february 2015 outcrop
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Volume 64 • No. 2 • February 2015
OUTCROPNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
OUTCROP | February 2015 2 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
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Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 3 Outcrop | February 2015
OUTCROPThe Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology and allied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific research and to encourage
fellowship and cooperation among its members. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.
910 16th Street • Suite 1214 • Denver, CO 80202 • 303-573-8621
PRESIDENTMarv [email protected]
PRESIDENT-ELECTJohn Ladd
TREASURER-ELECTTom Sperr
2nd VICE PRESIDENTChris Eisinger
1st VICE PRESIDENTMel Klinger
SECRETARYStephanie B. Gaswirth
1st YEAR COUNSELORJane Estes-Jackson
TREASURERPaul Lillis
2nd YEAR COUNSELOR Terri Olson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORCarrie Veatch, MA
MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS MANAGER
Hannah [email protected]
PROJECTS SPECIALISTEmily [email protected]
ACCOUNTANTCarol Dalton
MANAGING EDITORWill Duggins
ASSOCIATE EDITORSHolly Sell
Greg [email protected]
Cheryl [email protected]
Andre [email protected]
DESIGN/PRODUCTIONNate Silva
2015 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS RMAG STAFF
WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS
RMAG Office: 303-573-8621 | Fax: 303-476-2241 | [email protected] or www.rmag.org
The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
Rates and sizes can be found on page 30. Advertising rates apply to either black and white or color ads. Submit color ads in RGB color to be compatible with web format. Borders are recommended for advertisements that comprise less than one half page. Digital files must be PC compatible submitted in png, jpg, tif, pdf or eps formats at a minimum of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, please call the RMAG office at 303-573-8621.
Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details.
DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication.
OUTCROP | February 2015 4 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
RMAG 2014 DeceMbeR boARD of DiRectoRs MeetinG
The Board of Directors meeting was held on December 17, 2014 at the Marriott City Center in downtown Denver. This was a joint meeting of the outgoing 2014 board members and the incoming
2015 board. Following the meeting of the 2014 Board of Directors, those outgoing members were excused and the new board convened for a second meeting. This first meeting of the 2015 Board began with an introduction from President Marv Britten-ham and RMAG Executive Director Carrie Veatch, and a review of the 2015 RMAG calendar. Future RMAG Board Meetings will be held the third Wednesday of the month in the RMAG building in the second floor conference room at 4 p.m. (910 16th Street, Denver, CO 80202).
I look forward to serving you as the 2015 RMAG Secretary. A big thank you to Nick Nelson for mak-ing this a smooth transition as I begin my position. Please do not hesitate to contact me with sugges-tions or feedback. Happy New Year!
RMAG 2014 DECEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
By Stephanie B. Gaswirth, [email protected]
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Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 5 OUTCROP | February 2015
OUTCROPNewsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
FEATURES
10 Lead Story: Grant County Has Become ‘Earthquake Central’ in Oklahoma
ASSOCIATION NEWS
2 RMAG 2015 Summit Sponsors
32 3D Seismic Symposium
33 Save the Date: Seismic Interpretation for Geoscientists
34 RMAG Annual Golf Tournament
35 2015 Award of Excellence For Teaching of Earth Science
36 RMAG Night at the Zoo
37 RMAG Geoland Ski Day 2015
38 2015 RMAG Symposium: Hot Plays of the Rocky Mountain Region
DEPARTMENTS
4 RMAG 2014 December Board of Directors Meeting
6 President’s Letter
26 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Speaker – Paul Lillis
29 The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award
30 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Speaker – Dr. Steven Tedesco
33 In The Pipeline
34 Welcome New RMAG Members!
36 Denver Area Geology Talks
39 Advertiser Index
39 Calendar
COVER PHOTOGrand Tetons, western Wyoming, after a snowfall. Precambrian basement rock exposed in the footwall of a Late Cenezoic normal fault. Photo by Jim Sears.
CONTENTS
OUTCROP | February 2015 6 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
Harriett and I had an incredible opportunity last summer to join an expedition to the Galapagos Is-lands. Although it wasn’t in our travel plan for the year it was on the bucket list; so how could we re-sist? It is such a special place on so many levels; but I am referring to it here as a metaphor for change. The back story that Charles Darwin’s area of study was geology makes it even more appropriate. His theory of natural selection changed science and the world. It wasn’t a result of formal training in zoology, but rath-er his powers of observation, a characteristic trait of accomplished geologists. Kudos to Ecuador for pro-tecting and maintaining this very special place for 180 years since Darwin first set foot there!
Our association has changed remarkably over my four decades of membership, but our mission and values remain the same. Our programs and ser-vices have evolved and grown with the needs of our constituents - our members, our employers, and the general public, as well as in response to the incredi-ble technical evolution in our science and the way we communicate. A daunting challenge of modern life is the incredibly fast rate of change with which we now cope - or prosper.
Humans have a natural aversion to change, but
successful people embrace change and use it to their advantage. That’s not always easy. One example is electronic de-livery of publications and communications. Last year I questioned a number of members about their opin-ion on delivery of the Outcrop. I expected that old-er members would most miss the hard copy format; but interestingly many younger members miss hav-ing it in their “in box” which prompted them to read it. The reality with publishing today is that is cost prohibitive to print and snail mail the Outcrop, not to mention all of the flexibility and other benefits of electronic delivery. I’m sure we’ll all eventually get used to the email prompt to read the Outcrop online; however RMAG recognizes that we should improve the Outcrop delivery so that it is more easily accessed
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
By Marv Brittenham
Change – the Evolution of RMAG
Bartolome Island, Galapagos, Ecuador 2014
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 7 OUTCROP | February 2015
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Geochemistry for Energy TM
See you at Maggianno’sDIG is thrilled to be the new RMAG Luncheon Sponsor
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OUTCROP | February 2015 8 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
PResiDent’s LetteR
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Tortoise, Galapaguera Cerro Colorado, Galapagos Islands
and we are working on it!We can deal with change reactively or proactive-
ly. Reactive change, like natural selection can be slow like the Galapagos tortoise and sometimes painful. Proactive change requires some vision and foresight but is the best way to take advantage, especially in today’s fast-pace environment. The reality is that it takes both strategies to survive because you can’t forecast 100%. To that end we are compiling a five year Strategic Plan for RMAG where we have looked at all aspects of our operation for means of improve-ment. We are developing strategic initiatives to deal with threats and take advantage of opportunities. The plan will clarify the RMAG’s mission, vision, core values and goals, as well as set priorities for resource allocation. The plan will also provide a clearer and more focused course of shared governance direction to the RMAG volunteer leadership and RMAG Staff.
We also plan to have some fun this year! There are twenty two events scheduled including month-ly luncheons at the new venue, Maggiano’s. Hope-fully, you’ve sign-up for the 3D Seismic Symposium on February 5th at the Colorado Convention Cen-ter; if not check online for availability. The next event will be Geoland Ski Day at Beaver Creek on March 6th. Notably, RMAG will host the AAPG An-nual Convention and Exhibition at the Convention Center May 31st through June 3rd. John Robinson is General Chair and has organized an exception-al program. In addition to being the host soci-ety, RMAG is sponsoring a social event, Night at the Zoo, as well as several field trips and short
courses. The program announcement will be mailed this month by AAPG. This fall we will also host the in-augural RMAG Hot Plays Symposium October 8 at the Denver Marriott City Center.
You’ll hear more about events as the year pro-gresses. Check the RMAG.org website for information and dates.
Feel free to contact me if you have any ideas to make RMAG better. We want to be The Best Place for Rockies Geoscience.
I hope you share my view - it is part of what has kept me engaged for 41 years at RMAG!
www.rmag.org45OUTCROP
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Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 9 OUTCROP | February 2015
Come in out of the Cold for PTTC Workshops
Basic Well Log Interpretation Tuesday – Thursday, January 27-29, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center Ballroom A Fee: $750, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Dan Krygowski, The Discovery Group, Denver, CO
Hydraulic Fracturing—Measurement, Characterization, and Analysis Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Petroleum Club, Billings Montana Fee: $250 MGS Members, $275 Non-members, includes food, workbook, and PDH certificate. Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Miskimins, Baree and Associates
Rocky Mtn PTTC March Education Week – 5 Great Workshops to Choose From Petra Basics Monday - Tuesday, March 9-10, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 201 Fee: $500, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Jewel Wellborn Completions and Stimulations for Geologists Monday, March 9, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 241 Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Miskimins Petroleum Geology for Non-Geologists Tuesday, March 10, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 241 Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Jan Gillespie Well-Log Sequence Stratigraphy: Applications to Sandstones and Shales Tuesday – Thursday, March 10-12, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 243 Fee: $750, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Jeff May Beyond Porosity: Lithology from Logs Friday, March 13, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 241 Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Bob Cluff and Dr. Dan Krygowski Air Emission Analysis for State and Federal Air Compliance Tuesday, March 17, 2015, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Colorado School of Mines, Ben Parker Student Center Ballroom A Fee: $250, includes food at breaks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Peter Galusky, Ph.D. P.E. Principal Environmental Eng. Texerra LLC.
Class Descriptions and Register Online: www.pttcrockies.org For more information, contact Mary Carr, 303.273.3107, [email protected]
OUTCROP | February 2015 10 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
LeAD stoRy LEAD STORY
By David Deaton
Grant County Has Become ‘Earthquake Central’
in Oklahoma15 recorded in 1 day, 9 on 3 days, 8 on 3 others
Charts Compiled By: Mike Ray, Reporter, Oklahoma Capitol Reporter and Bob Jackman, Independent Petroleum Geologist and Former Operator, Tulsa, OK
ISTOCK
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 11 OUTCROP | February 2015
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Grant County Has Become ‘Earthquake Central’
in Oklahoma
MEDFORD – The U.S. Geological Survey logged 3,625 earthquakes in Oklahoma during the first 266 days of this year – and fully 15% of them oc-curred in Grant County.
Earthquakes rattle buildings and nerves in Medford almost daily – often more than once a day – and occur “almost like clock-work,” Barbara Bush said recently. “They usually start between 6 and 7 a.m. – so you don’t want to be in the shower when it does,” said Mrs. Bush, the city clerk/treasurer for almost 35 years.
“It goes on day and night,” she said, “and I can’t get back to sleep. It’s unnerving.”
Robert Moss, who lives about seven miles east of Medford, told a newspaper reporter that his house was shaken by a tem-blor earlier this month. During an earthquake on Sept. 15, items on shelves in Mrs. Bush’s house toppled to the floor and pic-tures on her walls were knocked askew. City Manager Dea Man-devill said her house shook twice on the morning of Sept. 19 and
anschulz
The USGS recorded 29
earthquakes of magnitude-2.5 or greater in or near Medford, as well
as two others west southwest
of nearby Caldwell, Kan.,
between Aug. 26 and Sept. 20.
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
OUTCROP | February 2015 12 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
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once the night before. And ceiling tiles in Medford’s civic center had to be repositioned after one re-cent earthquake.
Many of the tremors are pre-ceded by a loud noise, area resi-dents say. A magnitude-4 ‘quake the night of Sept. 18 southeast of Medford, at Hunter in Garfield County, “sounded almost like a sonic boom,” Mrs. Bush said.
The USGS recorded 29 earth-quakes of magnitude-2.5 or great-er in or near Medford, as well as two others west southwest of nearby Caldwell, Kan., between Aug. 26 and Sept. 20.
They’re occurring so often
that several Medford residents have earthquake apps on their smartphones that provide them with immediate data about the time, location and magnitude of earthquakes in their vicinity.
Earthquake insurance is growing in popularity, too. Mrs. Bush said she and her husband, Harvey, have a policy on their brick home that features a low premium but a high deductible. “It’s basically catastrophic insur-ance,” she said. Lisa Skrdla, the deputy city clerk, said she too has earthquake coverage.
The Oklahoma Geological Sur-vey listed 546 earthquakes that
stephens prod co
They’re occurring so often that
several Medford residents have
earthquake apps on their
smartphones that provide them
with immediate data about the time, location
and magnitude of earthquakes in
their vicinity.
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 13 OUTCROP | February 2015
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OUTCROP | February 2015 14 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
LeAD stoRy
occurred in Grant County be-tween New Year’s Day and 3 p.m. Sept. 23. They ranged in magni-tude from barely perceptible by sensitive metering equipment, to a magnitude-4 on June 20 and another on Sept. 19, a 4.1 on July 14, a 4.2 on Sept. 8, and a 4.4 on July 29. Fifteen ’quakes occurred in one day, Aug. 17; nine have been recorded on each of three days, and eight have occurred on three others (Table 1).
The Denver office of the U.S.
Geological Survey has logged 51 earthquakes of magnitude-3 or greater within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of Medford, and 15 temblors of magnitude-3+ within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of Medford, over the last three years, since June 2011.
To put that in perspec-tive, the USGS recorded only one earthquake greater than
enca
na
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
“The frequency and the intensity of these earthquakes
are growing in Grant County and
elsewhere in central and north-central Oklahoma,” said
state Sen. Jerry Ellis, D-Valliant.
BRINGING ENERGY TO TOMORROW’S MOST PROMISING RESOURCES.
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Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 15 OUTCROP | February 2015
LeAD stoRy
Table 1: Seismic Activity in Grant County This Year
Month(2014)
Days inMonth
#Days of’Quakes
Total’Quakes
UnusuallyActive Days
#’QuakesThat Day
PeakMagnitude
January 31 14 23Jan. 13 3 2.0
Jan. 15 3 2.3
February 28 23 63Feb. 6 8 2.6
Feb. 11 6 3.0
March 31 23 54March 15 6 3.0
March 20 9 3.1
April 30 19 51April 22 4 2.5
April 30 5 3.4
May 31 24 64May 1 9 2.8
May 28 6 2.9
June 30 20 39June 23 4 3.5
June 27 2 3.9
July 31 27 85July 1 8 3.2
July 14 8 4.1
August 31 27 76Aug. 13 6 3.3
Aug. 17 15 3.8
September 23 22 91
Sept. 7 9 2.8
Sept. 8 5 4.2
Sept. 19 7 4.0
Source: Oklahoma Geological Survey
OUTCROP | February 2015 16 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
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magnitude-3 within a dozen miles of Medford from 1974 through June 2011 – a period of 37 years.
“The frequency and the in-tensity of these earthquakes are growing in Grant County and else-where in central and north-cen-tral Oklahoma,” said state Sen. Jer-ry Ellis, D-Valliant.
What has changed is resur-gent oilfield activity, along with the number and volume of salt-water disposal wells. (Energy pro-duction generates as much as 10 barrels of saltwater with every barrel of oil. A barrel is equivalent to 42 gallons.)
“This has been going on since
they started drilling all of these wells,” Mrs. Bush said, and Grant County Commissioner Max Hess confirmed that production in the oil patch picked up in the spring of 2011.
The oilfield activity “has been wonderful for our community,” Mrs. Bush said. The drilling is pro-ducing not just gas and oil and saltwater, but a lot of money, too, she said.
An athletic facility featuring a swimming pool plus a basketball/tennis court is under construc-tion in Medford, financed large-ly with oil royalty revenue. ONE-OK, a major natural-gas supplier
tracker resourc
The oilfield activity “has been
wonderful for our community,” Mrs. Bush said. The drilling is
producing not just gas and oil and saltwater, but a
lot of money, too, she said.
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
OUTCROP | February 2015 18 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
Look for the Technical Program and Registration Announcement with the February issue of AAPG Explorer magazine.
Registration opens in February
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APG.O
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The world’s geosciences community meets at ACE:Industry strength: As the globe’s preeminent geosciences organization, AAPG is uniquely positioned to attract a focused audience of geoscience professionals and leaders from around the world.
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31 May – 3 June » Denver, Colorado » Colorado Convention Center
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Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 19 OUTCROP | February 2015
LeAD stoRy
in Oklahoma, has a facility at Medford, and Conoco has some above-ground tanks nearby. At least three oilfield service/sup-ply companies have operations in Medford.
Few, if any, residential hous-ing units are still available for rent to oilfield workers, no motel rooms for oilfield workers or trav-elers are available “within miles of here,” and several mobile home parks have been established in Medford recently, Mrs. Bush said.
Several farmers have sold their mineral rights to ener-gy companies, and Harvey Bush, an attorney, keeps busy with
paperwork on oil and gas leases and royalty issues.
Although the city sales tax rate in this community of about 1,000 population has remained at 4 cents on the dollar for sev-eral years, receipts have near-ly quadrupled: from $321,479 in 2009 to $1,264,658 in 2013. The 4% levy produced more than $561,000 during the first nine months of this year, led-gers reflect.
Nevertheless, concerns are growing about the potential effect of repeated earthquakes on struc-tural integrity, property values and underground utility lines.
“We’ve had oilfield activity around here for
many years, but not to this extent,” said Mrs. Bush,
who moved to Medford in 1979.
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
OUTCROP | February 2015 20 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
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“We’ve had oilfield activity around here for many years, but not to this extent,” said Mrs. Bush, who moved to Medford in 1979.
According to records main-tained by the Oklahoma Corpo-ration Commission, which has regulatory authority over the oil and gas industry, the number of saltwater disposal wells in Grant County almost doubled in four years, from 45 in 2008 to 83 in 2012, and the volume of saltwater injected into those wells has near-ly tripled: from 14.5 million bar-rels in 2008 to 39.4 million bar-rels in 2013 (Table 2).
Ten of those disposal wells
are located within a six-mile ra-dius of Medford, and accepted more than one million barrels of wastewater in 2011 and 2013 and nearly two million barrels in 2012 (Table 3).
At least 3,356 of the approx-imately 12,000 injection wells in Oklahoma are disposal wells, according to Matt Skinner, the Corporation Commission’s pub-lic information manager. Saltwa-ter disposed of in Oklahoma has been rising steadily, Corpora-tion Commission records show: from 844 million barrels in 2007 to nearly 1.09 billion barrels of wastewater – 45.8 billion gallons,
great west oil
Many geologists and other
scientists believe that high volumes
of wastewater injected
underground lubricate
faults, which in turn triggers earthquakes.
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
O I L & G A S C O M PA N YGreat Western
Great Western a rocky mountain operator
O I L & G A S C O M PA N YGreat Western
Great Western a rocky mountain operator
O I L & G A S C O M PA N YGreat Western
Great Western a rocky mountain operator
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 21 OUTCROP | February 2015
LeAD stoRy
Table 2: Saltwater Disposal Well Activity in Grant County
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
SWD Wells45
SWD Wells47
SWD Wells55
SWD Wells67
SWD Wells83
SWD Wells38**
Volume (barrels*)
14,533,697
Volume(barrels*)
12,035,246
Volume (barrels*)
10,811,354
Volume (barrels*)
27,948,804
Volume (barrels*)
24,263,947
Volume (barrels*)
39,444,504
Source: Oklahoma Corporation Commission*1 barrel = 42 gallons, the volume of a typical bathtub**records incomplete
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OUTCROP | February 2015 22 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
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‘QuakeSwarm Operator Well
TypeDepth(feet)
Volume(barrels*)CY 2011
Pressure(PSI, avg)
Volume(barrels*)CY 2012
Pressure(PSI, avg)
Volume(barrels*)CY 2013
Pressure(PSI, avg)
Medford Arrowhead Energy Disposal 6,150 65,985 0.00 65,985 234 125,965 234
Medford Canyon Creek Resources Disposal 6,050 265,184 0.00 256,115 0.00 -0- 0.00
Medford Canyon Creek Resources Disposal 6,025 170,764 0.00 162,595 400 177,054 400
Medford Chaparral Energy Disposal 6,117 -0- 0.00 494,662 0.00 365,884 0.00
Medford Chesapeake Disposal 5,890 140,921 0.00 94,445 243 138,560 243
Medford D&J Oil Co. Disposal 6,005 82,466 0.00 241,678 0.00 -0- 0.00
Medford Earlsboro Energies Disposal 6,212 26,555 0.00 27,082 0.00 22,148 0.00
Medford Neilson, Inc. CommercialDisposal 5,950 514,110 0.00 496,299 450 415,962 450
Medford Singer Oil Co. Disposal 6,036 40,181 0.00 37,636 20 36,666 20
MedfordUrban Oil &
GasGroup
Disposal 5,975 15,715 0.00 34,718 50 -0- 50
Total:1,321,881
Total:1,911,215
Total:1,282,239
Source: Oklahoma Corporation Commission*1 b 1 barrel = 42 gallons, the volume of a typical bathtub **0.00.00 pressure indicates well “injects” on a natural vacuum
Table 3: Oilfield Wastewater Disposal Wells in Area of Medford Seismic Activity
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 23 OUTCROP | February 2015
‘QuakeSwarm Operator Well
TypeDepth(feet)
Volume(barrels*)CY 2011
Pressure(PSI, avg)
Volume(barrels*)CY 2012
Pressure(PSI, avg)
Volume(barrels*)CY 2013
Pressure(PSI, avg)
Medford Arrowhead Energy Disposal 6,150 65,985 0.00 65,985 234 125,965 234
Medford Canyon Creek Resources Disposal 6,050 265,184 0.00 256,115 0.00 -0- 0.00
Medford Canyon Creek Resources Disposal 6,025 170,764 0.00 162,595 400 177,054 400
Medford Chaparral Energy Disposal 6,117 -0- 0.00 494,662 0.00 365,884 0.00
Medford Chesapeake Disposal 5,890 140,921 0.00 94,445 243 138,560 243
Medford D&J Oil Co. Disposal 6,005 82,466 0.00 241,678 0.00 -0- 0.00
Medford Earlsboro Energies Disposal 6,212 26,555 0.00 27,082 0.00 22,148 0.00
Medford Neilson, Inc. CommercialDisposal 5,950 514,110 0.00 496,299 450 415,962 450
Medford Singer Oil Co. Disposal 6,036 40,181 0.00 37,636 20 36,666 20
MedfordUrban Oil &
GasGroup
Disposal 5,975 15,715 0.00 34,718 50 -0- 50
Total:1,321,881
Total:1,911,215
Total:1,282,239
OUTCROP | February 2015 24 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
LeAD stoRy
equivalent to the carrying capacity of 504 oceango-ing supertankers – generated from oil and gas pro-duction operations in 2012.
Many geologists and other scientists believe that high volumes of wastewater injected underground lubricate faults, which in turn triggers earthquakes.
“We do not want to hurt the oil business,” Mrs. Bush stressed. “But isn’t there some way to get rid of some of that saltwater, such as trucking it some-where else?” The subterranean faults in Grant Coun-ty have existed for centuries “but now they’re being aggravated,” said Mrs. Bush, a 1974 graduate of Okla-homa State University.
Bob Jackman, an independent petroleum geol-ogist from Tulsa, has similarly recommended that some oilfield wastewater be spread around among various disposal wells sited away from seismically active faults, and that disposal wells be prohibited on defined faults.
During a meeting at the Corporation Commission
headquarters in Oklahoma City last month, Tim Bak-er, director of the commission’s Oil and Gas Conser-vation Division, said the commission required five disposal wells in Oklahoma to be closed because of seismic activity in their immediate vicinity.
Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb met recently with Medford and Grant County officials to discuss a variety of mat-ters, but offered no potential solutions to the earth-quake issue, people who attended the event said.
Also, no one from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Geological Society, nor the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, has held a public meeting in Medford to discuss local concerns, townspeople said.
The Corporation Commission, the OGS and the OIPA have a “cooperative collaboration” on this is-sue, Commissioner Dana Murphy told Senator Ellis during a meeting last month.
And during that same meeting, OGS research seismologist Austin Holland said the Geological
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 25
Figure 4: Oklahoma Earthquakes Magnitude 3.0 and Greater
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 25 OUTCROP | February 2015
LeAD stoRy
Survey has increased the number of its monitoring stations to 34 permanent and temporary stations, and 50 of the units will be installed by the end of the year, to “more accurately determine the locations and magnitudes” of the earthquakes in this state.
Holland maintains that further studies need to be performed, but Jackman disagrees. “Claiming that we need more studies is just a form of denial,” he said Wednesday.
“We don’t need more studies. The Geological Sur-vey, the Corporation Commission and the oil industry already know what needs to be done, and I’m waiting for them to do it,” Ellis said Thursday.
“I don’t know of anybody who wants to shut down the oil industry,” he continued. “But we do want this state to be a safe place to live and raise a family. The Corporation Commission and the ener-gy industry need to impose some limits on these dis-posal wells before somebody in this state gets injured or killed in an earthquake.”
In a report issued June 24, the USGS said that after a “rigorous statistical analysis” it concluded that the increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma since October 2013 “is not due to typical, natural fluc-tuations in natural earthquake rates.” Instead, the analysis “sug-gests that a likely contributing factor to the increase in earth-quakes is triggering by wastewa-ter injected into deep geological formations (Figure 4).”
And in a study published July 3 in the journal Science, a research team led by Dr. Kath-leen Keranen of Cornell Univer-sity concluded that the dramatic increase in earthquakes in cen-tral Oklahoma since 2009 can likely be attributed to subsurface wastewater disposal wells. Ker-anen, a geophysicist who is an assistant professor of Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell, formerly taught at the University of Oklahoma and previously was an employee of the U.S. Geological Survey in earth-quake hazards.
EDITORS NOTE:
This story is a republication of a story published by Oklahoma Welcome. Special thanks goes out to Mike Ray and Bob Jackman for compiling the tables in the above article. Data for the tables was compiled from public data through the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the USGS.
The original story can be found at the following web address:
http://okwnews.com/news/whatzup/state/106051-grant-county-has-become-earthquake-central-in-oklahoma.html
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» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
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OUTCROP | February 2015 26 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
RMAG Luncheon PRoGRAMs
Rhenium–osmium (Re–Os) geochronometry is applied to crude oils derived from the Permian Phosphoria Formation of the Bighorn Basin in Wy-oming and Montana to determine whether the ra-diogenic age reflects the timing of petroleum gen-eration, timing of migration, age of the source rock, or the timing of thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR). The oils selected for this study are inter-preted to be derived from the Meade Peak Phos-phatic Shale and Retort Phosphatic Shale Members of the Phosphoria Formation based on oil-oil and oil-source rock correlations utilizing bulk proper-ties, elemental composition, stable carbon and sul-fur isotope values, and biomarker distributions. Oil was generated in the Phosphoria basin in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming as a result of buri-al by the subsequent deposition of Mesozoic sedi-ments, although some oil generation may have been
influenced by the development of the Idaho–Wyo-ming–Utah thrust belt. The oil migrated eastward along regional dip, was trapped in a regional strati-graphic trap (or series of traps) by the updip im-permeable evaporites of the Goose Egg Formation, and then re-migrated into structural traps formed by the Laramide orogeny. Generation and migra-tion occurred prior to the Maastrichtian (Late Cre-taceous; ~70 Ma) because the tectonic barriers from the Laramide orogeny later blocked the mi-gration pathways into successor basins such as the Bighorn Basin. Proposed timing of the beginning of oil generation and migration from eastern Idaho and western Wyoming ranges from Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous.
The Re and Os isotope data of the Phosphoria oils plot in two general trends: (1) the main trend
RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS
Speaker: Paul Lillis — February 4, 2015
Timing of generation and migration of Phosphoria oils in the Bighorn Basin
using Re–Os geochronometryBy Paul G. Lillis, U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25046, MS 977, Denver
Federal Center, Denver, CO, 80225, USA [email protected]
Paul Lillis is a petroleum geochemist with the Central Energy Resources Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Denver, Colorado. He received a B.A. in geology from San Jose State University, an M.S. in geology from San Diego State University, and a Ph.D. in geochemistry from Colorado School of Mines. He was a petroleum exploration geologist with Atlantic Richfield for eight years (1978 to 1986) in Colorado, California, and Texas, and has been with the USGS in Denver since 1987. His research focuses on the application of petroleum and source-rock geochemistry to identifying, characterizing, and mapping petroleum systems.
kestrel
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
Kestrel Geoscience, LLCLittleton, CO USA
Phone: (303) 933-5805 Cell: (720) 375-3015
[email protected] kestrelgeoscience.com
Thomas E. Hoak, Ph.D.Consulting Geoscientist
Structural GeologySeismic InterpretationMagnetic and Gravity InterpretationBasin Analysis and RestorationRegional Desk StudiesIntegrated ExplorationProspect GenerationPresentation Graphics
KESTR
EL GEOSCIENCE, LLC
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 27 OUTCROP | February 2015
Mid-Continent Resource Plays:
Geologic Controls & Production
Clastic Reservoirs of the Mid-
Continent
Geophysical Methods in
Exploration & Production
Drilling & Production Technology
Implementation
Pre-Mississippian Petroleum
Potential in the Mid-Continent
Exploration & Production in
Mississippian Reservoirs
Hydrocarbon Generation &
Migration in the Mid-Continent
Mid-Continent Earthquakes:
Induced or Naturally Occurring?
Geosteering of Horizontal Wells
The Business of Oil and Gas
Exploration & Production
Petroleum Production in the
Southern Mid-Continent
Questions? Contact Technical Program Co-Chairs Chris Carson ([email protected]) or John Mitchell ([email protected]).
SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEBRURARY 27, 2015!
Abstracts may be submitted for either oral or poster presentations on any of the topics listed below, in keeping with the Meeting’s theme, The Art of
Discovery:
Abstracts must be limited to 250 words. All papers and posters will be judged, with awards given in four categories: best professional paper and poster, and best student paper and poster. Go to http://aapgmcs.org/section-meetings/2015 to begin the submission process.
Hyatt Regency Downtown Tulsa
OUTCROP | February 2015 28 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
RMAG Luncheon PRoGRAMs
yielding a Triassic age but with significant scatter (239 ± 43 Ma), and (2) the Torchlight trend yielding a precise Miocene age (9.24 ± 0.39 Ma). The scatter in the main-trend regression is due, in part, to TSR in reservoirs along the eastern margin of the basin. Excluding oils that have experienced TSR, the re-gression is significantly improved, yielding an age of 211 ± 21 Ma. This revised age is consistent with some studies that have proposed Late Triassic as the beginning of Phosphoria oil generation and migra-tion, and does not seem to reflect the source rock age (Permian) or the timing of re-migration (Late Cretaceous to Eocene) associated with the Laramide orogeny. The low precision of the revised regression (± 21 Ma) is not unexpected for this oil family given the long duration of generation from a large geo-graphic area of mature Phosphoria source rock, and the possible range in the initial Os isotope values of
the Meade Peak and Retort source units. Effects of re-migration may have contributed to the scatter, but thermal cracking and biodegradation likely have had minimal or no effect on the main-trend regres-sion. The four Phosphoria-sourced oils from Torch-light and Lamb fields yield a precise Miocene age Re–Os isochron that may reflect the end of TSR in the reservoir due to cooling below a threshold tem-perature in the last 10 m.y. from uplift and erosion of overlying rocks.
The mechanism for the formation of a Re–Os isotopic relationship in a family of crude oils may involve multiple steps in the petroleum generation process. Bitumen generation from the source rock kerogen may provide a reset of the isotopic chro-nometer, and incremental expulsion of oil over the duration of the oil window may provide some of the variation seen in 187Re/188Os values from an
oil family.
REFERENCELillis, P.G. and Selby, D. 2013. Evaluation of the rhenium–osmium geochronometer in the Phos-phoria petroleum system, Bighorn Basin of Wyo-ming and Montana, USA: Geochimica et Cosmo-chimica Acta, v.118, p. 312-330. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.04.021
kar
o
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26
December 201444Vol. 63, No. 12 44
June 21st On-the-Rocks Field Trip
»
Lario Oil & Gas CompanyEstablished 1927
WWW.LARIOOIL.COM
Proud sponsor of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
created a sensational buzz in the scientific community and elsewhere is testimonial to excellent research conducted by Dr. Siddoway, her students and her collaborators. The members of the OTR field trip, on the longest day of the year, were able to catch a bit of that magic. As a final act of closure, the skies opened up as we drove back to collect our cars at the Visitor’s Center. Dime-sized hail pelted the group and made continued discussion, and even goodbyes, impossible. What started as a nice day with great potential turned into a highly memorable learning experience with impact.
References : Myrow, P.M., Taylor, J.F., Miller, J.F., Ethington, R.L., Ripperdan,
R.L., and Allen, J., 2003, Fallen Arches: Dispelling Myths Concerning Cambrian and Ordovician Paleogeography of the Rocky Mountain Region: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 115, no. 6, p. 695–713
Siddoway, C., Myrow, P., and Fitz-Díaz, E., 2013, Strata, Structures, and Enduring Enigmas: A 125th Anniversary Appraisal of Colorado Springs Geology, in Abbott, L.D., and Hancock, G.S., eds., Classic Concepts and New Directions: Exploring 125 Years of GSA Discoveries in the Rocky Mountain Region: Geological Society of America Field Guide 33, p. 331–356.
Siddoway, C, Shatford, S. and Contreras, A. A. 2013, ARMO Reactivation of Cambrian-Ordovician or Older Structures: Detrital Zircon Evidence from “Structureless” Sandstones of the Souther Front Range in Colorado Springs, GSA Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 45, No.7, p.887. https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Paper226741.html
Siddoway, C. S. and G. E. Gehrels, 2014a, Basement-hosted sandstone injectites of Colorado: A Vestige of the Neoproterozoic Revealed Through Detrital Zircon Provenance Analysis, Lithosphere, doi:10.1130/L390.1
Siddoway, C. S. and G. E. Gehrels, 2014b, Cryogenian Sandstones in Colorado: A New Terrestrial Record for Laurentia (Rodinia) Revealed Through Detrital Zircon Provenance Analysis, GSA Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 46, No. 6, p.763, https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2014AM/webprogram/Paper246788.html.
Sterne, E.J., 2006, Stacked, “Evolved” Triangle Zones along the Southeastern Flank of the Colorado Front Range: The Mountain Geologist, v. 43, p. 65–92.
Continued from page 43
SUBMIT YOUR
EVENTS!If you have any events that you
would like to post in this column, please submit via email to Holly
Sell at [email protected], or the RMAG office at [email protected].
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 29 OUTCROP | February 2015
The RMAG is pleased to announce the winner of The Mountain Geologist Best Paper Award for 2014. The winning paper is “The Graneros-Greenhorn Pe-troleum System: Greater Wattenberg Area, Den-ver Basin, Colorado” by Craig A. Kaiser and Stephen A. Sonnenberg.
This extremely well written and illustrated study investigates the unconventional petroleum re-source potential within the Late Cretaceous Graner-os and Greenhorn formations with a particular fo-cus on the Wattenberg field area. The methods used include petrophysical analysis of open-hole wire-line well logs, source rock analyzer measurements of well cuttings and core samples, outcrop and core descriptions, and analysis of drill stem test recover-ies. The authors used calibrated log-derived organ-ic carbon content (TOC) to characterize the richness and thermal maturity of the source rock units, and mapped their thickness and distribution within the Denver Basin. Substantial evidence is presented in-dicating that the two reservoir units of the Green-horn Formation are adjacent to mature, organic-rich source facies and contain a significant amount of hydrocarbons. With the aid of current advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic-fracture stimula-tion, the Lincoln Limestone and Bridge Creek Lime-stone members of the Greenhorn Formation have favorable, unconventional reservoir characteris-tics to become an economic play in and around the greater Wattenberg area.
All of the papers published this year in The Mountain Geologist are outstanding, which made the selection process difficult. We would like to thank all of the authors for their contributions to the journal.
Congratulations to Craig and Steve.—The Best Paper Selection Committee
THE MOUNTAIN GEOLOGIST BEST PAPER AWARD
FOR 2014
THE MOUNTAIN
Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Denver, Colorado
GEOLOGIST Massive Heart Mountain Slide, Northwest
Wyoming: Detrital Zircon Constraints on Age,Correlation, Emplacement
October 2014 Volume 51 Number 4
PrefaceDavid H. Malone and John P. Craddock
244Age and Provenance of the Eocene
Crandall Conglomerate: Implications for the Emplacement of the Heart Mountain Slide
David H. Malone, Jeremy R. Breeden John P. Craddock,Mark H. Anders, Alison Macnamee
249Detrital Zircon Age and Provenance of
Wapiti Formation Tuffaceous Sandstones, South Fork Shoshone River Valley, Wyoming
David H. Malone, Katherine Schroeder, John P. Craddock279
Age and Provenance of Eocene Volcanic Rocks at Hominy Peak, Northern Teton Range, Wyoming:
Implications for the Emplacement of the Heart Mountain Slide
David H. Malone, John P. Craddock,Lisa M. Tranel, Monica R. Mustain
295Origin of Allochthonous Volcanic Rocks at Squaw Peaks,Wyoming: A Distal Remnant of the Heart Mountain SlideDavid H. Malone, John P. Craddock, Maren G. Mathesin
321
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OUTCROP | February 2015 30 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS
Speaker: Dr. Steven Tedesco — March 4, 2015
The Atoka, Cherokee and Marmaton formations of Middle Pennsylvanian age in the southern Den-ver Basin are marine and lacustrine sediments con-taining thin carbonaceous mudstones that are one to eight feet thick and organically rich. These sedi-ments are interbedded on the west side of the ba-sin with alluvial and fluvial sediments of the Foun-tain Formation. The Fountain represents sediments eroded from the ancestral Rocky Mountains. The carbonaceous mudstones of the Cherokee and Mar-maton formations overlie in some areas thin porous and permeable carbonate reservoirs. The Cherokee and Marmaton carbonaceous mudstones are ma-rine in origin, average 11% TOC, low pour point (<-30o), API gravity of 35o to 41o API oil that is associat-ed with 1,450 to 2,100 BTU gas. The thin productive
limestone and dolomite reservoirs in the Cherokee Formation are known as “A” and “C”. The Ft. Scott limestone, “A” and “B” zones are productive in the Marmaton Formation.
The carbonate rocks that underlie the carbona-ceous mudstones in the Atoka Formation tend to lack porosity and permeability. Thin fluvial sand-stones of the Fountain Formation can be interbed-ded with sediments of the Atoka Formation and have been productive historically in the basin. The Atoka carbonaceous mudstones are lacustrine in or-igin, average 10% TOC, high pour point (>75o), API gravity of 33o to 38o and with associated 1,400 to 2,200 BTU gas.
XRF and XRD data indicate distinct differences
Stratigraphy, geochemistry and production from thin carbonaceous mudstones and carbonates of Pennsylvanian Atokan, Cherokee and Marmaton
formations in the southern Denver BasinBy Dr. Steven A. Tedesco
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 31
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OUTCROP ADVERTISING RATES
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 31 OUTCROP | February 2015
RMAG Luncheon PRoGRAMs
Dr. Steven Tedesco is the President of Running Foxes Petroleum Inc. which focuses on shale and coal bed methane; conventional production in the Uncompahgre Uplift, Denver, Forest City and Cherokee basins, USA. Mr. Tedesco has a BA in Geology from Northeastern University in Boston, a MS in Geology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, IL, and a PhD in Geology with a minor in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Mr. Tedesco has over 30 years of experience in coal mining, coal bed methane, shale gas\oil, waterflood projects, petroleum exploration and development. He has help to discover over 124 MMBO. Most recent discovery is the Arikaree Creek and Old Homestead fields in Lincoln County, Colorado, which are presently producing 1,500+ BOPD. Mr. Tedesco specializes in evaluation and development of shale and coal bed methane reservoirs. Running Foxes Petroleum operates over 800 producing wells eastern Kansas, southwest Missouri, southeast Colorado and eastern Utah and has 35+ employees. Mr. Tedesco has published numerous articles and presented several talks at national industry meetings on coal bed methane, surface geochemistry, and stratigraphy. He has published the only textbook specifically on the use of surface geochemistry in petroleum exploration.
in environment of deposition for the Atoka, Chero-kee and Marmaton formations. Oil production from all these reservoirs tends to be controlled by local-ized reservoir development where productive that is mostly structural control. A small percentage of some fields are stratigraphic traps. Exploration
strategy up until recently assumed these reservoirs have a large areal extent and are continuous. Drilling has proved otherwise. Locating where these reser-voirs are productive requires likely migration path-ways; basement faulting that extends into the Paleo-zoic rocks and identifying where areas of optimal reservoir development may occur.
» CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30
OUTCROP | February 2015 32 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
21ST Annual
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Colorado Convention CenterDowntown Denver
3D Seismic: Mapping Our Future
Kickoff: R Randy Ray, President R3 ExplorationSpeakers: Tom Bratton, Dr. Bob Hardage,
Dr. Heloise Lynn, and many moreBasins: Appalachia, DJ, N. Louisiana, Permian, Williston, others
Keynote: Scott Key, CEO of IHS
Registration, exhibitor, sponsor formswww.3dseismicsymposium.com
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 33 OUTCROP | February 2015
FEBRUARY 4, 2015
RMAG Luncheon. Speaker Paul Lillis. “Timing of Generation and Migration of Phosphoria Oils in the Bighorn Basin Using Re-Os Geochronometry.”
FEBRUARY 5, 2015
RMAG/DGS 21st Annual 3D Seismic Symposium.
Colorado Convention Center.
FEBRUARY 10-13, 2015
NAPE International Winter Expo. Houston, TX.
FEBRUARY 13, 2015
DIPS Luncheon. For reservations, RSVP to [email protected] or 303-285-9136.
FEBRUARY 17, 2015
DWLS Luncheon. Speaker Mark Kittridge.
FEBRUARY 24, 2015
RMS-SEPM Luncheon. Speaker John Humphrey. “Overview of a Giant Resource Play: Vaca Muerta Formation, Neuquen Basin, Argentina.”
PTTC Rockies Short Course. “Hydraulic Fracturing- Measurement, Characterization, and Analysis.” Billings, MT.
FEBRUARY 25, 2015
Oilfield Christian Fellowship. For reservations, RSVP to [email protected] or 303-675-2602.
MARCH 4, 2015
RMAG Luncheon. Speaker Dr. Steven Tedesco. “Stratigraphy, geochemistry and
production from thin carbonaceous mudstones and carbonates of Pennsylvanian Atokan, Cherokee and Marmaton formations in the southern Denver Basin”
MARCH 6, 2015
RMAG & DAPL GeoLand Ski Day
MARCH 20, 2015
RMAG Bakken Core Workshop in North Dakota
APRIL 1, 2015
RMAG Luncheon. Speaker: Jeremy Boak. “Oil Shale & Shale Oil, Some myth busting, some crosscutting
ideas, and the state of oil shale development in the world”
APRIL 16, 2015
RMAG Short Course
MAY 31-JUN 2, 2015
AAPG ACE 2015
JUNE 2, 2015
RMAG and AAPG ACE Social Event at the Zoo
JUNE 17, 2015
RMAG Golf Tournament
rmag short
IN THE PIPELINE
OUTCROP | February 2015 34 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
Christopher Canfield is an Environmental Protection
Specialist at Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation
Commission in Denver, CO
Walter Chitwood is the President at Payzone
Consulting, Inc. in Missoula, MT
Grace Ford is works at Sundance Energy,
Inc in Sedalia, CO
Russell Frommer is a Geologist at Columbine
Logging, Inc. in Morrison, CO
Monte Fryt is a Petrophysical Advisor at
EOG Resources in Midland, TX
Todd Gilmer lives in Buena Vista, CO
Amber Henderson works at iBall Instruments
in Denver, CO
Natalie Hook is a Sr. Petrophysical Technician
at Whiting Petroleum Co. in Wheat Ridge, CO
Devin Hunter is a Geologist at DJ
Resources in Denver, CO
Ted Kendall is a Consulting Geologist
in Evergreen, CO
Paul Lowrey works at Payzone Consulting
Inc in Missoula, MT
Christen Peevy lives in Eugene, OR
Matthew Seitz is a Hydrogeologist / Project
Manager at Leonard Rice Engineers, Inc. in Denver, CO
Matthew Slowinski is a Geologist at DJ
Resources in Denver, CO
Terry Walters works at Dolan Integration
Group in Boulder, CO
Sally Zinke is a Consultrant in Lakewood, CO
rmag golf
WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!
The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists’Annual Golf TournamentAt Arrowhead Golf Club
Stay Tuned for [email protected] | 303.573.8621
W e d n e s d a y , J u n e 1 7 , 2 0 1 5
2015RMAG Golf
Tournament
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 35 OUTCROP | February 2015
2015 Award of Excellence For
Teaching of Earth Science
Sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
THE WINNER RECEIVES
A Plaque and a $1000 Cash Award
If you teach earth science in K-12 and think you qualify, contact the RMAG office at 303-573-8621 for an application. Deadline is May 1. Previous winners were also selected to receive the Teacher of the Year Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists at the national and regional level.
The RMAG is a professional organization representing over 2000 earth scientists working in the Denver and Rocky Mountain area. In its capacity as the leading geologic organization in the Rocky Mountain area, each year the RMAG Foundation provides funding for an annual award presented to a teacher in recognition of his or her commendable efforts in introducing young minds to the earth sciences.
Check out the RMAG website at www.rmag.org.
OUTCROP | February 2015 36 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
USGS 2015 ROCKY MOUNTAIN SEMINARS
You may be interested in the schedule of USGS seminars for 2015; all take place in the Build-ing 25 auditorium, Denver Feder-al Center, Lakewood, CO, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Visitors are welcome. Enter the Federal Center via Gate 1 on Kipling St., park in the big lot east of Building 25, and enter the building via the main en-trance by the security guard, en-trance E-14.
FEBRUARY 3
Peter Larson (Washington State University), Alteration
and fluid flow in large continental hydrothermal systems
FEBRUARY 17
Christine Smith-Siddoway (Colorado College), Cryogenian sandstone in Colorado: A new terrestrial record for Rodinia revealed through detrital zircon provenance analysis
MARCH 3
James Jones (USGS Anchorage), Late Cretaceous through Oligocene magmatic and tectonic evolution of the western Alaska Range
MARCH 17
Marty Goldhaber (USGS Denver), Critical zone science and global societal challenges
MARCH 31
Alexis Templeton (Univ. Colorado) Seeking subsurface biospheres sustained bywater/rock interaction
DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE, 2015 SEMINAR SERIES
All talks are held from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in the VIP Room at the Museum; all are welcome to at-tend, and Museum admission is not required to attend these semi-nars. (Day of the week varies.)
FEBRUARY 3
Craig Jones, U. of Colorado, “Making the Rockies by drowning Colorado”, DMNS Host: I. Miller
MARCH 12
David Krause, SUNY Stonybrook, “Bizarre and marvelous dinosaurs and other vertebrates of Madagascar: Insights into the southern end of the world”, DMNS Host: J. Sertich
MARCH 17
Catherine Sartin, Johns Hopkins, “A slice of prehistory: Histological Insights into how Iguanodontian dinosaurs grow”, DMNS Host: J. Sertich
rmag zoo
DENVER AREA GEOLOGY TALKS
Reconnecting Humanity & Nature in the 21st Century
Recipient of the AAPG Geosciences in the Media Award
$50 Student Ticket | $75 General Ticket Buses departing from and returning
to the Hyatt will be provided
Registration will be handled through AAPG
Speaker: Dr. Scott Sampson
Dinner, Drinks, & A Talk
6:30 -10:00 PM at the Conoco
Zoo Gardens at the Denver Zoo
Rewilding Revolution
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 37 OUTCROP | February 2015
RMAG ♦♦ DAPL GeoLand Ski Day 2015
REGISTRATION FORM: BEAVER CREEK RESORT – Friday, March 6, 2015 Deadl ine for reservat ions is Monday 3 /2 /15 ♦♦ No re funds a f ter Fr iday, 2 /27/15
**Ski Downhill – Snowboard – Cross Country – Snow Shoe**
Name:
Aff i l iation: RMAG/Geologist DAPL/Landman
Ski Pass: Epic/local Super Pass Other:
Company:
Address:
Phone: E-mail:
Please Reserve: Downhill Lift Tickets, Bus Ride and Après Ski Party # x $175 = $___________ Downhill Lift Tickets and Après Ski Party (No bus) # x $140 = $___________ Bus Ride and Party Only # x $105 = $___________ Après Ski Party Only # x $ 70 = $___________
*Door Prizes*Complimentary Food & Wine/Beer*Cash Bar Available*Silent Auction* Total $___________
Pay online with a credit card via PayPal: www.DAPLDenver.org OR mail check to:
RMAG/DAPL GeoLand Ski Day, 535 16th Street, Suite 850, Denver, CO 80202
�� Submit form to DAPL (303-446-2253): [email protected], fax 303-595-9701 �� Schedule of Events
7:10 am Buses Depart RTD Federal Center Station in Lakewood Denver Federal Center 11601 W. 2nd Pl. Lakewood, CO 80228 http://www3.rtd-‐denver.com/elbert/PNRMap/
*24 hours of free parking for Denver County residents ($4 for non-‐residents -‐ eligibility check: http://www.rtd-‐denver.com/HowToPark.shtml)
*Coffee/donuts provided* Skiing/Riding Nastar race (details provided on bus) 12:00 pm Lunch Re-‐group at Spruce Saddle (top of Centennial Lift) 3-‐5:30pm Après Ski Party Westin at the bottom of the Riverfront Express Gondola from
the Beaver Creek Landing 7:30pm Buses Arrive RTD Federal Center Station in Lakewood
OUTCROP | February 2015 38 Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org
A call for papers is forthcoming (Spring 2015). If you would like to participate, please email: [email protected]
With all the unconventional activity occurring across the globe, it is time to review what is driving the technical quality of the “Hot Plays” in the greater Rocky Mountain region. Please mark your calendars for what is sure to be the “HOTTEST” event of the Fall 2015 Technical Season. Geological, Geophysical, Geochemical, Petrophysical, and Structural technical drivers will be presented, describing what the RMAG membership has determineddetermined to be the Hottest Plays in the Rocky Mountains.
October 8th, 2015At the Denver City Center
Marriott
SAVE
THEE
DATE
The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists
presents: RMAG Fall Symposium
Hot Plays of the Rocky Mountain Region
Vol. 64, No. 2 | www.rmag.org 39 OUTCROP | February 2015
• AAPG ...........................................................13, 18, 27• Anschutz Exploration ..............................................11• Bowler Petrophysics ...............................................21• Breckenridge Exploration, Inc. ..................................4• Crown GeoChemistry ................................................6• Daub & Associates, Inc. ............................................6• Dolan Integration Group ...........................................7• Donovan Brothers Inc. .............................................22• Encana .....................................................................14• Fluid Inclusion Technologies ...................................17• GeoMark Research, LTD .........................................31• Geosteering LLC ......................................................17• Great Western Oil & Gas ........................................20• Horizon Solutions International ..........................4, 25
• James Karo .............................................................28• Johnson Geo-Consulting, LLC .................................22• Kestrel Geoscience, LLC .........................................26• Louis J. Mazzullo, LLC .............................................15• Mineral Appraiser LLC ............................................15• MJ Systems ............................................................29• Neil Whitehead .........................................................8• PTTC ..........................................................................9• SM Energy ...............................................................19• Stephens Production Company ...............................12• Stoner Engineering, LLC ..........................................23• StratoChem Services ..............................................27• Tracker Resources ...................................................16• Weber Law Firm, LLC ................................................8
ADVERTISER INDEX
CALENDAR | FEBRUARY 2015
1
8
15
22
29
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
31
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
PRESIDENTS’ DAY
RMAG Office Closed
NAPE Int. Winter Expo.
DWLS Luncheon.
RMS-SEPM Luncheon.
PTTC Rockies Short Course.
RMAG Luncheon.
NAPE Int. Winter Expo.
Oilfield Christian
Fellowship.
RMAG/DGS 3D Seismic Symposium.
NAPE Int. Winter Expo.
DIPS Luncheon.