gmail.com
President – Pete Varney pete.varney@alumni.mines.edu
Treasurer – Larry Rasmussen larryr@whiting.com
President-Elect – Debra Higley-Feldman higley@usgs.gov
Treasurer Elect – Mike Kozimko mkozimko@yatespetroleum.com
Counselor (1 Year) – Mark D. Sonnenfeld sonnenfeld@whiting.com 1/2 Page 1/3 Page 1/6 Page Counselor (2 Year) – John Ladd 2nd Vice-President – Greg Anderson Vertical Vertical john.ladd@fmr.com ganderson@samson.com
1st Vice-President – Paul Lillis Page Full plillis@usgs.gov 2/3 Page
Secretary – Kimberly Alanis Kimberley.alanis@qepres.com
Horizontal
OUTCROP ADVERTISING RATES
Design/Production Debbie Downs debradowns@att.net Wednesday Noon Luncheon Reservations RMAG Office: 303.573.8621 Josh Robbins, ext. 2 Fax: 303-628-0546 RMAGdenver@aol.com www.rmag.org
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The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 910 16th Street, Suite 1125 • Denver, CO 80202
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LEAD STORY
Ready, set, download! Compiled by Kristine Peterson
Free studies, software and data from the NETL Energy Lab.
that arise from irregular, discontinuous, or clustered networks of fractures. FORTRAN codes were developed to generate fracture networks, to simulate reservoir drainage/recharge, and to plot the fracture networks and reservoir pressures.
h t t p : / / w w w. n et l . d o e . g ov / K M D / Fo r m s / CdDvdRetrieval.aspx There is a wealth of data available to download from the Department of Energy. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is part of the Department of Energy and supports energy and environmental research and development through partnerships, cooperative research, financial assistance and development agreements. Typing in the above site will take the user to a webpage where you can download various CDs or DVDS of available documents on oil and gas research compiled from past R&D programs. The files are generally available as either PDF or ZIP files with the file size noted. Among the many offerings you may wish to acquire:
Title: Major Oil Plays in Utah and Vicinity Info: A portfolio of oil plays in Utah, as well as neighboring Colorado and Wyoming, compiled by the Utah Geologic Survey with funding from NETL. The portfolio contains comprehensive maps that provide data useful to organizations involved in petroleum exploration and production. The data includes geologic settings, outcrop analogs, land-use issues, and bestdevelopment practices for each oil-producing area within the three states.
Title: Reservoir Characterization and Basin Analysis Project Archive, Version 1.0
Title: Naturally Fracture Reservoir Simulator: FRACGEN & NFFLOW version 10.9
Info: Version 1.0 of U.S. DOE’s “Reservoir Characterization and Basin Analysis Project Archive” contains results from a broad program and related RD&D areas that DOE and its predecessor organizations (Bureau of Mines, ERDA) have funded for over 35 years. In April 2008, the DVD, DOE/NETL-2008/1325, entitled "Reservoir Depositional Classification CLASS Program 1990-2008" – Collection of Historical Documentation, was published. The CLASS Program was a specifically funded program targeted to better define reservoirs for improved oil recovery.
Info: The DOE sponsored a project to simulate the behavior of tight, fractured, strata-bound reservoirs
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January 2012
Lead Story
Title: Advanced Diagnostics and Imaging Systems (ADIS) and Drilling, Completion and Stimulation (DCS) Project Archive, Version 1.0
increasing domestic oil production in order to reduce U.S. reliance on oil imports. This disk includes programs from the 1980’s through 2006. The technology focus areas are for resource finding and recovery, access technologies, oil production, and technology transfer.
Info: An archive of research by the DOE’s NETL and DOE’s National Institute for Petroleum Energy Research that focuses on seismic and advanced imaging technologies for oil and gas exploration; and application of improved technologies for drilling, well completion and well stimulation to increase ultimate recovery of oil and gas. Reducing the footprint of exploration and production represents a significant goal of new technologies.
Title: Coal Bed Natural Gas Info: With the rapid increase in Coal Bed Natural Gas (CBNG) development during the second half of the 1990s there was an increasing concern from operators and government land managers over how to properly address the many issues, especially environmental issues, that are unique and singular to this development. This disk archives results of this research on onshore and offshore produced water from coal bed methane gas. Produced water is the largest volume byproduct or waste stream associate with oil and gas production.
Title: Recent DOE Research Targeting Deep Gas Resources Info: This disk includes multiple projects relating to deep gas resources identifying locations, targeted reservoirs, and operators of wells with true vertical depths (TVD’s) greater than 15,000 feet deep in the U.S. drilled from 2000 - 2007. These wells are categorized by completion method and representative type wells were determined.
Title: Oil and Gas Industry Software – Analytical Models, Databases, Documentation, Numerical Simulators Info: This disk includes analytical models, databases, documentation, and numerical simulators supporting the oil and gas industry. Documents include: Intelligent
Title: Seismic Imaging Reservoir Characterization and Basin Analysis
Continued on page 8 »
Info: The NETL implemented natural gas and oil research and development programs with the intent of
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Lead Story
Title: Natural Gas Program Archive Info: Two disks archiving important results of research and development of DOE’s Unconventional Gas Research (UGR) Programs 19761995, which played a vital role in helping to meet the nation's growing demand for natural gas. Disk 1 contains information relating to eastern U.S. gas shales and general UGR. Disk 2 contains western U.S. gas shale, secondary gas recovery, methane hydrates, methane recovery from coalbeds, deep source gas, and general UGR.
Title: A Geologic Playbook for Trenton Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration Info: This project developed an integrated resource assessment model of the Trenton-Black River reservoirs in New York, Ohio and West Virginia. The effort addressed the increased development of the gas resources from the TrentonBlack River reservoirs and facilitated increased exploration and higher success rates in this emerging play. The final product of this project is a detailed and multi-disciplinary play book.
Vol. 60, No. 12
Title: Identifying and Remediating High-Water Production Problems in Basin-Centered Formations I n fo : A l a r g e d a t a b a s e o f historical produced water analyses, supplemented with a targeted sampling program, assembled and interpreted to address the production of excessive water in basin-centered tight formation gas fields of the Greater Green and Wind River Basins, Wyoming. This disk includes a GIS-based digital atlas showing the distribution of the data.
Title: North Hill Creek/3-D Seismic Exploration Project, Ute Indian Tribe, Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Uintah County, Utah – 4 disk set Info: A four-disk set of North Hill Creek 3-D Seismic Exploration for the Ute Indian Tribe, Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Uintah County, Utah. Disks 1 & 2 include the Final Migration with TVSW and Trace Balance with Cutouts. Disk 3 includes Raw DMO Stack with cutouts. Disk 4 includes Seismic Survey, Maps, and Western Geco.
Title: Natural Gas Resources of the Greater Green River and Wind River Basins of Wyoming NETL's Phase I Final Report Info: These basins contain the vast majority of the total lowpermeability sandstone resource 8
for the Rocky Mountain region. This disk contains detailed descriptions of project methodology and results, and detailed maps and cross-sections that depict the regional geology of key gas-bearing formations.
Title: Detection and Analysis of Naturally Fractured Gas Reservoirs Info: This disk contains the results of six studies seeking to identify new technologies to locate and produce gas from naturally fractured, lowpermeability reservoirs. A summary and synthesis document provides tutorials on the geological occurrence of fractures and the methods used in the investigations. The detailed final reports were provided by individual contractors.
Title: Greater Green River Basin Production Improvement Project Info: The Greater Green River Basin (GGRB) of southwestern Wyoming may contain as much as 5,000 trillion cubic feet of gas trapped within unconventional, overpressured, very tight, basincentered gas reservoirs. This disk contains the results of the successful multi-year partnership between Union Pacific Resources and NETL. The purpose of the project was to reduce the technical risks and the economic uncertainty of industry development of the GGRB low-permeability (tight) gas resource.
»
Computing System for Reservoir Analysis and Risk Assessment of the Red River Formation, Miscible Applied Simulation Techniques for Energy Recovery, and a Codebook for ADP cards of Crude Oil Analysis.
Continued from page 7
January 2012
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President’s Column By Pete Varney
90. More on that later, but first... It’s the beginning of a new year for RMAG and the first thing I want to do is thank last year’s Board for their many contributions. Changes in 2011 included making the Outcrop digital only and welcoming in Josh as our new office manager. All of you, of course, serve the organization through your dues, committee memberships and attendance at RMAG events both social and professional. Thank you! Three members of the 2011 board continue on in 2012 including Mark Sonnenberg as Councilor, Larry Rasmussen as Treasurer and yours truly, Pete Varney, as President. As I write this, the election for 2012 Board is in progress, so I don’t yet know who will join us but as you know, there was a fine slate of candidates willing to serve. Congratulations to those who won! For those who did not, thank you for being willing
to join the Board – and please say yes the next time you are asked to run. While we’re talking about comings and goings on the board, I’d like to address the newer and, for the most part, younger members of RMAG. Except for the office staff your association is a 100% volunteer organization. Members run the golf tournament, edit the Mountain Geologist, determine technical and professional award winners, and much more. Please consider serving on a committee in 2012 – this is your chance to take an active part in the organization and gain knowledge about what RMAG does and how it works. Further, by serving on a committee you expand your network and develop skills that could be useful in your work. You will also bring in new ideas and perspective that could benefit the organization
Please consider serving on a committee in 2012 – this is your chance to take an active part in the organization and gain knowledge about what RMAG does and how it works.
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January 2012
President's Column
a lot going on in the DJ basin with Anadarko, EOG and others expanding development of the Niobrara/Codell in the Wattenberg – things will be interesting this year! So, what’s that 90 all about? It is significant that 2012 marks the 90th year of RMAG. The first meeting was held in the Albany hotel on January 26th, 1922 and apparently was attended by 50 members. Back in those days the association had biweekly meetings that featured speakers on a variety of topics mostly related to petroleum. We will feature this significant milestone throughout the year. And, here is a related history fact: On April 24th, 1924, three members of RMAG helped
incorporate the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, thus starting a vital partnership that continues. These tidbits of RMAG history come from Hal Kellog’s excellent “75 years of the RMAG” published in the Mountain Geologist, October 1997 issue. Because I think it is important to have up to date knowledge of alternative energy sources, I’ll take advantage of this space during the year to discuss some of them, particularity from the standpoint of their true cost viz-a-viz petroleum. I think you’ll find it interesting. That’s all for now. More in February.
»
in the future. Who knows...you might end up in a leadership position on the board! I’m sure you have all heard the news. This year has the potential of being very active for the Rocky Mountain petroleum industry. The USGS has announced that according to 2008 estimates, the Bakken contains several billion barrels of technically recoverable petroleum, so I expect we will hear a lot more about the formation as 2012 unfolds. One result is that the best place to get an oil industry job right now is North Dakota...if you like cold winters! We are laying out plans for another Bakken symposium this year, so stay tuned for details. And then, there’s
Reflecting on Resources Key Note Speaker
Steve Natali, WPX Energy A Multi-TCF Gas Discovery, Mancos Shale Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico
Also Highlighting Bakken: Structural Influence and Well-Seismic Integration Niobrara: Wattenberg, Silo, and more � Woodford: Use of Curvature to Highlight Subtle Fault Blocks � Fayetteville: Seismic Reservoir Characterization � Haynesville: Sweet Spot Discrimination � Eagle Ford : Statistics to Predict Production � Marcellus: Geomechanics and Microseismic � �
Friday, March 2, 2012 DOWNTOWN MARRIOT T CITY CENTER HOTEL DENVER, COLORADO R E G I S T R A T I O N I S O P E N A T:
www.3dseismicsymposium.com
Sponsored by Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists & Denver Geophysical Society
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The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2011 for future uranium exploration in Chamberlain Pass paleovalleys in western Nebraska. The quality of papers published in the Mountain Geologist continues to be extremely high. Wonderful papers were submitted this year making selecting one winner a very tough job. In reality, all the papers are winners, and we would like to thank all of the authors for publishing their outstanding work. Congratulations to Steven.
»
The RMAG is pleased to announce the winner of The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2011. The winning paper is “White River Group paleosols as source rocks for uranium mineralization in western Nebraska” by Steven S. Sibray. This extremely well written and illustrated paper presents the geologic history of the uranium bearing White River Group sediments in western Nebraska. The author presents evidence that the uranium deposit at the Crow Butte mine occurs in the Eocene Chamberlain Pass Formation instead of the Oligocene Chadron Formation. This outstanding paper will serve as a useful guide
The Best Paper Selection Committee
February 21, 2012 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. University Club 1673 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado Contact: American Institute of Petroleum Geologists www.aipgcolorado.com
RMAG Foundation News
Larry Cerrillo: 303-674-6484 Ryan Kowalski, Phil Moffitt, and Steve Sonnenberg. Outgoing Chair Laura Wray wishes to thank all the supportive members of the geologic community for their continued support of the Foundation.
»
The RMAG Foundation is very pleased to welcome its newest Trustee, Hal Macartney. Hal is the Senior Geologic Advisor for Pioneer Natural Resources. Hal will begin his term in January, along with his fellow Trustees Jim Huck (Chair),
The Mineral and Energy Economy in Colorado – Legislative Reception
RMAG Teacher of the Year Selected as AAPG Teacher of the Year By Norb Cygan
Vol. 60, No. 12
a teacher at Green Mountain High School in Lakewood, CO. Congratulations to Jonna! She will earn a well- deserved award and a trip to the AAPG convention in Long Beach in April.
»
Jonna Gentry has been named The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Teacher of the Year. She was the RMAG's selection. Jonna is a Volunteer and a Director of Dinosaur Ridge as well as
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January 2012
Smart Apps
By Cat Campbell Utah DNR Geosights
Speaking with a friend the other day, I realized just how integral our smart phones are becoming in our lives. He was explaining that while driving on vacation last week, he noticed an outcrop that could be important in some research he is doing. Lacking his trusty Brunton, he simply downloaded an app for the compass, grabbed his strike and dip and continued home. Smart phones can even do geology now. The technological capabilities of our smart phones is astounding. In order to try and stay informed, we compiled a list of a few of our favorite geologic apps currently available.
Interactive map showing geologic highlights while traveling through Utah including rock hounding locales Earth Magazine
A publication of the American Geological Institute provides interesting reading on the latest in earth science. Rock Logger
Impressive geologic compass and GPS application to record data while in the field. Volcano Report
Information the most recent eruptions around the globe. GoExplore Wyoming
Traveling through Wyoming and wondering what you are seeing? Try this app, providing geologic descriptions and tours throughout the state.
eGeo compass v 1.0.11 by GeoStru Software
Forgot your Brunton? Not a problem, just download this app and grab your strike and dip.
We know there are more out there! Send us your favorite apps.
Earthquake Quick Report
»
Provides a list of the quakes that occurred in the last 24 hours around the globe with an interactive map.
Reflecting on Resources
3D Seismic Symposium Set for March 2, 2012
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symposium committee, and a strong collection of presentations is currently under review. The submitted papers include contemporary topics for the Niobrara, Bakken, and Mancos unconventional reservoirs within the Rocky Mountain region. Additional topics under consideration include Geomechanics, Microseismic, and examples involving analog unconventional plays – from the Rockies and across the USA. 13
Mark your calendar for March 2nd, and make plans to join us for what will no doubt be a great day of presentations on the very latest trends and concepts our industry has to offer. For more information, please contact co-chair Jim Thorson at jim.thorson@catamountexploration. c o m , o r v i s i t t h e we b s i te a t www.3dseismicsymposium.com.
»
The 18th annual 3D Seismic Symposium, jointly sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists and the Denver Geophysical Society, will be held on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 at the downtown Marriott City Center in Denver, Colorado. This year’s theme is “Reflecting on Resources.” The meeting’s co-chairmen are David Scolman and Jim Thorson. Abstracts are currently being submitted to the
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Congratulations to the New RMAG Board of Directors! New Board of Directors
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Debra Higley-Feldman – President Elect Paul Lillis – 1st Vice President Greg Anderson – 2nd Vice President Kimberly Alanis – Secretary Mike Kozimko – Treasurer Elect John Ladd – 2-year Counselor
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January 2012
UPCOMING
EDUCATION SCHEDULE Last Chance January 20, 2012 2:00 p.m., CST
E-Symposium: Eagle Ford Shale Prospecting with 3D Seismic Data within a Tectonic and Depositional System Framework. Online
February 13-17, 2012 Earlybird discount expires January 9th!
Winter Education Conference Houston, Texas
Short Courses Basic Well Log Analysis Austin, Texas
March 26-30, 2012
Practical Salt Tectonics Austin, Texas
March 28-30, 2012
April 21-22, 2012
Shale Gas Reservoir Assessment Long Beach, CA (with AAPG Annual Convention)
Field Seminars March 28-29, 2012
Field Safety Course for Field Trip Leaders Houston, Texas Deep-Water Siliciclastic Reservoirs Northern California
April 27-May 2, 2012
Clastic Reservoir Facies and Sequence Stratigraphic Analysis of Alluvial-Plain, Shoreface, Deltaic, and Shelf Depositional Systems Utah
April 28-May 4, 2012
E-Symposia February 9, 2012 2:00 p.m., CST
Seismic Reservoir Characterization of U.S. Shales: An Update Online
Registration and Information: 7ROO IUHH 8 6 DQG &DQDGD RU ‡ )D[ ‡ HPDLO HGXFDWH#DDSJ RUJ 'RZQORDG D UHJLVWUDWLRQ IRUP DW KWWS ZZZ DDSJ RUJ HGXFDWLRQ LQGH[ FIP
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Luncheon Programs – January 4th and February 15th
The Beetaloo Basin, Australia: The World’s Oldest Petroleum Systems?
By Thomas Ahlbrandt, Ahlbrandt Consulting, Conifer, Colorado, January 4, 2012
The basin is dominantly an oil prone (Type II kerogen) basin with about four times the resource volume potential of oil relative to natural gas although both represent very large opportunities.
The Beetaloo Basin is arguably the oldest petroleum basin in the world with source rocks dating back to 1.4 billion years (Mesoproterozoic) and contains four active petroleum systems at relatively shallow depths (<3 km); i.e. the Hayfield, Upper and Lower Kyalla and Velkerri Total Petroleum Systems across a prospective area that encompasses 7 million acres. The basin is dominantly an oil prone (Type II kerogen) basin with about four times the resource volume potential of oil relative to natural gas although both represent very large opportunities. In aggregate the four Mesoproterozoic source rock shales constitute 70 percent (2100m) of the upper 3 km of the sedimentary succession. It is part of the larger MacArthur Basin, Northern Territory of Australia, approximately 600 kilometers south of Darwin. Eleven wells were drilled by Pacific Oil and Gas in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a subdivision of Rio Tinto, to evaluate the petroleum potential of the area following the encountering of numerous oil and gas shows in mining core holes related to sulfide mineralization in the region and all encountered numerous oil and gas shows as well as recovering relatively light oil (35-38° API) oil in several sandstone and shale horizons. Petrohunter Energy Corporation drilled the Shenandoah #1 well in the central basin commencing in 2006 and Falcon Energy deepened the well in 2009 and is currently testing the well in multiple unconventional gas accumulations. PetroHunter Energy Corporation acquired approximately 700 km of 2D data in 2006 and discovered an extensive (176km) thrust belt system in the central part of the
Luncheon Reservations And Information Luncheons will be held at the Marriott City Center at California and 17th St. Please check the event listing in the lobby for the room. People gather at 11:30 a.m., lunch is served at 12:00 noon, and the speaker presentation begins at about 12:20 p.m. The price of the luncheon is $30.00. Checks should be made payable to RMAG. No reservation is required for the talk only and the cost is $5.00. Please make your reservation prior to 10:30 a.m. on the Monday before the luncheon. Please Note: If you make a reservation and do not attend the luncheon, you will be billed for the luncheon. Cancellations are not guaranteed after 10:30 a.m. the Monday before the talk. You may send someone in your stead.
Your attendance is welcomed and encouraged. Bring a guest or new member! Vol. 60, No. 12
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CALL 303-573-8621 January 2012
Luncheon Programs basin that greatly modified the interpretation of the structural history of the basin. These imbricated, westerly verging thrusts are related to a zone of transpression (relay zone) along a north south strike-slip fault created in a Mesoproterozoic rift basin. Thermal maturity modeling using Tmax data suggest that the shales between about 300m and 1500m are in the oil window and deeper than 1500m are in the gas window. Cores from the Lower Kyalla and Velkerri shales in the Shenandoah well, although not taken in the most favorable pay intervals, are very encouraging averaging 90 scf/ton and 106 scf/ton with favorable brittleness for fracing in terms of Poissonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ratio, Youngâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modulus and Brinnell harness and good GRI permeabilities. The Upper Kyalla Shale has TOCs in the oil window from 2 to 3+ percent, high Hydrogen Indices (400-700 HI), and is in the oil window to depths from 500m to 1,500m and cores were bleeding oil from these intervals. The Lower Kyalla Shale contains a wet gas based on desorption analyses of cores and gas shows in the Shenandoah 1A at a depth of 1700m even though the thermal maturity (alginate reflectance equivalents to vitrintiteâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;vitrinite does not occur until the Phanerozoic) would suggest a dry gas window. The most prospective petroleum system is the Velkerri Shale, which is the major rich source rock in the basin and is as much as 800m thick. The Mid Velkerri is a 300m thick zone with TOCs commonly from 4-8% and as high as 15%, excellent Hydrodgen Indices (400-700), good secondary porosity related to calcite to dolomite cement conversion, and abundant fracturing probably related to hydrocarbon generation. The Mid Velkerri in the Shenandoah 1A well is in the dry gas window and Continued on page 18
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Luncheon Programs
has good desorption values, average 106 scf/ton, at a depth of about 2500m with as much as 130m of potential gas pay, which includes both shale gas and tight gas potential. Along with these rich source rocks, still in the oil and gas windows, are a series of six sandstone reservoirs, each of which has some evidence of hydrocarbons either in the form of free oil recoveries or numerous gas shows. Reservoirs have retained good porosities (up to 20%) and permeability (up to 100 md) in the shallower reservoirs. Sandstones range up to 300m in thickness and are mostly continental or nearshore marine and have soft sediment deformation and curious trace fossils possibly the string of bead features similar to Horodyskia moniliformis or williamsii (?) are found on very shallow arenaceous shallow water substrates associated with flat crested mega-ripples, and abundant subaqueous penecontemporaneous slumps and small scale evaporite dissolution features. A Ryder Scott (2009) evaluation of the natural gas potential of the basin performed prior to the deepening of the Shenandoah 1A well was updated in 2010 to include all of
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the prospective unconventional oil plays (Lower Kyalla and Mid Velkerri). In both reports, the recoverable natural gas resource potential was estimated to be 63.91 TCF of which shale gas accounted for 23 TCF, Basin Centered Gas for 39.3 TCF and the remaining 1.6 TCF in conventional gas accumulations. In 2010, Ryder Scott (2010), estimated 38.95 BBO of recoverable
Although geologists are trained to believe the present is the key to the past, this paradigm is seriously challenged by Proterozoic rocks. oil of which 1.35 is conventional oil, 10.2 BBO in the Upper Kyalla Shale, 3.6 BBO in the Lower Kyalla shale and 23.8 BBO in the Mid Velkerri Shale. Prospective areas for oil vs. natural gas in the Mid Velkerri for example were 3.89 and 1.17 million acres respectively. Although geologists are trained
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to believe the present is the key to the past, this paradigm is seriously challenged by Proterozoic rocks. The Proterozoic occupies nearly half of earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history, and the oceans, continents, sedimentation, life forms, rock kinetics, are substantially different than the Phanerozoic. For example, sulfate minerals such as pickeringite, voltaite, rozentite and pyrite occur in the Velkerri Shale reflecting the very different water chemistry, volcanism and tectonic plate distribution in this ancient landmass (pre Rodiniapost Columbia supercontinent). The unconformity between the Cambrian Antrim basalt (dated to 573 Mya) and the Kyalla Shale (dated to 1.4 Ga) of some 800 million years plus is longer than the Phanerozoic so there is plenty of uncertainty about the basinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. Today the basin is a low relief area with significant dry and wet seasons hiding a buried Mesoproterozoic rift and thrust belt basin. Its great age is always a concern for petroleum preservation, but apatite fission track analyses suggest principal times of generation to be 200, 130 and 50 million years ago. Active hydrocarbons are evidenced in the many cores, DSTs, mudlog and well log shows of the dozen wells in the basin drilled to date, as well as many shallow coreholes, which mostly penetrated the pre-rift Velkerri Shale. The Beetaloo Basin is comparable in size to the current Bakken play in the Williston and opens a window on the little explored Proterozoic petroleum systems and basins of the world.
January 2012
Luncheon Programs
Are Shales Really that Dull? Shining Light into Dark Places and the Effects of Opening Pandora's Box. By Joe H.S. Macquaker,Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's, Canada, February 15, 2012 Fine-grained sedimentary rocks are currently the subjects of great deal of research. In spite being very common they are poorly known, relative to other sedimentary rock types. Most geologists consider them to be the product of deposition in low energy environments, and if they are source rocks, below anoxic bottom waters. Recent petrographic studies of marine mudstones have shown that they are typically organized into very thin, sharp based beds and commonly contain a wide variety of micro-sedimentary structures including: gutter casts, compacted ripples, triplet fabrics, organo-minerallic aggregates, aggregate grains and diminutive burrows. The presence of these fabrics forces a radical reappraisal of the conditions under which they were deposited and the processes responsible for organic carbon enrichment of the sediment. Using micro textural data derived from classic fine-grained successions e.g. Kimmeridge Clay Formation, Mancos Shale, Whitby Mudstone Formation and Marcellus Shale, the sedimentological processes responsible for mudstone deposition in these units will be reviewed. The presence of a wide diversity of micofabrics suggest that prior to being sedimented the components of the mudstones were: a) delivered to the seafloor as organo-minerallic aggregates and b) then dispersed both in bedload and as fluid mud by processes such as wave enhanced sediment gravity flows and geostrophic flows, prior to c) being burrowed by diminutive organisms that were living close to the sediment water interface. These data suggest that mudstones, and source rocks in particular, were deposited in much more dynamic conditions than most researchers have assumed, and that the deep water, predominantly low energy, anoxic model that is typically the default setting for interpreting their origin needs to be revisited. They also demonstrate that these rocks contain a great deal of useful, but largely unrecognized stratigraphic information, and that they reward careful study.
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PTTC Workshops Basic Well Log Interpretation Monday-Tuesday, January 9-10, 2012, 8:30 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center Ballroom C Fee: $450, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Dan Krygowski, The Discovery Group, Denver, CO
Overview: The course assumes no logging knowledge and seeks to establish an understanding of basic petrophysical measurements and interpretation techniques which can be applied to routine tasks, and upon which more complex and advanced information and interpretive techniques can be built.
Fluvial Stratigraphy Thursday-Friday, January 19-20, 2012 Colorado School of Mines, General Research Lab Conference Room Fee: $450, includes: refreshments, workbook, and PDH certificate Instructor: John Holbrook (University of Texas, Arlington)
Who should attend: Geologists, engineers, geophysicists, and other professionals engaged in production and/or exploration of reservoirs that were partly to mostly deposited by river and floodplain processes. Objectives and content: Fluvial reservoirs abound and are an integral source of the world petroleum supply. The primary objective of this course is to provide a primer on the range of processes that form fluvial strata and to develop from this genetic framework for assessing the stratigraphic architecture of fluvial reservoirs. The course will provide an overview of river processes and primary controls on fluvial preservation. We will use this background as a basis to explain the range of stratigraphic variations observed in fluvial strata from the bedform to the basin scale. From this foundation, we will explore best techniques for reconstructing reservoir stratigraphy from available core, seismic, well-log and outcrop data.
Pervasive Tight Gas Reservoirs: Classroom and Core Workshop Thursday-Friday, March 8-9, 2011 USGS Core Facility, Lakewood, CO Fee: $450, includes food at breaks Instructor: Larry Meckel and John Kuhla Class will combine classroom learning with hands on work with core. The first day will be spent discussing the geology of different deposition environments and learning to recognize their log signatures. The last day will be spent looking at examples from the Rocky Mountain basins. This 2-day course at the Denver USGS Core Facility will address some of the basic concepts and tools we use to recognize, map, and evaluate these pervasive tight gas reservoir systems. These resource plays have been around a long time (therefore lots of good data), are still being aggressively developed (downsized), and are the focus of new exploration (one very new play may well become the largest gas field in the U.S.). So even though gas prices are depressed, these plays have not gone away and are still very much on the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radar screen. The instructors have over 70 years of combined experience in these plays. They will address concepts, useful techniques, and problem areas on the first day via lectures and use the second day to look at a variety of outstanding cores from fields in four Rocky Mountain basins. Class Descriptions and Register Online: www.pttcrockies.org For more information, contact Mary Carr, 303.273.3107, mcarr@mines.edu
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January 2012
The Outcrop Needs YOU! We need articles for the Outcrop. Have you attended a great lecture or read an interesting new geology or energy book? Have you attended a class or gone on a field trip that would interest the membership? Have you learned a new technique or found some great public domain software? Share your research so we can grow together. We are looking for articles about the new water laws, basin modeling on the “cheap,” new geologic trails or programs, legislative concerns, new technology. Please submit your ideas or articles and photos to: Josh Robbins Kristine Peterson Cat Campbell Holly Sell
staff@rmag.org k.peterson@laramidegeo.com Catherine.e.campbell@gmail.com HSell@nobleenergyinc.com
Please be sure to include a phone number and make sure our emails are white listed. We have had a few submissions that we wished to run but we could not reach the submitters by email and had no other contact information.
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Vol. 60, No. 12
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January 2012
In the Pipeline February 15, 2012 RMAG Luncheon. AAPG Distinquished Lecturer, Joe H.S. Macquaker. “Are shales really that dull? Shining light into dark places and the effects of opening Pandora's Box.”
January 4, 2012 RMAG Luncheon. “The Beetaloo Basin, Australia: The World’s Oldest Petroleum System?” Speaker Thomas Ahlbrandt. January 9-10, 2012 PTTC Short Course. “Basic Well Log Interpretation.” Instructor Dan Krygowski. Course will be held at CSM, Golden, CO. Visit www.pttc.org.
March 8-9, 2012 PTTC Short Course. “Pervasive Tight Gas Reservoirs.” Course will be held at CSM and the USGS Core Facility. Visit www.pttc.org.
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January 10, 2012 Desk and Derrick Luncheon. For reservations, please contact RSVP@deskandderrick.org.
If you have any events that you would like to post in this column, please submit via email to Holly Sell at hsell@nobleenergyinc. com or to the RMAG office at rmagdenver@aol.com for consideration.
January 17, 2012 DWLS Luncheon. For reservations, call Jennifer Bartell at 303-770-4235. January 19-20, 2012 PTTC Shor t Course. “Fluvial Stratigraphy.” Instructor John Holbrook. Course will be held at CSM, Golden, CO. Visit www.pttc.org. January 23, 2012 RMAG/PTTC Short Course. “Source Rocks 101.” Course will be held at the Downtown Denver Marriot. Visit www. rmag.org. January 25, 2012 Oilfield Christian Fellowship Luncheon. To RSVP call Barb Burrell at 303-675-2602 or e-mail OCFDenverChapter@pxd.com. January 31, 2012 RMS-SEPM Luncheon. Speaker Alan Carroll. “Prospects and Progress in the Green River Formation Oil Shale, Western U.S.” For reservations call 303-572-3550 or go to Luncheons@ rmssepm.org. OUTCROP
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New Members Welcome to New Active Members...
Welcome to New Students... Brett Duncan Brett currently resides in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Stephen Martin Stephen is a part of the Business Development Team for Baker Hughes located in Denver, CO
Michele Wiechman Michele is a student at the Colorado School of Mines.
Steve Young Steve is the Owner of Petroleum Field Services located in Denver, CO.
Welcome to New Associate Members...
Ken Schwartz Ken is a Geologist at AES Holdings located in The Woodlands, TX.
Samantha Potthoff Samantha is currently employed at Core Labs located in Denver, CO.
Brad Michalchuk Brad is a Geologist at Pioneer Natural Resources located in Denver, CO.
Chris Forster Chris is currently employed at Oxy USA Inc. located in Houston, TX.
David Walton David is a Marketing Representative at Seismic Exchange located in Denver, CO.
Jammy Ledbetter Jammy is a consulting engineer based out of Fort Morgan, CO.
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Spencer Blake Spencer is the VP at Navigator Oil and Minerals located in Denver, CO.
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Vol. 60, No. 12
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January 2012
Advertisers Index AAPG........................................ 15
Innovative GeoTech................. 12
Peterson Energy.........................7
Applied Geophysics................ 23
MJ Systems............................. 14
Rockware................................. 26
Banko Petroleum.................... 19
Mazzullo Energy Corp................7
TGS..............................................9
Bowler Petrophysics............... 24
Neuralog.....................................2
Vista GeoScience.................... 18
Canadian Discovery................ 21
PTTC......................................... 20
Whitehead, Neil H., III................4
I.H.S.......................................... 22
Pangean Resources................ 14
January 2012
SUNDAY
1
MONDAY
TUESDAY
2
3
9
10
Desk & Derrick Luncheon
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
4
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11
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RMAG Luncheon Speaker: Thomas Ahlbrandt
NEW YEAR'S DAY
8
WEDNESDAY
PTTC Short Course
15
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17 DWLS Luncheon
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29
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RMAG/ PTTC Short Course
30
24
PTTC Short Course
25 Oilfield
26
27
28
Christian Fellowship Luncheon
31 RMAG/SEPM Luncheon
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CALL FOR PAPERS: THE MOUNTAIN GEOLOGIST
ATTENTION Geologists, Earth Science Professors and Graduate Students Publish your Paper in The Mountain Geologist!
The Mountain Geologist is RMAGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peer-reviewed, quarterly journal. It focuses on the geology of the Rocky Mountain area of the United States and related topics from outside the Rocky Mountain area. We accept manuscripts from almost every subdiscipline in the geosciences, from authors in academia and industry. Share your ideas, experience and wisdom! The Mountain Geologist circulates to over 2200 members and about 200 university libraries and industrial associates. It has been published by RMAG since 1964. Please email manuscripts or suitability questions to Joyce Trygstad Nelson at jtpetr@aol.com or Mel Klinger mel.klinger@fidelityepco.com . Manuscripts must be written in accordance with The Mountain Geologist Authors Style Guide, available online at www.rmag.org.
Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists 910 16th Street, Suite 1125 Denver, CO 80202
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