August 2021 Outcrop by The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 70 • No. 8 • August 2021

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

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OUTCROP | August 2021

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

1999 Broadway • Suite 730 • Denver, CO 80202 • 720-672-9898 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.

2021 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2nd VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Cat Campbell ccampbell@caminoresources.com

Mark Millard millardm@gmail.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Rob Diedrich rdiedrich75@gmail.com

Jessica Davey jessica@desertmountainenergy.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER

Nathan Rogers nathantrogers@gmail.com

Rebecca Johnson Scrable rebecca.johnson@bpx.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER ELECT

Courtney Beck Antolik courtneyantolik14@gmail.com

Mike Tischer mtischer@gmail.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Peter Kubik pkubik@mallardexploration.com

Jeff May jmay.kcrossen@gmail.com

RMAG STAFF DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org CO-EDITORS

Courtney Beck Antolik courtneyantolik14@gmail.com Nate LaFontaine nlafontaine@sm-energy.com Wylie Walker wylie.walker@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Elijah Adeniyi elijahadeniyi@montana.edu Danielle Robinson danielle.robinson@dvn.com

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rates and sizes can be found on page 40. 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 720-672-9898. Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details. DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

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DESIGN/LAYOUT: Nate Silva | nate@nate-silva.com

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Outcrop | August 2021 OUTCROP

LET’S GET OUTSIDE!

RMAG On the ROcks Field tRips 2021 Registration is open!

Visit www.rmag.org for details and to register. ¿ August 7: Cripple Creek/Victor Mine Tour Led by Gary Curtiss Sold out! See website to sign up on wait list ¿ August 20 (Friday): Detroit City Portal Rhodochrosite Mine Tour Led by mine geologist Dean Misantoni Limited trip capacity; register for drawing by August 6 for chance to go on trip ¿ October 16: Corral Bluffs Fossils: Rise of the Mammals* Led by Tyler Lyson & others, DMNS ¿ October, dates TBD: Picketwire Dinosaur Trackways* Overnight trip led by Martin Lockley *Registration not yet open for these trips, as dates and/or details are yet to be finalized.

email: staff@rmag.org phone: 720.672.9898 OUTCROP | August|2021 1999 Broadway, Suite 730, Denver CO 80202

fax: 323.352.0046 web: Vol. 70, | No. 8 |www.rmag.org www.rmag.org follow: @rmagdenver

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

12 Lead Story: Re-examining the Madison Petroleum System within the Williston Basin

2 RMAG Summit Sponsors

30 RMAG On the Rocks: Pennsylvanian Belden Formation, July 10, 2021

7 MiT Webinar Series: Oil & Gas to Geothermal: A Career Journey

DEPARTMENTS 6 RMAG July 2021 Board of Directors Meeting

11 MiT Webinar Series: Show & Tell: A Webinar Introducing Freeware for Freelancers

8 President’s Letter

22 RMAG Diversity Statement

24 Online Lunch Talk: Molly Turko, Ph.D

23 RMAG/RPS Sept. Short Course: Geophysical Imaging for Reservoir Characterization

26 Online Lunch Talk: Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr.

4 RMAG On-The-Rocks Field Trips

9 RMAG/RPS August Short Course: Geomechanics for Unconventional Reservoir Developments

27 RMAG Geohike Challenge

40 In The Pipeline

29 Ansel Adams Photo Contest

40 Outcrop Advertising Rates

34 Thank You Letter

42 Advertiser Index

36 RMAG Foundation Has Two Open Trustee Positions

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View looking south along the crest of the Bridger Range, MT. The Mission Canyon member of the Madison Limestone forms the crest of the range. Photo by Clayton Schultz.

25 2021 RMAG Golf Tournament

38 Welcome New RMAG Members!

42 Calendar

COVER PHOTO

38 RMAG Awards Committee Announcement

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RMAG JULY 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING By Jessica Davey, Secretary jessica@desertmountainenergy.com

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there is still time to join the fun! The Publications Committee is looking for cover photos to be featured on the Outcrop, so get your camera ready. The On the Rocks Committee has the full slate of field trips up on the RMAG website, sign up soon before they are all sold out! I was traveling in Arizona for my new job this past week (thus missing the Board of Directors meeting) and drove through the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado both ways. I am always so impressed with the geology in this part of our beautiful state. I looked up the geology of the valley when I got home and learned that the valley is actually a series of grabens with Early Oligocene volcanics. The valley has been subsiding since the Miocene! Have you been able to get out and see some geology in action this summer? Source: https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/ guidebooks/downloads/22/22_p0277_p0287.pdf

We are in the dog days of summer. The high today in Denver is 100 degrees Fahrenheit! What are you doing to stay cool during this heat wave? The 2021 RMAG Board of Directors met virtually at 4 pm on Wednesday, July 21. Everyone was present for the meeting, except for me. Treasurer Rebecca Johnson Scrable reported that the RMAG financials are still looking good for 2021; the investment account has been performing well over the past few months. Debby and Kathy continue to manage the RMAG operations remotely from their homes. If you get a chance to reach out to Debby in the coming days, please do so; she is retiring from her role with RMAG. We all appreciate her hard work and dedication! The Continuing Education has virtual lunch talks in the que, and some in-person talks coming soon. The Membership Committee has been enjoying the entries for the Geohike Challenge so far; keep them coming on LinkedIn! If you haven’t yet registered,

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

Webinar Series Members in Transition

2021

Visit Petroleum Pivoters for more resources!

Aug. 19 12pm-1pm (MDT)

Rockies Members in Transition (MiT) is a joint effort of members of AAPG, COGA, CU Global Energy Manament, DERL, DIPS, DWLS, RMAG, SPE, WENCO, WGA, and WOGA in the Rocky Mountain region to help association members in the midst of a career transition.

Webinars are free and open to all

“Oil & Gas to Geothermal: A Career Journey”

Presenter: Ben Burke, Chief Technology Officer at Transitional Energy Hosted by SPE-Denver

Rockies MiT Members in Transition

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER By Cat Campbell

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.

grain of sand held and my role as a geologist of interpreting that. I went on to do a senior thesis with this State Geologist about beach geomorphology and look at that study as one of my first opportunities to see what I could do in this field of study. Since that time, I’ve worked with state surveys throughout the country and world and my appreciation for them continues to grow.

-MARGARET FULLER

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Walking into my Beach Geomorphology class on Thursday morning my senior year at Connecticut College felt like any other day. We pondered cusps and prepared for a trip out to the field the next day to look at their development after a recent storm. The one thing that was slightly out of the ordinary was a seemingly random guy who looked quite science-y; you know, socks and sandals, Hawaiian shirt, arms crossed sitting on a railing near the projector eyeing the cusp diagram pretty hard. After several minutes of lecture, our professor turned to us and apologized for not introducing our guest, a former State Geologist of Connecticut who would be leading the field work the next day. Huh. State Geologist. Didn’t know we had one of those. Well, after that day in the field, I never forgot about State Geologists again and placed anyone holding that position on a pedestal. Similar to the scene in American Dad…Have you ever had breakfast with a geologist? If you’re not familiar with that clip, please go look it up right now, then we discuss, perhaps over breakfast. What made the day so unique was the State Geologist’s passion for the science and his ability to express it to our group. He placed the beach where we were standing in a regional context through time that truly helped me grasp how significant of a story each

In the early 1800s, as our fledgling nation expanded its borders and its appetite for raw materials, there arose a growing awareness that geological conditions and mineral resources play a major role in the development of our lands and the feedstock for our industries…Thus it was that State Geological Surveys came into being. -ARTHUR SOCOLOW (AAPG STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS HISTORY, 1988 PREFACE)

North Carolina established the first state survey in 1822 with a budget of $250 a year; a sum that became overwhelming in 1828 when the survey was dissolved, not reappearing until 1851 (NCPedia. org 7/22/2021). By 1840 at least 15 states had surveys with the predominance growing after establishment of the USGS in 1879 (stategeologists.org/about 7/22/2021). Since that time, the form and function of the state surveys has changed dramatically with

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RMAG & RPS Online Short Course

August 25-26, 2021 8am-12pm (MDT) daily

Geomechanics for Unconventional Reservoir Developments An Integrated Geoscience and Engineering View Instructors: Neal Nagel & Marisela Sanchez-Nagel RMAG members: $200; Non-members: $235 This course presents the basics of oil-field geomechanics (including stress/strain, pore pressure, rock behavior and wellbore applications) and then focuses on the geomechanical characterization and modeling of unconventional reservoirs.

Registration open at www.rmag.org

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e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720.672.9898 | w: www.rmag.org

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER into being in 1907, the first time, and 1967, for the second survey. Needless to say, the survey has a fascinating history. I recommend reviewing it in the 1988 AAPG History of State Geological Surveys. Our state survey here in Colorado, where RMAG has its (virtual) headquarters, is now located on the Colorado School of Mines campus. The survey is a phenomenal resource for scientists and the layperson alike. Take a look at their website and on your next adventure in the state, check out a their POGI (Points of Geological Interest) map to find out amazing places to visit. You can ever take a photo and enter it into the GeoHike Challenge competition taking place all summer– check out the RMAG website for more information!

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some existing simply as repositories for information and others taking an active role in research and regulation of resources.

The mission of the CGS is building vibrant economies and sustainable communities, free from geologic hazards, for people to live, work and play through good science, collaboration, and sound management of mineral, energy and water resources.

-COLORADO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MISSION STATEMENT

The Colorado Geological Survey officially came

Publish with… Why contribute? • Reach a broad industry and academic audience • Quarterly peer-reviewed journal • Permanent archiving includes AAPG Datapages • Quick turn-around time • Every subdiscipline in the geosciences Expanded geologic focus: • Entire greater Rocky Mountain area of North America • West Texas and New Mexico to northern British Columbia • Great Plains and Mid-Continent region

Email: mgeditor@rmag.org https://www.rmag.org/publications/the-mountain-geologist/

OUTCROP | August 2021

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

Webinar Series Members in Transition

2021

Visit Petroleum Pivoters for more resources!

Aug. 26 12-1:30pm (MDT)

Webinars are free and open to all

“Show & Tell: A Webinar Introducing Freeware for Freelancers”

Presenters: Matthew Bauer, Marron Bingle-Davis, Mike Bingle-Davis, Justin Birdwell, Ashley Douds, John McLeod, Kristoffer Rimaila, and David Thule

Rockies MiT Members in Transition

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

Re-examining the Madison Petroleum System within the Williston Basin BY TIMOTHY O. NESHEIM | North Dakota Geological Survey, tonesheim@nd.gov

of oil in the basin during the early 1950s, the Williston Basin has developed into what the oil and gas industry defines as a super basin (Fryklund and Stark, 2020). Criteria necessary to characterize the Williston Basin as a super basin include multiple stacked petroleum systems (Lillis, 2012), mature infrastructure, more than 5 BBOE (billion barrels of oil equivalent) of cumulative historical production (NDOGD, 2019), and more than 5 BBOE of recoverable resource/reserves (Gaswirth and Marra, 2015). More than 24 distinct geological formations have commercially produced hydrocarbons within the Williston Basin. These formations range from Cambrian-Ordovician to Cretaceous in age and span more than 10,000 feet (gross) of hydrocarbon-bearing sedimentary section (Murphy et al., 2009; SME, 2014; Nicolas, 2020). Over the course of the past two decades, the Williston Basin has become well known internationally for the discovery and development of the prolific Bakken-Three Forks unconventional resource play. However, numerous other petroleum systems and prospective resource plays may be presently overlooked

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within the basin, in large part due to the prominence of the Bakken-Three Forks play. The Mississippian Madison Group is one unit in the basin that holds substantial, currently underrealized, resource potential. Oil production from Madison reservoirs began in the early 1950s, shortly after the initial discovery of oil in North Dakota during 1951 (NDGS, 2000). The first several decades of Madison exploration and development were completed using vertical wells, followed by the emergence of horizontal wells (non-hydraulically fractured) beginning in the late 1980s to early 1990s (LeFever, 1992). Through the end of 2000, shortly before the emergence of the Bakken-Three Forks play, Madison Group reservoirs had combined to produce more than 765 million barrels of oil in western North Dakota which accounts for over 60% of the state’s cumulative oil production at that time (NDGS, 2000). The next two most productive units then were the Devonian Duperow and Ordovician Red River Formations, which had cumulatively produced approximately 123 million and 118 million barrels of oil respectively (NDGS, 2000). Cumulative Madison production in the state has grown to over 1.1 billion barrels of oil (BBO) through the end of 2019, produced from over 6,100

INCE THE INITIAL DISCOVERY

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FIGURE 1:

Regional production map showing the distribution of vertical and horizontal Madison wells (black dots) within the Williston Basin. Extent of the Madison Group is shown in orange. The blue star indicates the location of the Blooming Prairie Field and the Samson Resources Sparks 8-162-98H well (API: 33-02300538). The pink star indicates the location Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 well (API: 33-053-00827).

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and production to date with more than 21,000 Madison wells drilled and completed in the province that have cumulatively produced more than 2.6 billion barrels of oil (Table 1). These production totals are incomplete as Montana production records only go back to 1986 and complete gas production records for North Dakota began in 1990.

wells (Fig. 1), which include approximately 800 horizontal Madison wells (NDOGD, 2021). Other than a few dozen recent horizontal wells in the Midale-upper Rival section along the Saskatchewan border (Nesheim, 2018; 2019), the North Dakota horizontal Madison wells have been primarily completed without any hydraulic fracture stimulation. Across the entire Williston Basin, there have been a total of over 32,000 vertical and horizontal wells drilled and completed within the various subunits of the Madison Group (Fig. 1). Cumulative, basin-wide Madison production totals approximately 4.6 BBOE which consists of more than 4.1 billion barrels of oil and 2.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (Table 1). Saskatchewan has had the most prolific Madison activity

STRATIGRAPHY/GEOLOGIC BACKGROUND

The Madison Group is a carbonate-dominated sedimentary section that reaches a maximum thickness of over 2,400 feet and is subdivided into three formations, listed in ascending order: Lodgepole, Mission

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LEAD STORY

TABLE 1 State/Province Saskatchewan North Dakota* Manitoba Montana** Totals

# Wells 21,853 6,134 3,729 789 32,505

Cum. Oil (BBLS) 2,677,032,242 1,108,074,415 273,332,682 99,886,007 4,158,325,346

Cum. Gas (MCF) 1,580,726,937 997,873,231 1,722,084 43,405,119 2,623,727,371

Cum. BOE 2,940,486,732 1,274,386,620 273,619,696 107,120,194 4,595,613,241

*Complete gas production records for North Dakota begin in 1990 **Available Montana production records only go back to 1986 BBLS = barrels; BOE = barrels of oil equivalent; Cum. = Cumulative; MCF = thousand cubic feet

Canyon, and Charles Formations (Fig. 2) (Murphy et al., 2009). The Mission Canyon and Charles Formations are further subdivided into the Tilston, Frobisher-Alida, Ratcliffe, and Poplar Intervals, from which the Frobisher-Alida and Ratcliffe Intervals contain most of the oil producing reservoirs (Fig. 1) (LeFever and Anderson, 1986: Murphy et al., 2009). The Frobisher-Alida Interval has been described as an overall upward-shoaling cycle which began with open-marine sedimentation that transitioned into widespread sabkha-saline evaporites (Petty, 1988). Seven distinct subintervals comprise the Frobisher-Alida, which consist in ascending order of the Landa, Wayne, Glenburn, Mohall, Sherwood, Bluell, and Rival subintervals (Fig. 2) (LeFever and Anderson, 1986; Petty, 1996). The subintervals, which are defined by widespread marker beds, generally range from 30 to 100 feet (10 to 30 meters) in thickness and vary between different aggradation/progradation styles (Petty, 1996). The Ratcliffe has been partially divided into four subunits within the central portions of the Williston Basin, which include in ascending stratigraphic order: Midale, Berentson, Alexander, and Flat Lake subintervals (Fig. 2) (Hendricks, 1987; Nordeng, 2007). Each of these subunits has been described and interpreted as shallowing upward cycles that grade from sabkha environments in the east to open marine carbonate environments in the central, western portions of the basins (Hendricks, 1987). Including the Tilston

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Interval, there are 12 distinct subunits that comprise the lower Charles and underlying Mission Canyon Formation which have all been hydrocarbon productive to varying degrees across the Williston Basin (Fig. 2).

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GEOCHEMICAL FINGERPRINTING

Dow (1974) and Williams (1974), using early geochemical analysis techniques, concluded that Madison reservoir oils were sourced from organic-rich shales in the underlying Bakken Formation and that vertical migration occurred along faulting/fracturing trends with lateral migration through intraformational (Madison) porous and permeable carrier beds. Initial subsequent studies further examining both produced and core extract oil samples yielded similar interpretations about the Madison-Bakken Petroleum System (Thode, 1981; Leenheer and Zumberge, 1987). This relatively early concept of a Bakken-sourced Madison petroleum system became firmly ingrained in the ensuing Williston Basin petroleum geology-related literature. As oil geochemistry studies continued in the Williston Basin, Bakken and Madison oils have been found to be generally distinct from one another based upon multiple geochemical fingerprinting parameters. Madison oils are often more paraffinic and display higher gas chromatogram peaks in the n-C20 to n-C30 versus Bakken oils that display higher gas chromatogram peaks in the n-C10 to n-C17 range (Price and LeFever, 1992). Madison oils are also commonly noted to have a C35 hopane predominance, which is limited to absent

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within Bakken oils (Osadetz and Snowden, 1995; Jarvie, 2001). Bakken oils have overall higher pristane-phytane ratios than Madison reservoir oils (Price and LeFever 1992; Jarvie, 2001). Furthermore, Madison reservoir oils are distinct from Bakken oils across the US Williston Basin based upon light hydrocarbon and C8+ fingerprints (Jarvie, 2001). Madison reservoir oils do occasionally display a mixed Bakken-Madison sourced signature, but such occurrences are generally on a localized field-scale and are commonly proximal to large structures or faulting-fracture trends (Jarvie, 2001; Jiang and Li, 2002; Chen et al., 2009). The Madison Group may contain variable sets of thermally mature source beds. Jarvie (2001) inferred two sets of spatially distinct Madison source beds: 1) carbonate source beds that have charged Madison reservoirs along the North Dakota-Montana northern tier counties with lower API gravity oil that contains high sulfur content, and 2) marly shale facies that have generated and expelled higher API gravity oil and lower sulfur that have sourced reservoirs within the central basin. Meanwhile, Lillis (2012) noted that oils produced from most of the reservoirs in the Frobisher-Alida Interval have high sulfur content, indicative of Type II-S kerogen which thermally matures at lower temperatures compared to Type I and regular Type II kerogen. Conversely, oils produced from overlying reservoirs in the upper Rival subinterval (uppermost Frobisher-Alida) to Ratcliffe Interval (includes Midale) as well as the underlying the Tilston Interval to Landa subinterval (basal Frobisher-Alida) were noted to contain mostly moderate to low sulfur concentrations, indicative of non-Type II-S kerogen (Lillis, 2012). In summary, previous studies indicate that Madison oils from differing lateral positioning as well as stratigraphic intervals may be sourced from multiple distinct source bed horizons that generate and expel variable types of oil.

FIGURE 2:

Stratigraphic column of the Madison Group and underlying Bakken Formation with stratigraphic nomenclature of North Dakota. The pink and blue stars indicate the approximate stratigraphic positions of Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 well (API: 33-05300827) and Samson Resources Sparks 8-162-98H well (API: 33-023-00538).

NOTABLE ORGANIC-RICHNESS FROM MADISON GROUP SAMPLES

Despite having extensive geochemical evidence from numerous oil samples spanning the US and Canadian portions of the Williston Basin, largely indicating

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 3: Organic-richness plot

of compiled analyzed core chip samples spanning the Lodgepole, Mission Canyon, and lower Charles Formations. The pink and blue stars indicate samples from the Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 (API: 33-05300827) and the Samson Resources Sparks 8-162-98H (API: 33-02300538) cores.

the unique sets of petroleum source beds in the Madison section, published literature documenting organic-rich and thermally mature source beds in the Madison is limited. Initial studies of prospective source rocks in the Williston Basin reported TOC values from Madison Group samples that were consistently <1% (Williams, 1974; Osadetz and Snowdon, 1986). However, several later studies reported data sets of organic-rich lime mudstone samples from the Lodgepole Formation in southern Saskatchewan with average TOC and HI values of 4.8% to 5.5% and 401 to 594 mg HC/g TOC (Figs. 3 and 4) (Osadetz et al., 1992; Osadetz and Snowdon, 1995; Jiang et al., 2001). Furthermore, Jarvie (2001) reported three organic-rich horizons in the Mission Canyon Formation in one core from eastern Montana that averaged TOC values of 1.96%, 8.50%, and 1.92% with corresponding HI average values of 394, 300, and 274 mg HC/g TOC. More recently, Jarvie (2016) reported that elevated TOC values (>1% present-day values) are present in multiple Madison subintervals spanning the Ratcliffe, Frobisher-Alida, and Tilston Intervals. While the studies referenced above indicate notable organic richness within portions of the Madison section, limited information was generally provided regarding the stratigraphic positioning, lateral extent, thicknesses, and/or thermal maturity.

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LOWER BLUELL SUBINTERVAL Examining and sampling Madison cores from the Frobisher-Alida and lower Ratcliffe intervals in west-central North Dakota, Nesheim (2021) documented an organic-rich horizon within the approximate lower Bluell subinterval (lower Bluell) (Figs. 2 & 5). A core from Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 (API: 33-053-00827) yielded the overall highest, most consistent TOC values from the lower Bluell which reached upwards of 5.2% and averaged 1.9% over a 14-foot sampled section (Figs. 3 & 5). Tmax values from the same interval ranged from 447° to 454° with a ~451° average, indicating the interval had reached the peak to late mature stages of oil generation (Fig. 4) (Peters, 1986; Peters and Cassa, 1994). While this interval does not correspond with a notable elevated gamma-ray wireline log signature, cross-plots of deep resistivity versus bulk density, neutron porosity, and sonic travel time yielded positive organic-richness signatures, methods developed by Passey et al. (1990) that trends with increased TOC values from core samples (Fig. 5). The lower Bluell ranges from organic-rich to organic-lean skeletal wackestone and oolitic-peloidal lime grainstone along western McKenzie County, west-central North Dakota (Nesheim, 2021). Wireline log mapping using

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the multiple cross plots described above indicate the organic-rich facies of the lower Bluell reaches gross thicknesses of over 30 feet proximal to the North Dakota-Montana border (Nesheim, 2021).

MADISON CORE FROM SAMSON RESOURCES’ SPARKS 8-162-98H

The Blooming Prairie Field was initially discovered in northwestern North Dakota by Texaco in 1982 (Fig. 1). The field produced from the Ordovician Red River Formation as a single-well field until 1993. Samson Resources later acquired acreage proximal to the Blooming Prairie Field and began to explore and develop the Bakken-Three Forks Formations beginning in late 2006. The Sparks 8-162-98H well was spudded by Samson Resources in April of 2007, which cut 90 feet of core spanning the basal Mission Canyon and upper Lodgepole Formations. While Samson Resources continued to focus on the Bakken-Three Forks in the Blooming Prairie Field area during FIGURE 4: Thermal maturity plot of compiled analyzed core chip samples the ensuing years, the Madison core spanning the Lodgepole, Mission Canyon, and lower Charles Formations. The from the Sparks 8-162-98H well (Sparks pink and blue stars indicate samples from the Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 (API: 33core) provides solid evidence of sizable 053-00827) and the Samson Resources Sparks 8-162-98H (API: 33-023-00538) active source rock within the Madison cores. Note how the majority of samples with >2% TOC and from the Sparks section. The upper ~75 feet of the Mad core plot along either a Type I or Type II oil-prone kerogen maturation curve. ison core from the Sparks well consists of darkly colored lime mudstone from which seven spatially dispersed samples were collected and analyzed for average of 0.91 (28 samples), both sets of thermal TOC-RockEval analysis (Fig. 6). Four samples from maturity data indicating this Madison source rock the basal ~45 feet of that darkly colored core interval yielded TOC values of 2.7% to 5.5% (4.0% averis within the peak oil generation window (Peters, age) with hydrogen index (HI) values of 223 to 308 1986; Peters and Cassa, 1994). Historically, operatmg HC/g TOC (279 HI average). The upper ~30 feet ing companies focused on cutting core samples from of the darkly colored mudstone yielded TOC values petroleum reservoirs and not from petroleum source of 1.4% to 1.9% (1.7% average) with hydrogen index beds, which is partly why the Sparks core may be (HI) values of 124 to 210 mg HC/g TOC (156 HI averhighly important with re-evaluating the Madison peage). Tmax values ranged from 436° to 442°C (440° troleum system(s). average) with a corresponding vitrinite reflectance

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THE BAKKEN AND BEYOND During the past few decades, unconventional hydrocarbon resource plays have dominated exploration and development activity of the onshore US oil and gas industry. The Bakken-Three Forks petroleum system developed into the first unconventional, oilbased resource play in the world with billions of barrels of technically recoverable oil. Since the discovery of the Parshall Field in 2006, the Bakken-Three Forks became the overwhelming focus of exploration and development in western North Dakota. Since 2006, more than 15,000 horizontal wells have been drilled and completed within the Bakken-Three Forks section of western North Dakota which have cumulatively produced more than 4 billion barrels of oil (NDOGD, 2019). Western North Dakota contains the central, deepest portions of the Williston Basin, across which lays large portions of the most productive Bakken-Three Forks acreage. Additionally, western North Dakota likely also represents where the hypothetical/prospective Madison petroleum source beds (such as in the Sparks core) are likely present and have generated vast quantities of hydrocarbons. Therefore, in the area where the Madison Group may hold one or more unconventional resource plays, the unit has likely been overlooked as operating companies have largely focused on the established Bakken-Three Forks play. So across western North Dakota, in large part due to the emergence of the Bakken-Three Forks play, the Madison group has sat in relative dormancy during the rise of unconventional oil and gas plays. One point of characterization for a super basin is large amounts of data (Fryklund and Stark, 2020). The state of North Dakota requires oil and gas companies that drill new wells to submit all collected wireline logs, core samples, and core analysis data, which eventually become publicly available following an initial phase of confidentiality. The 15,000+ Bakken-Three Forks wells drilled during the past 15+ years all went through the entire Madison section before reaching TD (total depth) and collected various amounts of data along the way. North Dakota Administrative Code Sections 43-02-03-31 and 43-02-03-38.1 require companies to run open hole logs, collect drill cutting samples,

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FIGURE 5: Wireline logs (left) and TOC-RockEval analysis

data (right) from Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 core (API: 33-05300827). Cross-plotting deep resistivity (LLD) versus formation density (RHOB), neutron porosity, and sonic travel time (DT) are methods developed by Passey et al. (1990) to identify prospective organic-rich horizons using wireline logs. The brown shaded interval highlights the gross thickness of the organic-rich section in the lower Bluell subinterval based upon the wireline log cross plots, which yielded TOC values ranging from 0.3% to 5.2% TOC (1.8% average).

and generate lithological logs (if compiled) of the hydrocarbon prospective portion of the Madison Group (NDAC, 2020). Hundreds of the recent Bakken-Three Forks wells have expanded suites of open hole digital wireline logs plus drill cuttings. In addition, there

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LEAD STORY

FIGURE 6: Wireline logs (left) and spectral core gamma-ray plus TOC-RockEval analysis data (right) from Samson

Resources Sparks 8-162-98H core (API: 33-023-00538). Cross-plotting deep resistivity and formation density is one method developed by Passey et al. (1990) to identify prospective organic-rich horizons using wireline logs. Note the ~45foot thick section spanning most of the cored interval near the base of the wireline section displayed which corresponds with the higher TOC values of 2.7% to 5.5% (4.0% TOC average).

are over 3,100 spatially dispersed legacy Madison core samples with corresponding core analysis data and wireline logs that are accessible for examining and sampling at the Wilson M. Laird Core and Sample Library at the University of North Dakota. While companies are required to collect and submit such data, they are not required to fully evaluate, actively explore, or test the various prospective Madison reservoir. So much of the recent well log data as well as the legacy Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

core and log data for the Madison has sat largely unexamined with respect to unconventional evaluation and prospecting.

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CONCLUDING REMARKS

• Numerous lines of evidence published within multiple geochemical fingerprinting studies spanning the past several decades have overwhelmingly concluded that the majority of oils produced

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LEAD STORY Geological Survey), Arden Marsh (Saskatchewan Geological Survey), and Jay Gunderson (Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology) for assistance with providing/accessing Madison well and production data.

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from Madison reservoirs has been sourced from one or more petroleum source beds within the Madison Group section. This suggests that the majority of the 4.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent produced from Madison reservoirs over the past ~70 years has been self-sourced by petroleum source beds within the Madison section. • Published literature has yet to identify and characterize one or more distinct sets of laterally continuous petroleum sources. However, based upon the stratigraphic distribution of produced oils, two sets of type II kerogen source beds that have generated and expelled low sulfur oils occur somewhere within the basal (Lodgepole-Tilston-Landa) and upper (upper Rival-Ratcliffe subintervals) portions of the productive Madison section. A third set of petroleum source beds likely exists within the middle of the productive Madison section (Wayne to Bluell subintervals), which contains Type II-S kerogen that has generated and source relatively high sulfur oils. • A relatively recent core cut from the upper Lodgepole-Tilston section, Samson Resources Sparks core, may represent one of the first documented cases of a thick (>40 ft.), organic-rich (>2% TOC), and thermally mature (>0.9 Ro, Tmax ~440 °C) petroleum source beds within the Madison Group. Additionally, recent data collected from Shell Oil’s Mitten #12-10 and other cores demonstrates another organic-rich horizon with the approximate lower portions of the Bluell subinterval. • The Bakken-Three Forks play may have overshadowed the Madison Group during the past 15+ years but also has yielded numerous new well penetrations with logs and data of the Madison section. Continued examination and exploration of the Madison Group may lead to a transition from a predominantly conventional-resource exploration and development history to an unconventional-dominated future.

REFERENCES

Chen, Z., Osadetz, K.G., Jiang, C., and Li, M., 2009, Spatial variation of Bakken or Lodgepole oil in the Canadian Williston Basin: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, vol. 93, p. 829-851. Dow, W. G., 1974, Application of oil-correlation and source-rock data to exploration in Williston Basin: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, vol. 58, p. 1253-1262. Fryklund, B., and Stark, P., 2020, Super basins— New paradigm for oil and gas supply: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 104, no. 12, p. 2507-2519. Gaswirth, S.B. and K.R. Marra, 2015, U.S. Geological Survey 2013 assessment of undiscovered resources in the Bakken and Three Forks Formations of the U.S. Williston Basin Province: AAPG Bulletin, vil. 99, no. 4, p. 639-660. Hendricks, M.L., 1987, The lower Ratcliffe interval (Mississippian) in Williams and McKenzie Counties, North Dakota: Fifth International Williston Basin Symposium Core Workshop Volume, Saskatchewan Geological Society, edited by D. W Fischer, p. 33-58. Jarvie, D.M., 2001, Williston Basin Petroleum Systems: Inferences from oil geochemistry and geology: The Mountain Geologist, vol. 38, no. 1, p. 19-41. Jarvie, D.M., 2016, Madison Group source rocks, Williston Basin, USA: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Convention and Exhibit, Calgary, Oral Presentation PowerPoint, 22 slides. Jiang, C., Li, M., Osadetz, K.G., Snowdon, L.R., Obermajer, M., Fowler, M.G., 2001, Bakken/ Madison petroleum systems in the Canadian Williston Basin. Part 2: molecular markers diagnostic of Bakken and Lodgepole source rocks: Organic Geochemistry, vol. 32, p. 1037-1054. Jiang, C., and Li, M., 2002, Bakken/Madison

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to thank Travis Stolldorf (North Dakota Geological Survey) for a pre-submission review as well as Michelle Nicholas (Manitoba OUTCROP | August 2021

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LEAD STORY unconventional-style play, northern Burke County: North Dakota Department of Mineral Resource, Geo News, vol. 46, no. 1, p. 4-6. Nesheim, T.O., 2021, Investigations into petroleum source rocks within the Mississippian Madison Group: Bluell subinterval of western McKenzie County: North Dakota Geological Survey, Geologic Investigations no. 255, 18 p., 1 pl. Nordeng, S.H., 2007, Stratigraphic and structural framework of recent Ratcliffe (Mississippian, Charles Fm) production in western North Dakota: North Dakota Geological Survey, Geologic Investigations no. 1, 1 plate. North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS), 2000, Overview of the Petroleum Geology of the North Dakota Williston Basin: North Dakota Geologic Survey (nd.gov) (retrieved July 19th, 2021). North Dakota Geological Survey (NDGS), 2000, Overview of Petroleum Geology of North Dakota Williston Basin: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ Resources/ (retrieved July 16th, 2021). North Dakota Oil and Gas Division (NDOGD), 2019, North Dakota cumulative oil production by formation through December 2019: https:// www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/stats/2019CumulativeFormation.pdf (retrieved September 30th, 2020). North Dakota Oil and Gas Division (NDOGD), 2021, Premium Services, Well Index & Downloads, Well_Index: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/oilgas/ (retrieved July 19th, 2021). Thode, H.G., 1981, Sulphur isotope ratios in petroleum research and exploration: Williston Basin: in American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, vol. 65, p. 1527-1535. Osadetz, K.G., Brooks, P.W., and Snowdon, L.R., 1992, Oil families and their sources in Canadian Williston Basin, (southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba): Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, vol. 40, no. 2, p. 254-273. Osadetz, K.G., and Snowdon, L.R., 1986, Petroleum source rock reconnaissance of southern Saskatchewan: in Current Research, Pat A, Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 86-1A, p. 609-617. Osadetz, K.G., and Snowdon, L.R., 1995, Significant Paleozoic petroleum source rocks in the

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petroleum systems in the Canadian Williston Basin. Part 3: geochemical evidence for significant Bakken-derived oil in Madison Group reservoirs: in Organic Geochemistry, vol. 33, p. 761-787. Leenheer, M. J., and Zumberge, J. E., 1987, Correlation and thermal maturity of Williston Basin crude oils and Bakken source rocks using Terpane Biomarkers: in Williston Basin: Anatomy of a Cratonic Oil Province, p. 287-298. LeFever, J.A., and Anderson, S.B., 1986, Structure and stratigraphy of the Frobisher-Alida and Ratcliffe Intervals, Mississippian Madison Group, north-central North Dakota: North Dakota Geological Survey, Report of Investigations no. 84, 17p., 14 pl. LeFever, J.A., 1992, Horizontal Drilling in the Williston Basin, United States and Canada: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Geological Studies Relevant to Horizontal Drilling: Examples from Western North Dakota; edited by J.W. Schmoker, E.B. Coalson, and C.A. Brown, p. 177-197. Lillis, P. G., 2012, Review of oil families and their petroleum systems of the Williston Basin: The Mountain Geologist, vol. 50, no. 1, p. 5-31. North Dakota Administrative Code (NDAC), 2020, Chapter 43-02-03. https://www.dmr. nd.gov/oilgas/rules/rulebook.pdf (retrieved July 20th, 2021) Nicolas, M.P.B. 2020, Phanerozoic stratigraphic correlation chart for Manitoba; Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, Manitoba Geological Survey, Open File OF2020-7, 2 p., https://www.manitoba.ca/iem/info/libmin/ OF2020-7.pdf (retrieved July 20th, 2021). Murphy, E.C., Nordeng, S.H., Junker, B.J., and Hoganson, J.W., 2009, North Dakota stratigraphic column: North Dakota Geological Survey Miscellaneous Series 91. Nesheim, T.O., 2018, Spatial distribution of elevated oil saturations within the Midale subinterval (Mississippian Madison Group), Burke County – North Dakota: North Dakota Geological Survey, Geological Investigation no. 213, 18 p. Nesheim, T.O., 2019, Review of the emerging Midale-upper Rival (Mississippian Madison Group)

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LEAD STORY Petty, D.M., 1996, Regional stratigraphic and facies relationships in the Mission Canyon Formation, North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin: in M.W. Longman and M.D. Sonnenfeld eds., 1996, Paleozoic Systems of the Rocky Mountain Region, Rocky Mountain Section, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), p. 193-212. Price, L.C., and LeFever, J.A., 1992, Does Bakken horizontal drilling imply a huge oil-resource base in fractured shales?, in LeFever, J.A., eds., Geological Studies Relevant to Horizontal Drilling: Examples from Western North America: Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Denver, CO, p. 199-214. Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy, 2014, Stratigraphic Correlation Chart, 1 plate: 9496-StratigraphicCorrelationChart (1).pdf (retrieved July 19th, 2021). Williams, J. A., 1974, Characterization of oil types in Williston Basin: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin: vol. 58, p. 12431252.

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Canadian Williston Basin: Their distribution, richness, and thermal maturity (southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba): Geological Survey of Canada, Bulletin 487, 60 p. Passey, Q. R., Creaney, S., Kulla, J. B., Moretti, F. J., Stroud, J. D., 1990, A practical model for organic richness from porosity and resistivity logs: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, vol. 74, p. 1777-1794. Peters, K.E., 1986, Guidelines for evaluating petroleum source rock using programmed pyrolysis. AAPG Bulletin, vol. 70, no. 3, 318–329. Peters, K.E., and Cassa, M.R., 1994, Applied source rock geochemistry, in Magoon, L.B., and Dow, W.G., eds., The petroleum system—From source to trap: Tulsa, Okla., American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 60, p. 93-117. Petty, D.M., 1988, Depositional facies, textural characteristics, and reservoir properties of dolomites in Frobisher-Alida Interval in southwest North Dakota: AAPG Bulletin, vol. 72, no. 10, p. 1229-1253.

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RMAG/ RPS Online Short Course

Geophysical Imaging for Reservoir Characterization with John Randolph

September 8-9, 2021 8am-12pm MDT daily

This course will examine case history examples exploring a variety of imaging technologies applied to conventional, unconventional, and geothermal reservoirs.

RMAG members: $200; non-members: $235 Registration open at www.rmag.org Vol. 70, No. 8 |

e: staff@rmag.org | p: 720-672-9898 | www.rmag.org 23 w: www.rmag.org

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ONLINE LUNCH TALK

FREE!

Speaker: Molly Turko, Ph.D August 4 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

BERS MEM Y ONL

Structural Origin of the Anadarko Basin By Molly Turko, Ph.D. developed in the basin and on the Anadarko Shelf with implications to timing of trap and hydrocarbon migration. Southern Oklahoma consists of large macroscopic structures related to the orogeny, while the Anadarko Shelf contains smaller scale structures, including significant sub-seismic structures. Many of these structures impact operations and production by acting as fluid conduits (leaky faults and fractures resulting in mud loss and well connectivity), or by acting as barriers (fault seals and reservoir compartmentalization). By understanding these structures, we can do a better job at predicting the impact on a play, such as identifying sweet spots or preparing for operational risks, but it all starts by looking at the system from the basement up and by knowing the structural origin of the basin.

The tectonic evolution of the Anadarko Basin began in the Precambrian during the breakup of Gondwana when one arm of a failed rift tore through southern Oklahoma as a large igneous province was emplaced. This event was followed by thermal post-rift subsidence as the Great American Carbonate Bank covered North America, resulting in thick carbonate deposition into the failed rift. During the Pennsylvanian Orogeny, intra-plate tectonics inverted the failed rift creating the Wichita Uplift and associated Anadarko foreland basin. A detailed study on structures in the Anadarko Basin and Wichita Uplift records the tectonic evolution of southern Oklahoma which included a rotation in regional stresses during the Late Pennsylvanian. This insight helps to understand the structural styles that

DR. MOLLY TURKO has over 10 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and is a subject matter expert in structural geology. She has had the opportunity to work in multiple basins in the U.S including the Anadarko, Ardmore, Powder River, Appalachian, Onshore Gulf Coast, and Rocky Mountain Basins. She received both a B.Sc. (2009) and a M.Sc. (2011) in geology from the University of Tulsa followed by a Ph.D. (2019) from the University of Oklahoma where she studied under Dr. Shankar Mitra. Molly’s passion is mentoring and teaching, but her favorite role is leading structural geology field courses in Nevada and Southern Oklahoma. Molly is currently a team member of Applied Stratigraphix as their Structural Geology Expert along with consulting for Turko Tectonics and Structural Geology.

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S EPTEMBER 25 2021

New Date!

2021

RMAG GOLF

TOURNAMENT

8:00am Shotgun at Arrowhead Golf Club Registration includes entry, 18-holes of golf, cart, breakfast, lunch, & entry to win great door prizes

Thank you to our Premier Event Sponsor!

Registration open!

Teams of 4 and Individuals are welcome to register Member Team: $780 Non-Member Team: $880

email: staﬀ@rmag.org

phone: 720.672.9898

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1999 Broadway, Ste. 730, Denver, CO, 80202

Member Individual: $195 Non-Member Individual: $220

fax: 323.352.0046

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follow: @rmagdenver

ONLINE LUNCH TALK

FREE!

Speaker: Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr. September 8 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

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The Greater Glory Of The Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, Utah By Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr., Emeritus, Utah Geological Survey, Salt Lake City, Utah

OUTCROP | August 2021

beds are friable and composed of clean, fine- to medium-grained, frosted, subrounded to subangular, moderately to well-sorted quartz sand with minor amounts of feldspar and scattered heavy mineral grains. Sedimentary structures include sets of large, high-angle trough cross-stratification (reaching thicknesses up to 45 feet [14 m]); contorted bedding and soft-sediment deformation, wind ripples, and small-scale trough cross-stratification are additionally abundant. Sandstone beds are locally bleached by iron-reducing hydrocarbons, weak acids, or hydrogen sulfide. Fluid flow has also produced unique iron concretions (“Moki marbles”) that weather out of the sandstone, and sand injectites rich in iron and manganese near the top of the Navajo. Laminated, 5- to 10-foot (1.5–3 m) thick, thin-bedded carbonate units deposited in oases consist of sandy microbial (algal) stromatolitic to thrombolitic (clotted) boundstone and wackestone composed of limestone or dolomitic limestone. These units often display desiccation features such as mudcracks and salt casts. The Navajo Sandstone is separated from the overlying Middle Jurassic Temple Cap/Carmel Formation by the J-1 unconformity. Recent research indicates the J-1 is a major regional unconformity representing a hiatus of over 10 million years. The J-1 is indicated by angular chert fragments, desiccation cracks, brecciation zones, carbonate nodules, bioturbation, and thick bleached intervals; however, the J-1 can be very subtle in some areas. In addition, the upper Navajo contact undulates with up to 200 feet (60 m) of

The Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone is perhaps the most well known lithostratigraphic formation in Utah and creates some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. It forms the magnificent cliffs and canyons in Zion and other national parks, monuments, and recreational areas on the Colorado Plateau in the central and southern parts of the state. Navajo outcrops are displayed as rounded cliffs, alcoves, domes, and knobs—they epitomize what is called “slickrock” country. The Navajo is most famous for massive cross-stratified sandstone beds representing ancient dunes. In Early Jurassic time, Utah had an arid climate and lay 15º north of the equator. The Navajo Sandstone and age-equivalent rocks were deposited in an extensive erg, which extended from present-day Wyoming to Arizona. The eolian deposits included dunes, interdunes, and sand sheets. Navajo dunes were large (widths up to 2200 feet [670 m]) to small, straight-crested to sinuous, coalescing, transverse barchanoid ridges as suggested by the large-scale cross-stratification. Regional analyses of the mean dip of dune foreset beds indicate paleocurrent and paleowind directions were dominantly from the north and northwest. A high paleo-water table produced oases; deposition occurred when springs and lakes existed for relatively long periods of time. Vertebrate fossils, fossil wood, and dinosaur tracks and other trace fossils are found in Navajo interdune as well as dune environments. The Navajo Sandstone ranges in thickness from 150 to 2300 feet [45–700 m]. The sandstone

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

RMAG GEOHIKE CHALLENGE The 2021 RMAG Geohike Challenge is bigger and better than ever! New scavenger hunt items, new hats & t-shirts, new contests (a photo contest and a kids’ contest), and monthly prizes. Prizes awarded to the winners (gift card to REI, anyone?) and announced at AAPG/SEG in September!

REGISTRATION IS OPEN See www.rmag.org for details and to register. Check out the RMAG LinkedIn Group to see pictures!

#rmaggeohikechallenge2021

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OUTCROP | August 2021

and interdune facies in the Navajo Sandstone. Interdune deposits create baffles and barriers to fluid flow, partitioning the Navajo reservoirs or aquifers. The world-class outcrops of the Navajo Sandstone in Utah demonstrate the complex nature of dune and interdune facies. Studying the reservoir and aquifer characteristics of the Navajo Sandstone, from the surface to the subsurface, has greatly expanded the understanding of this ancient erg system. The detailed descriptions of these facies and those identified in Covenant field cores provide a template for exploring and developing new oil fields, disposing of produced water, and targeting zones to store CO2, in the Navajo and other formations elsewhere in Utah and worldwide that were deposited in eolian environments.

topographic relief over long distances, creating paleohighs and providing further evidence that the J-1 is a significant regional unconformity. Besides its remarkable outcrops, the Navajo Sandstone serves as a reservoir both for hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and carbon dioxide (CO2), an aquifer for disposal of produced water from coalbed methane fields, a potential storage unit for CO2 captured from coal-fired power plants in the region, and in much of southern Utah the Navajo is the major aquifer for culinary water. The spectacular outcrops of the Navajo in the San Rafael Swell and other areas of central and southern Utah, as well as cores from Covenant oil field in the central Utah thrust belt, display the eolian facies characteristics, geometry, distribution, and nature of boundaries contributing to the overall heterogeneity of reservoir rocks and aquifers. Outcrops and Covenant core show both dune

TOM CHIDSEY is an Emeritus Senior Scientist for the Utah Geological Survey (UGS), officially “retiring” in 2020. During his long career at the UGS, Tom’s responsibilities included conducting research on Utah’s petroleum geology, managing various grantfunded projects, industry outreach, and publishing the results of his studies. He grew up in the Wilmington, Delaware, and the Washington, DC metropolitan areas. Tom received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1974 and a Master of Science degree in 1977, both in geology from Brigham Young University. During his 44-year career, Tom has worked as a production geologist for Exxon in South Texas and as an exploration geologist in the Utah-Wyoming-Idaho thrust belt, Uinta Basin of eastern Utah, and Green River Basin of southwestern Wyoming, for Celsius/Wexpro (now Dominion Energy) before joining the UGS in 1989. He has served as Rocky Mountain Section (RMS) President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), President of the Utah Geological Association (UGA), General Chairman for the 2003 AAPG Annual Convention in Salt Lake City, and currently is a board member of the AAPG RMS Foundation. Tom is a long-time member of RMAG. Tom has wide interest in geology and has numerous publications on Utah petroleum geology, carbon dioxide resources and sequestration, hydrogeology, oil and gas reservoir outcrop analogs, microbial carbonates, Mars rover protocols using Utah sites, and the general geology of Utah’s parks, and is the author/co-author of seventeen technical papers and three non-technical articles on various aspects of the Navajo/Nugget Sandstone. He also has been an editor/co-editor of eleven UGA, AAPG, and UGS guidebooks and bulletins on Utah geology. Tom enjoys leading field trips, conducting core workshops for industry groups and universities, and promoting Utah’s geology to the public. He was especially pleased when his “job” required climbing cliffs, running river rapids, or cruising Lake Powell. Tom has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Lehi Hintze Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Geology of Utah (2017); the AAPG Public Service Award (2018); and the AAPG RMS John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award (2019). He will be receiving the prestigious Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contribution Award during the 2021 AAPG ACE in September. Tom and his wife, Mary, have two sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren. His other interests include art history, travel, John Wesley Powell’s 1869 journey down the Grand Canyon, and World War I and the Civil War. OUTCROP | August 2021

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

RMAG Geohike Challenge/Outcrop Magazine

Ansel Adams Photo Contest

We want your best photos! There’s still time to get your photos in the special “Geohike Photography” edition of The Outcrop. Send us your best photos from your Geohike Challenge adventures! The Outcrop editorial team will be selecting the best of the best from those submitted, and the winning photograph featured on the front cover. Photographers must be registered for the Geohike Challenge, but submitted photos don’t necessarily have to have been taken this year, nor do they have to be of a ‘photo contest’ item. See the RMAG website for details. Participants must be registered for the 2021 Geohike Challenge to win.

Submit your photos today! Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org (go to www.rmag.org

& click 29 “Submit Geohike Photos” OUTCROP under Events menu)

| August 2021

RMAG ON THE ROCKS

FIGURE 1: (above) Field trip co-leader Dennis Gertenbach,

showing our junior geologists a photo of current environments where calcareous algae grow. We were able to see many examples of Pennsylvanian-aged calcareous algae at our first field stop. FIGURE 2: (right) Field trip co-leader John McLeod, discussing Pennsylvanian

stratigraphy and sedimentology in the Eagle Basin of western Colorado.

Happy to be Back “On-the-Rocks” Pennsylvanian Belden Formation, July 10, 2021 By Rob Diedrich

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and we were glad to have so many families participating on our trip. (Figure 1, Dennis et al) Our meeting point was the Dotsero, Colorado I-70 exit, located between Gypsum and Glenwood Springs. After an introduction and an application of sunscreen, our caravan headed north along the Colorado River Road. Driving up the valley, we could see Belden Formation outcroppings along both sides of the Colorado River. The Belden Formation, a Lower to Middle Pennsylvanian sedimentary unit, is exposed over a wide area of central Colorado, often in

On Saturday July 10th, 24 RMAG members, family and friends participated in our first in-person field trip since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The theme of our inaugural 2021 field trip was ‘Fossil Collecting in the Pennsylvanian Belden Formation.’ This family friendly fossil trip was led by RMAG members Dennis Gertenbach and John McLeod, who are experts in Pennsylvanian paleontology. Our group included Colorado RMAG members from Salida, Buena Vista, Grand Junction, and the Front Range and several out of state participants as well. Nearly a third of our attendees were kids or young adults

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association with the overlying Minturn Formation. It consists of a sequence of interbedded dark mudstone and limestone that is organic rich. Fossils can be found in both the carbonate and mudstone layers. At our first stop John told us that the sediments in this valley were deposited in the Eagle Basin, a result of the late Carboniferous continental plate collision that formed the supercontinent Pangea. (Figure 2 John McLeod). The Eagle Basin is coeval with the Paradox Basin, located to the southwest and separated from the Eagle Basin by the Uncompaghre Uplift. (Figure 3, Blakey x-sec). The Belden outcrops at this stop contain a variety of peritidal sedimentary structures, including mud cracks and ripple marks, and various types of shallow marine algae. We spent an hour or two hiking up a series of side canyons hunting for fossils and sedimentary features in Belden Formation float. Everyone was successful in finding examples of calcareous algal structures, including a unique genus called Shermanophycus (Figure 4 Flynn, etc, Figure 5 Sherman float). As rafters floated the river below, we continued upriver and then turned west to follow the Sweetwater Creek. We stopped for lunch at an overlook of the Sweetwater Thrust. An overturned anticline in Belden and Minturn Formation layers formed a most dramatic backdrop for our noontime break (Figure 6, Sweetwater thrust group pic). After lunch we drove several more miles up the valley to our final stop, a steep canyon in the Belden Formation. Limestone beds at this stop contained a variety of common Carboniferous fossils including brachiopods, bryozoan and crinoids. (Figure 7 Crinoids, bryozoan etc). Our group hiked along the shaly slopes of the canyon (Figure 8 Will) and everyone found nice examples of Pennsylvanian-aged fossils. All in all, it was a memorable outing for all attendees with amazing rocks to see and outstanding

(above) Regional Cross-section across the Paradox and Eagle Basins (Blakey, 2009). Deposition was active in the Eagle Basin during the Pennsylvanian as evidenced by a thick stratigraphic column of sediment. The yellow star represents the Belden Formation, the focus of our field trip. FIGURE 3:

FIGURE 4: (below) Flynn Johnson, Ruby Glazier, Laura Johnson and Ewan Johnson stand over slab of limestone from the Belden Formation with several calcareous algal structures.

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RMAG ON THE ROCKS

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leaders to guide us. A special thanks to Dennis Gertenbach and John McLeod for planning and leading a fun day ‘On the Rocks.’ Please check out the RMAG webpage for other trips hosted by RMAG’s On the Rocks Field Trip Committee.

REFERENCE

Blakey, Ronald C., 2009, Paleogeography and Geologic History of the Western Ancestral Rocky Mountains, Pennsylvanian-Permian, Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. RMAG, The Paradox Revisited-New Developments in Petroleum Systems and Basin Analysis, P 222-264.

A piece of float from the Belden Fm with Shermanophycus Gouldi calcareous algae.

FIGURE 5:

FIGURE 6: Our group picture with a backdrop of an

overturned anticline associated with the Sweetwater Valley thrust. Participants on our trip came from Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico as well as Colorado. FIGURE 7: A block of Belden Formation limestone

showing marine fossils common to the Pennsylvanian. FIGURE 8: Will Reichert, searching for fossils

on a shaly slope within the Belden Formation.

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Well Log Digitizing • Petrophysics Petra® Projects • Mud Log Evaluation Bill Donovan

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

(720) 351-7470 donovan@petroleum-eng.com Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | August 2021

Thank You Letter BY ELIJAH OLUSOLA ADENIYI, PHD CANDIDATE PREFACE: It is rare that the RMAG Foundation receives such an elegant thank you letter for a scholarship. Elijah Adeniyi from Montana State University was selected for the Norman Foster Scholarship in 2019 and again in 2021. He wrote thank you letters to the Foundation in 2019 as well as to Norm’s widow, Janet Foster. The Foundation Trustees appreciate Elijah’s written gratitude and look forward to recommending him for a post-graduation position in the petroleum industry. Access to funds remains one of the most powerful enablers of scientific development. I am indeed grateful to have been selected to receive the 2021 Norman H. Foster Scholarship Award. Your donation and generosity toward my research has inspired me beyond words. My current PhD research prnvides me the unique opportunity to study subsurface CO2 , evolution and accumulation history including a temporal understanding of exhumation with CO2 emplacement at Kevin Dome, Northwest Montana. My motivation for this project is to understand the geologic processes and events that lead to CO2 storage in a natural CO2 reservoir analogue such as Kevin Dome. My immediate career goal is to gain scientific knowledge of natural CO2 storage and couple it with my background in petroleum systems analysis, carbon sequestration, and hydrocarbon explorations to contribute to uncovering creative ways to explore for petroleum resources responsibly and address environmental management challenges

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in the oil and gas industry. I also plan to bring my acquired industry experience back to academia to help train future petroleum geologists. Norman H. Foster was regarded as “a strong self-starter, well organized and disciplined person” - “a geologist’s geologist and an explorer of unusual intensity” His value codes and the reputation that precedes his name and legacy are valuable virtues that I cherish and will hold dear as I begin my career in the oil and gas industry. I will always be inspired by his life and especially the RMAG Foundation Board of Trustees’ continuous commitment to keep his legacy alive through the years. Thank you again, for your timely and much needed support. Sincerely, Elijah Olusola Adeniyi PhD Candidate Department of Earth Sciences Montana State University elijahadeniyi@montana.edu

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

Mallard Exploration is a Denver-based upstream Oil & Gas Exploration and Production company focused on the DJ Basin of Colorado. We are building a successful business with strong ethics, hard work and industry-leading technology.

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

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RMAG Foundation Has Two Open Trustee Positions The RMAG Foundation is seeking two new Trustees to serve a minimum of one term (3 years) up to three terms (9 years) beginning on January 1, 2022. Any interested RMAG member is welcome to apply. The two finalists will be selected by the current Trustees who are volunteers and receive no remuneration, goods, or services. The RMAG Foundation is a notfor-profit organization (IRS Employee Identification Number 840730294) and is listed as a State of Colorado charitable entity. The mission of the Foundation is to conduct educational, charitable, and scientific activities related to or allied with the earth sciences. Specifically, the Foundation will: • (a) provide scholarships, prizes, and awards to students engaged in the study of earth sciences or related fields. • (b) support of research both directly and through the promotion, assistance, encouragement, support and ongoing research in the earth sciences and in sciences related thereto. • (c) support information relat-

ing to the earth sciences and related fields, through continuing education programs,

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lectures, seminars, publications, educational courses, teaching aids, and by other means and materials.

• (d) assist public and private schools (elementary and secondary) and colleges and universities and technical schools in teaching and education in the earth sciences and related fields.

The Trustees meet a minimum of 4 times a year and conduct additional business, when necessary, by email. The three officers of the Foundation include a chair, a secretary, and a treasurer. The Finance Committee works with the treasurer to review and evaluate investments, long-term growth opportunities, and portfolio changes. Various Ad Hoc committees are formed when necessitated by projects. Trustees are expected to support the Foundations in all its services and initiatives. In addition, other criteria for selection which are important but not required include: • A keen interest in geoscience education and the development of young scientists. • Experience on a non-profit board 36

or other board involvement. • A commitment to attend all quarterly meetings, when possible. • A commitment to spend between 2 and 5 hours a month on Foundation business. • A willingness to serve on subcommittees when necessary.

To apply, please send a resume and a brief statement indicating your interest in becoming a Foundation Trustee, as well as any relevant experience that should be considered. Please email these to Laura Wray (wraylamarre@msn. com). Finally, the Board maintains a very congenial relationship and enjoys the challenges and rewards of supporting the Foundation’s goals. We invite like-minded individuals to join us! For questions, please feel free to contact Laura Wray (wraylamarre@msn.com) or (720339-5406) and be sure to visit the Foundation website (www.rmagfoundation.org). Thank you for your interest. Applications are due by November 12, 2021.

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

2019.3.2 Available for Download Peter Batdorf

CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER

Senior Account Manager (GeoGraphix by LMKR) C : + 1 724 919 2506 | P : + 1 412 795 1271 pbatdorf@lmkr.com

Proudly developing Colorado’s energy potential through innovation, safety and a commitment to our community l e a r n m o r e at : w w w . c r e s t o n e p e a k r e s o u r c e s . c o m

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

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RMAG Awards Committee Announcement Distinguished Service Special recognition for exceptional service to RMAG

The RMAG Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the annual professional awards. If you wish to nominate someone who has made outstanding contributions to the geologic community, please contact Tracy Lombardi at tracy.lombardi@inflectionenergy.com for more information on the nominating requirements. Nominations are due by August 30th, 2021.

Distinguished Public Service to Earth Science Recognition for exceptional service representing Earth Sciences

Geosciences in the Media Achievement of notable benefit to the profession or public understanding of geology, exploration or resources

AWARD CATEGORIES

Honorary Member Outstanding service to the geoscience community and/or the RMAG

Michael S. Johnson Outstanding Explorer Significant energy or mineral discovery(ies) or outstanding earth science exploration within recent years or throughout career

The awards committee is also looking for volunteers to make the awardee determinations. Please contact the RMAG office or Tracy Lombardi if you’d like to serve on the committee.

Outstanding Scientist Conducted or reported outstanding earth science studies either recently or throughout career

WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Rusty Ardoin

Bill Quinn

is VP D&E at Crowheart Energy and lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

is retired and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

is a Graduate Research Assistant at University of Colorado and lives in Boulder, Colorado.

is a retired geologist with Shell, ExxonMobil and lives in Littleton, Colorado.

Enrique Chon

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Amy Sullivan

Andrew VanDenTop

is a Geology Graduate and lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

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IN THE PIPELINE JUNE 13SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 RMAG GeoHike Challenge. AUGUST 4, 2021

AUGUST 7, 2021

AUGUST 24, 2021

RMAG Field Trip. Trip Leader: Gary Curtiss. Cripple Creek/ Victor Area Gold Mine Tour.

The Energy Summit 2021. Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Coga.org. AUGUST 25-26, 2021

RMAG Online Luncheon. Speaker: Molly Turko. “Structural Origin of the Anadarko Basin.” Online via Ring Central Meetings. 12:00 PM-1:00 PM.

AUGUST 19, 2021

AUGUST 6, 2021

AUGUST 23, 2021

Rocky Mtn. Pipeliners Club Clay Shoot. Kiowa Creek Sporting Club.

COGA-The Energy Summit Annual Golf Tournament. Arrowhead Golf Course. golf@coga.org

MiT Webinar Series Ben Burke, “Oil & Gas to Geothermal: A Career Journey”

RMAG Short Course. Instructors: Neal Nagel and Marisela SanchezNagel. “Geomechanics for Unconventional Reservoir Developments: An Integrated Geoscience and Engineering View.” Online via RPS Learning Management System. AUGUST 26, 2021 MiT Webinar Series “Show & Tell: Freeware for Freelancers”

OUTCROP ADVERTISING RATES 1 Time

2 Times

6 Times

12 Times

Full page (7-1/2” x 9-1/4”)

$330

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2/3 page (4-7/8” x 9-1/4”)

$220

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1/2 page (7-1/2” x 4-5/8”)

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Professional Card (2-5/8” x 1-1/2”)

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Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

WE ARE GREAT WESTERN AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO:

PEOPLE

EXCELLENCE

TEAMWORK

GROWTH

STEWARDSHIP

RESILIENCE

WE ARE #CommittedtoColorado

Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org

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ADVERTISER INDEX

• Crestone Peak Resources �� 37

• Mallard Exploration �� 35

• Daub & Associates �� 33

• Petroleum History Institute (PHI) �� 6

• Donovan Brothers Inc. �� 33

• Schlumberger �� 39

• GeoMark Research �� 39

• Seisware �� 35

• Great Western �� 41

• Tracerco �� 41

• LMKR �� 37

CALENDAR – AUGUST 2021 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

RMAG Online Luncheon. Speaker: Molly Turko.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Rocky Mtn. Pipeliners Club Clay Shoot.

RMAG Field Trip. Cripple Creek/ Victor Area Gold Mine Tour.

MiT Webinar Series Ben Burke

22 COGA-The Energy Summit Annual Golf Tournament.

The Energy Summit 2021.

25 RMAG Short Course.

26 MiT Webinar Series “Show & Tell: Freeware for Freelancers”

RMAG GeoHike Challenge: Continues thru Sept. 15, 2021

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Vol. 70, No. 8 | www.rmag.org