a publication of sepm society for sedimentary · pdf filerange of sedimentary environments....

The

SEDIMENTARYRecord

The

SEDIMENTARYRecord

Volume 5, No. 3September 2007

INSIDE: FROM BAHA TO JACK, EVOLUTION OF THE LOWER TERTIARY WILCOX TREND IN THE DEEPWATER GULF OF MEXICO

PLUS: ICHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS TO SEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC PROBLEMS RESEARCH CONFERENCE

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

A publication of SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology

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Siliciclastic Sequence Stratigraphy - Concepts and ApplicationsEdited by: Henry W. Posmentier and George P. Allen

Sequence stratigraphy has experienced a virtual explosion of applications in recent years. During that time, the concepts upon which sequence stratigraphy is based have been evolving to conform to new observations as well as new types of data. This volume summarizes the current status of this discipline as it applies to siliciclastic deposits. The emphasis in this volume is on sequence stratigraphy as an "approach" to geological analysis, rather than as a model to which all data sets must conform. The expression of sequence architecture and the nature of bounding surfaces is illustrated through examples and applications drawn from a range of data types, including outcrop, core, wireline log, and 3-D seismic data. In addition, sequence expression also is illustrated using examples of modern landforms.Catalog #85107 • SEPM Member Price: $40.00

SEPM Miscellaneous #7, a joint SEPM/GSL publication

Seismic Geomorphology: Applications toHydrocarbon Exploration and ProductionEdited by: R. J. Davies, H. W. Posamentier, L. J. Wood, and J. A. CartwrightWe are poised to embark on a new era of discovery in the study of geomorphology. In recentyears an entirely new way of studying landscapes and seascapes has been developed through theuse of 3D seismic data. Just as CAT scans allow medical staff to view our anatomy in 3D, seismicdata now allows Earth scientists to do what the early geomorphologists could only dream of -view tens and hundreds of square kilometres of the Earth's subsurface in 3D and therefore seefor the first time how landscapes have evolved through time. This volume demonstrates howEarth scientists are starting to use this relatively new tool to study the dynamic evolution of arange of sedimentary environments.SEPM is the North American distributor for this publication. International orders need to beplaced through the Geological Society of London.SEPM/GSL Member Price: $70.00

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Proterozoic Geology of Western NorthAmerica and SiberiaEdited by: Paul K. Link and Reed S. LewisThis volume is a compendium of research on the Belt Supergroup. It is an outgrowth of BeltSymposium IV, held in Salmon, Idaho, in July, 2003, in conjunction with the Tobacco RootGeological Society annual field conference. Because of the geographic extent and great thicknessof the Belt Supergroup, years of work have been required before conclusions are “bona fide”.The Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup of western Montana and adjacent areas is geologically andeconomically important, but it has been frustratingly hard to understand. The previous BeltSymposium volumes offer an historical view of the progress of the science of geology in thewestern United States. The advent of U-Pb geochronology, especially using the ion microprobe(SHRIMP) and laser-ablation ICPMS, has injected geochronometric reality into long-standingarguments about Belt stratigraphy. Several papers in this volume utilize these new tools to pro-vide constraints on age and correlation of Belt strata (Chamberlain et al., Lewis et al., Link et al.,and Doherty et al.). SEPM Member Price: $98.00

The Sedimentary Record

September 2007 | 3

4 From BAHA to Jack, Evolution of the LowerTertiary Wilcox Trend In the Deepwater Gulfof Mexico

10 Ichnological Applications to Sedimentologicaland Sequence Stratigraphic ProblemsResearch Conference

11 President’s CommentsGiving Back to Our Society

CONTENTS

www.sepm.org

The Sedimentary Record (ISSN 1543-8740) is published quarterly by theSociety for Sedimentary Geology with offices at 6128 East 38th Street,Suite 308,Tulsa, OK 74135-5814, USA.

Copyright 2007, Society for Sedimentary Geology.All rights reserved. Opinionspresented in this publication do not reflect official positions of the Society.

The Sedimentary Record is provided as part of membership dues to theSociety for Sedimentary Geology.

EditorsSteven GoodbredVanderbilt University, Dept of Earth and EnvironmentalSciences, Nashville, TN 37235<[email protected]>Molly MillerVanderbilt University, Dept of Earth and EnvironmentalSciences, Nashville, TN 37235<[email protected]>David FurbishVanderbilt University, Dept of Earth and EnvironmentalSciences, Nashville, TN 37235<[email protected]>

SEPM Staff6128 East 38th Street, Suite #308,Tulsa, OK 74135-5814Phone (North America): 800-865-9765 Phone (International): 918-610-3361 Dr. Howard Harper, Executive Director<[email protected]> Theresa Scott, Associate Director & Business Manager<[email protected]>Bob Clarke, Publications Coordinator<[email protected]>Michele McSpadden, Membership Services Coordinator<[email protected]> Edythe Ellis, Administrative Assistant <[email protected]>

SEPM CouncilMary J. Kraus, [email protected] Leckie, [email protected] Robinson, [email protected] Nelson, International [email protected] MacEachern, Councilor for [email protected] Soreghan, Councilor for [email protected] Fielding, Councilor for Research [email protected] Lou Milliken, Co-Editor, [email protected] P. North, Co-Editor, [email protected] Hasiotis, Co-Editor, [email protected] Taylor, Co-Editor, [email protected] McNeill, Co-Editor, Special [email protected] Nichols, Co-Editor, Special [email protected] Carr, President, SEPM [email protected]

Cover Photo: A paleogeographic reconstruction of thePaleocene/Eocene boundary at approximately 56 million yearsago. Image provided by R. Blakey.


4 | September 2007

ABSTRACTSince the 1920's, the Lower Tertiary Wilcox Formation (Lower

Eocene/Upper Paleocene) has been a significant hydrocarbonresource producing primarily gas from fluvial, deltaic, and shallowmarine sandstone reservoirs from southwest Louisiana throughsouth Texas to northeast Mexico.The total estimated recoverablereserves from this present-day onshore trend are approximately 30trillion cubic feet gas or 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent (bboe). Notuntil 80 years later, with the drilling of the BAHA 2 well in March2001, did industry begin to realize the full extent of linkages withinthe Wilcox depositional systems, from widespread shelf deposits toextensive deepwater turbidite sands. Ensuing drills in deep, offshoreUnited States territorial waters (Perdido Fold Belt of the AlaminosCanyon Area) led to successes at the Trident and Great Whiteprospects, demonstrating the significant potential of the LowerTertiary Wilcox section more than 250 miles basinward of itsonshore depocenter. In 2002, the Cascade discovery well extendedthe deepwater Wilcox trend another 275 miles east into WalkerRidge and 350 miles down dip from the shelf deltas.Then in 2006,two years after the 2004 Jack discovery, results of the test well werereleased.The Jack test established flow rates of over 6,000 barrels ofoil per day from only 40% of the reservoir, thus confirming theDeepwater Wilcox as a world-class depositional and potentialpetroleum system. Currently, we estimate that the Wilcox Trendcovers over 34,000 mi2 of deepwater in northwest Gulf of Mexico(GoM) and has potential recoverable reserves of 3-15 bboe. If theseprojections hold, the Deepwater Wilcox could increase provenreserves from GoM deepwaters by 94% to 30 bboe.This wouldaccount for a 17% overall increase for the entire GoM basinreserves, which also include the onshore areas (35 bboe) and conti-nental shelf (35 bboe).

THE WILCOX FORMATION AND GULF OFMEXICO PETROLEUM SYSTEM

The Wilcox Formation owes its origin to the Laramide Orogeny, whichwas a period of mountain building in the western United States responsi-ble for formation of the Rocky Mountains. It is generally believed thatcollision of the Farallon and North American plates began in the LateCretaceous, 70 to 80 million years ago (mya), and ended about 35 to 55mya in the middle to late Lower Tertiary (Paleogene). During this periodof mountain building, widespread uplift and erosion led to the develop-ment of a tremendous wedge of detrital clastic material. These angularand immature sediments, ranging from quartz and feldspar to volcanic

Dave Meyer, Larry Zarra, and Janet YunChevron North America Exploration and Production Deepwater Exploration Projects1500 Louisiana Street, Houston, TX. 77002

From BAHA to Jack, Evolution ofthe Lower Tertiary Wilcox TrendIn the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico

lithics, comprise the fabric of the hydrocarbon-bearing Wilcox sandsystem, which was deposited roughly between 60 and 52 mya andtranscends the Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene Epochs.

At that time, paleo-drainage systems similar to the present-dayRed, Brazos and Rio Grande Rivers were most likely responsible fordelivering newly eroded sediments from the western interior UnitedStates to paleo-coastal areas (Fig. 1 and cover). At the continentalmargin, many sediments were deposited in coastal-plain and shal-low-water fluviodeltaic environments, while others found their wayto deepwater by way of channel-levee systems and ultimately settlingin basin-floor fan environments. Proprietary provenance studiesindicate very similar rock characteristics for both the onshore Texassediments and the deepwater GoM turbidites. Also, palynologicalstudies of deepwater Wilcox Formation rock samples found sporesunique to Paleogene tree species of the western interior UnitedStates.

Onshore, the Wilcox is made up of stacked late lowstand, trans-gressive, and highstand systems tracts characterized by fluvial, delta-ic and shallow water shelf deposits. However, tracing these sedimentpathways basinward to the outer shelf and slope of the WilcoxFormation is hampered by a lack of well control, as well as poorquality seismic data resulting from a regionally extensive decolle-ment listric fault system and widespread salt diapers and canopies.Offshore, components of the Wilcox have been observed in nearlytwo-dozen deepwater wells and document extensive deepwater fansystems. This area of the Wilcox Trend in northwest GoM traversesapproximately 400 miles from the Alaminos Canyon Area in thewest to the Atwater Valley Area to the east. Although the full extentof the basin floor fan system has yet to be defined, it is interpretedto average about 100 miles in the dip direction, resulting in deepwa-ter fan turbidites covering more than 40,000 mi2 (Fig. 1). This issimilar in scale to the Pleistocene-Recent Mississippi Fan system inthe eastern GoM.

In its entirety, the Wilcox Trend extends across several structuralprovinces, including the Perdido Fold Belt in Alaminos Canyon andthe Mississippi Fan Fold Belt in Atwater Valley (Fig. 1). There arethree main structural/tectonic styles recognized from this west-easttransition. In the west, the Perdido Fold Belt consists of several largesalt-cored, thrusted, and symmetrical folds of Late Oligocene toMiocene age. Trending northeast-southwest, these folds traverse theboundary between Mexican and U.S. territorial waters (Fig. 2A). Inthe central portion of the trend within the Keathley Canyon andWalker Ridge areas, structural styles range from relatively low-relief,salt-cored anticlines to salt-withdrawal, three-way salt-truncation


September 2007 | 5

structures of predominantly Paleocene-Oligocene ages (Fig. 2B). In the East, theMississippi Fan Fold Belt is characterized byfaulted, salt-cored anticlines formed in theLate Miocene during asymmetrical basin-ward folding and thrusting (Fig. 2C). Thecomplexity of structuring across the WilcoxTrend is further complicated by an extensivesalt-canopy system that overlies much of thetargeted basin-floor fan turbidites. Saltcanopy thicknesses can vary from 5,000' -20,000' in the area, and with water depths of5,000' - 10,000', the drill targets are a totalof 10,000' to 35,000' below sea level (bsl).

Overall, the GoM petroleum system canbe summarized by the stratigraphic columnshown in Figure 3, where organic-rich lacus-trine to shallow-marine sediments of theUpper Jurassic and deepwater marine car-bonates and clastics of the Lower Cretaceousare seen to overlie the Middle JurassicLouann Salt. This Upper Jurassic to LowerCretaceous section is the primary source ofoil and gas generation in the GoM Basin.The onset of significant deepwater clasticdeposition began with formation of theLower Tertiary Wilcox and has continuedwith additional pulses during Miocene toPleistocene lowstands. All key ingredientsare now stacked and in place for the 'perfect'petroleum system: 1) a salt substrate that iseasily mobilized by gravity, and loading to

create structures (folding) that serve as trapsfor hydrocarbon accumulation; 2) organic-rich rocks that generate oil and gas under theincreased pressures and temperatures follow-ing deep burial; 3) a porous sandstone reser-voir lying directly above the 'oil kitchen';and 4) a regionally extensive, non-porousshale top seal to prevent leaking of hydrocar-bons from the trap. Where present, theWilcox is the first potential reservoir in thissequence and must be bypassed (non-porous,poor top seal, no trap) to charge youngerreservoirs in Miocene to Pleistocene agedrocks.

BAHA AND THE PERDIDOFOLDBELT

In 1996, almost ten years after the originalleasing along the Perdido Fold Belt (PFB) insoutheast Alaminos Canyon, the consortiumof Shell, Texaco, Amoco, and Mobil drilledthe “largest remaining undrilled structure inNorth America” named BAHA. This test wasdesigned to evaluate the fractured shallow-to-deepwater Jurassic-Cretaceous aged car-bonates at a total depth of 22,000' in 7,600'of water. However, the wildcat was aban-doned at a total depth of 11,208' bsl due tomechanical problems resulting from a verynarrow drilling margin within the Eoceneformation. This occurs when the fracturegradient of the rock formation and the

weight of the drilling fluid, which is used tocontrol and stabilize the borehole, are almostequal. Normally, the drilling fluid is greaterthan the formation pressure and prevents thewell from “blowing out”. Although the testwell was not a commercial success and didnot achieve its primary objective, it didprove a working petroleum system and wasable to qualify and hold the lease.

Five years later in 2001, BAHA 2 wasdrilled on the north flank of the same largeanticline approximately 2.5 miles northeastof the original test. This wildcat was in7,790' of water and drilled to total depth of19,164' bsl. Again, the primary target wasfractured shallow to deepwater carbonateswith a secondary target in much higher riskdeepwater clastic turbidites of the OligoceneFrio Formation and Eocene/PaleoceneWilcox Formation. The well successfullytested the Cretaceous carbonates, but foundthem to be non-porous, non-fractured chalksand deepwater micritic limestones. However,the well did encounter a very sandy LowerTertiary section where the Wilcox-equivalentturbidite sands were logged over a 4,500'gross interval with 12 feet of oil in an UpperWilcox sand, again proving a working petro-leum system (Fig. 3). Although the BAHAstructural test was a disappointment, theresults of this well had two very profoundimpacts on the petroleum industry operating

Figure 1. Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Trend Map with key wells, tectonics, salt canopy, and seismic lines.

in the area. 1) The massive sand-rich turbiditesection of the Wilcox and associated oil showwas very encouraging for future exploration,but 2) the final cost to drill the BAHA 2 well

was $112MM. If this cost could not be signif-icantly reduced, the associated geological andcapital risks would leave this new and excitingtrend “dead in the water.”

One month after completion of theBAHA 2 well, the Trident wildcat begandrilling approximately 30 miles south on ananticlinal closure along the same fold axis


6 | September 2007

Figure 2a. Thrusted symmetrical box-folds of the Perdido Fold Belt in Alaminos Canyon.

Figure 2b. Relatively low relief salt cored anticlinal structures in Walker Ridge.

(Fig. 4). This well set a world record forwater depth of 9,687' and drilled to a totaldepth of 20,500' bsl. The discovery docu-mented a significant gross hydrocarbon col-umn greater than 300' in the Wilcox sec-tion, which was correlative with the BAHAamalgamated sheet sands and channel tur-bidites, implying a very extensive deepwaterfan system. Equally as important as thestratigraphic and depositional implicationswere the cost improvements. Trident wasdrilled for $34MM, which was a 70%decrease from the original trend test. ThePerdido Fold Belt play was alive and well.

Several Lower Tertiary Wilcox discoveriesfollowed the success of Trident, includingthe 2002 Great White discovery, Tobago,and Tiger discoveries (Fig.1). After drillingTrident, Great White, and the others thatfollowed, integration of the subsurface data(wireline petrophysical data, formationtests, and core interpretation) with 3D seis-mic resulted in a much more complex andvaried depositional model for the Wilcoxsection. Initially, many depositional modelspredicted widespread, laterally extensivesheet sands. However, delineation drillingand high-quality seismic data indicate thatthe Upper Wilcox section is a mud-rich,channel-levee to amalgamated-channel sys-tem at the toe of the slope-to-basin transi-tion (Fig. 4). In contrast, the Lower Wilcox

is characterized by sheet to amalgamated-sheet sands deposited in a regionally exten-sive basin-floor fan system. Generally, thisbasinward progression of younger strata andwaning of the depositional system isbelieved to track the natural progression ofinfilling in the Wilcox basin.

CASCADE EXTENDSTREND 300 MILES EAST

In early 2002 while the Great White wild-cat was drilling in the PFB, the Cascade wellbegan operations almost 275 miles to theeast in the Walker Ridge Area (Fig. 1). Thiswell drilled in 8,140' of water to a totaldepth of 27,929' bsl, and tested the sameEocene to Paleocene Wilcox section thatcould be mapped regionally across the GoMwith 2D seismic data (Fig. 5). The wellfound a 1,150' gross hydrocarbon columnon the northeast flank of a salt-cored anti-cline. Regional seismic data indicates atremendous clastic turbidite wedge thatextends and thins from west (PFB) to east(Walker Ridge) (Fig. 5). Although the sec-tion is approximately 40% thinner in theCascade section than in the PFB, it is 50%richer in sand. This trend-extending wellwas the beginning of a very active explo-ration program in the east that continuestoday.

Following the Cascade discovery, six addi-

tional wells have been drilled in WalkerRidge: Chinook Deep, St. Malo, Das Bump,Jack, Stones, and Tucker are all discoveriesrepresenting a 100% success rate (Fig. 1).This is phenomenal for exploratory wild-cats, where a 20% - 33% success rate is nor-mal for the GoM basin. Successful appraisaldrilling has occurred on Cascade, St. Malo,and Jack. After two unsuccessful wildcatswere drilled in the Keathley Canyon Areaduring 2004, another significant discovery,Kaskida, was finally made in 2006 (Fig. 1).This was the first of three wildcats to findhydrocarbons in the Keathley Canyon Area,which has now linked the Lower TertiaryWilcox Trend from Alaminos Canyon in thewest, through Keathley Canyon, to WalkerRidge. At present, the Trend has 12announced discoveries from 17 wildcattests, which is a 71% success rate.

JACK FLOW TEST To date, 12 announced discoveries have

proven billions of barrels of oil-in-placeresource, but moving these volumes toviable, economically recoverable reserves isstill a concern. Reservoir parameters of theWilcox turbidites have remained remarkablyconsistent from well to well, even amongfacies associated with different depositionalsettings; these include leveed channels,channelized fans, and amalgamated sheet


September 2007 | 7

Figure 2c. Asymmetrical thrusts of the Mississippi Fan Fold Belt in Atwater Valley.


8 | September 2007

sands. However, after four years of drillingwith great success, industry remainedunsure of the reservoir flow capabilities thatare critical for converting this resource baseto reserves.

During the first half of 2006, Chevron andits partners, Devon and Statoil, embarked ona record-setting production test of the Jack#2 well drilled in 2005 (Fig.1). This land-mark test set more than six world recordswhile conducting the deepest extended-drill-stem test in deepwater GoM history. TheJack well test was in 7,000' of water andgreater than 20,000' below the seafloor.During the test, the well sustained a flowrate of more than 6,000 barrels of oil per daywith the test representing approximately40% of the total net pay measured in thewell. Typically, a well in the ultra deepwaterenvironment (greater than 5,000') needs tobe able to sustain flow rates of 10,000 -20,000 barrels of oil per day to ensure a rea-sonable return on capital invested.

The results of the Jack well test were a sig-nificant step forward in the process of mov-ing the billions of barrels of oil resource for

the Wilcox Trend to billions of barrels ofrecoverable reserves. However, there remainmany technological issues that need to beovercome before the present and futureresources become economically viable recov-erable reserves. These include the develop-ment of reservoir characterization modelsthat integrate oil chemistry properties, reser-voir framework and flow capabilities, as wellas drilling and completion well design, sur-face facility infrastructure, and hydrocarbontransportation design.

TREND SUMMARYThe majority of the deepwater Wilcox

Trend remains unexplored. Most of theTrend is overlain by a thick salt canopy,which until recently has inhibited explo-ration due to poor subsalt seismic imaging(Fig. 1). Recent advances in seismic acquisi-tion and processing have improved the abili-ty to interpret subsalt, but the individualsand reservoirs remain below seismic resolu-tion. As a result, much of the depositionalmodel and reservoir characterization of theWilcox is built upon our current under-

standing of deepwater clastic depositionalsystems. Continuing advances in seismicimaging technologies, additional wells, andresearch in deepwater clastic systems willhelp refine the Wilcox depositional modeland guide new exploration and production.

At present, the 12 announced discoverieshave estimated potential reserves of 2.5bboe, with an average reserve size perprospect of 210 million barrels of oil equiv-alent. A total of 17 wildcats with a primaryWilcox target have been drilled resulting ina 71% success rate (Fig. 1). There is consid-erable upside for the trend with a range of3-15 bboe total reserve potential with amean of 8 bboe. This year, Petrobras andDevon have announced a projection of firstoil in 2009 for Cascade, and Shell and itspartners have announced expected first oilfor the Great White Complex in AlaminosCanyon at the turn of the decade. Operatorsof Jack, St. Malo, Stones, and Kaskida haveannounced appraisal wells during 2006 and2007 and several others have announcedexploration wildcats for 2007.

Figure 3. Summary of the BAHA #2 and the significant Wilcox turbidite reservoir section.


September 2007 | 9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe authors would like to thank Ron

Blakey for the paleogeographic reconstruc-tion during late Wilcox time as seen on thefront cover, and Fugro, TGS-NOPEC, and

WesternGeco for the seismic sections. Wealso extend a special thanks to all of ourinternal Chevron teams, ranging from theGoM Deepwater Seismic Processing,Exploration Regional, Maturation, and

Appraisal Teams, and ETC Deepwater teamsfor their input and support.

Accepted July 2007

Figure 4. Seismic line tie from BAHA to Trident illustrating seismic character of channel levee systems in the Upper Wilcox andregionally extensive amalgamated sheet sands in the Lower Wilcox. • Oil Accumulation

Figure 5. Regional Transect across Alaminos Canyon, Keathley Canyon, Walker Ridge, Green Canyon, and Atwater Valley. The Jack, St. Malo, and Cascade wells are projected into the seismic line.

The SEPM Research Conference“Ichnological Applications toSedimentological and SequenceStratigraphic Problems” took place fromMay 20-26, 2007, in Price, Utah, USA.The conference included 2 days of oraland poster presentations followed bythree days of field trips to outcrops ofthe Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone and

Panther Tongue Member. Forty-two aca-demics and industry professionals from 7countries, including 11 students whoseconference fees were covered by industrydonations, attended the conference. Thewide range of backgrounds and perspec-tives of the participants led to manyinteresting and lively debates, bothbetween talks and during the field trip.

Organized by Drs. James A.MacEachern, Murray Gingras, KerrieBann and George Pemberton, the confer-ence brought together industry profes-sionals and academics with a commonpurpose of improving the integration ofichnology with sedimentology andsequence stratigraphy. Oral presenta-tions covered a variety of topics, includ-ing process ichnology and neoichnologi-cal studies, the integration of ichnologyand sedimentology for resolving thecomplexities of deltaic successions, and

the role of ichnology in reservoir model-ing. Keynote addresses were delivered onthe ichnofacies paradigm (Dr. James A.MacEachern), the value of integratingichnology with sedimentology, based onthe Permian of Australia (Dr. ChrisFielding), and on enhanced permeabilityin bioturbated media (Dr. S. GeorgePemberton). Between talks, participants

perused posters that covered related top-ics as well as many other aspects of ich-nological analysis.

The three-day field trip, led by Drs.Janok Bhattacharya and Tom Ryer, tookparticipants to outcrops of fluvial-domi-nated and wave-influenced deltaic suc-cessions exposed in three dimensions.Tom Ryer generously delivered overviewlectures on the paleogeography, stratigra-phy, and depositional history of theFerron Sandstone during breakfast.Once in the field, Janok and Tom touredattendees around to spectacular outcropsthat allowed participants to observe thevariability in the sedimentology and ich-nology of deltaic successions that hadbeen discussed at length during the pres-entation component of the conference.At the end of each day, participants wereinvited to view cores of the FerronSandstone cut from the outcrop areas

visited (provided by the Utah GeologicalSurvey) as a means of comparing the sed-imentology, ichnology, and stratigraphyexpressed in outcrop to that preserved incore. My own personal highlights fromthe field excursions include: growthfaults and large Conichnus observed inthe Muddy Creek Section; the classicupward-shallowing, lower shoreface tobackshore succession preserved atGentile Wash; and the large, dinner-platesized Rosselia conoides, also found atGentile Wash.

Overall, the research conference andfield trip were a success. The oral andposter presentations presented some ofthe most recent advancements in theintegration of ichnology with sedimen-tology and sequence stratigraphy, whilethe field trip and core displays providedan environment to discuss the applica-tion of presented concepts to the rockrecord. Finally, many thanks are extend-ed to those that made the conferencepossible, including: ConocoPhillips,Shell International, Statoil, Chevron,Amerada Hess, and BHP Billiton fortheir generous financial support of boththe conference and field trip; MichaelLane and colleagues from the UtahGeological Survey who transported coresof the Ferron Sandstone from Salt LakeCity to Price and set them up for display;and, to Theresa Scott, of the SEPM,whose handling of the logistics made theconference possible.

Dr. Shahin DashtgardSimon Fraser University


10 | September 2007

ICHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS TOSEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND SEQUENCESTRATIGRAPHIC PROBLEMSRESEARCH CONFERENCE

SEPM is a society that belongs to all ofits members, and the volunteer activities ofall of us are important to the vitality of thesociety. My first column as Presidentacknowledged the time and energy given toSEPM by members of Council and mem-bers of the Annual Meeting Committee forthe Long Beach meeting. This articlefocuses on other contributions made to thesociety and contributions that each of uscan make to the society and, thus, to sedi-mentary geology.

SEPM is fortunate to have a series ofstanding committees that are responsiblefor the smooth operations and scientificactivities of the society. These include the: The Headquarters and BusinessCommittee, which focuses on headquar-ters staffing, budgets and financial policyfor the society; The Investment Committee, which ischarged with long-term investing for thesociety and, thus, provides SEPM with animportant cushion in times of financial dif-ficulty and monies for special projects thatenhance the scientific mission of SEPM;The Nominating Committee, which isresponsible for identifying nominees forthe various offices of the Society; andThe Research Concepts Committee,which oversees the research conferencessponsored by the society and the activitiesof the different research groups.

One of the most pleasant responsibilitiesI carried out this spring was informing sev-eral geoscientists that they had been chosento receive awards from SEPM. My conver-sations with awardees followed a year-longprocess by a series of Award Committees.SEPM annually presents six major awardsñ the Twenhofel Medal, Pettijohn Medal,Moore Medal, Shepard Medal, James LeeWilson Award, and HonoraryMembership. Each of those awards is con-ferred by Council at the recommendationof a committee, which actually does thework. Those committees seek to identifyworthy nominees for the awards and then

discuss and vote on the recipients of eachaward.

In addition to these standing commit-tees, other SEPM activities require signifi-cant contributions from members. TheSEPM Organizing Committee for the2008 Annual Meeting in San Antonio hasbeen hard at work for some time and theOrganizing Committee for the 2009Meeting in Denver is already busy. Thesuccess of those meetings depends not onlyon the organizers but also on the individu-als willing to offer short courses and fieldtrips and willing to chair technical session.

Some of the committees that have beendescribed require infrequent, but regular,meetings. For example, the Headquartersand Business Committee meets three timesa year in Tulsa , and members must be will-ing to sacrifice a day or two of their timethree times a year to serve on this commit-tee. Between meetings, that committeeconducts business via email. The businessof other committees is handled entirely byemail and/or phone. I realize that not allmembers have the time available to serveon these committees. But members whoare busy and not able to serve on commit-tees can make other key contributions tothe society. In particular, I would like tourge members to consider nominating out-standing sedimentary geologists for SEPMAwards and serving as judges of technicalsessions at the Annual Meeting.

Each year, SEPM puts out a call fornominees for SEPM awards. Few mem-bers answer this call by submitting namesand helping with the actual nominations.This does not mean that excellent nomi-nees are not evaluated every year. It does,however, mean that the members of thecommittee for a particular award are oftenresponsible for identifying the nominees.This is an area in which each one of us canvolunteer. Each of us has had influentialteachers and academic advisors. Each of usknows colleagues or mentors who areexcellent in some aspect of sedimentary

geology. Many of you are faculty who haveformer students deserving of the James LeeWilson Award for Excellence inSedimentary Geology by a Young Scientist. Iurge each of you to consider taking a fewminutes to check the online nominationform at:http://www.sepm.org/awards/nomination-form.htm or contact Michele Woods atHeadquarters ([email protected]). As asociety, it is essential that we promote sedi-mentary geology by acknowledging theleaders and outstanding individuals in ourfield.

As I prepared for the AAPG/SEPMannual meeting in Long Beach last April, Ireceived several emails from MicheleWoods requesting help with the scientificjudging of oral presentations and posters inSEPM technical sessions. I urge those ofyou who attend the annual meeting tocontribute your time as a judge. Yes, thatmay mean you need to stay through anentire session rather than splitting yourtime among several sessions or schmoozingin the halls or at the espresso stand. It maymean you attend some talks or view someposters in which you have little interest.But, if Michele emails asking for help,please say you will be willing to judge. Youmay even find that you enjoy the experi-ence and learn a great deal about someaspect of sedimentary geology.

SEPM offers a variety of ways for mem-bers to be engaged with the society. I havetouched on but a few here. I have notmentioned other vital activities such as par-ticipating in research groups, writingpapers for the SEPM journals and otherpublications, and reviewing manuscriptsfor those publications. I have highlightedtwo other important contributions thatmembers can make, and I hope that manyof you will consider giving back to oursociety in the ways suggested.

Mary Kraus, President

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

Giving Back to Our Society

September 2007 | 11


2008 Wilson Awardee AnnouncedThe James Lee Wilson Award For Excellence in Sedimentary Geology Research by a YoungScientist will be presented to Timothy Naish (GNS Science, New Zealand). The award will bepresented at the SEPM Awards Ceremony,April 22, 2008, in San Antonio,Texas.

Support of Earth Science Week 2007 (October 14-20).The American Geological Institute (AGI) is publishing its “The Pulse of Earth Science”

Toolkit to enable teachers, students, and the public alike to actively participate in this year’s event.

The Toolkit can be pre-ordered now. Individual kits are available for the cost of shippingand handling ($6.95 in the United States). Bulk pricing is available. Visithttp://www.earthsciweek.org/materials/index.html to order the 2007 Earth Science WeekToolkit.

To learn more about this event, please visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/.

Contact: Geoff Camphire [email protected]

SEPM Activities at GSA-Denver, Oct 27-31, 2007Saturday, Oct 27: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. SEPM Council Meeting. Hyatt - Mineral Hall G

Saturday, Oct 27: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Seds & Suds Open Forum. Hyatt-Capital Ballroom.Sponsored by

Sunday, Oct 28: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Icebreaker. SEPM Booth. Denver Convention Center

Sunday, Oct 28: 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Geosystems Research Group. Hyatt - Mineral Hall G

Monday, Oct 29: 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Joint SEPM/SGD Reception.Denver Convention Center Rm. 506

A•N•N•O•U•N•C•E•M•E•N•T•S

2008 SEPM Research Conferences(exact dates to be determined)

May 2008: Clinoform Sedimentary Deposits, Rock Springs,Wyoming, USA

May 2008: Carbonate Paradigms, Miami, Florida, USA

June 2008: Outcrops Revitalized - Tools,Techniques and Applications

Fall 2008: The Mississippi River System - From Source to Sink, Mississippi and Louisiana, USA

a publication of sepm society for sedimentary · pdf filerange of sedimentary environments....

Documents