Annual Report Geology Scott W
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Bureau of Economic Annual Report Geology Scott W. Tinker, Director 2014 Front and inside cover images: Two million boxes filling three giant warehouses across Texas— arguably, the largest collection of archival rock material in the world. Contents 2 Adapting to New Challenges 6 Highlights 20 Awards and Honors 23 Outreach, Events, and Meetings 26 Publications 34 Transitions 36 Finances 37 Visiting Committee A Letter from the Director I am wrapping up my the global academic, government, 15th year as Director of and industrial communities. the 105-year-old Bureau of Economic Geology. As the Bureau continues to bring science, The past decade and engineering, and economics together a half has been both to address some of the world’s major inspiring and fulfilling. I am humbled to be challenges, we face funding tests of part of such a great organization with deep our own. Federal debt continues to geologic roots and rich research traditions. grow and Federal investment in research shrinks accordingly. On the industrial The Bureau has grown substantially in both side, increased supply and decreased size and, I believe, quality. Although there demand for oil in 2014 drove the price are many important components involved from over $100 a barrel to below in building a successful organization, there $60 a barrel in a matter of months, is little doubt that talent sits at the top of causing significant belt tightening in the stack. In this year’s Annual Report, we the private sector and attendant feature a selection of our talented junior reductions in research investment. research staff, who are working on a wide array of important fundamental and applied The Bureau will weather these gales. problems, as well as some of our more As we focus on several new, long- seasoned vets, many of whom have been term research partnerships that bring doing top-level research for 30, 40, and even government, science-funding foundations, 50 years. Three generations under one roof! industry, and academia together to It is this remarkable range of experience, address several critical issues, we expertise, and diversity that makes the know that the years ahead hold Bureau so highly valued and respected by many exciting opportunities. u Visit our website: http://www.beg.utexas.edu/ t u Visit our store: http://begstore.beg.utexas.edu/store/ t 1 Adapting to New Challenges The Next Generation of Bureau Researchers For over 100 years, the Bureau of The novel investigations of these scrambling for the last decade Economic Geology has sustained up-and-coming researchers to close that workforce gap an international reputation for enhance the Bureau’s reputation, and to bring talented younger producing rock-based research allowing it to stay ahead of the professionals into these fields. that matters. Underpinning curve of a rapidly changing that reputation have been research environment. The Bureau of Economic generations of geoscience Geology has been fortunate researchers who have applied In the late 1970’s and early in its endeavor to close this their expertise and innovative 1980’s, the oil and gas industry troubling gap, with its deep base ideas to the earth-science was strong, attracting a large of experienced mentors and a questions of their day. As the number of young people into cadre of gifted new researchers, Bureau embarks on its second the field to study geology, all bringing impressive century, a new generation of petroleum engineering, energy backgrounds with them as they researchers has stepped up finance, and related subjects. spearhead new scientific thrusts to address a different era of Scores of graduates in these in energy and environmental technological and theoretical and similar disciplines readily labs. Space precludes listing all challenges that spring from found work in the industry. But of the laboratories and research the confluence of energy, the the crude-oil price crash of the efforts that are predominantly environment, and the economy. mid-1980’s brought exploration led and staffed by this new efforts to a halt and forced generation of Bureau researchers, oil and gas companies but a few are highlighted here. to pull back. Hiring virtually ceased, and the Drought has been a major academic programs that concern across different regions had produced so many of the United States for several industry employees years, and the Bureau has been were either curtailed or extensively studying both its discontinued altogether. cause and how to measure its A chasm began to open in effects. As part of that effort, the the oil and gas workforce, Soil Characterization Laboratory, with experienced led by Todd Caldwell, is the professionals growing headquarters for the Texas Soil closer to retirement as Observation Network (TxSON). the years passed and TxSON places soil-monitoring few trained individuals stations across the State to moving into the pipeline measure how dry its soils have to replace them. Energy become and uses that data to and environmental calibrate a new NASA satellite organizations of all types, launched in early 2015. With from the oil company the ongoing drought in Texas, majors to academic most rainfall is being absorbed institutions, have been by dry soil and is not running Todd Caldwell generates data for the Texas Soil Observation Network (TxSON). (continued on page 3) 2 off into streams and reservoirs, or recharging aquifers, so TxSON data will be increasingly important to the State’s water- management decision makers going forward. Rocks are the foundation for most Bureau research, and a great number of up-and-coming researchers devote considerable effort to harvesting data from the organization’s Core Research Centers. This next generation of From left: Athma Bhandari, Peter Flaig, Iulia Olariu, Chris Zahm, Xavier Janson, and Gregory Frébourg. Bureau researchers includes people like Athma Bhandari, Gregory Frébourg, Iulia Olariu, Seasoned Scientists Harry Rowe, Xavier Janson, Peter Flaig, and Chris Zahm, who perform fundamental rock-based The Backbone of the research on subsurface cores. Bureau of Economic Geology The scope of research activities in this area includes everything The Bureau of Economic Geology is proud of its Veteran Bureau Scientists from low-magnification visual younger researchers, but the real backbone of the Top row: organization is its corps of seasoned scientists— Martin P.A. Jackson, description, to X-ray fluorescence the foundational researchers and project leaders Michael H. Young, and X-ray diffraction analysis to whom credit must be given for the Bureau’s Bob A. Hardage, to determine mineralogy and unparalleled reputation for scientific innovation and Bridget R. Scanlon, Sergey B. Fomel, trace-element chemistry, to objectivity. Many of these distinguished individuals Susan D. Hovorka, fracture description and rock- have been with the Bureau for decades, providing Stephen C. Ruppel, strength measurements. These a wide range of current research initiatives, and Robert G. Loucks activities are critical for defin- conveying their breadth of experience and stores Bottom row: of knowledge to scores of emerging scientists ing depositional environments Shirley P. Dutton, and facies, as well as mechanical and students. Lesli J. Wood, Jeffrey G. Paine, stratigraphy, all of which form These veterans of service to the Bureau of Economic Peter B. Flemings, the basis for developing models Geology have weathered the organization’s growth Michael R. Hudec of rock property distribution. and evolution, This research also provides basic always dedicated to its mission, information for calibrating and and have interpreting borehole and 3D tirelessly focused geophysical data. Allied activities on producing include rock sampling for thin research that sections (to refine depositional matters. The environments), stable isotope Bureau’s seasoned chemistry (to aid in correlations scientists have and interpreting diagenesis), created a scanning electron microscopy lasting legacy of achievement (to define pore types and distri- and success. bution and products of diagen- esis), and other procedures such as porosity/permeability analysis. The more knowledge gleaned from the rocks, the more (continued on page 4) 3 Jiemin Lu and Brent Elliott transfer a water sample taken from a high T/P autoclave reactor. successful geoscientists and mining the world over will be in operations interpreting the characteristics more efficient of specific rock formations and successful. and fluid reservoirs. Among the next-generation The Low Temperature researchers Geochemistry Laboratory extensively provides equipment and using this lab for facilities to physically re-create their respective geochemical processes and research interests confirm theoretical models are Brent Elliott, crafted from field observations. Seyyed Hosseini, Modeling analytical data and and Jiemin Lu. integrating field observations help researchers to formulate The Bureau’s theories on Earth’s processes Organic that have occurred in the Geochemistry geologic record and on how Laboratory has rocks, minerals, fluids, and been developed to gases form the way they do. study hydrocarbon The work conducted in this chemistry and lab helps geoscientists to source-rock identify the geochemical and properties. The lab’s isotopic fingerprints for oil and capabilities include gas, and to better understand identification and the processes for mineral quantification of development, thereby paving 18 gas components; oil shales; liquid hydrocarbon the way to make future drilling