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In This Issue... Where and Why Do Large Tides Occur? Potential Reservoir Characterization of the Fluvial Reach To Inner Estuary, Ogeechee River Estuary, Georgia, USA Discussion: Shallow Thinking in Deep Time Mountjoy Wrap-up GeoWomen of Calgary Partners with the CSPG

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CSPG OFFICE PRESIDENT PRESIDENT ELECT #150, 540 - 5th Ave SW Mark Cooper Clint Tippett Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0M2 Tel: 403-264-5610 Sherwood Geoconsulting Inc. [email protected] Web: www.cspg.org Please visit our website for all tickets sales and event/course registrations [email protected] Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:00pm The CSPG Office is Closed the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. OFFICE CONTACTS Membership Inquiries PAST PRESIDENT FINANCE DIRECTOR Tel: 403-264-5610 Email: [email protected] Greg Lynch Shelley Leggitt Advertising Inquiries: Emma MacPherson Tel: 403-513-1230 Email: [email protected] Shell Canada Ltd. NAL Resources Ltd. Sponsorship Opportunities: Lis Bjeld Tel: 403-513-1235 Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Conference Inquiries: Kristy Casebeer Tel: 403-513-1233 Email: [email protected] Accounting Inquiries: Nancy Mosher Tel: 403-513-1232 Email: [email protected] FINANCE DIRECTOR Executive Director: Lis Bjeld Tel: 403-513-1235, Email: [email protected] DIRECTOR ELECT Mark Caplan Jim Barclay EDITORS/AUTHORS Please submit RESERVOIR articles to the CSPG office. [email protected] Submission deadline is the 23rd day of the month, two months prior [email protected] to issue date. (e.g. January 23 for the March/April issue) To publish an article, the CSPG requires digital copies of the document. Text should be in Microsoft Word format and illustrations should be in TIFF format at 300 dpi., at final size. DIRECTOR DIRECTOR CSPG COORDINATING EDITOR John Cody Alex MacNeil Emma MacPherson, Programs Coordinator, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Tel: 403-513-1230, Statoil Canada Ltd. Osum Oil Sands Corp. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The RESERVOIR is published 6 times per year by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. The purpose of the RESERVOIR is to publicize the Society’s many activities and to promote the geosciences. We look for both technical and non-technical material to publish. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the publisher. Additional copies of the RESERVOIR are available DIRECTOR DIRECTOR at the CSPG office. Kevin Parks Michael Webb No official endorsement or sponsorship by the CSPG is implied for any advertisement, insert, or article that appears in the Reservoir unless otherwise noted. All submitted materials are reviewed by the editor. We reserve the right to edit all submissions, Alberta Energy Regulator Suncor Energy including letters to the Editor. Submissions must include your name, address, and membership number (if applicable).The material contained in this publication is [email protected] [email protected] intended for informational use only. While reasonable care has been taken, authors and the CSPG make no guarantees that any of the equations, schematics, or devices discussed will perform as expected or that they will give the desired results. Some information contained herein may be inaccurate or may vary from standard measurements. The CSPG expressly disclaims EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR any and all liability for the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third-party user of information contained in this publication. Under no circumstances shall the CSPG and Lis Bjeld its officers, directors, employees, and agents be liable for any injury, loss, damage, or expense arising in any manner whatsoever from the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third-party user. CSPG Printed by CBN Commercial Services, Calgary, Alberta. [email protected]

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPT/OCT 2017 3 Knowledge has TO BE improved, CHALLENGED, AND INCREASED constantly, OR IT vanishes. Peter Drucker

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 – VOLUME 44, ISSUE 5

MONTHLY SPONSORS...... 4

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD...... 7

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS...... 8 ACADEMIC ARTICLES

Where and Why Do Large Tides Occur?...... 10

Potential Reservoir Characterization of the Fluvial Reach to Inner Estuary, Ogeechee River Estuary, Georgia, USA...... 15

Discussion: Shallow Thinking in Deep Time...... 20 UPCOMING EVENTS

FRONT COVER Technical Luncheons...... 23 Mt. Qomolangma National Park, Tibet. Folds and faults in the Dingjie Formation, Division Talks...... 28 Tingri Group, Tibet, China. These strata are Middle to Upper Jurassic in age. They sit 4590m above sea level on the Tibet Plateau SOCIETY NEWS along the gravel road to a basecamp on Mt. Everest. The Dingjie Formation is more than Mountjoy Wrap-up...... 34 400m thick and is composed of yellow-green sandstone and dark gray shale alternating GeoWomen of Calgary partners with the CSPG...... 36 with quartz sandstone. Zekai Jia Go Take a Hike...... 38

2017 Classic Golf Wrap-up...... 42

Stanley Slipper Medal Call for Nominations...... 43

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 5 2017 Ph.D and M. Sc. CALL FOR THESES

Ph. D. AWARD Win $5,000, a framed certificate, and a one-year CSPG membership for the Doctoral thesis that makes the most significant contribution to Canadian sedimentary geology in 2017.

M. Sc. AWARD Win $4,000, a framed certificate, and a one-year CSPG membership for the Masters thesis that makes the most significant contribution to Canadian sedimentary geology in 2017.

Winning thesis in recent years have included: A study which developed a new and robust method of interpreting complex tidal successions using the BlueskyGething interval in the Peace River area as the study area; a field based outcrop study of the Lower Lajas Formation in the Neuquen Basin of westcentral Argentina; a detailed stratigraphic, sedimentological and geochemical study of the mudstone dominated Carlile Formation in Eastern Alberta with a focus on advancing the model for the deposition of mudstones; a sedimentological and neoichnological examination of a modern mixed energy estuary at Tillamook Bay on the coast of Oregon; a reinterpretation of the classic Silurian reefs in Southern Ontario and Michigan; an integrated analysis of the evolution of the passive continental margin off the coast of Nova Scotia incorporating the extensive seismic data set acquired over the last 25 years; and evaporate diapirism in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 For submission, an electronic copy (.pdf format) of the thesis is preferred but a hard copy if properly bound will be accepted. Submitted hard-copy theses will be returned in late January 2018. Eligible theses are either produced in a Canadian Please submit electronic copy university, regardless of project location, or deal with a Canadian sedimentary/petroleum geology of thesis for judging to:

topic, regardless of the university of origin. Theses Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG) entered for the 2017 awards must have been Graduate Thesis Awards Committee submitted to a recognized university inside or outside of Canada and must have formed part of c/o Andre Chow the requirements for degrees awarded at the Fall [email protected] 2016 or Spring 2017 convocations. For submission of a hard copy thesis or additional Candidates theses must be well written and clearly information please contact Andre Chow at the and adequately illustrated above email or tel: 587-777-2154 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

FINANCES, INFLATION AND CSPG MEMBERSHIP DUES By Mark Cooper (President))

he CSPG starts a new fiscal year on September 1. As you are all aware, Tthe downturn in the industry has had an impact on the finances of the CSPG and on those of many of our members. The challenge for the CSPG over the last twelve months has been to strike a balance between maintaining the services that we provide to the membership, on the one hand, and striving for a balanced budget, on the other. To this end, we have adopted a strategy to ensure that core member services are maintained. These include the operations options and that people will attend if we get brought forward. Dues were last increased of the various Technical Divisions, the “product” right. fifteen years ago - in 2002. In the interim we the Technical Luncheons, specialized I would like to take this opportunity to thank have been able to function at that level due conferences and workshops, SIFT, on behalf of CSPG all those individuals to the generally robust nature of the other Professional Development opportunities involved with the organizing committees of revenue streams generated for us by industry. through training courses, the Reservoir these events. Through their efforts the Society Since that point in time there have been and the Bulletin, the Long Time Members has put together an excellent range of activities significant increases in costs. I have included Reception and the various sporting and that our members have clearly found relevant. a graph that shows the levels of CSPG dues social events that occur throughout the year. since 1980. The major jumps occurred in We have achieved this goal by being creative I also want to let you know that this 1998 and 2002. To provide some context, the in how we manage our costs and have program of activities has been delivered graph also includes the Canadian Consumer reduced our overhead as much as possible. by a significantly smaller number of staff Price Index over the same time frame (the CPI This will continue to help us into the future. in the CSPG office. The reduction was the is set to 100% in 2002/3). For the last financial year we have halved our result of some redundancies and of two staff In view of the pressures on our finances, the losses from the previous year - but we need being on maternity leave. The impact on Board therefore took the decision that as part to improve that further. We need to continue the remaining staff has been an increased of rebalancing our budget it was necessary along the path back to a balanced budget workload which was managed by some and very reasonable to increase CSPG dues for and ultimately to a surplus so that we can efficiencies but also through longer hours. full members to $120 per year + GST as of 1st replenish our financial reserves. We are appreciative of the dedication of our office staff to the Society. September 2017. This still leaves the Society GeoConvention 2017 in May, of which short of where the dues should be to fully CSPG is a partner with CSEG and CWLS, I would also like to thank all our sponsors. offset the increase in CPI since 2002 - but on an exceeded the previous year’s results and Without them, we would be a much smaller inflation adjusted basis it does at least return contributed revenue to the CSPG which is Society and our technical programs would the real value of the dues back to where they an encouraging sign of industry recovery. be significantly more expensive for CSPG to were in 1980. The CSPG Core Convention also provided deliver! This also impacts all our Outreach Finally, I would like to remind in-transition healthy revenues for the Society as did the areas from the Ph.D. and Masters level down to members that their dues are waived until the Gussow and the Geothermal and Carbon school children. Our sponsors greatly assist us end of 2018. The Board also passed a motion Capture and Storage meetings last fall. The in representing Canada’s Energy Geoscientists to extend that option to lapsed members in Spring Education week had 204 registrants across the country and we value them as transition who can rejoin the Society for an and exceeded budget expectations by 12%. Partners! Our sponsors have stood behind administration fee of only $25 + GST and This also suggests that a gentle return to some us for many years and continue to do so. In then take advantage of the free membership level of normalcy has started as companies addition to our sponsors, the CSPG Foundation until end 2018. Please visit the CSPG website begin to send staff on training courses also puts your charitable donations to work by for details and please note that to take again to fulfil professional development supporting CSPG Outreach programmes. advantage of this benefit you will need to call needs. These outcomes indicate that there As a part of our review of our future financial the office staff directly to be set up correctly is demand for a wide spectrum of meeting plans the issue of membership dues was in the membership system.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 7 MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS

ACADEMIC ISSUE

elcome to the September / One idea we are currently looking for input October edition of the Reservoir on is “Great Geological Field Trips.” We’d W– the ‘fall academic edition.’ like to get a story from you on what you The crisp, clear mornings, the changing thought a truly great field trip was. With this colours of the leaves all remind me of a idea in mind, we’d like to hear about some new academic year; turning the page from personal stories on what made the field the dog days of summer, to the new routine trip great – the people that lead or attended Jason Frank of class schedules, packed lunches and of the trip, perhaps the amazing logistical Technical Editor for the CSPG Reservoir course exams and papers. obstacles that needed to be overcome, Sr. Geologist at Athabasca Oil Corporation or any other stories you have. We all In this edition of the Reservoir we highlight love to study rocks, but with this series of Jason Frank is a Professional Geologist who holds some of the great academic work that has articles, we’d like to break away from the a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Alberta. been presented at conferences in and purely technical and highlight some of the He has over 16 years of experience in oil and around Calgary. We are very fortunate personal aspects of a great field trip. gas including technical and leadership positions to have some very fine Universities to in exploration and development both on and draw from, and we have made an attempt We hope that you continue to find the offshore. Past experience includes Shell Canada to sample some of the great work our articles in the Reservoir worthwhile. Our Ltd., Burlington Resources Ltd., ConocoPhillips students and academic staff are currently invitation still stands, please contact us Canada Ltd., and Talisman Energy Inc. Jason working on. Janok Bhattacharya and with any ideas you may have for future has volunteered for the Society in the past, most James MacEachern provide a discussion papers, or themes within the Reservoir – recently chairing the Duvernay session at the on “Shallow Thinking in Deep Time” as a we’d love to hear your ideas. So sharpen Society’s annual convention (2014) and the response to Dennis Meloche’s paper that those pencils, enjoy the packed lunches, Honourary Address Committee. was published in the Challenging Doctrine and keep enjoying the wonderful science of Theme. Robert Dalrmple and Laurie Geology. Padman explain some of the controlling factors on “Where and Why do Large Tides Jason and Travis Occur.” And finally we have a paper from Alina Shchepetkina, Murray Gingras and George Pemberton that describes the reservoir characterization of the Ogeechee River estuary in Oregon.

Travis Hobbs Technical Editor for the Reservoir Professional Geologist at Encana

Travis Hobbs is an undergraduate from University of Calgary with a graduates degree from Simon Fraser University in Geology. Professionally has worked both domestically and internationally for 19 years in the Oil & Gas industry, and is currently celebrating 15 years with Encana. Industry roles have included development, exploration, management and business development. Prior to the Reservoir, Travis has held previous roles on convention committees and six years as the Chair of Continuing Education. As free time permits Travis enjoys cycling, cross-country skiing and teaching his two daughters violin.

8 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 FALL EDUCATION

September 11th - 12th, 2017 October 19th, 2017 Sequence Stratigraphy of Devonian (Frasnian) Emotional Intelligence for Success Carbonate and Shale Plays, Rocky Mountains, West in Work and Life Central Alberta **Field Trip Instructor: Michelle Hargreaves & Catherine Burdett Instructor: John Weissenberger October 20th, 2017 October 11th, 2017 Introduction to Carbonate Resource Plays and Fundamentals of Reserve Estimation Associated Shale Reservoirs in Unconventional Plays Instructor: John Weissenberger Instructor: Trisha MacDonald, P.Eng October 20th, 2017 October 12th - 13th, 2017 The Resilience Advantage Workshop Well Logging & Log Interpretation Instructor: Michelle Hargreaves & Catherine Burdett Instructor: Peter Kubica October 26th - 27th, 2017 October 16th, 2017 Introductory borehole image log interpretation Petroleum System Charge Analysis for Instructors: Kris Vickerman, Dr. William Jamison, Unconventional Resource Plays Kent Barrett Instructor: Michael Abrams October 31st, 2017 October 16th - 20th, 2017 Mudstone depositional processes Clastic Exploration School and stratal architecture Instructor: David James Instructor: Dr. Per Kent Pedersen

October 17-18th, 2017 November 3rd, 2017 Basics of Geomodeling An Overview Sedimentology, stratigraphy, reservoir characterization Instructor: David Garner and fairways of the Tight Oil Cardium Play Instructor: Dr. Per Kent Pedersen October 18th, 2017 Advanced Geosteering Training November 22nd-23rd, 2017 Instructor: Igor Kuvaev Fundamentals of Geostatistics Instructor: David Garner October 19th, 2017 Tight Rock Core Analysis Instructor: Christopher Clarkson

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 9 TECHNICAL ARTICLE

WHERE AND WHY DO LARGE TIDES OCCUR? By Robert W. Dalrymple, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Laurie Padman, Earth & Space Research, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

Introduction layers in such deposits. Significant gaps in Arctic and Antarctic are also available in The petroleum industry has a love-hate understanding also exist at the basin scale, Dalrymple and Padman (2016). relationship with tides. On the one hand, particularly about where (geographically tides generate strong currents that can and stratigraphically) tidal deposits will Theory deposit well-sorted sands with good occur. Such knowledge is likely to be Most sedimentology courses teach that tides reservoir properties. On the other hand, the especially important in exploration, and are generated by the gravitational attraction stop-start nature of the reversing currents particularly in frontier basins where little of the Moon and Sun acting together with the commonly leads to the accumulation of is known in advance about the types of centrifugal force of the Earth-Moon couple deposits containing abundant mud layers deposits that might be encountered. Here, as it rotates about its common centre of that act as baffles or barriers to fluid flow. we examine some of the large-scale controls mass. The so-called “tidal bulges” generated Many tidal deposits are incredibly complex on the distribution of tidal range, which is an by these forces are located on opposite sides architecturally, leading to problems in imperfect first-order proxy for the strength of the Earth, on a line that passes through the their exploitation. Our understanding of of the tidal currents (Dalrymple, 2010) that centre of the Earth and the tide-generating the nature of these deposits has grown determine the nature of the deposits. We body. Because the orbits of the Moon and significantly over the last few decades (see especially focus on tides in high-latitude Sun lie close to the equator, these bulges Dalrymple (2010) and Davis and Dalrymple areas. This report is a condensed version have their maximum height in equatorial (2012) for recent reviews), although much of a more extensive review presented latitudes, with their height decreasing remains to be learned about the architecture in Dalrymple and Padman (in press). toward the poles (Figure 1). This has led to and length-scale distribution of mud Animations of the tidal dynamics of the the myth that tidal ranges, and hence tidal

Figure 1: Elevation of the water surface on a water-covered Earth, predicted using equilibrium tidal theory, for the gravitational attraction of the Moon and Sun, as seen along a line of longitude that passes directly beneath the Moon or Sun Figure 2: Global distributions of the amplitude of the total tide (A) and maximum tidal-current speeds (B) (i.e., through the crest of the tidal bulge). Because predicted by the TPX07.2 tidal model. Amplitudes are in metres and current speeds in metres/second. the declinations of Moon and Sun are constantly Areas with fast tidal currents (B) generally correlate with areas with large tidal amplitudes, but there are changing, the 0o point in the figure does not mismatches (e.g., north coast of Australia and Torres Strait, and the Ross Sea, Antarctica) because tidal correspond to a fixed latitude. current speeds are determined by the tidal prism, which is only partially determined by the tidal range (Dalrymple, 2010).

10 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Table 1

Location Spring Tidal Latitude Tectonic Setting Distance Range from Shelf Edge (km) 1 Bay of Fundy, Canada 13.3 (17.0 m m) 51o N Passive margin; exhumed 550 Triassic rift 2 Bristol Channel, 13.3 m 51o N Passive margin; 625 England reactivated Paleozoic structure 3 Ungava Bay, Canada 12.2 m (16.8 m) 59o N Passive margin; 550 Precambrian continental-­‐ block suture; Cenozoic rifting 4 Gulf of St. Malo, 11.5 m 49o N Passive margin; 675 France reactivated Paleozoic structure 5 Patagonia, Argentina 11.0 m 52o S Passive margin; Cenozoic 950 rifting related to nearby active margins 6 Cook Inlet, Alaska 10.2 m 61o N Active margin; backarc 550 basin 7 Sea of Okhotsk, Russia 9.2 m 62o N Active margin; backarc 1775 basin 8 English Channel, 9.1 m 52o N Passive margin; 750 Figure 3: Latitudinal variation in the tidal range, England reactivated Paleozoic averaged in 5o latitude bands for areas with structure water depths less than 100 m as obtained from 9 NW Australia 9.0 m 16o S Passive margin 500 the TPX07.2 tidal model. Note that the latitudinal 10 Liverpool Bay, England 8.8 m 54o N Passive margin; 800 distribution of values does not correspond with reactivated Paleozoic the pattern predicted by equilibrium tidal theory structure 11 Gulf of Cambay, India 8.8 m (?) 21o N Passive margin; Mesozoic 450 (Figure 1). rift 12 Gulf of Mezan, Russia 8.6 m 65o N Passive margin; Paleozoic 1400 thrust front 13 Gyeonggi Bay, Korea 8.3 m 37o N Passive margin; back-­‐arc 1025 currents, are negligible at high latitudes and sag; Mesozoic structures can, therefore, be ignored in any modeling of sedimentary environments in these areas. In Table 1: Locations with tidal ranges > 8 m, with their spring-tide range, latitude, tectonic setting and reality, however, tides do not behave in this distance of the location of the maximum tidal range from the shelf edge; for geographic locations, see simplistic way, because this “equilibrium Figure 2A. Tidal-range data from Archer and Hubbard (2003); the value for the Gulf of Cambay is tidal theory” on which the above picture is shown with a question mark because the area with the largest tides might not have been instrumented. based is a poor representation of the real Values in parentheses for the Bay of Fundy and Ungava Bay are the predicted extreme ranges, based on tides due to the failure to take into account simultaneous measurements at the two sites (Arbic et al., 2007). the morphology of the ocean basins, bottom equatorial tidal bulge flows poleward away The influence of coastal morphology can friction, and the presence of the Coriolis from the crest of the equatorial bulge. As be illustrated by examining the latitudinal effect that influences the movement of these tidal waves travel, they are steered distribution of areas with tidal ranges greater the tidal wave. The much more complex by the continents and the Coriolis effect. than 8 m today (Figures 2 and 4A; Table 1). “dynamic tidal theory” takes these factors Most importantly from the point of view These are clearly not clustered around the into account, but can only be applied by of sedimentation in shallow-water coastal equator, but instead occur predominantly in means of complex numerical modeling. environments, the tidal wave is amplified, the 50o-70o N belt. As discussed at greater and the associated tidal-current speeds length in Dalrymple and Padman (in press; Reality increase, as the tidal wave propagates onto see also Archer and Hubbard (2003); Archer The output from one such tidal model, the continental shelf from the deep ocean. (2013)), almost all of the areas with especially TPXO7.2 (updated from Egbert and The tidal wave is amplified even more in large tidal ranges occupy structurally Erofeeva, 2002), provides an excellent locations where it passes into landward- controlled embayments, the main exceptions match with measured tidal data; Figures 2 tapering embayments. As a result, the tidal being the northwest coast of Australia and the and 3 show the global distribution of tidal range and tidal-current speeds in shallow Patagonia shelf. However, every one of the 13 range generated by this model. Clearly, water are strongly dependent on the local cases occurs at the landward margin of a very there is almost no correspondence with coastal morphology and bathymetry, which wide continental shelf (generally > 500 km the latitudinal distribution that would be is the reason for the highly irregular variation from the shelf edge to the coast; Table 1). As a expected from the prediction of equilibrium of tidal range with latitude (Figure 3). result, the vast majority of the examples occur tidal theory alone (Figure 1). In reality, the tidal energy associated with the predicted (Continued on page 12...)

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 11 TECHNICAL ARTICLE

(Continued from page 11...)

Figure 4: (A) Latitudinal distribution of areas with present-day tidal ranges greater than 8 m. Figure 5: Variation by latitude of the 9 coastal types indicated at the left: F – fluvially dominated; Ft – Each rectangle is one occurrence from Table 1. fluvially dominated, tidally influenced; Fw – fluvially dominated, wave influenced; T – tidally dominated; (B) Latitudinal distribution of areas with lunar- Tf – tidally dominated, fluvially influenced; Tw – tidally dominated, wave influenced; W – wave dominated; semidiurnal (M2) tidal ranges greater than 4 m Wf – wave dominated, fluvially influenced; and Wt – wave dominated, tidally influenced. See Nyberg and during the Early Cretaceous (Aptian), based on Howell (2016) for more details of the methodology used. From Nyberg and Howell (2016). Reproduced the numerical model results of Wells et al. (2010). with permission of Elsevier. For graphical purposes, occurrences have been plotted at the center of the 10o latitude interval in which they fall. tidal ranges > 4 m (Wells et al., 2010, their basin with a limited connection to the open on passive continental margins, with only Figure 8A). As shown in Figure 4B, it is clear ocean. As the tide moves northward in the Cook Inlet and the Sea of Okhotsk occurring that the latitudinal distribution of areas with Atlantic, it decreases in amplitude abruptly on tectonically active margins. On a global large tides is dramatically different from that as it cross the shallow Iceland-Faroe Ridge scale, this is reflected by the fact that only 3 of of today, with the largest peak occurring at and is further attenuated as it passes the 13 areas occur around the Pacific Ocean 40o-50o S. across the extensive shallow shelves of the which is characterized by narrow shelves, Russian Arctic (see movie in Dalrymple and whereas 8 of the 13 occur around the Atlantic Padman, 2016). The Arctic Ocean is also too Ocean, which is bordered on both sides by Polar tides small for a significant tide to be generated by wide passive continental margins (Figure One of the reasons why the myth that direct astronomical forcing. As a result, the 2; Table 1). The unusual concentration of tides are latitudinally dependant persists tidal energy in the Arctic is small, although it occurrences at 50o-70o N in the Atlantic (6 of is the fact that tides in the Arctic Ocean should be noted that tidal ranges up to 8.6 m 13 cases; Figure 4A) is due to the geological and around Antarctica today are almost do occur in Mezan Bay at a latitude of 65o N accident of having especially wide and exclusively microtidal (i.e., < 2 m range; (site 12 on Figure 2; Table 1) because of the complex shelf areas on both sides of the ocean Figure 2). This raises the question: “Why local coastal morphology that accentuates at this latitude (i.e., surrounding the British are tides at polar latitudes small if there is the tide. Isles, and in the Bay of Fundy and Ungava no influence of latitude?” In both cases, it Bay), which have been flooded during the is the specific geomorphology of the ocean current eustatic highstand. Presumably this basin and continental margins that fail to Influence of Latitude on Tides latitudinal peak would not have existed when amplify the small tidal wave that occurs Although the primary control on tides the shoreline was at the shelf edge during that in all open-ocean settings. In the case of at the coast is the local and basin-scale last glacial lowstand. Antarctica, the continental shelves around morphology, latitude does exert a secondary most of the continent are narrow and influence by way of latitude-dependant Thus, the distribution of especially large deep as a result of the isostatic depression variations in the strength of the Coriolis tides (and of tide-dominated sedimentation) caused by the icecap; consequently, no effect, and climate through its control on the is contingent on the tectonic and sea-level amplification of the tidal wave occurs along formation of ice. history of continental margins; even old most of the Antarctic coast. However, the structures, if reactivated, can exert a strong two major embayments along the Antarctic The poleward increase in the Coriolis effect influence on tides (e.g., the Gulf of Mezan; shoreline, the inner parts of the Ross and influences tidal dynamics in various ways Table 1). There is no control by latitude. To Weddell Seas, do experience significant tidal (Dalrymple and Padman, in press), but illustrate that the latitudinal distribution of amplification. In particular, the southeastern the most important with respect to coastal large tides is not fixed but changes through Weddell Sea has a tidal range exceeding 7 sedimentation is the deflection of the tidal geologic time, we have extracted the m (Doake, 1992) under the Ronne Ice Shelf wave to the right of its direction of motion in locations of the areas in the Early Cretaceous at a latitude of nearly 80o S. The Arctic has the northern hemisphere and to the left in (Aptian) that have been predicted to have small tides for a very different reason. Like the southern hemisphere. As a result, there the Mediterranean, it is a semi-enclosed is an asymmetry in the tidal range on either

12 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 TECHNICAL ARTICLE

side of an ocean basin, with larger ranges of plate-tectonic movement and sea-level large tidal ranges (typically > 4 m) do tend to to the right of the tidal wave’s motion in the change. Latitude does exert a secondary be tide dominated at river mouths. Coastal northern hemisphere and smaller ranges on influence in that the poleward increase in the areas between river mouths are generally the left side. Examples are provided by the Coriolis deflection of the tidal wave causes wave-dominated, regardless of the tidal Yellow Sea, where tidal ranges reach > 8 m a cross-basin asymmetry of tidal ranges. range (Dalrymple, 2010). on the Korean (right-hand) coast, but only Ice can either decrease tidal ranges slightly ~4 m on the adjacent Chinese coast, and (floating sea ice) or amplify the tides (floating References by the North Sea in which tidal ranges are ice shelves). Predicting the tidal range and Arbic, B.K., St-Laurent, P., Sutherland, G., higher on the England coast (to the right of the associated currents in a particular setting and Garrett, C., 2007, On the resonance and the southward-propagating tidal wave) than with any precision requires the use of an influence of the tides in Ungava Bay and along the Danish and Norwegian coasts. accurate paleo-geographic reconstruction Hudson Strait. Geophys. Res. Lett., v. 34, Such an asymmetry has also been modeled and the application of a numerical tidal L17606, doi:10.1029/2007GL030845. to have existed in the through-going Western model (e.g., Wells et al., 2010), something Interior Seaway in the Late Cretaceous, with that typically requires collaboration with an Archer, A.W., 2013, World’s highest tides: larger tides on the eastern side because the expert in tidal modeling. Hypertidal coastal systems in North tidal wave propagated northward from the America, South America and Europe. Sed. Gulf of Mexico (Erickson and Slingerland, In this report, we have focused on the factors Geol., v. 284-285, p. 1-25. 1990). A southward-propagating tidal wave in that control tidal range because tidal range the Canadian portion of the Western Interior is the most obvious and well-known of Archer, A.W. and Hubbard, M.S., 2003, Seaway would, in general create larger tidal tidal characteristics, but it is important to Highest tides of the world. In: Chan, ranges on the western side of the basin. Such appreciate that tidal range by itself is not the M.A. and Archer, A.W. (Eds.), Extreme an asymmetry is non-existent at the equator only, nor necessarily the most significant Depositional Environments: Mega End and should increase toward the poles. factor controlling the nature of coastal Members in Geologic Time: Geological deposits, even in areas with large tidal ranges. Society of America Special Paper, 370, p. The effect of ice on the tides is complex. As noted by Dalrymple (2010), it is the tidal 151–173. The lifting of floating ice requires no work currents that are directly responsible for because the weight of the ice is equal to the sediment deposition, and the speed of those Dalrymple, R.W., 2010, Tidal depositional weight of the water it displaces. However, currents is determined by the tidal prism, systems. In: N.P. James and R.W. Dalrymple friction generated by water moving past which is the volume of water moving past a (eds). Facies Models 4. St. John’s, Geol. floating sea ice (1-5 m thick) and by collisions point on each half tidal cycle. This volume Assoc. Canada, pp. 201-231. between ice floes is thought to reduce the is calculated by multiplying the tidal range tidal range by 3-10% (Prinsenberg, 1988; by the area being flooded and drained on Davis, R.A., Jr. and Dalrymple, eds., R.W., Kowalik and Proshutinsky, 1994), with each tide; thus, the tidal range is only one 2012, Principles of Tidal Sedimentology. the affect being greatest in shallow water. of three physical dimensions controlling New York, Springer, 607 p. Floating ice shelves (up to several hundred the strength of the tidal currents, so its metres thick), by contrast, generally increase influence is not as direct as one might like. Dalrymple, R.W. and Padman, L., 2016, Are the tidal range and tidal current speeds Furthermore, Nyberg and Howell (2016) tides controlled by latitude? AAPG Search because the tidal wave is compressed into determined that, in the modern world, and Discovery, Article #51305, http:// a smaller cross-sectional area as they pass tide-dominated environments are most www.searchanddiscovery.com/pdfz/ beneath the ice shelf (Fricker and Padman, abundant in equatorial areas (i.e., from 40o documents/2016/51305dalrymple/ndx_ 2002; Padman et al., 2002). N to 30o S), a distribution that is inconsistent dalrymple.pdf.html with the distribution of large tides (Figures Concluding Remarks 3 and 4A). Therefore, at the general level, Dalrymple, R.W. and Padman, L., in It is clear from the foregoing that the primary larger tidal ranges do not correspond with press, Are tides controlled by latitude? In: control on tidal range is the local to basin- areas of tide-dominated sedimentation! Latitudinal Controls on Stratigraphic Models scale bathymetric configuration, with wide We agree with the suggestion by Nyberg and Sedimentary Concepts. C.M. Fraticelli, continental shelves and embayments leading and Howell (2016) that this is due to the A.W. Martinius, P. Markwick, and J.R. Suter to the amplification of the open-ocean tide latitudinal distribution of wind strength (eds.), SEPM (Society for Sedimentary (range 1-2 m) to values that can reach > 16 and the intensity of the resulting waves: Geology), Special Publication 108. m (Table 1). In the present-day continental weak winds and small waves in equatorial configuration and sea-level highstand, the areas allow tidal dominance even if the tidal Doake, C.S.M., 1992. Gravimetric tidal main tidal “hotspots” (i.e., areas with ranges range is not large, whereas strong winds measurements on Filchner Ronne Ice > 8 m) are concentrated in the North Atlantic and large waves at mid-latitudes counteract Shelf. Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Program, Ocean, in the latitude range of 50o-70o N, the generally larger tidal ranges that occur Rep. 6, pp. 34-39, Alfred Wegener Inst., not near the equator as the overly simplistic there. This suggests that, at a global scale, Bremerhaven, Germany. equilibrium tidal theory would suggest. the distribution of wave energy exerts a The latitudinal distribution of large tides fundamental control on the type of coastal Egbert, G.D. and Erofeeva, S.Y., 2002, Efficient also changes over geological time because environment, although areas with especially (Continued on page 14...)

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(Continued from page 13...) inverse modeling of barotropic ocean tides. Nyberg, B. and Howell, J.A., 2016, Global by the annual ice cover. Jour. Phys. Ocean., v. J. Atmos. Oceanic Tech., v. 19, p. 183–204. distribution of modern shallow marine 18, p. 1744-1751. shorelines. Implications for exploration Erickson, M.C. and Slingerland, R., 1990, and reservoir analogue studies. Mar. Petrol. Wells, M.R., Allison, P.A., Piggott, M.D., Numerical simulations of tidal and wind- Geol., v. 71, p. 83-104. Hampson, G.J., Pain, C.C., and Gorman, driven circulation in the Cretaceous Interior G.J., 2010, Tidal modeling of an ancient tide- Seaway of North America. Geol. Soc. Amer. Padman, L., Fricker, H.A., Coleman, R., dominated seaway, Part 1: Model validation Bull., v. 102, p. 1499-1516. Howard, S. and Erofeeva, L., 2002, A new tide and application to global Early Cretaceous model for the Antarctic Ice Shelves and seas. (Aptian) tides. Jour. Sed. Res., v. 80, p. 393- Fricker, H.A. and Padman, L., 2002, Tides Ann. Glaciol., v. 34, p. 247-254. 410. on Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf from ERS radar altimetry. Geophy. Res. Lett., 29, doi: Prinsenberg, S.J., 1988, Damping and phase 10.1029/2001GL014175. advance of the tide in western Hudson Bay

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POTENTIAL RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE FLUVIAL REACH TO INNER ESTUARY, OGEECHEE RIVER ESTUARY, GEORGIA, USA ByAlina Shchepetkina, Murray K. Gingras, S. George Pemberton, Ichnology Research Group (IRG), Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E3

1. INTRODUCTION Recognition of facies differences across the fluvial reach into the fluvio-tidal transition zone and the inner estuary can significantly contribute to reliable subsurface facies interpretation and modeling. The fluvio- tidal transition (FTZ) in estuaries is a sedimentologically complex zone, where fluvial and tidal currents interact, inducing abrupt to gradational changes in sedimentary facies distributions. Researchers define the FTZ as bounded on the landward end by the effective tidal limit, where tidal currents still influence sedimentation, and the seaward limit is considered to occur at the bedload convergence zone (Dalrymple Fig. 1. (a) Map of the continental United States with the location of the state of Georgia (in grey). (b) and Choi, 2007). From the sedimentological Position of the Ogeechee River estuary within the state of Georgia. The study site is marked by a red perspective, the FTZ is defined as part of the rectangular. (c) Re-drafted satellite image with a network of estuaries (in blue) oriented perpendicular river located between the landward limit to the Atlantic coast, channel bars (in brown), and expanses of salt marshes and forests (in green). The of appreciable effects of tidal-induced flow Ogeechee River estuary exhibits the meandering pattern and debouches into the Ossabaw Sound. The deceleration on fluvial cross-bedding at study location is bounded by red arrows. low flow in the river and the most seaward expression of the fluvial signature related to the high flow in the river (van den Berg et al., within the upper reaches of the tide- and is mainly sourced from the incised 2007). influenced system and determination of its Pleistocene and Quaternary deposits reservoir characteristics, such as reservoir (Howard and Frey, 1975a; Swezey et al., Due to the presence of large volumes of oil heterogeneity, distribution and dimensions. 2013). Fine-grained material is composed in deposits that are at least in part comprised of montmorillonite and kaolinite, and is of ancient FTZ, such as, for example, the 2. STUDY AREA AND METHODS supplied from the Piedmont area (Windom McMurray Formation (Jablonski and The Ogeechee River estuary is located in et al., 1971). Dalrymple, 2016; Martinius et al., 2015; Georgia, USA and flows southeast from Shchepetkina et al., 2016b), the Clearwater the Piedmont area across the low-lying The tides in the Ogeechee River estuary Formation (McCrimmon and Arnott, 2002), coastal plain into the Atlantic Ocean (Fig. are semi-diurnal with a mean tidal range and the Horseshoe Canyon Formation 1). The river is 400 km long (Benke and of 2.4 m, however during spring or storm (Ainsworth et al., 2015), the associated Meyer, 1988) and 90% of its drainage comes tides the tidal range can increase up to 3.4 reservoir characteristics of the FTZ are of from the coastal plain area (Dorjes and m (Howard and Frey, 1975b). The estuary is interest to geoscientists. Howard, 1975; Gadow, 1972; Windom et mixed-energy with a significant tidal prism al., 1971). The Ogeechee River meanders and waves affecting the estuary mouth The Ogeechee River estuary is an example freely across the coastal plain and erodes (Greer, 1975). The Ogeechee river and the of a sand-dominated, micro- to mesotidal, sandy paleochannel and eolian paleodune estuary upper reaches are surrounded by mixed-energy estuary with a well-developed deposits (Leigh and Feeney, 1995; Swezey pine and deciduous/ cypress forest, whereas FTZ. Numerous fluvial to tidally influenced et al., 2013). The valley floor contains sand the lower reaches and the coastline are bars are available for scrutinizing and with isolated silt and clay deposits (Leigh bordered by extensive salt marshes (Dorjes collecting sedimentological, ichnological and Feeney, 1995). The Ogeechee sand- and Howard, 1975; Howard and Frey, 1975a). and spatial information. This paper is sized material consists of quartz with lesser The waters in the estuary are turbid due to devoted to facies recognition criteria amounts of feldspars (Windom et al., 1971), the abundance of organic detritus sourced (Continued on page 16...)

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(Continued from page 15...) Ogeehee River estuary were subdivided into three areas: the fluvial reach, the FTZ, and the inner estuary. The current study follows this subdivision and builds upon the model (Fig. 2).

3.1 Fluvial reach The fluvial reach of the Ogeechee River estuary (Fig. 2) is located >63 km inland from the estuary entrance. The river is narrow (~29-90 m) and up to 3 m deep, with the meander belt reaching 1.8 km in width. Therein, the fluvial point bars occupy the majority of the channel width, and are characterized by the predominance of coarse-medium sand. However, further up- river (>73 km from the estuary entrance) grain size diminishes and medium-fine sand may become predominant. The sediment is purely fluvially sourced. The point bar and channel floor are covered by sinuous dunes with superimposed linguoidal current ripples and organic detritus collected at the dune troughs (Fig. 3a-b).

The point bars display unidirectional planar and trough cross-bedding with rare layers/ lenses of organic-rich mud (0.5-3 cm thick) and rip-up clasts (Fig. 3c). Up-river, predominance of finer-grained sand dictates presence of unidirectional cross-bedding and current-ripple cross-stratification. The fluvial reach of the Ogeechee River estuary is virtually barren of bioturbation (BI 0-1), Fig. 2. Schematic representation of vertical sequences, reservoir heterogeneity and dimensions, as well as except for the tracks and trails of birds (Fig. summary of sedimentological and ichnological trends across the fluvial reach, the fluvio-tidal transition 3b) and snails, forming Mermia-like traces on zone and into the inner part of the Ogeechee River estuary, Georgia, USA. the point-bar top. Surrounding forested area may contain crayfish domes and chimneys, from the marshes and forested areas (Odum thalweg were taken from the Tybee Island to forming Camborygma-like traces. and De la Cruz, 1967). Doboy Sound depth chart 11509 (scale 1: 80 000). The channel width was measured 3.1.1 Fluvial reach reservoir The river’s mean annual discharge is 66.8 using Google Earth and field observations. characteristics m3/s, and ranges from 3.7 to 850 m3/s Reservoir geometry is suggested based on The reservoir characteristics represented by depending on the season (Benke and visual observations of the bedforms on the the fluvial sediments at the head of a sand- Meyer, 1988; Meyer, 1992). The highest river channel bars and channel floor, observations dominated, mixed-energy estuary would discharge occurs from February to April, of physical sedimentary structures from be characterized by interconnected thin and more rarely in July (Benke and Meyer, suction cores, box cores, and in shallow sandstone bodies (30-90 m wide and up 1988; Edwards and Meyer, 1987; Meyer et al., trenches. The morphological data for the to 3 m thick) made of clean sand with high 1997). study was not complimented by seismic or initial porosity, and rare thin mudstone ground-penetrating radar. For more detailed layers (0.5-3 cm thick) and rip-up clasts. If This study is focused on the inner estuary, information on the Ogeechee River estuary these sandstone bodies are stacked and not the FTZ and into the fluvial reach (Fig. 1c). characteristics and research methods the significantly constrained from migration Fluvial to tidally affected bars were accessed readers are referred to Shchepetkina et al. by the overbank deposits, they can be by boat during the spring low tide in June (2016a). found within the channel belt up to 0.9- 2014. Grab samples from the bar tops and 1.8 km wide. Thin and sporadic mudstone the channel thalweg were obtained for 3. RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION (~0-2 %) and organic-rich beds will result grain-size analysis. Measurements of the Based on previous work by Shchepetkina in low heterogeneity of the reservoir, and maximum channel depth within the channel et al. (2016a), the upper reaches of the would likely contribute to comparably

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isotropic permeability distributions. Consequently, high primary porosities and permeabilities within homogeneous and isotropic reservoirs suggest that fluvially dominated bars (of the Ogeechee scale) present attractive reservoir targets. That said, reservoir distribution may be complex, difficult to predict and, in general, analogous reservoir targets would be thin..

3.2 Fluvio-tidal transition zone (FTZ) The fluvio-tidal transition zone (Fig. 2) is situated ~48-63 km inland from the estuary entrance. The channel itself ranges from 49- 118 m in width with a maximum channel depth of around 4-5 m. The fluvio-tidal channel has a meander belt from 1.2-1.9 km in width. Bank-attached fluvio-tidal bars reside in sinuous channels and consist predominantly of very coarse- to coarse-grained sand with some granules and pebbles. The sediments are both fluvially derived and locally sourced from the eroding channel margins. The point bars contain ebb-oriented dunes covered by current ripples and abundant plant debris (Fig. 3d-e) scattered throughout the bar Fig. 3. (a-c) Bedform distribution and sedimentary structures of the fluvial reach: a) sinuous dunes, surface. The channel floor is represented linguoidal current ripples and organic debris marking the channel floor; b) reworked sinuous dunes with by large-scale dunes 30-40 cm in height and the bird tracks on the fluvial point bar; (c) slabbed core from the fluvial reach: medium- to coarse-grained superimposed on those are smaller sinuous sand with planar horizontal and trough cross-bedding, muddy and organic-rich intervals. (d-f) Bedform dunes 5-7 cm in height. The dune troughs distribution and sedimentary structures of the FTZ: d) reworked dunes and coarse phytodetrital material are commonly marked by linguoidal current on the tidally influenced bar; e) sinuous dunes and organic material within the dune troughs; f) slabbed ripples (Fig. 3e). Mud content within the FTZ core from the FTZ: coarse, very-coarse sand and granules with unidirectional bedding and plentiful is low (0-3%), however it increases towards organic debris. (g-i) Bedform distribution and sedimentary structures of the inner estuary: g) ebb- the channel margins and up laterally accreting dominated sinuous dunes with superimposed linguoidal current ripples, mud rip-up clasts and organics bars. Clay-sized material is locally sourced within the ripple troughs; h) increase in organic and mud content towards the channel margin; i) slabbed from the adjacent cut-banks, forested areas core from the inner estuary: fine to very fine sand with bi-directional trough cross-bedding, abundant mud and marshes. Infrequent mud layers up to 5 rip-up clasts and flasers. cm thick can be observed within the channel- bar margins. would comprise stacked, interconnected 3.3 Inner estuary laterally accreted bar sandstone units 4-5 Inner estuary (Fig. 2) is located ~22-48 km Sedimentary structures include ebb- m thick and ~50-120 m wide: i.e. twice inland from the estuary mouth and was dominated large-scale trough- and planar as thick and as large as the reservoirs previously subdivided into the lower and cross-stratification with rare bidirectional presented by the fluvial channels. Sand upper parts (Shchepetkina et al., 2016a). bedforms, poorly defined ripple cross- bed permeabilities would be potentially However, for the purposes of this paper, lamination, planar horizontal lamination, and high, owing to the abundance of clean very- it is described as a single sedimentary abundant layers and lenses of phyto-detrital coarse- and coarse-grained cross-bedded environment. The channel width within material (Fig. 3f). Bioturbation intensity within sandstone where granules, pebbles and the inner estuary is 240-440 m wide, a the FTZ is low (BI 0-1) with Siphonichnus- and coarse phyto-detrital material could mark channel depth ranges from 4 to 15 m. In this Lockeia-like traces produced by freshwater the dune toesets. Stacked sandstone bodies zone, increasingly tidally influenced bars mussels and surface tracks and trails formed would be spread within the meander belt are present on the inside of the meanders by dragonfly larvae and leeches. Surrounding of ~1.2-1.9 km. Relatively thin and scattered and also in the mid-channel position. peaty substrates may contain Psilonichnus mudstone beds (up to 5 cm) and organic- The channel-bars consist of sinuous and constructed by fiddler crabs. rich layers (up to 10 cm thick) may locally straight-crested dunes up to 15 cm in height compromise vertical permeability, but overprinted by ebb-oriented linguoidal/ 3.2.1 Fluvio-tidal transition zone overall the reservoirs would be homogenous rhomboidal current ripples (Fig. 3g). Silty (FTZ) reservoir characteristics and isotropic enough to present overall clay, organic debris, and mud rip-up clasts The reservoir analogues of the Ogeechee FTZ excellent reservoir characteristics. can be found within the ripple and dune (Continued on page 18...)

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(Continued from page 17...) troughs (Fig. 3g-h). The estuary bars primarily if not subjected to diagenic cementation, the of Oceanography for help with housing, are composed of coarse-medium sand in the sediments of the inner estuary would form a logistics and boats. Mark Labbe and Martin upper inner estuary and medium-fine sand fine reservoir. Von Dollen are sincerely thanked for in the lower inner estuary. The grain size also technical and logistical aid at the University decreases towards the channel-bar margins, 4. CONCLUSIONS of Alberta, Canada. NSERC Discovery Grants wherein the mud content increases (Fig. 3h). The Ogeechee River estuary provides a good to M. Gingras and S.G. Pemberton funded The amount of mud within the inner estuary analogue to consider reservoir distributions this project. constitutes ~10%, with mud-bed thickness and quality in a sand-dominated, mixed- ranging between 0.5 and 2 cm. The sand is energy, micro- to mesotidal system. In REFERENCES dominantly sourced from the fluvial reach. short, transition from the fluvial reach to Ainsworth, R.B., Vakarelov, B.K., Lee, C., Mud is derived from upstream sources, the inner estuary will be characterized by a MacEachern, J.A., Montgomery, A.E., Ricci, adjacent salt-marshes, cutbanks and adjacent range of bar sizes and thicknesses. L.P., and Dashtgard, S.E. 2015. Architecture coastal-plain estuaries that are influenced and evolution of a regressive, tide-influenced by both fluvial and tidal transport and are The fluvial reservoir should comprise marginal marine succession, Drumheller, dominantly deposited during slack tide. amalgamated and thin sandstone units Alberta, Canada. Journal of Sedimentary (~29-90 m wide by 3 m thick) consisting Research, v. 85, p. 596–625. The sediments from the inner estuary of clean coarse-medium and medium- point- and mid-channel bars are apparently fine sandstone. The units will display Benke, A.C. and Meyer, J.L. 1988. 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Howard, J.D. and Frey, R.W. 1975b. Shchepetkina, A., Gingras, M.K., and Introduction. In: Senckenbergiana Maritima. Pemberton, S.G. 2016a. Sedimentology Estuaries of the Georgia Coast, U.S.A.: and ichnology of the fluvial reach to inner Sedimentology and Biology. G. Hertweck estuary of the Ogeechee River estuary, and S. Little-Gadow (eds). Senckenbergische Georgia, USA. Sedimentary Geology, v. 342, Naturforschende Gesellschaft, v. 7, p. 1–31. p. 202–217.

Jablonski, B.V.J. and Dalrymple, R.W. 2016. Shchepetkina, A., Gingras, M.K., Pemberton, Recognition of strong seasonality and S.G., and MacEachern, J.A. 2016b. What climatic cyclicity in an ancient, fluvially does the ichnological content of the Middle dominated, tidally influenced point bar: McMurray Formation tell us? Bulletin of Middle McMurray Formation, Lower Canadian Petroleum Geology, v. 64, p. 24–46. Steepbank River, north-eastern Alberta, Canada. Sedimentology, v. 63, p. 552–585. Swezey, C.S., Schultz, A.P., González, W.A., Bernhardt, C.E., Doar, W.R., Garrity, C.P., Leigh, D.S. and Feeney, T.P. 1995. Mahan, S.A., and McGeehin, J.P. 2013. Paleochannels indicating wet climate and Quaternary eolian dunes in the Savannah lack of response to lower sea level, southeast River valley, Jasper County, South Carolina, Georgia. Geology, v. 23, p. 687–690. USA. Quaternary Research (United States), v. 80, p. 250–264. Martinius, A.W., Jablonski, B.V.J., Fustic, M., Strobl, R., and Van den Berg, J.H. van den Berg, J.H., Boersma, J.R., and van 2015. Fluvial to tidal transition zone facies Gelder, A. 2007. Diagnostic sedimentary in the McMurray Formation (Christina structures of the fluvial-tidal transition zone River, Alberta, Canada), with emphasis - Evidence from deposits of the Rhine and on the reflection of flow intensity in Meuse. Geologie en Mijnbouw/Netherlands bottomset architecture. In: Fluvial-Tidal Journal of Geosciences, v. 86, p. 287–306. Sedimentology. P.J. Ashworth, J.L. Best, and D.R. Parsons (eds). Developments in Windom, H.L., Neal, W.J., and Beck, K.C. Sedimentology, p. 445–480. 1971. Mineralogy of sediments in three Georgia estuaries. Journal of Sedimentary McCrimmon, G.G. and Arnott, R.W.C. Petrology, v. 41, p. 497–504. 2002. The Clearwater Formation, Cold Lake, Alberta: a worldclass hydrocarbon reservoir hosted in a complex succession of tide-dominated deltaic deposits. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, v. 50, p. 370–392.

Meyer, J.L. 1992. Seasonal patterns of water quality in blackwater rivers of the Coastal Plain, south- eastern United States. In: Water Quality in North American River Systems. C.D. Becker and D.A. Neitzel (eds). Battelle

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DISCUSSION: SHALLOW THINKING IN DEEP TIME By Janok P. Bhattacharya1 and James A. MacEachern2 1. School of Geography and Earth Sciences (SGES), McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, [email protected] 2. ARISE, Dept. Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6,

Introduction: waves in relatively shallow water (i.e. < 40 multiple outcrops of medium-bedded, very- We read with some confusion the recent m), but rather reflects formation in depths fine grained hummocky cross-stratified CSPG Reservoir article by Meloche closer to 100-200 m as a consequence sandstone beds, interstratified with thinner (2017) purporting to question previous of wavy undulations of the pycnocline bedded muddy heterolithic units. There is paleo-environmental and stratigraphic boundary separating deep oceanic from a uniform observation that the HCS facies interpretations of the Turonian-age shelf marine waters. He then claims that occur within conformable, 10-30 m thick Cardium Formation in Western Canada. there is no experimental documentation upward-coarsening facies successions, The article begins by implying that the of the formation of hummocks and that which pass from laminated silty to paradigms used for interpreting clastic hummocky bedforms have never been sandy heterolithic mudstones and HCS sedimentology and stratigraphy worldwide documented in any modern setting. He sandstones at the base into cliff-forming have been conducted by a "handful of also suggests that the Cretaceous Seaway sandstones above. The upper parts of the highly persuasive Canadian geologists in extended and deepened all the way across facies successions comprise dune-scale western Canada", a notion which we hope eastern North America and was directly cross-bedded upper shoreface sandstones to demonstrate is, at the very least, highly linked to the North Atlantic Ocean. capped by low-angle to flat stratified sandy subjective. There is a universally accepted foreshore deposits, commonly penetrated protocol for acceptance of scientific We will not detail, point-by-point, all of by roots with overlying coals, carbonaceous discovery. It is called the scientific method. the concerns with the basic science in this shales and other paralic facies indicative New ideas are nurtured, tested and then article, but we will provide a critique of the of a coastal plain setting. The common accepted or rejected by peers within aspects that we consider to be egregiously occurrence of infaunal burrows (e.g., the scientific community through peer- incorrect. Conichnus, Diplocraterion, and Skolithos) reviewed publications. Meloche (2017) recording filter feeding behaviours wholly certainly presents some unusual ideas, but Definition and stratigraphic context support the persistence of currents and herein we take issue with the implications of HCS waves operating in nearshore positions and difficulties that these ideas pose. Harms, Southard, Spearing and Walker (e.g., MacEachern and Bann, 2008; originally defined hummocky cross Pemberton et al., 2012). A main conclusion of the article is that stratification in 1975. We note that three the Cardium Formation is a deep-water of the four authors of this landmark SEPM In other examples, the shoreface or delta transgressive deposit, probably formed in publication are American. John Harms front successions are capped by distributary 100-200 m water depth, as a consequence and Dar Spearing were highly respected channels or incised valleys. Accounting of the reworking of previously existing “industrial scientists” in the petroleum for compaction of the sandstone, and sediment by oceanic internal waves industry, and John Southard was at MIT, assuming a normal succession conforming forming a deep-water "internal beach" but perhaps they were not as "highly with Walther's Law, the cliff-forming that migrated landward to produce persuasive" as the English-Canadian last- sandstones are interpreted as prograding coarsening-upward facies successions. author Roger Walker? The main example shoreface-to-beach or distal-to-proximal Despite a plethora of well-studied linked initially used to illustrate HCS was from delta front deposits. The heterolithic facies shoreline/shelf to slope clinoforms and the Turonian Gallup Sandstone in the San containing the HCS beds typically lie their deepwater systems (e.g., Collinson Juan Basin of New Mexico. Harms et al. directly below the shoreface deposits and et al., 1991; Helland-Hansen, 1992; Plink- (1975) also noted that HCS was present are consequently interpreted to have been Bjorklund et al., 2001, Catuneanu et al., in the Maastrichtian Fox Hills Sandstone deposited just below fair-weather wave 2002; Diebert et al., 2003; Martinsen et al., in Wyoming, the Campanian Book Cliffs base, in water depths of between 10-35 m. 2003; Petter and Steel., 2006; Soniabre et al., successions in Utah (including the Star 2011; Carvajal and Steel, 2012), no examples Point and Blackhawk formations), and These observations have been replicated of upward-coarsening facies successions the Mesa Verde Formation in Colorado. in countless examples globally. More with similar sedimentary structures or We note that no Canadian examples recent examination of the heterolithic ichnofacies to the Cardium Formation have were initially described in this landmark mudstone-dominated facies below the ever been described in the deeper parts of publication. medium bedded HCS facies illustrate these clinoforms. progressive thinning into thin to very thin Although the specifics of the occurrence of bedded and laminated wave- to combined- Meloche (2017) claims that hummocky these examples were not initially presented flow rippled sandstones, siltstones, and cross stratification is not formed by storm in great detail, all of these examples include claystones, rather than larger-scale HCS.

20 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 TECHNICAL ARTICLE

These thin-bedded facies may also contain horizon (e.g., Saunders et al., 1994). Many of these studies identify Large Wave graded and inverse graded turbidites and Observations of modern ichnocoenoses Ripples (LWR), which become increasingly hyperpycnites (e.g., Hamblin and Walker, of Macaronichnus segregatis tracemakers 3 dimensional as orbital velocities increase 1979; Bhattacharya and MacEachern, 2009; likewise places the association firmly and grain sizes decrease. These LWR Li et al., 2015). within the low intertidal zone (Clifton and bedforms are understood to be essentially Thompson, 1978; Saunders et al., 1994; synonymous with hummocks. Of course, Examples of HCS beds associated Pemberton et al., 2008), constraining HCS hummocky cross-stratification can be with deltaic environments are likewise and SCS to shallow-water depths within produced by other processes (e.g., Cheel ubiquitous globally, and include the 10s of metres of that position, not 100's of and Leckie, 1993), but stratigraphic context Dunvegan Formation in Western Canada metres as suggested by Meloche (2017). also plays a role in its interpretation in (Bhattacharya, 1994; Plint, 2000), the ancient successions, as explained above. Bow Island Formation (Raychaudhuri To summarize, there is overwhelming Greenwood and Sherman (1986) for and Pemberton, 1992), and Belly River observational evidence that HCS is example, documented HCS in the shoreface Formation (Hansen and MacEachern, deposited, preserved, and observed at of modern Lake Ontario. 2007) of the Alberta Basin, the Fox Hills depths of only a few metres to up to 35 m sandstone in Wyoming (Olariu et al., 2012), below the marine to non-marine transition There is also a significant body of and the Permian Snapper Point, Pebbley in shallowing-upwards facies successions. experimental flume work that has made Beach, and Wasp Head formations in the This is entirely consistent with the well- 3-dimensional hummocky bedforms (e.g., South Sydney Basin of Australia (Bann et established interpretation of deposition in Southard et al., 1990; Arnott and Southard, al., 2008; MacEachern and Bann, 2008). shallow shelf depths, immediately below 1990; Dumas et al., 2005; Dumas and Regional mapping of the Dunvegan, and fair-weather wave base. In contrast, there Arnott, 2006; Tomohiro, 2007). It is clear Fox Hills show well-developed clinoforms is almost no evidence of formation or that as orbital velocities increase (and (Asquith, 1970; Bhattacharya, 1994, preservation of HCS in deeper water, as wavelengths and periods increase), small Plint, 2000; Carvajal and Steel, 2012). Meloche (2017) contends. 2D wave ripples evolve into 3D small wave Clinoform heights in the Dunvegan show ripples (SWR) and eventually into LWR and a depositional relief of about 100-150 m, There is also a rich literature that documents hummocks. At extreme velocities, these from topset fluvial deposits to bottomset and explains the preservation of these bedforms become washed out and the condensed sections, suggesting water shallowing-upward facies successions as plane bedding is stable. depths on this order. Observed HCS beds a consequence of shoreline trajectory and do not occur in clinoform bottomsets, accommodation succession (e.g., Helland- The statement by Meloche (2017) that but appear to be confined to the upper 40 Hansen and Martinsen, 1994, Helland- HCS "...has never been observed in the meters of the interval. Clinoforms in the Fox Hansen, and Gjelberg, 1994; Hampson, process of formation on modern shelves, Hills - Lewis Shale system show about 250 2000; Hampson et al., 2001; Bhattacharya has never been recognized unequivocally m of relief (Asquith, 1970; Winn et al., 1987; and Willis, 2003; Neal and Abreu, 2009, from any recent marine sediment, and Olariu et al., 2012). Deep-water turbidites Bhattacharya, 2011). These studies show has never been formed experimentally" is and hyperpycnites are described from the that topset preservation is decreased during difficult to reconcile with the substantial bottomsets (e.g., Winn et al., 1987; Pyles falling stages of sea level, characterized by body of literature that states otherwise, as and Slatt, 2000; Soyinka and Slatt, 2008) a degrading accommodation successions, discussed above. Perhaps the only aspect but HCS is primarily found in the topset and significant top-truncation may occur of this statement that is literally true is that successions (Olariu et al., 2012), again at by wave-erosion during subsequent hummocks have not been observed in the a stratigraphic position of about 20-30 m transgression. What is important is that “process of formation” on a modern shelf. below the paleo-shoreline. Outcrops of the the preserved lower parts of top-truncated We suspect that the main reason for this is Kakwa Member of Cardium Formation also facies successions are essentially identical the simple fact that oceanographers' value show HCS lying about 20 m below rooted in sedimentary structures, bioturbation, their lives and have not found a way to horizons, marking the top of the foreshore, and bedding style to the top-preserved safely observe shallow seafloor processes with associated lagoonal coastal plain successions. It is, of course, the topset- in the middle of a hurricane or typhoon! mudstones and other non-marine facies preserved successions that allow more (Plint et al., 1987). accurate estimates of the depth of HCS The Disappearing Appalachians? beds to be documented. In top-truncated In order for the proposed oceanic current In lower energy settings, wave-formed HCS systems, the depth of HCS can be inferred by mechanism to work, Meloche (2017) has been observed at depths as shallow as 5 comparison to fully preserved successions. hypothesizes that the Cretaceous Interior m or less. For example, the Cadotte Member Seaway progressively deepened from west contains the distinctive toe-of-the-beach HCS bedforms to east, and was directly connected to the assemblage of Macaronichnus segregatis, There is a significant body of literature North Atlantic Ocean, thus implying that the which resides within 2 metres of overlying that documents hummocky bedforms in Appalachian Mountains somehow ceased rooted sandstones of the foreshore. HCS modern depositional environments (e.g., to exist. This would require wholesale and SCS beds occur no more than 5 metres Li and Amos, 1999; Hanes et al., 2001; revisions to every paleogeographic map below the Macaronichnus segregatis Kleinhans et al., 2004; Vermass, 2010). ever published of the Cretaceous Seaway,

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including reconstructions by Williams and glaciations, the Appalachians stand where Meloche (2017) believes that his hypothesis Stelck (1975), Kauffman (1977), Cobban et they always have, a stark reminder of their is viable, he would have to explain away al. (1994), Bhattacharya et al. (2016), and role as a major paleogeographic barrier the well-documented terrestrial and of course the web-based reconstructions throughout the Mesozoic. shallow-marine paleontology, of Turonian of R. Blakey (http://deeptimemaps.com) Formations along the east coast (could and Chris Scotese (Paleomap; http:// In the same issue as the Meloche article, there be deep marine ants?). The hypothesis www.scotese.com). Unfortunately, Blum (2017) shows the paleogeography Meloche presents does not explain how Meloche (2017) did not provide a revised of the Albian McMurray Formation, > 10 metre thick upward-coarsening paleogeographic map, underpinned demonstrating that these Cretaceous rivers facies successions are produced during by paleontological, stratigraphic/ drained the Appalachian Mountains. The transgression. Nor does it explain how or biostratigraphic and sedimentologic data lack of preservation of eastern shorelines why the conglomerates in the Cardium lie by which all such reconstructions are based, during the subsequent Cenomanian to on top of these successions, particularly in order to illustrate his hypothesis, nor Turonian transgression likely reflects if they were delivered by debris flows. does he provide a geodynamic mechanism later peripheral bulge tectonics, a process Conglomeratic debris flows in deep-water to explain how the Appalachians could first documented by Jacobi (1981) in the successions are typically poorly sorted and disappear during the Turonian and then Appalachians, rather than disappearance would be expected to be more randomly reappear as we see them today. of the Appalachian Mountains themselves. distributed. This is in stark contrast to These observations conclusivelythe well sorted and imbricated beach- Fortunately, there is a significant body of demonstrate that the Appalachian like conglomerates capping coarsening- literature that documents the sedimentary mountain belt formed a major drainage upward successions, well documented in successions, paleontology, and divide that delivered sediment into the the Cardium by Hart and Plint (1995). environments of deposition of Cretaceous Atlantic Ocean and represented the eastern strata on the onshore Atlantic margin of margin of North America. Finally, if Meloche (2017) contends that North America (e.g., Owens et al., 1970; HCS is not formed in shallow water, then he Herendeen et al., 1994; Grimaldi, and Agosti, Lastly, Meloche (2017) claims that there must reconcile the ubiquitous observation 2000; Grimaldi et al., 2000). Turonian strata is no evidence for sea-level changes in the of HCS positioned 20-35 m below rooted in onshore New Jersey contain abundant Cretaceous, nor tectonic controls, again shoreface deposits in numerous examples non-marine facies and fossils, including seemingly ignoring or dismissing a large worldwide. examples of ants preserved in amber body of literature based on lithostratigraphy, (Grimaldi, and Agosti, 2000; Grimaldi et al., sequence stratigraphy, and paleontological Acknowledgememt 2000). There has also been extensive study data that refutes this view, and all of which We acknowledge generous funding for of the offshore strata (e.g., McIver, 1972; show an important Turonian base level fall this study from the Natural Science and Petter, 1976; Olsson, 1991; Miller et al., and regression (e.g., Haq et al., 1988; Gale Engineering Research Council of Canada 2004; Pe-Piper et al., 2008). De-Piper et al. at al., 2002; Miller et al., 2003; 2004, 2005; NSERC Discovery Grant program. JPB (2008), for example, show that sediments Vakarelov et al., 2006; Plint and Wadsworth, also acknowledges funding as part of in the Scotia Basin were derived from 2003; Zhu et al., 2012). the Susan Cunningham Research Chair Appalachian sources to the west. A few in Geology and from BP through the isolated examples of Cretaceous deposits Challenging Paradigms McMaster Quantitative Sedimentology have also been recognized in the Hudson While we appreciate the value of Consortium. We also thank Dale Leckie, Bay Lowlands, but they are purported to challenging orthodox views, alternative Andrew Miall and Guy Plint for their connect the Western Interior Seaway to hypotheses must better explain comments and reviews of an earlier version the Labrador Sea on the northeast coast of observations and present improved and of this manuscript, although we take all Canada, nowhere near the Appalachians or more holistic explanations that integrate responsibility for any shortfalls within. the Atlantic Ocean (White et al., 2000). the regional geology. The alternate hypotheses presented by Meloche (2017) References The Appalachians formed during the for the Cardium Formation results in more For a Full List of References please visit the assembly of Pangea, associated with the problems than they solve. For example, CSPG website. Ordovician Taconic Orogeny (Faill, 1997). a deep-water eastern Turonian Seaway, Large slabs of oceanic crust were obducted directly connected to the North Atlantic onto the North American Plate, forming the Ocean would require an as yet unknown Table Mountains in Western Newfoundland geodynamic mechanism to explain how (Dewey and Bird, 1971). At the culmination the Appalachian Mountains and its of Pangean assembly, a truly magnificent underlying continental lithosphere could mountain belt ran down the entire eastern subside into deep water. The deep-water margin of North America (Williams, 1978). Appalachian hypothesis would also have to Despite the 250 million years since the reconcile the observations of non-marine breakup of Pangea and a number of recent formations on the eastern seaboard. If

22 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 TECHNICAL LUNCHEON

Permian Basin (Prototype Super Basin) and Other Superbasins: Discovery Thinking, Innovation and Lessons

SPEAKER Houston for Tom Jordan 1997-2004. He is Charles Sternbach, now the President of Star Creek Energy in AAPG President 2017-2018 Houston. He begins his terms as President of the AAPG in July 2017. He is perhaps September 12, 2017 best known for his organizational role in 11:30 am doors open the establishment and continued success Fairmont Palliser Hotel, of the innovative “Discovery Thinking” sessions featured at each year’s AAPG Crystal Ballroom Annual Convention and Exhibition. 133 9 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2M3 BIOGRAPHY Charles A. Sternbach has explored for and Please note: CSPG member ticket price: discovered Energy in the US and around the $42.50+gst Non-member ticket price: globe for 35 years. He was Staff Geologist $55+gst Please note: The cut-off for ticket for Shell Oil Company, Exploration sales is 1:00pm, five business days before Manager for Tom Jordan (Jordan Oil the event. September 5, 2017. Each CSPG and Gas), President of First Place Energy Technical Luncheon is 1 APEGA PDH (International frontier exploration) and is credit. Tickets may be purchased online at currently President of Star Creek Energy. www.cspg.org Charles has a PhD (and MS) in Geology explorers and their discoveries is a short cut from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and to wisdom. Every geologist around the globe ABSTRACT a BA in geology from Columbia University. raises the level of collective intelligence for The Permian “SuperBasin” of Texas and New He is also proudly a member of AAPG and all by sharing information and techniques. Mexico is comprised primarily of a thick CSPG. Critical insights fall into patterns that can sequence of Permian sediments deposited be recognized and anticipated. The legacy in the foreland of the Ouachita-Marathon Charles has focused his efforts on of exploration literature forms a syllabus Thrust Belt. It is a composite feature made Exploration Creativity, studying how for future explorers. Technology enables up of the better-known Delaware Basin, the explorers and their teams have found giant preservation and communication of Central Basin Platform and the Midland fields. He created and leads the popular critical knowledge via the internet through Basin. Although a prolific hydrocarbon AAPG Discovery Thinking Forums which programs like Search and Discovery, province with productive wells dating back have been standing room only events Datapages, and GIS spatial related to 1921, its recent emergence has only at annual AAPG conventions in North databases. He is a co-editor with Dr. Robert been since 2008. Perhaps most remarkably America (ACE) and around the world Merrill on the fifth installment of the AAPG and for a range of reasons, it has become (ICE). These impactful programs integrate memoir series Giant Fields of the Decade virtually the only area of the United States geology, geophysics and engineering into 2000-2010 (Memoir 113, in press). that has not experienced a decline of either case studies of business success. drilling or production in the midst of the Charles resides in Houston, Texas. His wife industry’s current low price environment. There have been 18 Discovery Thinking Linda is also a distinguished geophysical It is “super” in more than just a geological Forums since 2008 with about 10,000 advisor. Charles is a leader in the global sense. attendees. About 115 speakers have geological community: president- permitted their video presentations to be elect AAPG, past president Gulf Coast Charles will enlighten on what makes posted on the AAPG Search and Discovery Association of Geological Societies, past this “superbasin” tick. He will include Website with 40,000 viewings around the president Houston Geological Society, Discovery Thinking lessons from other globe. In addition, Charles created the and past president of AAPG’s Division of superbasins and petroleum rich areas. The AAPG Playmaker program in 2012. These 1 Professional Affairs. He is an Honorary audience will be provided with geological day forums on exploration creativity have Member of AAPG, HGS, and DPA. and technological fodder that can be used been presented 10 times in the US, Canada, in the rejuvenation of the Western Canada and Europe. More than 1,500 professionals Sedimentary Basin, a sister “superbasin”. have attended and presentations have received 10,000 web views around the Charles began his career with Shell Oil in world. More of these forums are planned. a variety of assignments between 1984 and 1997. He managed an Exploration Office in Charles believes case histories of successful

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 23 TECHNICAL LUNCHEON

Anatomy of a Petroleum Source Rock

SPEAKER have direct impact on estimates of both Barry Jay Katz, Chevron conventional and unconventional resources, if assessments were based on individual October 24, 2017 discrete samples. Discrete sampling either 11:30 am doors open from an outcrop or a core commonly results Marriot Hotel, Kensington Ballroom in bias. Historically, these biases have been skewed toward the more organically enriched 110 9 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 5A6 samples. This can be overcome through an increase in the number of samples and the Please note: CSPG member ticket price: incorporation of lithologic information, so $42.50+gst Non-member ticket price: that weighted averages can be generated to $55+gst Please note: The cut-off for ticket obtain a better representation of the unit. sales is 1:00pm, five business days before The analysis of cuttings samples introduces the event. October 17, 2017. Each CSPG a different suite of problems, associated with Technical Luncheon is 1 APEGA PDH representativeness and positioning. Regional credit. Tickets may be purchased online at variation also needs to be incorporated Formation, and petroleum systems of www.cspg.org through an examination of the depositional pre-Devonian systems. He has served systems of the unit, ensuring that the key as editor-in-chief of The Open Geology ABSTRACT environments are sampled accounting for Journal, elected-editor of the Houston With the growing global attention in the impact of factors such as sedimentary Geology Society Bulletin, a member of the shale gas and shale oil plays there has dilution, influence of storms, and oxygen editorial board of the Journal of Mining and been a renewed interest in source rock content of the water column. Geology, as a senior associate editor of the geochemistry. This has resulted in a AAPG (American Association of Petroleum number of key questions concerning source BIOGRAPHY Geologists) Bulletin and is currently editor characterization, including: 1) how much Barry Katz received his B.S. in geology from for the AAPG Bulletin and the GCAGS internal variability might be anticipated; 2) Brooklyn College in 1974 and his Ph.D. from Journal. He has served as a technical what is the potential impact of the variability the University of Miami in 1979 in marine reviewer for an additional ten international on resource assessment; and 3) how best may geology and geophysics. He received the journals. Barry is a member of the American a source be sampled to "fully" understand its Perlmutter Award from the Brooklyn College Geophysical Union, AAPG, European variability? These questions were examined, geology department for environmental Association of Organic Geochemistry, in part, through the detailed sampling of geology. At the University of Miami he Geochemical Society, Geological Society the Kimmeridge Clay at the type locality. A received the F. G. Walton Smith Prize for of America, Houston Geological Society, representation of variability was obtained outstanding dissertation in marine sciences. International Association of Geochemistry, from basic source rock data collected on After receiving his doctorate he joined and the Society of Sedimentary Geology. fresh outcrop samples. Total organic carbon Texaco’s Bellaire Research Center where he Dr. Katz has served on the Ocean Drilling contents, for this world-class source rock, held numerous technical and supervisory Program’s Pollution Prevention and Safety varied between 0.88 and 21.35 wt.%, with positions. He continued with Chevron after Panel and has been chairman of Integrated a mean of 9.13 wt.%. Samples with greater the merger in 2001, where he has been part Ocean Drilling Program’s Environmental than 1.0 wt.% TOC had total pyrolysis yields of Chevron’s Energy Technology Company. Protection and Safety Panel. He has also ranging between 6.31 and 126.65 mg HC/g He currently serves as a team leader for basin served as chairman of the AAPG Research rock, with a mean of 54.16 mg HC/g rock. modeling and geochemistry. His work has Committee and has served on the AAPG Hydrogen index values ranged from 240 to focused on the applications of geochemistry, Publication, Marine Geology, and Technical 611 mg HC/g TOC, with a mean of 516 mg petroleum systems, and lacustrine basins. Program committees. He was technical HC/g TOC. Even these ranges do not fully He has been engaged in both research and program chair for the AAPG International capture the variability of the source, if data technical support activities and has worked Conference in 2001. He has received from elsewhere in the North Sea region are in approximately 50 basins onshore and multiple best paper awards from the Nigerian included. For example, TOC values exceeding offshore six continents. Barry has authored Association of Petroleum Geologists. He was 40 wt% have been measured. Although the more than 75 papers, has edited five books, co-recipient of the Robert H. Dott Memorial hydrogen index values suggested similar and has presented at numerous international Award for best AAPG special publication. liquid hydrocarbon products at Kimmeridge conferences. Dr. Katz has served on M.S. He received the Distinguished Service Bay across the outcrop the variability and Ph.D. committees at the University Award from AAPG and has been granted across the North Sea suggests that there are of Houston, University of Miami, and the Honorary Membership by AAPG. He has regions that are more gas-prone character. University of Oklahoma. He has organized also been named a Chevron Fellow for his The differences in organic carbon content multiple Hedberg Research Conferences on contributions to both the corporation and and hydrocarbon yields, which range by such topics as lacustrine basin exploration, the industry as a whole. more than an order of magnitude, would the South Atlantic margin, the Monterey

24 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 TECHNICAL LUNCHEON

The Current State of Saskatchewan’s Oil and Gas Industry

SPEAKER will continue to delineate many of the Melinda Yurkowsk, Saskatchewan known plays in the Viking, Mississippian, Geological Survey, Saskatchewan Bakken and Shaunavon, through infill and Ministry of the Economy pool edge drilling. Companies will also increase production in the heavy oil pools November 21, 2017 through improved enhanced oil recovery 11:30 am doors open technologies. Marriot Hotel, Kensington Ballroom Though the bulk of activity in Saskatchewan 110 9 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 5A6 is reliant on the known producers, many future prospects for deeper wildcat plays Please note: CSPG member ticket price: exist and include the Red River and the $42.50+gst Non-member ticket price: Winnipegosis inter-reef play, to name a few. $55+gst Please note: The cut-off for ticket sales is 1:00pm, five business days before BIOGRAPHY the event. November 14, 2017. Each CSPG Melinda Yurkowski is currently the Technical Luncheon is 1 APEGA PDH Assistant Chief Geologist, heading up credit. Tickets may be purchased online at the Petroleum Geology Branch in the www.cspg.org Saskatchewan Geological Survey at Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy. ABSTRACT She completed her B.Sc. and her M.SC The landscape of the Saskatchewan degrees in Geology at the University of petroleum industry has changed Regina. Her Master’s thesis focused on dramatically over the past decade. In 2007, understanding the reservoir conditions just over a quarter of the wells drilled in the of the Devonian Winnipegosis pinnacle province for oil and gas were horizontal, and reefs in southeast Saskatchewan. She has almost a quarter of all the petroleum and worked in both private and public sectors natural gas wells drilled were for shallow and has been with the Saskatchewan gas. Since then, the province has seen over Government since 1998. In 2002 she 26,000 wells drilled, of which nearly half became a Senior Research Geologist with have been horizontally drilled and ‘frac’d’ the Survey and worked primarily on the into the unconventional Bakken, Viking, geology of the shallow and unconventional Shaunavon, and Torquay plays. The Viking gas deposits of Saskatchewan and in 2010, light oil play of west-central Saskatchewan took on her current role at the Subsurface has been the primary focus of oil drilling Geological Lab in Regina. She is also in the province over the past five years. fortunate to work a bit of geology into To a slightly lesser extent, the Shaunavon her schedule and is currently researching oil play of southwest Saskatchewan and helium deposits in Saskatchewan. the Bakken, Torquay and Mississippian oil plays in the southeast corner of the province were also primary targets.

Saskatchewan’s petroleum industry saw a record year in 2014, with oil production reaching 172.9 million barrels (27.5 million cubic metres), and slightly reduced numbers since then, due to a depressed market. Still, the Mississippian in the southeast and Mannville in west-central continued to dominate Saskatchewan’s overall production. 1602 – 5th St N.E. T.I.H. Consulting Ltd. Calgary, AB. T2E 7W3 With continued refinement of technologies Geologic Well-Site Phone: 403-233-7729 required to access the petroleum Supervision www.tihconsulting.com resources of Saskatchewan, companies e-mail: [email protected]

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 25 We thank you... HOSTED BY:

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RESOURCES AND YOU • Ocean Networks Canada • Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre / USO • Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Mount Royal University • Yukon Dan • Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG) • Mining Matters • Alberta Paleontological Society • Let’s Talk Science • Calgary Rock and Lapidary Club OUR FUTURE! • CREWES, University of Calgary • Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary ENERGY FOR US • Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) • Explor Geophysical Ltd. • Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists • Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) (CSEG) • Grow Calgary • Pacific Museum of Earth • Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Calgary • Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) Chapter • Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) – Calgary • Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Section • Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) • Canadian Rockies Earth Science Resource Centre (CRESRC) OTHER EXHIBITORS • Alberta Geological Survey / Alberta Energy Regulator • ESfS Fossil Station • Canada from Space Canadian Geographic Giant Floor Map ONE DYNAMIC EARTH • WHERE Challenge • Foundations Project: The Science Beneath the Art • Frank Slide Interpretative Centre • Geoscience Activity Table • Royal Tyrrell Museum • Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

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26 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 We thank you... HOSTED BY:

EXHIBITORS SPONSORS

RESOURCES AND YOU • Ocean Networks Canada • Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre / USO • Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Mount Royal University • Yukon Dan • Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG) • Mining Matters • Alberta Paleontological Society • Let’s Talk Science • Calgary Rock and Lapidary Club OUR FUTURE! • CREWES, University of Calgary • Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary ENERGY FOR US • Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) • Explor Geophysical Ltd. • Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists • Canadian Geothermal Energy Association (CanGEA) (CSEG) • Grow Calgary • Pacific Museum of Earth • Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Calgary • Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) Chapter • Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) – Calgary • Rothney Astrophysical Observatory Section • Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) • Canadian Rockies Earth Science Resource Centre (CRESRC) OTHER EXHIBITORS • Alberta Geological Survey / Alberta Energy Regulator • ESfS Fossil Station • Canada from Space Canadian Geographic Giant Floor Map ONE DYNAMIC EARTH • WHERE Challenge • Foundations Project: The Science Beneath the Art • Frank Slide Interpretative Centre • Geoscience Activity Table • Royal Tyrrell Museum • Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

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RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 27 DIVISION TALKS

BASS TECHNICAL DIVISION TALK

The Lower Montney Turbidite Complex of Northwest Alberta and Northeast British Columbia Evolution of an Oil and Gas Play From Conventional to Unconventional

SPEAKER Detailed geological mapping reveals that E&P start up that has morphed into a series Richard D. Sereda, M.Sc. P.Geol. the deposition and the thickness of the of E&P start-up which include Chamaelo (Leucrotta Exploration Inc.) fan is structurally controlled by underlying Exploration, Crocotta Exploration and Paleozoic fault systems that define the Leucrotta Exploration. Time: 12:00 pm Fort St. John graben complex. Isotope Date: Thursday, September 14, 2017 geochemistry of the hydrocarbons reveals Richard has explored the complete western Location: geoLOGIC Room that they are internally sourced, and their Canadian stratigraphic column in both distribution display a normal thermal carbonate and clastic reservoirs. Over the (2nd Floor), Aquitaine Tower, maturity distribution with dry gas being last 10 years he has adopted the advances 540-5th Avenue S.W found in the deepest portion of the basin, in drilling and completion technology to transitioning to wet gas condensate and light successfully develop horizontal multifrac ABSTRACT oil concentrated along the basin margin. resources in the Middle Devonian Gilwood, The Lower Triassic Montney formation is The fan can be mapped into 3 cycles ranging Mississippian Exshaw/Banff, Triassic one of western Canada’s most lucrative in thickness of 15m to 25m. Each cycle has Montney and Cretaceous Bluesky and unconventional hydrocarbon plays. With a preferred landing zone which contains Cardium. a thickness in excess of 300m, aerial extent more highly porous and permeable rock covering approximately 130,000 km2, which local operators target. Thru time the Richard holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the the National Energy Board of Canada more proximal portion of the fan has been University of Saskatchewan (1983 and estimates the Montney Formation contains exploited but with the further advancement 1991). He is a register professional geologist marketable resources of 449 TCF of gas, of drilling and completion techniques, in both Alberta and BC (APEGA and APEG). 14.5 billion barrels of NGL’s and 1.13 billion more distal portions of the fan complex are He is also a member of the CSPG, AAPG barrels of oil. economically being exploited. and CSUR.

The Lower Montney Formation in the BIOGRAPHY INFORMATION Peace River Arch region of northwest Richard D. Sereda is currently Sr. Vice BASS technical division talks are free. Alberta and northeast British Columbia President Exploration for Leucrotta Please bring your lunch. For further was one of the first areas of the Montney Exploration Ltd. He has over 30 years of information about our division, to join our exploited for hydrocarbon beginning in experience in the exploration, development mailing list, receive a list of upcoming talks, 1980. The initial discoveries were made acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas or if you wish to present a talk or lead a field in turbidite channel complexes, using 3D plays and properties. trip, please contact either Steve Donaldson seismic and conventional vertical drilling (BASS) at 403-808-8641, or Mark Caplan and completion methods. The reservoir Richard began his career as a summer (BASS) at 403-975-7701, or visit our web are highly porous ( 15%) and permeable student at Home Oil in 1986 where his page on the CSPG website at http://www. (1-5 md) fine grained channel sands. The technical work lead to the discovery of cspg.org. channels facies is very prolific but limited the West Eagle Montney A Pool, the first in aerial extent. discovery of Montney oil in BC. Following a summer working at Canadian Hunter Beginning in 2006, with the advent Richard joined Shell Canada in 1989 and of horizontal drilling and multi-frac began working in the Play Development completion technology, it now became Group as an exploration geologist. possible to economically exploit the thicker Over the next 10 years Richard attained more aerial extensive, fan portion of the exploration and managerial experience at turbidite complex. These rocks are fine Northrock Resources , Berkley Petroleum grained laminated siltstones with lower and Anadarko Canada exploring and porosity (3-10%) and lower permeability developing properties across Western (less than 0.1 md) but, extremely thick (30- Canada from Manitoba to the NWT. In 2003 70 m). Richard joined Chamaelo Energy a junior

28 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 DIVISION TALKS

CSPG HEAVY OIL / OIL SANDS TECHNICAL DIVISION TALK

Incised Valley Fills in the Oil Sands and Elsewhere in Alberta

SPEAKER indeed incised valley fills are considered of why Alberta has such a uniquely high Jon Noad / Director – DigitCore to be the main reservoir of the Upper density of these features. Institute for Learning Mannville Group. The presence of hydrocarbons is dependent, at least in part, BIOGRAPHY Time: 8:00 am on the presence of a working seal overlying Jon is a geologist with more than 25 years of Date: Wednesday, the incised valley. The type of hydrocarbon experience. After graduating from Imperial September 24, 2017 fill can usually be deduced from the College in 1985, he worked in mining for associated well logs. The incised valleys and five years in South Africa, before a spell as Location: Halliburton their associated sequence boundaries are a marine geologist analyzing subsea cable Training Centre (Room relatively easy to identify on logs, but more routes. He returned to London University 1830, 645 – 7th Ave SW) difficult to correlate in the intervening to complete an MSc. and PhD., the latter highs, requiring careful attention. examining Miocene shoreface systems ABSTRACT in eastern Borneo before joining Shell This presentation will examine a variety in 1998. There he worked on production The Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group, of these features, and demonstrate how (Sakhalin Development) and then on and other Cretaceous formations of Alberta, to recognize them from core, logs and several Middle East exploration projects. host an extraordinary number of incised seismic data. We will discuss the variety He was also seconded to Delft University valleys. Selected seismic amplitude slices of valley fills in terms of their thickness for a year, where he ran the Masters in show a spaghetti-like mass of channels and character, the interpreted range of Petroleum Geology. Jon moved to Shell cutting into the stratigraphy. These valleys associated channel dimensions, and how Canada in 2006. In 2010, Jon took on the were incised during periods of relative to differentiate between channel fills role of Exploration Manager at Murphy sea level fall, and can erode up to 60 m or and valley fills. Selected case studies will Oil Canada, managing a team of eight more into the underlying strata. The fills be used to show how to identify relative technical professionals. He moved to Husky of these features are surprisingly varied, lowstands on logs, and hence correlate Energy in 2012, running all subsurface peer ranging from fluvial to estuarine to marine, between valleys. We will also look at how reviews and then managing the G&G new and from thinly interbedded to massive in to map incised valleys, which obviously has graduates while operating as Husky’s clastic character. implications for hydrocarbon exploration, sedimentologist for Western Canada. and finally examine the burning question Some of the valley fills host oil or gas, and GEOMODELING DIVISION TECHNICAL DIVISION TALK

Optimum Permeability Modeling with Image Logs

SPEAKER sensitive to the spatial distribution of Image logs and core photos represent Mehdi Rezvandehy, Centre for certain reservoir parameters, especially detailed high-resolution information Computational Geostatistics, University permeability that controls fluid flow and regarding heterogeneities and could be used of Alberta, [email protected] steam/solvent efficiency in most heavy oil for accurate permeability estimation. This recovery methods such as steam-assisted paper presents novel approaches to improve Time: 12:00 pm gravity drainage (SAGD). Modelling permeability prediction with image logs (or Date: Monday, September 25, 2017 permeability is challenging due to biased core photos). The image is first digitized Location: Husky Conference measurement sampling, dilation effects and converted to sand-shale indicators and sample disturbance. Calibration of based on appropriate cutoffs. Automatic Room A, 3rd Floor, +30 level, core-plug permeability measurements with variogram modeling is performed over a set South Tower, 707 8th Ave SW well test data is problematic because of the of moving windows to simulate sand-shale vast differences in scale. Moreover, it may indicators along the vertical direction, ABSTRACT not be possible to measure permeability by capturing the local varying anisotropy well tests in oil sands. Production forecasts are extremely (Continued on page 30...)

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 29 DIVISION TALKS

(Continued from page 29...) in terms of variogram ranges, azimuth, dip and plunge angles. Uncertainty in the histogram of core measurements and well log data are quantified to calibrate the bivariate distributions between porosity, permeability and shale volume; this leads to represent full uncertainty in heterogeneity distribution of acquired data. The millimeter-scale model is built and upscaled to the centimeter scale via steady-state flow-based upscaling. This process is repeated until the final flow- simulation scale is attained: histogram uncertainty is also considered in this step and updated in geostatistical simulation. Resulted relationships with full uncertainty lead to model permeability for the area of interest for flow simulation. The entire methodology is applied within individual facies with distinct spatial correlations of the petrophysical properties.

A realistic case study is presented in this paper to model permeability for five facies by image log. Figure 1 shows a schematic of acquired permeability log from high resolution micro-resistivity imaging (HMI). The original image is first cropped to the desired intervals, and then converted Figure 1: Schematic example of modeling permeability log from HMI image. to ASCII format that is the portable gray scale (see Figure 1). The image can be subsequently accessed and readable by common software and programming packages. Open source image editors are used in this study. The sand-shale indicators are calculated by defining optimum locally varying cutoffs, which minimize the mismatch between the petrophysical volume of shale (Vsh) calculated from the image and GR log. Once a reasonable match between these two logs is achieved, 3D sand-shale is constructed for the entire wellbore. Vsh is calculated for each cell of the 3D sand-shale model by a moving 3D grid block centered at the location of the desired cell. The vertical size of this block should be consistent with the vertical scale of Gamma Ray log. Micromodeling (stage 1) Figure 2: Resulted relationships. Porosity-horizontal permeability (left figure) and horizontal permeability- is performed to achieve effective porosity, vertical to horizontal permeability (right figure). Uncertainty in the relationships is considered by cloud horizontal and vertical permeabilities at transformation. the scale of conventional well log data. Next, minimodeling (stage 2) is performed permeability (right figure). Uncertainty in INFORMATION to achieve effective porosity, horizontal the relationships is considered to simulate There is no charge for the division talk and and vertical permeabilities at the scale of horizontal and vertical permeabilities we welcome non-members of the CSPG. flow simulation grid block. Figure 2 shows based on porosity for the area of interest for Please bring your lunch. For details or to the final relationships: porosity-horizontal flow simulation. The entire methodology present a talk in the future, please contact permeability (left figure) and horizontal could be applied for many realizations to Weishan Ren at [email protected]. permeability-vertical to horizontal achieve realistic permeability estimation with reasonable uncertainty assessment.

30 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 DIVISION TALKS

ALBERTA PALAEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY DIVISION TALK

A Paleozoic Origins of Modern Amphibians

SPEAKER or that some amphibians evolved from David Stock and paleontology with Bryan Jason D. Pardo, Ph. D. Candidate, temnospondyls whereas others evolved Small and Dr. Dena Smith. He completed a Department of Comparative Biology from lepospondyls (amphibian polyphyly). M.Sc. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Experimental Medicine, University In recent years, a flurry of papers have with Dr. Jason Anderson at the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta examined the New approaches, especially of Calgary in 2014, in which he used use of microscopic computed tomography micro-CT to investigate skull anatomy and Time: 7:30 pm (µCT), have provided new ways of looking at relationships of a group of early tetrapods, Date: October 20, 2017 this problem, with some surprising results. the lysorophians. He is currently pursuing Location: Mount Royal New data strongly reject the lepospondyl a PhD at the University of Calgary studying hypothesis and suggest that tetrapod and the developmental biology of tooth University, Room B108 amphibian origins both involved a number regeneration in salamanders. His research of important evolutionary novelties. interests include Late Palaeozoic vertebrate ABSTRACT Furthermore, these data call into question evolution, origins of modern amphibians, Modern amphibian diversity belongs whether ‘lepospondyls’ are a natural group and development of the vertebrate head to three major lineages: frogs (Anura), at all. At least one group of lepospondyl, salamanders (Caudata), and caecilians the serpentine aïstopods, appear to be DIVISION INFORMATION (Gymnophiona). Each lineage is extremely extremely basal tetrapods from within the This event is presented jointly by the distinct, with very few features that unite Devonian fin-to-limb transition, suggesting Alberta Palaeontological Society, the the three groups. The earliest definitive that the earliest tetrapods may have been Department of Earth and Environmental members of each lineage are Mesozoic more diverse than previously thought. Sciences at Mount Royal University, and in age, but generally already exhibit an Finally, new temnospondyl fossils from the the Palaeontology Division of the Canadian overall body plan consistent with that Triassic are showing that there may be more Society of Petroleum Geologists. For details seen in modern members of each group. than one viable ‘temnospondyl hypothesis,’ or to present a talk in the future, please Because the earliest members of each suggesting that the search for amphibian contact CSPG Palaeontology Division Chair lineage are already highly derived, placing origins has not yet finished. Jon Noad at [email protected] or APS modern amphibians into the diversity Coordinator Harold Whittaker at 403-286- of Paleozoic tetrapods has traditionally BIOGRAPHY 0349 or contact programs1@albertapaleo. proven a difficult task. Three possibilities Jason Pardo grew up in Pittsburgh, org. Visit the APS website for confirmation have been suggested: that all amphibians Pennsylvania. He completed his of event times and upcoming speakers: evolved from a large semiaquatic ancestors undergraduate education at the University http://www.albertapaleo.org/ (temnospondyl hypothesis), that all of Colorado in Boulder, where he amphibians evolved from small elongate- conducted undergraduate research in bodied ancestors (lepospondyl hypothesis), developmental genetics of fish with Dr.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 31 DIVISION TALKS

ALBERTA PALAEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY DIVISION TALK

Memories of Montana – Photos from Bozeman

In addition to the main presentation by in the far south some rocks that date back This presentation is part of his curricula Jason Pardo, Daegan Kovacs will provide a to the Late Jurassic. I went there for a for high school credit in Special Projects brief presentation. Paleontology camp where I slept under 20: Paleontology. He is an avid microfossil the Tyrannosaurus display, went to a sorter, is also very interested in entomology, SPEAKER Jurassic dig site where they were excavating and has several pets including a bearded Daegan Kovacs, grade 10 student, a Diplodocus and a Stegosaurus, and dragon. Homeschooled, Calgary, Alberta met none other than Jack Horner! Inside the Museum they had many interesting INFORMATION Time: 7:30 pm displays such as a display showing a This event is presented jointly by the Date: October 20, 2017 Deinonychus attacking a Tenontosaurus, Alberta Palaeontological Society, the Location: Mount Royal T rex and Triceratops growth series, and a Department of Earth and Environmental diorama showing the burrowing dinosaur Sciences at Mount Royal University, and University, Room B108 Oryctodromeus. We also visited the the Palaeontology Division of the Canadian Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine near Helena, Society of Petroleum Geologists. For details ABSTRACT which is the capital of Montana, where we or to present a talk in the future, please The year was 2015, the month was July, found both sapphires and fossils. contact CSPG Palaeontology Division Chair and with my mom and brother we went to Jon Noad at [email protected] or APS Bozeman in Montana. Why? Because I’ve BIOGRAPHY Coordinator Harold Whittaker at 403-286- wanted to go to Montana State University's Daegan is a homeschool student who is 0349 or contact programs1@albertapaleo. Museum of the Rockies ever since I was going into grade 10 and aims to become a org. Visit the APS website for confirmation a little kid. Montana's geology is similar Palaeontologist. He has been a member of event times and upcoming speakers: to Alberta's, except Montana has more of the APS for 4 years now and wants to http://www.albertapaleo.org/. Early Cretaceous and Eocene rock. and continue to be a member far into the future. B.A.S.S. DIVISION TALK

Montney – From the Rock to the Log II

SPEAKERS Evaluation at the 2017 CSPG Core and porosities ranging from 3 to 13%. Godfried Wasser, Dana Kinnaird, and Conference. Following the stratigraphic Although very fine grained, the turbidites Shpetim Cobaj, Eucalyptus Consulting Inc. nomenclature proposed by Graham Davis have conventional, low permeability and Tom Moslow in 1997, the Montney of reservoir characteristics. These deposits Time: 12:00 pm Alberta’s Deep Basin was subdivided into 6 occur together with interbedded very Date: October 30, 2017 unconformity bounded cycles (Montney A fine-grained siltstones and shales of Location: geoLOGIC Room through D; we expanded with E and F) and similar composition as described above. many sub cycles. Also, a Middle Montney They contain little bioturbation but have (2nd Floor), Aquitaine Tower, interval was recognized. common wavy laminations and small- 540-5th Avenue S.W. scale wave ripples. We interpreted the Core work indicated that the Montney depositional environment as proximal shelf ABSTRACT comprises deep water shales with abundant to transition zone. Our work method follows our motto: From quartz (30-35%) and dolomite (20-30%); the Rock to the Log. We examine core and minor to no bioturbation and 30% average A second group of facies range from cuttings to learn what a reservoir is about. clay content. They are also associated deep water shales to shallow marine What makes it tick? Then we extrapolate deep water turbidite deposits comprising deposits and carbonate rich soils. The our learnings using wireline logs. very fine siltstones (30-50 microns); with soils occur as a dolomitic siltstone facies moderate clay content (Vclay 16-29%), characterized by intense chaotic structures We presented Phase 1 of our Montney quartz (20-35%), dolomites (20-40%), often resulting from synsedimentary

32 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 DIVISION TALKS

deformation. Thin section analysis showed logs of close to 1400 wells were normalized Nikanassin (Minnes Gp) in N.E. B.C.; the presence of some early expansive and the algorithms derived from the rock Cardium oil and gas in the Deep Basin and anhydrite cementation replaced by calcite, work were applied during petrophysical south of Keystone as well as the Spearfish and the abundant occurrence of dolomite analysis to determine porosity, Vclay, water (Lower Amaranth) in Manitoba. Godfried sedimentary rock fragments. The latter saturation and OOIP distributions within also has worked in Indonesia and taught commonly recrystallized into blocky the Montney overall and its subdivisions. various courses through the CSPG ranging dolomite cement (22-30%). Porosities are from Belly River field school to Reservoir often 12 to 22% with particle sizes typically The results were used to generate a wide Geology in Sandstones. He has also taught being coarse silt. variety of maps for the Montney and its reservoir geology internationally. cycles throughout the study area (Twp Above these soil deposits are some coquina 70 to 80, Rge 19W5 to 13W6). Several clay Godfried has won a CSPG Tracks Award and debris beds also rich in primary dolomite volume, porosity, water saturation and several service awards. He has published fragments that are often recrystallized OOIP distribution trends were identified. on various topics at conferences, the into blocky dolomite cement with leached CSPG Core Conference and various CSPG vuggy porosity. The porosity of the coquina At the presentation, we will also introduce Divisions. Currently Godfried is President can be up to 25% and permeabilities reach our Detailed Horizontal Well Reviews which of Eucalyptus Consulting which does the darcy level. We interpreted these integrate our petrophysical knowledge, rock reservoir geological evaluations integrating coquina beds as berm like deposits washed data such as cuttings, mapping combined geology, sedimentology, petrography, during storm onto the soils. The soils with MWD data to place the wellbore more petrophysics, reservoir engineering and grade down into highly porous, medium precisely in the producing zone, as well as operations geology. Eucalyptus is currently to coarse siltstones comprised of quartz calculate porosity, grain size, composition, working for small clients and on Phase II of with dolomite (particles and replacement water saturation and brittleness along the a multi-client Montney regional reservoir cement) and some calcite cement wellbore. This should help with completion geological evaluation. The company’s interbedded with shale. The clay content planning; remedial work; explanation of motto is: “From the Rock to the Log” of both the shale and siltstone was found production performance. This method is a to be 30 to 9%. Sedimentary structures are very affordable alternative to running a full DIVISION PROFILE mostly small-scale ripples and wave ripples wireline logging suite to measure a well’s The Division's mandate is to provide with some synsedimentary deformation as potential. a CSPG forum for members who are well as some indications of tidal influences. interested in seeing the "wood" when It is imported to distinguish between clay The Montney in the study area comprises they are looking at the "trees". Most of us volume and the shale/rock ratio. In this mostly low permeability conventional deal with small areas in our daily work. A interbedded facies, the latter ranges from reservoirs that produce from pool to good understanding of the big geologic 20 to 75%. We interpret these deposits as pool a variety of hydrocarbons ranging picture in which our areas are located will tidally influenced mudflats that grade down from condensate and gas liquids to light facilitate better geological interpretations into the aforementioned deep water shales. oil. Some reservoirs also produce large and predictions, which will translate into volumes of water. Eucalyptus has just higher drilling success rates. The aim of the Intercalated with the mudflat sediments launched a regional Montney Phase II Basin Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy is a facies that has thin to massive bedded evaluation which covers Twp 58 to 69, Rge Division is to be innovative, inspiring and siltstones with sharp contacts and some 16W5 to the Alberta Border. practical. We will try to introduce new Bouma-like successions of sedimentary concepts and methodologies of basin structures. Top bed contacts are often BIOGRAPHY analysis and sequence stratigraphy to our gradational into shale. Bed thickness varies Godfried Wasser studied at the State group. We would also like to share inspiring from 20cm to 2 meters. Vclay is typically University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. interpretations of historical Canadian data. 5% or less in the siltstones and up to 35% He has a B.Sc. in geology and an M.Sc. In particular, we encourage speakers to in the shales. Porosities are as high as in Sedimentology. He has worked in offer learnings that we can take home and 26% and permeabilities may be up to 10s the Canadian oil patch since 1979 for apply in our daily work. The Division is also of millidarcies. In some rare cases, the companies such a PanCanadian Petroleum interested in running field trips or joint ‘siltstone’ beds increase in grain size to very (now Encana), Canadian Natural talks with other Divisions in the future. fine sand (60-70 microns) and permeability Resources, PennWest Exploration and as as high as a darcy. We interpret this facies owner/president of Eucalyptus Consulting as shallow marine storm beds. Inc. He specializes in clastic reservoir geology working both on the pool level The subsequent petrography and and on regional evaluations. His working petrophysics focused on defining experience ranges from conventional algorithms of clay volume (Vclay) rather oil and gas, heavy oil, secondary and than the more traditional shale volume enhanced recovery and on low permeability (Vsh), grain size distribution, porosity, (unconventional) reservoirs such as the formation water distribution, etc. Wireline Viking in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 33 SOCIETY NEWS

MOUNTJOY WRAP-UP

he SEPM-CSPG Mountjoy II Meeting South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK on: (1) Sedimentologic, Stratigraphic, and took place June 25th- 29th, 2017 and the USA. Approximately 64% of the Diagenetic Controls on Development of Tat the J.J. Pickle Campus of the meeting delegates were from academia, Carbonate Pore Systems, (2) Multiscale Bureau of Economic Geology in Austin, 32% from industry and about 4% from Prediction and Upscaling of Carbonate Texas. This meeting is named in honour government. This was a sharp turnaround Porosity and Permeability, and (3) of Dr. Eric Mountjoy and his goal for from the first meeting where approximately Interactions in Multi-Modal Pore Systems. the conference was to bring together 60% of attendees were from industry, Oral presentations included speakers from geoscientists from industry, government, reflecting the continued downturn of the several countries and reservoirs ranging and academic institutions to share results petroleum industry. The male to female from conventional carbonates (such from applied research on topics related demographic was approximately 70% male as Karachaganak field in Kazakhstan) to the characterization and modeling of and 30% female. to Unconventional (the Duvernay and carbonate reservoirs. Given his reputation Mississippi Lime Formations), from ancient as a professor and supervisor of over fifty On Monday morning the technical portion of (Devonian) to the modern (West Caicos graduate theses from the 1960s through to the meeting commenced with introductory Island). The poster session had a similar the early 2000s, it was of no surprise that remarks from Mitch Harris where he range of topics and also included mini Eric would have wished that the meeting thanked the sponsors of the meeting for “previews” of the Core Workshop to be held specifically include the opportunity for providing funds to support the attendance on Wednesday. students and early career professionals of students and academics. He went on to interact with other scientists and to to thank the plethora of volunteers who Tuesday’s program was a break from the share their research. In fact, 70% of the served on various organizing committees technical presentations and participants presenting (first) authors were identified as that put together the conference. Mitch also headed out to the field! Thanks to Astrid a Student or Young Professional. emphasized that the intent of the conference Arts and Chris Zahm for putting together was to provide a forum to: (a) share the latest the selection of the four field trips. The meeting kicked-off Sunday evening advances in our fields, (b) interact within this Participants could choose from a visit to an Icebreaker. Participants picked up their unique opportunity for networking that the Pipe Creek where Laura Zahm presented badges and greeted old friends, colleagues format of the conference provides, and (c) the Albian-age Pipe Creek rudist build-ups and acquaintances to catch-up. The build new and lasting research partnerships and impact of touching and non-touching Chair of the organizing committee, (Paul) and friendships. vugs on reservoir characterization, a visit Mitch Harris also used this ice-breaker to the Cretaceous of central Texas where as an opportunity to introduce students The theme of the 2017 meeting was Chris Zahm presented Fractures and pores and young professionals to the rest of the Carbonate Pore Systems and the program within evaporite paleokarst systems, a visit participants. Presenters represented 16 put together by the technical Chairs to the Longhorn Caverns (and relief from different countries including Australia, Don McNeill and Eugene Rankey was the heat of Texas in late June) with Bob Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, excellent. Technical sessions on Monday Loucks who presented Fractures, faults France, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, included talks and posters that focussed and karst caverns: architecture of the non-

34 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 SOCIETY NEWS

matrix reservoir elements or a visit to the amongst the participants. Hidden Valley Fault in central Texas where David Ferrill and Ronald McGinnis showed A highlight of the entire conference was participants the Fault zone deformation and the attendance of Anita Mountjoy. She displacement partitioning in mechanically participated in all events – staying for all layered carbonates. the technical presentations and even going on a field trip. Numerous participants Tuesday evening brought all the participants commented on the lovely conversations back together again at our formal dinner in they had with Anita. She particularly sought honour of Eric Mountjoy. Dinner was held out all the students and younger scientists at Abel’s on the Lake where participants for chats. Anita has probably learned more enjoyed mixing and mingling along with a geology than any of us at these conferences. buffet dinner at a wonderful lakeside venue. She is an inspiration to all of us! We even Conversations from the day picked up again had a special presentation from Sherry in this more casual setting and colleagues Becker who gave Anita her rock hammer to shared stories from their respective trips. replace Eric’s hammer which was lost this past winter! (She uses the rock hammer On Wednesday, participants were split into to chip away at the ice on the front porch). two groups. In the morning, one group Fortunately Sherry made it through airport focused on poster presentations while the security with her hammer. other group focused on the amazing Core Workshop that was put together under the At the end of the meeting, the technical leadership of Laura Zahm. The groups then committee solicited papers from the switched around for the afternoon. The participants for a Special Publication that poster presentations were from the technical is expected to follow. If anyone would like sessions that included: Microporosity to participate, please contact Don McNeill in Conventional and Unconventional at [email protected]. The next Carbonate Reservoirs and Visualization, Mountjoy conference will be held in 2021 Quantification and Modeling of Carbonate with CSPG taking the lead for organization. Pore Systems and their Fluid Flow Behavior. If you are interested in helping out with this The Core Workshop featured eight (8) cores event please contact Lis Bjeld at lis.bjeld@ ranging from the Upper Cambrian to the cspg.org to volunteer. Look for details in late Cretaceous and from far-flung locations the coming few years for the next Mountjoy in the world (Kazakhstan and Canada) to meeting – see you there! several from various places in Texas. Kudos to all the core presenters who went through their presentations 8 times in the morning and again 8 times in the afternoon! Their voices certainly needed a break at the end of the day.

The oral and poster technical sessions resumed Thursday with presentations on microporosity, a theme that seems to be increasingly more important from the industry perspective. Several presentations focused on ways to characterize and document microporosity as well as case studies on the importance and impact of microporosity on production. The afternoon concluded with talks that focused on modeling porosity, whether that was modeling the evolution of permeability in carbonates or the 3D pore network or understanding the impact of pore heterogeneity on the reservoir modeling. The end of the day concluded with the final poster session and informal farewells

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 35 SOCIETY NEWS

GEOWOMEN OF CALGARY PARTNERS WITH THE CSPG

Facing one of its worst crises in a presented talks and discussions that include invited to join the GeoWomen of Calgary generation, the oil industry is trying to soft skills topics such as employment LinkedIn Group for updates on future open up - to women. As the oil industry's terminations, maternity & parental leaves, events. gloss is fading further with a collapse of work/life balance, resume writing, job search oil prices to the lowest levels in more than guidance, career navigation, leveraging Join us on October 5 2017 at 11:30am for a a decade, executives realize something diversity, successful negotiations, and presentation on Building Your Financial needs to change to widen the talent pool. different work arrangements for women. Strength with Vanessa Stockbrugger, Dimitry Zhdannikov – Davos, Founder of Womencents (www. Switzerland, January 20 2016 The number of women geoscientists in womencents.ca). companies drops as their careers progress. In February 2017, the CSPG Board Women are not as likely to progress into GeoWomen would like to acknowledge Dr. unanimously passed a motion to designate technically higher levels, management, or Francis Hein, PhD, P. Geo., recipient of the GeoWomen as a committee of the CSPG. the board of directors in any size company. 2017 Canadian Professional Geoscientist Founded in 2014 by professional geologists, We gather to share knowledge and strategies Award from Geoscientists Canada. The Jocelyn Keith-Asante, Mandy Williams and to change this. While our audience is award is given to a person to “recognize Robynn Dicks, GeoWomen’s objective is to predominantly women, anyone is welcome exceptional contribution to the development advance women working in the geoscience to attend. It is by developing a strong and practice of professional geoscience and professions in Calgary. GeoWomen is a knowledge base as well as educating allies who has advanced public recognition of the Member Program of the AWSN (Alberta that our vision will be realized. profession in Canada in his/her capacity as a Women’s Science Network) – a non-profit registered professional geoscientist. umbrella organization supporting STEM When women succeed in an industry the programs in Alberta that foster diversity and industry succeeds. On average, companies The citation for the 2017 award, which will inclusion. with the highest percentages of women be presented at an APEGA event at a later board directors outperformed those with date, reads as follows: “for tireless service GeoWomen is a networking group that aims the least by 53% for Return on Equity, 42% toward public understanding of geoscience to support women in geoscience in Calgary for Return on Sales and 66% for Return on and scientific influence on regulation progress from new graduate to retiring at the Invested Capital. (Catalyst.org) of hydrocarbon resource development, top of their game. Anyone in the geoscience through her teaching, research, and and energy community in Calgary is GeoWomen’s website and LinkedIn Group publications”. Congratulations Dr. Hein for welcome. are administered by Yulini Arediningsih. being an excellent role model for girls and Events will be advertised through the CSPG women who want to have a consequential Since our inception, we have organized and website and geowomen.org. You are also career in geoscience.

36 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 SOCIETY NEWS

Join GeoWomen of gary Cal for a noon-­‐hour event with: Vanessa Stockbrugger – Founder of Womencents

Building Your Financial Strength -­‐ Building your financial awareness, knowledge and confidence -­‐ Tips for improving your overall financial health and the positive impacts this can have on your life today and compounded into the future -­‐ Decreasing your financial risk against future life challenges

Thursday October 5 2017

GeoLogic Classroom, +15 level, Aquitaine Tower 540 – 5 Avenue SW

11:30AM Networking 12:00 Presentation Vanessa by Stockbrugger

Free Event – No registration required Women and men are invited to attend

Bring your lunch and your questions

For more information on GeoWomen of Calgary, please visit www.geowomen.org GeoWomen of Calgary is a GeoCommunity CSPG of the www.cspg.org GeoWomen of Calgary a is member AWSN of www.awsn.org

If you would like updates on future events, please join our GeoWomen LinkedIn Group

Vanessa Stockbrugger is the Founder of Womencents. Both her education and career have been focused in the field of Finance. Vanessa holds a Business Administration Degree with Great Distinction, majoring in Finance. Vanessa spent a decade of her career as an Investment Banker at a major Canadian Bank. As a Vice President and Director, she was or responsible f helping her clients make important strategic and financial decisions to add value and meet their financial goals.

Vanessa has a keen interest in personal finance, always looking to expand her knowledge and loves to help others goals. realize their financial Through a rewarding career, her education and personal life experiences, she has developed a unique expertise in personal finance and on women gaining financial security and independence. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Calgary, Alberta.

Womencents provides independent, unbiased information and does not sell financial products

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 37 GO TAKE A HIKE

GO TAKE A HIKE Ngebol Mud Volcano, Sarawak, Malaysia. By Philip Benham, Sarawak Shell Berhad Trailhead: About 46 km west of Miri is the Bekenu Junction between Route 1 (AH150) and Route 4109. 2km south of the junction on Route 4109 towards Loagan Bunut National Park is the access point to the mud volcano. The site is on Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad (SOPB) property and permission should be obtained before accessing.

Distance:. The walk is about ~1km with no elevation gain. Though the distance is short, water and sun protection are strongly suggested. The location is marked with a yellow dot. The “caldera” of the volcano can be treacherous with bottom-less pits of fluid mud being immediately adjacent to 200m and virtually indistinguishable from more solid crusts. Take care! Copyright 2010 Google Mud volcanoes are common feature in North West Borneo, particularly in offshore Sabah where the pock mark the seafloor above oil and gas accumulations. They form where hydrocarbons generated from a deep source rise and vent to the surface as a sort of pressure relief valve. Most mud volcanoes have two elements in common; firstly, the presence of over-pressured and mobile clays at depth and secondly a compressive tectonic setting (Cullen, 2012). Compression results in a fold, fault or a diapir that concentrates the migrating hydrocarbons as they flow up past an imperfect seal. The constant movement of the gas and oil mixes the soft sediment near the surface creating a slurry that flows out of the vents, creating small flattened cones (mud volcanoes). Through much of their life they grow slowly due to constant seepage or bubbling but sometimes large slugs of gas can create “eruptions.’ A good example of this is Pulau Tiga (also known as Survivor Island as the site of the first season of the iconic reality series). Pulau Tiga formed on September 21st, 1897 when an earthquake centred on Mindanao, Philippines first triggered an upwelling of sediments and gas to form an island about 20m across. Over ensuing decades more eruptive events formed several other islands which have subsequently joined together to form the current Pulau Tiga. The last eruption there was in 1941 and the volcanoes have settled down to a steady seep. Now tourists can go bathe in the therapeutic mud pools.

One of the more accessible mud volcanoes in Borneo is Ngebol, located a short walk within the oil palm plantation belonging to SOPD. Within it are variably active gas seeps which churn and liquefy the muds. Local people call the place "Ngebol", meaning "seepage". The area was of import to hunters because the permanent water source and available salts and minerals attracted birds and other wildlife to the site. The larger area is called "Setap", a name that has been used by geologists to characterize the mudstone dominated formation outcropping in the area.

Ngebol mud volcano consists of a roughly circular, low relief caldera, perhaps 100m across. The caldera consists of three components: 1) a dry moderately solid crust with no active seeps, 2) a semi-solid zone, spongy to the step with numerous vents, and 3) an area where the gas seepage is sufficiently active over a wide area to liquefy the fine grained sediment. PA The extruded mud is cool, but the fluids are very saline (with high Cl, Na, K, Ca and Mg content), so that as long as the volcano is active very little vegetation will grow on it (Ting & Poulson, 2009). While the active muds hinder normal jungle plants, other organisms thrive. The standing pools of watery mud have microbial mats of bacteria and algae growing on their rims and floating freely as rafts. These mats often take up a bubbly appearance as they trap the rising gas. The primary gas escaping the volcano is methane. In some cases the rate of seepage is such that it can be temporarily lit on fire. The oily sheen glinting in the sunlight is also evidence of the seeping hydrocarbons that the bacteria feed upon. The entire caldera is quite dynamic; even though it doesn’t change size or shape, seasonal rains do result in an expansion of the watery area and an increase in mud volcano activity within the caldera. In drier weather mud volcano activity diminishes and many of the vents become inactive. If there is sufficiently dense sediment being carried up the vent then successive degassing cycles build up a shallow cone with radiating flows from the vent. The volcanoes generally reach a maximum height of approximately 50 cm and diameter of 2m before switching to a new vent at lower elevations. If the mud is not viscous enough to solidify at the vent, it flows or washes away it leaves just a vent with no build up. In dry season, as water level drops, sculpted vents becomes visible.

38 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 GO TAKE A HIKE

Figure above: Cartoon showing the evolution of a mud volcano, from sometimes explosive origins when the “cork” pops to later stage prolonged seepage (Mazzin, 2009). Figure below: Map below from Cullen (2012): showing the position of the West Baram Line (or WBL) and the slight offset of the Tinjar Line onshore. The yellow dot shows the location of the Ngebol mud volcano, the blue star is the location of Miri. The dashed lined running SW to NE is the present day shoreline. Bottom Left: a spatter cone from an active vent with more viscous mud. Compare to the bottom right with a nearby cone that has a more fluid mud and a low relief shield volcano has built up.

Why is Ngebol mud volcano located here? The West Baram Line (and its onshore cousin the Tinjar Line, which runs just east of this location), form the boundary between the Luconia carbonate platform in Sarawak (west) and the Baram Delta (east). The WBL is more of a zone of fault blocks that drop away towards the deeper basin in Brunei and Sabah over a width of about 50 km. The nature of the WBL is subject of much debate but appears to consist of faults with both strike slip, extensional and compressional components. Some of the structural deformation extends west into the area of the Ngebol mud volcano, resulting in an anticlinal fold which was the focus of exploration by Shell in the 1950’s. The last, well Bulak Setap #3 was drilled to a depth of 11600 feet encountered primarily shale with a few thin streaks of sand. Its surface casing can be observed a few hundred metres from the mud volcano. Uplift and movement along the West Baram Line appears to have continued into the Plio-Pleistocene (Kessler and Jong, 2015) but it is uncertain how long the series of mud volcanoes reported along it (Cullen 2012) have been active.

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 39 GO TAKE A HIKE

Image Top Left: View of Ngebol mud volcano with the active pool and a small volcano in the foreground erupting through the dry crust within the caldera. The salts and active nature of the volcano keep the vegetation at bay. Top Right and Above right: view into inactive vents during dry period. Note the sculpting. Above: Bubbles of methane venting from an active zone in the Ngebol mud volcano. The constant churning of sediment results in very fine clay particles. The use of medicinal clays and mud baths dates back at least to 2500 BC in Mesopotamia. Today some clays are considered to have antibiotic effect and be useful in treating skin ailments. Bottom Right: Mud volcanoes are considered to have healthy properties and some (such as the example below at Pulau Tiga) are developed as tourist attractions. Ngebol Volcano, however, is a bottomless pit beyond the dry crust… do not attempt to bathe here! Image source: http://www.exodusborneo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/pulau-tiga-mud-volcano.jpg. Bottom Left: Elephants seeking mud ( a high SPF sunblock!) and salts at the Lipad mud volcano in the Tabin Reserve, Sabah. Image source: (http://www.whoaadventures.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gallery/gallery/2012/09/Elephants%20in%20the%20Mud%20Volcano%203 .jpg

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Image Top Left: Methane bubbles trapped in a mat of bacteria and algae on the rim of a pool. Main image above; broad, low relief mud volcano. The orange and green patches in the top right of the picture show areas where bacteria (orange) and algae preferentially grow. Above Left: floating bacterial-algal raft in a mud pool. Above right: colour variations around a small vent, showing subtle variations in conditions such as salinity, moisture content or perhaps increased methane seepage at the vent are influencing the growth of the microscopic ecosystem of bacteria and algae.

References: • Cullen, A., 2012. Nature and Significance of the West Baram Line, NW Borneo. Search and Discovery Article #30252 (2012). Adapted from extended abstract prepared in conjunction with oral presentation at AAPG International Convention and Exhibition, Singapore, 16-19 September • Jong, J, Frank Kessler, Steve Noon and Tran Quoc Tan, 2016. Structural Development, Deposition Model and Petroleum System of Paleogene Carbonate of the Engkabang-Karap Anticline, Onshore Sarawak. Berita Sedimentologi, January 2016 , Pages 4-24. • Kessler, F.L. and Jong, J., 2015. Tertiary Uplift and the Miocene Evolution of the NW Borneo Shelf Margin. Berita Sedimentologi, 33, p. 21-46. • Kessler, F.L., Jong, J., Tran, Q.T. & Kusaka, H., 2011. The Karap Mud Volcano imaged on new 2D seismic –implications for basin analysis. PGCE presentation abstracts, Warta Geologi, 37, p.57-58.Berita Sedimentologi Number 34 – January 2016 • Mazzin. A, 2009. Mud Volcanism: Processes and Implications. In Marine and Petroleum Geology 26 (2009) 1677-1680. • Ting TM & Poulsen AD, 2009. Understory Vegetation at Two Mud Volcanoes in Northeast Borneo. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 21(3): 198–209 (2009)

RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 41 SOCIETY NEWS

2017 CLASSIC GOLF WRAP-UP By: Foon Der

he 56th CSPG Classic Golf of sponsored prizes. The Committee is cognizant of the current Tournament was held on a sunny economics of the industry and thanks TJune day. The morning of the The following sponsors did their part is the players and sponsors for making this tournament started out overcast and making the tournament successful: year’s tournament a success, the players cool with a few drops of liquid sunshine. for their participation and the sponsors The weather improved and was sunny AGAT Labs, Belloy Consulting, Cambria for providing the extras as well as financial and warm by mid-morning resulting in Business, Chinook Consulting, Cordax sponsorship so that the cost of registration a day gorgeous golf weather. Under the Evaluation, Cougar Consulting, geoLOGIC remains affordable. The Committee has current format the tournament can only Systems, Geo-Steering Solutions, Keitech met to review the failures and successes of accommodate 72 players. The tournament Consulting, Little Rock Document, Loring this year’s tournament and look forward was full with a waiting list of both players Tarcore Labs, MJ Systems, Pason Systems, to hosting next year’s tournament on June and sponsors. We urge anyone who plans to PROGEO Consultants, RBC Securities, 21st 2018 at Elbow Springs. While one can participate in the 57th Annual CSPG Classic RigSat Communications, Schlumberger point to shortcomings of the course they Tournament to held on June 21, 2018 to sign Canada, Trimble Engineering, Typhoon have been very cooperative in adapting to up as soon as registration opens in March, Energy Ltd, Weatherford Canada our needs and especially being able to allow 2018 to avoid disappointment. us to take a lunch break. This tournament The tournament has incorporated a is about networking and the lunch break The Paskapoo Flight winners are considered charitable component into the Tournament enable everyone to mingle prior to dinner. the Tournament Champions. For the 56th during the past decade. Since 2012 the See you next year. Annual Tournament the winners of the charity selected by the Committee has been Paskapoo Flight are the team of Mike Bell the CSPG Educational Trust Fund which was and Dave Nordin. Congratulations for repurposed several years ago, as the CSPG playing well. Foundation. The CSPG Classic was able to contribute to the Foundation by holding a The tournament was bolstered by the putting contest. The winner of the putting sponsorship of 20 sponsors ranging from contest this year is Jeff Kris who contributed providing a golf shirt, food and refreshments his $200 prize back to the Foundation. The on the course, breakfast and post-game total raised for the Foundation was $1120, dinner, wine, printing services and a variety thank you to all the players who participated.

Front: Jeorg Wittenberg, Back: Terry Day, Brenda Pearson, Leanne Ewashen Left to right: Julianne Fic, Britany Gilbreath, Jon Horner, Parry Cooper

42 RESERVOIR ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 “This pioneer and explorer in geology, engineering and natural gas technology bequeathed a fundamental knowledge, years ahead of his time and was considered by many a virtual Leonardo da Vinci of the Petroleum Industry. Slipper, our First President, deserved the honour (unbeknownst to him) of our highest award in the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists” Aubrey Kerr

The Stanley Slipper Medal is CSPG’s Highest honour. The gold medal is presented annually for outstanding contributions to oil and gas exploration in Canada. The contributions of the winner of this award should encompass a number of activities related to aspects of petroleum exploration. Such activities include: initiating and/or leading exploration programs, significant discoveries on new or existing exploration trends, teaching and/or training of explorationists, and involvement in and leadership within geological societies and professional organizations.

The committee is currently calling on the CSPG membership to provide additional nominations for this prestigious award. The award winner must be a CSPG member and should be able to attend the awards presentation to be held in the 2016 Stanley Slipper Recipient spring of 2018. Edward (Ted) Bogle

Please include an updated biography and letters in support of your nominee. It is recommended that potential nominations be vetted with the Committee Chair early in the process in order to avoid, if possible, duplicate nominations for the same person.

Nominations should be mailed or emailed before October 16 to:

CSPG Stanley Slipper Committee– Clint Tippett 150, 540 – 5 Ave SW Calgary, AB T2P 0M2 Email: [email protected]

Stanley Slipper Medal October 10-12, 2017 Banff, AB Canada

This year's Gussow Research Conference aims to address the holy grail of petroleum systems research!

We welcome a panel of expert speakers covering the physical principles of petroleum migration, geochemical (biomarker and isotope) tools, laboratory experiments, numerical simulation, and case studies.

5 diverse sessions of world-class lectures and discussion will address petroleum migration from pore to basin scale, reservoir leakage, and entrapment in tight oil plays.

Registration includes OrganizingCommiƩee: i Conference MarƟnFowler,PhD. i Accommodations marƟ[email protected] i 2 breakfast, 3 lunches (Applied Petroleum Technology) i Ice Breaker  i Conference Dinner  MilovanFusƟc,PhD. milovan.fusƟ[email protected] CSPG Members $1085 CAD (Natural Resources Canada)  Non Members $1380 CAD AndyMort,PhD. [email protected] (Natural Resources Canada)

To view the technical program and to register go to www.cspg.org/gussow2017