1974 Number 112

PAC/F/C PE7ROL€UM G€OLOG/,ST NEWSIE77ER of the Pacific Section American Association of Petroleum Geologists VOLUME 28 JANUARY /FEBRUARY, 1974 NUMBER 112 President" Corner GUEST EDITORIAL.. "Bury me face down" said Diogenes, THE ENERGY CRISIS -AND AAPG and when asked why he replied, "be- cause in a little while everything will As has been predicted for the past uranium. These can be found only by be turned upside down again." Don't five years, the oil industry is now be- the application of sound geological get caught face down in this topsy- ing blamed for the Energy Crisis. It is knowledge, not by political rhetoric turvy energy crr-unch! We're going to aggravating enough to be accused of or bureaucratic edict. turn it over again at the 49th Annual contriving the shortage, which at least Pacific Section AAPG-SEPM-SEG implies a certain degree of intelli- All of the major sources of energy meeting in San Diego April 24-26. gence. What really hurts is when we presently used, with the possible ex- Convention theme is, "Energy the are of having been too stupid ception of water Power, are on Challenge and the Change." Hear it to foresee the mesent situation. geology. from the experts an exciting, stimulat- A ing and informative program, geared Not only the public and the govern- to pressing problems of the times, has We are fortunate that the crisis ar- ment, but our own mmpanies must rived when it did, instead of five years been planned by your hard working realize that there is more oil and gas Convention Committee, John Minch hence. We would have been better off to be found. P&olem, like water, is if it had arrived five Years If we General Chairman, and hosted by the had been smart enough to contrive it, exadly what it costs to produce San Diego Association of Geologists. it, and if the price is artificially Sup- Find out the facts, where to find it, we have contrived it then in- pressed below the cost of production, stead of now. what the future holds for young and it simply will not be available. old and have a lot of fun doing it, at We have known for almost twenty It is patently true that the day of the beautiful Sheraton Harbor Hotel. years the inevitable outcome of artifi- cheap energy is at an end; but cheap A major highlight, of this important cial suppression of the wellhead price energy provided by geological acumen of natural gas, but nobody would gathering of the clan, will be the field has brought civilization to a point trip to El Rosario, Baja California, to listen. We have also known that as where it is better prepared to solve surely as the sun will arise tomorrow, visit the type section for the Creta- the problems of the future. When his- ceous of Northern Baja, plus a Mex- we would get blamed for the shortage torians look back on the petroleum when it inevitably came. ican style Bar-B-Q on the beach fea- age, they will see that world civiliza- turing roast kid and cervesa. This will We failed to convince anyone of tion advanced more in the 150 years be a one day-two day option on Sat- the importance of petroleum and the following the Drake Well than in any urday and Sunday following the meet- fact that the supply was a dynamic equivalent period in history. ing. The Bar-B-Q will climax Satur- and not a static thing, that even a These advances must be credited to day's activities. minor disturbance in any part of the the geologists who were able to locate You can't afford to miss this most chain could upset the entire complex supplies of energy so readily available important meeting. 'What's good for system. and easily transportable throughout the swarm is good for the bee." Plan At least one thing has changed in the world. now to be there and "help put Humpty Dumpty together again." the last year - everyone knows there Let's not rest on our laurels, but is a petroleum industry. Reople may continue in our efforts to supply more See you there - dios mediante. not like us, but they are beginning to petroleum, if not for fuel, at least for EL PRESIDENTE realize they can't get along without us. the raw materials for the manv mod- ------------ As geologists, we all know that the ucts on which our life style dgpAds. NEW ADDRESS supply of fossil fuels and radioactive At the same time, we must main- material is finite. Long before petro- tain flexibility to explore for additional B. Brick Robinson has resigned leum and coal are exhausted, they will uranium and to bring about a more from Shell in New Orleans after three have become much too valuable as a universal application of geothermal long, damp years in the bayou coun- source of raw materials to be con- energy, which probably is second only try, and has taken on with Oxy in sumed as fuels. In the meantime, be- to solar energy as an ultimate source Houston. Mr. Robinson worked 18 fore the perfection of the practical use of power. years for Shell as a production geol- of solar energy and nuclear fusion, we ogist, primarily at Bakersfield and must depend on the fossil fuels and HENRY H. NEEL Ventura. PAGE 2 GEOLOGICAL REVIEWS Application of Plate Tectonics to Greetings again from the land of short days and long shadows and no Petroleum Exploration at days and all shadows in some parts The following individuals are the Continental Margins thls time of year. Sorry about the em- newly elected officers for 1974 of the barrassing string of "No Alaska Ke- Northern California Chapter of API. ports." Still just can't seem to get the Chairman, E. D. "Gene" McCraw, Approximately 90 percent of known hang of writing early this month for Byron Jackson; First Vice Chairman, next month's NEWSLETTER.For in- reserves of oil and gas has accumu- stance I'm still gnawing left-over Hubert Mee, Standard Oil Co.; Sec- lated within the past 250 million years Thanksgiving turkey bones, but by the ond Vice Chairman, James Grimes, concurrent with formation of the pres- time this letter is published the jolly Union Oil Co.; Secretary-Treasurer, ent ocean basins, island ridges, and fat elf with the weird beard and red Sarge T. Reynolds, Tri-Valley Oil and linear mountain chains of Andean and rompers will have completed his an- Gas Co. Alpine types. Concepts of crustal rift- nual stocking stuffing and bill-fold ing, sea-floor spreading, and plate tec- flattening trip, and the holiday epi- Meeting dates for the 1974 term demic of bleary-eyes will be clearmg have tentatively been set for March tonics help explain these tectonic fea- 19, May 21, September 20 and No- tures of the earth and may help locate UP. vember 19. additional reserves of petroleum, par- The Alaska Geological Society sym- ticularly along the present continental posium in September turned out suc- On January 15, 1974 the Northern margins. cessfully financially, weathenvise and California Chapter of API held its otherwise. The following hosses and first meeting of the year at the El Differential extension of the litho- their committees really deserve a sphere may result in high tempera- Rancho Motel, West Sacramento. 60 whack on the back - friendly that is tures in the upper continental crust and not too low: Don Morris (Chair- members were in attendance for the concurrent with local accumulations dinner meeting. man); Dock Adams, Bill Barnwell, of shallow-water sands, carbonate Bill Decker, Bob McCollum, John Speaker for the evening was former rocks, euxinic muds, evaporites, and McKeever, Lydia Selkregg, John State Geologist Wesley G. Bruer, who volcanic rocks. Where the lithosphere Sweet ( Steering Committee) ; Charlie is currently the Energy Planning Co- rifts apart, seawater encroaches and Sloan (Registration) ; Bill Long ( Me- the asthenosphere wells up in the for- chancial Arrangements ) ; A1 Scouler ordinator for the Federal-State Fuel mation of oceanic crust. During con- Coordination Center based in Sacra- (Field Trip); Bill Edwards (Finance); tinued divergence of the continents, Bill Lyle (Publicity), Dick Church mento. Mr. Bruer's topic was "Califor- this new crust subsides as it cools and (Advertising ) ; Ernie Lian (Publica- nia and the Energy Crisis." moves away from the rifts, downwarp- tions ) ; Tom Wilson ( Housing ) ; Mrs. ing with it the thinned edges of rifted The Sacramento Petroleum Associa- William Decker (Ladies' Entertain- continental crust. Remnants of tear ment); and an especial thanks to tion in conjunction with the Geological faults on the rifted continental blocks, Society of Sacramento and Sacramento Bonita Lone and the Anchorage Desk and the presence of volcanic rocks and and Derrick girls for their aid to sev- City College Geology Department salt diapirs may be clues to petroleum eral committees as well as adding a will sponsor on February 21, 1974 a provinces buried beneath the detrital touch of beauty to the registration licture by Dr. M. King Hubbert, Re- continental rises and/or carbonate desk. Left out Marv Mangus (Enter- search Geophysicist for the U.S. Geo- platforms that characterize such di- tainment) but I hear that he is still logical Survey, Washington, D.C. The vergent margins. engaged in research in this direction title of Dr. Hubbert's lecture will be Convergence of crustal plate mar- on the culturally entertaining aspects "The World's Energy Economy." The gins (marked by oceanic trenches, of bottomless bars and massage par- meeting will be held at the Sacra- linear trends of deep focus earth- lors.

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