November 2016 Outcrop by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 65 • No. 11 • November 2016

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OUTCROP | November 2016

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

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

RMAG STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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

Hannah Rogers hrogers@rmag.org ACCOUNTANT

Carol Dalton cdalton@rmag.org PROJECTS SPECIALIST

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org MANAGING EDITOR

Will Duggins will.duggins@i-og.net

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Rates and sizes can be found on page 6. 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.

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Greg Guyer Greg.Guyer@halliburton.com Cheryl Fountain cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu Ron Parker ron.parker@taskfronterra.com DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Nate Silva nate@nate-silva.com

The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Vol. 65, No. 11 | |www.rmag.org www.rmag.org

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Outcrop| | November 2016 OUTCROP

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

22 2016 RMAG Award Recipients

2 RMAG 2016 Summit Sponsors

34 Lead Story: Liquefaction Hazards in Utah

17 RMAG Rockbusters Ball

38 On The Rocks Field Trips: Fountain and Ingleside Formations DEPARTMENTS 6 RMAG September 2016 Board of Directors Meeting 6 Outcrop Advertising Rates 8 President’s Letter 18 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Katie Dahlberg

21 Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in Uncoventional Plays, Rocky Mountain Region: Arriving Soon 31 RMAG/DAPL GeoLand Ski Day 33 RMAG Core Workshop: Thank You! 44 2017 RMAG Mentorship Program

COVER PHOTO

49 RMAG Foundation

Earthquake liquefaction, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2010. Photo © Mcartney | Dreamstime.com

20 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Steven G. Fryberger 43 Welcome New RMAG Members 43 In The Pipeline 49 Calendar 50 Advertiser Index

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

RMAG SEPTEMBER 2016 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING By Sarah Hawkins, Secretary shawkins@usgs.gov

page (http://www.rmag.org/membership) for more details. Registration for the annual Rockbusters Ball is now open, and it should be a great event. I learned at the September BOD meeting that this event has a long history with RMAG that spans many decades, and it isn’t even a “ball” anymore! Traditionally, the Rockbusters Ball is a social event intended to honor annual RMAG award recipients and allow members to socialize while participating in games, a silent auction, and of course eat an excellent dinner. In addition to honoring the recipients of the awards for outstanding work in the geosciences, this year the first group of RMAG mentors and mentees will be recognized. The annual “ball” will be held on November 12 at the Warwick Hotel in Denver. It is 1980’s themed, so wear your best “rock star” attire and come out to the party! The RMAG website has additional details about the event and how to make reservations if you plan to stay overnight in this lovely historic hotel.

The September meeting of the RMAG Board of Directors meeting took place on September 21, 2016 at 4 p.m. Treasurer-elect, Karen Dean reported that the organization is doing well financially. The board is currently reviewing the 2017 draft budget and will vote on the final version of the budget at the October BOD meeting. The RMAG election for the 2017 Board of Directors is upon us and we have some excellent candidates running for office in this organization. If you missed the biographical sketches in the October issue of the Outcrop, their bios and other information is posted on the RMAG website. In addition to voting for the new board members this year, two other measures are also on the ballot. As I mentioned last month, these measures 1) change archaic language in the organization’s bylaws, and 2) makes changes to the board structure, ensuring that at least 50% of the board are returning members each year. Check out the full explanation of the proposed changes on the RMAG membership

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OUTCROP | November 2016

PRESIDENT’S LETTER By John Ladd

Scientific Revolutions

Alfred Wegener first proposed the idea of continental drift in a lecture in 1912 and then fleshed it out in a small book published in 1915. The observation that the eastern and 8

western hemispheres seemed to fit together and that perhaps they had somehow drifted apart was not a new one. It was first mentioned in print by Abraham

OUTCROP | November 2016

I have always been fascinated with scientific revolutions, the point when an accumulation of new data and new ideas about that data suddenly leads an individual or a group to come up with a radical new way of understanding how the world works. I recently got to visit Iceland, and one of the places that we stopped at was Thingvellor, where the early Viking settlers held their parliament. It is located in a natural amphitheater formed by a graben that marks, in a somewhat simplified version of the local geology, the spot where the North American and Eurasian Plates are diverging. It is a spectacular example of a rift zone, especially when you figure out where to access it so you can avoid the tour bus crowds and actually get to see it instead of the back of some other tourist pressed up against your face. After pondering the irony that hordes of Chinese tourists were travelling to an obscure corner of the world to see the site of the world’s first parliamentary democracy, I started thinking about the scientific revolution that changed our field half a century ago, the theory of plate tectonics and more specifically, the 50 years between when an early version of the theory was first proposed and when it was generally accepted.

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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Ortelius in 1585. As increasing amounts of bathymetry data became available in the late 19th century, geologists began to realize that the fit between the shelf edges was even better than the coast lines and the idea of the continents splitting apart began to be mentioned with more frequency. However Wegener was the first person to consider that if the continents had broken apart and one could figure out how the two pieces fit together, then one should be able to find places that had been joined together in the past that had similar age rocks, similar formations and similar fossil assemblages. Then he did an extensive search of the literature and found that there were numerous examples of this, too many for it to be just a coincidence. The first paper received little notice outside of Germany due to the ongoing World War 1 but a revised and expanded version of the paper was published in 1922 and was soon translated into English. This one did get lots of attention, but not of the good kind. First, Wegener didn’t have a feasible mechanism to explain how the continents split apart, and his two suggestions were quickly proven to be physically impossible. But second, he wasn’t even a geologist. Trained in college as an astronomer, he got interested in meteorology and by the early 1920’s he was involved in weather research on the Greenland icecap. The explanation for the fit of the two hemispheres had just been a curiosity to him and he pursued the research that went into the paper in his spare time. The age of

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OUTCROP | November 2016

PRESIDENT’S LETTER formed symmetrical stipes on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. He realized that new oceanic crust must be forming at the ridge and then moving away from it, which caused the two hemispheres to drift away from each other. Once his paper was published, this forced everyone to relook at existing data in a new light and a flood of papers came out over the next five years that fleshed out the theory of plate tectonics. Which brings me back to Iceland. It wasn’t really necessary to wait around for fifty years for paleo magnetic data of the Atlantic sea floor to be acquired in order to understand how the continents had split apart. I realize that any geologist who visits Thingvellor now has the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, but still, the narrow gorge that forms the site where the parliament met looks like a rift and the surrounding topography makes it hard to imagine that it was formed by water or glacial erosion. In addition, a section of the trail along the bottom of the gorge had to be replaced with a bridge a few decades ago

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specialization had taken over the sciences in the late 19th century and the idea that an astronomer turned meteorologist could figure out something of such importance before any geologist did was considered an outrage. The only solution was to discredit the idea and the person who proposed it, even though his observations that led to it were all valid. It wasn’t just the academics that jumped on him. The AAPG organized a symposium in 1925 specifically in opposition to the hypothesis. Wegener continued to defend and refine his idea, but he froze to death while on an expedition to Greenland in 1930 and never got a chance to prove himself right. After his death, the idea was considered officially discredited, and getting a paper published in a scientific journal in support of it became virtually impossible. The breakthrough didn’t happen until the 1960’s, when J. Tuzo Wilson, who had been studying the paleomagnetism of the sea floor for years, acquired enough data to realize that the areas of north and south polarization in the Atlantic

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Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

Workshops to Improve Your Skills Reservoir Engineering for Petroleum Professionals Wednesday, November 9, 2016, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center, Ballroom E

Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, workbook, and PDH certificate. Instructor: Dr. Luis Zerpa, PhD. Assistant Professor, Colorado School of Mines This one day short course presents an overview of the fundamental concepts used in petroleum reservoir engineering. Starting with the definition and classification of petroleum reservoirs, and with the presentation of fundamental rock and fluid properties, the instructor will guide the participants in the application of engineering methods for estimation of initial fluid distribution in a reservoir and the estimation of initial volume of hydrocarbons in place. Additionally, this short course will include a brief introduction to unconventional reservoirs, and the application of engineering methods to the estimation of reserves of unconventional reservoirs.

Carbonate Diagenesis

Tuesday-Wednesday, December 20-21, 2016, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall room 403 Fee: $500, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate, limit 20 Instructor: Dr. Peter A. Scholle, and Dr. Dana Ulmer-Scholle, New Mexico Tech & Scholle Petrographic

Synopsis:

Carbonate diagenesis includes any physical or chemical changes that occur in carbonate rocks after their deposition. It can begin on the sea floor and may include early subaerial exposure (syn/eogenetic) continue through possible burial (mesogenetic) and into possible uplift-related (telogenetic) realms. Since diagenesis has profound effects on the porosity and permeability evolution of the carbonate reservoirs, understanding these changes can provide valuable information on both the history of reservoir potential through time as well as the history of fluid flow through the units. Although many reservoirs produce mainly from original or early formed pores, there is a growing understanding that late-stage diagenesis can also form excellent productive porosity. Unlike most courses that consist of only lectures, this course provides participants an opportunity to have hands-on experience using standard petrographic techniques to better understand how diagenesis impacts carbonate reservoirs and how to identify the processes involved and their relative timing. This class is designed for participants who 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 petrophysical or core studies of carbonate rocks provides unique and important information about their diagenetic history. The information garnered from petrographic analyses can be utilized to better understand reservoir trends, diagenetic effects that impact reservoir quality, and fluid flow through these rocks. This course combines half-day lectures with hands-on petrographic observations of thin sections from a variety of carbonate rocks. Participants are also welcome to bring their own thin section samples to the class.

Course Topics:     

Overview of carbonate rocks and their composition Syndepositional to early burial diagenesis (marine and meteoric processes) Burial diagenesis Uplift-related diagenesis Dolomitization

Basic Well Log Interpretation

Tuesday – Thursday, January 10-12, 2017, 8:30 am – 5 pm Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center Fee: $750, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Dan Krygowski, The Discovery Group, Denver, CO Class Descriptions and Register Online: www.pttcrockies.org

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org For more

11 | November 2016 information, contact Mary Carr, 303.273.3107, OUTCROP mcarr@mines.edu

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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when a fissure opened up. Wander around the park outside the main rift and there are several other fissures to be seen. You can even hire a guide and go scuba diving in one of them. It has been drowned by a lake that has been expanding over the past several centuries as the valley sinks. Look across the valley from the rim of the main gorge and on the opposite slope there are a numerous fault scarps marking a series of normal faults. As for new crust being formed, the whole island is basalt; there are at least two large volcanoes visible just from Thingvellor, at least on the rare days when the cloud cover lifts; along the lake shore, big clouds of steam rise up from a collection of hot springs. The locals have kept a thousand years of thorough records about the numerous, major eruptions Cinder cones are so common they are hardly worth mentioning. By the time Wegener was writing his paper, the location of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge had been mapped out and Iceland was known to sit right on its crest. The year before he died, data was released showing that there was an axial valley along the entire crest, just like what’s in the accompanying photo. Thingvellor itself was not some obscure place. The park brochure describes it as “the national shrine of Iceland”. There was even a big ceremony at the site in 1934 celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the first meeting of parliament. Surely this event was noted in newspapers outside of Iceland, probably with photos of the site

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER working in basins that have been picked over by other geologists for fifty or one hundred years. Without new technological tools, new data and new ideas, we would never find much. Spotting a useful new idea is critical for getting in on the next new play before everyone else. It is unlikely many of us would pass on a good idea just because the person pushing it didn’t have a degree in the right field, plus the oil and gas business doesn’t have any gatekeepers on information like the editors of major scientific journals. If you have a bright idea about something new to try, all you need is enough money to rent a booth at NAPE and if it has any merit, it’s likely to get sold and drilled. Petroleum geology has gone through its own revolution in the last few decades, from focusing on conventional plays to whatever you want to call it: unconventionals, shale plays, tight sand or basin centered gas. Along the way, there have been lots of opportunities to follow up on new ideas and prosper. There have also been opportunities

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But nobody figured it out. Perhaps, once the powers that be decided that Wegener’s idea was foolish, then no one wanted to risk their career trying to support him. Or perhaps no one could get funding to travel to Iceland and gather evidence in support of the concept. My recollection is that Wilson had been studying the magnetic patterns on the sea floor all over the world for a period of twenty years. His purpose was not to find evidence of sea floor spreading. The discovery was accidental. Whatever the reason, lots of academics passed up on an opportunity to make a major discovery, write a landmark paper, get tenure and, presumably, live happily ever after. Plate tectonics is primarily an area of academic study. It has only been of minor utility in oil and gas exploration. However, as petroleum geologists, we rely on new advances both in the understanding of geological phenomena and in technology to conduct exploration for new reserves. After all, most of us are

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OUTCROP | November 2016

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

OUTCROP | November 2016

to misunderstand these ideas or carry them too far and thus squander a lot of capital. It is interesting to see how well we have done. I will give you a few examples from my experience working on these plays. The Codell/Niobrara play was one of the early basin-centered gas plays, with development heating up in the late 1980’s. Geologists were aware of strong shows in these formations from numerous wells drilled into the deeper D and J Sands since the 1960’s, but no one paid it much attention until John Masters published a paper in the AAPG Bulletin in 1979 regarding large accumulations of gas in tight rocks located within the deep parts of several western North American basins. His remarkable observation was that there did not appear to be any conventional trap separating the gas-charged rocks from up dip water-bearing strata. He proposed that relative perm effects caused by the low permeability caused the trap, but in reality, his mechanism for explaining these accumulations wasn’t much stronger than Wegener’s explanation for continental drift. Because of excellent well control from several decades of drilling for deeper formations, it was well documented that the Codell Sandstone was a continuous layer from the Wattenberg Field, where it produces wet gas, through an up dip oil leg and then to water. Somehow, buoyancy didn’t seem to apply. But 14

that didn’t stop companies from testing it after Master’s paper came out. I got involved in the play in 1990, when I joined Snyder Oil. Amoco had recently farmed out the Codell/Niobrara rights in their extensive acreage block in Wattenberg to Snyder and HS Resources. The mood at Snyder was aggressive. The basin centered concept was taken as a given. You could drill anywhere; you didn’t need geologists to high grade it, just keep your costs down. Amoco’s acreage happened to be in the high GOR and high EUR part of the field. Production was consistent, wells were cheap to drill and they were consistently profitable. But then Snyder’s mamagement got too aggressive, signing a farm out agreement with a huge drilling commitment on acreage to the east of the main part of the field. The wells did produce, but the GOR was too low and the permeability was so low that the oil couldn’t flow at economic rates. They were left with hundreds of uneconomic wells. At the same time, they tried applying the basin-centered gas concept to the deep Green River Basin. They acquired acreage in and around what was to become the Jonah Field. Assuming they could drill anywhere, they did, and they always found gas, but sometimes it was over pressured and the wells were great and other times it was normally pressured and the wells were subeconomic. Soon it became evident that the boundary

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between the two types of wells was linear, the so-called Line of Death. I remember being in a meeting when the geologist working on the field presented his maps that demonstrated this. Arguments followed. How could there be such a thing? After all, linear boundaries usually mean faults, which suggested the field was formed by a conventional fault trap. Wasn’t there a basin-centered accumulation throughout the deep Green? In the end, Snyder had managed to acquire and develop parts of one of the biggest domestic gas discoveries of the 1990’s and acquired prime acreage in what has turned out to be one of the best unconventional fields, yet they still managed to get into financial trouble. They ended up getting broken in two in 1996, with the Wattenberg part being merged with another company to form Patina and the rest being sold to Santa Fe. Their mistake was the opposite of the one all of the geologist who disparaged Wegener had made. Instead of ignoring all the new data and just focusing on the explanation of the data that wasn’t physically possible, they jumped on the observations of Master’s but didn’t pay enough attention to his lack of convincing explanation of the phenomenon. These accumulations weren’t in every basin and even where they were present, they had limits which differed from basin to basin. In places like the Green River Basin, where most of the gas fields are in rock with micro-darcy perm, gas has migrated from the source and collected in something resembling conventional traps. In basins like

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER the Denver Basin, where the Niobrara and Codell reservoirs are more in the nano-darcy range, there hasn’t been much lateral, up-dip movement away from the source and the basin-centered model works reasonably well, but that doesn’t mean there will be enough permeability to make the economics work everywhere, especially in vertical wells. There are still sweet spots and not-so-sweet spots.. This brings up another common mistake. Basin centered or unconventional plays exist because the rock is too tight to allow for much lateral movement

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as deep as in the productive part of the play. Not surprisingly lots of companies ignored this and leased up large areas and as to be expected, the wells have been mostly uneconomic. So how does this relate to the RMAG? One of our principal missions is to provide continuing education to our members, especially so we can stay current with new ideas. I am pleased to say that when we held a basin-centered vs conventional symposium in 2002, there was no pre-conceived right answer like at the AAPG meeting on continental drift. Proponents of both sides presented their arguments, there was time built into the schedule to allow for questions and debate, and debate there was, sometimes quite heated. For those of us who didn’t have strong opinions either way, it was a great opportunity to listen to the cases each side made and decide for ourselves what was the right answer. Our understanding of unconventionals is still incomplete: how, for example, do large oil molecules flow through nano-darcy rock? In the future, we have plans to start, in conjunction with the DWLS, what will hopefully become an annual event modeled after the URTec Symposium, although with more emphasis on the petrophysics of unconventional plays. The first one is planned for next fall. It may not answer all the questions we have about unconventional plays, but perhaps it will give you some good ideas you can run with.

of the oil and gas away from the source, so it stands to reason that they will only exist where the source rock is mature. However at least in two cases, companies have gotten over aggressive and leased huge acreage blocks in areas outside of where the source is mature. In the Mississippian Lime play in the Midcontinent, large parts of western Kansas were leased up, even though the underlying Woodford Shale, which is the source rock, is immature. Wells drilled to test the play there were wet. In the Midland Basin, maturity drops off in the northern part of the basin, even though it is just

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R o c k b u s t e r s

B a l l

Night of the

Registration closes 11/8! Price: $55 Register at www.rmag.org. Professional Awards Happy Hour Dinner Silent Auction Games 80's music and attire Photo booth Radical Times

Nove m b e r 12 , 2 0 1 6 T h e Wa r w i c k H o t e l

email: staďŹ&#x20AC;@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

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fax: 303.476.2241 17

web: www.rmag.org

follow: @rmagdenver OUTCROP | November 2016

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Katie Dahlberg — November 2, 2016

Making Unconventional, Conventional

Lithologies and Petrophysical Characteristics of the Upper Cretaceous Baxter Shale Gas Reservoir Canyon Creek Field, Sweetwater County, Wyoming Katie Dahlberg, Mark Longman, and Katerina Yared; QEP Resources, 1050 17th Street, Suite 800, Denver, CO 80265 carbon content ranges from 1.5® to 2.3 wt% in the PetroFecta from thermally mature (>1.4% Ro) shales and from 0.25 Fluid Inclusion to 0.75 wt% in the siltstones. Measured porosities in both the shales Technologies and siltstones are typically 4.5 to 7.5% with low matrix permeabilities ranging from is a unique approach combining about 80 to 700 nanodarcies. ® ), Trapped FluidofAnalysis XRF (PDQ-XRF Lying between the sandstones the Fron® and High Resolution Photography (FIS tier and Blair, the), Baxter Shale appears to be gas® ) ofthickness the entire wellbore from (RockEye its charged throughout in Canyon Creek Field. The entire Baxter interval is highly overpreswell cuttings or core samples of any age. sured (0.72 to 0.88 psi/ft) and exhibits fair to exare conducted on theagainst same mud cellent showsAllofanalyses gas during drilling weights of 13 to 17 pounds per gallon. Multi-stage 1 gram sample (up to 575 samples per well) hydraulic fracture stimulation of this interval along with an analytical cycle of four days. with the underlying Dakota and Frontier sandstones allows vertical wellsontoa DVD be completed with Data provided with

The Baxter Shale, stratigraphically equivalent to the Cody, Steele, and Mancos shales of Wyoming, was deposited in the Western Interior Seaway about 90 to 85 million years ago. In Canyon Creek Field, it consists of about 2700 ft of dominantly carbonate-rich, siliceous and illitic marine siltstones 1 and 2 man Mudlogging and shales. Siltstone beds range in thickness from Summit Gas Referencing™ a single layer Mudlogging of grains to ~3 cm and are separatGeosteering ed by shalier beds in coarsening-upward packagServices es that average about 200 ft thick in the upper part Mike Barberfor miles. Bioturof the Baxter and are correlative Manager Serving the Rocky Mountain bation ranges from non-existent toRegion minor in most beds. The thinnest planar siltstone beds represent 230 Airport Rd. Ph (435)657-0586 dominantly hypopycnal flow or eolianCell dust whereUnit D (435)640-1382 Heber City, Utah 84032 email: mbarber@summitmudlog.com as the thicker beds contain ripple laminae and were www.summitmudlog.com deposited by bottom currents including hyperpycnal flows. In Canyon Creek Field, the total organic

Katie Dahlberg received her B.S. in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines in 2010. After interning three years with Questar Exploration and Production, now QEP Resources, she started full-time work for ®the company in Information about PetroFecta 2010, focusing on the Williston The first five years of and other Basin. FIT services, her career were spent exploring and developing the Williston call 918.461.8984 or visit Basin, during which time shewww.fittulsa.com also earned her M.S. in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines in 2014. Her most recent work has focused on the Baxter Formation in the Greater Green River Basin.

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Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS

IPs of 1 to 5 MMCFGPD. The best production generally comes from the silt-rich intervals as determined with production logs, but the extremely thin-bedded character of the siltstones and shale complicates petrophysical interpretation and quantification of gas in place. Natural fractures in the Baxter are mostly cemented with calcite and quartz, but localized open fractures may enhance production. Despite the significant overpressure and encouraging shows of gas, Baxter drilling results in four horizontal wells located in and around Canyon Creek Field during 2007 and 2008 have been

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

disappointing with cumulative production of less than 0.5 BCF/ well over about 8 years. This is even less than several of the vertical wells in the field. Optimization of horizontal wellbore orientation, changes in drilling strategy and mud weights, along with improved fracture stimulation techniques are being evaluated with the goal of turning the Baxter resource in Canyon Creek Field into an economic play that may potentially extend across several townships. There is no doubt that the Baxter contains significant amounts of gas but a better strategy for production must be developed to tap this large resource.

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RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Steven G. Fryberger — December 7, 2016

Stratigraphy, Exploration and EOR potential of the Tensleep/Casper Formations, Southeast Wyoming Steven G. Fryberger, Nick Jones, Matthew Johnson and Curtis Chopping, Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute, University of Wyoming. April, 2016.

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strategies from CO2 injection to primary production using various well spacing strategies. Southeast Wyoming is a mature region in terms of oil exploration, with some discoveries dating back to the 1930’s. However, it may be under-capitalized in the sense that further investment may allow profitable application of current seismic and other exploration techniques. Our CRS analysis, and the structural overview indicates some potential for further exploration and development in this region, and identifies those areas that are most likely to contain additional reserves.

The Pennsylvanian-Permian Tensleep/Casper Formation in Southeast Wyoming has produced commercial volumes of oil and gas in a region extending from Lost Soldier-Wertz to Quealy Dome for many years. We have reviewed Tensleep oil production in the Laramie, Shirley and Hanna Basins in the light of sedimentological and other technical progress, analyzing oil shows, reservoir quality and trap styles to produce Common Risk Segment (CRS) maps of this play. We have measured new outcrop sections in this region, as well as reviewed core and production data. We have created a new subsurface tops database and regional correlations of the Tensleep. Our results support the idea that the Tensleep in this region consists of a dominantly eolian Upper Member and eolian-paralic Lower Member; and that for all practical purposes the Tensleep and Casper are the same formation and separate nomenclature is not necessary. Additionally, our study provides details of complex reservoir flow unit geometry that at multiple scales in the productive Upper Tensleep. These complexities, in general, reduce recovery factors and sweep efficiency in primary production and EOR/IOR projects. Our studies further indicate that arrangement of primary eolian strata, and bedform geometry negatively affect recovery factors in the Upper Tensleep. Along with our study of key outcrops, we also looked at the Tensleep in terms of global concepts in eolian reservoir oil and gas production worldwide, in order to view Southeast Wyoming in an updated perspective. A review of the EOR status of Tensleep fields in Southeast Wyoming reveals a range of development

Steve Fryberger is a stratigrapher/scientist who has spent a career in the exploration and exploitation of eolian and continental rocks for the petroleum industry. Prior to his work at Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI), (until spring of 2012) he served as Senior Regional Geologist at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in Muscat, Oman – A joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell and the Sultanate of Oman. Prior to this, Steve worked for Shell in Aberdeen, and independent oil companies in Denver, Colorado. While at PDO he worked in the new ventures team. This team studied the whole of Oman in order to create new exploration plays. His studies of modern eolian and related deposits have formed the foundation for many of the projects he has undertaken in exploration and development both at PDO and in prior years. Steve has experience in the interpretation of seismic data with respect to eolian and related continental (hydrocarbon bearing) depositional systems at both the prospect and regional level. He has conducted and published independent research in eolian deposits for many years. In 1978, Steve received a M.S. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines. 20

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

Arriving in the RMAG Digital store soon. Non-member - $70

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Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in

Unconventional Plays, Rocky Mountain Region Editors: Michael P. Dolan, Debra K. Higley, Paul G. Lillis Introduction - Michael P. Dolan, Debra K. Higley, and Paul G. Lillis

(Pennsylvanian) Source Beds in the Williston Basin, Western North Dakota Stratigraphy and Depositional Origin of Tyler Formation - TIMOTHY O. NESHEIM and STEPHEN H. NORDENG

Marine mudstone source rocks in epicontinental basins: Development of a conceptual facies model and application to Cenomanian/Turonian mudstones of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway - BRUCE S. HART Overpressure development through time using 4D pressure-volume-temperature modeling in the deep Anadarko Basin, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas DEBRA K. HIGLEY The Chuar Petroleum System, Arizona and Utah - PAUL G. LILLIS Insights into the Evolution of an Intracratonic Foreland Basin: A Regional Assessment of the Duvernay Formation - Matthew Davis, Glenn Karlen, Mark Tobey, and David Tivey Petroleum system model of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation in the northern Williston Basin, Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba, and southeastern Alberta, Canada - DEBRA K. HIGLEY and NICHOLAS J. GIANOUTSOS The Integration of Geochemical, Stratigraphic, and Production Data to Improve Geological Models in the Bakken-Three Forks Petroleum System, Williston Basin, North Dakota - MARK MILLARD and RILEY BRINKERHOFF

Vitrinite Reﬂectance of Cretaceous Coaly Material and Thermal Maturity of the Niobrara Formation, Denver Basin, Colorado, USA - DANIEL G. HALLAU, RYAN J. SHARMA, and ROBERT M. CLUFF Evolution of the Lower Tertiary Elko Lake Basin, a Potential Hydrocarbon Source Rock in Northeast Nevada - RONALD C. JOHNSON and JUSTIN E. BIRDWELL Geochemistry of the Green River Formation, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado - JEREMY BOAK, SHEVEN POOLE, and JUFANG FENG Source Rock Characterization of the Green River Oil Shale, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado - JUFANG FENG, J. F. SARG, AND K. TÄNAVSUU-MILKEVICIENE Geological, Geochemical, and Reservoir Characterization of the Uteland Butte Member of the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah - JUSTIN E. BIRDWELL, MICHAEL D. VANDEN BERG, RONALD C. JOHNSON, TRACEY J. MERCIER, ADAM R. BOEHLKE, and MICHAEL E. BROWNFIELD Uinta Green River Oil Shale Charge RONALD C. JOHNSON and JUSTIN E. BIRDWELL

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2016 RMAG Award Recipients Laura Wray

as a Senior Staff Geologist where she explored multiple basins including the Williston, Appalachian and the Neuquen of Argentina. Again, Laura outlasted her Denver employer and is now a consulting geologist focusing on educating new hires about the broad concepts of petroleum geology with a focus on petroleum systems, unconventional reservoirs and emerging exploration techniques. During her career, Laura has been a valued volunteer to the profession and to the community. For the RMAG, she has been a member on various committees, served as Co-editor of the 2009 Paradox Basin Revisited guidebook and has helped in the RMAG office during times of transition. She was also elected to the RMAG Board of Directors in 2004 as Secretary and then again in 2012 as a two-year Councilor. Her most lasting contribution, however, has been to the RMAG Foundation where she served from 20072012 with the last two years as Chairman and then again in 2016, again as Chairman of the Foundation. Laura has also been very

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP, 2016

HONORARY MEMBERSHIP

Laura L. Wray

MICHAEL S. JOHNSON EXPLORER OF THE YEAR Steve Kirkwood OUTSTANDING SCIENTIST Ed LoCricchio DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO RMAG Gerald Brummett Joyce Trygstad Nelson DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE TO EARTH SCIENCE John Curtis GEOSCIENCES IN THE MEDIA Wayne Ranney SPECIAL AWARD/ PRESIDENT’S AWARD Carol Dalton Matt Silverman

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to present Honorary Membership, the association’s most prestigious award, to Laura L. Wray. Laura earned this award through her many years of contributions and accomplishments to the geologic profession and, in particular, to the RMAG. After finishing her studies at Wellesley College (B.A.) and West Virginia University (M.S.), Laura began her career with AMOCO where she worked on the Arkoma, Greater Green River, DJ and various midcontinent basins. As it turned out, Laura outlasted AMOCO and moved on for a stint at the Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) as a Petroleum and Coalbed Methane Geologist working primarily on the San Juan Basin. Laura authored or co-authored several papers and two educational CDs while at the CGS. After a short period working as a consulting geologist, she then moved on to WPX

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS active in the Rocky Mountain Section of AAPG, serving as Exhibitor Chair in 2014, and in the AAPG where she served as Education Committee Co-Chair from 2005-2009. She also was a member of the AAPG Energy Minerals Division (EMD) Geology Policy Advisory Board in 1992-1999 and Rocky Mountain Councilor to the EMD in 2000-2008. Combine these activities with her work with the Mountain Institute, the Littleton Symphony, the Wellesley College Alumnae Association and the St. Anne’s Episcopal School and it is apparent that Laura has led and still leads a very busy life composed of geological excellence and service to her community. The membership of the RMAG is honored to present the

MICHAEL S. JOHNSON EXPLORER OF THE YEAR AWARD, 2016

Steven C. Kirkwood The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to present Steven C. Kirkwood the 2016 Michael S. Johnson Explorer of the Year Award. This award is presented in recognition of his efforts in characterizing the oil and gas potential of the Codell Sandstone in the northern D-J Basin. Steve has served as Exploration Geologist for Kirkwood Oil & Gas LLC since graduating from

the University of Wyoming in 1975 with a B.S. degree in geology. During this time, Steve has contributed or been responsible for the development of the Pennel and Cabin Creek Field extensions in Fallon County, Montana, and the Lookout Butte-Cedar Hills Field in Bowman County, North Dakota. In addition, he was one of the founders of Black Rock Resources which established a sizeable lease position in the Bakken Shale Play prior to being sold to Marathon Oil. This transaction represents Marathon’s large position in the Bakken play with an EUR of approximately 700 million barrels of oil. Steve was instrumental in recognizing the Codell Sandstone in the D-J Basin just south of Silo Field, as an oil and gas

2016 RMAG Honorary Membership Award to Laura L. Wray in recognition of her years of service to the geologic profession.

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this previously bypassed maOUTSTANDING SCIENTIST AWARD, 2016 rine sandstone. Encompassing resource play. Beginning in 2005, Kirkwood Oil & Gas began over 500 square miles, the play Edward J. LoCricchio leasing acreage targeting this extends from just south of Silo play in Laramie County, WyoField in Laramie County, WyThe Rocky Mountain Asming and presenting it as a horoming to the northern part of sociation of Geologists grants izontal prospect to J Sand and the 2016 award for OutWeld County, Colorado. Based Niobrara operators in the bastanding Scientist to Edward on Codell completions during sin. Eventually, Cirque ResourcJ. LoCricchio. the time period 2012-2016, a es bought Kirkwood’s prospect This award is based on the success rate greater than 95% and drilled the first horizontal definition of a very finely subhas been achieved. exploration well in 2012. This divided stratigraphic frameIn recognition of his accomhorizontal test well was comwork for the Granite Wash of plishments in oil and gas explopleted for an initial rate of 455 the western Anadarko Basin of ration and field development barrels oil per day and has proOklahoma and Texas panhanduring his career and his conduced 105 MBO and 164 MMCFG dle. This work was done while tribution to Codell exploration in 4 years. After several successemployed by Cordillera Energy in the northern D-J Basin, the ful wells, Cirque sold its interests Partners and was done in colRocky Mountain Association of to Samson Energy. Since that laboration with Barry McBride. Geologists is proud to present time, over 100 Codell horizonEd publicized the benefits of Steven C. Kirkwood the 2016 Mital and vertical wells have been this work in 2012 with an AAPG chael Johnson Explorer of the@ $144 Search and Discovery article drilled bypSamson, EOG,Ad-‐-‐-‐prof Kaiser card size RMAG ublication 2 5S./8 X 1/1/2; 12 issues Francis, and others targeting Year Award. CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

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(#110163) and presentation to AAPG at Long Beach ACE. This work was also briefly discussed in an AAPG Explorer article in July 2012. The study performed by Ed and Barry subdivided the thick accumulation of proximal deposits of the Granite Wash section and correlated these subdivisions with basinal units further to the north-east and away from the Amarillo/Wichita mountain front. These correlations illuminated discrete depositional lobes with distinct lithology and fluid characteristics. The Granite Wash attains maximum thickness of around 15,000’ in the most proximal setting and spans almost all of Pennsylvanian and a small amount of lower Permian time. Prior to this study there was no comprehensive correlation connecting the Granite Wash at the mountain front to the basinal units where the resource plays are developed. At the outset of the study the prevailing perception was that the Granite Wash contained only one or two reservoirs. The study subdivided the Granite Wash into numerous zones separated by regional flooding surfaces that were interpreted to be fracture barriers. Various challenges were overcome in this study. There were over 30,000 wells to consider, very few of which had digital logs. The study did not utilize seismic data. Typical geologic complications of variable clay content, low porosity and permeability, and presence of radioactive minerals were present. Also, the inadequate nomenclature was further complicated by the play

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO RMAG, 2016

Gerald W. Brummett The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to present the 2016 Distinguished Service to RMAG Award to Gerald W. Brummett in recognition for his dedicated service to RMAG and the professional geologic community. Gerald has an over 35+ year career as a landman with various managerial roles. He has worked in nearly every region of the U.S. Although Gerald is a landman, he has graciously infiltrated our geologic community to chair many social events for RMAG. He has chaired the RMAG Golf Tournament in 2003, 2004, 2014 and 2015, Tennis Tournament (2005), and has been a committee member, volunteer or advisor for the 3D Symposium, Prospect Fair/Technofest, and NAPE on the Rocks. Being the guy with the camera, he always makes sure to capture the various events with photos. He has taken over 2000 photos at various RMAG functions. Our geologic community has benefited from

many wonderful events that Gerald has led or been involved in. When RMAG stopped running its tennis tournament Gerald picked up the torch and organized the Oilman’s Tennis Tournament of the Rockies. Over the past couple of years the two charities; Make-A-Wish Colorado and Food Bank of the Rockies have each received over 10,000 dollars from the event. Gerald’s hobbies and passions include: skiing (the SIFTers), scuba diving, tennis, hiking, travel, his wife (Tracey), daughter (Kari) and 3 grandsons (Miles, Oliver and Henry) In recognition of his dedicated and valuable service to RMAG and the community, we proudly present Gerald W. Brummett the 2016 Distinguished Service to RMAG Award.

spanning across two states. The benefit of having this stratigraphic framework provided a much better understanding of the productivity distribution through the section and hence a much better strategy for targeting zones with horizontal wells. At Cordillera it was considered the “answer key”. One of the hallmarks of the quality of a study is how it stands the test of time. Since the sale of Cordillera Energy Partners, Ed and Barry have no longer been involved in the Granite Wash play, but later workers that have had the benefit of the full proprietary detail of the framework and have been able to tie it into high resolution 3D seismic data, with only very minor revisions being needed to continue using the framework. Based on the quality and utility of the framework established by this study, The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to award Ed LoCricchio with its Outstanding Scientist Award for 2016.

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DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO RMAG, 2016

Joyce Trygstad Nelson The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to present a Distinguished Service award to Joyce Trygstad Nelson,

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

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in recognition of her dedicated service to RMAG and the professional geologic community. Joyce received B.A. and M.S. degrees in Geology from Mount Holyoke College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill respectively. She worked professionally in various capacities in the fields of oil and gas, uranium and water resources. When returning to the earth science work force after raising a family, Joyce found an advertisement from RMAG seeking an Executive Editor for The Mountain Geologist. Her interest and timing could not have been better! With the previous Executive Editor’s unplanned departure, The Mountain Geologist was desperately in search of a qualified candidate to fill this important volunteer position. Joyce, who had limited editorial experience but considerable publication experience, turned out to be perfectly qualified to come in and immediately dedicate herself to becoming Executive Editor of The Mountain Geologist. Joyce served in this position from early March 2011 until October 2014. During her tenure, she was instrumental in recruiting new authors and new organizations to contribute to The Mountain Geologist. She sought out innovative and interesting topics that she believed would be relevant to RMAG members and the greater geologic community. Joyce worked closely alongside authors and assistant/design editors to produce the best possible publication each quarter. She was extremely resourceful in identifying authors and topics for future publications, including planning for a year in advance. Joyce

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE TO EARTH SCIENCE AWARD, 2016

Dr. John B. Curtis It is with great appreciation the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologist presents the

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States Air Force. Prior to completing his Ph.D. at Ohio State University in 1989, John spent 15 years in the oil industry with Texaco, SAIC, Columbia Gas, and Brown & Root Laboratories/ Baker-Hughes. After beginning his teaching tenure at CSM in 1990, and in addition to his rigorous research obligations, Dr. Curtis began serving in leadership roles in a variety of appointments and chairs relating to the research and education of the petroleum industry. These contributions are too numerous to mention in a few paragraphs, but some of the most notable appointments include the Director of the

performed all of these tasks with high spirit and incredible enthusiasm. In recognition of her dedicated and valuable service to RMAG and to the greater professional community, the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists proudly presents Joyce Trygstad Nelson a 2016 Distinguished Service to RMAG Award.

Distinguished Service to Earth Science Award to Dr. John B. Curtis. This award is given in recognition of Dr. Curtis’ many and impactful efforts to educate the general public, students, and policy-makers about the fundamentals of geoscience and the profession’s many critical applications within our economy and environment. Dr. Curtis is Professor Emeritus of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). He received a B.A. (1970) and M.S. (1972) in geology from Miami University. From 1972-1975 he served as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer and Instructor Launch Officer in the United

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

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Potential Gas Committee, Chair and Member of the Science and Technology Committee of the Gas Technology Institute (1994-2001), President (1997-2002) and CSM Program Chair (1995-1996) of the Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society, Associate Editor of The Mountain Geologist (19962008), Associate Editor of the AAPG Bulletin (1998-2010), Co-Chair of the AAPG Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources Committee (1994-2004) and 2nd Year Counselor to the RMAG Board (2004). In addition to his contributions to the advancement of the science of geology, John served in a number of advisory roles for public policy-makers to promote conservation and efficient recovery of petroleum while protecting health, safety, and the environment. Dr. Curtis was appointed to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission Blue Ribbon Task Force on Education of Petroleum Professionals for the States of Alaska and Colorado. And from 2005-2006, under the direction of the National Research Council of the National Academies, John served on an expert panel for evaluation of US Department of Energy natural gas research program. Finally, and perhaps of greatest importance to the service of geoscience, over most of the last 26 years John has fulfilled the role of an exceptional professor. Many notable professors excel through effective lecturing, advising students, or prolific publishing, however John accomplished these tasks simultaneously. Despite the rigors of advising numerous current professionals who

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2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

GEOSCIENCES IN THE MEDIA, 2016

Wayne Ranney The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to present the 2016 Geosciences in the Media award to Wayne Ranney. This award recognizes Wayne’s continued excellence in presenting geology to a wide audience through his books, most recently Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery; and The Grand Canyon, Monument to an Ancient Earth: Can Noah’s Flood Explain the Grand Canyon? Wayne received B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from

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Earthly Musings and has also written for Arizona Highways, Sedona Magazine, and Earth Magazine. In recognition of his continuing, dedicated, and valuable service to the public and greater professional geologic community, the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists proudly presents Wayne Ranney with the Geosciences in the Media Award.

achieved advanced degrees under his direction and care, Dr. Curtis authored or co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles in the topics of petroleum geochemistry, gas technology, and unconventional petroleum systems. In addition, John’s strong skills as an effective communicator made him an ideal candidate as a guest lecturer where from 2002-2005 he served as an invited lecturer, moderator and director (2005) for the Inter-University Centre Petroleum Engineering Summer School, in Dubrovnik, Croatia. For his diligent and passionate service to promote the public’s understanding of earth science, RMAG is pleased to present the 2016 Distinguished Public Service to Earth Science to Dr. John B. Curtis.

Northern Arizona University. He worked as a backcountry ranger in the Grand Canyon, where his passion for the geology of the southwest began. He has taught geology at Yavapai and Coconino Community Colleges and at Northern Arizona University, and also leads numerous hiking and rafting expeditions throughout the southwest for the Grand Canyon Field Institute and the Museum of Northern Arizona. He is a popular geologic lecturer locally and on a variety of international expeditions with TCS and Starquest Expeditions, leading trips around the world. Wayne is an acclaimed author and is both editor and co-author for his latest book: The Grand Canyon, Monument to an Ancient Earth: Can Noah’s Flood Explain the Grand Canyon? This book examines the myths and theories around the creation of the Grand Canyon from both a biblical and a scientific point of view which provides a clear geologic perspective for the formation of the canyon. His previous book, Carving Grand Canyon: Evidence, Theories, and Mystery is an excellent synopsis of the intriguing and innovative theories surrounding the canyon’s formation, written for both the general public and experienced geologists alike. His other acclaimed geology books include Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau (co-authored with Ron Blakey), Sedona Through Time, and The Colorado Plateau: A Geologic Perspective. He also writes a renowned geology blog called

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SPECIAL AWARD, 2016

Carol L. Dalton The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to present its Special Award to Carol L. Dalton in recognition of her skills and professionalism in the keeping of the financial records of the RMAG. Carol is a product of Arapahoe Community College which provided her the skills to enter the hospitality business in 1987 as Controller of FHC Hotel Management Company. She moved on to Account Manager of Sage Hospitality Resources in 2000 before striking out on her own in 2002. In 2008, Carol incorporated her business as Custom Accounting Solutions, the same year she became the RMAG’s contract bookkeeper. In 2012, Carol was hired to keep tally on the financial health of the RMAG Foundation and in 2014 she added the Rocky Mountain Section – AAPG to her client list. Carol began her work at the RMAG during a rather tumultuous time for the organization.

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Green

$100+

$500+

Thank you to our 2017 sponsors!

[YOUR COMPANY!] For 2016 sponsorship opportunities, contact one of the committee chairs:

DAPL Chairs ♦♦ Meg Gibson ♦ meg@majorsgibson.com ♦♦ Patsy Botts ♦ 303-925-0696 RMAG Chairs ♦♦ Tom Sperr ♦ tsperr@bayless-cos.com ♦♦ Matt Silverman ♦ 303-382-0910 Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

2016 RMAG AWARD RECIPIENTS

PRESIDENT’S AWARD, 2016

Matthew R. Silverman The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists is pleased to

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!

VOLUNTER! OUTCROP | November 2016

program for the RMAG Auxiliary to inform the members of this scholarship and to present a talk on the Boulder Oil Field. Matt continues to be a strong supporter in terms of time and financial donations to the Foundation. Matt’s service with RMAG began in 1983 with his contributions of more than 50 RMAG member profiles to the Outcrop. From there, he served on the Board as Secretary in 1988, Counselor in 1997 and 1998 and President in 2014. Additionally, he was the Outcrop Editor, and volunteered on the RMAG Foundation Board as a Trustee and Chairman. Previously he has been honored with RMAG’s Distinguished Service (1989) and Honorary Member (1999) Awards. Matt continues to be active as an explorationist giving back to the RMAG community and bringing joy and enthusiasm to all he does. It is with honor that RMAG presents Matt the 2016 President’s Award.

Her persistence and dedication to her craft provided the RMAG Board of Directors a steady and accurate accounting of the organization during that time and continuing today. She has also kept on top of the legal filings that are necessary for preserving non-profit status. Although geologists are not always the best at understanding where money comes from or where it goes, her steadiness combined with her pleasant and slightly wry demeanor has provided the continuity needed for good business practices within all three organizations; and all three organizations have benefited from her presence. The membership of the RMAG is honored to present the 2016 RMAG Special Award to Carol L. Dalton in recognition of her years of service to the RMAG and associated entities.

present Matthew R. Silverman with its 2016 President’s Award. Matt is being recognized for his continued and dedicated service to the organization as well as his outstanding leadership during his presidency in 2014. 2014 was an important year for RMAG and Matt was instrumental in seeing the organization through some exciting changes and events. During his presidency, RMAG hired a new Executive Director and Matt helped make that transition a smooth one. Additionally, the RMS-AAPG meeting took place in Denver and Matt was very helpful to the organizing committee, offering ideas and his support. One of the most influential changes in 2014 overseen by Matt was the creation of the corporate advisory board. This standing committee’s mission is to make sure RMAG stays relevant to its members, the Denver oil and gas community, and continues to evolve in this ever-changing climate. Matt was instrumental in securing the funds for the RMAG Foundation’s Veterans’ Scholarship. He also organized a

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

If you would like to volunteer for any of our committees or events, please contact the RMAG office at (303) 573-8621 or staff@rmag.org

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

LEAD STORY

LIQUEFACTION HAZARDS IN UTAH By Mark Milligan | Utah Geological Survey Public Information Series 100 2016 | ISBN 978-1-55791-926-7

Most earthquake damage is caused by ground shaking. However, largemagnitude earthquakes cause damage in other ways: surface fault rupture, ground deformation, triggered landslides and rockfalls, tsunamis and other flooding, and LIQUEFACTION. WHAT IS LIQUEFACTION?

Liquefaction is a process by which strong shaking during an earthquake causes the ground to temporarily lose its strength and behave like a viscous liquid rather than a solid. Liquefaction can cause buildings to tip and settle; roads to crack, deform, and flood; buried storage tanks to rise up towards the surface; and other types of damage to buildings and infrastructure.

WHY IS LIQUEFACTION A CONCERN IN UTAH?

A small car presumably sunk into a large sand blow on a road damaged by liquefaction during the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake. In this extreme example, sand covered the road due to groundsurface subsidence and sand blows. Image courtesy of Mark Lincoln.

Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population is concentrated in the valleys of the Wasatch Front. Susceptible soils*, shallow groundwater, and a relatively high probability of moderate to large earthquakes make these valleys especially vulnerable to liquefaction.

*For this publication, soil includes all earthen material at or near the surface that is not rock.

HOW DOES LIQUEFACTION OCCUR?

Earthquake-produced energy waves traveling through watersaturated, loose, sandy or silty soils can cause liquefaction. Earthquakes result from ruptures (movement along a fault) within the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crust. Earthquake ruptures generate energy waves that travel away from the initial rupture zone similar to waves moving away from a stone dropped into a pond. Different types of seismic waves travel across the surface (surface waves) and through (body waves) the earth. Relevant to liquefaction are compressional body waves, called P or primary waves. P waves are the fastest type of seismic wave, and depending upon sediment or rock type, can travel over 14,500 miles per hour! P waves alternately compress and expand the materials they travel through. A similar compressional wave is experienced when a loud clap of thunder rattles house windows. The windows rattle because sound waves are pushing and pulling on the window glass.

P waves are compressional waves that alternately expand and compress soil and rock. Such waves can be seen in an expanding and contracting spring.

As P waves travel, the intermittent compression increases the water pressure between soil grains, which forces the grains apart, causing the soil to lose its strength and flow like a OUTCROP | November 2016 viscous fluid. This is how earthquakes cause liquefaction.

Normally, water-saturated soil grains touch and friction holds the soil together. When seismic waves compress soil, the increased water pressure within the pore space forces grains apart, friction is lost, and the soil loses strength 34 Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org and liquefies.

PARTICLE MOTION

DIRECTION OF WAVES

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF LIQUEFACTION? Liquefaction can cause different types of ground failure, which in turn produce different types of damage: 1 Loss of bearing strength can cause buildings to settle, tilt, topple, or collapse.

liqueﬁed zone loose sand UPWARD FLOW OF WATER

dense soil

2 With a loss of soil strength, buried objects such as large pipes

and tanks can be damaged when buoyed towards the surface. Manhole and underground utilities buoyed above the ground surface during the 2010 Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquake. Photo courtesy of Jim Harding.

BEFORE loose sand dense soil

pipeline

AFTER densiﬁed sand

pipeline

dense soil

3 Lateral spreads may form where blocks of gently sloping

(generally less than 3 degrees) land move sideways over a liquefied layer, causing ground deformation and cracking. Lateral spreading is expected to cause major damage during an earthquake along the Wasatch Front. Lateral spread landslide triggered during the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake. This slide occurred 120 miles from the earthquake epicenter. Photo courtesy of M.J. Crozier. BEFORE dense soil loose sand

river

RIVER

AFTER river dense soil densiﬁed sand

Ground cracks caused by lateral spreading triggered during the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake. Photo courtesy of Schwede66 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl. Vol. No. 11Commons. | www.rmag.org 35 html)], via65, Wikimedia

OUTCROP | November 2016

4 Flow failures take place on slopes steeper than about 3 degrees and can produce fast-moving debris flows that can travel for miles. 5 Ground subsidence may occur during liquefaction, when soil grains rearrange to denser packing and decreased volume. This decrease in volume causes ground-surface subsidence, ground cracks, and may cause the eruption of sand blows. Whereas uniform subsidence over large areas may be unnoticeable, differential subsidence can cause ground deformation and cracking leading to building and infrastructure damage.

ground subsidence sand blow

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

WHERE IS LIQUEFACTION LIKELY TO OCCUR IN UTAH? Liquefaction is likely to occur where the following conditions are present: 1 The occurrence of a moderate to large earthquake – Activities such as blasting, pile driving, or anything else that causes soil to vibrate can cause small-scale liquefaction, but damaging, large-scale liquefaction is caused by moderate to largemagnitude earthquakes.

2 Sandy or silty soils – Clays and gravels tend not to liquefy. 3 Loose soils – Compacted soils tend not to liquefy. Generally,

the younger the deposit, the less dense and more liquefiable the soil.

4 Saturated soils within about 30 to 50 feet of the surface – Dry or unsaturated soils do not liquefy.

Liquefaction-induced sand blow from the 2010 Randolph, Utah, earthquake. Liquefaction is rare in earthquakes under magnitude 5. At magnitude 4.6, the Randolph earthquake was one of the smallest earthquakes known to generate liquefaction. Photo courtesy of Christopher DuRoss. Although moderate to large earthquakes are possible in many areas of Utah, they are most probable along the Wasatch Front, where the Wasatch fault, Utah’s most active fault, is located. Generally, the Wasatch fault is most likely to trigger liquefaction in the central parts of Wasatch Front valleys, especially near lakes and along stream and river corridors where groundwater is shallow.

Great Salt Lake

Salt Lake City

Preliminary and generalized map showing the probability of liquefaction triggered by a magnitude 7 Wasatch fault earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley area. Other Utah valleys have a similar pattern of high potential in the low-lying central parts of the valleys. Modified from Utah Liquefaction Advisory Group unpublished online map (http://www.civil.utah.edu/~bartlett/ULAG/M7_Liq_trig_prob.jpg).

NOT MAPPED

VERY LOW

LOW

MODERATE

OUTCROP | November 2016

HIGH

VERY HIGH

SALT LAKE COUNTY

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

WHEN WILL DAMAGING LIQUEFACTION OCCUR IN UTAH?

Evidence of prehistoric liquefaction is common along the Wasatch Front and elsewhere in Utah. In historical time, the Wasatch Front has experienced a magnitude 5 or greater earthquake on average about every 10 years. The 1934 Hansel Valley (magnitude 6.6) and 1962 Cache Valley (magnitude 5.7) earthquakes caused liquefaction and property damage in Utah. However, although scientists can identify areas that are susceptible to liquefaction and forecast the potential of a liquefaction-triggering earthquake in a particular region within some given amount of time, they cannot predict when and where a specific earthquake will occur.

WHAT IS THE LIQUEFACTION RISK IN UTAH?

Nearly 80 percent of Utah’s population is concentrated along the Wasatch Front, which has a high probability of large earthquakes along with susceptible soils, shallow groundwater, and many unreinforced masonry buildings that are susceptible to severe damage or collapse. Thus, Utah has a significant liquefaction risk.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT LIQUEFACTION?

A site-specific geotechnical investigation by a Utah Licensed Professional Engineer and Geologist is needed to determine the liquefaction potential of any specific site. Where a liquefaction hazard exists, three main hazard-reduction techniques may be considered: • Ground stabilization – These methods are generally designed to drain and de-water building sites or increase soil density through compaction. • Special building foundation design – Strengthened foundations or deep pile foundation systems, which include vertical structural elements driven or bored deep into non-liquefiable soil or rock, are examples of methods used to protect foundations and their overlying structures. • Strengthening structures – Buildings and infrastructure that have had ground stabilization and/or special foundation designs can also be designed to resist predicted ground movements.

Liquefaction caused these apartment buildings to tip over during the 1964 Niigata, Japan, earthquake (magnitude 7.5). However, the buildings were built of reinforced concrete and did not collapse even when resting on their sides. Largely because of such construction, only 26 people died during this earthquake. According to a 2015 report by the Utah Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Salt Lake City, with its many unreinforced masonry buildings, will likely have up to 2,500 fatalities and 9,300 life-threatening injuries when a large-magnitude earthquake strikes! Photo courtesy of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

“When I was a kid, they warned us about devastating earthquakes, yet none have happened. Are these geologists full of hot air?” No. Geologic evidence shows a large earthquake (about magnitude 7) has ruptured the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault every 1,200 to 1,400 years (average for the past 6,000 years). It has been about 1,200 to 1,500 years since the last large earthquake on this fault segment. Based on this timing information, the Salt Lake City segment is due for a large earthquake—plus or minus about 300 years. Furthermore, while moderate magnitude earthquakes (magnitude 5 to 6.5) can cause liquefaction and significant damage and deaths, they do not leave a reliable geologic record. The area’s written history only dates back to 1847; since then, there has been one moderately damaging earthquake in Salt Lake County—the 1962 magnitude 5.2 Magna earthquake. Tectonic forces still pull at the Wasatch and other major faults in the region, and they will rupture again. However, geologists cannot predict if the next moderate to large earthquake will happen several generations from now or before you finish reading this brochure. Just because there has not been a devastating earthquake in Damage to a bedroom in Salt Lake City recent memory, it does not mean from the 1962 magnitude 5.2 Magna the hazard does not exist. The earthquake. Photo courtesy of Deseret earthquake clock is still ticking. News, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Liquefaction susceptibility maps are available for the Wasatch Front, Cache Valley, and selected areas in southwest Utah. These maps are suitable for land-use planning and management and show the relative distribution and magnitude of liquefaction hazards. More information can be found online at: Utah Geological Survey – geology.utah.gov/hazards/earthquakes-faults/liquefaction/ Utah Liquefaction Advisory Group – geology.utah.gov/?p=6500 and civil.utah.edu/~bartlett/ULAG/ Utah Seismic Safety Commission – ussc.utah.gov Vol. 65, No. Roots 11 | in www.rmag.org OUTCROP | November 2016 Putting Down Earthquake Country, Your Handbook37 for Earthquakes in Utah – http://1.usa.gov/1XBEVfm

Ingleside Formation near Owl Canyon, northwest of Ft. Collins, showing red eolian and transgressive marine sandstones, alternating with gray limestones. Photo by Ron Parker.

ON THE ROCKS

FIELD TRIPS Fountain and Ingleside Formations Fieldtrip Led by John Webb, September 10, 2016 A group of 20 RMAG geologists had the opportunity to see a 55-mile transect with numerous outcrops of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Fountain Formation, so wellknown from Front Range exposures at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, Roxborough State Park, Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, and the Flatirons near Boulder. Outcrops ranged from Flagstaff Mountain, west of Boulder, to South St. Vrain Canyon near Lyons, and Owl Canyon northwest of Ft. Collins. Along the way, the group visited the basal contact of the Fountain, observed OUTCROP | November 2016

local and regional facies changes and depositional environments of the alluvial and fluvial dominated Fountain and marine and eolian facies of the Permian Ingleside Formation, an equivalent of the upper Fountain. The fieldtrip leader, John Webb, has studied the Fountain and Ingleside formations for several decades and gave a thorough and enthusiastic overview of the complex vertical and spatial distributions of lithologies, thicknesses, depositional environments and diagenesis. 38

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

Above: Happy fieldtrippers at the end of the day at Owl Canyon. Photo by Cindy Kalman.

On left: At this location on Flagstaff Mountain, granitic pebbles and cobbles are visible in a poorly sorted arkosic conglomerate, which overlies the unconformity marked in areas by a weathered grus (seen above the notebook). Photo by Ron Parker.

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

Above: Hall Ranch Open Space Park. Fountain Formation with the overlying Ingleside Formation dominated by eolian sandstone, and lacking carbonate members that are present in outcrops to the north. Photo by Laura Wray.

On right: Fieldtrip leader John Webb previews the trip with maps and cross sections. Boulder Flatirons are in the background. Photo by Ron Parker.

OUTCROP | November 2016

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

rd 23

ANNUAL

Call for Papers!

February 22, 2017 Speaker Form Due: November 1, 2016

New Venue: The Studio Loft 908 14th St. Denver, CO

Contact Co-Chair: Angie Southcott angiesouthcott@hotmail.com

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

Close-up of the Ingleside Formation with karst and cave features. Photo by Ron Parker.

Ron Parker stands at the unconformity of the Precambrian Boulder Creek Granodiorite on the left (1.4 b.a.) and the Fountain Formation (300+ m.a.?). Photo by Laura Wray.

OUTCROP | November 2016

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Kenneth Babcock

is a Senior Geologist at Anadarko in Golden, Colorado.

Tim Buddin

is a Structural geologist, Owner and Prinicipal Consultant at Redwing Geoscience LLC at Redwing Geoscience LLC Structural Geoscience and Geomechanics consultancy in Evergreen, Colorado.

Matthew Garrison lives in Midland, Texas.

Jennica Grady

lives in Aurora, Colorado.

Blake Herber

Richard Parkes

is a Geologist at Infinity Oil and Gas in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Stephen Ager

is a Senior Geophysicist at Consultant in Parker, Colorado.

Anna Phelps

is a Geologist at SM Energy in Denver, Colorado.

is a Research Assistant, Bakken Consortium at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

is a student in Houston, Texas.

is a Geoscientist in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

is a Geologist at Encana in Centennial, Colorado.

Melissa McMillan

Nikolaus Rodriguez Michael Waynick

IN THE PIPELINE NOVEMBER 15, 2016

NOVEMBER 2, 2016 RMAG Luncheon. Speaker Katie Dahlberg. “Lithologies and Petrophysical Characteristics of the Upper Cretaceous Baxter Shale Gas Reservoir, Canyon Creek Field, Sweetwater County, WY.” Maggiano’s Little Italy, Downtown Denver.

DWLS Luncheon. Speaker Matt Blyth. “Dipole Shear Anisotropy Using Logging While Drilling Sonic Tools.” NOVEMBER 23, 2016 OCF Denver Chapter Luncheon. RVSP to ocfdenver@gmail.com.

NOVEMBER 9, 2016 PTTC Rockies Short Course. Instructor: Dr. Luis Zerpa. “Reservoir Engineering for Petroleum Professionals.” CSM, Golden, CO.

NOVEMBER 29, 2016 RMS-SEPM Luncheon. Speaker: Michael Domenick. “The Northern DJ Codell: Distribution of Rock Properties and Thermal Maturity.” Wynkoop Brewing Co. RVSP to Luncheons@rmssepm.org or call 720-272-6697.

NOVEMBER 12, 2016 RMAG Rockbusters Ball. The Warwick Hotel.

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

Create

Starting February 1, 2017

2017 RMAG

Mentorship Program

Accepting applications October 19th through December 1st. Visit www.rmag.org to apply.

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.

Create Connections Create Growth Create Your Future

Inspiration email: staďŹ&#x20AC;@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

OUTCROP | November 2016

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

fax: 303.476.2241

web: www.rmag.org

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

follow: @rmagdenver

2017 RMAG Mentorship Program Mentee Application

2017 RMAG Mentorship Program

Goal Mentee Application To provide young professionals with a senior professional mentor who can provide career path and technical mentorship. Goal To provide young professionals with a senior professional mentor who can provide career path Participants mentorship. • and Fortechnical 2017, RMAG aims to connect 5 mentor/mentee pairs. • Mentors will be senior geologic professionals with 15+ years’ experience who are interested Participants in aiding the career development of younger professionals. For 2017, RMAG aims geologic to connect 5 mentor/mentee pairs. • • Mentees will be young professionals 0-10 years’ experience who are interested in • growing Mentorstheir will career be senior geologic professionals with 15+ years’ experience who are interested path and network. Mentees should be willing to take the initiative in aiding the career development of younger professionals. in this relationship, recognizing that benefits are weighted in their favor. • Mentees will be young geologic professionals 0-10 years’ experience who are interested in growing and theirselection career path and network. Mentees should be willing to take the initiative Application in this relationship, that including benefits are weighted their the favor. Participants shall fill out a recognizing short application a bio, goals forin joining program, vision for time commitment. RMAG staff and membership committee shall select participants. Applicationcommittee and selection Membership aims for mentees to select mentors using online bio’s. For 2017 RMAG Participants shall committee fill out a short including a bio, goalsplatform. for joining the program, vision staff/membership mayapplication have to match outside of web for time commitment. RMAG staff and membership committee shall select participants. Membership committee aims for mentees to select mentors using online bio’s. For 2017 RMAG Programming have to match outside of web platform. • staff/membership RMAG shall plan committee for 1 RMAGmay mentorship event between February and November in 2017. • Mentors and Mentees will agree to meet up once per quarter and be encouraged to meet up Programming as often as preferred. • RMAG shall plan for(a1 lunch RMAGor mentorship event February and in 2017. • One RMAG program symposium) per between quarter will be used as November a mentor/mentee • meet Mentors Mentees will agree to meet up once per quarter and be encouraged to meet up up. Aand mentor/mentee table will be designated at these events. as often as preferred. • One RMAG program (a lunch or symposium) per quarter will be used as a mentor/mentee Timing meet up.and A mentor/mentee table will be designated at these events. Recruitment selection for mentor/mentee pairs will occur January 2017. The program will end November 2017. Timing Recruitment and selection for mentor/mentee pairs will occur January 2017. The program will end November 2017.

Applications are due to the RMAG office by Thursday, December 1, 2016. Applications can be submitted via email at staff@rmag.org, or fax at 303.476.2241, or mail at 910Applications 16th Street #1214, 80202. areDenver, due toCO, the RMAG office by Thursday, December 1, 2016. For questions,can please either email or call the or RMAG office at Applications be submitted viastaff@rmag.org email at staff@rmag.org, fax at 303.476.2241, or mail at 303-573-8621. 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202. For questions, please either email staff@rmag.org or call the RMAG office at 303-573-8621. email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 Vol. 65, No. 11 Street | www.rmag.org

fax: 303.476.2241 web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver

fax: 303.476.2241 web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver OUTCROP | November 2016

2017 RMAG Mentorship Program Mentee Application 2017 RMAG Mentorship Program Mentee Application

Employer:____________________________________________________________________________________ Employment Status: Employed Unemployed Other_____________________ Years Industry Experience:___________________________________________________________________ Employer:____________________________________________________________________________________ Years Industry Experience:___________________________________________________________________ Industry Relevant Technical Interests/Specialties: Industry Relevant Technical Interests/Specialties:

What are your goals as a mentee in this program? What are your goals as a mentee in this program?

Optimally, how frequently will you meet with your mentor? Optimally, how frequently will you meet with your mentor? What type of career experience do you envision your mentor possesses? What type of career experience Mid-Big Company Technicaldo you envision your mentor possesses? Technical Mid-Big Company Management Mid-Big Company Management Consulting Consulting Small Independent Small Independent Please submit this application along with your resume to the RMAG office. Application Deadline: December 1, 2016. Please submit this application along with your resume to the RMAG office. Application Deadline: December 1, 2016. email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

OUTCROP | November 2016

fax: 303.476.2241 web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver fax: 303.476.2241 web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

2017 RMAG Mentorship Program Mentor Application

2017 RMAG Mentorship Program

Mentor Application Goal To provide young professionals with a senior professional mentor who can provide career path and technical mentorship. Goal To provide young professionals with a senior professional mentor who can provide career path Participants and technical mentorship. • For 2017, RMAG aims to connect 10 mentor/mentee pairs. • Mentors will be senior geologic professionals with 15+ years’ experience who are interested Participants in aiding the career development of younger professionals. • For 2017, RMAG aims to connect 10 mentor/mentee pairs. • Mentees will be young geologic professionals 0-10 years’ experience who are interested in • Mentors will be senior geologic professionals with 15+ years’ experience who are interested growing their career path and network. Mentees should be willing to take the initiative in in aiding the career development of younger professionals. this relationship, recognizing that benefits are weighted in their favor. • Mentees will be young geologic professionals 0-10 years’ experience who are interested in growing their career path and network. Mentees should be willing to take the initiative in Application and selection this relationship, recognizing that benefits are weighted in their favor. Participants shall fill out a short application including a bio, goals for joining the program, vision for time commitment. RMAG staff and membership committee shall select participants. Application and selection Membership committee aims for mentees to select mentors using online bio’s. For 2017 RMAG Participants shall fill out a short application including a bio, goals for joining the program, vision staff/membership committee may have to match outside of web platform. for time commitment. RMAG staff and membership committee shall select participants. Membership committee aims for mentees to select mentors using online bio’s. For 2017 RMAG Programming staff/membership committee may have to match outside of web platform. • RMAG shall plan for 1 RMAG mentorship event between February and November in 2017. • Mentors and Mentees will agree to meet up once per quarter and be encouraged to meet up Programming as often as preferred. • RMAG shall plan for 1 RMAG mentorship event between February and November in 2017. • One RMAG program (a lunch or symposium) per quarter will be used as a mentor/mentee • Mentors and Mentees will agree to meet up once per quarter and be encouraged to meet up meet up. A mentor/mentee table will be designated at these events. as often as preferred. • One RMAG program (a lunch or symposium) per quarter will be used as a mentor/mentee Timing meet up. A mentor/mentee table will be designated at these events. Recruitment and selection for mentor/mentee pairs will occur January 2017. The program will end November 2017. Timing Recruitment and selection for mentor/mentee pairs will occur January 2017. The program will end November 2017. Applications are due to the RMAG office by Thursday, December 1, 2016. Applications can be submitted via email at staff@rmag.org, or fax at 303.476.2241, or mail at Applications are Denver, due toCO, the80202. RMAG office by Thursday, December 1, 2016. 910 16th Street #1214, Applications be submitted via staff@rmag.org email at staff@rmag.org, fax atoffice 303.476.2241, or mail at For questions,can please either email or call theor RMAG at 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202. 303-573-8621. For questions, please either email staff@rmag.org or call the RMAG office at 303-573-8621. email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

fax: 303.476.2241 web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver

email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

fax: 303.476.2241 web: www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

2017 RMAG Mentorship Program Mentor Application 2017 RMAG Mentorship Program Mentor Application

Name:________________________________________________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________ Phone:__________________________________ Name:________________________________________________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________ Phone:__________________________________ Employment Status: Employed Unemployed Other____________________ Employer:____________________________________________________________________________________ Employment Status: Employed Unemployed Other____________________ Years Industry Experience:__________________________________________________________________ Employer:____________________________________________________________________________________ Years Industry Experience:__________________________________________________________________ Industry Relevant Technical Interests/Specialties: Industry Relevant Technical Interests/Specialties:

What are your goals as a mentor in this program? What are your goals as a mentor in this program?

Optimally, how frequently will you meet with your mentee? Optimally, how frequently will you meet with your mentee?

Have you served as an industry mentor in the past? Have you served as an industry mentor in the past?

Please submit this application along with your resume to the RMAG office. Application Deadline: December 1, 2016. Please submit this application along with your resume to the RMAG office. Application Deadline: December 1, 2016. email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202 OUTCROP | November 2016

fax: 303.476.2241 follow: @t fax: 303.476.2241 follow: @t

web: www.rmag.org web: www.rmag.org

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

CALENDAR | NOVEMBER 2016 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

RMAG Luncheon. Speaker Katie Dahlberg.

9 PTTC Rockies Short Course.

RMAG Rockbusters Ball.

OCF Denver Chapter Luncheon.

THANKSGIVING

DWLS Luncheon.

The RMAG office will be closed.

RMS-SEPM Luncheon.

RMAG FOUNDATION

2013-14 +

SCHOLARSHIPS CONTRIBUTIONS

McKenna Fund

Babcock Fund

Stone/Holberg Fund

CSU Fund Bolyard Fund

Veterans Fund

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado College

SCHOLARSHIPS CU Boulder

Rocky Mtn region Universities awarded to veterans attending Rocky Mtn Region Universities

University of WY Fund

AAPG - Imperial Barrel

Morrison Natural History

AAPG Student Leadership

PTTC Futures in Energy

Friend of Dinosaur Ridge

Denver Public Schools

Rocky Mtn Section Rocky Mtn Section

Inner City School attendance Rocky Mtn Section

Golden Pick Award RMAG

Guidebook contribution AAPG Sectional meeting Rockbuster Ball awards

Studying Rocky Mtn Structural Geology Golden

Foster

Studying Rocky Mtn Geology

RMAG Student Summit sponsor CO Science Teacher of the Year CO State Science Fair winners

CONTRIBUTIONS

mineral sets

Contibutions can be made at https://www.rmag.org/i4a/ams/publicLogin.cfm for RMAG members RMAG Foundation | 910 16th Street Mall, Suite 1214 | Denver, CO 80202 Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | November 2016

ADVERTISER INDEX

• AAPG ��7

• PTTC ��11

• Columbine Logging ��25

• QEP Resources ��12

• Crown Geochemistry ��24

• Sinclair Petroleum Engineering, Inc. ��22

• Daub & Associates, LLC ��26

• SM Energy ��4

• Décollement Consulting, Inc. ��15

• Spancers & Associates ��22

• Discovery Group, Inc. (The) ��19

• Stephens Production Company ��25

• Donovan Brothers Inc. ��24 • Enerplus ��10

• Stoner Engineering (SES) ��13

• Eureka Geological Consulting, LLC ��14

• Sunburst Consulting ��19

• Geokinetics ��23

• Tracker Resource Development LLC ��29

• Geo Link ��29

• Whiting Petroleum Corporation ��9

• GeoMark ��12 • GeoSteering ��28

• W.W. Little Geological Consulting, LLC ��23, 24

• Horizontal Solutions Intl. (HSI) ��16

• Yates Petroleum Corporation ��27

• JLog® Petrophysical Software ��23 • Kestrel Geoscience, LLC ��24

RMAG Board of Directors Election!

• Lario Oil & Gas Company ��27 • Louis J. Mazzullo, LLC ��26 • MJ Systems ��4

The election will run from October 19 through November 16.

• Neil H. Whitehead, III ��18 OUTCROP | November 2016

Vol. 65, No. 11 | www.rmag.org