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Volume 52 Number 9

HGSBulletinHouston Geological Society

May 2010May 2010

What are the Shelf and Slope Breaks andWhy the Rise and Run of the InterveningSlope Matters for Deep-Water Plays andSequence Models 5

What are the Shelf and Slope Breaks andWhy the Rise and Run of the InterveningSlope Matters for Deep-Water Plays andSequence Models Page 15

Volume 52, Number 9 May 2010

Houston Geological Society

The

In Every Issue 5 From the President

by Gary Coburn

7 From the Editorby Barry Katz

40 GeoEvents Calendar

75 HGS MembershipApplication

76 HPAC

77 Professional Directory

Technical Meetings 15 HGS General Dinner Meeting

What are the Shelf and Slope Breaks and Why the Rise and Run of the Intervening Slope Matters forDeep-Water Plays and Sequence Models

19 HGS Northsiders Luncheon MeetingGranite to Grass Roots: Understanding the GeologicHistory of Unconventional Resource Basins from Bottom to Top

21 HGS Environmental & Engineering Dinner MeetingUranium Recovery Realities in the U.S. – A Review

23 Joint HGS North American and International Dinner MeetingNorth Sea Chalk: 40 Years of Production at EkofiskField From a Rock Some Said Would Never Flow Oil

25 HGS General Luncheon MeetingCleveland and Marmaton Tight-Gas Reservoirs (Pennsylvanian), Northwest Anadarko Basin: Sequence Stratigraphy, Depositional Framework, andProduction Controls on Tide-Dominated Systems

Other Features 10 Election Correction 13 Remembrance – Dr. Donald F. Reaser 31 Tech Note: Volumetric Seismic Attributes for

Automated Fault Interpretation and Structural Interpretation: A Growth Fault Example from the Texas Gulf CoastAlison Henning, Gaynor Fisher, and Stephen Purves

43 Tech Note: Geophysical Mapping of Hockley Faultin NW Houston: a Few Surprising Results Mustafa Saribudak

59 SIPES Luncheon MeetingFacies Characteristics, Depositional Environments, and Petrophysical Characteristics of the Haynesvilleand Bossier Shale-Gas Plays of East Texas and Northwest Louisiana

62 Countdown to AAPG 64 Earth Science Staff Development

Provided for Houston TeachersJanie Schuelke

66 A New Technofest – Supersized! 67 Evolve Your Involvement: New Geoscience

Volunteer Opportunities in Sugar LandWendy Hale-Erlich and Inda Immega

68 Government UpdateHenry M. Wise and Arlin Howles

72 May Crossword of Giant Oil and Gas Fields 73 April Crossword Answers

Houston Geological SocietyOFFICERSGary Coburn PresidentJohn Tubb President-electArt Donovan Vice PresidentMatt Boyd TreasurerDavid Meaux Treasurer-electAmy E. Sullivan SecretaryBarry Katz Bulletin Editor

DIRECTORSIanthe Sarrazin

Walter Light

Robert Pledger

Tarek Ghazi

HGS OFFICE STAFFSandra Babcock Office ManagerLilly Hargrave WebmasterKen Nemeth Office Committee

Chairman

EDITORIAL BOARDBarry Katz EditorFang Lin Advisory EditorJames Ragsdale Advisory EditorCharles Revilla Advisory EditorLilly Hargrave Advertising EditorLisa Krueger Design Editor

The Houston Geological Society Bulletin (ISSN-018-6686) is published monthly except for July and August by the HoustonGeological Society, 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77079-2916. Phone: 713-463-9476; fax: 281-679-5504Editorial correspondence and material submitted for publicationshould be addressed to the Editor, Houston Geological Society Bulletin, 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77079-2916 or to [email protected]: Subscription to this publication is included in themembership dues ($24.00 annually). Subscription price for non-members within the contiguous U.S. is $30.00 per year. For thoseoutside the contiguous U.S. the subscription price is $46.00 per year. Single-copy price is $3.00. Periodicals postage paid inHouston, Texas.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Houston GeologicalSociety Bulletin, 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250, Houston,Texas 77079-2916 About the Cover: Santorini Caldera, Greece. 2007. By the Editor

Bulletin

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Cast Your Vote By May 10

May 2010 Houston Geological Society Bulletin 1

2 Houston Geological Society Bulletin May 2010

Board of Directors 2009–10http://www.hgs.org/about_hgs/leadership.asp

President (P) Gary Coburn Murphy Oil 281-782-7021 [email protected]

President-elect (PE) John Tubb INEXS 713-805-5649 [email protected]

Vice President (VP) Art Donovan BP 281-850-4312 [email protected]

Secretary (S) Amy Sullivan Shell 281-705-8280 [email protected]

Treasurer (T) Matt Boyd Southwestern Energy Company 281-618-7379 [email protected]

Treasurer-elect (TE) David Meaux BP 281-366-2847 [email protected]

Editor (E) Barry Katz Chevron 832-854-6989 [email protected]

Director 07-09 (D1) Ianthe Sarrazin Petrobras America 713-808-2775 [email protected]

Director 07-09 (D2) Walter Light Thunder Exploration 713-823-8288 [email protected]

Director 08-10 (D3) Robert Pledger Consultant 832-512-0495 [email protected]

Director 08-10 (D4) Tarek Ghazi Aramco Services 713-432-4562 [email protected]

Committee Chairperson Phone Email Board Rep. AAPG HOD Foreman Steve Levine 832-486-6018 [email protected] PAcademic Liaison Brad Hoge [email protected] D3Ad Hoc Constitution & Bylaws Steve Earle 713-328-1069 [email protected] PAdvertising Lilly Hargrave 713-463-9476 [email protected] EArrangements Matt Boyd 281-618-7379 [email protected] TEAwards Mike Deming 281-925-7239 [email protected] VPBallot Paul Hoffman 713-871-2350 [email protected] SCalvert Memorial Scholarship Carl Norman 713-461-7420 [email protected] PECommunity Outreach Walter Light 713-823-8288 [email protected] D1Continuing Education VOLUNTEER NEEDED D1Directory Michael S. Benrud 713-785-8700 x104 [email protected] EEEarth Science Week Martha McRae 713-869-2045 [email protected] D1 Jennifer Burton [email protected] D1Engineering Council Claudia Ludwig 713-723-2511 [email protected] D4Environmental & Eng Geologists Matthew Cowan 713-777-0534 [email protected] VPExhibits Mac Mckinney 281-353-0661 [email protected] D3Field Trips Gary Moore 713-466-8960 [email protected] D4Finance Joe Lynch 281-496-9898 x134 [email protected] TFoundation Fund John Adamick 713-860-2114 jada@tgsnopec .com PEGeneral Meetings Art Donovan 281-850-4312 [email protected] VPGolf Tournament Mark Dennis 281-494-2522 [email protected] D1Government Affairs Arlin Howles 281-808-8629 [email protected] D4 Henry Wise 281-242-7190 [email protected] D4Guest Night Bill Osten 281-293-3160 [email protected] D2Houston Energy Council Sandi Barber 713-935-7830 [email protected] D4HPAC Winona Labrant Smith 713-952-2007 [email protected] SInternational Explorationists Justin Vandenbrink 281-448-6188 [email protected] VPAd Hoc Int’l Year of Planet Earth Sandi Barber 713-935-7830 [email protected] D3Membership Shari Sartain 281-382-9855 [email protected] SMembership Growth Linda Sternbach 281-679-7333 [email protected] D2Museum of Natural Science Inda Immega 713-661-3494 [email protected] D3NeoGeos Cecelia Baum 713-346-5826 [email protected] SNew Publications Bill Rizer 281-392-0613 [email protected] D1Nominations Kara Bennett 832-452-3747 [email protected] PNorth American Explorationists Steve Getz 713-871-2346 [email protected] VPNorthsiders Tony D’Agostino 832-237-400 [email protected] VP David Tonner 713-516-6894 [email protected] VPOffice Ken Nemeth 713-689-7605 [email protected] PEPublication Sales Tom Mather 281-556-9539 [email protected] D1Remembrances Art Berman 713-557-9067 [email protected] EEShrimp Peel Lee Shelton 713-595-5116 [email protected] D1Skeet Shoot Tom McCarroll 713-353-4728 [email protected] D1Technofest Deborah Sacrey 713-468-3260 [email protected] D1Tennis Tournament Ross Davis 713-659-3131 [email protected] D1Vendor’s Corner Paul Babcock 713-859-0316 [email protected] TEVolunteer Coordinator Sue Pritchett 281-451-6522 [email protected] SWeb Site Manager Tarek Ghazi 713-432-4562 [email protected] D4Web Master Lilly Hargrave 713-463-9476 [email protected] PE

HGS Office Manager Sandra Babcock 713-463-9476 [email protected]



Sam Houston Race Park7275 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. West

281.807.8700

Tickets $30 Advance / $35 at the Door* * *

* * *

Event held indoors - Pavilion Centre Purchase tickets online at hgs.org Enter through North/Pavilion gates Or use form belowFree parking – valet parking available ($8)

* Blue October to perform on Bud Light stage after last race (separate ticket required)Purchase tickets by May 7 - No Refunds

Many thanks to our sponsors:

Boiled Shrimp - Beer & Beverages - Horse Races - Music - Door Prizes - Boiled Shrimp - Beer & Beverages - Horse Races - Music - Door Prizes - Boiled Shrimp

2010 Shrimp Peel Ticket Order Form

Send ticket order form and check or credit card information to:Houston Geological Society, Shrimp Peel,

14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250 • Houston, Texas 77079-2916

Name: Company:

Address: City/State: Zip:

Number of tickets: Phone: Email:

If paying by Credit Card:

Name on card: Billing Address:

Card Type: (circle one): VISA / MASTERCARD / AMERICAN EXPRESS / DISCOVER

Card Number: Expiration date:

Signature: Date:

Daytime Phone Number of Card Holder

Make checks payable to: HGS Shrimp Peel.

For more information call 713.595.5116 or email [email protected]

2010 Shrimp Peel Ticket Order Form - 2010 Shrimp Peel Ticket Order Form - 2010 Shrimp Peel Ticket Order Form - 2010 Shrimp Peel Ticket Order Form

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S a t u r d a y , M a y 1 5 , 2 0 1 05 p m - 1 0 p m

HGS Shrimp Peel

From thePresidentGary Coburn

[email protected]

It is May and summer is upon us once again. Take advantage ofthe weather and get in a little golf or bike riding now! In July

you won’t want to get out of the pool! The AAPG Convention is

past and we are already planning the 2011 AAPG Convention. As

I am sure you are aware, the 2011 AAPG Convention is in

Houston, hosted by none other than the HGS … in other words

you! We are going to need a lot of volunteers to pull this off. To

find out what you can do please contact Linda Sternbach at

[email protected] or our volunteer coordinator Sue

Pritchett at [email protected]. They will be able to get you

in the right group.

The March 17th MMS lease sale proved yet again that the rumors

of the death of exploration in the Gulf of Mexico have been

greatly exaggerated. In the Central GOM Lease Sale 213, 642 bids

were received on 468 leases, an increase of

34% over the 2009 Central GOM Sale. The

sale had 949 million dollars in high bids.

The GOM has no shortage of exploration

potential. In fact, the geologists in the

companies I have talked to stated that the

real problem was not that they had no

prospects to bid upon but that they had

too many for the amount of money their company had allotted.

This resulted in extremely high-grading of prospects. Indeed

some of the better prospects were dropped out of fear that they

couldn’t bid enough to get them. One company even said they

cut back on all exploration and lease sale funds because they had

such tremendous exploration success in 2009. That’s right, they

said they had so much success they no longer have money for

exploration. The truth is that many companies pared back their

lease budgets this year for any number of reasons. We geologists

all know how extremely short-sighted that is. Unfortunately most

companies are not run by geologists. Companies are always

boasting they are going to “Grow through the drill bit”. It is a

catchy phrase: the bankers and stockholders love it; it looks great

in print, and makes the CEO sound bold. Unfortunately, like the

“think outside the box” expression I mentioned a few months

ago, they don’t really mean it. ”Growing through the drill bit”

means upfront expenditures for things like…oh, I don’t know…

leases, maybe? These expenditures may never bear fruit and

therefore have an element of risk associated with them. It seems

fairly straightforward that you can’t grow through the drill bit if,

to mix metaphors a bit, you don’t step up to the plate and obtain

leases upon which to drill. Perhaps they know a way around that,

but I can’t imagine what it is. There again, I am just a geologist

trying to find oil and gas.

Many geologists, who present prospects only to have them

turned down, quite often for non-geologic reasons, may feel a bit

discouraged. That is understandable. The trick is not to give up.

We have to look at ourselves as Columbus trying to find the ‘New

World’. His biggest struggle was not in the voyage but in trying to

find political and financial backing (sound familiar?). He had to

convince the people in power that his idea had merit and that the

potential reward far outweighed the risk of failure. In other

words he had a great P-10! Still it took him seven long years and

presenting to no less than six monarchs to obtain the backing of

a government. He had already lined up

investor backing to defray more than 50% of

the cost. While he may not have discovered a

new route to Asia, one could hardly call his

voyage a failure. The point is, he didn’t give

up. I once had a prospect that I presented for

four years straight only to have it turned down

every time. That company was purchased by

another oil company (shocking, I know) who turned it down as

well. I changed companies and finally got a taker! It had taken

over six years and three different companies but I had my

prospect. Fortunately for me the well came in and I received

royalties for the next ten years. Perseverance, along with thick

skin, is absolutely essential for exploration geologists. We must

“endeavor to persevere”! Companies may not always listen to

your arguments; in fact they may turn down the majority of your

prospects. But that does not mean they are bad prospects. Quite

often it means that the company is trying to spread out its risk or

finances or adhere to some big five-year plan conceived by people

who wouldn’t know a rock if it fell on their heads. Don’t give up.

Endeavor to persevere.

There is an old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you

can’t make him drink. I would add that if you keep leading the

same horse to the water and he won’t drink, you either have to

find a different pond he will drink from……or get a new horse. �

Happy Hunting!

Persistence is Essential, Never Give Up

rumors of the death

of exploration in the

Gulf of Mexico have been

greatly exaggerated

From

the Pr

esiden

t


As I was sitting in the domestic departure lounge of the Perth

Airport, I decided that my location was the key for this

month’s editorial. An essay began to flow on some of the exciting

things that have happened to me as I have traveled around

the globe.

The international character of the industry has resulted in many

of us traveling to some rather exotic or obscure locations. Last

year I joined Continental Airline’s Million Mile Club! When I

was growing up, I thought traveling across a state-line was a

big deal and I never thought that I would visit six of the seven

continents. For many people travel to exotic

and even not so exotic locations is exciting.

After 30 years the excitement is gone and it

is just part of the job. But these travels have

yielded a number of great travel stories,

many of which might be difficult to believe even if you were

there. For the fun of it, I would like to share a few stories. And,

because they impact me and largely me alone unlike Vegas, “what

happened in Perth, Moscow, and Antalya needn’t stay in

Australia, Russia, or Turkey”.

Let me begin with my latest trip to Perth. I had just finished a day

in the office, after having another poor night’s sleep in a hotel

room. As I started back to my hotel to pick-up my luggage and

head to the airport the sky opened-up and a major series of

storms hit Perth. Although I had an umbrella the strong winds

made it useless. After getting back to the hotel I changed into

some dry clothes and attempted to grab a cab. It took about two

hours to ‘grab’ one. Upon arrival at the airport I found that the

airport had closed! Authorities needed to determine if the building

was safe after part of the roof collapsed and was sitting in the

middle of the baggage area. When the airport reopened I was

required to check my carry-on. I continued onto security, the

gate, and then the plane. After 30 minutes the pilot announced

that a problem existed. Ninety minutes later we were asked to

deplane while they attempted to make a repair. A miracle, a

replacement plane was found, but it took some time to prepare

and I finally departed for Sydney six hours late and missed the

first half day of my meeting.

A frightening experience happened on a trip home from

Moscow. Our group arrived at the airport and began the check-in

process. While I was receiving my boarding pass, my brief case

seemed to be of interest. I was asked a few questions, such as how

long did I have the briefcase and who bought it for me. I

answered the questions and moved on. Then as we began boarding

the plane, a very large gentleman placed his hand on my shoulder

and motioned me to come with him. He spoke no England and I

spoke no Russian. He just kept repeating not KGB. After having

my brief case pulled apart and half of the clothes I was wearing

removed, I was allowed to board the plane. No explanation or

apology was given. It turned out that six of

us on that 747 underwent this treatment.

After arriving at JFK, and checking in for

the Houston flight, the searches began

once more. This time I did speak the

language and in my best ‘New York’ I asked what was going on. It

turned out to be the brief case. A bomb threat had been phoned

in warning that a passenger with a brown hard shell brief case

was carrying a bomb. I was permitted to board after allowing

another detailed search. Needless to say, I no longer carry that

brief case.

My classic travel story is associated with my field work in

southern Turkey. The three week program began with a flight to

New York. All went well. We arrived only a few minutes late after

holding at the gate for a few passengers making a connection. I

switched terminals to find that my flight to Paris was delayed

because of a toilet problem. No, you wouldn’t want to be on a

transatlantic flight without a working toilet. While waiting I was

paged; the airline staff needed to re-route me because I was going

to miss my connection in Paris. After being sent to a new gate, I

was informed that my luggage was missing and would not make

the transfer. I boarded my plane knowing that my luggage and I

had different travel plans. I headed to Geneva, Zurich, Istanbul,

and then finally Antalya. I grabbed the last cab and showed the

driver a note with my hotel’s name. After about ten minutes of

driving the cab died, and I helped to push it into a gas station. An

attendant at the station actually finally drove me to my hotel. The

From theEditor

From

the Ed

itor

Barry [email protected]

The Editor’s Travels –What Happens on the Road

remember not everything

that is exciting is enjoyable

From the Editor continued on page 9


HGS/PESGB 9th International Conference on African E&P

Africa: A Multi-faceted PromiseHouston 2010

September 8-9Marriott Houston Westchase Hotel • 2900 Briarpark Drive, Houston, Texas

Plan to attend this event during the week before the AAPG Int’l Convention in Calgary.

This annual conference has become established as the primary technical E & P conference on Africa. Scheduled for 8-9 September 2010 in Houston, a two-day program of talksis planned along with technical posters and exhibits fromsponsoring companies. Opening reception will be Tuesdayevening September 7th.

The conference series, organized by members of theInternational Group of Houston Geological Society (HGS) and Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB)covers all aspects of African E&P, with particular emphasis on new ideas for plays and prospects, the geology of the continent and its conjugate margins, and application ofemerging technologies.

Case Histories of Discoveries: - Jubilee, Venus, Sankofa, UgandaBasin Studies: - Equatorial Atlantic, East Africa, Ghadames, Melut, N. Red Sea, NW EthiopiaTechnology: - Migration Pathways, Predicting Deepwater Reservoirs, Imaging challenges of Cretaceous ReservoirsThere is still space for a few good talks. Email Abstracts (~200 words) to [email protected] [email protected] .

Special thanks to the many exhibitors and sponsors: CGG, ChemoStrat, Core Lab, Chariot, dGB Earth Sciences, Fugro - G&M S- Robertson - NPA, GeoInternational, GETECH, GX Technology,LYNX, Microstrat, OHM, Seabird, TGS and Weinman Geoscience

For sponsorship opportunities or exhibit space, please contact David Schwartz [email protected] [email protected] .

Pre-registration is available on-line at www.HGS.org . Further details will appear in the HGS Bulletin, PESGB newsletter and websites.

Conference Committee for 2010 includes Al Danforth, Ian Poyntz, Martin Cassidy, Dave Schwartz, Justin Vanden Brink, Tarek Ghazi and Claudia Lopez (Houston), Ray Bate and Duncan Macgregor (London).

9th HGS/PESGB Conference Afri

ca: A

Multi-face

ted Pr

omise

Preliminary Program Highlights


From the Editor continued from page 7 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From

the Ed

itor

next day the hotel staff neglected to tell me that the remainder of

my field team was going to be late, so I spent much of the day in

the hotel lobby just waiting. I explained my lack of clothes to my

associates when they arrived and we went shopping, which is a

story unto itself. At this point I was hoping that the ‘excitement’

was over. Unfortunately, where Barry goes ‘excitement’ seems

to follow. As our team was driving to our next field location,

down an isolated highway, a car passed us, pulled off the road and

signaled us to stop. We did. There was concern that something

might have fallen off of the roof of the jeep. A woman ran to our

car, opened the door and jumped into the backseat. By the time

we got her out, a matter of a few seconds, she had managed to

pick my pocket. Luckily, the remainder of the two weeks was

largely uneventful, except for the usual flat tires and overheated

radiator. But a legend grew after I put in my expense account,

which included my new clothes and the money lost from my

wallet. I gained the reputation for having the nerve to have the

company pay for a woman that I picked up on the road and spent

a few minutes with in the backseat of a jeep! Remember my

luggage? We were re-united about six weeks later when another

airline called, asking if I had lost some luggage. A suitcase with

my contact information was found sitting in Paris. Apparently my

suitcase had toured Europe!

So the next time someone comments on the exciting travels that a

geologist must have, remember not everything that is exciting is

enjoyable. But then again when I am on vacation I do travel –

by sea! �

Until next time…

Sam Houston Race Park

7275 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. West281.807.8700

Tickets $30 Advance / $35 at the Door

* * *

* * *

Event held indoors - Pavilion Centre Purchase tickets online at hgs.org

Enter through North/Pavilion gates Or use form on page 4

Free parking – valet parking available ($8)

* Blue October to perform on Bud Light stage after last race (separate ticket required)

Purchase tickets by May 7 - No Refunds

Boiled Shrimp - Beer & Beverages - Horse Races - Music - Door Prizes - Boiled Shrimp

For more information call 713.595.5116 or email [email protected]

HGS Shrimp PeelS a t u r d a y , M a y 1 5 , 2 0 1 0

5 p m - 1 0 p m


The Editor’s job so far has been a humbling experience. There

has been a lot of hurry-up, wait and panic to meet a deadline.

In the last minute panic mistakes may be made no matter

how carefully we attempt to check the draft of the Bulletin to

eliminate errors. Once again I must apologize for errors in the

April Bulletin. Specifically I would like to apologize to two of

the candidates – Steve L. Getz (candidate for Vice-President)

and George Devries Klein (candidate for Secretary). Errors

were made in the publication of their biographical information

and/or candidate statements. We are reprinting their corrected

material below. Again, the buck stops with me and I take full

responsibility.

Barry Katz

Editor – HGS Bulletin


Steve L. Getz

Education:

B.S. Geology, University of New Mexico,

1969

Experience:

2005–Present Chief Geologist Allen-Hoffman Exploration Co.

2003–2004 Senior Geophysical Advisor—Santos USA

1980–2003 Geoscience Consultant (via Getz Exploration

Consultants Inc.)

1978–1980 Geophysical Consultant, Geoquest International

1969–1978 Geophysicist, Cities Service Oil Company

Professional Affiliations:

AAPG, HGS, KGS, SEG, AIPN, SPE

DPA Certified Geologist #4747

Texas Professional Geoscientist # 6848

SIPES

Professional Activities:

2008–2010 HGS North American Interests Group Chairman

2005–2008 HGS North American Group Treasurer

2005–2010 AAPG Alternate Delegate

2002–2005 AAPG Delegate

Statement:

I ask for your vote to be elected to the office of the HGS Vice

President because I think that my forty-one years of oil and gas

exploration experience in the domestic (USA) and international

areas of the petroleum industry dovetails very well with my

multi-year stint as talk and seminar organizer for the North

American Interest Group to give me a unique viewpoint as to

what Houston Geological Society geoscientists expect and desire

from the HGS regarding the choice and preparation of upcoming

industry talks and seminars. My consecutive positions as HGS

Vice-President (two candidates)

George Devries Klein

Education:

MS Geology, University of Kansas

PhD Geology, Yale University

Experience:

1996–Present SED-STRAT Geoscience Consultants, Inc –

President & Chief Geologist

1993–1996 NJMSC – Executive Director & NJ State

Sea Grant Director

1970–1993 Univ. of Illinois @ UC – Professor

1963–1970 Univ. of Pennsylvania – Ass’t/ Assoc. Prof

1961–1963 Univ. of Pittsburgh – Ass’t Professor

1960–1961 Sinclair Research Inc – Research Geologist

Professional Affiliations:

HGS, AAPG, SIPES, SEPM, GSA

Professional Activities:

2003–2004 HGS - AAPG Houston Delegate Foreman

2001–2007 HGS AAPG House of Delegates from HGS

2003–2005 HGS Continuing Education Committee

2002–2003 Co-Chair, Technical Program, International

Explorationists.

AAPG Member, Committee on Marine Geology (1971-75)

AAPG Continuing Education Lecturer (1974-79).

AAPG Member, Publications Committee (1976-79).

AAPG Member, Eastern Section, Membership

Committee (1997-98)

AAPG Member, Gulf Coast Section, Membership

Committee (1998 - 2001)

AAPG Member, Publications Pipeline Committee.

(2001 – 2007)

AAPG Chairman, Matson Award Committee,

Annual Meeting (2006)

Election Correction

Secretary (two candidates)


SEG Continuing Education Lecturer (1979-82;

1985 - 1994).

SEG Member, Research Committee (1981-82).

SEPM Member, Committee to select Outstanding

Convention Paper, annual meeting (1962).

SEPM Secretary, Eastern Section (1966-68).

SEPM Member, Research Committee (1973-78);

Vice-Chairman (1977).

SEPM Member, Ad Hoc Committee on Professional

Relations (1977-81)

SEPM Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on Committees

(1978-80).

SEPM Member, Nominating Committee (1980)

GSA Program Chairman, Northeastern Section

Meeting (1966).

GSA Member, Committee on Research Grants (1973-76).

Committee Chairman (1975) and Conferee (1976)

GSA Member, Committee on Committees (1973).

George Devries Klein — Candidate for Secretary

GSA Editorial Advisor, GEOLOGY (1973-74; 1989-91)

GSA Associate Editor, BULLETIN OF THE

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

(1975-81).

GSA Chairman, Division on Sedimentary Geology

(1985-86), Past-Chairman (1986-87)

GSA Member, Committee on Short Courses (1987-89).

GSA Member, Laurence L. Sloss Award Committee,

Division on Sedimentary Geology (2001- 2003)

COUNCIL OF SEA GRANT DIRECTORS: - Member, Executive

Committee (1994-1995)

COUNCIL OF SEA GRANT DIRECTORS: - Council Liaison to

Marine Advisory Services Assembly (1994-1996).

NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM (NSGCP): -

Member, Task Force to Revise and Develop Strategic Plan for

NSGCP (1994 - 95)

SEA GRANT ASSOCIATION - Member, Executive Committee

(1993-1995)

SEA GRANT ASSOCIATION - Chair, Task Force on Fee

Structure (1994 - 1995)

SEA GRANT ASSOCIATION - Liaison to Subcommittee on

Fisheries and Marine Resources, US. House of Representatives.

(1995-1996)

SIPES Chairman, ad hoc Mentoring Committee,

Houston Chapter, (2003)

Statement:

When invited to candidate for HGS secretary, my reaction was

“why not!” It’s a task job I can do. The duties include recording

monthly board meetings and providing guidance and oversight

to the membership committee. I served on AAPG membership

committees and as an AAPG House of Delegates member where

membership evaluation was a key duty. Thus, I bring a broad

range of experience to membership issues. Having once served as

a secretary for a homeowner’s association out-of-state, I’m ready

to do an even better job for HGS.

Since my arrival in Houston 12 years ago, HGS has become a key

part of my life as a geological consultant. HGS’s many short

courses and technical programs are outstanding and all are vital

to my ability to stay current in geology. Through HGS, I’ve met

many outstanding people who contributed much to my work

and became my friends. All helped me grow professionally and

personally. Therefore, it’s time to give back to HGS through

service as its secretary. �

North American Interests Group treasurer and then chairman

has enabled others to see that I am a responsible, results-oriented

person who can deal with both HGS speakers and HGS support

personnel in getting the jobs required of me done on a timely

and economical basis. Moreover, my consecutive terms as

delegate and alternate delegate for the AAPG Gulf Coast

Houston section has enabled me to better understand the

working of the AAPG and how membership in that organization

benefits both Houston geologists and geophysicists.

I am looking forward to a term as HGS Vice President because I

believe that it will allow me to interface with many different

industry geologists and geophysicists, as well as university

professors and service company personnel who work in, and for,

the many facets of geoscience in Houston. I also think, and hope,

that I can truly make a difference in the Houston Geological

Society. I ask for your vote so that I can help serve the Houston

Geological Society as Vice President in the upcoming year. I can,

and will, get the job done effectively should you choose to elect

me to that position.�

Steve L. Getz—Candidate for Vice-President

VOTEBe sure to cast your vote in the HGS election by May 10

This year’s Saltwater Fishing Tournament will include an Offshore Division to be held on Saturday, June 19 at the Fish Spot Marina,

Texas City, Texas. We are looking forward to a big event this summer and we encourage full family participation.

Galveston Bay Complex DivisionTrophies will be awarded for the heaviest individual Redfish (Non-Tagged), Speckled Trout and Flounder. Trophies will also be

awarded for the heaviest individual Stringer-1 Redfish, 3 Speckled Trout, and 1 Flounder.

Galveston Offshore DivisionTrophies will be awarded for the heaviest individual Red Snapper, King Mackerel, and Mahi-mahi.

Registration fee includes: Launch Fee, GSH/HGS Fishing Cap, Fish Fry Meal after weigh-in, Refreshments, Trophies, and DOOR PRIZES.

The Geophysical Society of Houston and the Houston Geological Society are non-profit organizations serving the Geosciences

Community. Corporate and individual contributions are appreciated and will be acknowledged on several sponsor boards and

banners at the Weigh-In Station and Marina. All contributors will be recognized in the GSH newsletter and HGS Bulletin following

the tournament. This is a great way to entertain friends, family, business associates, and clients. So spread the word!

GSH/HGS SALTWATER TOURNAMENT

NAME: ____________________________________________COMPANY: ____________________________________________

ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

PHONES: (H) ________________________ (B) __________________________________ (C) __________________________

E-MAIL ADDRESS: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Upon receipt of the registration form, each participant will be provided with a copy of the specific tournament itinerary and

rules sheet by e-mail. Please register EARLY.

Please return this form with your check for $60.00 per contestant payable to:

GSH SALTWATER TOURNAMENT and Mail to:

Geophysical Society of Houston, 14811 Saint Mary’s Lane, Suite 250 • Houston, Texas 77079

Registration Fee: $ ______________ + Sponsor Contribution: $ ________________ = TOTAL $ __________________________

DISCLAIMER:

I acknowledge that the Geophysical Society of Houston / Houston Geological Society will not be held responsible for injury or

accidents during this event. PRACTICE SAFETY!!!!!

Signature: ________________________________________________________ Date ____________________________________

For more information, please contact:Bobby Perez (HGS & GSH) • 281-240-1234 ext. 219 Office • 281-240-4997 Fax • 281-787-2106 Cell • 281-495-8695 Home

E-mail addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]

10th ANNUAL GSH/HGS SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT

Saturday, June 19, 2010The FISH SPOT Marina • 4009 20th Street North • Texas City, Texas

Galveston Bay Complex and Offshore


RemembranceDR. DONALD F. REASER

DR. DONALD F. REASER, a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), passed away on December 29, 2009

at Baylor Medical Center in Waxahachie, Texas from complications after a recent stroke. He was born in Wichita Falls

and grew up in Bowie and Highland Park, Texas. He went to the same high school as his lifelong friend and colleague

Burke Burkart. Dr. Reaser taught geology at UTA for more than 40 years after working briefly for Humble Oil and

Refining Company in West Texas.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in geology from Southern Methodist University in 1953, he served as a

maintenance instructor in the Air Force for two years. Reaser returned to SMU to graduate school to conduct research

on Cretaceous stratigraphy and structural geology in West Texas under Professor Ronald K. DeFord. He then joined

the faculty at Arlington State College, which later became the University of Texas at Arlington.While teaching at UTA,

he completed his doctorate in geology at UT Austin in 1975.

Dr. Reaser become an expert in North Texas Cretaceous stratigraphy in the course of serving as thesis advisor for

almost 40 graduate students at UTA. He eventually published a book on the geology of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Mr. Burkart told me that he was both diligent and enthusiastic with his students. He also said that Don was a strong

advocate for the importance of doing field geology and always tried to involve students in petroleum-related thesis

projects.

Reaser did extensive mapping and field research of his own in the mountains near Zacatecas, Mexico. He was also

interested in regional geology and environmental issues. He was dedicated to his family and to travel, and often gave

lectures about the local geology while on cruise vacations to Europe, the Caribbean, Florida, and Alaska.

After he retired from UTA in 2006, his students created the Donald F. Reaser Scholarship Fund. Even in retirement,

Don was involved with students. His wife Betty Forrest Reaser said, “He loved geology and he really got attached to

his students. UTA meant so much to him, as well as the students who set up the scholarship in his name.”

UTA senior Lisa Moran became close to Reaser while helping to clean out his office, a perpetual project according to

her. She said he would find papers from years before and always had a story to tell her about the students who wrote

them.

“I was extremely fond of him. I’m going to miss him,” she said.

Roger Bowers, another former Reaser student, spoke at his memorial service held at the UTA Planetarium. “To say he

had an impact on me and my education would be an understatement,” he said. “Were it not for Donald Reaser, I

would never have gone to graduate school.”

In addition to his wife, Dr. Reaser is survived by stepson David Forrest Anderson of Richmond, Texas. Donations may

be sent to The Donald F. Reaser Scholarship Fund, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19047, Arlington, Texas

76019. �

Remembrance


27th Annual HGS SKEET SHOOT Saturday, June 19, 2010Greater Houston Gun Club

6702 McHard Road, Missouri City

This tournament is a 50 target event. Shells are provided, however you must bring eye and ear protection.Greater Houston Gun Club and National Skeet Shooting Association safety rules will be in effect. Winningshooters will be determined by the Lewis class system. Door prizes will be awarded by blind drawing after theconclusion of shooting. All competitors are automatically entered into the door prize drawing, but you mustbe present at the time of the drawing to win.

BBQ lunch will be provided from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Refreshments will be available throughout the day.

IMPORTANT!!WE ARE LIMITED TO 160 SHOOTERS IN FOUR ROTATIONS. ENTRY FEE IS $65 PER SHOOTERFOR REGISTRATIONS RECEIVED BY FRIDAY, JUNE 11. AFTER THAT, REGISTRATION WILL BESTRICTLY ON A “SPACE AVAILABLE” BASIS AND THE ENTRY FEE WILL BE $80 PER SHOOTER.

REGISTER EARLY!!

For more information, contact: Tom McCarroll at (713)419.9414 or [email protected].

**********************************************************************************************

HGS SKEET SHOOT REGISTRATION FORM

Name: __________________________________ Company:____________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________ Phone:______________________________________________

Preferred shooting time: (circle one) 9:00 10:00 11:00 12:00

Indicate ammunition required: (circle one) 12 gauge 20 gauge

Please return form(s) with check for $65.00 per shooter, payable to: Houston Geological Society

If you prefer to pay by credit card, please call Sandra at the HGS office, (713) 463-9476.

Mail to: Tom McCarroll • 2668 Hwy. 365 #329 • Brenham, TX 77833

Registration Fee: $_________ + Sponsor contribution: $_________ = Total: $_________

If you wish to shoot with a specific squad (5 shooters max.), please submit all forms together.**********************************************************************************************

ALL SHOOTERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN A DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILTYBEFORE THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO SHOOT!

T

y


HGS General Dinner M

eetin

gHGS General Dinner Meeting

Monday, May 10, 2010Westchase Hilton • 9999 WestheimerSocial Hour 5:30–6:30 p.m.Dinner 6:30–7:30 p.m.

Cost: $28 Preregistered members; $35 non-members & walk-ups

To guarantee a seat, you must pre-register on the HGS website and pre-paywith a credit card. Pre-registration without payment will not be accepted. You may still walk up and pay at the door, if extra seats are available.

A.D. DonovanBP

In sequence stratigraphic literature fewterms have been used for such a wide

variety of different physiographic features

in the geologic record and resulted in more

utter confusion than the terms shelf and

slope breaks. In order to bring clarity to

these key sequence stratigraphic concepts,

the term shelf break should be reserved to

convey the inflection point between the

shelf and slope profile along depositional

sequence boundaries, while the term slope

break should be used to mark the inflection

point between the slope and basin floor

portion of this profile. In this context, the

shelf break marks the down dip limit of

sub-aerial erosion produced by the loss of

accommodation during relative falls in sea

level. The slope rise is the vertical distance

between the shelf break and the slope

break, while slope run is the horizontal

distance. It is the slope rise and run which

control the development and distribution

of deep-water plays in the geologic record.

Shelf breaks may occur inboard of the

continental margin (epicontinental shelf

breaks) or coincident with the continental

marg in (cont inental shel f breaks) .

Epicontinental shelf breaks have short

slope runs where the coeval shelf and slope

breaks are just kilometers apart. “Small”

seaway-floor fans develop in epicontinental

settings when the slope rise begins to

exceed 150m (500’). However, these seaway-

floor fans are located just kilometers

(miles) from the coeval “shelf break” and

their size is commonly limited by the scale

What are the Shelf and Slope Breaks and Why the Rise and Run of the Intervening Slope Matters for

Deep-Water Plays and Sequence Models

HGS General Dinner continued on page 17


Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societiesand the Gulf Coast Section of SEPM

Forming and Filling the Gulf of Mexico Basin–A SymposiumDuring the 60th Annual ConventionOctober 10-12, 2010San Antonio, TexasHosted by the South Texas Geological Society

Welcome back to San Antonio! Our theme this year is “Weathering the Cycles” — a challenge

that resource geologists have faced and overcome in the past. How do we weather the

economic cycles? We…

� Network with our community

� Experience the latest technology in the technical exhibition

� Take a course or a trip and grow new and diverse skills

� Listen to special presentations on strategies to endure and prosper during an economic

downtime and prepare for the inevitable rebound.

By celebrating our successes, facing our challenges, and learning from the research results

of our peers, we are paid back many fold by sharing ideas and experiences among our

professional community. So come and share your experiences!

PROPOSED SYMPOSIUM TALKS INCLUDE…

Rifting and Opening of the GOM Basin

Models for Gulf of Mexico Basin Opening and Sedimentation

Petroleum systems of the GOM Basin

Jurassic Depositional Systems, Facies and Reservoirs of the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Cretaceous Stratigraphy and Plays

Salt Tectonics and Petroleum Systems

The Opening of the GOM-Source Rocks and Petroleum Plays

Jurassic and Cretaceous in south Texas: Rifting and Foredeeps

Mesozoic Basins in Eastern Mexico

Mesozoic Source Rocks and Petroleum Systems, Offshore GOM Basin

Mesozoic Source Rocks and Petroleum Systems, Onshore GOM Basin

Future Potential of the GOM Basin Mesozoic.


HGS General Dinner continued from page15 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HGS General Dinner M

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of the fluvial drainage networks which feed them. Furthermore,

a robust portfolio of deep-water plays (slope fans, confined

channels, etc.) do not develop along slopes in epicontinental

settings simply due to their short runs.

In contrast, continental shelf breaks have long slope runs and

robust slope rises. Downdip of the major fluvial drainage systems

which rim the continental margins, “large” ocean-floor fans

develop tens of kilometers (miles) outboard of the coeval

continental margins. Furthermore, the long slope runs in these

settings provide a suitable pallet for a robust portfolio of deepwater

plays (levee channel, confined channel, and slope fans) to develop

on the continental slope.

In summary, it is critical to differentiate epicontinental shelf

breaks, which have slopes with short runs, from continental shelf

breaks which have slopes with long runs, in order to explain and

predict the development and distribution of

deep-water plays in the geologic record. In

terms of predictive 21st century depositional

sequence models, low- and moderate-relief

s equence mode l s a re proposed for

sequences associated with epicontinental

shelf breaks and short slope runs, while a

high-relief sequence model is offered for

sequences associated with the continental

shelf breaks and long slope runs. Low-relief

sequences have slopes with short rises and lack basin-floor fans.

Moderate-relief sequences have slopes with moderate rises, and

have seaway-floor fans with limited spatial extent, located just

kilometers (miles) from the coeval epicontinental shelf break.

High-relief sequences have slopes with robust rises and runs.

Large ocean-floor fans are positioned tens of kilometers (miles)

outboard of the continental margin in these settings, especially

along passive plate margins. Furthermore, high-relief sequences

can develop a robust portfolio of deep-water plays on the

continental slope due to their associated long runs.�

Biographical SketchART DONOVAN is a Senior Corporate

Adv i sor for Sed imento log y and

Stratigraphy at BP and since mid-2008

has worked on the Reserves and Renewal

Team for BP’s NorthAmericanGas (NAG)

Business Unit. Prior to this posting, he

served as BP’s Sed/Strat Discipline Lead

and worked on BP’s Technical Assurance

Team for Global Exploration.

Art received his PhD from the Colorado School of Mines (CSM)

in 1984. His PhD work on the Gulf Coastal Plain in the eastern

United States was one of the pioneering

efforts to apply sequence stratigraphic

concepts to outcrop and shallow subsurface

data. Upon graduation from CSM, Art was

employed by Exxon for 16 years where he

had the opportunity to work numerous

basins around the world and develop his

skills in the fields of sequence stratigraphy,

seismic stratigraphy, and basin analysis.

The author of many papers and abstracts on sequence

stratigraphy, Art has taught short courses for GSA, AAPG,

SEPM, and The Geological Society. He is presently the Chair

for the North American Commission of Stratigraphic

Nomenclature (NACSN), an Adjunct Professor of Geology

and Geophysics at Texas A&M University, and the Vice President

of the HGS.

In sequence stratigraphic

literature few terms have …

resulted in more utter

confusion than the terms

shelf and slope breaks.

HGS Guest Night Saturday, May 22, 2010Guest Night returns to the HMNS for another memorable event —

Big Bend: Where the Rockies Meet the Appalachians — Discoveries and EnigmasGuest Speaker: Dr. Patricia Wood Dickerson, The Geological Institute and Visiting Research

Fellow, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin

plus an enjoyable happy hour in the exhibits area, delicious buffet dinner, door prizes, and a 3D IMAX movie.


The competition for unconventional resources in North

America has resulted, in some cases, in the acquisition of

acreage prior to obtaining an understanding of subsurface tech-

nical risks or identification of fairway boundaries and sweet

spots. Indeed, the term “resource play” implies to some that sub-

surface risks are either minimized or irreducible. As well, the

term “unconventional gas” connotes that little is to be gained

from application of conventional principles of basin evolution

and petroleum generation, migration, and entrapment. Under

these circumstances, the value of regional geologic understanding

of an entire basin prior to acreage capture can be overlooked and

the focus turned to completions technology and post-well analysis.

This lecture will discuss the importance of understanding a basin

from basement to surface – granite

to grass roots – in the search for

unconventional fairways. The lecture

will include a holistic integration of

data and interpretations from basin

modeling, petroleum migration

modeling, gas isotope data, pressure

history, seismic, and reservoir

quality. Linkages will be made from

microscopic scale observations to tectonic-scale processes.

Examples will be given from various North American basins that

illustrate how mega-scale features, such as basement architecture

and Precambrian rift history, have a first order and transcendent

effect on the evolution and occurrence of unconventional

resource fairways, including a strong influence on petroleum

generation and entrapment as well as changes in reservoir rock

during post-orogenic uplift. �

Biographical SketchHARRIS CANDER works in BP America’s

Exploration and Technology Group and

has focused the past few years on global

and domestic exploration for unconven-

tional resources. Since joining BP

(Amoco) in 1991, Harris has worked in a

variety of international and domestic

exploration, production, and commer-

cial roles as well as carbon dioxide

sequestration projects.

Harris is the current co-chairman of

the AAPG Unconventional Research

Group and a past co-chairman of the

AAPG Carbonates Research Group.

He has published on unconventional

re sources , over pres sure and

hydrocarbon occurrence in offshore

Trinidad, exploration in central

Europe, and carbonate diagenesis. His talk on carbonate porosity

evolution won the award for best presentation at the 1992 SEPM

annual meeting. Harris received his Ph.D. in geology from the

University of Texas at Austin in 1991 and MBA from Rice

University in 2002. He lives in West University Place, Texas, with

his wife, Chris, and children, Sasha and Joshua.

Tuesday, May 18. 2010Crowne Plaza Hotel - Greenspoint (former Sofitel)

425 North Sam Houston Pkwy E

Social 11:15 AM, Luncheon 11:30 AM

Cost: $31 pre-registered members; $35 for non-members & walk-ups.

To guarantee a seat, you must pre-register on the HGS website and pre-pay witha credit card. Pre-registration without payment will not be accepted. You may still walk up and pay at the door, if extra seats are available.

HGS Northsiders Luncheon Meeting

2009-10 AAPG Distinguished LectureGranite to Grass Roots:

Understanding the Geologic History of UnconventionalResource Basins from Bottom to Top

mega-scale features … have a

first order and transcendent effect

on the evolution and occurrence of

unconventional resource fairwaysHGS Northsiders Luncheon

Mee

ting

Harris CanderBP AmericaHouston, Texas



Michael D. Campbell, P.G., P.H. andHenry M. Wise, P.G.

HGS Environmental & EngineeringDinner Meeting

Tuesday, May 18, 2010Black Lab Pub, Churchill Room • 4100 Montrose Blvd.

Social 5:30 p.m., Dinner 6:30 p.m.


The HGS prefers that you make your reservations on-line through the HGSwebsite at www.hgs.org. If you have no Internet access, you can e-mail [email protected], or call the office at 713-463-9476 (include your name, e-mail address, meeting you are attending, phone number and membership ID#).

HGS Environm

ental & Engineering Dinner M

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With the mounting concern about greenhouse gas emissions,

interest in nuclear power has increased substantially over

the past five years in theU.S.wheremore than 50 permit applications

are now under review for building new plants. Nations around

the world are looking to increasing their use of nuclear energy to

generate greenhouse gas emission-free electricity because it is the

cleanest technology available that is capable of producing the

amount of electricity required at a competitive cost. With this

increase in interest, there has been an

increase in uranium exploration and

production, which in turn has encountered

an equally increased resistance from a few

adversarial groups, especially in Texas, New

Mexico, and Colorado. These groups base

their objections on exploration and mining

techniques and mining laws that were in effect at least 30 years

ago. Unfortunately many in the news media have been reporting

on these complaints without regard to important improvements

in exploration and uranium recovery techniques and

environmental protection laws. The general public has

consistently been led to believe that uranium exploration and

recovery will poison both the land surface and the underlying

aquifers over vast areas. We will discuss these misconceptions in

some detail.�

Biographical SketchesMICHAEL D. CAMPBELL, P.G., P.H., serves

as Managing Partner for M. D. Campbell

and Associates, L.P., founded in 1993 in

Houston, Texas, where he manages envi-

ronmental, forensic, and mining

investigations (including uranium and

other mineral project assessments,

reserves studies, and environmental com-

pliance) for industry and the legal

community. In 1977 he was a Founding Member of the Energy

Minerals Division (EMD) of AAPG and was elected EMD

President (2010-2011). He was recently appointed to the

Advisory Board of the Division of Environmental Geosciences

(DEG) of AAPG and currently serves as Chairman of EMD’s

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) Committee and as a member of

AAPG’s Astrogeology Committee. Mr. Campbell is a graduate of

the Ohio State University in geology and hydrogeology (BA-

1966), of Rice University in geology and geophysics (MA-1976),

and was elected a Fellow in the Geological Society of America. He

is a licensed Professional Geoscientist and Geologist in Texas,

Mississippi, Alaska and Wyoming and is licensed in Washington

as a Professional Hydrogeologist and Geologist. He also holds

national certifications in geology (AIPG) and hydrogeology

(AIH). He serves on committees for the AIPG, AEG, and other

technical societies. Mr. Campbell has

worked over 40 years in the mining and

environmental industries, and has published

three technical books on uranium and other

natural resources, including ground water,

and numerous associated reports, technical

papers, and presentations in the U.S.

and overseas on a variety of geological, geotechnical and

hydrogeological subjects.

HENRY M. WISE, P.G., has more than 30

years of professional experience in geology,

uranium exploration and development

and environmental remediation. His

experience includes the exploration and

in-situ recovery of roll-front uranium

deposits in South Texas where he was

responsible for the delineation and

production at the Pawilk Mine for U.S. Steel. He also has substantial

experience in environmental site assessments and soil and

ground-water remediation projects in Texas using dual-phase

extraction techniques. Mr. Wise is currently the Technical

Services Manager for Eagle/SWS in La Porte, Texas, where he

oversees several TCEQ State Lead and Emergency Response

contracts. Mr. Wise is a graduate of Boston University with a

Bachelor’s Degree in Geology, and he obtained a Master’s Degree

in Geology from the University of Texas at El Paso. A Licensed

Professional Geologist in Texas, he was a Founding Member in

1977 of the Energy Minerals Division of AAPG, a member of the

Uranium Committee and a Certified Professional Geologist of

AIPG. He is also co-chairman of the HGS Governmental Affairs

Committee and writes both the “Governmental Update” for the

HGS Bulletin and the Wise Report, published both privately and

on the HGS, AIPG-Texas, and AEG-Texas websites.

Uranium Recovery Realities in the U.S. – A Review

there has been an increase

in uranium exploration

and production


Chalk is deposited by pelagic settling of algal and foraminiferal

skeletons which are subsequentlymodified by re-sedimentation

in slumps, debris flows, and turbidites. Chalk is an improbable

reservoir rock characterized by high porosity (25-45%) but low

matrix permeability (typically < 1mD). Effective permeability

due to fractures contributes significantly to flow.

Ekofisk, a world-class giant oil and gas field in the Norwegian

North Sea, is approaching 40 years of production from the chalk

and has many years of

economic life remaining.

Technological advances –

including 3D and 4D

seismic, the world’s largest

offshore waterflood,

monitoring and mitigating

reservoir compaction

and sea-floor subsidence,

and creative design and

geosteering of long-reach and multi-lateral wells – have extended

field life, increased ultimate recovery, and restored daily production

to rates not seen since the 1970s.

Ongoing studies by the license partners facilitate effective

management of the chalk reservoir and aid in planning new wells

in a field containing greater than 300 existing wellbores, over 400

mapped faults, an expanding waterflood, a dynamically deforming

overburden, and a challenging matrix which many geoscientists

and engineers initially dismissed as non-productive. �

Biographical SketchCHIP FEAZEL is a senior scientist in the

Subsur f a ce Techno log y g roup a t

ConocoPhillips. In 34 years with the

company he has had research and

management assignments in Oklahoma,

Texas, and Norway. He earned a BA in

geology from Ohio Wesleyan University,

and MA and PhD degrees from Johns

Hopkins. His specialties include carbonate

sedimentology, reservoir description, field development, and a wide

spectrum of reservoir characterization from depositional facies to flow

units. He has experience in numerous geological settings, including the

Nevada desert, various Caribbean islands, Greenland, the Beaufort

Sea, the North Sea, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, the US Midcontinent,

the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Caspian Sea, and the Middle East.

North Sea Chalk: 40 Years of Production at EkofiskField From a Rock Some Said Would Never Flow Oil

Joint HGS North American and International Dinner M

eetin

gJoint HGS North American and InternationalDinner Meeting

Monday, May 24, 2010Westchase Hilton • 9999 WestheimerSocial Hour 5:30–6:30 p.m.Dinner 6:30–7:30 p.m.


To guarantee a seat, you must pre-register on the HGS website and pre-paywith a credit card. Pre-registration without payment will not be accepted. You may still walk up and pay at the door, if extra seats are available.

Charles T. Feazel Subsurface Technology,ConocoPhillipsCurrently: Feazel GeoConsulting LLC


Although natural gas and oil production from the low-perme-

ability (“tight”) Desmoinesian

Marmaton and overlying Missourian

Cleveland formations in the northwest

Anadarko Basin started in the mid-1950s,

the sequence-stratigraphic and depositional

settings of reservoir sandstones in the primary

producing area are not well known.

Regional sequence framework and

paleoenvironmental aspects of the two

units were described by Hentz (1994 a,b).

However, newly acquired well and core

data in the main play area of Ochiltree and Lipscomb Counties,

Texas , and adjacent El l i s County,

Oklahoma, have yielded additional details

on sequence stratigraphy, shelf configura-

tion, depositional origins, and controls

on hydrocarbon production (Hentz and

others, 2009). These refinements of the

1994 study were afforded by the use of

(1) denser well log control; (2) abundant

post-1994 well data, including production

statistics; and (3) additional whole cores

to complement those used in the earlier

study. Unlike the first

regional study, we can

now better resolve specific

geologic attributes of the

Marmaton and Cleveland

reser voir sandstones

locally in the play area.

The western Anadarko

Basin is bordered on the

south by the Amarillo

and Wichita Uplifts and

o n t h e w e s t b y t h e

Cimarron Arch, all source

areas of Marmaton and

Cleveland sediments.

Farther east, the Apishapa

Uplift of the Ancestral

Rocky Mounta in s in

southeast Colorado and

northeast New Mexico

was a prominent highland

HGS General Luncheon

continued on page 27

Wednesday, May 26, 2010Petroleum Club • 800 Bell (downtown) Social 11:15 AM, Luncheon 11:30 AM

Cost: $30 pre-registered members; $35 for non-members & walk-ups;Emeritus/Life/Honorary: $15; Students: FREETo guarantee a seat, you must pre-register on the HGS website (www.hgs.org)and pre-pay with a credit card. Pre-registration without payment will not be accepted. You may still walk up and pay at the door, if extra seats are available.

HGS General Luncheon Meeting

Tucker F. Hentz and William A. AmbroseBureau of Economic Geology, Jackson Schoolof Geosciences, The University of Texas atAustin, Austin, Texas


Mee

ting

Cleveland and Marmaton Tight-Gas Reservoirs (Pennsylvanian), Northwest Anadarko Basin:

Sequence Stratigraphy, Depositional Framework, andProduction Controls on Tide-Dominated Systems

Preexisting topography

below the Marmaton and

Cleveland shelf or ramp had

a significant influence on

depositional patterns

Dip-elongate, tide-reworked, multisourced sandstone bodies within transgressive systems tract of the uppermostMarmaton Formation.


HGS Guest Night — Saturday, May 22, 2010Houston Museum of Natural Science 5:45 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

Big Bend: Where the Rockies Meet the AppalachiansDiscoveries and EnigmasSpeaker:

Dr. Patricia Wood DickersonThe Geological Institute and Visiting Research Fellow,Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin

The Guest Night program includes a social hour, buffet dinner and featured speaker presentation No payments accepted at the door. You must prepay online (www.hgs.org)

or send this form in with credit card information.

Names: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Email address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number of Guest Night Tickets ____________ @ $30 each Guest Night Tickets Amount $ ________________

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region throughout the Pennsylvanian Period and comprised

another source area for the northwest part of the basin.

Analysis of closely spaced well-log sections including

approximately 800 wells and about 250 ft (~75 m) of five whole

cores in the Marmaton and Cleveland formations indicates that

they comprise a succession of highstand deltaic and lowstand

incised-valley-fill estuarine deposits that accumulated on a

topographically irregular shelf or ramp influenced by strong

tidal currents.

The Marmaton succession (80–600 ft [24–183 m] thick) comprises

three southeasterly sourced, highstand-dominated sequences

showing no evidence of lowstand incision in the study area and an

unusually sandy and thick (140 ft [43 m]), southeastly- and westerly-

sourced transgressive systems tract in the upper part of the

interval. The top of the Marmaton Formation coincides with a

regional marine condensed section bearing latest Desmoinesian

fauna. Marmaton cores record upward-coarsening highstand

successions of muddy inner shelf to proximal delta front (or upper

shoreface) deposits overlain by upward-fining, retrogradational

intervals of mudrock containing silty, starved ripples (transgressive

systems tracts). Wave and minor mud-draped ripple beds suggest

a wave- and/or tide-dominated depositional setting. However,

the occurrence of elongate, dip-parallel sandstone bodies on

gross-sandstone maps of systems tracts reveals evidence of a

strong tidal influence on sedimentation. Such elongate tidal bars

are akin to those seen in the modern tide-influenced Fly River

Delta of the Gulf of Papua and in modern estuarine deposits

of the Gulf of Cambay on the west coast of India . The

pr imar y Marmaton reservoir zone, the Hepler Sandstone,

consists of topset beds of the uppermost sequence and overlying

beds of an unusually sandy and thick (140 ft [43 m]) transgressive

systems tract.

The Cleveland section in the producing area, 100 to 325 ft

(30–100 m) thick, contains at least three sequences: two westerly

HGS General Luncheon continued from page 25 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Mee

ting

HGS General Luncheon continued on page 29

Distribution of incised-valley-fill (S7) and underlying highstand deltaic sandstones (S5 and S6) of the Cleveland Formation superimposed on bub-ble map of average daily maximum Cleveland gas production.

sourced highstand-dominated systems and a prominent, 40- to

80-ft-thick (12- to 24-m) lowstand incised-valley system that has

eroded lower sequences in the middle Cleveland. The valley-fill

section consists of dominantly fine-grained estuarine sandstones

exhibiting tidally modified, bidirectional-ripple (flaser) and

double-draped-ripple bedding and sandy upper-flow-regime

rhythmites. Thin fluvial sandstones bearing abundant mudrock

clasts occur locally at the base. Gross-sandstone mapping reveals

that the valley-fill section occurs in two segments: (1) a

well-defined, west- to east-southeast-oriented system in the

north-central part of the study area and (2) the margin of a poorly

defined system at the south margin of the study area. Modern

estuarine valley-fill analogs include the Gironde estuary of coastal

France. The valley-fill sandstones and the underlying highstand

deltaic topset beds into which the valley system locally incises

compose the primary reservoir zone in the Cleveland, the unit’s

so-called Main sand.

The Marmaton and Cleveland formations were deposited

in either a shelf or ramp setting in the western Anadarko Basin.

Correlations of the Cleveland Formation east of the study area

into central Oklahoma and the central Anadarko Basin reveal no

clear evidence of a shelf/slope break in the succession, such as

pronounced eastward stratal thickening at the margin of a

progradational wedge. The issue of where the Cleveland shelf

break and basinal facies occur is currently unresolved.

Correlation and seismic analysis of the unit farther east in

the Anadarko Basin are needed. Deposition of Marmaton

siliciclastics was not associated with a shelf/slope break within

the study area.

Preexisting topography below the Marmaton and Cleveland shelf

or ramp had a significant influence on depositional patterns

of the two units. Sediments accumulated on a topographically

irregular surface influenced by west-northwest-trending faults

and flexures that formed during culmination of basin subsidence

induced by regional Early and Middle Pennsylvanian

compressional deformation. Isopach maps of these units indicate

that they accumulated in two structural “sags” on the shelf/ramp,

the northernmost sag occurring in the study area. A shift in

source area from primarily the southeast to the west coincided

with a decrease in subsidence and sediment input that occurred

near the end of Marmaton sedimentation. The mechanism of

these changes involves differential uplift just east and west of the

area of sedimentation.

Hydrocarbon production from the Cleveland Formation, the

primary producer of the two units (1.1 Tcf gas and 32.4 MMbbl

oil as of May 2009), is controlled mostly by the occurrence of the

sandstone-rich, west- to east-southeast-trending incised-valley

system close to the structural updip limit of the unit’s sandstone

facies. Small southeast-plunging anticlines, such as the Perryton

Anticline in central Ochiltree County, are also sites of hydrocarbon

accumulation, but they are developed only locally. Marmaton

production (20.8 Bcf and 2.8 MMbbl as of May 2009) also

appears to be controlled largely by sandstone distribution, most

likely at the updip limits of elongate tidal sandstone bodies. �

ReferencesHentz, T. F., 1994a, Sequence stratigraphy of the Upper

Pennsylvanian Cleveland Formation: A major tight-gas sand-

stone, western Anadarko Basin, Texas Panhandle: AAPG Bulletin,

v. 78, no. 4, p. 569–595.

Hentz, T. F., 1994b, Depositional, structural, and sequence frame-

work of the gas-bearing Cleveland Formations (Upper

Pennsylvanian), western Anadarko Basin, Texas Panhandle: The

University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology

Report of Investigations No. 213, 73 p.

Hentz, T. F., Ambrose, W. A., and Carr, D. L., 2009, Sequence

stratigraphic and depositional settings of highstand deltaic and

lowstand valley-fill deposits of the Middle and Upper

Pennsylvanian Cleveland and Marmaton tight-gas sandstones,

northwest Anadarko Basin (abs.): AAPG Search and Discovery

Article #90090.

Biographical SketchTUCKER F. HENTZ is a geologist at the

Texas Bureau of Economic Geology who

specializes in sequence stratigraphy and

basin analysis. He graduated cum laude

with a B.A. degree in geology from

Franklin & Marshall College in 1977 and

received his M.S. degree in geology in

1982 from the University of Kansas. Prior

to joining the Bureau, he worked for

Exxon Co., USA, in its New Orleans office.

Mr. Hentz has been involved in a variety of research projects

during his 27 years at the Bureau, including regional mapping

and analysis of depositional systems of Pennsylvanian and

Permian sequences of the Eastern Shelf of North-Central Texas,

native sulfur deposits in Trans-Pecos Texas, petrology and

diagenesis of Gulf Coast and Val Verde Basin reservoir

sandstones, and regional sequence stratigraphy and structure of

hydrocarbon-bearing successions in the Anadarko Basin, Fort

Worth Basin, Rio Grande Embayment, Burgos Basin, and

offshore Louisiana. He is currently engaged in a regional study of

the Eagle Ford gas shales of Texas. Mr. Hentz is the author and/or

co-author of many contract reports, numerous abstracts, and

more than 25 peer-reviewed, published articles.

HGS General Luncheon continued from page 27 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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Volumetric Seismic Attributes for Automated Fault Interpretation and Structural Interpretation:

A Growth Fault Example from the Texas Gulf CoastAlison Henning, Gaynor Fisher, and Stephen Purves

Seismic attributes are measurements derived from seismic data

and can be a valuable interpretation tool if tailored to the

given geologic setting. There are hundreds of different seismic

attributes, many of which can be computed in a matter of

minutes on a desktop PC workstation. Attributes can now be

calculated on 3D seismic data volumes, rather than just on horizon

surfaces or time intervals.With access to this vast amount of data,

it is important to understand the appropriate application of

various seismic attributes in order to produce the best possible

interpretation. We present an example of attributes used for

automated fault interpretation on a 3D seismic data volume from

the Gulf of Mexico shelf.

Since the development of the coherence attribute in the 1990s,

edge-detection attributes have been used quite successfully to

detect discontinuities in seismic data representative of geologic

features (Bahorich and Farmer, 1995). Coherence is the general

term for a measure of lateral change in seismic response and can

be calculated using several different algorithms (such as

semblance and gradient structure tensor analysis; Chopra and

Marfurt, 2007). While many seismic attributes do not have a clear

or straightforward geological meaning, edge or discontinuity

attributes are different in that they can be related directly to

geologic structures, such as faults.

While various coherence algorithms can produce similar results

in some cases (Barnes, 2006), increases in seismic data resolution

allow us to identify more subtle features in the data and the

minor differences between attributes can, therefore, become

important. We used different methods for calculating coherence,

with the goal of detecting a large growth fault on the Texas shelf.

We found that the tensor attribute, derived from the gradient

structure tensor, provided the best basis for automated fault

detection in this geologic setting.

Dip and azimuth attributes can also be used to constrain the

structural interpretation. They were first computed from

interpreted horizons and used to highlight faults with small

displacements (Rijks and Jaufred, 1991). Combined dip-azimuth,

or DipAzi, volumes can now be displayed to allow 3D structural

interpretation from 2D sections. The DipAzi volume in our

example provided a structural overview of the 3D data set. We

utilized this multi-attribute display to identify structural features

in the data and map fault traces in map view.

Growth Fault ExampleThe continental shelf offshore Texas exhibits shallow geology

dominated by listric growth faults, rollover anticlines, and

Figure 1. a) Seismic line from the Gulf of Mexico, showing growth fault on left hand side with associated fault shadow. There is a majorchange in amplitude across the fault, and the footwall has a fairly chaotic seismic character. The top of a rollover structure is just visibleon the lower right, displaying bright amplitudes and high dips. The data were conditioned using ffA’s structurally oriented filter. b) Grid oriented semblance. Note the dark areas on the footwall of the growth fault and on the structure on the lower right hand side.Grid-oriented semblance picks out the areas of high dip and highlights them, along with faults. c) Tensor attribute. Note the increased continuity of the faults and the isolation of the growth fault on the left. The black “blobs” in the section are edges of fault planes in other orientations. Data provided courtesy of Seitel Data, Ltd.

Tech N

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Tech Note continued on page 33


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MICRO-STRAT INC., 5755 Bonhomme, Suite 406, Houston, TX 77036, Tel: 713-977-2120, Fax: 713-977-7684,e-mail:[email protected], Web-Site: www.Micro-Strat.com

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Integrating Biostratigraphy, Well-Logs,Seismic Profiles and Sequence Stratigraphy

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submarine fan deposition. Growth faults in this area are often

associated with fault shadows, sections of seismic data on the footwalls

of faults that are not imaged properly due to velocity model errors

in the overburden (Figure 1a). Fault shadows can make attribute

analysis difficult because it affects amplitudes in the footwall and

often leads to a chaotic seismic response which is not directly related

to geology. Therefore, understanding the differences between the

available coherence attributes is necessary in order to provide the

best automated fault detection in this geologic setting.

Attributes are best calculated on clean, noise-free data, so we first

conditioned our data to remove as much noise as possible.

We utilized a structurally oriented, edge-preserving filter to

remove coherent and random noise, while retaining features

such as edges, corners, and sharp dips. The fault detection

attributes were then derived from data from which noise had

been canceled.

Semblance is one of the most common and widely available

coherence algorithms and is based on a cross-correlation of seismic

traces (Sheriff, 1991; Chopra and Marfurt, 2007). We first computed

a standard grid-oriented semblance attribute (Figure 1b). While

semblance is good at detecting clear discontinuities in the seismic

data, such as the small faults associated with the structure in the

lower right of Figure 1b, it is not as effective in areas with subtle

amplitude changes or high dips. The footwall of the growth fault

and the anticlinal structure both display black and white banding

related to structural dip. This banding can mask actual

discontinuities in the seismic data and reduce the effectiveness of

automated fault detection processes.

The gradient structure tensor can also be used to identify

discontinuities or faults, in seismic data. The structure tensor

provides a measure of changes in image texture (e.g. chaotic

versus highly oriented) and can, therefore, identify changes

in seismic character, as well as edges and discontinuities. This

attribute is more resistant to chaotic zones, especially in areas

of low amplitude as in the case of fault shadow, and is useful

for localizing large regional faults with different seismic

expression on each side. The growth fault appears as an isolated

feature on the tensor attribute display (Figure 1c), which can

then be used to construct 3D fault planes or as a guide for

manual fault picking.

Tech Note continued from page 31 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Tech N

ote

Figure 2. DipAzi volume. The saturation indicates the degree of dip, with higher saturation indicating higher dips, and thecolor indicates the direction of dip, or theazimuth. Most of the section is flat, exceptfor the area under the growth fault and thearea on the lower right. Data providedcourtesy of Seitel Data, Ltd.


Both attributes (grid-oriented semblance and gradient structure

tensor) were calculated using comparable filter lengths, with a

large vertical filter to try to capture the continuity of the large

faults in the section. While semblance algorithms may work

better at identifying small discontinuities in the data, the tensor

attribute is better for automatically detecting the large regional

faulting patterns. The tensor attribute is also the most resistant to

the chaotic zone of fault shadow.

In addition to edge-detection attributes, DipAzi attributes are also

useful for automatically identifying faults within seismic volumes.

DipAzi attributes can now be calculated on 3D volumes and used

to rapidly identify structural features such as faults, anticlines, and

synclines (Figure 2). The saturation indicates the dip magnitude,

with greater saturation indicating higher dips. The color indicates

the azimuth, with blue indicating north and red-pink indicating

south. The main fault appears pink, because in places the fault

plane itself has been imaged and it dips to the south. On the

northern side of the fault, the dark blue indicates strata dipping to

the north, while the lower color saturation on the other side of the

fault indicates relatively flat strata. The change in color on the

downthrown side of the fault from blue to purple highlights the

change from reflector roll into the fault near the top to drag along

the fault near the bottom (see Figure 1a for seismic section). In

the lower right of Figure 2, the transition from turquoise to

orange-yellow marks the axis of an anticlinal feature. In this way,

you can interpret the 3D structure from a 2D vertical slice.

The DipAzi attribute can also be viewed on time slices (Figure 3).

A 3D DipAzi volume is equivalent to a shaded relief map on each

time slice through the data, although they use different display

parameters. The northern part of the seismic section shows little

amplitude response (Figure 3a). The large growth fault appears

pink on the DipAzi section (Figure 3b), as indicated by the black

arrows. The sinuous nature of the fault trace is also revealed,

which is not apparent on the seismic data. The seismic data

indicate a structure on the southern part of the section, but

it is not known whether it is a synform or antiform. The

DipAzi data show the crest of the structure as the change from

turquoise to pink.


Tech N

ote

Figure 3. a) Time slice showing seismic amplitude, which indicates astructure in the lower half of the section. From this image alone, it is notclear what is happening in the upper part of the section near the blackarrows. b) Time slice through DipAzi volume, which clearly shows thecrest of the structure in the lower half of the section (transition fromblue to pink), as well as the fault (pink) in the upper half of the section,indicated by the black arrows. See Figure 2 for colorbar. Data providedcourtesy of Seitel Data, Ltd.



ConclusionsThere are many seismic attributes available to the interpreter

today, as well as multiple ways of computing the same attributes.

Subtle differences between coherence calculations have

significant effects on automated fault detection on 3D data from

the Texas shelf. Standard semblance algorithms were not able to

automatically detect the large growth fault, due to the fault shadow

problem that caused severe amplitude changes across the fault

and a chaotic seismic character on the upthrown side of the fault.

In this geologic setting, the tensor attribute was more effective at

isolating the large regional faults because it is more resistant to

the low-amplitude chaotic zones associated with fault shadow.

DipAzi volumes were used to identify the trace of the large

growth fault on time slices, as well as to identify anticlinal struc-

tures andtheir relationship to the fault.�

AcknowledgmentsWe would like to acknowledge Seitel Data, Ltd. as the data owner

and recognize their contribution of these seismic data.

ReferencesBahorich, M. S. and S. L. Farmer, 1995, 3-D seismic discontinuity

for faults and stratigraphic features: The coherency cube: The

Leading Edge, v. 14, p. 1053-1058.

Barnes, A., 2006, Too many attributes? CSEG Recorder, March

2006, p. 40-45.

Chopra, S. and K. J. Marfurt, 2007, Seismic Attributes for

Prospect Identification and Reservoir Characterization: SEG

Geophysical Developments Series No. 11, 464 pp.

Rijks, E. J. H. and J. C. E. M. Jauffred, 1991, Attribute extraction:

An important application in any detailed 3-D interpretation

study: The Leading Edge, v. 10, p. 11-19.

Sheriff, R. E., 1991, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Exploration

Geophysics: Society of Exploration Geophysicists, 376 pp.

Biographical SketchesALISON HENNING is a Geoscientist with

ffA, a 3D seismic analysis and software

company. Alison’s role consists primarily

of analyzing seismic attributes to

constrain geologic interpretations. Alison

r e c e i v e d B S a nd MA d e g r e e s i n

geophysics from the University of Texas at

Austin. She has worked as a geophysicist

in the oil and gas industry for several

years, first for 3DX Technologies and later for Statoil. Her industry

experience includes seismic data acquisition, processing and

interpretation; AVO and rock properties modeling; utilizing

and creating GIS data sets for exploration; and geohazard

evaluation.

In 2000, Alison returned to academia to pursue a PhD in

geophysics at Rice University and subsequently taught there for

6 years. Her thesis work consisted of processing and interpreting

seismic reflection data to examine rifting processes along the

North Atlantic passive margin. After graduation, Alison directed a

professional development program for teachers at Rice and

taught graduate level classes in geosciences to in-service teachers.

She also ran a summer field course in geophysics, consisting

mainly of utilizing ground-penetrating radar to identify

unmarked burials at derelict cemeteries throughout Texas.

Alison is a licensed professional geoscientist in the state of Texas

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serving on various committees and most recently as a Director

from 2007-2009.

GAYNOR FISHER is currently the Services

Manager at ffA, where she has worked for

the past 10 years. Gaynor received her

BSc. (Hons) and PhD in neurophysiology

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Active growth faults cutting the land surface in the Gulf Coast area represent

serious geo-hazards. The average movement on these faults is a few inches

per decade suggesting the potential for structural damage to highways, industrial

buildings, residential houses, and railroads that cross these features is considerable.

Field mapping and the analysis of aerial photographs are the most frequently

used methods for locating faults in the Gulf Coast area. Geophysical methods

(e.g., resistivity, gravity, magnetic, conductivity and ground penetrating radar) are

sporadically used to estimate the locations and

parameters of these faults. Opinions concerning the

effectiveness of these geophysical surveys are mixed,

and geophysical techniques are not generally

recognized as primary tools in engineering-scale

fault studies.

However, advances in geophysical instrumentation

over the last ten years have made geophysical

approaches viable for engineering studies of these

faults. Data quality has been increased by the advent

of continuous data collection. The data are better

processed and interpreted by new and improved

software packages, which results in improved

sub-surface imaging and mapping.

We have conducted an integrated geophysical

survey using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and

resistivity imaging methods over the Hockley Fault

located in the northwest part of Houston, Texas.

Results indicate that both methods successfully

imaged significant anomalies across the known

fault location.

IntroductionThe coastal plain bordering the Gulf of Mexico

is underlain by a thick sequence of largely

unconsolidated, lenticular deposits of clays and

sands. Growth faults are common throughout these

unconsolidated sediments. Based on a study of

borehole logs and seismic reflection data, faults

have been delineated to depths of 12,000 feet below

surface (Kasmarek and Strom, 2002). Most of these

faults are associated with natural geologic processes

such as differential compaction and salt movement;

some have been active since the Cretaceous. A

number of these faults are currently active and

disturb the surface in areas throughout the Gulf of

Mexico (Clanton and Verbeek, 1981).

Geophysical Mapping of Hockley Fault in NW Houston:a Few Surprising Results

Mustafa Saribudak

Figure 1b. Effect of fault movement on a rigid structure built on an active fault. A, original construction; B, structure damaged by fault movement. Both vertical offset andhorizontal separation are necessary consequences of displacement. Rigid structures mayliterally be pulled apart as faulting proceeds (Modified from Elsbury et al. 1980). Tech Note continued on page 45

advances in geophysical

instrumentation … have made

geophysical approaches viable

for engineering studies of

these faults.

Figure 1a. Typical deformation features of a growth fault. The fault scarp may be flattened by erosion and deposition or by man's activities (Modified from Elsbury et al. 1980).

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The Houston area has a very

active shallow fault system as

evidenced by active surface

movement and measurable

localized subsidence (Verbeek

and Clanton, 1981) . In the

Houston area alone (Harris

County), there are more than 300

active or potentially active faults

totaling over 300 miles in length.

These active faults are usually not

discrete ruptures, but zones of

sheared ground tens of meters

wide (Clanton and Verbeek, 1981).

Evidence of faulting includes

structural damage such as fractures

and/or displacements to buildings

and infrastructure and surface

damage such as scarps that cut

across lots, fields and streets.

Fault movement is predominantly

normal, dip-slip down to the

south, and listric. The dip on the

Figure 2. Hockley Fault site location in NW Houston (Modified after Elsbury et al. 1981).

Figure 3. Schematic map of Hockley Fault at Highway 290 and Fairfield Village during the data collection ofyear 2005. The thinner red lines show fracture locations. Resistivity data were collected along Lines L1, L2,L3, L4, L5, L6 and L7. GPR data were collected only along Line 1 (L1). The major crack shown in blue coloron the east bound was observed in December 2009. Not to scale. Tech Note continued on page 47



near-surface faults is

generally between 60°

and 75° (Figure 1a), with

vertical displacement

exceeding horizontal

displacement (Figure 1b).

The NE-SW trending

Hockley Fault, the focus

of this study, is over five

miles long. The fault

extends from the Hockley

S a l t D om e , a c r o s s

Highway 290 to its terminus

i n F a i r f i e l d V i l l a g e

(Figure 2). The study area

was previously evaluated

by Turner et al. (1991) in a

report for the construction

of Fairfield Village that

describes the Hockley

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Figure 5. Resistivity imaging data along profiles L1, L2 and L3 (see Figure 3 for location). Note that there is no faultoffset over the observed fault scarp on resistivity profile L1.

Figure 4. A field picture showing a significant crack (main Hockley Fault) on the west bound of Highway 290 prior to the constructionof shopping mall. The picture was taken facing north. Approximate locations of resistivity profiles L5, L6 and L7 are shown for reference purposes.



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Fault passing through area, with a fault scarp of 40 feet in height.

This paper evaluates the use of two non-invasive geophysical

methods for investigating the Hockley Fault across the Highway

290 (Figure 2).

Geophysical InstrumentsResistivity imaging is a survey technique used to map the

electrical properties of the subsurface by passing an electrical

current between electrodes and measuring associated voltage.

This technique has been widely used in mapping contaminant

plumes, karst features (voids), and subsurface structures, such as

faults and fractures. In this study, an Advanced Geosciences, Inc.

(AGI) Super R1 Sting/Swift resistiv ity meter with the

dipole-dipole resistivity technique was used. This technique is

sensitive to horizontal changes in the subsurface, and provides

a 2-D electrical image of the near-surface geology. Electrode

spacing was held to 6 m along all profiles. The depth of the

investigation was about

135 ft.

A 400 MHz antenna was

used with a cart system to

collect ground penetrating

radar (GPR) data. GPR is

the general term applied

to techniques that employ

radio waves in the 1 to

1000 MHz f requency

range to map near-surface

structures and man-made

f e a t u r e s . D e p t h o f

penetration is limited by

the antenna chosen and

the conductivity of the

soil. The ability of a

GPR sys tem to work

successful ly depends

upon two e l e c t r i c a l

p r o p e r t i e s o f t h e

subsurface, e lectr ical

conduct iv i ty and the

dielectric constant. The

v a l u e o f d i e l e c t r i c

constant ranges between

1 (for air) and 81 (for

water). The dielectric

constant for sandy clayey

soils varies between 10

and 15 . A d i e l e c t r i c

constant of 12 was chosen

for the study area, and the

depth exploration with the GPR unit was about 8 ft. Differences

in dielectric constant between subsurface soils along distinct

boundaries, such as fractures and faults, can cause reflections in

the radar signal.

Field Survey Design and Data ProcessingIn 2004 and 2005 GPR and resistivity surveys were conducted

along Line 1 on the east-bound side of Highway 290 (Figure 3).

Resistivity profiles on both sides of Highway 290, and along a line

located between Fairfield Village and Highway 290 were also

obtained. In November 2009, GPR data were recollected along

the east-bound and west-bound profiles (Figure 3). A total of one

GPR and seven resistivity profiles were surveyed.

During the 2004 surveys, locations of the cracks and patched

pavement locations on both sides of the highway were sketched

Figure 7. Resistivity imaging data along profile 7. Note the correlation of resistivity anomaly and the observed faultscarp in the field. Note also the increased thickness of the clay/clayey sand (blue color) in the downthrown side of thefault (see Figures 3 and 4 for location).

Figure 6. Resistivity imaging data along profiles L4, L5 and L6.




and a discrete fault scarp

was mapped on the south

side of the highway (Figure

3). Another fault scarp was

also mapped along one of

the resistivity profiles, in an

open fie ld between the

h i ghway and Fa i r f i e l d

Village (Figure 3). In addition,

a major crack was observed

crossing the highway on the

north side (Figure 3 and 4).

Resis t iv i ty prof i les L4,

L5 and L6 crossed over this

crack.

R e s i s t i v i t y d a t a w a s

processed and inver ted

using AGI Earth Imager

software. The resistivity

values obtained in this study

varied between 24 and 400

ohm-m. Resistivity values,

in general, of 30 ohm-m

and greater correspond to

sand units; whereas resistivity

values less than 30 ohm-m

corresponds to clayey sand,

sandy clay, and silty sand.

The GPR data are displayed

in a color-amplitude format.

In this study, white and pink

colors on the profiles corre-

spond to the highest positive

amplitude pulses, strong

ref lect ions due to high

dielectric contrasts. Gray

and purple colors represent

“strong” negative reflections

a n d h i g h d i e l e c t r i c

contrasts. Background values

are represented by red and

brown colors.

Geophysical ResultsThe resistivity profiles in

Figures 5 through 7 indicate

sandy clay and sand units.

Spacing of resistivity

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Tech Note continued on page 53Figure 9. GPR data along Line 1 between stations 250 and 270 feet (a); and stations 400 and 415 feet (b).

Figures 8. GPR data along Line 1 between stations 150 and 175 feet (a); and stations 215 and 240 feet (b). Notethat there is a fault offset over the observed fault scarp.


Tech Note continued from page 51 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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profiles L1, L2,

and L3 (Figure

5) is from 75 to

100 ft. Profile L1

does not indicate

any fault offset

visible in the soil

layers over the

f a u l t s c a r p ,

which was several

inches in height.

R e s i s t i v i t y

profiles L1, L2

and L3 do not

i n d i c a t e a n y

fault offset along

their entire lengths.

However, there

is an apparent

resistivity contrast

towards the end

of the profiles

between the sand

and clay layers,

a l t h ou g h t h e

res is t iv i ty data loses i ts

reliability towards the edges.

In order to map the resistivity

contrast, three more resistivity

profiles (L4, L5 and L6) were

surveyed (see Figure 3 for

locations of profiles). Figure 6

shows the resistivity data

along profiles L4, L5 and L6.

A fau l t - l ike anomaly i s

present from 240 to 280 feet

on a l l t h r e e r e s i s t i v i t y

data sets.

F i g u r e 7 s h ow s t h e L 7

resistivity profile (see Figure 3

for location). This area was

covered with high plants and

vegetation at the time of

the resistivity survey. For

reference purposes, the SE

end of the profile was next to

the asphalt pavement . A

distinctive fault scarp (severalFigure 11. Sketch map showing location of Hockley Fault at the study area determined by the resistivity data.The major crack shown in blue color on the east bound was observed in November 2009. A sketch figure of shop-ping symbol is shown in the NW section of the study area. Not to scale.

Figure 10. GPR data along Line 1 between stations 430 and 470 feet.



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i n c h e s i n h e i g h t ) w a s

observed at this location, and

prof i l e L7 d i sp lays the

resistivity data over the fault.

The fault scarp was located at

the 360 feet station on the

resistivity profile. A surface

f a u l t - l i k e a n om a l y i s

observed at the same station.

GPR data along the resistivity

profile L1 indicate significant

anomalies between the fault

scarp and the USGS survey

m a r k e r F 1 2 5 4 . T h e s e

anomalies may represent a

series of small faults and

f r a c t u r e s b en e a t h t h e

highway. Locations of GPR

anomalies are selected with

their respect ive stat ion

coordinates, and are shown

in Figures 8 through 10.

It should be noted that the

horizontal scale for the GPR

profile is exactly the same as

for the resistivity profile L1.

Figure 8a indicates a vertical

offset over the fault scarp at

about 160 feet. This offset

covers the fill materials and

the underlying soil layers.

Figure 8b shows several

small-scale faults between

stations 215 and 240 feet.

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Figure 13. A recent picture showing a revived crack (main Hockley Fault) on the west bound of Highway 290since the construction of shopping mall in 2007. The fault deforms the newly built highway 290 and the feederroads. The picture was taken facing north.

Figure 12. Site map showing approximate extension of the Hockley Fault Zone in the vicinity of Houston Pre-mium Outlet Shopping Mall.


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Figures 9a and 9b show small faults between stations 250 and

415 feet. Figure 10 displays small faults between stations 430 and

470 feet. There are two micro-graben structures formed by the

small-scale faulting. Each graben block is about 14 feet long. The

presence of the many small faults delineated by the GPR survey

explains the intensity of cracks and deformation of the roads and

patched asphalt observed on the east- and west-bound lanes of

the highway (see Figure 3).

Recently (November 2009) Line 1 on the south side and Line 6 on

the north side of the highway were resurveyed. The repeated

survey 6 did not show any of the anomalies (including the fault

scarp) that were discussed above. The reason for this may be the

removal of soil and the reconstruction of the roads. It should be

noted that since the first phase of the geophysical survey Highway

290 was rebuilt and the Houston Premium Outlets shopping mall

was constructed in the vicinity of the Hockley Fault. The original

east and west bounds of the Highway 290 have been rebuilt and

have become feeder roads. A recent picture of the Hockley Fault

shows that the fault has already started deforming the newly built

highway and the feeder roads (Figure 13).

DiscussionThe resistivity data from four profiles (L4, L5, L6 and L7) indicate

normal fault offset down-thrown to the southeast. Location of the

observed fault scarp in the field correlates very well with the resistivity

Line 7. The combination of clayey sand with 24 ohm-m resistivity

(shown with blue color), and sand layers with 70 ohm-m resistivity

(shown by green colors) indicates a dipping and curved fault plane.

The resistivity data onL1,L2, andL3donot indicate any fault anomaly

(no offset between the soil layers). Resistivity profile Line 1 does not

show any anomaly over the fault scarp that is observed in the field.

The reason for the lack of resistivity anomaly over the fault scarp is

not known. Based on available geophysical data, the main fault of the

Hockley system crosses the resistivity lines L4, L5, L6, and L7.

The GPR data along profile L1 indicate the presence of significant

anomalies that are believed to be caused by small faults in the

near-surface. These small faults are likely normal faults down-

thrown to the south-east, as is the Hockley Fault.

The resistivity and GPR data indicate a wide zone of deformation

across the Hockley Fault. Geophysical data presented here com-

bined with the field observations indicate a deformation zone of

about 400 feet including the east and west-bound lanes of

Highway 290 (now the feeder roads). The principal fault plane

and its associated shallow zone of deformation are located in the

vicinity of a newly-built shopping mall. The fault deformation

zone projects under the eastern part of the parking lot and the

major entrance road to the mall (Figure 12).

ConclusionsData acquired evaluate the effectiveness of geophysical methods in

detecting growth faults in the NW Houston area allowed correlation

of unique and consistent anomalies within a known fault zone. This

study and a study of the Willow Creek Fault (Saribudak and Van

Nieuwenhuise, 2007) suggest that these geophysical methods can be

used tomapGulf Coast faults quickly and inexpensively. Further geo-

physical surveys of these faults will better define their geophysical

signatures. Confidence to geophysically delineate near-surface growth

faults in the Houston metropolitan area should make such an assess-

mentmore routine.Depending on site conditions, future fault studies

should include as many of the geophysical techniques as possible to

both improve fault characterization and correlate surface features

with the sub-surface. Results of this study show the potential benefit

of using geophysical methods in addition to borehole logging.�

AcknowledgementsI thank Dr. Carl Norman for showing me the Hockley Fault in the

field and for numerous discussions, and a number of friends and

colleagues who helped in the data acquisition. I am thankful to

Bill Rizer for his instructive and critical editing of the manuscript.

I also like to thank Barry Katz, James Ragsdale, and Charles

Revilla for further editing the manuscript. This research project

was funded by Environmental Geophysics Associates.

ReferencesClanton, S. U. and Verbeek, R.E., 1981. Photographic portraits of

active faults in the Houston metropolitan area, Texas, Houston area

environmental geology: Surface faulting, ground subsidence, hazard

liability, edited by Etter,M.E., Houston Geological Society, p. 70-113.

Elsbury, B.R., Van Siclen, D.C., and Marshall, B.P., 1980.

Engineering aspects of the Houston fault problem, September

ASCE Fall Meeting, El Paso, Texas.

Kasmarek, C. M. and Strom, W.E., 2002. Hydrogeology and simu-

lation of ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in the

Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston, Texas, U.S. Geological

Survey, Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4022.

Saribudak, M., and Van Nieuwenhuise, B., 2007. Integrated geo-

physical studies over an active growth fault in Houston, Leading

Edge, v. 25; no. 3; p. 332-334.

Turner, Collie & Braden, Inc., 1991. Feasibility study for the imple-

mentation of a water reuse project in Fairfield Village, Final report.

Verbeek R.E. and Clanton, S.U., 1981. Historically active faults in the

Houston metropolitan area, Texas, Houston Area Environmental

Geology: Surface Faulting, Ground Subsidence, Hazard Liability,

edited by M. E. Etter, Houston Geological Society, p. 28-69.

Tech N

oteTech Note continued from page 55 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Kevin J. McMichael

First City Tower 713-655-97001001 Fannin, Suite 777 Fax 713-655-9709Houston, TX 77002 [email protected]

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The Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian to Lower Tithonian) Haynesville and Bossier shales of East Texas and northwest Louisiana

(Figure 1) are currently one of the most important shale-gas plays in North America. They have high IPs, EURs estimated at 3 to

7 BCFG, and gas storage capacity estimated in the hundreds of trillions of cubic feet. These shale-gas plays have been studied extensive-

ly by companies and academic institutions within the last year, but to-date, regional understanding of the depositional setting, facies,

diagenesis, pore evolution, petrophysics, best completion techniques, and geochemical characteristics of the Haynesville and Bossier

shales are still poorly understood. Our work provides new insights into Haynesville and Bossier shale facies, deposition, geochemistry,

petrophysics, and stratigraphy in light of paleographic setting and regional tectonics.

Haynesville and Bossier shale deposition was influenced by basement structures, local carbonate platforms, and salt movement associ-

ated with the opening of the Gulf of Mexico basin (Figure 1). The deep basin was surrounded by carbonate shelves of the

Smackover/Haynesville Lime, Louark sequence in the north and east and on local platforms within the basin. The basin periodically

exhibited reducing anoxic conditions, as indicated by variably increased molybdenum content, presence of framboidal pyrite, and

TOC-S-Fe relationships. These organic-rich intervals are concentrated along and between platforms and islands that provided restric-

tive and anoxic conditions during Haynesville and part of Bossier deposition. Nutrients were provided by the surrounding carbonate

platforms, clay was shed into the basin from siliciclastic shelves, and organic production was facilitated by the overall rapidly rising sea

level.

SIPES Luncheon MeetingFacies Characteristics, Depositional Environments, andPetrophysical Characteristics of the Haynesville andBossier Shale-Gas Plays of East Texas and Northwest

LouisianaUrsula Hammes, Scott Hamlin, and Ray Eastwood, Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of

Texas at Austin

SIPES Luncheon

Mee

ting

Figure 1: Study area and structural controls of the Upper Jurassic northeastern Gulf of Mexico basin. Shaded area represents productive Haynesvillegas shale. Basins colored in green; uplifts colored in red.

SIPES Luncheon Meeting continued on page 61



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Carmen Gomez

Ian Gordon

Martha Guidry

Gary Huxford

Katy James

Andrew Jarrett

Jacob Moore

David Nicklin

Rebecca Olsen

Oliver Pfost

Mark Picha

Rebecca Pruitt

Kelli Randall

Kevin Skees

Paul Skudder

Erin Smart

Haynie Stringer

Rodney Thompson

Rodney Tremblat

Jason Wallgren

EMERITUS

Charles Andrews

ASSOCIATES

Eleanor Herriman

Effective March 2010

Welcome New Members

HGS Welcomes N

ew M

embe

rs


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Several rivers supplied sand and mud from the northwest,

north, and northeast into the basin, contributing to a

variety of mudrock lithology changes across the

Haynesville and Bossier depositional areas. Mudrocks

range from calcareous-dominated facies near the carbon-

ate platforms and islands to siliceous-dominated

lithologies in areas where deltas prograded into the basin

and diluted organic matter (e.g., northern Louisiana and

northeast Texas). These facies are a direct response to a

second-order transgression that lasted from the early

Kimmeridgian to the Berriasian. Three regionally correlative

third-order Haynesville Shale sequences compose

the transgressive systems tract of the second-order

supersequence. Haynesville and Bossier shales each compose

three upward-coarsening cycles that probably represent

third-order sequences within the larger second-order

transgressive systems and early highstand systems tracts,

respectively (Figure 2). Each Haynesville third-order cycle

is characterized by massive mudstone grading into

laminated and bioturbated mudstone (Figure 3). Most of

the three Bossier third-order cycles are dominated by

varying amounts of siliciclastics grading from massive

into laminated mudstone. The sequences are capped

by siltstones. However, the third Bossier cycle exhibits

higher carbonate (Figure 3) and an increase in organic

productivity in a southern restricted area (beyond the

basinward limits of Cotton Valley progradation), creating

Figure 3: A. Haynesville massive mudstone facies showing silt-sized siliceous andcarbonate grains, pellet matrix, and organics (brown). B. Haynesville burrowedmudstone facies showing carbonate and siliceous grains, peloids, and burrowsfilled with calcite (B). C. Organic-rich Bossier unlaminated mudstone faciesshowing fillibranch mollusks and silt-sized siliceous and calcareous grains. D. Bio-turbated calcareous mudstone showing abundant calcite bioclasts in organic-richmatrix. Haynesville samples are from Louisiana and East Texas. Bossier samplesare from the Shell Temple and Jones cores of Sabine Island.

Figure 2: West to East cross section extending from the carbonate shelf in the west (Freestone Co.) to the Sabine Island complex in the east (SabineCo.) which shows the Smackover Limestone highstand systems tract, the Haynesville lime and shale (HVL Lime/Shale) as part of the transgressivesystems tract with the maximum flooding surface (MFS) capping the HVL Shale. The Bossier Shale and Bossier Shaley Sands represent the earlyhighstand and the prograding Cotton Valley sands represent the late highstand of super-sequence 2 (SS2). The productive third Bossier cycle is out-lined in green towards the west of the study area.

SIPES Luncheon Meeting continued on page 63

The AAPG 2011 Convention technical team has been diligently

working with the SEPM, EMD, and DPA to identify candidates

to fill theme chair and session chair slots for the 11 theme topics

and 42 sessions. Letters to geoscience managers at many energy

organizations have been submitted in order to cast a wider net

for candidates. The “Next Giant Leap for Geoscience” is the

theme topic for the 2011 Houston Convention. The expression

is an obvious build on the words of Neil Armstrong from the

first moon landing in 1969 and is a tribute to Houston’s her-

itage and can-do spirit. The Short Course, Field Trips, and

other committees will soon be developing their programs

and seeking volunteers to assist with coordination and

implementation. Attendance at the New Orleans convention

has resulted in the development of new ideas for 2011.

We are most happy to obtain suggestions from HGS

members for enhancing the Houston 2011 Convention.

Steve Levine [email protected] �

2011Annual AAPGConvention in Houston

Countdown to AAPG

June 2010 Grand Canyon Geology Field TripExperience the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon as we raft the mighty Colorado River and examine some of thefinest classical geology exposures in theworld. Reservations are now being taken forthe 2010 Grand Canyon Geology Field Tripthrough the HGS website. Trip runs June 13-21, beginning and ending in Las Vegas, with eight nights on the river.Cost is $3000 and reservations are due byMay 15. Please contact Steve Earle at 713-328-1069 with any questions, or emailhim at [email protected]


another productive gas-shale opportunity. This organic-rich Bossier cycle extends across the Sabine Island complex and the

Mt. Enterprise Fault Zone in a narrow trough from Nacogdoches County, Texas to Red River Parish, Louisiana.

Haynesville and Bossier gas shales are distinctive on wireline logs. They exhibit high gamma ray measurements, low density, low

neutron porosity, high sonic travel-times, and moderately high resistivity. These distinctive log signatures for the organic-rich Bossier

Shale and the Haynesville Shale across the study area suggest that favorable conditions for shale-gas production extend beyond

established producing areas.�

Biographical SketchURSULA HAMMES obtained her Diploma in Geology from the University of Erlangen in Germany in 1987

and her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1992. She spent 10 years working as a

consultant, performing postdoctoral research at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of

Texas at Austin, and as exploration geologist in industry. Dr. Hammes joined the Bureau of Economic

Geology in 2001 as Research Associate. Her main research focus is in clastic and carbonate sequence

stratigraphy, depositional systems, and carbonate and clastic diagenesis. Her recent research focus is in

shale-gas systems. She is currently project manager of the State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery

project (STARR).

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Thursday, May 20, 2010Houston Petroleum Club in the Discovery Room, 800 Bell St. (downtown Houston). Social 11:15 AM, Luncheon 11:45 AM

Reservations Required:Make reservations by telephone (713-651-1639), fax (713-951-9659), website (www.sipes-houston.org), or [email protected] to B. K. Starbuck-Buongiorno by 12:00 noon on Tuesday preceding the meeting. You can now sign up for the meeting online atwww.sipes-houston.org, but payment is still required by regular mail or at the door.

Cost: $30 for SIPES Members and Chapter Affiliates who register by 12:00 Noon Tuesday; $35 for new registrations at the door. The price for guests, non-members and walk-ins is $35. No-shows will be billed.



Earth Science Staff Development Provided For Houston Teachers

Janie Schuelke

Earth science training for our teachers is imperative. Many

teachers have not taken geology courses, and many elemen-

tary teachers feel “science challenged". A one-day workshop,

More! Rocks in Your Head! (MRIYH) gives

3rd - 8th grade teachers the background,

vocabulary, hands-on projects, and (more

importantly) the motivation to teach the

earth science curriculum well.

HGS member Janie Schuelke developed and started presenting

MRIYH in 2000. The workshop is a spin-off from Rocks in Your Head,

developed by Patty Holyfield, which is geared towards high school.

Motivation is the main goal for Janie, who has a knack for teaching

complicated material in a way that is easily understood. According

to one Dallas teacher, "I learned more about geology than ever

before. The instructor was excellent and very

knowledgeable. She was able to bring the

information to a level that could help me

instruct my students."

More! Rocks in Your Head was presented on March 6, 2010 for

Houston teachers for the fourth time in four years. Funding was

provided by the HGS, the Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute

(EMGI), the Bookout initiative, and a grant from the

Texas Regional Collaborative. Inda Immega, HGS member, has

volunteered at most of the Houston workshops, answering

questions and adding to the teachers’ education.

This is a quote from a Houston teacher, "This workshop was

wonderful! What I loved most about it was the teacher

background information that was provided in the workbook. So

often, I have taught lessons that were not as informative because

of my lack of content knowledge in that area. Earth Science was

my absolute least favorite unit to teach, but now I have developed

a new appreciation … Loved it!"

Texas is divided into 20 regions, each having an Education Service

Center (ESC) to facilitate staff development. Houston's region is

Region 4. The Region 4 Education Service Center, located near

Tidwell Road and US Highway 290, provides the facility and

registration for the workshops. They have asked for an MRIYH to

be presented in 2011.

Earth Science S

taff

Dev

elop

men

t

Earth science training for

our teachers is imperative.


Earth Science S

taff

Dev

elop

men

t

MRIYH workshop covers a full scope of earth sciences for

elementary and middle school teachers. Each section contains

background information, vocabulary, and suggested projects,

plus cross-curricular segments and ideas for gifted and talented

students. All projects are hands-on, making for fun and

memorable learning experiences.

Students can begin their investigations with "Disappearing

Nickels and Earth Models", an edible study on the earth's structure,

then learn about different rock types with "Mount Eruptus"

(igneous), "Sedimentary Rock Socks", and "Mighty Morph and

Power Pressures" (metamorphic). They learn how plants and

animals change through geologic time by making a rap song and

comparing "Scenes (Sings) of the Past" that they have created for

the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. Environmental

processes like soil erosion, mining and reclamation, and cave

formation are the subjects of other activities, along with mineral

identification, geologic landforms, earth science careers, and

fossil fuel formation. The "Hunt for Fossil Fuels" oil exploration

game provides interactive learning about the energy industry

utilizing geology, geophysics, and financial analysis and

evaluation, using real seismic and well log data from a prospect in

Lea County, New Mexico.

Each teacher participant receives:

• More! Rocks in Your Headmanual.

• Rock Samples (labeled and bagged) of igneous, sedimentary,

and metamorphic rocks.

• Mineral Samples (labeled and bagged) and Test Kit.

• Hunt for Fossil Fuels oil exploration game on CD.

• Texas Rocks and Fossils poster (from Texas Department of

Transportation)

• USGS Tapestry of Time and Terrainmap (from an AAPG

grant)

• Oil and Natural Gas book (from SPE)

• Energize Your Future book (from Anadarko)

• Additionally, 20 schools receive a laminated, framed USGS

Tapestry of Time and Terrainmap (from an AAPG

Foundation grant)

MRIYH has been presented to over 3,000 teachers across

America, mainly in Texas. Each teacher has from 20 to 150

students. District educators usually participate, which increases

the average so that each participant reaches more than 200

students per year.

If you would like more information about this or other scheduled

MRIYH workshops please visit the websites www.rocksinyour-

head.org or www.emgi.org. �

Biographical SketchJANIE SCHUELKE's BS geology degree

is from the University of Houston.

She processed marine 3D seismic

data for Geophysical Services, Inc.,

from 1977 through 1981. Then she

and geophysicist husband, Jim

Schuelke, raised a family of three

and hosted four foreign exchange

students. Ms Schuelke was later

a substitute teacher and taught a

geology class at College for Kids, a summer program for

Gifted/Talented 3rd thru 8th graders. Some of the activities

taught in the MRIYH workshop were created for College for

Kids.

With work experience in geophysics and teaching, Janie specializes

in explaining complex information in an easily understood style

for many levels, including those who think they are science

challenged. In the training of teachers for the earth sciences, both

information and motivation are necessary, especially at the

elementary school level.

A New Technofest –

Supe

rsized

! A New Technofest – Supersized!Westin Galleria – July 22nd, 2010 – 9:00a-8:30p

Afew years back, the Houston Geological Society came up

with an idea for a summertime event that would gather the

best of new technologies and a crowd of interested geoscientists.

That event was Technofest! Originally held at the Westchase

Hilton, it was an instant hit. As such, it maxed out the parking,

air-conditioning and space at the Hilton.

Now Technofest is to be held in the Westin Galleria. The

Woodway Hall at theWestin is over 21,000 square feet of carpeted,

air-conditioned space just waiting for Vendors, Companies and

Deal Sellers to share their information! In addition, because it is

part of the Galleria, there are 8500 FREE parking spaces in close

proximity.

This year we are SUPERSIZING Technofest by adding a morning/

afternoon series of technology talks, along with a luncheon

speaker. TechnoConference is designed to be finished in time

for Technofest to begin at 2:30p. Rene Mott is Chair of the

conference/luncheon portion of the day. If you have a great

technology talk or field study success story using new technology,

please contact her at: [email protected] !

There will be 47 - 10’ x 10’ spaces. Booth rental is only $400 (if

reserved by June 1st, 2010) and includes two admissions

to the event. Admission includes one free drink ticket! We

are anticipating booth spaces will sell out quickly – so it is first

come-first served!

Of course Sponsorship opportunities are available for food and

beverages. This year we have lowered the cost of sponsorship

so that more companies can participate and it won’t hurt the

pocketbook as much! Sponsorships can be made at the

PLATINUM LEVEL - $1000, GOLD LEVEL - $500, SILVER

LEVEL - $250 AND BRONZE LEVEL - $100. Sponsors will be

given top billing at all refreshment stations and in the registration

area of the Woodway Hall. Finger foods and cash bars will be

scattered around the hall, so there should be no long lines!

Also needed are volunteers! The HGS is expecting a huge turnout

for this event, and help will be needed with registration and

vendor setup. Volunteers get free admission!

For more information, please contact Deborah Sacrey at

713-468-3260 or [email protected]. Other members of

the committee are Bonnie Milne – [email protected]

and Jim Grubb – [email protected] �


Calling All Vendors!HGS Technofest–2010

Thursday, July 22, 2010Westin Galleria • 2:30p-8:30p

Sponsorship opportunities available!Platinum $1000 • Gold $500 • Silver $250 • Bronze $100

If you have software/hardware to show –we have booth space for you at the Westin Galleria!

21,000 square feet of space, with 8500 FREE Parking spaces!

Call/email Deborah Sacrey for information at713-468-3260 or [email protected]


Evolve Your Involvement:New Geoscience Volunteer Opportunities in Sugar Land

by Wendy Hale-Erlich and Inda Immega, HGS Museum of Natural Science Committee

Most members of

HGS are well-

acquainted with the

Soc ie t y ’ s long- t ime

involvement with the

Houston Museum of

Natural Science (HMNS).

The Museum of Natural

Science Committee ,

started by Clint Moore

in the ‘90s, has provided

an ongoing means for

hundreds of geoscientists

to share their knowledge

and enthusiasm with

visitors.

HMNS opened a second

campus in Sugar Land

(13016 University Blvd.

Sugar Land, Texas 77479)

in October, 2009. HGS

member s w i l l h ave

additional opportunities

there to promote earth

s c i e n c e e du c a t i o n

without having to find a

specific local school to mentor. Both campuses offer a variety of

placements which allow volunteering to be tailored to fit your

interests and your schedule: special events (weekends, evenings),

booked tours, and working with school groups during weekdays.

Both HMNS locations have school groups coming in every day

and need volunteers for touchcarts. At the Sugar Land location,

there are new carts: The Earth Science touchcart (with rocks and

sediment samples) uses hand specimens of various rock types to

teach a grade-appropriate, curriculum-linked short lesson, such

as the rock cycle, while kids are at the museum. This supplements

their classroom lessons and gives them a chance to see and ask

questions to a working earth science professional. Sugar Land

also has two new touchcarts for paleontology which feature

full-scale dinosaur replicas and many other fossils, from clams to

petrified wood. There are also carts for shells, frogs, and special

exhibits (like Narnia), all manned by volunteers. Sugar Land

volunteers also staff a fossil dig pit, a planetarium, and

“Science on a Sphere” (talking about geosciences on a completely

global scale).

The HMNS Sugar Land campus will be a great resource to

enhance and enrich science education and understanding in the

entire Fort Bend County community. If it is easier for you to

reach the new campus than the main one, and you think you

would like to try volunteering there, please contact the volunteer

coordinator, Sibyl Keller ([email protected]), to talk about join-

ing orientation and training sessions. �

Evolve Your Involvement:

New

Geo

scienc

e Vo

lunt

eer O

ppor

tunitie

s

If you are interested in presenting at one of the upcoming HGS meetings or have a suggestion for a meeting topic please contact Art Donovan (Vice President) at [email protected].

AGI Government Affairs Monthly Review(February 2010)U.S. Signs Civil Nuclear Energy Agreement with United Arab

Emirates

Energy Secretary Steven Chu signed an agreement between the

United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to cooperate

on training and education in nuclear safeguards and management

systems. UAE intends to build 10 nuclear power plants in 20 years

and plans to make Masdar the first carbon-neutral, zero-waste

city in the world. Secretary Chu signed the agreement in the

UAE as part of his multi-day trip to the Middle East. A U.S.

nuclear energy trade delegation was also traveling in the Middle

East at the same time, but perhaps a bit too late, as about

a month earlier the UAE had chosen a consortium of Asian

countries to build its reactors.

Moran Likely To Chair Interior and Environment

Appropriations Committee

After the sudden death of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee

Chairman John Murtha (D-PA) on February 8, the House

committees are in the process of reshuffling their leadership. The

current Interior and Environment Subcommittee chair, Norm

Dicks (D-WA), is expected to succeed Murtha as Defense

Subcommittee chair. This leaves his seat vacant, with

Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) likely to move up to the chair.

The Interior and Environment Subcommittee is in charge of

appropriating funds for the Department of the Interior,

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Forest Service,

Smithsonian, and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

House Committee Seeks Information on Fluids Used in

Hydraulic Fracturing

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry

Waxman (D-CA) and Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey

(D-MA) have sent additional letters to eight oil and gas companies

requesting more information about the chemicals they use in

their hydraulic fracturing fluids. Hydraulic fracturing took center

stage at a hearing last summer, as it has the potential to unlock

large natural gas reserves in U.S. shale beds. There are concerns

that increased use of chemical-based fluids during hydraulic

fracturing may contaminate local water sources and harm the

environment.

The chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing are not regulated.

There is, however, a voluntary agreement between Halliburton,

BJ Services, and Schlumberger Technology Corporation with the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restricting use of diesel-

based fluids. After the first letter-writing campaign by Waxman,

Halliburton and BJ Services responded respectively that 807,000

and 2,500 gallons of diesel-based fluids were used in their fracturing

ventures—potentially violating the EPA agreement. In the most

recent letters, Halliburton and BJ services received requests for

more chemical information, as did Schlumberger Technology

Corporation and many smaller companies. Copies of the letters

are available at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?

option=com_content&view=article&id=1896:energy-

a-commerce-committee-investigates-potential-impacts-of-

hydraulic-fracturing&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55

EPA Endangerment Finding Update

After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruled in

December 2009 that greenhouse gases (GHGs) fall under the

jurisdiction of the Clean Air Act, Congress and industry groups

have been fighting to overturn the ruling. As of the filing deadline

in mid-February, 16 lawsuits have been submitted to the U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals by industry groups. In Congress, Senator

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) continues to oppose EPA’s decision with

the backing of 40 Democratic and Republican senators.

Murkowski is suggesting a Congressional Review Act, which only

requires 51 votes to pass the Senate and would essentially veto the

EPA ruling. She feels a permanent halt to the EPA ruling is better

than alternatives presented by her colleagues to halt the regulation

for only 2 to 5 years. Murkowski and many others feel the EPA is

wrong to circumvent Congress to make this decision, and that

the Clean Air Act is ill-suited to properly handle a regulation of

this kind. Regulating GHGs under the Clean Air Act may have

adverse effects on the economy and jobs. Murkowski hopes for a

floor vote in mid-March.

Eight Senate Democrats sent EPA a letter asking for details on

how it plans to implement the greenhouse gas rules, how the

rules will affect the coal, natural gas, oil, and petroleum refining

industries, and the agency’s proposed timeline, cautioning that

the rising costs could hurt their states and further diminish

support. EPA responded that it will take action by April to ensure

that no large stationary sources would be required to account for

greenhouse gases in their Clean Air Act permits this year. In the

first half of 2011, large facilities that must already apply for Clean

Air Act permits will need to address GHG emissions in their

permit applications and other large sources will be included in

the latter half of 2011.

Government UpdateHenry M. Wise, P.G. and Arlin Howles, P.G.

If you’d like the most up-to-date Texas rules, regulations, and governmental meeting information we direct you to the HGS website

to review The Wise Report. This report, which comes out as needed, but not more often than once a week, offers the most up-to-date

information that may be of interest to Texas geologists.

Governm

ent U

pdat

e


NOAA Launches Climate Portal PrototypeThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

launched a new web site prototype in an effort to provide the

public with a single location to access climate information. The

web site was developed because of increasing demand for climate

information for use in a wide variety of sectors. NOAA hopes the

new climate portal will provide a hub where climate science can

be easily delivered to the public and be incorporated into

business and community plans. This prototype will need

congressional approval before it is finalized.

The portal will be accessible by the general public. It will have links

to “hot topic” articles and images. It also provides users with

access to data and climate maps for the past 30 years and regional

climate and hazards predictions. Included with the data are

educational materials for non-experts, giving examples about how

climate data are used to create climate policy, and provides the

user with access to fact sheets and downloadable presentations

which summarize how to interpret the data. There is an interactive

“Global Climate Dashboard,” where the user can adjust

interactive charts showing climate variability for the past 100 years.

Visit http://www.climate.gov/ to access the portal prototype.

NOAA Announces Plans to Revive DSCOVR SatelliteDuring the fiscal year 2011 budget announcement, the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced

plans to launch the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR)

satellite in conjunction with NASA. DSCOVR will be positioned

about a million miles away from Earth and monitor space weather,

like solar wind, that can be disruptive to communications

on Earth.

DSCOVR was first proposed in 1998 by Vice President Al Gore,

but the mission was terminated before its launch by the Bush

Administration. The satellite is mostly ready to go though, and is

being held in storage at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. In

2009-2010, Congress allocated $14 million to NASA to refurbish

the satellite and NOAA is requesting $9.5 million more for fiscal

year 2011 to add additional instruments. The NOAA budget

suggests the Air Force could launch the satellite as soon as 2013.

The total bill comes to $65 million once the satellite is launched,

as detailed in Science http://news.sciencemag.org/science

insider/2010/02/noaa-wants-al-g.html.

USGS Report Details Uranium Mining Resources andConsequences Near the Grand CanyonOn February 18, 2010 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released

a report on uranium resources and uranium mining impacts on

about one million acres of federal land adjacent to the Grand

Canyon in Arizona. The report, entitled “Hydrological,

Geological, and Biological Site Characterization of Breccia Pipe

Uranium Deposits in Northern Arizona”, found the proposed site

contains about 12 percent of the total undiscovered uranium

estimated to be in northern Arizona. Soil samples were taken and

found uranium and arsenic to be above natural levels in areas

disturbed by mining. Water samples did not show increased

uranium concentrations for areas with active mines or reclaimed

mines. Of the water sample sites, 95 percent had dissolved uranium

below the maximum levels set by the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA). The sites with higher concentrations were more

directly exposed to mineralized ore bodies either naturally or

through mining.

In July 2009, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the two-

year study of these one million acres to decide whether or not to

withdraw these lands from new mining claims for an additional 20

years. The lands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management

and U.S. Forest Service, are within portions of the Grand Canyon

watershed and contain significant environmental and cultural

resources as well as substantial uranium deposits. The report can

be found at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5025/

Utah Legislators Adopt Statement on Climate ScienceThe Utah House of Representatives approved a nonbinding

statement expressing doubts about climate change science. The

resolution was passed after phrases such as “climate change

conspiracy” and analogies to a “gravy train” were removed.

Scientists, including many geoscientists, from Brigham Young

University (BYU) wrote letters and communicated their

objections to the resolution, errors in the resolution, and

misstatements about science at recent hearings in the Utah

legislature.

Below is the text of the first paragraph of an open letter to the Utah

Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee, governor, U.S.

senators, and congressmen from geoscientists at BYU.

“As Earth scientists in Utah, we are writing to express concern

about the manner in which members of the Utah State

Legislature have recently dealt with scientific testimony concerning

climate change. We encourage our legislators to consider separating

the science from the policy issues. Questions about the timing,

extent, and causes of climate change are inherently scientific.

Substantial scientific evidence supports the following

conclusions: first, that climate is changing; second, climate is

significantly influenced by human activity; and third, that these

changes pose risks to humanity and many other forms of life.

Decisions about what to do in response to concerns about climate

change, however, must draw not only on scientific input, but also

economic, moral, and political considerations. It is unrealistic to

Governm

ent U

pdat

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Government Update continued on page 70


expect all of these factors to unambiguously push in the same

direction. Therefore, we feel it is irresponsible for some of our

legislators to attempt to manipulate the scientific evidence in

order to support a political agenda.”

The Salt Lake Tribune wrote a series of news articles on this story.

The BYU letter and discussion of the scientists’ response are

available in a February 4 story (http://www.sltrib.com/news/

ci_14334331) and the passage of the resolution is reviewed in a

February 9 story (http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14367692).

IPCC Requests Nominations for Next AssessmentReportThe United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC) has begun work on the preparation of its next assessment

report (AR5) and is currently looking for experts who can act as

authors and review editors for the contributions of the three

Working Groups to the AR5. Please visit http://www.ipcc.

ch/activities/activities.htm#1 for more details and instructions.

There are seven cross-cutting themes for the fifth report including:

• Consistent Evaluation of Uncertainties and Risks

• Costing and Economic Analysis

• Regional Aspects

• Water and the Earth System

• Changes, Impacts, and Responses

• Carbon Cycle including Ocean Acidification

• Ice Sheets

• Sea-Level Rise

• Mitigation, Adaptation, and Sustainable Development

Anti-Evolution/Global Warming Legislation Introducedin KentuckyKentucky House Representative TimMoore (R-District 26) intro-

duced House Bill (H.B.) 397, known as the “Kentucky Science

Education and Intellectual Freedom Act.” The bill gives Kentucky

teachers the right to incorporate instructional materials aimed at

objectively encouraging student analysis, critique, and review

of scientific theories. Two of the theories H.B. 397 targets are:

evolution and origins of human life, and global warming. All

supplementary materials would require approval from local

school boards. Analysis by the National Center for Science

Education notes language used in H.B. 397 bears strong similarity

to language used in the anti-evolution Louisiana Science

Education Act that became state law in 2008 (Louisiana Revised

Statues 17:285.1). Kentucky already has a statute that allows

teachers to teach about human origins by reading from the Book

of Genesis.

Similar anti-evolution legislation was proposed in Mississippi

and Missouri in January 2010. However, in Mississippi, the bill

has already died in committee and the Missouri bill has identical

language to a bill that failed in committee last year.

Under consideration in South Dakota, House Concurrent

Resolution 1009 calls for non-science principles to be included

for the teaching of global warming in a science class. The

language is similar to what is used for teaching non-science principles,

like evolution, in other states. This resolution encourages public

schools to instruct that “there are a variety of climatological,

meteorological, astrological [sic], thermological, cosmological, and

ecological dynamics that can effect [sic] world weather phenomena

and that the significance and interrelativity [sic] of these factors

is largely speculative.” This resolution does not have the strength

of a law, but clearly represents a misunderstanding of science.

State actions like these examples could weaken the teaching of

science in public schools.

Key Reports and PublicationsGovernment Accountability Office (GAO)

Oversight of State Surface CoalMine Reclamation byOSM,EPA and

Corps - Released January 14, 2010. The GAO gathered information

from state and federal agencies about their financial assurances

practices for mine reclamation, long-term monitoring, and use of

federal laws to address environmental impacts at former mine

sites. Voluntary monitoring of sites by mine managers, state

governments, and federal agencies have revealed that (1)

reforestation efforts at some reclaimed surface coal mine sites

need improvement; (2) surface coal mine sites have contaminated

streams and harmed aquatic organisms; (3) valley fills may affect

water flow; and (4) mine operators have not always returned

mine sites to their approximate original contour when required

to do so under Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The

report can be found at: http://gao.gov/products/GAO-10-206

Key Federal Register NoticesWhite House—The Presidential Office released a memorandum

on January 29, 2010 which announced a Nuclear Blue Ribbon

Governm

ent U

pdat

e

Website • BrochureAd • Logo • Catalog Newsletter Design

LisaKruegerDesign.com713.664.7267

Design and Art Direction for Print and Web


Government Update continued from page 69 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Commission to combat climate change, enhance energy security,

and increase economic prosperity. The commission will look

at policies for managing civilian and defense nuclear waste,

including alternatives for its storage, processing, and disposal.

The Commission should consider scientific, environmental,

budgetary, economic, financial, and management issues.

Where appropriate, the Commission may also identify potential

statutory changes. [Wednesday, February 3, 2010 (Volume 75,

Number 22)]

DOI — Minerals Management Service released two

Environmental Assessments (EA) and Findings of No Significant

Impacts (FONSIs) for proposed activity on the Alaskan Outer

Continental Shelf. These reports were prepared by MMS for oil

and gas exploration at five proposed drill sites for Shell Offshore

Inc. For further information contact the Minerals Management

Service at [email protected]. [Friday, February 19, 2010

(Volume 75, Number 33)]

DOI— Bureau of Land Management filed a 20-year extension of

a Public Land Order (PLO) that withdrew approximately 320

acres of the National Forest system in the Juneau Falls Recreation

Area. The PLO forbids surface entry and mining, but does not

prohibit mineral leasing laws. All comments are due by May 24,

2010, and should be addressed to Alaska State Director, BLM

Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Avenue, No. 13, Anchorage,

Alaska 99513-7504. For more information call Robert Lloyd at

(907) 271-4682.

[Tuesday, February 23, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 35)] �


Governm

ent U

pdat

e

May Crossword of Giant Oil & Gas Fields

ACROSS

5 Russia - 1983

6 France - 1949

7 Norway - 1969

8 Nigeria - 1998

9 Russia - 1966

12 Russia - 1988

14 Iran - 1958

17 Indonesia - 1944

18 Iraq - 1927

21 Norway - 1979

23 Indonesia - 1994

26 Saudi Arabia -1948

28 Australia - 1981

29 Iran - 2004

32 Saudi Arabia - 1964

38 USA - 1932

40 Saudi Arabia - 1957

42 Australia - 2000

43 Kazakhstan - 2000

44 Indonesia - 1941

45 United Kingdom - 1977

May Crossword of G

iant

Oil & G

as F

ields

For a change, this month’s crossword focuses on giant oil and gas fields of the world. The country and year ofdiscovery are provided as the clues.


April Crossword Puzzle Answers

46 USA - 1935

47 Norway - 1979

DOWN

1 United Kingdom - 1970

2 Australia - 1965

3 Abu Dhabi - 1965

4 Turkmenistan - 2006

10 Iraq - 1953

11 Indonesia - 1973

13 Canada - 1979

15 Colombia - 1992

16 Kuwait - 1938


20 USA - 1959

22 Brazil - 2007

24 Pakistan - 1959

25 Libya - 1961

27 USA - 1890

30 Netherlands - 1959

31 Brazil - 1985

33 USA - 1969

34 Australia - 1967

35 Russia - 1965

36 Mexico - 1976

37 USA - 1926


41 China - 1959

42 USA - 1993

May Crossword of G

iant

Oil & G

as F

ields


HGS Bulletin Instructions to AuthorsAll materials are due by the 15th of the month, 6 weeks before issue publication. Abstracts should be 500 words or less; extended abstractsup to 1000 words; articles can be any length but brevity is preferred as we have a physical page limit within our current publishing contract. All submissions are subject to editorial review and revision.

Text should be submitted by email as an attached text or Word file or on a clearly labeled diskette in Word format with a hardcopy printout to the Editor.

Figures, maps, diagrams, etc., should be digital files using Adobe Illustrator, Canvas or CorelDraw. Files should be saved and submittedin .eps (Adobe Illustrator) format. Send them as separate attachments via email or CD if they are larger than 1 MEG each, accompaniedby figure captions that include the file name of the desired image. DO NOT EMBED them into your text document; they must be sent as separate files from the text. DO NOT USE POWERPOINT, CLIP ART or Internet images (72-DPI resolution) as these do not have adequate resolution for the printed page and cannot be accepted. All digital files must have 300-DPI resolution or greater at the approximate size the figure will be printed.

Photographsmay be digital or hard copy. Hard copies must be printed on glossy paper with the author’s name, photo or figure numberand caption on the back. Digital files must be submitted in .jpg or .eps format with 300-DPI or greater resolution at the printing size andbe accompanied by figure captions that are linked by the file name of the image. The images should be submitted as individual email attach-ments (if less than 1 MB) or on CD or zip disk.

AdvertisingThe Bulletin is printed digitally using QuarkXPress. We no longer use negatives or camera-ready advertising material. Call the HGS office foravailability of ad space and for digital guidelines and necessary forms or email to [email protected]. Advertising is accepted on a space-availablebasis. Deadline for submitting material is 6 weeks prior to the first of the month in which the ad appears.

Be a web page SponsorEffective June 1, 2009 you can now have your company logo picture posted on the Website. To have an ad posted,you must provide us with the graphic and give us the URL it should link to when clicked.

All ads appear in the “Our Sponsors” box in the upper left of the page. Each ad is displayed for a short time andreplaced by the next ad in the list. Each ad will be randomly displayed on each page.

Logo Calendar Logo Website Business Card Personal Resumes GeoJobBank Strip Only 2 Available (Members only) PostingOne year $1400.00 $2500.00 Free Free 6 months $750.00 $1500.00 Free Free 1 month NA NA Free Free $100.00

All Sponsor logo images must be 120 W x 90 H pixels and be no more than 8 bits per pixel with a maximum of 256 colors. The format can be either GIFor JPG, preferably interlaced or progressive. It is important to make the image file size as small as possible so that it will transfer to the users’ browserquickly.

To arrange to become a web page Sponsor, contact the [email protected]

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Qualifications for Active Mem

bership

1)

H

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GSAnnual D

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Annual dues are $24

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Appl

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Nam

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Address:__________________________________________________________________

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Ho m

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Spouse’s N

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Email:

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Job Title:________________________________________________________________

Com

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Com

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________________________________________________________________________

Wo rk Phone:______________________Fax N

umber:

__________________________

Circle Preferred M

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Professional Affiliations:______________________________________________

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Degree____________Major

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School

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De gree____________Major

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Earth Science W

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______________________________________________________________

Applicant’s Signature

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HGS Secretary

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rev.08/11/2008

Mai

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Houston G

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14811 St. M

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X 77079-2916

T

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(Card I.D. – 3 or 4 digit number on front or back of card )


Houston Area Geologists and Spouses, along with fellow

members from other parts of the world, convened in New

Orleans for the AAPG Convention on April 18-21, 2010. This was

such a stimulating time for everyone because they were having a

learning experience, renewing old friendships, making new ones,

and enjoying the venues of the host city. There is never a more

exhilerating place than the Crescent City with its famed Bourbon

Street and French Quarter. — A good time was had by all!

Don’t forget the upcoming HGS Shrimp Peel on May 15th and

HPAC'S final event on Thursday, May 20. HPAC will complete an

exciting year under the leadership of MillieTonn and her Board

with a Luncheon/Style Show by Coldwater Creek at the

Courtyard of St. James, 1885 Saint James Place, from 10:30 a.m.

to 1:30 p.m. New officers for 2010-2011 will be installed at this

meeting. The Chairpersons, Mickey Murrell and Wanda Shaw,

will be assisted by Margery Ambrose, Phyllis Carter, Emilie

Fulton, Shirley Gordon, Sara Nan Grubb, Katherine McKinney,

Sheri McQuinn, Barbara Peck, Vicki Pickering, Nan Pye, and

Beverly Smolenski. This is one event you don’t want to miss!

Remember that HPAC has several Interest Groups, including:

Bridge (contacts: Audrey Thompkins, 713-686-0005 or Daisy

Wood, 713-977-7319) and Book Club (contacts: Martha Lou

Broussard, 713-665-4428 or Phyllis Carter, 281-397-9888) where

you can get involved with other members of like interests and

have an opportunity to become acquainted with many members

of HPAC.

“And the American Dream continues …” As you will see as you

get to know Edie Frick. Edie is the member of HPAC we are fea-

turing this month from our virtual garden of exciting ladies.

These members are involved in every aspect of our society,

making HPAC a stimulating and diversified organization. Edie is

the widow of John D. Frick, a Geologist/Geophysicist and

International Negoiator. She is a 40 year member of HGA and has

been a member of HPAC from its inception. She served HGA on

a variety of committees and offices and was President in 1999-

2000. She grew up in Houston, graduated from San Jacinto High

School and a few days later went to work for Humble Oil &

Refining Company. This began her education in the petroleum

industry. Edie attended the University of Houston, majoring in

secretarial science, and furthered her knowledge of the industry

by being employed in various departments including pipeline,

civil and petroleum engineering, land and production, and geolo-

gy. By the time she retired she was Executive Secretary to the Vice

President of Exxon Refineries. Edie was a member of Desk &

Derrick, an organization whose main purpose was to further the

knowledge of their members with programs by industry speakers

such as Mike Halbouty, field trips to drilling rigs, and other

educational agendas. What an exciting and adventuresome career

she has experienced. When her husband, a young geologist, her

best friend and soul mate was promoted to International

Exploration Geologist, her life changed. She and John traveled the

world: Canada, Phillipines, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore,

Hong Kong, Pakistan, Dubai, Tunisia, and Colombia to name a

few of the places where they lived and/or worked. She has been

very active in Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church as Lay

Minister, in Hospital Ministry, as Shepherd Leader and in any

field where she could be of service. She was a Guild member of

the Museum of the American West and the Houston Museum of

Natural Science where she chaired the program between the

University of Houston and the University of Cairo. She organized

the exhibit “Egypt Today” with Mrs. Anwar Sadat – what a life!

She began a new era in her life when she moved into the

Buckingham by renewing friendships from Exxon, church,

neighborhood and high school. Her motto is to “live in an

attitude of gratitude”. What a remarkable lady!

Geologists, please encourage your spouses to join HPAC, where

they will have the opportunity to meet other spouces of

Geologists, Geophysicists, Engineers and Landmen. They will

participate in stimulating programs and enjoy delicious lunches

and friendly fellowship.

For your convenience, an HPAC membership form is included

below. If you have any questions, please contact Winona LaBrant

Smith at 713-952-2007.

Houston Petroleum

Auxiliary CouncilNew

s Houston Petroleum Auxiliary Council News

Winona LaBrant Smith, HGS Liaison


Where is your card?$135 per year

10 issues713-463-9476

ProfessionalDirectory

3-D Seismic Interpretation, FTG Gravity Modeling,Seismic Inversion and AVO analysis

6001 Savoy, Suite 110 • Houston, Texas 77036 (713) 981-4650 • (281) 242-0639

E-mail: [email protected]: www.hunter3dinc.com

You are invited to become a member of

HPAC2009–2010 dues are $20.00Mail dues payment along with the completed yearbook information

to Carol Gafford, 13323 Misty Hills Drive, Cypress, TX 77429YEARBOOK INFORMATION

Last Name First Name Name Tag

Spouse Name Name Tag HGS Member’s Company

Home Phone Business Phone Business Fax

Street Address City Zip

Email Address Home Fax

Please choose a committee assignment if you are interested.

� Fall Event � Yearbook � SOS � Membership

� Christmas Event � Spring Event � Notification � Game Day

� May Luncheon � Courtesy



10 issues713-463-9476


10 issues713-463-9476


811 Dallas Suite 1020

Houston, Texas 77002

JAMES B. BENNETTGeology

RANDALL SCHOTTGeophysics

Bus. (713)650-1378

P.O. BOX 140637BOISE, ID 83714

BUS. 208-854-1037RES. 208-854-1038FAX. 208-854-1029

JAMES S. CLASSENLooking for close-in deals

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• BAR CODED CHECKIN/OUTCALL FOR INFORMATION ON CORPORATE AND INDIVIDUAL

MEMBERSHIPS OR DAILY USER RATESMARILYN KILBOURNE, MANAGER

Geological & Environmental Investigationson Oil & Gas and Mining Properties

• Site Assessments • Brine Investigations• Hydrochemical Studies • De-Watering Studies• Property Evaluations • Forensic Investigations

Michael D. Campbell, P.G., P.H.

M. D. Campbell and Associates, L.P.http://www.mdcampbell.comHouston, Texas • 713-807-0021


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7500 SAN FELIPE, SUITE 250HOUSTON, TEXAS 77063


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H O U S T O NG EOLOG I CA L S O C I E T Y14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250 • Houston, TX 77079

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