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April, 1992

BULLETIN

1
umber 8

Attend the HGS Dinner Meeting and Student Poster Session,

April 13,1992. See page 12.

IN THIS ISSUE...
- Terror in the Sahara.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20
- HGS Needs to Take a Stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 28
- Incremental Gas Reservoir Development in
Fluvial-Deltaic Plays of the Gulf Coast .......................... Page 30
- HGS Officer Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 34

- Computer Quality Control in Regional

Exploration Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 46
- The Perpetual Mystery of Petroleum Migration .................. Page 48
AND MORE!
(For April Events, see Calendar and Geo-events section, page 33)
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HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

7 1 7 1 Harwin. Suite 3 1 4 Houston. Texas 7 7 0 3 6 - 2 1 9 0
(713) 7 8 5 - 6 4 0 2
.EXECUTIVE BOARD .
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C y r u s ( C y ) S t r o n g . Consultant
President-Elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a t r i c k T . ( P a t ) G o r d o n . Arkla Exploration
Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J o h n M. B i a n c a r d i . Vicksburg Production Co .
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A n n A y e r s M a r t i n . Tertiary Trend Exploration
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
SandiM.Barber.UN0CAL
Treasurer-Elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S t e v e n H.B r a c h m a n Wintershall Energy
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J o A n n L o c k l i n . TexacoEPTD
Editor-Elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S u s a n M. v a n Gelder. Consultant
Executive Committeeman ('92) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B a r b a r a P . B e n t l e y . Amoco Production
Executive Committeeman ('92) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S a m H. P e p p i a t t . Chambers Oil & Gas. Inc .
Executive Committeeman ('93) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W i l l i a m R . Dupre'. University of Houston
Executive Committeeman ('93) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F r a n k D . L o v e t t Consultant .
- COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN -
Academic Liaison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J o h n C h r o n i c . Consultant
Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B r u c e F a l k e n s t e i n . Amoco Production
Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D o u g Selvius. BHP Petroleum
Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J o h n A d a m i c k - T G S Offshore
Ballot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S t e v e n H. Shirley. UNOCAL
Computer Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M a r k H o d s o n . Marathon Oil
Continuing Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J a m e s R . ( J i m ) Lantz. Amoco Production
Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N a n c y T . B e n t h i e n . Marathon Oil
Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M a r t i n J. O l d a n i . Apache Corp .
Environmental and Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R o b e r t B. ( B o b ) Rieser. Groundwater Technology
Exhibits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G e r a l d A . ( J e r r y ) Cooley. PetCons & Assoc .
Explorer Scouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L i l l i a n T . R o b e r t s . ARC0 Oil & Gas
Field Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a u l W . Britt. Elf Aquitaine Petroleum
Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D a v i d A . F o n t a i n e . Consultant
Historical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D a v i d 9. Shephard. Amoco Production
lnternat~onalExplorationists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P i n a r 0 . Yilmaz. Exxon Prod. Research Co.
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E v e l y n W i l i e Moody. Consultant
Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M i c h a e l H. ( M i k e ) D e m i n g . Amoco Production
Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R o n a l d W . ( R o n ) H a r l a n . BHP Petroleum (Americas) Inc.
Office Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G e r a l d A . ( J e r r y ) Cooley. PetCons & Assoc .
P e r m ~ a nBasinIMid-Continent Explorationists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A n d r e w C . ( A n d y ) Lattu. Columbia Gas
Personnel Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L . G . ( J o e ) E u b a n k s . Preston Oil Co .
Poster Sess~ons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W a r r e n J. Winters. Exxon Co . USA
Publications . N e w . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W i l l i a m A . ( B i l l ) Hill. ARC0 Oil & Gas
Publication Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T h o m a s T . ( T o m ) M a t h e r . Columbia Gas
Public Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D e b o r a h K . ( D e b r a ) Sacrey. Consultant
Remembrances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill C . B u r k m a n . Wentworth Energy. Inc .
Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M a r y M. Page. Texas A & M University
Technical Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J o h n M. B i a n c a r d i . Consultant
Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G a y l o n Freeman. BHP Petroleum
.SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES .
GCAGS Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C y r u s ( C y ) S t r o n g , Consultant
GCAGS Alternate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P a t r i c k T . ( P a t ) G o r d o n , Arkla Exploration
Advisor. Museum of Natural Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M o r g a n J. Davis. Jr.. Consultant
AAPG Delegate Foreman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . J e r r y M. Sides. Sidesmore Exploration Co .
AAPG-DPA Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D a n i e l L . ( D a n ) S m i t h . Texoil Co .
AAPG Grouplnsurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B a r b a r a B r e m s t e l l e r
Engineering Council of Houston Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C l a u d i a P L u d w i g . Consultant .
GSA-Section Meeting Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . W i l l i a m K. ( B i l l ) Peebles. Tejas Gas Corp.
.SCHOLARSHIP .
Memorial Scholarship Board (Graduate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D a n i e l L . ( D a n ) S m i t h . Texoil Co .
HGS Foundation (Undergraduate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H u g h W . H a r d y , E m e r i t u s
.H O JSTON GEOLOGICAL AUXILIARY -
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s . Jim ( K a t h r y n ) B e n n e t t
.
President-Elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .M r s Jim ( G w i n n ) L e w i s
First Vice President (Social) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s.J o n ( J o y c e ) C h a m p e n y
Second Vice President (Membership) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s. K e i t h ( H j o r d i s ) H a w k i n s
Third Vice President (HGS Rep.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s. J a c k ( J a n ) S t e v e n s o n
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s. O r v i l l e ( M a r i o n ) L u n d s t r o m
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s . R o n ( D o r o t h y ) H a r l a n
Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s . J . B y r o n ( J e a n ) M o o r e
Parliamentar~an. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M r s . B i l l ( J o r e e ) H i t l

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Bullet~nHouston Geolog~calSociety April 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

BULLETIN
HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Vol. 34, No. 8 April, 1992

BULLETIN COMMITTEE
EDITOR: Jo Ann Locklin, 954-6262
CONTENTS
Texaco
EDITOR ELECT: Sue van Gelder, 466-3348
Consulting Geologist
DEPARTMENTS Contents Continued
ASSOCIATE EDITORS:
Computer Mark W. Hodson, 629~6600 President's Comments ...................................5
Marathon
Editorial Mary Jo Klosterman, 591-5273
Exxon Explorat~onCo. Letters to the Editor ..................................... 8
Donna Davis, 961 0141 X374
P.I. Exploration Systems
Donna Fouch-Flores, 584-5700 Commentaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Landmark Graphics Corp.
Larry Levy, 432-0008
LSL Resources Society Meetings
J . Todd Stephenson, 556-2929
Amoco Production Co. "Rigorous Computer Processing of Multiple Non-Vertical
Janet B Thornburg, 954-6098 Intersecting Faults Among Multiple Surfaces",
Texaco
Lynne D. Feldkamp, 531-9944 RichardB.Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Robert M. Sneider Explor.
Wm. Feathergail Wllson, 370-9420 "What Congress Has Said and What They
Consultant Didn't Say About Oil Import Vulnerability",
Environmental Glenn R. Lowenstein, 224-2047 LouisW.Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
P S.I.
Events Dawd C Callaway, 589-7923 "The Suez Rift: Structural Pattern and Evolution",
Exploration
Consultant
Bill Eisenhardt, 774-6669
Isabelle Moretti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Review Consulting Geologist
"Petrochemical Systems, Inc.: Superfund Remedial
International Hugh Hay-Roe, 358-5871
Consultant Investigation Case Study",
Technical Willlam H. Roberts, 465-2228 LanuSpencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Articles Hydrexco Company
Nelson C. Steenland, 666-0266 "Heluma and King Mountain Fields,
Geophysicist Upton County, Texas",
Commentary George E Kronman, 556-4452 John M. Turmelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-26
Amoco Production Co.
Robert N. Erllch, 556-2277
Amoco Production Co
Florence R. Arya, 496-0864
International Explorationists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..16
Flo 011
Deet Schumacher, 546-4028 International Brief - "Spotlight on India",
Pennzoil Co
Larry D. Bartell, 227-8355
GeorgeTappan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Bartell Exploration

Manuscripts, inqulrles, or suggestmns should be

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S e e Meetings a b s t r a c t s f o r t i m e s
HGS D i n n e r M e e t i n g and
P o s t e r S e s s i o n , A p r . 13
P o s t O a k D o u b l e t r e e Inn . . . . . . . . . . $20.00
HGS International Explorationists
D i n n e r Meeting, A p r . 2 0
P o s t O a k D o u b l e t r e e Inn . . . . . . . . . . $21.00
PermIan B a s m / M d C o n t i n e n t
Explorationlsts
D i n n e r Meeting, A p r . 2 1
P o s t O a k D o u b l e t r e e Inn . . . . . . . . . . $20.00
HGS L u n c h e o n Meetlng, A p r . 29
T h e H o u s t o n C l u b . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15.00
RESERVATIONS POLICY
Reservations are made by calling the H G S offlce
(785-6402).At the meetlng, names are checked agalnst
the reservation Ilst. Those wlth reservat~onswill be sold
t ~ c k e t simmediately Those without reservations will
be asked to wait for available seats, and a $2
surcharge will be added t o the price of the ticket. All
who d o not honor their reservations will be billed
for the price of the meal. If a reservation cannot be
kept. please cancel o r send someone in your place
l o ~ a t e dat 7171 Harwin, Suite 314, Houston,
Texas 77036. The telephone number IS (713)
785-6402; FAX (713) 785-0553.

Bullet~nHouston Geologlcdl Soclety. A p r ~ l1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

Contents Continued
Geotales from Far Away - "Terror in the Sahara", Bobby G. Kerr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..20
Environmental/Engineering Geologists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..24
Environmental Brief - "Land Disposal Restrictions for Soil",
Groundwater Technology RCRAICERCLA Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
...................................................26
Permian Basin/Mid-Continent Explorationists
Opinion - "HGS Needs To Take a Stand", Robert B. Rieser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..28
Feature - Incremental Gas Reservoir Development in Fluvial-Deltaic
Plays of the Gulf Coast", Raymond A. Levey, Richard P. Lungford, Bob A. Hardage,
Jeffry D. Grigsby, William A. Ambrose, Robert J. Finley, and Edgar H. Guevara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Committee News
Remembrances ........................................................................... 23
Nominations - HGS Officer Elections. ..................................................... .34
Awards - HGS Outstanding Students. ..................................................... .40
Houston Geological Auxiliary. ................................................................ .41
On the Move. ................................................................................ .44
Digital Digest - "Computer Quality Control in Regional
Exploration Investigations", Edward McFarlan, Jr., and Duane Beardsley ...................... .46
Feature - "The Perpetual Mystery of Petroleum Migration",
W. H. Roberts, 111.. ........................................................................ -48
AAPG News - "Licensing Act", Dan Titerle ..................................................... .55
Exploration Activity Review, Bill Eisenhardt. .................................................... .56
New Members ................................................................................ 60

COVER ILLUSTRATION:
3-D seismic amplitude slice across a fluivial reservoir in the middle Frio Formation. Incremental Natural Gas Recovery
Project: Targeted Technology Applications for Infield Reserve Growth. Levy, et. al., page 30.

HAVE YOU EVER MADE A RESERVATION

A N D NOT SHOWN?
Several years ago the HGS Board adopted a policy of billing those who made reservations for an
HGS dinner or luncheon event but did not show. Since the reservation list is used to guarantee the
number of attendees to an event, the HGS must pay for that minimum number even if fewer people are
served. Those who make reservations and do not cancel by the published cancellation time
will be billed. For Monday and Tuesday events, cancellation time is usually noon on the prior Friday;
for Wednesday events, it is usually noon on the prior Monday. Cancelling after that time yet before
the event does not assure that you will not be billed.
For those who are billed and do not pay, please be aware that the next time you attend an HGS
lunch or dinner event, the treasurer (or representative) will ask to discuss the reasons prohibiting
payment.

B u l l e t ~ nHouston Geolog~calSoc~ety.Aprll 1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

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B u l l ~ t l nHouston Geological Soclety Aprll 1992 4

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PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS

ELECTIONS
It's April again!! By now the bluebonnets should be in full bloom and the
winter rains over (thank goodness)!! An<;lthe U.S. rig count should have
reached its traditional bottom for the year and be on the way up.
This is also the time when HGS starts preparing itself for the yearly
turnover of its leaders, and places before you a slate of candidates who will take
over the helm on July 1st. This year the Nominating Committee, composed of
Dick Bishop, Ron Harlan, and Deet Schumacher, the three most recent
past Presidents, has done an outstanding job of putting together a strong slate
of candidates for the 1992-1993 season.
I know that whomever you select willdo a great job. Dick Bishop told me
that the mark of a good slate is one over which you have to agonize when
making your selections. I know I will, and the temptation is strong not to vote at
all. Please don't do that!! Normally, only 25% of our members vote in the
election. However, because the races are always extremely close, your vote
does make an important difference.
So please look over the information furnished by the candidates in this
issue, make your selections, and when you receive your ballot by separate mail
on April 20th, fillit out, and return it by May 10th. Thanks.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Jim Lantz and the Continuing Education Committee are now finalizing
what promises to be an outstanding Spring Program. This month there is a
course designed to show you how to get the maximum results from
Hydrocarbon Well Logging (April 8th), in May, there willbe courses on
Creative Oil Finding (May 8) and Quicklook Mapping Techniques (May 21),
and in June, a course on Reservoir Simulation for Geologists (date TBA). So
mark your calendars and register early as these courses will most surely fillup
quickly. .
We are indeed fortunate to have such a hard working and active
committee. They strive to get everything donated in order to keep the costs as
low as possible. Many of the instructors donate their services, and the
committee is thereby able to keep most of the courses in the $30-$50 range.
These are courses which might cost as much as $295 if you took them from a
commercial organization.
Also, whenever possible, the Environmental Committee provides their
courses free to unemployed geologists as part of their career change support
effort. Thank you, Bob Rieser.
Late this month, the Gas Research Institute, the U.S. Department of
Energy and the Bureau of Economic Geology from Austin will present, for
the fourth time this year, their one-day workshop entitled "Infield Gas Reserve
Growth Potential: Gulf Coast Sandstone Reservoirs (Frio, Vicksburg, Wilcox)".
The date is April 28th, and the place is The Holiday Inn Crown Plaza in
Houston. For more information call Diane Ruetz at the Bureau in Austin at
(512) 471-1534.
TECHNICAL TALKS
This month we again have an excellent slate of high quality talks at the
evening and lunch meetings. There willbe presentations on: Petrochemical
Superfund Site (April 8-evening), Computer Application and Mapping (April 13-
evening), The Gulf of Suez (April 20-evening), and Huluma and King Mountain
Fields, Upton County, Texas (April 21-evening).
There willalso be a Special Presentation by the noted expert Louis
Powers on the subject of "What Congress Has Said and What They Did
Not Say About Our Vulnerability to Oil Imports" (April 29-lunch).

5 Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992

 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

SPORTS
By the time you get this Bulletin, registration for the
Annual Tennis Tournament, scheduled for April3rd, will THE GULF COAST
probably be closed. If you missed the registration
deadline, and still want to play, cal1Kerry Menut or GEOLOGICAL LIBRARY,
Mike Walker at 680-2268. They may have had a
cancel1ation, or be able to take some last minute entries.
INC.
MISCELLANEOUS
Pat Gordon our President-Elect recently returned
1221 Lamar ISuite 535
from visiting the AAPG Headquarters in Tulsa and Houston Texas 77010
I

brought back several bits of interesting information:

. AAPG membership is now around 33,700 and
appears stable. Serving Gulf Coast oil and gas
.
The average age of AAPG members is now 48, up professionals
from 39 in 1983.
. The HGS is expected to experience a continued
for the past 22 years
influx of new members as companies continue to
consolidate and move to Houston. Supports the
SPECIAL THANKS
Many of our short course and field trip instructors
Houston Geological Society
donate their time and expertise to HGS in order to help
keep the costs down, and for that we appreciate them Forinformation pertaining to
profoundly. For instance, in Febr!lary, when it looked like
in order to make ends meet, we would have to use vans
on a field trip instead of a much more desirable bus, the membership contact:
instructor dug down into his own pocket and paid for four
scholarship fares in order to make the bus a "Go". Thank Ms. Johnson at (/13) 652-4948
you, Rufus LeBlanc. We love you!! You truly are the
living embodiment of the Sydney Powers medal which
you own and so richly deserve.
Also when we were faced with the prospect of very
high costs for transporting the HGS booth to and from
the Calgary AAPG Convention this coming June, GECO
Geophysical Company stepped in to pick up the cost
and they willship our exhibit along with theirs. Thank
you GECO!!
See you at the meetings!!

4~
Cy Strong
P:S.-Bring a friend!!

HOUSTON MUSEUM OF
NATURAL SCIENCE SEEKS FOSSILS
A greatly expanded Hal1of Paleontology is currently in
the planning stage at the Houston Museum of Natural
Science. The Paleontology Department of the Museum's
col1ections is acquiring additional fossil material for the
exhibit; however, some material is proving difficult to
obtain. Specifical1y, current col1ecting of Burgess Shale
fossils (Middle Cambrian from British Columbia) is restrict-
ed by the Canadian government. We would like to hear from
HGS members who have fossils of soft-bodied animals from
this locality in their private col1ections and who would
consider a donation or loan to the Museum for exhibition.
Contacts at the Museum are:
Irene Offeman, Curator
Jane Finneran, Asst. Curator
639-4676 - Mon. through Thurs.

Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992 6

I -
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

Quick Look Techniques

DON'T JUDGE OR GENERATE ANOTHER MAP UNTIL YOU COMPLETE THIS COURSE!

This Quick Look Techniques Short Course is a high

impact work session for supervisors, managers and
anyone involved with reviewing, evaluating or
p~paring subsurfaceinteqmtations. The single focus
of this one-day encounter is to saturate you with a
POTENTIAL? YES OR NO?
number of analytical techniques designed to simplify
your toughest "go/nogoNinvestmentdecisions. Here
is a sample of the powerful tools you will learn:

Ouick Look Techniaues COLTS"):

* Dry Hole Analysis

* Recognition of Optimistic Contouring
* Impact of Porosity Top vs. StructuralTop
* Restored Tops
* 'Upside Down" Faults
* Correct Fault Data from Logs
* Implied Fault Analysis
* "Rule of 45"
* "Rule of 4 5
* Pitfalls of Fault Gap/Heave QLT'S can determine the
* "Saucer" Faults
* Fault Shape Analysis answer in one minute!
* Test for Fault/Structure Integration
* Throw vs. Missing Section Date and Time:
... and 18 additional techniques that you can apply Thursday, May 21,1992
quickly and immediatelv!
890 am to 450 pm
Exxon Auditorium, 800 Bell Street (at Travis)
You will receive a reference text for future use, and
''hands on"QLT exercisesdrawn fromstructuremaps,
Registrationand Cost
isocho~ maps, electric logs, dimtionally drilled wells,
$50 before May 14; $65 at the door
and seismic sections.
Send to:
Your instructor is Daniel J. Tearpock, President, Houston Geolo~cal Societv
Subsurface Consultantsand Associates, Inc.
7171 Harwin, # 5 4
Mr. Tearpock is muthor of Applied Subsum GBoIwiml
Houston, Texas 77036
Mapping,an advanced structural mapping text. Content: 0.6 CEU

Sponsored by the Continuing Education Committee of your Houston Geological Society

7 Bulle t ~ Houston
n GPO~O<IS
I CO~C I P ~ April
Y 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor:
STATE LICENSING
I hold a Real Estate Broker's License in Texas. In light
of the current interest in the licensing of geologists, I thought
that the membership would be interested in my recent
license renewal. The fee to renew for a two-year period was
to be $70. However, because the state is in desperate need
for funds this fee was raised to $470 with the extra $400
going to the general revenue fund.
Another change has to do with liability coverage. Over
the years we have gone from no coverage, to a yearly bond
and a few years ago to a state fund which would pay out up
to $20,000 if a broker lost a lawsuit and could not pay the
damages. The fund was generated by a mandatory contri-
bution from every broker in the state. If the fund drops
below certain levels the state will come back to the brokers
and require additional contributions. At a $20,000 level,
most lawyers did not see a big fee for themselves. This level
was raised to $100,000 by the legislature. Real Estate
Brokers should brace themselves for lawsuits. The lawyers
will love this. Now they know the money is there if they win a
suit even if the person being sued does not have the money.
If the state has to draw on the fund to cover the suit, they
take away the broker's license and he is out of business!
The final requirement for renewal was a mandatory
class on changes in the real estate law. This class cost an
additional $100. This is what we can expect if we let the state
start licensing our profession.
Hank Bauerlein
911 Walker, #333
Houston, Texas 77002
T o the Editor:
A considerable amount of literature has been published
on horizontal drilling procedures, yet very little on one
important aspect: mudlogging evaluations at the wellsite.
Having consulted as a wellsite mudlogging geologist on
numerous horizontal wells, I have become increasingly
concerned with the role of the mudlogger in the horizontal
drilling play.
More than ever before, I believe it is essential that a
geologist, preferably one with field experience, be active as a
mudlogger in this type of exploration. It is not sufficient
today to have someone collect samples, describe them as
either a shale, sandstone or limestone and determine the
quantity of gas units on a hotwire. This was the role of the
mudlogger for many years, and the companies paid them in
accordance with that role.
Today, however, in the horizontal dfilling play, the
importance of an experienced mudlogger cannot be over-
emphasized. He must work continuously in conjunction
with the directional drillers to determine and correct for
depth and direction of a horizontal drilling project.
He must be able to recognize the various factors
Bullet~nHouston Geolog~calSoc~ety.A p r ~ l1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
determining fractures and porosity and to utilize any
number of techniques to find the same. In many of these
projects, the log drawn up will be the only log available for
future completion procedures on the well and as such,
must be as precise and exact as possible.
After drilling a vertical borehole, an electric log can
determine formation depths, lithology, etc. and correct for
any errors made by the mudlogger, if in fact a mudlogger
was present while drilling the hole.
This is not the situation today in a well that is drilled
horizontally. In many of the wells, an electric log will seldom
be run due to the time and cost involved in this procedure,
and lithology and fracturing will be entirely dependent on
the mudlogger's evaluation and description. We are now
dealing with a horizontal section of a specific zone in a
formation. In a vertical borehole, the electric log will indicate
the thickness of various formations, but who looks at
something that is only 6" thick? In contrast, in the horizontal
well, those same 6 of vertical section may be penetrated
over many tens of feet and we have to recognize that fact
while drilling. This same 6 zone may also be traversed a
number of times due to drilling corrections made by the
horizontal drillers and it is the mudlogger who has to decide.
Is it the same 6 section, or is it another zone with similar
characteristics? These same features, if noted and inter-
preted correctly, can also be utilized for correcting dip
values which are so essential when attempting to remain
within a specific limited thickness zone of a formation which
has been chosen for drilling out horizontally. These are only
some of the many problems that the mudlogger has to deal
with and overcome on a daily basis in horizontal drilling.
Is this the mudlogger of old? I very much doubt it and I
will add one further note for this cry for experienced
geologists as mudloggers. Operators! Companies! Pay
them what they are worth. If mudlogging geologists would
be paid better, and not receive what any kid can earn by
working in a junk food restaurant, I am sure that then we will
also see a very noticeable improvement and increased
productivity in the oil patch.
Jack Sherman
Desert Resources, Inc.
8842 Tradeway
San Antonio, Texas 78217
HGS PREMIER RECOGNITION
PROGRAM
Chevron is recognized a s a
CHAIRMAN LEVEL
sponsor of the
Houston Geological Society.
See back cover for more information
8
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

HGS GUEST NIGHT

FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1992

THE HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

THE WORTHAM IMAX THEATRE

An Exclusive* HGS Showing of the Award Winning IMAX Film

with

Mexican Dinner Buffet Catered by Nin fa 's **

"Tenlrtlve FHm and Cstnrer Selection

$25.00 PER PERSON

SPONSORED IN PART BY

Petroleum Corporation

0:OO-7:OOpm Musoum Doors Open. Soclal 6 Browslng Hour with Cash bara
Be Sur* t o See the Gem, Mlmral. and Seaahofl Colloctional
7:OO-8:OOpm Dlnlng In Museum on W o Levela
0:15-@:45pm Awards Presontrtlons In Mueoum
9:OO-10:OOpm "Anlarctlca" In IMAX Theatre

Rosorvation* and Payment RoquCod by M a U h Chsck to:

HQS Quost Nlght Event. 717 1 Harwln, Sulto 3 14. Houston. Teme 7703e.
Call HGS a1 705-0402 to conflrm recelpt of your check.
.
Send Your Check Soon Only 400 Seats Available.
Refunds avallable thru Aprll 1st. 1992.

NO SALES AT DOOR1 ADMITTANCE BY NAME TAG ONLY1

*Thlo IIlm lo bolng ahCp.d l o the Mueaum for eyl w o n t only. and la schodulod for any pubHc rhowings In Houmton.
Ths Houston Musourn of Natur8l Sclomo I*loc8tod In Hormrnn Pork rcroaa trom MWor Thoatro a1 O m Morm8mr Ckclo.

lW4ISTRATlON FORM FOR HGb QUEST NIGHT EVENT

Enclo*. Check psyabls t o HOUSTON OEOLOOICAL SOCIETY.
W A Y : COMMNV:
w m pmrm: (MST MAW:

9 q ~Society April 1992

Bulletin Houston G ~ o l o dl
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
COMMENTARIES
CERTIFICATION vs. REGISTRATION*
If the practice of a profession vitally impacts the public
health, safety, and welfare, the public has an interest in such
practice and has the right to regulate the profession so that
the public's interest is served. Geology is such a profession,
and engineering geology is the specialty that affects the
public health, safety, and welfare more consistently and
more often than any other.
In effect, we have available only two ways to regulate
the profession of geology: by state registration laws, or by
professional association certification. Which better serves
the public? If engineering geology furnishes the most
justification for regulation of the profession, should engine-
ering geologists be the only ones subject to registration?
What about groundwater geologists and environmental
geologists? They affect the public health, safety, and
welfare, too.
The Association of Engineering Geologists supports
professional registration through state laws, with specialty
recognition for engineering geologists. The American Insti-
tute of Professional Geologists has always preferred
professional association certification as the regulatory
mechanism for the profession, and has always opposed
recognition of specialties in registration laws, a s far as I
know.
AEG policy on registration for engineering geologists
speaks of the need for specialty recognition of engineering
geologists under state registration laws. Fundamental to
this policy is the nature of engineering geology practice:
More than any other geologic specialist, the engineering
geologist has, on a daily basis, an impact of the health,
safety, welfare, and property of the public in a wide variety of
ways.
A careful reading of the AEG policy statement reveals
that it calls first for the registration of engineering geologists,
n?t all geologists. However, when this is proposed, geolo-
gists in other specialties generally seem to eventually decide
that they want to be registered too, once they agree that
registration is appropriate for engineering geologists.
MARC B. EDWARDS aeological Consulting& Regional Studies
M I O C E N E
I Southwest Louisiana Lower Miocene study in progress
dulletfn Houston Geolog~calSoclety. A p r ~ l1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
Although I have no problem with professional associa-
tion certification coexisting with registration, I think the two
are very different creatures. Professional association
certification is private accreditation. Professional registra-
tion by state law is public regulation. The first duty of a
professional association is to serve its members and the
profession. The first duty of a state board of registration is to
protect the public. A professional association that tries to
protect and serve the public through a certification program
is really trying to serve two masters, its members and the
public, who must at times have conflicting- interests.
A state board of registration operates from law, giving it
authority to enforce its standards by applying any of a
significant range of penalties. The disciplinary options of a
professional association amount to little more than denying
membership.
Because membership is voluntary, professional
associations seldom reach even half their membership
potential, and therefore cannot impose their standards on a
significant number of practioners. AIPG, for example, has a
total membership of about 4,500 certified professional
geologists (W. V. Knight, personal communication, March
2,1991). From a 1988publication of the American Geological
Institute, "North American Survey of Geoscientists," we
can glean that the total number of geologists in the United
States is about 51,000. AIPG's certified professional geolo-
gists (CPGs) therefore represent about nine percent of all
U.S. geologists. How can AIPG regulate and discipline
those who a r e not and never will become members or
CPGs?
Professional association certification, more than
registration, is open to cynical charges of having the motive
of limiting entry into the profession, being a vehicle for
artificially raising costs to the consumer, and being
uninterested in consumer complaints because it is operated
by a closed group not ultimately answerable to the public
through the political processes of democratic government.
A state board of registration is a public body, a unit of
government, and its operations and books are open to
(713)668-6488
10
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

public scrutiny. Few, if any, professional societies seem to Advantages of registration

be willing to undertake this level of commitment to the
consumer of professional services and to the public.
Registration by state law has many important advant-
ages over professional society certification as the means of
regulating professionals who wish to practice before the
public. I readily grant the most laudable of motives and the
most honorable of intentions to professional associations
that certify their members. Their certification programs are
worthwhile, meaningful, and have a positive effect on us all,
certified or not. But professional association certification
cannot be designed to protect the public as effectively and
comprehensively as registration under law.
Drawbacks to certification
. Professional associations exist to serve members and the
profession, not the public.
. Certification has no legal standing.
. Certification is internal to the association and is therefore
open to charges of being a closed shop or "good 01'boys"
club.
. Certification can be lost by non-renewal of membership
or disciplinary action, but professional practice could
continue without state regulation.
. Standards can only be imposed on members.
. Associations must stand ready to defend themselves
against claims and lawsuits.
. Associations can discipline individual members but not
business firms.
*Reprinted from USGS-AEG News, Sept., 1991.
. State boards of registration exist to protect the public.
. Registration gives acceptance of one's qualifications as
an expert witness in courts of law, provides legal
standing, puts affirmative legal responsibility on prac-
tioners, and gives specific legal bases for redress.
. Public involvement by way of the vote, state-board
membership, and scrutiny of state board of registration
activity, helps to provide a broader set of checks and
balances than certification.
. A practioner who loses registration status cannot con-
tinue to sign reports as the responsible geologist.
. Far more practitioners are subject to jurisdiction of a
state board of registration than are subject to a pro-
fessional society's standards - including firms as well as
individuals.
Robert E. Tepel
767 Lemonwood Court,
San Jose, Calif. 95120
MOVING?
Call Margaret at
785-6402

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- GulfCoastRegionalManager' ErnieKnirk- NorthernRegionalManager

. Ron Symecko
.Jessie Puckett - Gulf Coast Land Manager
. Dave Barrett - Texas Gulf Coast Exploration Manager' Robert Garrison - S.LaExplorationManager

11 Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search
MEETINGS
HGS DINNER MEETING AND
SESSION-APRIL 13,1992
Social Period, 5:30 p.m.,
Dinner and Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Post Oak Doubletree Inn
RICHARD B. BANKS-Biographical Sketch
Richard B. Banks re-
ceived an Engineer of Geo-
physics degree from Colo-
rado School of Mines in
1953 and a Master's degree
in Petroleum Engineering
from the University of
Texas at Austin in 1957.
After twelve years with
Pan American Petroleum
Corporation as a petro-
leum engineer, Mr. Banks
b.ecame President of Scien-
tific Computer Appli-
cations, Inc., Tulsa,
Oklahoma. Since 1969, he
has been responsible for
economic evaluations and development of an integrated
graphics and economics system which is widely used
throughout the petroleum industry.
His professional affiliations include: Registered Pro-
fessional Engineer in the State of Oklahoma, Registered
Professional Engineer in the State of Texas, American
Association of Petroleum Geologists, Society of Exploration
Geophysicists, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Society of
Petroleum Evaluation Engineers.
RIGOROUS COMPUTER PROCESSING OF
MULTIPLE NON:VERTICAL INTERSECTING
FAULTS AMONG MULTIPLE SURFACES
pMaping-Contouring System (MCS) treats faulted
systems as what they are: Sets of three-dimensional blocks
containing geological markers (formation tops) which once
were continuous surfaces. The boundaries of these fault
blocks .are contourable surfaces and are the fault surfaces.
MCS processes faulted systems in three steps designed
to honor continuity of shape across faults.
1. MCS first moves the fault blocks to their pre-faulted
positions together with the contained formation
tops.
2. Then, having restored the "Continuous surface"
attribute to the geologic markers, MCS performs all
the "Stacking" (discussed later) and interpolations
needed to obtain a smooth map or cross-section.
3. The third step is to rebreak, i.e. reverse the first step
and return the fault blocks and their contents to
their faulted positions, and to display as contour
maps or cross-sections.
To accomplish these steps MCS needs certain data
and a set of instructions:
To MCS, fault vertical displacement or vertical separa-
tion is just another mathematical surface which can vary
over the mapped area and can be contoured. When
Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
SEE RESERVATIONS POLICY,
POSTER Page 2
displacements are p.ostive throughout, MCS automatically
processes a normal fault. When displacements are negative,
MCS processes a reverse fault. Scissors faults result from
displacements which change signs within the mapped area.
Areas with zero displacement show where a fault ceased to
exist. Some growth faults can be modeled with displace-
ments which show great variation across the mapped area.
The user of MCS should (usually) first analyze the fault
system by making contour maps or cross-sections of all the
faults in order to:
1. Test the faults for reasonableness, e.g., do observed
fault cuts that have been assigned to the same fault
result in a picture that makes sense?
2. Infer and/or ascertain the hierarchy of the faults,
i.e., when two faults meet in space, which one
survives? Which one is, therefore, older?
3. Infer and/or ascertain which faults form boundaries
of a fault block.
The analysis easily lends itself to "what if" games, i.e.,
the testing of various hypotheses.
The instructions MCS needs to perform its task are a
set of RESTORE commands, each of which describes a fault
block and instructs MCS to move it to its pre-faulted
position. The RESTORE commands takes us "back in
time," i.e. the first RESTORE reverses the most recent
faulting event, the last RESTORE reverses the oldest event.
The sequence and makeup of the RESTORE instruc-
tions is derived from an analysis of the fault and any a priori
knowledge of the area.
Consider a system with two antithetic faults, Fault 'A'
and Fault 'B', both of which are shown in Figure 1. Since
Fault 'B' dies against Fault 'A', Fault 'B' is presumed to be
younger. Fault' A' is presumed to be the older fault, and the
system can be divided into three blocks: 1) Above 'B' and
above 'A', 2) Below 'B' and above 'A', and 3) Below 'A'.
In keeping with the principle that RESTORE commands
are taking us "back in time," we must restore first the block
which was displaced during fault event 'B', i.e., the block
which lies above 'B' and above 'A', hence:
RESTORE (Above) 'B' Above 'A'
Next we must restore the block moved during fault
event 'A' which is the block above Fault 'A' and which,
incidentally, contains Fault 'B':
RESTORE (Above) 'A'
When MCS has finished complying with these com-
mands it would have, in effect, accomplished a vertical,
sequential, three-dimensional palinspastic reconstruction of
the fault system. Now that the faulted system has been
restored to its pre-faulting configuration, the structural
surfaces are continuous and can be stacked.
Multi-Surface Stacking:
In areas of conformable geology, adjacent formations
resemble each other. MCS uses the principle of con-
formable geology in its multi-surface stacking process. MCS
12
 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

first calculates isopachs (differences in value between

adjacent surfaces) wherever possible. These isopachs are
interpolated or extrapolated over the entire map area for all
isopach intervals. Calculated isopach values are added or
subtracted from known datums in order to reconstruct a
complete set of Z values at all data points. This "stacking"
proceeds downward first and upward second.
As a result of fault restoration and multi-surface
stacking there is a continuity of shapes (geologic features)
across faults, and MCS does reasonable contouring in fault
blocks which have no well or seismic control.
Final Step in Fault Processing
The final step in MCS fault processing is to re-break
and move geologic surfaces to their true (post-faulted)
positions. This step is the mathematical inverse of resto-
ration. MCS generates fault traces as the intersection
between structural surfaces and faults. Rigorous displace-
ment or separation balance is achieved at all fault inter-
sections. Figures 2 and 3 show contour maps for the 8500-
Ft. and 9200-Ft. sands.

TOP 8500-FT SAND

,
I -.
I

Figure 2

Figure 1

POSTER SESSION
A student poster session will be held prior to the April
13th dinner meeting at the Doubletree Inn. Students from
Rice, UH, Lamar, UT, Texas A&M, and Stephen F. Austin
have been invited to participate. The posters will be
available for review from 5:30 to 6:30. Cash awards of $150
I TOP 9200-FT SAND
I
I
ts
for 1st place and $100 for 2nd place will be presented by the
HGS Awards Committee for the two best posters. Figure 3

h 13 Bulletln Houston Geolog~calSoc~ety.Aprll 1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
HGS LUNCHEON MEETING-
APRIL 29,1992
Social Period, 11:30 a.m. 12:OO p.m., - the trend &illincrease as the U.S. and the world become
Luncheon and Meeting, 12:OO p.m.
The Houston Club
LOUIS W. POWERS-Biographical Sketch
Louis W. Powers,
President, Powers Petro-
leum Consultants, Inc.
served Exxon for 21 years
prior to entering the private
consulting business in
1979.
Lou's experience in-
cludes over 31 years in
production research, reser-
voir engineering, opera-
tions management and con-
sulting. After 19 years of
working primarily in Texas
for Exxon, Lou spent 2
years (1977 to 1979) in
Saudi Arabia as Aramco's Chief Petroleum Engineer. While
in Saudi Arabia, he was responsible for supervision and
management of a multi-national work force of over 400
employees.
In 1979, Lou left Exxon to become co-founder of
Patterson, Powers and Associates, Inc. In July 1984, he
founded and became President of Powers Petroleum Con-
sultants, Inc. Since 1986, Lou has co-authored several
papers and books about the petroleum industry and future
oil and gas prices, and more recently has addressed the
malaise in the national energy situation.
WHAT CONGRESS HAS SAID AND
WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY ABOUT
OIL IMPORT VULNERABILITY
The United States is headed toward bankruptcy, more
oil wars, and possible irreparable damage to the environ-
ment, unless lawmakers wake up to the collapse of the
domestic oil and natural gas industry and take immediate
action to stabilize both domestic production and petroleum
demand.
The recent report for the U.S. Congress by the Office
of Technology Assessment (OTA) study of the ability of the
United States to respond to another oil supply interruption
presents an alarming picture of the U.S. economy based on
the growing appetite for foreign oil. Figures based on the
OTA import projection and the price forecast used in the
U.S. Department of Energy's EIA Annual Energy Outlook
1991 suggest that consequences to the U.S. economy
become more and more ominous as the oil trade deficit
reaches $96 billion by 1995, $139 billion by the year 2000,
$384 billion by 2010, and $926 billion by 2020. The cumulative
deficit due to imported oil in the base OTA analysis from
1992 to 2020 is $10 trillion.
As net U.S. oil imports increase from 7.2 million barrels
per day in 1990 to 10.4 million barrels per day in the year
2000 and to 17.8 million barrels per day in the year 2020
based on the OTA base case, the world will be increasingly
dangerous as more and more money is concentrated in the
Middle East, the source for most, if not all, of our increasing
Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
oil imports. Since 1956 there have been six supply disrup-
tions, all the result of political instability in the region, and
more and more dependent upon Middle East ail.
There is anequally bleak picture for the environment as
confirmed by the OTA study. To get this much foreign oil
into America by year 2020,36 giant tankers, each carrying
500,000 barrels have to dock daily at U.S. ports. To put it
another way, 13,140 ships would be in our harbors every
year, each creating the possibility of an oil spill greater than
the ones off California and Texas in recent years.
This crisis can be averted by stabilizing domestic
production and petroleum demand at the OTA'a 1994
forecast level. The trade deficit savings through 2020 from
stabilizing production are $1.2 trillion and the demand
savingsare$2.9 trillion, for a total savingsof $4.1 trillion over
a 26.year period, or an average of $159 billion per year. But
stabilization cannot occur until there is a recognition by our
sovernment and the American people that the trend of
increasing oil imports is a danger to our financial well being,
world peace and our environment.
Cheap oil prices are not favorable to demand reduction,
and the U.S. government should provide economic in-
centives and leadership to switch to cleaner domestic fuels
such as natural gas. Natural gas prices, however, must be
stabilized if an abundant supply of U.S. natural gas is to be
available to American consumers.
The American oil and gas producing industry can
contribute to reduction of the trade deficit, but tax disin-
centives must be eliminated if domestic production decline
is to be arrested and the 350,000 people who lost their jobs in
the oil and gas industry since 1980 are to go back to work.
Currently, there are less than 800 rigs working in America
compared to over 2,700 rigs in the 1978to 1985 time period.
Today's rig count of less than 800 is the lowest rig count
since World War 11, when steel was diverted to the war
effort. More than half of America's oil reserves, including
undiscovered reserves, are yet to be produced based on
reliable industry sources. Stabilization in U S . oil and gas
production can once again occur, but it will require a
National Energy Policy favorable to development of
America's own oil and gas resources.
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

$15.900 per dip line $17,900 per dip line

$15,900 per strike line $17,900 per strike line

GREEN CANYON

Each Phase Features:

D e t a i l e d Well Reports from approximately 10,000 f e e t o f section per w e l l For more information, please contact:

High Resolution B i o s t r a t i g r a p h y and Paleobathymetry Checklists Walter W. Wornardt, Ph.D.

MICRO-STRAT INC.
Sequence Stratigraphy Analysis Chart f e a t u r i n g w e l l log, age, sequences, 5755 Bonhomne. Ste. 406
condensed sections, systems t r a c t s , paleobathymetry and histograms Houston, Texas 77036
Phone (713) 977-2120
B i o s t r a t i g r a p h i c Cross-Section (Phase I & 11) w i t h 25 Benthic and Fax (713) 977-7684
Planktonic Foraminifera1 and Calcareous Nannofossil "tops"

Sequence S t r a t i g r a p h i c Cross-Section w i t h approximately 14 Sequence

Boundaries, Condensed Sections, Systems Tracts (Basin F l o o r Fan, Slope
Fan, Prograding Complex, Transgressive and High Stand System Tracts)

I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f approximately 14 Condensed Sections (5.8 t o 0.46 may.)

MICRQSTRAT INC.
Sequence Stratigraphy Analysis
A l l Sequences and Systems Tracts a r e c o r r e l a t e d w i t h Well Logs and PalynologyPalynofacieS
Seismic P r o f i l e s by Dr. Peter R. V a i l M~cropaleontolo~y
Geochem~stw YICRDSTRAT I N C ,
I
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INTERNA TIONAL
EXPLORA TIONISTS

Chair's Column HGS INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Houston has become a center of international explo- DINNER MEETING-APRIL 20,1992
ration for most major and independent companies. As we Post Oak Doubletree Inn
update our directory, one notices that the number of Social hour, 5:30 p.m., Dinner, 6:30 p.m.
international explorationists has increased to over 500. As Technical Presentation, 7:30 p.m.
members of the largest organized group of international ISABELLE MORETTI-Biographical Sketch
geologists, we could have a voice concerning international
meetings, symposiums and publications associated with Isabelle Moretti stud-
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) or ied at Or say University in
European Geological Societies. Paris receiving her M.S. in
The International Liaison Committee of AAPG, with 1980, and Ph.D. in 1983.
Nahum Schneidermann as its chairman, is working to Her dissertation was on
increase the representation of international members at the aseismic ridge subduction
AAPG. Since Houston area geologists are the largest and vertical motion of
contingent of representatives to the "House of Delegates" overriding plates with
of AAPG, we can do our part. by contacting the HGS applications in the Pacific.
delegates to attend our meetings. This would increase their She completed her These
awareness of international events. We can then ask them to d'etat at Orsay University
represent us at the House of Delegates meetings at AAPG and French Institute of
conventions. Petroleum (lFP) in March
PINAR O. YILMAZ 1987. Dr. Moretti is cur-
rently working on therm-
INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATIONISTS icity-maturation-migration
COMMITTEE MEMBERS 1992-1993 modeling in the strategic geochemistry division of TOTAL
in Paris, France.
Chairperson & Technical Program:
Pinar Yilmaz, Exxon Prod. Res. Co. . . . .. .966-6033 Her work experience includes a visiting scientist
Technical Program Assistant: position at Cornell University in spring of 1983 on modeling
erosion and vertical movements with Prof. D. Turcotte. In
Gerrit Wind,Amoco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556-3680
Hotel Arrangements: June 1983 Dr. Moretti joined IFP working on thermo-
George Tappan, mechanical modeling of rifting. She participated in geol<;>gical
Geoservices International. . . . . . . . . . . . 358-4061 field studies and offshore seismic acquisition surveys. From
A/VArrangements: - -
November 1986to February 1987she joined Massachusetts
Nat Smith, Consultant. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .861-0277 Institute of Technology as a visiting scientist, working with
Finances & Tickets: Dr. Leigh Royden on numerical study of subsidence in
foreland basins. After her return to IFP, she worked on
Don Young, AGIP 688-6281
Announcements and company representative contacts: regional studies on the Southern Apennines and Sicily and
Thorn Tucker, Marathon Oil. 629-6600 thematic studies on the mode of geological deformation.
Directory: She was also involved in training. In March 1986, Dr. Moretti
became the head of the LOCACE project (a computer-
Kumar Bhattacharjee,
Sita Oil Exploration House. . . . . . . . . . . 999-6957 , aided construction software for balanced geological cross
sections). This program is a joint research between AGIP,
Please contact your company representative or
call HGS for ticket reservations at 785-6402. IFP, SNEA(P), TOTAL, and is now a commercial project in
these companies. She joined the TOTAL staff in June 1991.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS Dr. Moretti has published numerous papers and reports.
HGS International Explorationists Committee dinner
meetings will be on the third MONDAY night of each THE SUEZ RIFT:
month at Post Oak Doubletree Inn in the Galleria STRUCTURAL PATTERN AND EVOLUTION
starting with a 5:30 p.m. social hour, 6:30 p.m. dinner and
7:30 p.m. technical presentation. After a regional presentation of the Gulf of Suez, a
thermomechanical model of the rift evolution will be
EXOTIC ROCKS presented.
We need exotic rocks for our speaker plaques. Please Then we willexamine some structural problems related
bring a sample of your favorite rock to the next meeting. It to extensional tectonics as the intern~l deformation of tilted
blocks.
will help clean up the boxes you stored in the garage. We
acknowledge the donor on the back of the plaque. Continued on page 19

I Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992 16

I
 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

TEcHl>Je)LQCGY'l.JPDATE

SeismicProcessing
Breakthrough

GECO-PRAI<LNsnew one-passdepthmigrationalgorithm
and massivelyparallelcomputingcomb~e for high-fidelity
resultswith significantlyreducedturnaround.

G
ECO-PRAKLA
nounced the latest in a long
line of tools designed to im-
prove reservoir imaging:
a new algorithm for 3D,
one-pass depth migra-
tion implemented on a
massively parallel super -
computer.
This new algorithm
greatly improves the fi-
delity and quality ofpro-
cessed seismic data and
has particular promise
in areas of complex ge-
has an- With conventional supercom-
puters, this high - fidelity tech-
nique is not practical. However, the
new GECO-PRAKLA
implementatiori utilizes
"T
l.he algorithm's superb massively parallel
fidelity offers excellentimag- supercomputers. To
ing of 3D seismic data and achieve this, GECO-
allows results to be delivered
in drastically reduced time
PRAKLA geoscientists
frames compared to conven-
collaborated with com-
tional supercomputersin use puter scientists at the
today.
" Schlumberger Labora-
ColinHulme,
North and SouthAmerica tory for Computer Sci- The CM-2 massively parallel supercomputer uses
RegionData Processing ence inAustin, Texas, as
Manager, GECO-PRAKLA
thousands of processors to achieve speeds in tens of
gigaflops. coupled with gigabytes of main memory
wellas with parallel pro- and very fast l/O subsystems.

ology such as subsalt, cessing experts from the

salt dome and gas prone areas.
Part of the teamfrom GECO-PRAKLA.Schlumberger
Laboratoryfor Computer Science.and Thinking Ma-
chines Corporation that developedthe technique for
3D, one-passdepth migration.
Thinking MachinesCorporation. The
resulting implementation is a major
breakthrough, making the use of this
algorithm practical for 3D imaging in
depth using a CM-2 Connection
Machine* system.
The CM-2 Connection Machine
has as many as 65,536 processors
working together to solve the prob-
lem. This army of processors, each
vastly simpler than asupercomputer,
teamed together can significantlyout-
perform conventional supercom-
puters and return results with greatly
reduced turnaround.
The GECO-PRAKLA technique
eliminates the quality/speed trade-
off when processingturnaround is
critical, such as evaluating data prior
to lease sales or licensing rounds.
This combination ofexcellent data
quality and fast tUrnaround is as close
as your nearest GECO-PRAKLAre-
gion data processing office. Please
contact a data processing manager
for additional information on one-
pass, high-fidelity depth migration.
'CM-2 ,nd (M-2 Connwion M"hin' '" mack, of Thinking
M"hines Corpomlion
~ GECQ-PRAKLA

Hannover Houston london Singapore Stavanger

(49) 511 6420 (l) 713 870 1880 (44) 689 832133 (65) 3442725 (47)4 50 65 50

17 Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992

l
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ZNTERNA TZONAL BRIEF
Spotlight o n .
By George Tappan
In September 1991, the Government of India
announced the fourth round of bids for 33 onshore and 39
offshore blocks. Bid deadline is April 15, 1992. The blocks
range in size from 81to 92,070sq. km. and are representative
of most of India's sedimentary basins, including the
Andaman Islands. Individual companies or groups may bid
on one or more blocks.
Geologic Setting:
The Indian peninsula consists of a Gondwana shield
superimposed by later tectonic events and younger sedi-
mentary basins with considerable diversity of age and style.
The basins can be generally grouped as Proterozoic, Intra-
Cratonic, Convergent Margin, or Divergent Margin accord-
ing to their age, position, or events that formed them.
The Proterozoic Basin, exposed on the northern-
central part of the present shield, has in excess of 5000m. of
Proterozoic and Cambrian shales, sandstones, and carbon-
ates, from which surface gas has been reported. These
sediments lie below the Deccan Trap volcanics on the west
and the Tertiary cover of the Himalayan foredeep to the
north.
hdaman Islands
FOURTH BID ROUND BLOCKS, INDIA
Reprinted with permission of International Exploration Newsletter, January 20, 1992
1 Bullet~nHouston Geolog~calSociety. April 1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
INDIA
A number of linear, half-graben intracratonic basins,
filled with Late Carboniferous to Early Cretaceous sedi-
ments, cut the shield in east-central India. They have well-
defined northwest-southeast and eastlnortheast-west/
southwest trends converging on the center of the craton.
Several shows of gas have been reported.
The Himalayan and Assam-Arakan foreland foldbelts.
where the northern border of the Indian shield impinges on
continental Asia, form a long series of convergent margin
basins that stretch from Pakistan to Myanmar. In the
Himalayan sector, a fairly representative Tertiary overlies
lower Paleozoics and upper Proterozoic sedments from
which a small amount of gas was reported. Only nine deep
wells have been drilled to date. On the east, however, a large
number of wells have been drilled in the tightly folded
surface structures of the Assam-Arakan foldbelt where
commercial gas is produced from the Mio-Pilocene. This
highly prospective province extends into Bangladesh and
Myanmar.
Twelve exploratory wells have been drilled in the
Andaman Basin, southeastern Bay of Bengal, one in the
eastern basin and 11 in the western offshore. Gas was
discovered in middle Miocene carbonate, and shows were
noted in Cretaceous sandstones. The Andaman Basin is
part of the Sunda Trench-Arc system, in which commercial
hydrocarbon occurrence is well known from the forearc of
Myanmar and the backarc of Sumatra.
The Continental margins of the Indian peninsula, facing
the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean on the east, and the
Arabian Sea on the west, present a long borderland subject
to development of divergent margin basins. The narrow
shelf on the east produced a predominantly clastic section
with occasional thin Tertiary carbonates overlying
Gondwana or shield rocks. The broader western shelf is
characterized by a thick accumulation of early Eocene to
early mid-Miocenecarbonates on Paleocene or Cretaceous
volcanics and clastics. Sixty percent of India's current
production is from middle Eocene and lower-middleMiocene
limestones of the offshore Bombay High. Gas and shows of
light oil have been found in a number of other basins. To
date, no well has been drilled beyond the 200m. isobath.
The Contract:
The Contract is a production-sharing agreement. The
Government of India, the Oil and Natural Gas Commission/
Oil India Limited, and the company will be parties to the
contract. The term is set at 25 years for oil, with a possible
5-year extension, and 35 years for development of natural
gas. The exploration period is biddable to a maximum of 7
years, and can consist of one to three phases with the option
to terminate the contract at the end of each commitment
phase. Drilling would be expected in the second and third
phases.
18
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
Relinquishments of 25% of the original area at the end of
the first exploration phase, and an additional 50% of the
original area at the end of the second phase are required. At
the end of the exploration period, the company must
relinquish all areas except those for which it has a develop-
ment plan for exploitation of discovered hydrocarbons.
The minimum work program is biddable and may be
designed with a seismic option in the first phase. There is no
monetary expenditure obligation, but a bank guarantee for
a portion of the work program is required.
The percentage of production allocated for cost re-
covery a n d profit-sharing a r e also subject to bid and will be
specified in the contract. Crude value will be based on the
international price of a basket of reference crudes, and the
government will have the option to purchase the company's
share at international market price.
T h e Indian government will have a 30% carried interest
with a n option to convert to a working interest in the
development and production phase. It may also acquire 10%
working interest from the onset of the contract if it s o
chooses. Separate terms will be provided in the contract
governing the production, sales, and cost-recovery of
natural gas.
For applicants in t h e Fourth Round there is no
signature bonus, no production bonus, no license fee or
rental, no royalty, a n d no duty on imports for operation.
Funds may be repatriated a s due under the contract.
Foreign companies are subject to 50% corporate income tax
and exempt from Companies (Profits) Surtax Act, 1964.
Unsuccessful exploration costs in any block c a n be written
off of production for income tax purposes.
Data Available:
An information package covering regional a n d local
geology, a n d the current status of exploration activity is
available for e a c h of 25 basins a n d offshore areas at a cost of
US$2500. Additional data packages containing seismic
data, gravity, magnetic anomaly, a n d structure maps, a n d
well logs a r e available for most blocks. Prices, depending on
the amount of data, are US$15,000, $30,000, and $50,000.
Simon-Robertson offers an extensively illustrated
regiondl study, Geology a n d Hydrocarbon Potential of
India, tl-eating the tectonic settings, stratigraphy, source
rocks, reservoirs and seals. exploration history, principal
exploration plays, and additional exploration potential of
India's many onshore, offshore, and coastal basins.
Sitd Oil Exploration House, Inc. also offers a non-
exclusive report, Indian Basins a n d their Petroleum
Potential, based o n personal experience and published
data. The report covers 18 onshore and offshore basins with
information on tectonics, litho-stratigraphy, geochemistry,
oil and gas fingerprinting, and future potential.
The Country:
The Indian Republic is a secular state with federal
structure a n d bicameral legislature. It is the world's largest
democracy with independent executive, legislative, and
judiciary branches. Fifteen of the many languages spoken
by India's 844 million people are specified in the Constitution.
English is the language most used by the international
business community. The oil and gas sector is administered
by the Ministry o f Petroleum a n d Natural G a s of the
Commonwealth of India. Two companies, wholly owned by
the government, Oil a n d Natural G a s Commission
( O N G C ) . and Oil India Limited (OIL), a r e entrusted with
19
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
exploration a n d production of oil and gas. The official
exchange rate for the Indian rupee is 25.9 to the US dollar.
Contacts for additional information or clarification of
bidding terms and technical data purchase:
Mr. R. N. Desai
Head EXCOM Group
Oil and Natural G a s Commission
7th floor, Bank of Baroda Bldg.
Parliament Street
New Delhi 110 001, INDIA
Phone: 11-371-5291,Fax: 11-331-6413
Telex: 031-65184, 031-66262
Petroconsultants S.A.
Marketing Division
8-10 rue Muzy
1211. Geneve 6, SWITZERLAND
Phone: (41-22) 736 88 11, Fax: (41-22) 786 28 52
Telex: 41 35 41 PETR C H
Kelly M. Poston, Manager
Robertson Research (U.S.) Inc.
820 Gessner, Suite 240
Houston, Texas 77024, U.S.A.
Phone: 7131984-8491, Fax: 7131984.9854
S . K. Battacharjee
Sita Oil Exploration House, Inc.
901 1 Lakeside Forest Drive
Houston, Texas 77088-1221
Phone: 7131999-6957, Fax: 7131973.2055
Telex: 4490044 STOUl
Suez Rift, Continued from page 16
Two main types of deformation are generally consider-
e d in extensional terranes: (1) faulted blocks a r e rigid and
deformation consists of translations and rotations; (2)
blocks are pervasively deformed, by simple shear along
closely spaced minor faults o r by "flexural slip" parallel t o
bedding planes. T o evaluate the amount of such pervasive
deformation field measurements were performed across
three major tilted blocks of the Suez rift (Abu Durba and
Araba-Qabeliat blocks) a n d Red Sea (Duwi block). They
consist of narrow (15 to 20 km wide) elongated (30 t o 60 km
long) monoclines dipping t o the northeast and bounded by
major southwest dipping faults which have vertical displace-
ment of about 2 km. Tilt angles vary from 15 t o 20".
Secondary normal faults are scarce, widely spaced and their
throw comprises between 10 cm. to 150 m. No pervasive and
closely-spaced faults with centimetric o r metric throws have
been observed.
In the Abu Durba a n d Duwi blocks the amount of
extension d u e to secondary faults is less than 7% while it is
almost null across the Araba-Qabeliat block. Extensional
models inducing pervasive deformation of blocks by vertical
o r oblique simple shear are irrelevant when tilt angles d o not
exceed 20" and rigid rotation can be applied to restore the
cross-section. Moreover, most of the observed secondary
normal faults have the same dip direction a s major bounding
faults. This arrangement suggests that tilting occurs over a
ductile crustal layer which accomodates at depth the
vcllume problems caused by rigid block rotation.
B u l l e t ~ nHouston G e o l o g c a l S o ~ l e t y April
. 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search
GEOTALES FROM FAR A WAY
T E R R O R IN T H E S A H A R A
by Bobby G . Kerr, Vice-president
Great Western Resources
It was late 1973 in West Africa and our exeloration
program was proceeding at full steam. Texaco's Eastern
Hemisphere Division had been awarded large oil exploration
concessions in Mauritania, Mali and Niger. The largest of
these in Niger was approximately o n e third t h e size of
Texas. We had four seismic crews operating in the southern
Sahara desert in the three countries and our exploration
headquarters was located in Dakar, Senegal. The seismic
program, started in early 1971 in Niger with o n e crew, got off
t o a bad start because of soft sand, heavy equipment, poor
logistical support a n d inexperienced personnel. However,
by 1973 there were four highly productive crews operating
in the three countries in the Taoudenni and C h a d Basins,
a n d we were looking forward t o having delineated several
drillable stuctures by mid-1974. Plans were already being
made t o ship a rig t o Mauritania t o begin our drilling
program in the fall of 1974.
Inevitably, o n c e an exploration program is progressing
smoothly a n d productively, someone in the "home office"
(in our case New York) decides this would be a good time t o
make a field trip t o the crews. There a r e always volunteers
t o make the excursion, especially those who have been
confined to their cubbyholes in a Manhattan skyscraper and
would like t o get out a n d s e e the open spaces of Africa. T h e
person selected t o make this particular trip was the newly
appointed chief geophysicist for Texaco's Eastern Hemi-
sphere Operations, Walter Hurt. This was one of his first
visits t o a n international operation and because I had told
him of the delights of visiting the desert he was eagerly
anticipating the journey. The Sahara is a n unending sea of
sand which is spotted with artifacts from Mauritania t o
Niger. While walking the dunes, one may discover an
ancient campsite complete with cooking utensils and hide
scrapers made of stone, o r even a large cache of arrow-
heads. These finds may have recently been uncovered by
moving sands and are just a s likely t o be buried again in a few
days. From the abundance of the occurrences of the artifact
sites. one c a n conclude that the .eoeulation
. of the Sahara
was significantly different than today. O n e can also conclude
that the climate was much more pleasant.
Walter arrived in Dakar early in the morning after a n
overnight flight from New York and spent the remainder of
the day resting and shopping for local African "treasures".
In 1973 Dakar was a colorful West African city, with a
population of about 500,000, of which 50,000 were French
expatriates. Senegal was a former French colony which
obtained its independence in 1960. T h e city remained an
attractive outpost for French expatriates even after inde-
pendence. Dakar had many excellent restaurants, hotels
and colorful open air markets where residents and tourists
could bargain for native jewelry, art, costumes, clothing or
local foods.
B u l l ~ t l nHouston G e o l o g ~ c dSol m y A p r ~ 1992
l 20
Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
The following day was spent visiting our Dakar office
which was staffed by a General Manager (J. R. McMurry),
a n Exploration Supervisor (J. B. Apfel). the Geophysical
Supervisor (myself), two geophysicists and two geologists.
That day we finalized our plans for the visit t o two seismic
crews. O u r plans called for chartering a single-engine plane
from a local aircraft company t o carry u s directly from
Dakar t o Tidjikda, Mauritania, a small oasis village with a
dirt airstrip o n the southern edge of the Sahara. The landing
strip would later be used by a chartered Hercules C-130 t o
fly in a rig t o drill Texaco's first well in Mauritania. T h e village
was bordered o n the north by a 500-foot high outcrop ridge
which traversed most of t h e southern edge of the desert
east-west a c r o s s much of Mauritania. T h e C G G Crew
DeHavilland "Beaver" would pick u s u p at Tidjikda and take
u s north into the desert t o the seismic crew base camp,
about a 2 hour flight. T h e Beaver is a single engine, 4
passenger high-winged aircraft with large tires and is ideally
suited for desert operations.
Walter's enthusiasm was somewhat damp-
ened when our pilot had a couple of beers before
we started out.
The next day the trip started a s planned and Walter's
enthusiasm was only somewhat dampened by the fact that
the French pilot o f the charter had a couple of beers before
we started o u t . I had been in West Africa for 2% years a n d
this did not seem o u t of the ordinary. O n many of my
frequent trips into the interior from Dakar, I had observed
Air Afrique and Air Niger flight crews imbibing in alcoholic
beverages during the course of a flight. Fortunately we
reached base camp safely that afternoon and the following
day were given a complete tour o f C G G ' s operations. T h e
base c a m p was relatively permanent a n d located near the
center of the a r e a o f operations in the concession. It was
situated s o that it could easily supply and support the "fly
camp", which was the actual field recording operation,
wherever it was working within the concession. The base
c a m p consisted of several large kitchen, mess, office a n d
sleeping trailers and large supply tents. This setup, unlike
the highly mobile fly c a m p , was bulky a n d cumbersome and
could not be moved easily in the soft desert sand. During
our stay, we were treated to s o m e very appetizing six-
course meals complete with wines like o n e would be served
in a multi-star restaurant and not o n a seismic crew in the
middle of a desert. The hard working French C G G per-
sonnel were only happy when they could dine in the manner
t o which they were accustomed.
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
The next step of the journey was to have the "Beaver"
take Walter and me east to the fly camp (a 2-hour flight),
spend a day with the crew, and then fly on to Timbuktu
where a Petfy-Ray base camp was established to support
our Mali seismic operations. This was when the fun began.
Our flight started uneventfully as we took off from the
smooth sandy surface into a calm, clear, and cold Sahara
morning. The early morning temperature was near 40° and
expected to rise to near 90° by midafternoon. The Beaver
was also carrying supplies for the flycamp which consisted
of frozen, fresh and canned food, beer, small geophysical
instrument parts and 25 gallons of gasoline in Jerry cans in
the rear of the plane. The extra gasoline was for partially
refueling the plane at the flycamp for the second leg of the
journey to Timbuktu.
After about one hour of flying, the wind began to blow
with some movement of sand and dust with visibility down
to about 5 miles. There was little concern, as our American
pilot was an experienced navigator and the fly camp was
equipped with a navigational beacon which should easily be
identified by our instruments. After two hours passed, we
could neither hear a beacon response nor see any sign of the
field operations and the wind was blowing fiercely with
visibility less than one mile. The pilot decided to fly in ever
widening circles in hope of picking up the beacon, or at least
seeing some sign of the crew.
After two more hours, with no luck, the pilot decided to
return to base camp. Four hours of flying in desert winds,
however, had completely blown us off course and he had
not the slightest idea where were were. After another 2Yz
hours we could not pick up the base camp beacon or see
any sign of the camp. Our only recourse was to turn south
on a compass heading and hope we intersected the east-
west trending outcrop ridge that generally marked the
southern edge of the desert. We thought we were still in
Mauritania, but lacking any reference points, it was hard to
be sure.
Unfortunately, after 8 straight hours of flying and not
finding the outcrop, the plane was out of fuel and we were
forced to find a suitable place to set the plane down. We had
progressed from the smooth gentle sand dunes of the CGG
21
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
base camp to a rugged dune area which was clogged with
4-to 5-foot clumps of grass and shrubs with only short and
narrow clear passageways between (see photo). The pilot
finally saw a knife-edge sand dune that appeared to have
about 200 yards of clump free sand and he began to
descend. As he approached the start of the dune, the 200
yeards looked like 20 yards and Walter and Iwere petrified. I
wondered what I was doing in Africa. The wheels touched
the sand near the start of the dune and imperceptibly we
began to slow as the pilot prepared to dodge the rapidly
approaching grass clumps. Before the pilot brought the
Beaver to a halt it skidded around a large clump and headed
back in the direction we had come. After he cut the engine
there was a deathly silence and no one said a word. The
doors were flung open and we leaped into the soft sand.
What a relief to again touch solid ground even though we
were completely lost. Fortunately, we had been in radio
contact with the CGG base camp and we advised them we
had landed safely, but where...nobody knew!
My 2Yzyears in the desert had accustomed me to
expect the unusual; however, nothing compared to what
happened next. Within 30 minutes after landing, nomads of
the Tuareg trib,e approached the plane from the side of the
dune. During our descent we had not observed any signs of
life whatsoever. The men were dressed in flowing blue and
white robes adorned with menacing-looking knives and
sabers. The women trailed behind, covered from head to
foot by their black chadras. The Tuaregs had a camp not far
from our landing sight, and observing our approach and
landing, they curiously came to investigate. I had numerous
previous contacts with Tuaregs and other local tribes
around villages in Mali, Mauritania and Niger, but always in a
controlled and crowded environment. Even though they
were a welcome sight, we did not know how these nomads
would react to the presence of three Americans, or if they
represented a threat to our lives. After a few cautious
greetings and handshakes, we awkwardly attempted to
explain our plight and to hopefully figure out where we were.
It was extremely difficult to communicate since they did not
speak any French.
An idea occurred to me. I took out a Mauritania map,
Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
oriented it with a compass, and staked it out in the sand. I
then called out the name of Tidjikda and immediately one of
the Tuaregs pointed in the direction of that village. After
several villages were named, a few of them many miles away,
we were able to triangulate and determine our position
within a few miles. The livelihood and survival of the nomad
depends on his ability to successfully navigate in the desert.
They continually traverse the Sahara and must reliably
locate water holes and grazing for their animals, s o it is not
unthinkable that they would know the location of every
village in the region. As it turned out, we were only 1%hours
flying time from Tidjikda where we had landed 2 days earlier.
We knew we had two options: 1)to wait until help arrived by
land, which might be several days, or 2) try and take off the
next morning. We contacted the base camp by radio,
advised them of our location and asked for assistance. We
were told that because of the terrain it might take 2 to 3 days
for vehicles to reach us from base camp, by which time we
would be out of water. Not wanting to remain in this area
longer than necessary and not wishing to drink the water the
nomads were carrying, we advised the base camp we would
select an alternative the following morning.
Darkness was settling in, the Tuaregs had retreated to
their camp, and we decided to have some canned food and
beer, build a fire from scattered sticks and shrubbery, and
then have a restful evening burrowed down in the sand to
keep warm. These plans were abruptly changed when we
began to have unwelcome visitors. The fire had attracted
small sand vipers, very similar in appearance to sidewinders,
which crawled right into our makeshift camp. The snakes
were generally small, less than one foot in length, but deadly
poisonous. Without debate, we decided to sleep in the
plane. Even with all the supplies and seats removed from the
Beaver, there was only room to sleep two people s o the pilot
ended up on the fuselage between the wings. Without
blankets it was a long, cold and miserable night. At least it
helped us decide that we would try option 2 the next
morning.
Before synrise, the Tuaregs were stationed in their
typical squatting fashion around the plane, curious as to
what we were going to do. After a makeshift breakfast, we
fueled the plane with the last 25 gallons of gas from the Jerry
cans and proceeded to lighten the load as much as possible.
The remainder of the food and beer was given to the
Tuaregs and with their help we were able to push the Beaver
back up the sand dune to the point where we had originally
touched down. We noticed that the first landing gear tracks,
from the previous day's touch down point, were only 3 feet
from the edge of the dune showing a superb landing by the
pilot. We also observed a rather large number of sand viper
tracks criss-crossing the dune.
Our only hope of being able to successfully take off was
to determine the right combination of cool morning air and
breezes to provide sufficient lift. The later we waited the
stronger the wind would be, but the increase in air
temperature would result in decreased lift.
When the pilot decided it was time to go, he called the
base camp, told them our intentions and then applied full
power to the engine and released the brakes. The Beaver
moved a full 10 feet before the wheels bogged down in the
sand. He shut off the engine and with the help of the Tuaregs
we pushed the aircraft back to the starting point. We
needed every bit of space if we were to get off the ground.
Several more attempts ended with the same result and we
Bulletin Houston Geolog~calSoclety. April 1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
GUATEMALA
FIELD TRIP-VACATION
2 W E E K S I N A U G U S T
NOAM-CARIB PLATE BOUNDARY
CRETACEOUS SUTURE ZONE
MODERN TRANSFORM FAULTING
QUATERNARY VULCANISM
PLUS
CLASSIC MAYAN RUINS
INDIAN MARKETS
INCOMPARABLE SCENERY
Approx. $ 1 5 5 0 from IAH
CONTACT: Dr. R i c h a r d C. Finch
Box 5 0 6 2 T.T.U.
Cookeville, T N 3 8 5 0 5
L i m i t e d to 1 0 p a r t i c i p a n t s
were quickly becoming discouraged. Eventually the Beaver
began to move and we gradually picked up speed as the
wheels begin to rise from the soft sand. As we moved acoss
the length of the dune, our exhilaration was quickly
extinguished by the rapidly approaching grass clumps. The
pilot was committed, s o there was no turning back. I was
sitting in the copilot's seat and the only thing that crossed
my mind was of the landing gear striking one of the clumps
and flipping the plane on its back. The pilot skillfully
maneuvered around the clumps and soon we were climbing
away from the dunes.
Once we had established our location the previous
evening we thought the 25 gallons of gas would be enough to
get us to Tidjikda if we could find it. When we radioed the
C G G base camp we told them to contact the airstrip at
Tidjikda to be sure their navigational beacon was turned on
all the following day. Ordinarily it is only turned on when an
aircraft is expected, explaining why we did not pick it up the
previous day when we were running out of gasoline.
After we gained sufficient altitude, the Tidjikda beacon
came in clear and we knew we were home free if the fuel held
out. After flying about 1%hours with nervous anticipation,
we spotted the outcrops, followed by the beautiful oasis of
the village. The airstrip looked like JFK Airport to us. Upon
landing, we found there were only two gallons of fuel
remaining.
Mr. Hurt and I decided after refueling that we did not
wish to make another attempt at finding the Mauritania
seismic crew s o we proceeded to Nouakchott, the capital of
Mauritania. We were met by several officials of Petty-Ray
and C G G who were showing obvious signs of relief. After
22
 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

learning of our predicament the previous day several had REMEMBRANCES

caught overnight flights from London and Paris to
Nouakchott to assist in our rescue. Needless to say, they John D. Bremsteller, January 23,.1992.
were already working toward improving navigation equip- John F. Flannery, February 3, 1992.
ment for their crews.
Walter and I returned to Dakar and then proceeded to Henry L. Grant, January 20, 1992.
Bamako, Mali and on to Timbuktu by commercial airlines, Robert L. (Bob) Kite, November 1, 1991.
concluding with a reatively uneventful trip to the seismic
crew in Mali. Baird B. Mason, December 30,1991.
This type of adventure, although distressing, is not that
uncommon for an exploration operation in a remote area.
There were other similar incidents on the crews during my
3Yzyears in West Africa, some of which did not end as
happily. Many times I have thought about the Tuareg
nomads and been thankful for their presence that time in the
desert. I have always wondered what they throught of the
frozen turkeys, canned foods and fresh foods which we gave
them when we left.

BOBBY G. KERR-Biographical Sketch

f)
Bobby G. Kerr is Senior Vice-President of Exploration
for Great Western Resources, headquartered in Houston.
Great Western, an American company whose stock is
traded publicly on the London Stock Exchange, explores ~
throughout the United States and internationally.
Mr. Kerr received his Bachelor of Science degree in ~A~
Geology from Southern Methodist University in 1955 and
his Master of Science degree from Colorado School of
Mines in 1958. Upon graduation, he worked for Chevron
before moving to Texaco, where he worked for the next
seventeen years.
As Texaco's Exploration Supervisor and Chief Geo-
physicist for West Africa, Mr. Kerr managed exploration
programs in Mali, Mauritania, and Niger from 1971through
1974. From 1974 to 1976, he supervised Texaco's explo-
ration programs on- and offshore Portugal.
Prior to joining Great Western Resources in 1986, Mr.
Kerr serv,ed first as consultant and later as Vice President of
Exploration for a Houston independent company, L&B Oil.
Mr. Kerr has thirty-four years of exploration 'experience
in the United States, Africa, Western Europe, South
America,. and the Middle East. He is a member of the
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society
of Exploration Geophysicists, the Houston Geological
Society, and the Geophysical Society of Houston.

EDELMAN, PERCIVAL and ASSOCIATES PALYNOLOGY

Delbert W. Edelman
B IOSTRATIGRAPHERS
PALYNOLOGY, MICROPALEONTOLOGY, NANNpFOSSILS FORAMINIFERA/OSTRACODES
INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC
Charles L. McNulty
Daniel R. McKeel
MULTIDISCIPLINARY BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC SERVICES Paul R. Krutak
EXPERIENCE ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE
IN OVER 50 COUNTRIES
CALCAREOUS NANNOFOSSILS
HIGH RESOLUTION STUDIES AVAILABLE Stephen F. Percival, Jr.
544 Pierce Rd., Red Oak, Texas 75154
(214) 617.2692 (214) 723.2284 FAX (214) 617.2692

23 Bulletin Houston Geological Society, January 1992

L
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ENVIRONMENTAL/ENGINEERING
GEOLOGISTS
HGS ENVIRONMENTAL/ENGINEERlNG
COMMITTEE D I N N E R M E E T I N G
APRIL 8,1992
Time: 6:00 - 6:30 p.m., Social
6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Program
Location: Italian Market and Cafe
2615 Ella Blvd.
(behind Memorial Northwest Hospital)
Speaker: Lana Spencer, Hydrogeologist
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc.
Subject: Petrochemical Systems, Inc.: Superfund
Remedial Investigation Case Study
Career change networking'group will convene at
approximately 7:45 p.m.. Topic of discussion will include:
Steps in setting up and conducting a superfund remedial
investigation.
SITE BACKGROUND
The Petro-Chemical Superfund site is approximately
500 acres in size located about 15 miles south of Liberty,
Texas on Farm to Market Road (FM 563). Frontier Park
Road runs through the middle of the site and terminates on
the site approximately 2-1/2 miles east of FM 563. There are
rice farms immediately north of the site and heavily wooded,
undeveloped land south of the site. There are 21 residences
and one small business within a 1-mileradius of the site. The
site is currently under development for residential use. Four
families live within the site boundaries at the present time.
Aerial photographs indicate that various wastes were
stored and disposed of throughout the site. Waste disposal
activities at the site have been documented in Texas Water
Commission (TWC)records a s early a s 1971. An application
for a commercial industrial waste dis~osalpermit in the
name of Petro-Chemical Systems 1nc.; was iiled with the
State of Texas in that year and included a detailed site
development program. After public hearings were held and
additional technical information was evaluated in response
to a citizen's suit, the State's approval for the application
was withheld indefinitely. In 1974, Petro-Chemical withdrew
the application. The site has since been subdivided into 5-
and 15-acre sites and sold for residential development.
In 1982, TWC collected soils samples from areas of the
site used for waste disposal. These samples indicated the
presence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in
concentrations as high as 1100 ppm. Additional soil and
ground-water samples were taken by TWC in March 1984,
and by EPA in December 1984. Samples taken along
Frontier Park Road were contaminated with the same
contaminants found in TWC soil samples taken in 1982, but
at lower concentrations.
In October 1984, the site was added to the National
Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites that pose a
potential threat to public health and the environment. In
1
Bulletln Houston Geolog~calSoc~ety,A p r ~ 1992
l
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
March 1985, TWC contracted with Lockwood, Andrews &
Newnam to perform a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study (RI/FS) for the site. This work was performed
through a cooperative agreement between EPA and TWC.
EPA and TWC decidgd to first address contamination along
Frontier Park Road (referred to a s Operable Unit #1) and
conducted an RI/FS for the road from January to November
1986. The results of this investigation indicated that several
sections of Frontier Park Road were contaminated with
benzene and naphthalene. As a result of this investigation, a
Frontier Park Road ROD, signed on March 27, 1987,
outlined a remedial action calling for the excavation of
approximately 5,900 cubic yards of soil. The excavated
material was placed in a temporary, above-ground landfill on
site. The excavated area was backfilled with clean soil and
the entire length of the road was paved. This work was
completed in August 1988.
In June 1988, TWC and EPA initiated additional
studies, through their cooperative agreement, to define the
extent and magnitude of cdntamination in the waste disposal
areas (referred to as Operable Unit #2) at the Petro-
Chemical site. The investigation included field sampling and
treating of surface and subsurface soil, sediment, surface
water, ground water, and air at and near the site. This
investigation focused on three areas of contamination at the
site: the Main Waste Area, the East Disposal Area, and the
Bayou Disposal Area. The contaminants of concern identi-
fied at the site include lead, VOCs (such a s benzene), and
PAHs (such as naphthalene). The results of this investiga-
tion and the risks presented at the site were reported in an
RI Report submitted to EPA by TWC in November 1990.
TWC and EPA used the results of the RI to identify and
evaluate various alternatives for addressing the contami-
nation at the site. This evaluation was reported in an FS
Report submitted to EPA in March 1991.
INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
Log digitizing
PETROPHYSICS Log data management
PLUS Shaly sand/muttiple l i i analysis
cross plots/histoerams
Depth crosss sections
Pay summary reports
Read US tapes
MlCROUS Rapid scans of tape structure
Summary report8 of tape oonbnb
Transfer selected data to ASClVbinery
Write multiple LIS files from ASClVMnary
from Loren & Associates Inc.
PC SOFTWARE F ~ 71
X 3-780-2s~~
T ~71
I 3-780-)1708
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
ENVIRONMENTAL BRIEF
L A N D DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS
FOR SOIL
Reprinted with permission from the Groundwater
Technology RCRAICERCLA Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 5,
DecemberIJanuary 1992.
EPA is requesting comments in the October 24, 1991
Federal Register (56 FR 55160) on treatment technologies
to establish treatment standards for soil classified as a
hazardous waste. Hazardous waste may be disposed of in a
land-based unit (landfill, surface impoundment, or waste
pile) only if the waste meets treatment standards established
by the land disposal restriction regulations in 40 CFR 268.
Treatment standards are established as concentration
levels (total and/or extract) or as a treatment technology
such as incineration or solidification. The treatment stan-
dards were established based on industrial hazardous waste
streams, and not on soil or debris which may be classified as
hazardous waste. Soil and debris often cannot feasiblv be
treated to meet the land disposal restrictions.
EPA is evaluating Best Demonstrated Available Tech-
nologies (BDAT) for treating contaminated soil. The BDAT
is used to establish treatment standards. EPAis considering
nine categories of treatment technologies for contaminated
- -
soil: (1) biological treatment; (2) chemical extraction; (3) soil
washing; (4) dechlorination; (5) low-temperature thermal
desorption; (6) high-temperature distillation; (7) thermal
destruction; (8) stabilization; and (9) vitrification. Despite
the identification of treatment technologies, EPA favors
concentration-based treatment standards in order to give
the regulated community flexibility to use varied tech-
nologies for treatment.
EPA is considering measurement of the maximum
allowable concentration for organic compounds in soil
classified as hazardous waste as a total concentration. The
concentration levels for organic compounds would be
established by structural and functional chemical groups as
is currently done under the Superfund soil treatability
variance. The concentration for metals would be measured
in an extract using the toxicity characteristic leaching
procedure (TCLP). The concentration levels for metals may
be the DO04 through DO11 TCLP hazardous waste con-
centrations.
Soil is classified as a hazardous waste uDon removal
from the subsurface when it contains any detectable
concentration of a listed hazardous waste (or that waste's
hazardous constituents). This is EPA's "contained-in" policy
documented in EPA correspondence and Federal Register
preambles. Soil is also classified as a hazardous waste upon
removal from the subsurface if the soil is contaminated and
exhibits a hazardous waste characteristic. The October 24,
1991Federal Register notice states that EPA is considering
codifying the contained-in policy when the land disposal
restrictions are promulgated for contaminated soil by
25
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
determining that once a contaminated soil meets the
applicable treatment standards, it no longer contains the
hazardous waste, and therefore, is no longer subject to
RCRA Subtitle C (hazardous waste) requirements.
A discussion of demonstrated treatment technologies
and treatment capacities for the following wastes is also
included in the October 24, 1991 Federal Register notice:
listed wastes from wood preserving operations and
primary aluminum reduction;
characteristic hazardous wastes generated by the
mining and mineral processing industries; and
newly identified TCLP hazardous waste identified
as DO04 through D043.
Dolan & Associates
Pakistan Non-Exclusive Reports
Pakistan is a country which has substantial undeveloped and
undiscovered petroleum potenfial. The Pakistan Government
has recently introduded new incentives to anract international
exploration companies into the region. In 1987 Dolan B
Associates completed a major geological and economic study
of the exploration potential of this exciting petroleum province
in a report entitled:
PAKISTAN: REGIONAL GEOLOGY AND
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION POTENTIAL
Following on from the considerable success of our 1987
study we collaborated with Earth Satellite Corporation in
1988 to produce a remote sensing study entitled:
TECTONIC SYNTHESIS OF PAKISTAN
FOR PETROLEUM EXPLORATION
The primary element of this report Is a set of 32 Multispectral
Scanner (MSS) Landsat images which have been interpreted
at a scale of 1: 500,000. The regional perspective afforded
by the images gives fresh insight into the prospectivity of the
region.
For further information about these reports
please contact:
Peter Dolan Gus Wilson
3 Old Lodge Place 8810 Harwin, Suite 154
St. Margarets, Twlckenham Houston
Mlddlesex, TW1 lRQ, England Texas. 77036, USA
Tel: (081)891 0084 Tel: (713) 781 1930
Fax: (081) 892 7094 Fax: (713) 973 2055
Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
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PERMIAN BASINIMID-CONTINENT Oklahoma Geology Notes

EXPL 0RA T I 0NIS TS Papers Solicited

PERMIAN BASIN AND MID-CONTINENT

EXPLORATIONISTS MEETING-
TUESDAY, APRIL 2 1 , 1 9 9 2
Post Oak Doubletree Inn, 6:00 p.m.

Our speaker will be John M. Turmelle from Columbia

Gas Development in Houston. His topic will be a field study
of Heluma and King Mountain Fields in Upton County,
Texas. These oil fields produce from the Ellenburger and
the Devonian on large structures along the boundary
between the Central Basin Platform and the Midland basin.
King Mountain Field was discovered in 1955 and has
produced five and one-half million BO from 17 wells in the
Ellenburger. The Devonian contributed one and one-half
million BO from 21 wells. Subsurface mapping shows that a
backthrust fault with 150'of throw lies along the crest of the
structure.
Heluma Field was discovered in 1956 and produced
two million BO from only four wells in the Ellenburger. The
Devonian had marginal reserves up-hole. The highest well
on the structure encountered what appeared to be a nearly
vertical fault downthrown to the east. Fifteen years passed
before more drilling extended the field. The Texas Pacific #1
Mobil-Cook crowded the fault.. .and came in 500' structural-
ly high at the Devonian level. The backthrust fault created a HOWELL DRILLING, INC.
trap in the hanging wall which has produced over four
million BO from the Devonian. Karst features present in the
Ellenburger at Heluma Field gave a false and misleading DRILLING CONTRACTOR.
structure top which also inhibited development drilling. OIL 8 GAS OPERATOR.
These field studies can serve as analogs for step out EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION.
locations next to your oil field. Perhaps the big pay is one
more location toward that fault zone. SEEKING TO ACQUIRE W.I.
IN QUALITY PROSPECTS.
HGS Members: $20.00
Non-Members: $22.00 35 YEARS EXPERIENCE
DRILLING IN SOUTH TEXAS.
RELIABLE RIGS CAPABLE OF
DRILLING WELLS FROM
8,000'to 16,000'
"HORIZONTA~' EXPERIENCE

1 HESS 1 E.E. BURNS. PRESIDENT

0. LEWIS SMITH, PET ENGINEER
RICHARD HOUDE, GEOLOGIST
M.L.CARR, LANDMAN
AMERADA HESS CORPORATION ENERGY PLAZA
8610 N. New Braunfels,Suite 711
U. S. EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION
Son Antonio.Texos 78217

1201 LOUISIANA, SUITE 700

HOUSTON, TX. 77002
(713) 658-9770

B u l l e t ~ nHouston G ~ o l o q l c a Society
l Aprll 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

for over tfiiwyears G E ~ I

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Houston, Texas 77002
MEMBERSHIPS A V A I L A B L E

Bullettn Houston G e o l o q l ~ dSoclety.

l April 1992
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OPINION

H G S NEEDS TAKE STAND

by Robert B. Rieser,
Chair, Environmental/Engineering Geology Committee
Groundwater Technology Government Services, Inc.
Houston

Deet Schumacher's Opinion article printed in the
March, 1992 issue of the Bulletin concerning community
outreach effortsby HGS points out a very important aspect
of HGS which does not receive adequate press. It is in the
HGS Bylaws that one of the functions of the Environmental
and ~ngineeringGeology Committee is to "provide a source
of information on matters of environmental and engineering
geological concern to the Society and t o the community
at large ..." (emphasis added). In the past, the Environ-
mental Committee has disseminated information to the
public in one form or another. I agree that more can and
should be done in this regard. There are, however, a few
points that need to be expanded upon relative to the
Environmental Committee's experience with outreach
programs.
During December, 1989,the Environmental Committee
sponsored a program on the construction of Sam Houston
Tollway across the Long Point Fault. The meeting was held
at the Piccadilly Cafeteria, Memorial Shopping Center, very
near where the overpass crosses the fault. The meeting was
advertised in the Houston Chronicle as well as local
neighborhood papers. The meeting was well attended with
approximately 120 individuals. However, a poll taken during
the meeting indicated that less than 10%of those attending
were from the local community (i.e.: the non-scientific
community). For a subject as poignant a s the construction
of a major overpass across an active fault, one would think
pGblic interest would be greater, if for no other reason than
for safety concerns. The public apparently was not interest-
ed enough to attend a meeting.
A review by knowledgeable HGS members of the
published Chronicle article for the above event revealed
numerous technical errors in the form of misquotes or
erroneous reporting of facts collected during interviews.
This points out the difficulty in working with the public
sector on technical matters.
Between fiscal years 1989 and 1991, the Environmental
Committee tried to sponsor a field trip with Langham Creek
High School (a Cy-Fair District school). The first attempt
was canceled by the school one week before the scheduled
trir, due to conflicts with other student events which the
school failed to consider when planning the trip. The
following school year, a second trip was scheduled well in
advance, with the idea of incorporating the trip into a newly-
offered earth science course. The trip never made it past the
drawing board due to a lack of student interest, teacher
interest, or organization at the school. The Committee,
however, was ready to go at a moment's notice. All we
needed was a commitment from the school.
The "Fault Map" for Harris County, specifically
targeted by Deet in his article, was a hot topic for the
Environmental Committee two years ago. This was a
project which would produce greatly needed information for
the public, and considerable unwanted attention for HGS.
The HGS Board discouraged the project because of legal
liabilities. The project died before it reached the drawing
board.
It seems to me the HGS Board has backed away from
controversial issues in the past. It is my understanding that
the HGS representative on the Engineering Council of
Houston (ECH) has never taken a stand on any significant
issue put to vote by the Council. The HGS representative,
under instruction from the HGS Board, has always
abstained on critical issues. The Council has discussed and
voted to take official positions on such issues as the
Galveston Bay Ship Channel deepening, and the Wallisville
Reservoir project. (If I am wrong on this issue, someone
please write a letter to the editor and let me, as well as the
rest of the Society, know otherwise.) If the HGS doesn't or
can't take a stand with the rest of the scientific/engineering
community on critical issues affecting the community, how
can one expect the HGS to support the Environmental
Committee's efforts to educate and inform the ~ u b l i con
sensitive issues? Issues the public sector has sought in-
formation on include the following: natural radon in ground-
water supplies, and where these "hot spots" occur and why;
problems with constructing homes/businesses on flood
plains and identifying these areas for home owners/realtors;
the fault map project mentioned earlier; the possible impact
of Superfund sites on surrounding neighborhoods; the

B u l l e t ~ nHouston Geolog~calSoc~ety,A p r ~ 1992

l 28
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

impact or potential impact of storing hazardous waste in salt
domes, or more specifically, the potential effect of the
proposed construction of a toxic waste facility by Hunter
Industrial Facilities, Inc. in Liberty County for storage of
toxic waste in the Dayton Salt Dome. These are only a few
topics of concern to the general public, all controversial.
Environmental issues are a hot topic these days. Ask any
lawyer.
The need for geologic input to explain natural disasters
has been recently voiced by Rufus LeBlanc, Sr. His
excellent on-the-spot investigations of flooding along the
Brazos and Trinity Rivers, has made him painfully aware of
the need to inform home owners and realtors of potential
problems when selecting a location to call home. He has also
stated many times the need for the scientific community
(ihe HGS) to keep the news media properly informed so as
to prevent errors in "news" coverage. I wonder though, who
would be the official spokesperson? Would the HGS news
release need to be screened by HGS Board members before
it was released as the official statement? Would that official
statement then be so innocuous as to be functionally
worthless?
Deet's suggestion regarding HGS community involve-
ment, to provide sound information as well as advice and
education, is an excellent idea. But how will it be executed?
Are we going to "tip-toe through the tulips" or are we going
to address issues of concern to the public? What is HGS
ready to accept? Perhaps we should ask the lawyers.

DON'T LOOK AT ANOTHER DRlLLlNG SAMPLE OR INDUCTION LOG UNTIL YOU

COMPLETE THIS COURSE!

The Hydrocarbon Well Logging Workshop is a Instructors:

technological "boot camp" designed to transform
you into a skilled and confident interpreter of Randall Amen, President and Systems Design Engineer
hydrocarbon indicators encountered while drilling. Wayne S. Greb, C.P.G., Wellsite Specialist
The course is information-based, computer assisted, Criterion Systems Corporation
and driven by the most advanced generation of 512-651-9343
hydrocarbon detection technologies and analytical
methods. Date and Time:

Saturday, April 11,1992

Course Focus: 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
Location to be announced
* Decision Making
* Fundamentals and Advances Registration and Cost:
* Quantifymg Hydrocarbon Indicators
* Borehole Prognosis Advanced Registration only
* Log Resolution Enrollment limited
* Hydrocarbon logging as Science Send $20 to:
* Finding Oil and Gas Houston Geological Society
7171 Harwin, #314
Each participant will be provided with a computer Houston, Texas 77036
for use during the course. Content: 0.4 CEU

Sponsored by the Continuing Education Committee of your Houston Geological Society

29 8 u l l f t 1 nHouston G r o l a q ~.ili Soi r t y April 1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
--
FEATURE
INCREMENTAL GAS RESERVOIR DEVELOPMENT
IN FLUVIAL-DELTAIC PLAYS
OF T H E GULF COAST:
A Joint Research Effort by the Gas Research Institute,
the U.S. Department of Energy, and the State of Texas*
by Raymond A. Levey, Richard P. Langford, Bob A. Hardage, Jeffry D. Grigsby,
William A. Ambrose, Robert J. Finley, and Edgar H. Guevara
Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas a t Austin
University Station, Box X, Austin, TX 78713-7508
Bureau of Economic Geology
The Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), established
in 1909 as the successor to the Texas Mineral Survey, is a
research entity of The University of Texas at Austin. It also
functions as the State Geological Survey, a quasi-State
agency. Dr. William L. Fisher is the Bureau Director, and
represents Texas in the Association of American State
Geologists. Located at The University of Texas at Austin's
Balcones Research Center, the Bureau is one of the largest
public-sector geoscience research organizations in the
United States. The Bureau is the lead technical contractor
for the Infield Natural Gas Reserve Growth Joint Venture
(Secondary Gas Recovery [IGR] project).
Dr. Robert J. Finley is the Bureau's Associate
Director responsible for the natural gas and coal research
programs. Rob is the IGR Project Director and is immediate
past Chairman of the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists Committee on Development Geology.
Dr. Raymond A. Levey is a Research Scientist and
Deputy Associate Director for Natural Gas research. Ray
has been active in domestic energy research exploration
and production since 1978, focusing on sequence analysis
and sedimentology of gas, oil, and coal deposits.
Dr. Richard P. Langford is an expert in stratigraphic
analysis and sedimentology. He is conducting research in
these areas to define reservoir flow units.
Dr. Bob A. Hardage has 26 years of industry exper-
ience in geophysical research spe-cializing in vertical seismic
profiling, seismic stratigraphy, and cross well borehole
seismic analysis.
Dr. Jeffry D. Grigsby is conducting petrographic and
geochemical analyses of gas reservoirs in South Texas to
define diagenetic variability and resultant reservoir quality.
Mr. William A. Ambrose is a sedimentologist and
stratigrapher with 10 years of experience in reservoir
characterization and regional stratigraphic studies of
hydrocarbon-bearing formations in the Texas Gulf Coast.
Dr. Edgar H. Guevara was a Research Scientist with
the Bureau who is currently with the Venezuelan national oil
company.
*Publication authorized by the Director, Bureau of Economic Geology, The
University of Texas at Austin.
Bulletin Houston Geological Society. A p r ~ 1992
l
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
INTRODUCTION
The Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), The Univer-
sity of Texas at Austin, is the lead technical contractor for
the Incremental Natural Gas Recovery (IGR) project, which
is funded by the Gas Research Institute (GRI) (Chicago, IL),
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) (Morgantown, WV),
and the State of Texas through BEG. Secondary natural gas
refers to natural gas resources not produced during the
original development of the field that could be accessed
using state-of-the-art integrated methods of producing
incremental gas from mature gas fields. It does not include
gas produced from existing completions or through pro-
duction mechanisms such as water or carbon dioxide
injection.
The objective of this multiyear research project, titled
"Secondary Natural Gas Recovery: Targeted Technology
Applications for Infield Reserve Growth," is to develop, test,
and verify technologies and methodologies with near-to
mid-term potential for maximizing recovery of gas from
conventional porosity and permeability reservoirs in known
fields. The project is designed to investigate (1)stratigraphic
and (2) diagenetic compartmentalization of gas reservoirs
and ultimately bring on production from new infield reser-
voirs, untapped reservoir compartments, incompletely
drained reservoirs, and bypassed gas (Fig. 1). The research
effort uses a field-orientedmultidisciplinary approach that
integrates geology, geophysics, engineering, and petro-
physics. BEG is responsible for all geological and geo-
physical analysis and interpretation. Subcontracts for seis-
mic acquisition and processing have primarily involved
Halliburton Geophysical Services, Western Geophysical,
and Seismograph Services Company. Project-designed
reservoir engineering tests and interpretation are subcon-
tracted to Research and Engineering Consultants, Inc.
(Englewood, CO). Formation evaluation of well logs and
reservoir properties is handled by ResTech Houston, Inc.
Project field operations, which are monitored by Enviro-
corp Services and Technology (Houston),include coopera-
tive data collection in actively drilling wells, selective
engineering testing within previously drilled wells, and
seismic acauisition.
The interest, cooperation, and support of gas opera- .
tors have been crucial to the success of the IGR project.
Data collection and interpretation efforts have focused on .
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

WILCOX GROUP
The Wilcox plays in Texas account for more than 11
Producing r e S e ~ 0 k
Tcf of gas produced through 1986. Wilcox deltaic reservoirs
are being investigated in the Lake Creek field of Mont-
gomery County, which was discovered in 1941 and pro-
duced more than 120 Bcf of gas through 1989. Close
cooperation with Mobil Exploration and Production U.S.,
Inc., has resulted in three IGR project cooperative wells
between 1989 and 1991. Whole cores, incremental logs
including wireline pressure tests, resistivity measurement
4
Depleled
compartment

"i
Deeper pod reservoir
b
OIlIIL
Fig. 1. diagrammatic sketch of reservoir-compartment
terminology.
three major sandstone plays in the Gulf Coast Basin. In
stratigraphically ascending order these are the Wilcox
Deltaic Sandstone in the Houston Embayment, the Vicks-
burg Deltaic Sandstone in the Rio Grande Embayment, and
the Frio Fluvial/Deltaic Sandstone along the Vicksburg
fault zone. Cumulative production through 1986from these
three plays exceeds 18 Tcf of gas in reservoirs that are more
than 10 Bcf (Fig. 2). Four gas fields in the Gulf Coast Basin
have been the sites of project data collection, analysis, and
interpretation: Lake Creek, McAllen Ranch, Seeligson, and
Stratton.
while drilling, microresistivity borehole images, dipole sonic
logs, and vertical seismic profiles (VSP's) are being used to
investigate fluvial-deltaic reservoir heterogeneity in gas
reservoirs of the late-Paleocene to early-Eocene age in the
lower Wilcox Group at depths of greater than 9,000 ft.
Gas-productive reservoir facies are primarily delta-front
and distributary-channel-fill sandstones. Although indivi-
dual lower Wilcox reservoirs are not seismicallv resolvable.
interpretations of well logs and cores show that four
operational reservoirs in the G-sandstone are related to at
least four parasequences of the lower Wilcox Rockdale
delta system. Stratigraphic architecture of gas reservoir
units shows that laterally extensive, sandstone-rich delta-
front facies are capped by transgressive delta-destructional
sandstones. Permeability analvsis indicates that the
channel-mouth-bar and-adjacent distributary-channel
sandstones are potential "sweet spots" that may represent
the best opportunity for incremental gas reserves in strati-
graphically controlled parts of the delta complex.
The depositional framework of the G-sandstone in
Lake Creek field appears to be similar to that of parts of
outcrops of the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone in central
Utah. GRI-sponsored studies of the Ferron Sandstone are

Carbonate
--‘'.
I

--
- 0 60 120 krn

182 Tcf cumulative gas production

- Wilcox fault zone
Vicksburg fault zone

Major Texas reservoirs

QA17138c

Fig. 2. Lithologic distribution of gas production from major Texas gas reservoirs and location map illustrating the boundaries of
the three major gas plays and fields being investigated by the Secondary Natural Gas Recovery project (modified from Kosters
et al., 1989).
Continued on page 42
31 R u l l e t ~ nHouston G f ~ o l a g l c d Soclet).
l April 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

SHORT-COURSE - FIRST TIME OFFERING

The HGS Continuing Education Committee presents:

C R E A T I V E O I L FINDING
Date: Friday, May 8, 1992, 7:30 AM 4:30 PM -
Instructors: Ted B e a u m o n t , Oil & Gas Consultant, Tulsa, OK
Chris Welsh, President, Mastery of Learning, Houston, TX
Location: Arnoco Production Company, 550 WestLake Park Blvd.
(between Eldridge and Hwy. 6, and between Memorial and Interstate 10)
Room 1188 (11th floor) WestLake Ill
WestLake Ill is the gray building across the street to the west of the main
Amoco building.
Parking: na area, garage to the west of WestLake Ill, or in the main
Amoco garage.
Fee: $70 before April 24 ($80 after April 24)
. .
( F Q ~HGS members onl\r. Cl-lted to 251

In order to survive, we need to start finding significant amounts of petroleum. To do this, we

must create better exploration concepts. The purpose of this course is to teach geoscientists how to
be more creative in their approach to finding oil and gas.
Explorationsists cannot create oil and gas ... they create concepts that lead to the discovery of
oil and gas. Only two or three percent of people apply creative skills naturally. This correlates well
with studies in various major companies that show only two or three percent of geoscientists can be
directly linked to the discovery of commercial oil and gas fields. How can the other 97% of
geoscientists ever hope to find oil and gas?
Tests done at several universities demonstrate that creative skills can be learned and applied.
This is the underlying theme of the course: that geoscientists can learn the creative skills necessary
to enhance their ability to find oil and gas. Exposure to the theory and practice of being creative in
petroleum exploration can give geoscientists a start toward their ultimate goal of being "oil finders."

During the course, participants will

learn how to develop their creative and thinking skills;
learn how the creative process is applied in petroleum exploration;
learn about conceptual blocks common in exploration and how to avoid them;
do exercises that give insight into the importance and uses of visualization in exploration.

Who should attend? Anyone who wants to explore the possibility that by enhancing their thinking
skills, they will become more effective oil-finders. This includes geologists, geophysicists and
engineers in both production and exploration.

About the instructors: Ted Beaumont is an editor of the AAPG Treatise of Petroleum Geology,
an AAPG course instructor, and has been researching the creative aspects of oil finding for the past 7
years. Chris Welsh has lead workshops on creativity and learning techniques for the past 13 years,
and was the course leader for the highly successful HGS "Mastery of Learning Workshop" in February,
1991.

Registration: To register, mail check, name, phone #, and course name to: Houston
Geological Society, 7171 Harwin, Suite 314, Houston Texas, 77036.

. p r ~ 1992
B u l l ~ t l nHouston Geolog~calS o c l ~ t y A l 32
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APR. CALENDAR of EVENTS

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
1 2 3 4

HGS TENNIS
TOURNAMENT
Westside Tennu
Club

5 6 7 8 9 10 11
HGS SHORT
HGS ENVJENG. COURSE
Committee Mtg. SPWLA Westsde
Italian Mkt. Luncheon
R. Amen & W.Greb
"Hydrocarbon
& Cafe WeU Logging"

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

SEG
Short Course
Aprll 12 & 13
DINNER MEETING
Dick Banks
Post Oak Dbltree / D~nnerMeet~ng
AwG
Sandy Vlllas
Mornngs~deThan
1 HGA Event &
Luncheon
W~ldflowerFrlds &
The Ferns 1912
SPWLA Greenspoxnt
Luncheon
SIPES Luncheon
Petroleum Club
AAPGISEPM Southwest Sectlon Meetlng M~dland,Apr~l12 15

19 20 21 22 23 24 25
HGS INT'L HGS
DINNER MEETING PERMIANIMID-CONT.
I. Moretti DINNER MEETING
Post Oak Dbltree John M. Turmelle
GSH Luncheon Post Oak Dbltree
Stuart Fagnn SPWLA Galler~a
Houston~an Luncheon

26 27 28 29 30

SPWLA Downtown HGS LUNCHEON

Luncheon Louis W. Powers
Gas Resource lnst Houston Club
Workshop
AAPGISEPM Pac~flcSect~onMtg ,Sacramento, Apr 29-May 1

GEO-EVENTS
MEETINGS d
IN HOUS'TON GSH Noon Luncheon, Stuart Fagin, "Modeling of
HGS Environmental/Engineering Geology Com- Geologic Structures", Houstonian, 11:30 a.m., Apr. 20.
mittee Meeting, Italian Market, 2615 Ella Blvd., 6:00 p.m., HGS International Dinner Meeting, Isabelle
Apr. 8. Moretti, "Gulf of Suez Geology", Post Oak Doubletree Inn,
SPWLA Westside Luncheon, Holiday Inn-Houston 5 3 0 P.m., A P ~20.
.
West (1-10 at Hwy 6), 11:30 a.m., Apr. 9. HGS Permian BasinIMid-Continent Dinner
HGS D~~~~~M ~~~~k ~~ ~ ~ ~ Ck~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~Meeting,"Heluma
~U , l ,~ ~ - ~ and King~ Mountain ~ Fields",~John M.~
cations and Mappingm,Post Oak Doubletree Inn, 5:30 p.m., Tu'melle, Post Oak Doubletree Inn, 6100 P.m., APr. 21.
Apr. 13. SPWLA Galleria Luncheon, Marriott Galleria, 1750
West Loop South, 11:30 a.m., Apr. 21.
AWG Dinner Meeting, Sandy Villas, "Ten Com-
mandments to Networking", Morningside Thai Restaurant, SPWLA Downtown Luncheon, Shell Plaza Club,
6710 Morningside Drive, 6:OO-8:00 p.m., Apr. 14. (If planning 4900 One 11:30 a.m., Apr. 28.
to attend, call Anglia Sweet, 556-7067). HGS Luncheon, Louis W. Powers, "U.S. Oil
SEG Gulf Coast Meeting, J . W. Marriott Hotel & Vulnerability", Houston Club, 11:30 a.m., Apr. 29.
Conference Center, Apr. 14-16. AROUND THE COUNTRY
HGA Event, "Wild Flowers, Tame Women", Tour of AAPGISEPM Southwest Section Meeting, Midland
Wildseed Inc.'s Wildflower Fields, 10:OO a.m., Lunch at The Center, Midland, Apr. 12-15.
Ferris 1912, 11:30 a.m., Apr. 15. AAPGISEPM Pacific Section Meeting, Sacra-
mento, California, Apr. 29-May l.
SPWLA Greenspoint Luncheon, Baroid Cafeteria, SCHOOLS AND FIELD TRIPS
3000 North Sam Houston Parkway East, 12 Noon, Apr. 16. HGS Workshop. R. Amenand W. Greb, "Hydrocarbon
SIPES Luncheon, Jim Allen, "AVO Seismic Case Well Logging, a computer Assisted ~ o i k s h o p " , Shell
Histories", Petroleum Club, 11:30 a.m., Apr. 16. Training Center, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Apr. 11.
Continued on page 41
33 Bulletin Houston Geological Societv. A ~ r i1992
l
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HGS OFFICER ELECTIONS, 1992-1993

NOMINEES FOR HGS PRESIDENT-ELECT, 1992-1993

Constitution, Article III, Sec. 2. The duties of the President shall be to preside at all meetings, call special meetings,
appoint such committees as are not provided for in the constitution, and jointly with the Secretary and the Treasurer sign all
written contracts and other obligations of the Society.
Article III,Sec. 3. The President ,Elect willserve as a member of the Finance Committee, and on the Board of Directors of
the Houston Geological Society Memorial Scholarship Fund. This person shall prepare to serve as President and, in the
absence of the President, shall assume the duties of that office. If the President is not able to complete the term, the
President-Elect shall assume that office for the remainder of the administrative year, and shall also serve the following
presidential term.

JOHN M. BIANCARDI DEAN N. MALO UTA

Academic Academic
Training: Training:
1973 Stanford University, M.S. Geology 1977 University of Southern California, M,S. Geology
1972 University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.S. Geology 1975 Queens College, C.U,N,Y., BA Geology
Experience: Experience:
1978-Present Petroleum Geologist - Prospect Generation 1991- Present Manager Geology Research, Shell Development Co.
and Sales, Houston, Texas 1990-91 Manager Geology, Shell Western E & P
(Retainers: Paraffine Oil Corporation, J3 Oil 1988-90 Geology Research, Shell Development Co.
Corporation, Lauritzen Energy, Inc.)
1985-88 Pecten International Co.
1976-78 Shenandoah Oil Corporation, Gulf Coast Division 1977-85 Geologist, Shell Oil Company
Houston, Texas
1976-77 Cal. State Univ., LA., Lecturer, Oceanography
1973-76 Tenneco Oil Company, Gulf Coast Division Professional
Houston, Texas Affiliations: AAPG, HGS, SEPM, Sigma Xi
Professional Professional
Activities:
Affiliations: HGS, AAPG, SIPES 1990-91 GCAGS Program Chairman, 1991 Convention
Professional 1989- Present AAPG House of Delegates
Activities: HGSj AAPG Membership Committee
1991-92 HGS Vice President (Technical Program Chairman)
1991 Houston G.c.A.C.S Short Course Committee
Chairman
1990-91 HGS Poster Sessions Committee, Chairman
1990 SIPES National Convention (Houston) Advertisers
Committee
1989-91 SIPES Continuing Education, Chairman
1984- Present HGS Continuing Education Committee,
Chairman, 1988-89, 1989-90
1973-79 Member Mesozoic Geologists of the Gulf Coast,
Chairman 1976

Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992 34

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NOMINEES FOR HGS VICE PRESIDENT. 1992-1993

Article III,Sec. 4. The duties of the Vice President shall be to serve as Chairman of the Technical Program Committee
and, in the ab§ence of the President and President-Elect, to assume the duties of the President for no longer than the
remainder of the administrative year.

GEORGE KRONMAN DWIGHT "CLINT" MOORE

Academic I
Academic
Training: Training:
1987 University of Houston, University Park, 1978 Southern Methodist University, B.A. Geology
M.B.A. Finance 1978 Southern Methodist University, B.B.A. Finance
1979 State University of New York (Fredonia),
M.S. Geology
Experience:
1976 1987-Present Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
State Univers)tyof New York (Cortland), B.S. Geology
Staff Geologist-Offshore Gulf of Mexico
Experience: 1986-87 Diamond Shamrock Corporation (now Maxus Energy)
1980.Present Amoco Production Company Senior Business Analys(Corporate Planning
1979.80 Tennessee Division of Geology & Develop.
1978-86 Diamond Shamrock Corporation
Professional
Geologist.offshore Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic,
Affiliations: HGS, AAPG (CPG #3922), GSA, SEPM, Sigma Xi and California
Professional
Activities: Professional
1992 AAPG Bulletin Associate Editor Affiliations: AAPG, HGS, GSA, SPWLA, SPE, SEPM, NOGS,
1991 GCAGS Convention Awards Chairman DGS, STGS, SCA, AAPG Certified Petroleum
1991 Geologist #3785
HGS Distinguished Service Award
1989.91 HGS Bulletin Editor Professional
1988-89 HGS Bulletin Committee Activities:
1988 AAPG National Convention Matson Award 1990.Present HGS/NOGS Joint Project Chairman, "Productive
Committee Co-chairman Low Resistivity Petrophysical Well Logs of the
1986.88 HGS Undergraduate Scholarship Foundation.Trustee Offshore Gulf of Mexico" . due to be published late
1986.88 HGS Awards and Student Loans Committee 1992.
Chairman 1990. Present HGS Project Co. Chairman of IMAX.HMNS Annual
1985 HGS Awards Committee Guest Night Event
1982-84 HGS Boy Scout Committee 1988.Present AAPG House of Delegates
1982 GCAGS Convention Associate Editor 1990 -Present Member, HGS Technical Publications Committee
1990. Present Member, NOGS Technical Publications Committee

35 Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992

 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

NOMINEES FOR NOMINEES FOR

HGS TREASURER-ELECT, 1992-1993
Article III, Sec. 7. The duties of the Treasurer-Elect
shall be to assist the Treasurer, to become familiar with the
details of the office of Treas urer, and to ass ume the du ties of
the Treasurer in the event the Treasurer is absent. The
Treasurer-Elect shall serve for one year as such and in the
following year assume the office of Treasurer.
HGS SECRETARY, 1992-1993
Article III,Sec. 5. The duties of the Secretary shall be to
keep the Minutes of all meetings, to attend to all correspon-
dence, and jointly with the President and Treasurer, to sign
all written contracts and other obligations ofthe Society. He
shall assume the duties of the President in the absence of the
President, President-Elect and Vice President for no longer
than the remainder of the administrative year.

ANN AYERS MARTIN JEFFREY E. WALTER JOHN A. ADAMICK JEANNIE F. MALLICK

ANN AYERS MARTIN JOHN A. ADAMICK

Academic Academic
Training: Training:
1974 University of Texas at Austin, B.S. Geology 1987 Stephen F. Austin State University, M.S. Geology
Experience: 1983 Texas A&M Universtiy, B.S. Geology
1989- Present Tertiary Trends Exploration Experience:
1981-89 Northwind Exploration 1986-1992 TGS Offshore Geophysical Company, Houston
1974-81 Houston Oil and Minerals
Professional
Prafessianal Affiliations: AAPG, SEG, HGS, GSH, SWLGS, SGS
Affiliations: AAPG (CPG #4477), AWG, SIPES
Professional
Professional Activities:
Activities: 1990-92 Chairman, HGS Awards Committee
1991-92 HGS Secretary 1990-92 Member, Undergraduate Scholarship Foundation
1991-92 HGS Long Range Advisory Committee 1990-91 Chairman, GCAGS Housing Committee
1988- Present HGS Continuing Education Committee 1989-90 Chairman, HGS Arrangements Committee
1989-90 HGS Liaison to Texas A&M University
1988-90 Member, HGS Awarc;:lsCommittee
JEFFREY E. WALTER
Academic
Training: JEANNIE FISHER MALLICK
1978-80 University of New Mexico, B.S. Geology Academic
1976-78 University of Albuquerque Training:
Experience: 1981 Michigan State University, M.S. Geology
1982- Present Samedan Oil Corporation 1979 Michigan State University, B.S. Geology
1980-82 Cities Service Oil Company 1978 University of Michigan, B.S. Botany
Professional Experience:
Affiliations: HGS, APPG (CPG #4116), NMGS 1990- Present Pogo Producing Company
1986-90 TOTAL Minatome Corporation
Professional
Activities: 1984-86 Excalibur Consulting
1991-Present 1980-84 Tenneco Oil Company
Members AAPG House of Delegates
1990 AAPG National Convention San Francisco Professional
Technical Paper Judge Affiliations: AAPG, AIPG (CPG #7540, SEG, HGS, GSH,
1989- Present HGS Membership Committee SPWLA, COGS
1988 AAPG National Convention, Houston Professional
Entertaniment Committee (Symphony) Activities:
University of New Mexico Alumni Reception 1990- Present AIPG Texas Section Application
Co-Host Screening Committee
Technical Paper Judge 1989-Present AAPG House of Delegates
1987 GCAGS Convention San Antonio 1989-1990 Houston Geotech '90 Convention Manager
Technical Paper Judge 1988-89 Houston Geotech '89 Assistant Convention Manager

Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992 36

l
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

NOMINEE FOR HGS

EDITOR-ELECT, 1992-1993
Article III, ;>ec. 8. The Editor shall serve for one year
~I :rRAINING
and shall have general supervision and final authority in
soliciting, accepting, and rejecting all material on technical
subjects for publication in the Bulletin. The Editor shall Over 300
appoint, replace, and reappoint such volunteer managing
editors, associate editors, or assistant editors, from among
PETROLEUM
the Society membership as may be required to accomplish
the publication of the Bulletin.
SEMINARS in 1992
IncludIng...

"'. Quality Management Workshop

June 1-4 " New Orleans
November 9-12 " Dallas

"'. Vertical Seismic Profiling -

A Computer Workshop
June 8-12 , , Tulsa

"'. Exploration Geophysics

Workshop
June 15-19 , , Tulsa

"'" Structural Styles in

WILLIAM FEA THERGAIL WILSON Petroleum Exploration
Academic Six-Day Field Seminar
Training: June 15-20 , , Jackson Hole
1960-62 University of Texas at Austin, M.A. Geology
1958-60 University of Texas at Austin, B.S. Geology II. Structural Geology Workshop
1953-58 University of Texas at Austin, B.A. English July 6-10 " Denver
(Creative Writing)
Experience: "'. Basic Petroleum Technology
1991-Present Consultant
July 6-10 , , Colorado Springs
1977-91 Placid Oil Co.
October 26-30 , , Tulsa
1973-77 Tesoro Petroleum Corp.
1971-73 Merrill Lynch
1970-1971 Alamo Area Council of Governments II. Exploration for Carbonate
1965-1970 Consultant Reservoirs
1961-1965 Texaco Inc. July 20-24 , , Colorado Springs
Professional
Affiliations: AAPG, SEPM, AIPG, SEG, SGE, GSA, HGS, NGWA, "'. Introduction to Exploration
REM, CEA, REP, AIH, NREP, TIPRO, NAEP
Professional
Geophysics
Activities: July 27-31 " Colorado Springs
President, South Texas Geological Society
Vice President, South Texas Geological Society "'. Thermal Modeling of
Editor, South Texas Geological Society Petroleum Generation
Member, AAPG Trustee Associates August 3-7 , . Denver
Chairman of Publications, West Texas Geological
Society III. Basic Petroleum Economics
Chairman, AAPG Convention
Appeared on NOVA "World of Oil" August 10-14 " Colorado Springs

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Call 1-800-821-5933 toll-free or
918-742-7057
Fax 918-742-2272

OIL & GAS CONSULTANTS

INTERNATIONAL, INC.
World Leader in Petroleum Training

37 Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

NOMINEES FOR HGS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEMAN, 1992-1993

Article III, Sec. 7. The President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and the four executive
committeemen shall constitute an Executive Board. The Executive Board's duties shall be to receive and pass upon all
applications for membership, to appoint officers to fillvacancies occurring during the year, and to have general supervision of
the affairs of this organization.
Sec. 8. The duties of the Executive Committeemen shall be to serve on the Executive Board and to assist the President in
administrative duties.
Article III,Sec. 1. ...The tenure of executive committeemen shall be two years with two members being elected each
administrative year.

SANDI M. BARBER JEFFREY W. LUND JAMES A. RAGSDALE -PINAR YILMAZ

SANDI M. BARBER JAMES A. RAGSDALE
Academic Training: Academic Training:
1978-82 University of Houston 1957 Rice University, B.A. Geology
1977 University of Texas at Austin, M.A. Mathematics 1960 University of Texas at Austin, M.A. Geology
1974 University of Texas at Austin, B.A. Mathematics Experience:
Experience: 1983-Present Agip Petroleum Co. - Area Exploration Manager
1979-Present Union Oil Company of California (UNOCAL) 1981-83 Consultant
1977-79 Texaco Bellaire Laboratories 1978-81 Blocker Exploration Co.
Professional Affiliations: 1977-78 Watson Oil Corp.
AAPG, SEG, HGS, and GSH 1972-77 Ashland Exploration Co.
1970-72 Ada Oil Co.
Professional Activities:
1991-92 HGS Treasurer 1969-70 Sohio Petroleum Co.
1960-69 Texaco
1990-93 AAPG House of Delegates
1990-91 HGS Bulletin Committee Professional Affiliations:
1983-Present SEG Constitution & Bylaws Committee, HGS, AAPG-DPA, SIPES, AESE, GCS-SEPM, AAAS
Chair 1987-present Professional Activities:
1988-Present SEG Publicity Committee 1990-93 AAPG-DPA Advisory Board
1987 Houston Geotech 1987 Convention Coordinator 1987-90 AAPG House of Delegates
(Advisor in 1989 & 1990) 1979-81 HGS Executive Committee
1987 Arrangements Committee, 57th Annual SEG Meeting 1978-79 HGS Secretary.
1986-87 HGS Computer Applications Committee 1978-81 AAPG House of Delegates
1981-86 SEG Offshore Exploration & Oceanograph\l 1965 Assistant Editor, Deltas in Their Geologic Framework,
Committee HGS
1985-86 GSH Second Vice-President
1983-85 GSH Section Representative to SEG Council
.J.982-86 GSH Board of Directors
1982-83 GSH Secretary'
1980 Publications Chair, 50th Annual SEG Meeting
JEFFREY W. LUND PINAR OY A YILMAZ
Academic Training: Academic
1978 University of Houston, M.B.A. Finance Training:
1973 University of Houston, M.S. Geophysics 1981 University of Texas at Austin, Ph.D. Geology
1965-69 Case Western Reserve University, B.S. Geology 1978 Bryn Mawr College, M.A. Geology
Experience: 1976 Hamilton College, B.A. Geology
1991-Present Ashland Exploration, Inc., Vice President Experience:
1986-91 Meridian Oil Inc., Regional Exploration Manager 1984-Present Exxon, Research Geologist
1978-86 Southland Royalty Co., District Exploration Manager 1983-84 Mobil Oil Corporation, Denver, CO
1973-78 Clark Oil Producing Co., Senior Geologist 1980-83 Mobil Exploration and Production Services Inc.,
1969-73 Amoco Production Co., Geologist Dallas, TX
Professional Affiliations: 1977 & 79 Mineral Research and Exploration Institute of Turkey
HGS, AAPG, Houston Petroleum Club Professional
Professional Activities: Affiliations: AAPG, GSA, AGU, HGS, Turkish Geological Society
1985-1994 Member, AAPG House of Delegates Professional
1991 GCAGS Convention Entertainment Committee Activities:
Fun Run Chairman 1990-Present AAPG International Liaison Committee
1988 AAPG Convention Entertainment Committee 1990-Present Chairperson, HGS Internati6nal Explorationists
Fun Run Chairman Group
1979 HGS - Speaker's Award 1983- Present Technical Program coordinator, HGS International
1979 New Orleans Geological Society - Speakers Award Explorationists Group
1978 GCAGS - Best Paper Award

Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992 38

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

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39 Bulletin Houston Geolog~calSoclety, A p r ~ l1992

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
AWARDS
HGS OUTSTANDING
The Houston Geological Society is proud to present this year's Outstanding Student Award winners. Each year, the HGS
requests that the geology departments from six local universities select one undergraduate or graduate student who has
exemplified both academic and service achievements. These students are honored at the April HGS Dinner meeting with an
inscribed plaque and a check for two hundred and fifty dollars. The HGS congratulates all of these students and wishes them
the very best in their future endeavors. Also, the Awards Committee would like to thank Shell Oil for hosting these students on
a tour of their facilities.
EVERETT RUTHERFORD, JR.
University of Houston
Everett is working toward a
Ph.D. degree at the University of
Houston. His research interests
center around the tectonic and
structural evolution of ancient and
nascent collision belts. Additional
current or recent research includes
computer modelling of hydrothermal
metamorphism of the oceanic crust
in mid-ocean ridge environments;
tectonic escape in the evolution of
the Caribbean region; rheologic profiles in forearcs; and as a
visiting graduate fellowat the Lunar and Planetary Institute,
a remote sensing study of the Middlesboro impact structure
of Kentucky. He received both his B.S. and M.S. from the
University of Tennessee. Everett is a member of AAPG,
American Geophysical Union, GSA, Sigma Gamma Epsilon
and has been the recipient of numerous grants, scholarships
and awards, including those from AAPG Foundation,
Pennzoil, Phlillips, Texaco, U of H Geological Alumni
Association and U of H: In addition, he has several years of
petroleum industry experience. Upon completion of his
doctorate, he willbe joining Amoco Production Company in
Houston.
KENNETH C. ABDULAH
Rice University
Ken is a Ph.D. candidate in
Geology and Geophysics at Rice
University. He received his B.S. in
Geology and Applied Physics from
the University of the West Indies,
Mona, Jamaica in 1978. After gradua-
tion, he joined the Trinidad and
Tobago Oil Company where he
started work as a well-site and
development geologist. Later, he
moved into geophysics and was in-
volved in a number of seismic data acquisition and inter-
pretation projects, both onshore and offshore Trinidad. In
1989, he entered Rice's graduate program. His study area is
in the Texas continental shelf and his research focuses on
the analysis of the eustatic controls on the deposition of the
Quaternary Brazos/Colorado deltas, using high resolution
seismic data and borings.
Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
STUDENTS
K. DENISE APPERSON
University of Texas at Austin
K. Denise Apperson is complet-
ing her Ph.D. in geology at the Uni-
versity of Texas at Austin. Her
research interests include numerical
modelling of stress fields at conver-
gent margins, volcanic arc processes,
and fault-related folds. She received
a B.S. in geophysics from UT Austin
in 1987 and started graduate school
in the fall of that year. Denise is a
member of the American Geophysi-
cal Union and the Geological Society of America, and
regularly presents results of her research at their annual
meetings. She also gave a presentation at the Western
Pacific Geophysical meeting in Japan in 1990. She has
several publications with her most recent article appearing
in the November 1991 issue of Science. Denise plans to
graduate in May, and has accepted a post-doctoral position
at the Earth Sciences and Resources Institute at the
University of South Carolina in Columbia.
ZHONGF ANG LIU
Stephen F. Austin State University
Zhongfang Liu was born in
Danyang, Jiangsu Province, Peoples
Republic of China and received his
pre-college training at the Danyang
School of Jiangsu Province. He was
awarded his B.S. D~gree in 1982
from Central-South 'University of
Technology, Changsha, China. After
obtaining his B.S., he attended State
Seismological Bureau in Beijing,
China. Zongfang graduated with a
M.S. Degree in 1985 and ranked highest among thirty
graduate students in Geology (Seismotectonics). He has
published five scientific papers in China and has served as
principal investigator of a project sponsored by Chinese
Joint Earthquake Science Foundation from 1987 to 1989.
Zhongfang, known as Joe to his peers, began graduate
studies with the Geology Department at Stephen F. Austin
in 1990 and will graduate in May, 1992. His studies have
emphasized groundwater monitoring and modelling and
other environmentally related topics. Joe was awarded a
Shreveport Geological Society Scholarship for 1991-92and
is a member of Sigma Gamma Epsilon.
40
 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
ROBB A. BOREL
Lamar University
Robb is currently a senior at Lamar University with an
overall GPA of 3.61 and a geology GPA of 3.83. He is also a
recipient of the HGS Undergraduate Scholarship. His
expected graduation date is August, 1992 and his plans are
to immediately attend graduate school where he will con-
centrate in the environmental field.
PHILLIP D. HAYES
Texas A&M
Phillip, a Ph.D. candidate at
Texas A&M, received his B.S. from
the University of Arkansas in 1984
and immediately began his pursuit of
an M.S. at Texas A&M. His thesis
research focused on petrology and
diagenetic control of reservoir
parameters in the Terry Sandstone,
an important oil-bearing formation in
the Denver basin. After receiving his
M.S. in 1986, Phillip went to work for
Sun Exploration and Production where he gained Gulf
Coast and Permian basin experience. With career interests
in research or teaching in industry or academia, he moved
back to Texas A&M in September, 1988 and enrolled in the
Ph.D. program. His research interests are in the areas of
aqueous and organic geochemistry, mineralogy, and re-
source geology. Specifically, his dissertation involves
characterizing the petrology and organic geochemistry of
the Delaware Mountain Group and documenting the history
of rock-fluid interaction. The study gives a field example of
coupled organic-inorganic diagenetic processes, and high-
lights the importance of organic matter alteration in control-
ling pore fluid chemistry and the evolution of reservoir
properties during burial. Expected completion date is May
of 1992. I
a NORCEN
The McKen~e Companies
McKen~e Methane Corporation
McKen~e Petroleum Company
McKen~e Production Company
McKen~e International. Inc.
McKen~e Methane - Poland Company
7880 San Felipe, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77063
Phone: (713) 783-4300 Fax: (713) 972-3300
Telex: 373-8961 McKHou
41
L
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL
AUXILIARY
First Vice-President Joyce Champeny tells us that the
Game Day Buffet Luncheon held at the Briar Club on
March 31 was such a success that plans are being made to
make it an annual event. Under the chairmanship of Gwen
Caussey, Rosann Hooks and Joy Payne, the committee
consisted of Bonnie Ashford, Marilyn Conley, Jeannette
Coon, Mildred Davis, Janice Haye, Rosann Hooks, Bede
LeBlanc, TommyLewark, Marcy Miley, Mary Jean Pawley,
Geneva Quigley, Marian Rush, Ann Sneed, Beth Turnbull
and Daisy Wood. Not only was bridge played, but other
games as well. And what made it more fun was that there
were several opportunities to win a prize.
Our luncheon for May will be held at the Wyndham
Warwick on May 14th and the program promises to be a full
one. The committee, headed by Marilyn Harrison, Suzanne
Howell and Jan Bump, has scheduled a book review to be
given by Cecile Wavell. The book is about Christopher
Columbus. Also one of our members, Jean Richardson, will
let us in on some of the perils of publishing and also slated is
our installation of new officers for the 1992-1993year. More
details in the May 1st issue of the Bulletin, but it isn't too
early to mark your calendar for our last event.
Again, any HGS spouse is invited and encouraged to
join HGA. Dues are $15.00 per year. Send to: Mrs. Keith
Hawkins, 2515 Anniston, Houston, Texas 77080, (713)
462-2925
Geo-events continued from page 33
SEG Short Courses,
"Fractured Reservoir Characterization and Hori-
zontal Drilling", Apr. 12-13. .
"Seismic Stratigraphy and Hydrocarbon Traps",
Apr. 13.
Gas Research Institute Workshop, "Infield Reserve
Growth Potential - Gulf Coast Sandstones", Apr. 28.
OTHER EVENTS
HGS Tennis Tournament, Westside Tennis Club,
1200Wilcrest, 12 Noon - 5:00p.m., Apr. 3.
EXPLORER, INC.
550 Westlake Park Blvd., Suite 350
Houston, Texas 77079
(713) 558-6611
Byron F. Dyer
Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search
Gas; continued from page 31
under way to characterize the permeability distribution
within both deltaic and fluvial depositional genetic units
lggl)These parallel research efforts are
designed fluid and in sand-
stones deposited in depositionally similar environments.
VICKSBURG FORMATION
The Vicksburg plays in Texas account for 3.7 Tcf of gas
produced through 1986. McAllen Ranch field in Hidalgo
County has produced almost 700 Bcf of gas since its
discovery in 1960. SGR research in close cooperation with
the operator (Shell Western Exploration &Production Inc.)
in 1989 and 1990 led to an improved understanding of the
depositional environment and diagenetic effects on both the
geometry and the internal reservoir heterogeneities that
affect gas recovery in deltaic gas reservoirs of the Oligocene
Vicksburg Formation at depths below 11,000ft. Six major
parasequences within the highly productive S reservoir
interval were identified from detailed well log correlations.
Gas-productive reservoir facies are primarily delta-front
and distributary-channel-fillsandstones. Project participa-
tion with the operator included two cooperative wells
involving extensive coring of the reservoir facies, incre-
mental high-resolution open-hole logging, and both zero
Successful infield ;ecornpletion
Calculated effective drainage radius
Well
3-84 Cumulative production, May 1990 (Bd)
a Undrained area within existing reservoir
H(1Reservoir extension by new wells
988 - present)
Fig. 3. Map view showing location of new wells in McAllen
Ranch field and successful infield recompletions with calcu-
lated drainage radii for previous completions.
Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
and far-offset vertical seismic profiling (VSP's). Reevalua-
tion of 2-D seismic profiles and analysis of a 3-D seismic
survey by the operator were critical for substantiating new
drilling opportunities by indicating the actual extent of the
reservoir interval beyond the mapped limits of previous
production. Concurrent analysis by the project research
team and the operator resulted in the identification of
significant secondarygas resources. Additional infield drilling
of new wells to the S reservoir has added more than 100 Bcf
of booked reserves to this 30-year-oldfield since 1987 (Hill
et al., 1991).
Because many Vicksburg reservoirs have reduced
permeability, pressure-interference testing between wells
was not feasible. An alternative approach by the IGR
project was to implement a 2-D finite-element simulation of
the S reservoir, which integrated geologic, petrographic,
formation-evaluation, and engineering data. The reservoir
simulation modeling supported the lack of communication
between reservoirs penetrated by cooperative wells with
the adjacent long-term production (more than 20 years)
from reservoirs comprising laterally continuous near-shore
delta-front sandstones. Three post-1990 infield recomple-
tions by the operator within the S reservoir have docu-
mented significant gas resources that were not effectively
contacted by older wells (Fig. 3). Close correlation of
petrographic analysis from project cores and interpretation
of open-hole logs enabled mapping of chlorite and calcite
diagenetic cements in the reservoir intervals, which reduce
the effective drainage radius of producing zones. Micro-
resistivity logs acquired during the high-resolution dipmeter
logging reveal differences in cementation and specific
depositional facies of the reservoir. Improved log calibration
of hydrocarbon saturation in the gas reservoir was achieved
through specialized formation-evaluation analysis of project
cores that included cation exchange capacity (CEC), X-ray
analysis, and electrical properties of the reservoir.
New well with MIDDLE FRIO FORMATION
Frio gas reservoirs in Texas account for 41 Tcf of gas
produced through 1986. IGR research has focused on
Stratton and Seeligson gas fields, which are located in parts
of Jim Wells, Nueces, and Kleberg Counties. Both of these
fields, which were discovered in-1937, produce gas from
Oligocene fluvial-dominated reservoirs in the middle Frio
Formation at depths ranging from 4,500 to 7,000 ft.
Reservoir facies are primprily channel-fill and splay sand-
4000 h
stones. Additional production from deeper Vicksburg
lOOOm reservoirs also occurs at both fields. Cumulative produc-
tion from each field exceeds 1.5 Tcf of gas.
Previous GRI and BEG programs at Seeligson field
made this mature field a candidate for additional research.
From 1988 through 1990, close cooperation with Oryx
Energy Co., Mobil Exploration and Production U.S., Inc.,
and Mobil Research and Development Co. enabled data
collection and seismic acquisition in two cooperative wells.
Operations included wireline pressure testing, acquisition
of open- and cased-hole logs, a borehole gravity survey, and
~ ~ 1 8 . 9 ~ 4 ~
both zero and far-offset VSP's. Further cooperation with
these operators led to the development of a project
i
experiment site that included access to five existing well-
bores across a 1-mi2area of the field. A high-quality surface
3-D seismic survey (Fig. 4) and a unique 3-D reverse VSP
Survey using the Western Atlas downhole seismic source
were conducted across the experiment site in 1990. Both
42
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
seismic-reflection amplitude and amplitude versus offset
(AVO) images of parts of the middle Frio were compared
with net-sandstone and log facies interpretations derived
from log data. The strong correspondence of the 3-D image
to the geologic interpretation indicates that detection of thin
fluvial channel systems is possible and that seismic imaging
is critical to defining reservoir compartment size and
position. The reverse VSP data are currently being analyzed
by Mobil Research and Development Co. Plans for a series
of pressure interference tests in wells within the 3-D seismic
image volume were modified because of casing leaks that
~reventedaccurate pressure measurements in key wells.
orm mat ion-evalbation techniques included the devel-
opment of an interpretative scheme for identifying bypassed
gas intervals that uses full-wave acoustic through-casing
measurements in combination with a pulsed gamma-ray
density-neutron log to obtain porosity and water saturation
behind casing (Jirik et al., 1991). Completions in bypassed
reservoirs had high initial production rates that are projected
to yield an estimated return on investment that is favorable
with even moderate gas price forecasts of $1.30 per Mcf.
SEISCROP SECTION-MIDDLE FRlO
Zooot' HORIZON
0 600m ATTRIBUTE: TIME
6
Fig. 4. Three-dimensional seiscrop map of reflection ampli-
tude showing the sinuosity and lateral extent within a typical
middle Frio fluvial gas reservoir.
In early 1990 Stratton field became the focus of the
IGR's research effort in fluvial-dominated gas reservoirs.
Cooperation with Union Pacific Resources Co. in Stratton
field was initiated with a cooperative well. Data acquisition
included wireline pressure testing, whole cores, open- and
cased-hole logs, and both zero and far-offset VSP's.
Historical analysis of reserve growth indicated that an
aggressive infield drilling and recompletion campaign in this
50-year-old gas field (prior to project involvement) resulted
in more than 90 percent reserve replacement when adjusted
for 40 years of production and development. Historical
analysis of reserve additions from the fluvial reservoirs at
less than 7,000 ft depth provided a screening technique for
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
further geologic and engineering evaluation. Estimates of
incremental recoverable gas range from 0.73 to 2.6 Bcf per
reservoir completion. Deeper pool drilling targeted for the
deltaic reservoirs in the Vicksburg also led to recognition of
the potential for higher density development of shallower
intervals.
In May 1991 the IGR project initiated a three-phase test
program to calibrate, identify, and potentially predict
additional secondary gas resources still remaining in
Stratton field. Close cooperation by the field operator with
.
the IGR ~ r o.i e c thas ~ e r m i t t e daccess to more than 30
producing and temporarily abandoned gas wells for en-
gineering testing and logging. Work completed and in
progress includes a combination of static pressure tests,
single-well transient tests, and multiple-well interference
tests within four reservoir intervals across a large portion of
the field. Differences in pressure of 500 psi in reservoirs
having conventional permeability were measured at 40- to
80-acre completion spacing even in regions of the field that
have been producing for more than 20 years.
An important prpduct of IGR research is a compart-
mented-reservoir model, which is a user-friendly, micro-
computer-based program designed to evaluate typical
production information and detect behavior in a compart-
mented reservoir (Lord and Collins, 1991). Inflow per-
formance relationships are the basis of this compartmented-
gas-reservoir simulator. The model uses field-specific fixed
input parameters such as gas gravity, temperature, and
initial pressure. The user adjusts for compartment pore
volumes, suspected barrier transmissibilities, and well-
inflow performance parameters. Either rate or wellbore
pressure histories are compared with the model output of
pressure, rate, and/or cumulative production by well. The
model is tuned until a good match is obtained and a
projected depletion history is generated (Fig. 5).
Future research plans include the acquisition of a 3-D
surface seismic grid in a test area of closely spaced wells.
Halliburton Geochemical Services is proposing to acquire a
near-surface geochemical survey to examine low-molecular-
weight hydrocarbons as a potential indicator of infield
compartments in a mature field.
SUMMARY
Recovery of secondary natural gas resources is a key
element in fully realizing reserve growth in mature reser-
voirs of conventional wrmeability. Analysis of the future
supply potential in the United States (Fisher, 1991) in-
dicates that only 34 percent of a natural gas resource base
of 2,180 Tcf had been produced through 1990. Research
results of the IGR project with broad impact have included
(1) the confirmation that incremental conventional gas
resources represent a significant percentage of new gas
reserves, (2) assessment of the distribution of incremental
natural gas resources by depositional system, and (3)
development and testing of state-of-the-art, cost-effective
tools and strategies for incremental recovery. Results from
well tests, logging, and geologic analysis indicate that
stratigraphic and diagenetic compartmentalization contri-
bute to effective segregation of flow units within nonassoc-
iated natural gas reservoirs. Resource estimates within the
most heterogeneous fluvial-dominated reservoir intervals
indicate that a resource target of as much as 50 percent
more gas beyond conventional estimated ultimate recovery
may benefit from targeted recompletions and strategically-
Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992
 Home Page DVD Contents Search
sited infield wells. Using production parameters with micro-
computer-based reservoir modeling can assist in targeting
reserve growth opportunities when combined with geology
and geophysics.
Technology transfer of IGR project research results is
part of the joint venture mandate. A short course (Levey et
al., 1992) designed to demonstrate the potential of reserve
growth in these Gulf Coast gas reservoirs is currently
scheduled. Initial short courses were held in Houston in late
1991 and early 1992. Industry response was positive, with
prior classes being completely subscribed. Additional short
courses are scheduled for Houston, Corpus Christi, and
Midland, Texas, in the first half of 1992.
Fig. 5. An example of a pressure history match using the
compartment model gas reservoir simulator.
REFERENCES
Fisher, W. L., 1991, Future supply potential of U.S. oil and
natural gas: Geophysics, The Leading Edge of
Exploration, v. 10, no. 12, p. 15-21.
Hill, D. P., R. B. Lennon, and C. L. Wright, 1991, Making an
old gem sparkle: the rejuvenation of McAllen Ranch,
field: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies
Transactions, p. 325-335.
Jirik, L. A., W. E. Howard, and D. L. Sadler, 1991,
Identification of bypassed gas reserves through inte-
grated geological and petrophysical techniques: a
case study in Seeligson field, Jim Wells County, South
Texas: SPE Gas Technology Symposium, Houston,
Texas, p. 1-16.
Kosters, E. C., D. G. Bebout, S. J. Seni, C. M. Garrett, Jr.,
L. F. Brown, Jr., H. S. Hamlin, S. P. Dutton, S. C.
I Bulletin Houston Geological Society. A p r ~ l1992
Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
Ruppel, R. J . Finley, and Noel Tyler, 1989, Atlas of
major Texas gas reservoirs: The University of Texas
at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, 161 p.
Levey, R. A., R. J. Finley, J . D. Grigsby, E. H. Guevara, B.
A. Hardage, R. P. Langford, R. E. Collins, M. E. Lord,
M. A. Sippel, W. E. Howard, and J . M. Vidal, 1992,
Infield gas reserve growth potential: Gulf Coast
sandstone reservoirs (Frio, Vicksburg, Wilcox): The
University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic
Geology, short course notes prepared for GRI, U.S.
DOE, and the State of Texas, 392 p.
Lord, M. E., and R. E. Collins, 1991, Detecting compart-
mented gas reservoirs through production perfor-
mance: Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE paper
22941, p. 575-581.
Tyler, N., M. D. Barton, and R. J . Finley, 1991, Outcrop
characterization of flow unit and seal properties and
geometries, Ferron Sandstone, Utah: Society of Pe-
troleum Engineers, SPE paper 22670, p. 127-134.
ON THE MOVE
Mary Rahmes has joined Torch Energy Advisors as a
geologist effective January 1, 1992. Previously she was with
Sonat Exploration, Gulf Coast Region.
Western Atlas has named L. E. Bratos vice president
of operations and business development in Eastern Europe.
Bratos has served the Western Geophysical Division of
Western Atlas in several management capacities over his
35-year career, most recently as manager of operations for
Alaska.
GeoQuest Systems, Inc. announced the promotion of
Frank Marrone to manager, product marketing. Marrone
was previously ~ e o ~ i s u a l i z a t i oproject
n ~ ~ leader and senior
geophysicist for the company. John Dinning was also
promoted to manager of North American sales. Dinning will
retain his previous responsibilities for Canadian operations.
FOR SALE
$450.00
AUSTIN CHALK-BUDA LIMESTONE
UPDlP TREND MONTAGE
(Atascosa-Bexar-Wilson Co's., Texas)
Production, Shows, Geology
EXCELLENT QUICK REFERENCE FOR
PROSPECTORS AND INVESTORS
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44
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

Attention:
Oil C Gas Companies 1
and Environmental 1

713/ 771-3875
FAX 713 / 771-8203

FOUR STAR PRINTING CO.

HAS PROUDLY BEEN
TYPESETTING, PRINTING,
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45 Bulletin Houston Geological Soc~ety.April 1992

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DIGITAL DIGEST

COMPUTER QUALITY CONTROL IN

REGIONAL EXPLORATION INVESTIGATIONS
by Edward McFarlan, Jr., Consultant and Duane Beardsley, Manager
Petroleum Information Corporation Exploration Systems

(Editor's Note: The authors have successfully applied
the methodology this paper describes. This "real world"
success includes two regional studies in the Gulf of Mexico.)
Introduction
In regional exploration mapping, large volumes of well
data can be handled quickly and efficiently by computer
processing. Mapping by computer of a good digital data set
can provide almost unlimited map variations. The success
of any project depends upon the steps in quality control and
the accuracy of the data used. The end result can produce a
relatively fast regional evaluation and allows the explo-
rationist to quickly identify and focus on anomalous areas
offering potential for detailed prospect generation.
Base Map
Regional exploration studies are initiated with a good
computer base map containing suitable geographic in-
Prospective Reservoir Sand Analysis
After the establishment of the time-stratigraphic frame-
work, each of the wireline logs is marked for individual sands
greater than ten feet in thickness. The identification of
prospective reservoir rocks requires a good knowledge of
log chartacteristics associated with clean sands and the
different depositional environments. As this activity pro-
ceeds, the explorationist also identifies any oil or gas shows
and/or production that may be present. Additional data
which the explorationist may want to enter includes
gaslwater, oil/water contacts, mud weights, resistivity shifts,
paleo markers, etc.
The marked elevations of time stratigraphic units, sand
beds, and show/production intervals are recorded using a
cursor and digitizing table and entered by the technician
into the computer file for each control well.
L

formation. The scale of the map must be designed to fit the

objectives of the project. The accuracy of the map is not
usually subject to questioning, however, quality control calls
for a preliminary check of the more important boundary
MICHEL T. HALBOUTY
lines against comparable maps made from aerial photo- ENERGY COMPANY
graphs or obher cartographic methods.
The next step after selecting a base map is the. posting
of all available well control. The control wells are selected
I S A C T I V E L Y SEARCHING FOR H I G H
from log files depending on availability, depth of penetration,
Q U A L I T Y ONSHORE GULF COAST O I L
etc. Key wells may be further selected which will be used to
build cross sections or used for regional correlation ties. All
control wells are listed by name and X-Y coordinates, then
AND GAS D R I L L I N G PROSPECTS
FUNDING FOR S E I S M I C AND LEASE
.
entered into the computer file. The computer file with well
names is transmitted to the plotter with the base map file A C Q U I S I T I O N I S AVAILABLE. WE
and the map is generated. The resulting base map with PREFER PROSPECTS W I T H 100%
posted well locations is now ready for an accuracy check. A WORKING I N T E R E S T A V A I L A B L E .
printout of the individual well-header data provides a
description of each well location which is checked against
each location on the base map. The well locations will later CONTACT: GLEN R. OSKIN
receive a second quality check through the detailed investi- EXPLORATION MANAGER
gation of any anomalous wells.
Control Well Stratigraphic Analysis 5100 WESTHEIMER, SUITE 500
The wireline logs of project-control wells are marked at THE HALBOUTY CENTER
the elevations of sequence boundaries defining the time- HOUSTON, TEXAS 77056
stratigraphy of the sediments being explored. These hand-
marked elevations are loop-tied in the area of investigation
and revised to achieve the best interpretation of structure (713) 622-1130 622-5360 FAX
and stratigraphy. All subsurface information available includ-
ing seismic, cross sections, paleo, etc., is used to enhance
the accuracy and degree of interpretation. !

46
1 Bulletin Houston Geological Soc~ety.April 1992
 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

Quality Control of Well Data Dallas Computer Oriented

When the digitizing is complete, a printout on each well Geoscience Society
is produced for quality control. These printouts are com-
plete with the well header data, the elevations of time- CALL FOR PAPERS
stratigraphic boundaries, each sand unit and any other You are invited to attend GeoTech '92, a Geoscience
information as marked by the explorationist. The time Oriented Computer Conference and exhibition at the
stratigraphic units are then checked with the original InfoMart in Dallas, sponsored by the Dallas Computer
marked log to verify accuracy of the computer record. At Oriented Geoscience Society (DalCOGS).
this stage in the study, the explorationist can make changes GeoTech '92 is designed to benefit the full range of
to upgrade the computer file or add additional tops or small independents to large major companies. It features a
intervals which will enhance the -project.
- technical program
- - and an industry exhibition. Exhibits and
Geologic Parameter Selection and Mapping demos by many of the top ranked supplier of software,
hardware, and data for the industry are expected.
The study is now ready for the selection of geologic An oil industry oriented technical program of both oral
parameters and mapping. Basic mapping generally includes and poster sessions will focus on:
the generation of structure maps, interval isopachs, sand
percent, net feet of sand and the number of prospective Sources of digital information
reservoir quality sands greater than ten feet thick. The How computers aid in analyzing this information
computer produces a file which is fed into the plotter for Storage and Retrieval of information
mapping each parameter. Computer generated contour Presentation of information - Drafting Room to
maps are usually plotted as a comparison to the hand- Board Room
contoured version and to get a feel for the regional grain. Case studies - Computers in exploration & pro-
Computer contouring of structure and thickness is practical duction
for surfaces that are fairly regular and free of complexities. The working geoscientist and computers - The
Otherwise, the machine computer contouring can serve as future
a guide for the explorationist to modify so as to depict a Additional special poster sessions will be offered to
specific interpretation. Maps of reservoir quality sands, benefit novice computer users and to challenge the ex-
however, require the interpretive skills of the explorationist perienced. Topics will include how to buy or build a
who is familiar with the various sand patterns produced by computer for your needs, spread sheet usage in geology,
differing depositional environments. and inexpensive data management.
~nterestedcontributors should submit a brief (200 to
Maps and Quality Control 600 words) summary on or before March 31, 1992. This
All maps, whether contoured by an interpreter or by summary should include the topic addressed, the problem
computer, are instruments of quality control. The con- explored, methodology used, results, and conclusions.
touring of anomalous values can signal an error in the data, a Notification of your paper's acceptance and an author's kit
bad well location or an explainable geologic situation. In all will be mailed in July 1992.
cases, a critical examination of maps is required with focus Approximately thirty 10 x 10 foot exhibit booths will be
on these anomalies. available for rental. Space and location will be first come,
, Final Computer Maps first served.
When quality control is applied at all stages in the Send ORAL Summaries to:
project's execution and when all irregularities are resolved, Michael Wiley
the final maps are accurate and usable for exploration 2415 Valley View Lane, Suite 105
purposes. Quality control is one of the many important Farmers Branch, Texas 75234
responsibilities of the explorationist conducting the study.
Importance is attaced to knowing the computer system's Exhibitor Information:
operating steps to be certain that quality control is imple- Bill Severing
mented at the appropriate stages. The result is a useful map Intergraph
set which quickly allows the explorationist to evaluate 8111 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1400
different geologic trends and pinpoint areas offering Dallas, Texas 75251
prospect potential. (214) 497-0858
About the Authors Send POSTER Summaries to:
Edward McFarlan earned a B.A. in Geology at Leo Newport
Williams College in 1943 and an M.A. in Geology and Enserch
Petroleum Engineering at the University of Texas-Austin in 6020 Timber Creek Ln.
1948. He served as Production Research Manager and then Dallas, Texas 75248
Regional Geologist at Exxon, U.S.A. before entering con- (214) 407-0566
sultancy.
General Information:
Duane Beardsley holds B.S. degrees from the Bill Mouton
University of Kansas in Geology and Geological Engineer- Enserch Exploration, Inc.
ing, awarded in 1957 and 1958. He prefaced his current 4849 Greenville Ave., Suite 1200
position at Petroleum Information with a prolonged stint as Dallas, Texas 75206
Chief Geologist for Tenneco. (214) 987-6456

47 Bulletin Houston Geolog~calSoc~ety,A p r ~ 1l 9 9 2

I
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

FEATURE

THE PERPETUAL MYSTERY OF

PETROLEUM MIGRATION

by W. H. Roberts, I11
HYDREXCO, Houston, TX
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second article in a series For over a hundred years now, oil seekers have had the
on hydrocarbon formation and migration to appear in the idea (especially in the Western nations) that oil is primarily
Bulletin.) formed in one place and secondarily collected in another
place. Therefore, they have insisted that the pre-formed
AUTHOR'S NOTE hydrocarbon mixtures must have moved from one place to
As petroleum geologists, we live with the ultimate the other, sometimes over great lateral distances, often over
embarrassment. We have no tangible proof of how gas a n d extended vertical distances from deeper, hotter, presumed
oil came to be in the places where we find them. Many "source" levels to shallower productive reservoirs. Because
pages of our journals a r e devoted to upstream organic gas and oil are usually found in the uppermost available
sources and downstream reservoir traps. We have some reservoir space, and most oils are lighter than water,
reasonable ideas of where those places are, but in between buoyancy is assumed to have been the principal cause of
is that no-man's-landof migration. I believe the mystery can movement. There is no proof for this conjecture.
be solved by viewing the entire petroliferous system from Field studies show that nearly all major gas and oil
beginning to end as a n integrated, transitional, water- deposits around the world are located in, or near, basinal
driven fluid continuum. I f we can accept the possibility that
the hydrocarbon mixtures we know as gas and oil a r e
assembled in the downstream traps from water-borne
organic materials (e.g., acids, salts, hydrocarbons, etc.),
the bulk migration of preformed gas o r oil a s a separate,
non-wetting fluid phase becomes unecessary. We must
admit that the movement of significant quantities of gas
and/or oil over significant distances has never been
factually observed o r proven to occur, even for the largest
accumulations. An analogy to mineral deposits, which
likewise cannot be moved in bulk, is suggested.
The concept of a water-driven petroliferous continuum
raises questions about some popular assumptions (e.g.,
temperature-windows, episodic fluid movements, buoyan-
cy, differential entrapment) which characterize our litera-
ture. For some of these, alternative explanations based on
field observations can be offered. Although we a r e dealing
with a complicated, noisy system, I hope to show that we
can improve a n d simplify our understanding of it, and find
the remaining undiscovered gas a n d oil more easily.

THE PERPETUAL MYSTERY OF

PETROLEUM MIGRATION
The reason we have not understood petroleum migra-
tion may be very simple. Apparently, petroleum as such
does NOT actually migrate under natural conditions. Prob-
ably it is impossible. The movement of pre-formed, non-
wetting, separate-phase, hydrocarbon fluids through gen-
erally water-wet (hydrophilic) sedimentary porous media is
unnatural, illogical, and unproven. Most importantly, it is
NOT even needed for explaining the occurrence of known
II Deep thinking. Top results.

2950 North Loop West, Suite 300

Houston, Texas 77092 (713) 688-6281
II
gas and oil deposits, large or small. There is a more logical
explanation.

Bullet~nHouston Geological Society. April 1992 48

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Date -

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Name: Phone:
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W~llingto relocate Resume on file
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C o m p l e t e f o r m a n d r e t u r n with r e s u m e t o :
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l oc~ety
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 Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
hydrologic discharge areas. In most cases, especially for the
larger deposits, there is local evidence of a significant
upward vertical component of water movement. It is this
upward movement which carries the organic components
of gas and oil into the uppermost spaces, where they are
unloaded from the waters. The unloading results from
depressuring and cooling due to the upward progress, and
possibly salting-out due to brine filtration. The anticlinal
convergence of rising aquifers, of course, is an ideal focal
mechanism for deep-water-discharge leading to hydro-
carbon accumulation. This is valid support for the "anticlinal
theory", which has always been useful in oil-finding,despite
being misinterpreted.
For a trap to function as a collector of hydrocarbons it
must be able to receive ascending organic-rich waters and
simultaneously discharge those waters, minus some of the
organic freight. To prevent total loss of the accumulating
hydrocarbons, a reservoir must be covered by a fine-
grained, water-wet membrane essentially impervious to
non-wetting fluids such as the accumulated admixtures of
hydrocarbons (i.e., gas and oil). The membranous covering
strata are often referred to as "caprock", probably because
they are often hardened by mineral precipitation from the
same focussed, ascending, aqueous feedstock.
Field evidence and logic suggest that in a continuously
water-filledsedimentary basin, the placement, composition,
and duration of gas and oil deposits as well as mineral
deposits are essentially controlled by water. The ceaseless
activity and cumulative volume of the water through basinal
history is more than enough to provide that control. With
fresh insight based on this relatively simple change of
perspective on petroleum origin, attention can be shifted
from the upstream "source" end of the system to the
downstream "product" end, where we know better what we
are dealing with. From this perspective it becomes reason-
able to think about hydrocarbons and other organic de-
rivatives (e.g., organic acids) in the source area being
accommodated in transient waters, transported, and sep-
arated from ,the water in other areas progressively down-
stream.
An important corollary to this concept is that any
established gas or oil deposit in the basinal hydrologic traffic
pattern is subject to re-working (e.g., aqueous leaching,
thermal maturation). This means that in the history of a
petroliferous basin, each new concentration of hydro-
carbons becomes a link in the greater, ongoing, petro-
liferous source system. The total system can be visualized
as extending from the initial upstream sources to the
utilimate downstream localities of hydrologic discharge. It
follows that the search for hydrocarbon deposits within
such a system will greatly benefit from understanding the
major controls of basinal water traffic through geologic time.
Fortunately, the general hydrologic traffic pattern stays in
adjustment with geologic history and does not change
abruptly, for the following reasons.
For three-dimensional water movement in a sedimen-
tary basin the dominant controlling parameter is lithofacies,
rather than structural configuration. In a regional sense,
transmissibility depends on lithology; and the major lithic
units tend to remain fixed as deposited, except for local
fracturing and disgenetic alteration. For this reason, and
I because hydrocarbon deposits tend to readjust with the
I
hydrologic environment, it is not surprising to find that most
of those deposits do in fact continue to be located at
I Bulletin Houston Geological Society, April 1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
presently active hydrologic focal points. Therefore, the
tracking of existing water movements by pressure, temper-
ature, or chemistry can be useful in finding the focal points.
The use of temperature to locate vertical components of
deep-water-dischargehas special value in exploration.
It can be argued that accumulation of hydrocarbons, as
of minerals, logically depends less on buoyancy than on
FORCED DRAFT (gravity-driven)aqueous transport. Fig-
ure 1 (adapted from Toth, 1962) is a schematic profile
suggesting different depth levels of basinal water exchange
related to topographic elevations. It is assumed, of course,
that three-dimensional focusing effects caused by the
subsurface rock framework and the placement of more and
less permeable lithofacies will also influence patterns of
basinal water movement. It is clear that for either petroleum
or mineral exploration we should be mainly concerned with
the focused, convergent, generally upward water movement
leading to (and through) the places where gas and oil
deposits are found. It should be noted at this point in the
argument that the focusing of this deep-water-dischargecan
occur above as well as below the level of the gas or oil
reservoirs. In fact, as will be shown later, any local weakness
in the "cover" may be of major importance in allowing the
spent, previously organic-rich, waters to escape.
t
\ INTERMEDIATE
FLOWLINE (+) RCCHAROE (I.) DISCHAI(IL
4
Figure 1: Schematic profile of basinal water movemment by
meteoric recharge and discharge related to topography. Modified
after Toth, 1962.
The vehicular capacity of basinal waters for hydro-
carbons and other organic derivatives is not large in terms of
unit volumes, but is exceedingly large in terms of dimension,
continuity, and time. Basinal water exchange begins with
the earliest compaction effluent. In most cases, the water
exchange driven by campaction will at some point in basinal
history be progressively mixed and blended with waters
driven by meteoric recharge and discharge, the latter being
continued for the rest of a basin's history.
Hydrocarbon accumulation can begin very early in
basin history. For example, Figure 2 (from Kidwell and
Hunt, 1958)shows a shallow core hole with a 5000 year old
carbon-dated sand lens containing a significant concentra-
tion of carbon-dated hydrocarbons 12,000 to 16,000 years
old, probably coming from a slightly deeper level in this very
young and watery deltaic section. Possibly this can be
regarded as an incipient "stratigraphic trap". It should also
be noted that this work (Kidwell and Hunt, 1958) in the
Pedernales area of the Orinoco Delta,;Venezuela, included
measurement of water pressures in a number of the core
holes. In these young sands and clays, pressures up to 16
pounds per square inch in excess of hydrostatic were
50
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

recorded. Clearly, complications of early water traffic are of water movement. As a counterpart to the organic
caused by differential compaction. maturation in the source area, which may or may not
impose a source "imprint" on the composition of what ever
it is that moves downstream, it should be acknowledged
that discriminative trap functions will probably "imprint" the
composition of resident hydrocarbon admixtures (natural
HYDROCARBON
gases and crude oils) in the downstream reservoirs. It seems
PPM equally logical to apply the term "maturation" to progressive
I I changes in composition imposed by on-going downstream
0 100 200
processes of entrapment. Those changes should not be
confused with effects of thermal maturation in upstream
--- - I2
PCH-
0
source areas.
It is significant that the compositional variety of reser-
voired hydrocarbon admixtures is virtually infinite, and that
among the heavier mixtures, no two are exactly alike. It is
50 also important to know that none of the natural reservoired
I- admixtures are in thermodynamic equilibrium. Clearly, in
W
W the context of geologic time, no trap for hydrocarbons is
.
I
static or completely isolated from water exchange and
z
100 - chemical change.
x
t-
P
Because lighter, less complex hydrocarbons (or pre-
W
0
cursors) are more easily accommodated in waters, they are
apt to pre-empt early trap space. Gradually and more
150 slowly, however, heavier and less water-sensitive hydro-
carbons will be arriving in the trap a s the lighter ends tend to
be winnowed or washed through the water-wet boundaries
200
of the trap with the partially spent waters. If the functions of
Y RS entrapment continue effectively in this fashion, processing
essentially the same organic-rich aqueous feedstock, a
HYDROCARBONS IN PEDERNALES SAND T trapped hydrocarbon admixture will progressively evolve,
or mature, from light toward heavy.

+
Figure 2: Hydrocarbons found in waters sampled from shallow P-R-I-M-A-R-Y 0-R-G-A-N-I-C S-0-U-R-C-E
core hole, Pedernales Area, Orinoco Delta, Venezuela. From
Kidwell and Hunt, 1958. 1 2 3
Three reasonable modes by which hydrocarbons and/
or precursors may move, or be moved, from source to
I
DISPERSED
ORGANIC ACIDS
IN WATER
I
SEPARATE PHASE
deposit are diagrammed in Figure 3. The primary organic WATER-BORNE
source is presumed to be non-specific. Probably the move-
ment is not restricted to one mode, or one geologic episode.
The effectiveness of each mode will depend on such
variables as pressure, temperature, source quality, lith-
ology, and water chemistry. Aqueousreworking from site to
site is believed pertinent to the question of source or "source
rock". Obviously, more should be known about the organic
content of basinal waters a s well as the organic-rich rocks.
Within the cross-linked sequence of repositories depicted
by Figure 3, the organic enrichment of any fine-grained,
non-reservoir rock is believed more likely to be secondary
than primary. At the same time, as mentioned earlier, in a
geologic context every organic or mineral concentration in
porous media is susceptible to leaching or otherwise
reworking and relocating. In the role of source rocks, then,
all concentrations tend to rework, migrate, and rebuild in NOTE ANV~EWORK.PATH MAV INVOLVE ANY TRANSFER UOD~ISI II om t

the general direction of water movement. SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF SOURCE-IO.IRAP A I D 1RAt.IO~lRAt

There is considerable room for argument about the
IRAISFEU OF ORGANIC MATTER
relation between progressive maturation of "upstream" WHR I919
organic sources and the selective functions of "down- s

stream'' The terms Wstream and Figure 3: Schematic diagram shows three postulated modes for
downstream refer simply and respectively to where the transport of organic derivatives from source system to trap
organic components are coming from and where they are system, subject to reworking and cross-linking of enriched
going, all of which happens in a three-dimensional context positions. From Roberts, 1979.

51 Bulletin Houston Geologtcal Soc~ety,April 1992

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Inasmuch as trap function is very rate-sensitive (i.e.,
sensitive to rates of water exchange), the deeper trap with
lower rates of water exchange will mature more slowly,
retaining the iight ends longer. The shallower trap, usually
with more active pore volume exchange, however, is more
apt to mature toward a heavier mixture in a relatively short
time (other conditions being equal). Such a progression is
almost the reverse of the sequence expected from thermal
maturation of upstream organic matter (i.e., kerogen). The
proximity of residence-time controls in the downstream
area, however, is apt to have a more direct effect on the
composition of reservoired gases and oils then would the
thermal maturation of a distant source. In any event, the
probability of hydrocarbon admixtures being heavier in
shallower reservoirs and lighter in deeper reservoirs is
supported by field evidence. Field evidence also shows that
where heavier oils are found at greater than normal depths,
they are most often associated with unusually active water
exchange.
The bottom line of the above argument is that the
composition of a resident (trapped)hydrocarbon admixture
at any given geologic moment is expected to reflect the
collective residence times of its components. How that
relates to progressive maturation (thermal or otherwise) in
the upstream source area is a matter for serious further
study.
Hydraulic connections between "upstream" areas of
organic enrichment (i.e., sources) and "downstream" areas
of hydrocarbon accumulation (i.e., products) are easily
defined by basic subsurface geology, plus potentiometric
and hydrothermal data. The notion of specific aquifers,
however, as discrete or exclusive conduits for the movement
ENRON
Oil & Gas
Company
P.O. Box 1188 Houston, Texas 77251
HOUSTON OKLAHOMA CITY
TYLER DENVER
CORPUS CHRISTI SACRAMENTO
MIDLAND CALGARY
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
of organic components does NOT make geologic sense.
Although basinal water movements between areas of hydo-
logic recharge and discharge are focused in considerable
degree by structural, stratigraphic, and lithofacies con-
figurations, within the context of geologic time and space
there are NO absolute barriers (aquicludes) to water
movement. Extensive cross-formational flow is common.
The real world of sedimentary transmissibility to water is, in
fact, truly three-dimensional.
Given the continuous supply of potentiometric energy
in a natural hydrologic system, the dominant regional
control of basinal water traffic is exerted by the placement
and dimensions .of the more and the less transmissible
lithofacies units. Because those units are fixed in position,
the facies-guided traffic pattern will persist through geologic
time. The major long term control is therefore lithofacies.
Within that context, it must be realized that facies units
occur in a variety of sizes, shapes, and transmissibilities. It is
also important to recognize the shunting principle, whereby
a local, highly transmissive unit will attract greater water
exchange than the ambient facies. Such a condition (e.g.,
sand lens, bioherm) can either create or destroy a gas or oil
deposit, depending on the organic content, the water
exchange rate, and the nature of the reservoir boundaries.
As stated previously, the work of progressively gather-
ing hydrocarbons to form and maintain the gas or oil
deposits where they are presently found requires a lot of
water over geologic time. Based on data from several oil-
rich, fully compacted basins with gross average void space
of lo%, the static volumetric ratio of hydrocarbons to water
for a total basin is only a few hundred parts per million. That
meager oil-water ratio actually represents countless dis-
persed oil accumulations of all sizes, from stains to "shows"
to giant fields. Of great importance is the extensive contact
area between the non-wetting fluids (gases and oils) and the
ubiquitous water. Not only are the gas and oil concentrations
spread out three-dimensionally in the basinal aqueous
continuum, but within the gas and oil deposits per s e (or
stains, or shows), there is "irreducible" interstitial water, I(
some free and some bound to the mineral surfaces.
Obviously this adds tremendously to the interfacial contact
beween the hydrocarbons and the water in a basin. The
inherent mobility of most of this water prevents the
accumulation of any water-sensitive material from being
truly permanent in any geologic context.
The aforesaid static basinal water volume, exceeding
basinal hydrocarbon volume by several orders of magnitude,
is still hardly a "drop in the bucket" compared to the full
aqueous history of a typical petroliferous basin. It doesn't
begin to account for the total initial compaction effluent,
much less the perpetual water exchange by basinal recharge
and discharge, which could exceed present water volume
by many additional orders of magnitude. The total exposure
of organic matter to water during basinal history thus
appears more than adequate to explain the distribution of
gas and oil deposits at strategic localities within the water
traffic system. That basinal water exchange continues to
and through the "present", progressively reworking all
water-sensitive materials, organic as well as mineral, at
geologically significant rates. It cannot be stopped. There-
fore, current observations of the role played by water in the
on-going functions of hydrocarbon entrapment, retention,
or loss can be assumed to simulate approximately the
earlier history of existing gas and oil deposits.
Bullet~nHouston Geological Society, April 1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
Proof of the foregoing argument is found in field
evidence of upwardly focused water movements passed
through gas and oil-bearing reservoir configurations. The
clearest evidence is provided by the world's largest existing
oil accumulations. Although the heavy oils of the Athabasca
and Orinoco super-traps are well-qualified examples, they
are unwieldly in dimension. So the Yates Field of West
Texas, Figure 4 (from McCoy, 1934),is an example better
suited for illustration. This simplified cross-section shows
m McCoy, 1934, An Interpretation of Local Structural De-
YATES FBD, WEST TEXAS
LICCOIILDWJ.PY
A Geology, American Association of Petroleum Geology,
Figure 4: Cross section of Yates Field, West Texas, multi-billion
bbl. oil field producing from the Permian "Big Lime". Vertical
exaggeration 30X. From W. A. McCoy, 1934.
the Lower Permian "Big Lime" oil reservoir to be partially
covered by obviously thinned evaporites. The removal and
thinning of salts in the cover by solution, and the proximity
of important surface drainage (Pecos River), fed in part by
the discharging saline waters, are clearly indicative of deep-
water-discharge (DWD). The rate of solution and collapse
in the cover of this multi-billion barrel field is unknown. It
appears, however, that in the near geologic future, this oil
reservoir will be exposed to the atmosphere, leading to
extensive seepage of what oil is then left.
MANIFOLD FLOW
- -
ANGULAR UNCONFORMITY
-
FAULT ZONE
, technical reports. For 12 years he managed a training
Figure 5: Two basic types of manifolding water flow in multiple
aquifers leading to important petroliferous areas. From Roberts,
1986.
A major factor in the three-dimensional gathering of
organic-rich source waters is the manifolding of principal
aquifers, caused by angular unconformities and fault zones
as depicted in Figure 5 (Roberts, 1986).Manifolding not only
increases flow rate in a common, upward-leading aquifer,
but it tends to blend waters and their organic freight from
several stratigraphic intervals. Such stratigraphic and
Bulletin Houston Geological Society. April 1992
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
structural manifolding is found in nearly all major oil-
productive regions of the world. Moreover, it commonly
contributes to the lineal traces of DWD known to be
associated with the principal rivers in sedimentary areas. In
fact, very few major oil fields have been found far from
important surface drainage.
In conclusion, it is suggested that the problems of
petroleum migration are mostly in the minds of men. More
attention should be paid to the materials, the conditions,
and the forces which operate visibly and continuously today
in petroliferous basins. The movement of petroleum com-
ponents or precursors from site to site in a basinal aqueous
continuum is assumed to be perpetual, with no clear
beginning or ending.'This is migration, but not mystery. It's
there for all to see today and tomorrow.
REFERENCES
Kidwell, A. L. and J. M. Hunt, 1958, Migration of Oil in
Recent Sediments of Pedernales, Venezuela (in Habi-
tat of Oil, American Association of Petroleum Geolo-
gists, p. 790-817.
velopment in Mid-Continent Areas Associated with
Deposits of Petroleum: (In) Problems of Petroleum
Sidney Powers Memorial Volume, p. 581-627.
Roberts, W. H., 111, 1979, A Basic Undocumented Rethink
on Petroleum Origin: Houston Geological Society
Bulletin. November, p. 6-8.
Idem, 1986, Deep Water Discharge: Key to Hydrocarbon
and Mineral Deposits: Proceedings, Third Canadian/-
American Conference on Hydrogeology: Edited by
Brian Hitchon, S. Bachu, and C. N. Sauveplane.
Published by National Water Well Association, Dublin,
Ohio, U.S.A.
Toth, J., 1962,A Theory of Ground Water Motion in Small
Drainage Basins in Central Alberta, Canada: Journal
of Geophysical Research, Volume 67, number 11, p.
4375-4387.
WILLIAM H. ROBERTS, Ill-Biographical Sketch
William H. (Bill) Roberts, 111, was schooled at Amherst
and the Colorado School of Mines, where he received the
Geological Engineer degree in 1946, with a major in
Geophysics. During World War I1 he was with the Bureau of
Mines making gasoline from coal, the CAA controlling air
traffic, and the U.S. Maritime Service. Post war employers
were Union Oil of Cal., National Petr. Corp. Ltd., Gulf Oil
Corp., and Gulf R. & D. Co. His exploration work has
covered some aspects of nearly all petroliferous basins of
the world. His research work for Gulf focused on the origin
of petroleum and a coordinated total-information approach
to exploration. Bill has authored several hundred in-house
program for newly hired explorationists. On retirement
from Gulf in 1983, he established HYDREXCO (dba),
offering basinal hydrologic reasoning applied to hydrocar-
bon generation. Bill is a member of AAAS, AAPG, AIME,
AIPG, APGE, GCAGS, HGS, SPE, and has held offices
with and received awards from several societies. Bill chaired
the Subcommittee on Research Conferences for the AAPG
Committee on Research for five years and has had over a
dozen papers and several notes on exploration published.
Presently, Bill spends his time consulting, teaching, and
evaluating prospects.
54
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AAPG NEWS

TO: At Large Membership, AAPG Alabama Draft Registration Act Committee

Mr. Thornton Neathery (205) 553-1695
FROM: Dan Titerle,
Thornton Neathery and Associates
Chairman, State Registration Committee Dr. Robert Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 244-4000
Division of Professional Affairs Department of Geology, Auburn Univ.
Mr. Markel Wyatt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 438-8074
RE: Final Draft AmSouth Bank
Alabama Geologist Licensing Act Mr. Fred Mason, I11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 271-7831
Alabama Department of
Environmental Mgmt.
Mr. John Cranor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 221-4130
Surface Mining Commission
Dr. Travis Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 752-5543
P.E. LaMoreaux and Associates
Mr. Robert McKeagney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 877-3134
Over the past several months, an AIPG (the Alabama Vulcan Materials Company
Section) supported committee (see below) has been in- Mr. Jesse Ellard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 556-2867
volved with drafting legislation for the regulation of geolo- Mr. Otis Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 339-4436
gists in the state of Alabama. The first draft, which became President, Alabama Section AIPG
available to DPA in early January of 1992, was a very poorly Ms. Karen Bryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (205) 752-5543
written legal document. Revisions have been made to the P.E. LaMoreaux and Associates
document but it will not be released for another two weeks.
Review and comment meetings are planned for the month of
March in several Alabama cities. Sponsorship of the bill to
the Alabama legislature is expected in April, 1992.
Why, since this is a states rights issue, is this of concern
to the membership at large? Simply put, geology is a contin-
um of events. It is not limited by the policies of man. Today,
geologists in Houston, Jackson, New Orleans, and Tusca-
loosa can all explore the Black Warrior basin for oil and gas
unencumbered by policy.
Tomorrow it might be a different story.

LCT
If you, as an independent or as a company, are actively
exploring for oil and gas in Alabama and you want to
continue that operation unencumbered, you should obtain
and review the "final" draft for legislation from the draft
committee. Key elements are exemption, reciprocity, spe-
cialty designation, grandfathering and minimum experience.
DPA, along with several other professional societies, D Marine Data Acquisition
has formulated a Suggested Practice Act (SGPA). This
document is waiting final endorsement from the member 0 Land Operations
society's executive committees. At this writing the SGPA D Data Processing
conforms to all AAPG recommended guidelines and is
expected to receive full endorsement in June, 1992. 17Interpretations and Modeling
It is important, that to prevent chaos involving the D Workstation Software
regulation of geologists, that 50 similar bills be used as
opposed to 50 unrelated legislative actions. We must insure
that our individual legislators are aware of the SGPA and LCT Houston, Inc.
understand the importance of establishing a common origin 1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 306 Houston, Texas 77079
for all legislation. Incidentally, the state of Washington is phone (713) 558-8383 fax (713) 558-8384 tlx 910-240-8667
presently moving through committee a bill based on the
SGPA.

Bulietrn Houston Geoloqtc.il S o i m y April 1992

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EXPLORATION ACTIVITY REVIEW

By Bill Eisenhardt
Consultant, Geol. Representative-Geomap Co.

National Rig Count: February 15-661; Year Ago-977

GULF COAST as a new Miocene gas discovery in northern West

Texas Feliciana Parish, about 3 '/4 miles southwest of Spillman
Suemaur Exploration has completed the #2 Welder Field, initially productive from the Lower Tuscaloosa,
Heirs as a new Wilcox discovery in the Gormac Field area Wilcox and Austin Chalk. Flow rate was 470 MCFGPD
in northwestern Duval County, opening Dejay Deep Field. through perfs 3273-76'. Structure at the Wilcox horizon is
Flow rate was 6,299 MCFGPD (18,600 MCFGPD-CAOF) south/southwest regional dip.
from the Wilcox "Maxwell House Sand" at 11,395-425'. At About 8 '/2 miles east, in adjoining East Feliciana
the Carrizo Wilcox horizon the new producer spots near Parish, 3-T Exploration has also completed a Miocene gas
the crest of a faulted southwest plunging structural nose. discovery about 2 '/2 miles southwest of Lower Tuscaloosa
About 3 miles southwest, in the northeastern portion of production at Mt. Common Church Field. The #1 McGraw-
the Jackson - and Yegua-prod~~ctive Government Wells Thompson was perforated at 2920-22', but the initial flow
North Field of Duval County, Sanchez-O'Brien has staked rate has not yet been reported. Wilcox structure here is also
the #1 Hahl, a deeper pool test. The 13,000' projected TD south/southwest regional dip with local nosing.
should enable evaluation of the Wilcox section consider-
ably below the 7700-8000' production range for the other MESOZOIC TREND
Wilcox wells in the immediate area. In the southwestern East Texas
portion of the field, the Hurd #1 Hahl will test the Wilcox American Cascade Energy has staked a 7600' Wood-
down to 11,000'. At the Carrizo Wilcox horizon the two bine wildcat in western Houston County, 8 miles south-
deeper pool wildcats spot on the northeast and southwest
flanks of an elongate faulted anticline.
In the northeastern corner of Zapata County, the
Eagle Oil & Gas #1 Fulbright, previously completed from
Wilcox perfs 13,425-455' as a reported new pay discovery in
Taguache Creek Field, has been worked over and recom-
pleted from the Wilcox "H-8" interval as the new field
A S u b d a h r y o f PUBLIC SERVICE M I E R P R I S E
discovery for Flamingo Field. Flow rate was 6,406 MCFGPD OROUP INCORPORATED
(11,600 MCFGPD-CAOF) through perfs 12,466-542'(0A).
At the Carrizo Wilcox horizon the well spots on northeast
dip between a pair of down-to-the-east regional faults.
OIL AND GAS
Ultramar Oil & Gas will attempt to extend Wilcox EXPLORA TION & PRODUCTION
production further basinward at their #1 Stockbauer, Jr. 1,a
17,500' wildcat 2 miles north of Coletto Creek Field
(Miocene and Frio) in western Victoria County. The new
test is 7 miles southeast of ANR's #1 Hrabovsky, discovery
well for Bullock's Church South Field (Wilcox gas), and James B. Gresham
about 2 1/2 miles east of a 17,487'dry hole, the Sun #1 Urban. VP Explorstlon
At the top Wilcox horizon the wildcat appears to spot on the Thomas M. Deeter
distal east flank of a northeast-southwest rollover anticline. Mgr. Onshore (hle.roaolc) Exploratlon
In west-central Jackson County, Brooner Exploration James D. McCuIIough
has staked its #1 Vance as a northwest outpost to Texana Mgr. Offahore Ex~lorsElon
North Field which has established Frio oil and gas pays
Michael S. Young
between 5794-7125'. The 7100' Frio test is less than a mile Mgr. Onshore (Gulf Coart) Explorstlon
from closest field production at the Harper-Smith #2 Vance
(81 BOPD from 6074-78' and 10.4 MMCFGPD from 6234-
39'). At the Tex warreni (Vicksburg) horizon the new test
spots on east dip, upthrown to a regional down-to-the-coast
fault responsible for hydrocarbon entrapment at Texana 1000 Loulalana, Sulta 2 8 0 0 Houston, Taxes 7 7 0 0 2 (713)750-730(
North Field.

South Louisiana
Exchange Oil & Gas has completed its #2 Harvey,Sr.

Bulletin Houston Geolog~calSoc~ety.April 1992 56

Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
east of Navarro Crossing Field (Sub-Clarksville,Woodbine,
Rodessa and Pettet). The #1 Bentz-McFaddin is about 1700'
northeast of the Weeks Exploration # I McFaddin, a 10,300'
Glen Rose dry hole, which reported no cores or tests.
Structure at the base Austin Chalk is regional south/
southeast dip.
North Louisiana
Fina Oil & Chemical will drill a 12,500' Smackover test at
the northern edge of North Carterville Field (Tokio, Buck-
range, Sligo and Haynesville) in extreme northern Bossier
Parish. The #1 Placid is about 1 '/2 miles south of nearest
Smackover production at South Lake Erling Field in
Lafayette County, Arkansas. At the top Smackover hori-
zon the wildcat appears to be located within an east-west
graben straddling the state line, about 2000' north of the
south bounding fault.
Mississippi - Alabama
Esenjay Petroleum will drill a 17,000' directional Nor-
phlet test in eastern Smith County, Mississippi, 3 '/2 miles
northwest of Cotton Valley, Buckner and Smackover
production at Bay Springs Field. BHL of the #1 Brown/
Chisolm is about 2000' east of the Shell #1 Brown,
completed in 1965 as the discovery for the one-well
Sylvarena Field, and abandoned in 1968 after producing
55,982 BO from the Smackover. At the top Smackover
horizon the wildcat spots near the crest of a small structural
closure.
Phillips Petroleum has scheduled a 15,500' Norphlet
test, the #1 A.T.I.C., in extreme northern Escambia
Atlas has the answers
for the Gulf Coast
With almost 60 years of experience in
providing wireline services for every phase
of drilling and production operations, Atlas
Wireline Services offers its clients throughout
the Gulf Coast region the latest in digital data
acquisition and analysis:
Openhole services - pipe recovery to
CBILsM(Circumferential Borehole Imaging
Log)
Borehole seismic services - checkshots
to VSPs and TOMEX@seismic-while-
drilling services
Cased hole services - perforating to
pulsed neutron logging
Production logging services - injection
operations to geothermal services
57
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
County, Alabama, 1 M miles southwest of Vocation Field, a
Smackover reservoir in adjoining Monroe County which
had produced over one million barrels oil and condensate
and over 4,461 MMCF gas through March 1990. At the top
Smackover horizon the wildcat spots on the southwest
flank of the Vocation Field structure.
In southwestern Conecuh County, Alabama, Great
Western Onshore has staked its #1 GW-Edge Gilmore, a
14,000' Smackover wildcat just over 2 miles east and
northeast of Barnett and East Barnett Fields. Smackover
structure here appears to be regional southwest dip;
however, the operator has probably targeted a small
Smackover structure on a pre-Jurassic basement high. This
latest venture is part of a very active play extending into
southern Monroe and northern Escambia Counties.
INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Provided by PETROCONSULTANTS, Foreign Scouting
Division, Geneva, Switzerland
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina
State company YPF completed its wildcat Ramon Lista
1 in the Formosa Province, Cretaceous Basin, from the
Cretaceous Palmar Largo Formation with a flow rate of
667 BOPD and 21 1 MCFGPD.
Brazil
In December, Petrobras made an oil discovery in the
Potiguar Basin at wildcat I-FCN-2-RN (Fazenda Canaa
2), located 18 km (11.2 miles) ENE of Mossoro in the
Boavista Graben. The new find, which was drilled to TD
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Tornex surveys are provded in part under c e r x e d oaten1 rqhls
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Technology used n Tornex surveys was developed + ~ l bsdpport
from f h Gas~ ResearcP lnst~tute
1990 Western Atlas International r~ h T 9 1 24-
Bulletin Houston Geological Soclety. A p r ~ l1992
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help
1632 m (5355'), flowed 119 BOPD (39" API) from an
undisclosed interval, possibly in the Upper Cretaceous
Acu Formation. Recoverable reserves are estimated at 5.4
MMBO.
Colombia
BP's 4877 m (16,001') outpost at Cusiana, Buenos
Aires 1, encountered a gross hydrocarbon column of 269 m
(883') in three successive zones in the Paleocene to
Eocene Barco, Los Cuervos and Mirador sandstones.
Drillsite is 3 miles SSW of Cusiana 2A and 5 '/2 miles
southwest of the discovery well. Testing is currently
underway to determine flow rates.
American International Petroleum Corp. (AIPC) has
announced a significant oil, condensate and gas discovery
at its wildcat Puli 2, where open-hole testing between 1548
and 1570 m (5079-5151') in the Campanian Monserrate
K4 zone yielded 582 BOPD, 70 BCPD and 11,700
MCFGPD.
EUROPE
France
Essorep's Les Arbousiers, 1D in the Lege permit
(Parentis Sub-Basin) flowed ARO 1,635 BOPD during a
three-hour test, after acidizing, from a 16' Purbeckian
Sand interval. This unit is the oil producer in the nearby
Cazaux and Lavergne fields.
Italy
In January, Fiat-Rimi discovered gas and condensate
at wildcat Torrente Baganza 1in the northernmost sector of
the Tuscany zone in the northern Apennines. Final depth
reached was 1674 m (5492'). The Middle Miocene reser-
voir will need production tests for a better evaluation.
Location is in the Torrente Baganza permit, 20 km (12.4
miles) southwest of Parma, and 1 1/2 miles northwest of the
old Vallezza oil and gas field (1907).
Malta (Offshore)
Amoco has spudded wildcat Valletta 1 in Block 3,
about 40 km (29 miles) SSE of Sicily's Vega Field and 37 km
(23 miles) NNE of Valletta. This is the first well in Malta since
1985. Since the planned TD is 4350 m (14,272'), the main
objective is probably the Jurassic Siracusa platform
carbonates.
Bullet!n Houston Geolog~calSocrety, A p r ~ 1992
l 58
In this Issue Volume 34 Contents
Netherlands
NAM has suspended wildcat Pasop 1 in the Groningen
concession and about 7 7;miles WSW of Groningen, as a
gas discovery at TD 3604 m (11,825'). This appears to be
NAM's second gas discovery in northeastern Netherlands
since wildcat Suurhuisterveen 1, about 8 miles WSW, was
suspended in November, reportedly with gas.
Norway (Offshore)
Norsk Hydro's 35111-4 wildcat north of Troll flowed up
to 4,296 BOPD from four Jurassic tests.
A short distance east of Balder, Norsk Hydro's 25111-
15 wildcat flowed 3,396 BOPD from the Paleocene, and
reportedly contains 300 MMBO recoverable.
Saga's western outpost at Vigdis, the 34/7-19, flowed
up to 7,233 BOPD from the Jurassic, which has upgraded
the reserves at Vigdis to 220 million barrels.
Statoil has confirmed 6608/10-2 as the first oil dis-
covery in the Nordland I1 area. The new find flowed up to
7,328 BOPD and 25,000 MCFGPD from the Jurassic.
United Kingdom (Offshore)
Arco has discovered gas at its 44/18-1 which tested
54,000 MCFGPD from the Carboniferous.
AFRICA
Nigeria
In the northwestern Delta, the Nigerian company
Dubri Oil has tested significant amounts of gas and
condensate at about 3350 m (10,991') in its wildcat Ovia 1,
Mike McWilliams
909 Fannin St., Suite 3250
Houston, Texas 77010
(713) 757-9626
Home Page DVD Contents Search Help In this Issue Volume 34 Contents

located in OML 96, 3 3/4 miles northeast of Gilli Gilli Field.
In the same area, Ovhor 1, an exploratory well drilled
by Shell in OML 41, encountered oil sands below 2500 m
(8203') and is a new oil discovery.
NEAR EAST
Iran (Offshore)
The first appraisal well drilled on the South Pars
structure has met with success. Reserves of up to 100 TCF
gas and 2.5-3.0billion bbls condensate are quoted from this
area, which forms the northern extension of Qatar's 150
TCF North Dome Field. The as yet unnamed well also
encountered oil between 1200-1400 m (3937-4593'), pre-
sumably in the Mesozoic section.
Oman
Occidental has made a potentially significant oil dis-
covery in the southwestern corner of the Suneinah license
in northern Oman. Tests at the Irq Al Khatarah 1 gauged
1,150 BOPD (38" API) from a 33' net pay section at 1428-
1442 m (4685-4731') in the early Cretaceous Upper
Shuaiba carbonates. Drillsite is 32 km (20 miles) SSE of
Oxy's Safah Field, currently producing 26,000 BOPD from
a Shuaiba reservoir.
FAR EAST
Malaysia (Offshore)
In Sarawak Block SK-7, OPIC has a significant oil
discovery at its Acis North 2. The wildcat, which bottomed
in Oligocene Cycle I, flowed at rates in excess of 2,850
BOPD.
Myanmar
In January, Shell tested more than 11,000 MCFGPD at
wildcat Apyauk 1 in the Central Burma Basin from an
unreported Tertiary formation below 2940 m (9646'). The
discovery is located in Block G , about 80 km (50 miles)
NNW of the capital Yangoon.
Philippines (Offshore)
Interest in the northwest Palawan area has intensified
with the first reported results of three separate drilling
programs started in late 1991. Alcorn's first appraisal at
West Linapacan A Field flowed 4,585 BOPD (34" API). At
about the same time, Petrocorp successfully tested wildcat
Calauit South 1 , l '/,miles south of the Calauit 1-Bdiscovery
well, reporting a stabilized flow of 3,286 BOPD. Finally,
unspecified shows are rumored at Malampaya 1, a wildcat
drilled by Shell on a structure possibly connected to the
Camago gas/condensate field discovered by Oxy in 1989.
The well is currently drilling ahead towards its Nido
Limestone (Miocene) objective.
AUSTRALIA
South Australia
In PPL 20 Tirrawarra (Cooper-Eromanga Basins),
Santos' outpost Tirrawarra 70 was successfully completed
as an oil and gas well after testing an aggregate 112 BOPD
and 2,350 MCFGPD from the Lower Permian Patcha-
warra and Tirrawarra sandstones. Drillsite is 2 '/, miles
northwest of the 1970 Tirrawarra oil and gas discovery,
Tirrawarra 1.

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A reassessment based on analysis by
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Basic Petroleum Economics
May 11-15 Tulsa Chromatography, supplemented by data available in the public
Database Management and
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Computer Applications in Exploration
May 11-15 r Tulsa
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considerable amounts of terrestrially derived material. Available
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potential of the sequences. Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography
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source type.
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I T Corporation 2310 Millvale Dr. Exxon Exploration Co. Fma 011 & Chemlcal
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Houston, TX 77074 263~4136
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Sr. Prod. Geologist George A. Jamieson William J. Malin Andrew R. Thomas
Larry S . Bennett Geologlst
lndependent Nerco Oil & G a s Sr. Geophysicist President
10375 Richmond Ave. #600 Geco-Prakla Independent Energy Corp Texaco
13816 W. 58th Ave
Houston, TX 77042 1325 S Dalry Ashford 1515 Poydras St 3901 Br~arpark
Arvada, C O 80004 Houston, TX 77042
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Sr. Geologist Geologst
Shell 011Co. Houston, TX 77005 Mgr. of Technology Mgr Jomt Ventures
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Houston, TX 770 P . 0 Box 3092 9401 S W Frwy PI200
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Robert L. Broussard Geologlst 588~5528 272-5029 870-4450
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556.4650 Larry G . Frizzell 654~1414
Houston. TX 77002 Dumitru P. Popescu
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Janus Exploration Co. Earl W. Kitchen Grav~tyAnalyst Observer Steven D. Vealey
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P.O. Box 5625 Sr. Staff Geol Engr L C T Ho~lstonlnc.
Mitchell Energy Corp. Exxon USA
Bossier C ~ t yLA
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The Woodlands, TX 77380 Houston. TX 77046
377 5732 Houston, TX 77001 Benjamin M. Price
Charles M. Green 870-4372 297 7233
Ronald M. Cupich President Geologlst
Harold Knox Oryx Energy C o Elizabeth J. Wick
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Geologist P 0. Box 1501 Geologist
Texaco 13405 NW Freeway 6316
Mark IV Energy Houston, TX 77251 Lofhn Environmental Assoc. lnc
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1100 NW Loop 410 #501 985-2218 2020 Montrose B l d
Belkire, TX 77401 460-0095
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432-6830 Paul B. Griesedieck Walter Ritchie 521-3300
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Houston, TX 77042 523-8711 778~3448 MEMBERS
Houston, TX 77027
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775~2415 (512) 341-0238 Gary J. Lanier Vene Stanev Paula D. W. Tuck
David C . Hamren Geologist Consultant Geophyslcal Tech,Geol Stud
Wesley E. Davis
11706 Bolero Ct Nerco Oil & G a s T G S Geophysical XCL Expl. & Prod
Geolog~st
Stafford, TX 77477 10375 Richmond Ave. f600 333 Clay 63900 9810 FM 1960 #I35
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Houston, TX 77014 260-5894 754-6747 540 7424
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893-4464 Sr. Geolog~st Ruth A. Laseski Mark D. Steele
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10675 Richmond #I90 Fulbrqht & Jaworskl Wainoco Oil & Gas
Staff Geologist
Houston, TX 77042 1301 McKmney q5100 1200 Smlth #I500
Maxus Energy
785-9225 Houston, TX 77010 Houston, TX 77002
717 N. Harwood
Dallas, TX 75201 651-5492 658~9900
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