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HGS TEXAS REGISTRATION UPDATE

Release Date: 1 March 2002

Source: Houston Geological Society

(Published in the March, 2002 issue of the HGS Bulletin)
by Dave Rensink Apache Corp Houston, Texas
As we first reported last September, geoscientists who “practice for the public” will need a license from the state of Texas by September 1, 2003. The license will be granted by a licensing board. Eight of the nine members of this geosciences licensing board have now been appointed by Governor Perry. These include the six geoscience members and two of the three public members. Over 30 geoscientists from around the state applied for the six geoscience positions. The board members appointed thus far are: Kevin Coleman, engineering geologist/hydrogeologist from Dallas; Ed Miller, engineering geologist/hydrogeologist from San Antonio; Shiela Hall, environmental geologist from Lubbock; Kelly Krenz Doe, environmental geologist from Friendswood; Gordon Ware, environmental geologist from Corpus Christi; Murray Milford, soil scientist from Bryan; Rene Pena, CPA from El Paso; and Kimberly Robinson, attorney from Houston. The final public position was still unfilled at the start of the year.
The immediate task of the board is two-fold: they must establish the rules and regulations that will govern the application of the provisions of the act; and they must establish the administrative functions that will implement the act including the costs. This means hiring a director and staff, acquiring office space and setting up the computer network and web site so that applications can be taken beginning September 1, 2002. The grandfathering period will begin at that time and will close on September 1, 2003. The full text of the act can be found on the legislative web site at www.capitol.state.tx.us and referencing SB 405.

PLANS FOR SPRING, 2002

Release Date: 1 March 2002

Source: Houston Geological Society

Game Day Was a Win for AllOur Game Day was at the Junior League on February 11.
It proved to be another successful event with many participants, including gentlemen. Hostesses, in croupier outfits, were Kathryn Bennett, Mary Jane Berryman, Mildred Davis, Joyce Kubik, Gwinn Lewis, Lois Matuszak, Val Oualline, Geneva Quigley, Norma Roady and Mikki Wunderle.
In addition to about twenty bridge tables, we had a bunco table, two chickenfoot domino tables and even one “Lunch Only” table, for members who wished to enhance their conversational skills. Decorations included posters, balloons, and flowers in a playing card theme. There was a lunch intermission with a delicious buffet, after which we resumed our games until mid-afternoon.
Thanks to my Committee (the hostesses listed above) and to members and guests who participated. We hope to see you all, and more, next year. We wish to extend a special thanks to our President, Millie Tonn, who gave us the privilege of arranging the Game Day this year.
Daisy Wood, Event Chairwoman
Program Year Wraps with Luncheon and Style Show
Be sure to note May 7 on your calendar for the Spring Luncheon. This event is planned for 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Houston Racquet Club. Sara Nan Grubb and her committee are planning a luncheon and style show with fashions by Draper’s and Damon’s. Plan to see friends, get the latest on fashions and support the new officers to be installed for next year.
Bridge Your Way to Fun and New Friends
Two monthly bridge groups are currently running and new members are always welcome. On the Third Wednesday, the Petroleum Club is the venue, with $25.00 covering lunch, tax, gratuity and valet parking. For reservations, call Virginia Herdman at 281-497-3859. The Second Thursday Bridge Group plays at the Junior League. Call Audrey Tompkins for reservations, 713-686-0005.
Susan McKinley, Third Vice-President

2001 MEMBER REMEMBRANCES

Release Date: 1 January 2002

Source: HGS Bulletin

2001 Member Remembrances

Aitken, F. Kenneth
April 19, 2001

Albers, Charles Clarence
September 21, 2001

Brown, Charles F. Brown
July 9, 2001

Childers, Almer Floyd
May 11, 2001

Collins, Jerry Hicks
December 18, 2001

Cox, Kenneth J.
June 21, 2001

Critz, James S. "Jimmy"
January 22, 2001

Ebbert, Richard J.
November 18, 2001

Engel, Albert David
July 19, 2001

George, Jesse L. Jr.
July 24, 2001

Haas, Merrill W.
April 21, 2001

McKelvey, Willam Harold "Mac"
September 13, 2001

Payne, Bill R.
August 10, 2001

Penttila, William C.
February 3, 2001

Roberts, James Wayland
October 1, 2001

Scattolini, Richard
April 27, 2001

Siclen, DeWitt Clinton
September 25, 2001

Spindle, Fred Dean
November 21, 2001

F. Kenneth Aitken died April 19, 2001, at the age of 58. Ken received a BS in Geology from Loyola of Montreal in 1963 and a PhD in Mineralogy & Petrology from Penn State in 1970. His career included a stint as a "moon rock" specialist with NASA and service with three major oil companies. Ken was an active member of the AAPG and HGS, having been honored in 1999 with the HGS Distinguished Service Award. A donation will be made to the American Heart Association.

Charles Clarence Albers died September 21, 2001 at the age of 76. He graduated in 1948 with a BS in Geology from The University of Texas. Clarence worked for Amoco for 38 years as a micropaleontologist. He was an Emeritus member of the HGS and active in the Gulf Coast Section of the SEPM. Because of Clarence's commitment to Christian camping and outdoor retreats, a donation in his memory will be made to Cross Wise Ministries of La Grange.

Charles F. Brown, 68, died July 9, 2001. After serving in the US Air Force during the Korean War, Charles graduated from LSU with a BS in petroleum engineering. He was an active member of the Houston Geological Society and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. A donation will be made to the HGS Undergraduate Scholarship Fund.

Almer Floyd "Chili" Childers , 91, of Georgetown, died May 11, 2001. He was a 1934 graduate of the University of Houston with a BS in Geology. Chili began his geology career in 1928 with Gulf Oil and retired in 1984 after seventeen years with Mitchell Energy. He was a long time member of the AAPG and an Honorary Member and past-President (1948-49) of the HGS. A memorial donation will be made to Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown.

Jerry Hicks Collins died December 18, 2001, at the age of 73. Jerry graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1954 with a BS in Geology. He was employed as a Geophysicist with Sinclair, Mobil, Monsanto, Burmah, Aminoil, and Pennzoil where he retired as District Geophysicist in 1986. Jerry was an Active Member of the HGS and an Emeritus Member of the GSH. A memorial donation will be made to the Friends of the Trinity County Museum in Groveton.

Kenneth J. Cox died June 21, 2001, at the age of 78. Ken served for 4 1/2 years in the U.S. Navy, including 2 1/2 years on the USS Saratoga in the South Pacific. He later earned a BS degree in geology from Texas Christian University and worked for over 30 years in the oil and gas industry. Ken was an emeritus member of the HGS and the AAPG. A donation will be made to the Shriners Hospital for children.

James S. "Jimmy" Critz died January 22, 2001, at the age of 82. He was a 1940 graduate of Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. Following graduation he served for five years in the US Army. Jimmy retired from Superior Oil Company in 1977 after 25 years and from a private consulting practice in 1990. He was an Active member of the HGS. A memorial contribution will be made to the Texas Wendish Heritage Society in Giddings.

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE

Release Date: 21 September 2001

Source: Houston Geological Society

A worldwide debate is occurring on the topic of climate change; commonly referred to as “global warming”. This debate seems to focus on three questions: Is “global warming” really happening? If so, is human activity a cause? Finally what can be done about it? A quick review of articles in the popular press might lead one to the conclusion the debate has already finished. There are profound implications to the outcome of this debate. Political and economic impacts arising from this debate will effect all our lives and do so significantly.
My musings and my reason for writing this article arise from a concern. I perceive this debate is occurring outside the context of basic knowledge about the Earth’s history!
The concepts that the earth’s climate changes and that sea level rises and falls, often seem new to nongeoscientists that I have talked to. The general public believes, I’m afraid, that rising sea level, as a possible future event, is a newly identified phenomenon revealed by Newsweek, Time and CNN! In contrast, for geoscientists these concepts are commonly accepted knowledge, indeed, basic in the day-to-day work of correlating strata, well logs and seismic reflections using the principles of sequence stratigraphy, paleontology, biostratigraphy and paleoecology.
As a geologist, I am often surprised at the response when I mention the most basic concepts of earth history to non-geoscientists. Carl Sagan coined a term, “demons in the darkness”, in which he referred to the power of myth, pseudo-science and ignorance in our culture. A survey, cited by AAPG President Marlan Downey, in his address at the opening ceremony of the 2001 Denver AAPG Convention revealed that most Americans would rather attend a lecture on astrology than one on astronomy. I submit that debating “global warming” outside the framework of basic historical geologic knowledge is akin to allowing the “demon” of ignorance into the public policy arena, perhaps unintentionally, but hazardous for correct conclusions. I feel strongly that we as geoscientists have to get more involved in discussions with our own acquaintances outside our profession about the global warming debate. We owe it to our society to find ways to express the range of Earth’s climate variations throughout geologic time in ways our non-geoscience friends can understand, in order to give them perspective on the debate. Such discussions can take place anywhere, at the soccer field, the golf course or the cocktail party. I would like to share one of my most effective anecdotes for discussion of “global warming” here, hopefully to encourage you to help in the crusade to inject some basic earth history information into people’s perspective as the debate goes on. I hope you agree! My anecdote involves a lesson I draw from geologic observations in two of the most spectacular places on earth, the Grand Teton mountain range of western Wyoming and southern Greenland. Places which have dramatic scenery and obvious differences, or, are they really so different?
I have been a student of the Grand Teton mountain range ( Figure 1 ), south of Yellowstone National Park in western Wyoming, since my first visit during undergraduate years in college. One’s appreciation of the Tetons increases with understanding of the natural processes, which have created its imposing beauty. The key geologic process, which has sculpted these granite peaks, is, erosion by glaciers! In fact, the Teton range is a world-class example of alpine glaciation, slow moving “rivers” of ice formed at high altitude, which flow slowly down slope with such enormous force they cut and shape solid rock. The remnants of the Teton glaciers still exist at high altitude. They can be visited, touched, and used as a water supply for hikers and climbers. When did sufficient ice exist in Wyoming to cause this amazing landscape to form? Geologic evidence, including dating of shells buried in the glacial outwash, indicates massive glacial activity peaked 25,000 years ago and ended only about 12,000 years ago, yesterday in geologic time! In fact, classic geologic studies tell us the Pleistocene epoch, about the last two million years, was a time of repeating cycles of glacier formation, with advance and retreat leaving ridges of gravel, sand and silt at the foot of each canyon which trap spring water to form the beautiful lakes, such as Jenny Lake, at the foot of each canyon. There is evidence that ice existed on the valley floor of Jackson Hole as recently as 9,000 years ago.
Now I turn the conversation to a place where large active continental glaciers can be seen today, southern Greenland. Here actively flowing glaciers move to the sea, eroding the bedrock. The mountains of Greenland protrude through the ice sheets, often looking like islands caught between rivers of ice ( Figure 2 ). The canyons being formed today in Greenland would look like the exposed valleys in the Grand Teton range if they were ever exposed. The point of all this is to illustrate, I hope clearly and dramatically, that only a few thousand years ago, Wyoming looked like Greenland does today. What caused the Wyoming ice sheets to melt? Certainly not CO2 from fossil fuels, unless the mammoths were driving cars!
Anthropologists study the impact of climate cycles on the migration of Paleo-Indian people across the Aleutian land bridge. This bridge was formed as sea level dropped because so much water was being converted to massive glacial ice sheets. Fascinating accounts of this are detailed in National Geographic articles such as the October 1998 issue’s “The Peopling of the Earth”.
In fact, today’s geoscientists, in both the academic and industrial worlds use a standardized reference scale of worldwide sea-level rise and fall, with sea level changing hundreds of feet periodically over the last few million years. This calibrated cyclic change in global sea level resulted as the volume of glacial ice varied. As the climate cooled, more ice formed and less water remained in the oceans, as warm weather melted ice, more water moved to the oceans causing a rise in sea level. The cyclical changes in sea level have occurred repeatedly over the last million years and are a one of the key processes in sequence stratigraphic models, which are employed by geologists in many applications, notably petroleum exploration.
My point?
It has been occurring in carefully documented cycles for tens of millions of years. Today, we are about 25,000 years into a warming cycle, which by all past evidence will be followed by cooling. Yes, strange as it seems, our beloved national parks could again be the sites of thousands of feet of ice like they were only yesterday in geologic time! The beautiful scenery of the present day mountains of Wyoming resulted from the past action of glaciers. The same processes, which are the key to understanding Wyoming’s past, are happening today in Greenland, a beautiful example of the 19th century insights of pioneering geologists.
So, is there a global climate change? YES
Is this period we live in, a warming period? YES
What causes these dramatic cycles?Many causes are possible including cycles of solar energy output, changing climate as continents change position and atmospheric and oceanic circulation changes. We’re not sure but scientific research continues.
Could human activity, such as a carbon dioxide release from fossil fuel burning be the cause?Possible, but the industrial revolution began only 150 years ago! Human activity cannot explain everything. Tens of thousands of years in the final cycle of the current warming phase are unexplained if burning fossil fuel is the cause.
Is the concept of sea level rise or global warming a brand new phenomenon never before experienced on ou

HGS TEXAS REGISTRATION UPDATE

Release Date: 1 September 2001

Source: Houston Geological Society

Now that geoscience licensing is the law in Texas, how does this affect me and what do I do about it? If you are a petroleum geologist, the law has little impact on you. You are exempt if your work is done “in and for the benefit of private industry”. As a petroleum geologist, you would need a license if you have a contract to do a resource assessment or a similar project with a governmental agency. A petroleum geologist who is active in expert testimony is exempt from licensing under the law. You do not need a license to testify in a court of law or before any tribunal, but it may be beneficial as an easy way to establish credibility. You also do not need a license if you teach geoscience or are engaged in research in the geosciences. The same exemption that applies to a petroleum geologist also applies to a mining geologist. In addition, you are exempt if you work for the federal government, do not engage in the public practice of geoscience, do geoscience type work for archaeological purposes, or are certified by the TNRCC as a sewage disposal system installer.
So who does need a license? You need a license if you “practice for the public”. This “means providing professional geoscience services: (i) for a governmental entity in this state; (ii) to comply with a rule established by this state or a political subdivision of this state; or (iii) for the public or a firm or corporation in this state if the practitioner assumes the ultimate liability for the work product...”. In fact, you need a license only if you are in responsible charge of the work. If you are working under the direction of another geoscientist, you do not need a license, but that individual does need a license. If you work for a corporation, that provides geoscience services to the public, only one principal of the company needs to be licensed, but that person must be in responsible charge of the projects.
To be eligible for a license, the applicant must be of good moral and ethical character, have graduated in a discipline of geoscience satisfactory to the board that includes at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in geoscience, of which at least 20 semester hours or 30 quarter hours must be in upper level courses, and have at least five years of qualifying work experience. The board may accept other educational qualifications and may accept qualifying work experience in lieu of the educational requirements. This means if you have a degree in math or physics and have been practicing as a geoscientist, the board could accept that in lieu of a degree in geoscience. On a two-thirds vote of the entire board, it can waive any of the requirements for a license, except for the payment of the required fees.
The immediate timetable requires the governor to appoint a board of nine members (six geoscientists and three public members) by November 1, 2001. The new board must hold its first meeting by January 1, 2002, and the board must adopt the rules that will provide for the administration of the Act by September 1, 2002. Thus applications for a license will probably not be available until September 1, 2002. A license is not required until September 1, 2003. A person who has been engaged in the public practice of geoscience and has applied for a license prior to September 1, 2003, may continue to practice while the board considers that application. The year between September 1, 2002, and September 1, 2003 is the grandfathering period. During this period, anyone who meets the requirements may be granted a license without the need to pass an examination. Anyone who applies for a license after September 1, 2003, must pass an exam.
“How much is this going to cost?” At this point, no one knows, but it should be comparable to other professional licenses in Texas. The board will set the fee at a level that will cover the cost to administer the Act; therefore it is a function of the annual cost and the number of license holders. The board cannot run at a financial deficit.
A license holder will be called a “Licensed Professional Geoscientist”, but the license and seal will bear the discipline of the license holder. However, the Act does not prevent the cross discipline practice of geoscience. A license holder will be expected to adhere to a code of ethics, which will be established by the board. Part of this code of ethics is likely to stipulate that a license holder may practice only in areas of personal professional expertise.
If you are certified by the DPA of AAPG, AIPG, SIPES or a similar organization, you can continue to use that designation without holding a license as long as you do not use it in a manner that would imply that you are licensed by the state of Texas.
The Act does not authorize the practice of engineering or professional surveying by a license holder. It allows an engineer whose practice is both geoscience and engineering to practice under an engineering license without the need to be licensed as a geoscientist.
The board will also establish reciprocity agreements with other states, which have substantially the same licensing requirements as Texas. This will eliminate the need to maintain multiple state licenses.
The Act contains a long list of reasons why the board may deny the issuance or renewal of a license, and the grounds for disciplinary action. These reasons include fraud, deceit, incompetence, misconduct, gross negligence, conviction of a felony, practicing geoscience before the public without a license, using the seal of another license holder, or allowing another person to use your seal. A full list and the appellate procedures are included in the Act.
You can obtain a copy of the Act from the Texas legislative Web site ( www.capitol.state.tx.gov ) by referencing SB 405 of the 77th Legislature.

HGS GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

Release Date: 1 February 2001

Source: Houston Geological Society

Legislation affecting the geoscience professions has been minimal this year owing to the presidential elections. The campaigns are now over, and as this report is being written (mid-December), it appears that George W. Bush has been elected President of the United States. This change of administration affords the country with an excellent opportunity to establish a coherent, realistic and workable “National Energy Policy.” Prior to this time, the federal government has largely relied upon wishful thinking and military force as a substitute for energy policy. Although no policy can hope to deal with every energy-related contingency, a well crafted plan can at least deal with the more serious issues of supply disruptions, access to federal lands (both onshore and offshore), and the creation of tax policies that will encourage domestic exploration and production.
A number of policies have been put forward for discussion and most contain similar elements. The following is a summary of the more common ones.
Access to Federal Lands
The prevention of access to certain public lands has stymied oil and gas exploration in areas with enormous potential for domestic oil and gas reserves. Two prime examples are the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the outer continental shelves of the East Coast, West Coast, and the Florida Gulf Coast. Much has been debated about ANWR and the possible environmental problems that could arise from oil and gas exploration and production. The Refuge covers 19 million acres, but industry focus is only on the 1.5 million acres (8%) along the coastal plain. The petroleum industry has an excellent record for environmental safety to the west at the Prudhoe Bay field and in the National Petroleum Reserve. Modern drilling and production practices have dramatically reduced the size of the pad from which multiple wells are drilled, and more improvements will no doubt be made for activities conducted in ANWR.
With regard to offshore drilling, our industry has an excellent environmental record for activities conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. If the current moratorium on drilling along the outer continental shelf of the East Coast is lifted, industry experience indicates that environmental risk would be held to an absolute minimum. Our industry simply cannot afford any costly environmental mishaps, from either a monetary or a public relations standpoint.
Expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an invaluable source of emergency petroleum for the United States. Withdrawals of oil from these stockpiles can provide for substitute supplies during times of disruptions. Over the long term, the Reserve should be expanded and filled during times of low oil prices. Ideally, domestic producers could sell their oil to the Reserve for a “fair” price during these times. This in turn could help to stabilize our domestic industry and fill and expand the Reserve at the same time. It has been reported that the last major filling of the Reserve was with relatively high fixed-price Mexican crude oil, at a time when oil prices were near historic lows, and many domestic oil companies were struggling to stay in business.
Tax Policies
The United States tax code could be changed to encourage more domestic exploration and production. The current tax code contains disincentives rather than incentives. Some of the items that should be considered for change are the Alternative Minimum Tax, tax treatment of delay rentals, accounting classification of costs associated with geological and geophysical evaluations, and percentage depletion allowances. In addition, tax credits and royalty holidays should be considered for new domestic exploration and production.
Greater Funding for Research and Development into Alternative Energy Sources Currently, alternative energy sources, such as hydroelectric, wind and solar, account for less than 4% of our energy needs. In anticipation of dwindling supplies of hydrocarbon fuels in the future, greater funding for research and development of alternative energy sources should be encouraged.
Streamline Environmental and Regulatory Restrictions to Construction of Modern Refineries and Pipelines Too often, vital natural gas pipeline projects are put on hold or stopped altogether by radical environmental groups and over-zealous government agencies. These pipelines are necessary to our national well being and energy needs, and the government should act to streamline the processes and cut short the time required for obtaining necessary permits and environmental clearance for these projects. Much of the same can be said for the construction of refineries. No large refineries have been built in the United States in many years, and much of the recent shortfall in gasoline and heating oil supplies can be attributed to a lack of refining capacity nationwide. We now find ourselves importing gasoline and fuel oils to make up for these capacity shortfalls. Increasing our dependence on foreign sources for our basic fuel needs undermines our national security, and steps should be taken to reverse this situation.
Develop an Efficient Policy for Putting the Information and Analyses from the U.S.G.S. and the Department of Energy to the Best Use
The general public is ignorant of the petroleum industry, and if a national energy policy is to succeed, it must be educated and informed about the basic energy requirements of our modern industrial society. The U.S.G.S. and the Department of Energy have amassed volumes of information concerning energy topics, and an effective methodology should be devised to easily transfer this information to the public. This is a task that public schools, local governments, and the general media could undertake, along with the assistance of petroleum professionals able to donate their time and knowledge.
These are the more common topics usually addressed in the ongoing debates for a national energy policy. In the coming year, petroleum professionals should take the time to communicate their concerns and positions on the various aspects of energy policies as they are being formulated. Contacting and working with your local and national geological/geophysical societies is an ideal way to have your opinions heard.
Your suggestions and comments are most welcome by the Government Affairs Committee. I can be reached at the following email: rvmil@hotmail.com . Additional information can be found in the AAPG’s policy statements available at www.aapg.org/divisions/dpa .

REGULAR OR DECAF?

Release Date: 1 February 2001

Source: Houston Geological Society

They gather each morning all across America. In small town cafes in rural districts of Kansas, cozy corner trendy shops in New York City, small diners along major highways, and even kitchens of major corporation offices. They are the outgrowth of an earlier era where small groups of folks once came together around the old pot bellied stoves to begin the new day. The order of business there might begin with a discussion of the current political situation, a lively Monday morning quarterback debate or simply a particular view of the local town gossip. They are simply called coffee groups, and the meetings are as important as any other event of the day . They often become so habitual that an absence of a particular member of the group becomes a somber event, and the others speculate that something terrible must have happened to the missing regular.
While as a geologist working in many rural areas in the oil fields, and after arm wrestling 5 or 6 posted barbed wire gates to get back to the nearest settlement for a bit of breakfast, I have often walked in to one of these gatherings in what is usually the only open place in town. Many times I have felt a sensation that was similar to that felt by the lone cowpoke who just rode into Dodge and pushed the swinging doors of the town saloon open to be confronted with staring inquisitive faces and the abrupt stopping of music from a honky tonk piano. The very minute I walk in, the lively conversation of these groups suddenly comes to a halt, and all heads turn towards the unfamiliar person entering. You can just hear their thoughts.”Who is this stranger, what is he doing here ?…Why…none of us has ever seen him before. What mystery has he brought to our close knitted community?” There are usually one or two nods of the head to serve as a token welcome, which is somewhat reassuring, but after a few minutes, the animated chatter resumes and I am basically ignored. However, to the contrary, on one occasion or two I would be greeted by a big “Howdy”,and one of the locals would start a conversation that would make the Spanish Inquisition seem mild. After telling them that we were drilling wells in the area, they suddenly would get very interested in what I had to say. Having this happen to me a number of times where I would sit wells near these small communities, I became aware of a repetitious pattern of behavior exhibited under these circumstances, and one day decided to turn the tables on a particular coffee group.
As a background, I had been partly raised in a small community near El Paso called Clint, Texas. Now Clint was widely known all over the southwest as the place where folks sent in various sums of money to purchase items advertised on that famous 50000 watt border radio station XELO, Juarez, Chihuahua located in Mexico. But due to postal regulations all correspondence came into the tiny post office in Clint. The standard address given was “Send it in to Clint, Texas..spelled..C_L_I_N_T, Texas.” The town therefore became famous for that address all over the United States. Although it may never be proven, many often joked that they heard that autographed photos of Jesus Christ were for sale over the air there and that they were inscribed with the irreverent phrase..”Good Luck..JC” I never truly believed it but knowing the outlandish stuff that came over the radio station in those years, anything was possible.
Getting back to the main subject at hand, I had known most of the local men in Clint when they were just boys but had not seen most of them in 40 years. I had heard that they had a regular coffee group that met in a small café in town each morning, and that they always attended by rolling dice to determine who was to pay for coffee that day. One of my cousins was a member of the group and, while visiting El Paso one day, I forewarned him that I was going to come to the valley gathering one morning, but to not let on to the others that he knew me. Walking into the tiny coffee shop, I calmly entered the doorway, sat slowly down at a lone table near the group, ordered a cup of coffee, all the while pretending to be just a passing stranger. The silence was deafening, and you could see inquisitive expressions cross the face of the men who were now grown and the pillars of that small local community.They soon started mumbling among themselves and after a few minutes, I saw one of the group whisper to my cousin. He rose from his seat and cautiously walked over to where I was sitting and scratching his head said...”Say..didn’t you used to be old so and so?”I broke out with a big laugh, barely able to contain my self-further, saying“I still am that old so and so and I just wanted to see what would happen if I strolled in here after 40 years to see if you guys recognized me.” The jig was then up and after a full round of overdue handshakes and long time-no see type banter, I was informed that I should have to pay for all the coffee for pulling that stunt..
In some places today, however coffee groups seem more sophisticated . Patrons are now gathering in places like Starbucks which offer a multitude of flavors in upscale shops that seem to be located on just about every corner every city in America. Many are living “La Vida Mocha” paying 2 to 3 dollars for a single cup of what used to cost a mere nickel. (For years , the Petroleum Club in Lafayette, Louisiana would only charge five cents for a cup, well into the 1980’s.) Now Capucinno and Expresso has suddenly crept into the lifestyles of some that prefer a European touch. We have come a long way from when cowboys simply put some coffee grounds in the bottom of an old Folgers or Maxwell House can, and boiled them with water over a campfire.
Today, a lot of the out of the way spots across the rural areas of America still retain that touch of a home away from home. The preferred places for many naturally are those that offer a free refill and have that old time atmosphere. It may be a little corner spot, or that old bricked building on the courthouse square that still serves a basic cup of Juan Valdez’ finest. Wherever it is, it remains a place where many tales are told and friendships are solidly maintained. It’s a must every morning, before heading out for a day’s work, to flock together over that hot, dark brew with ones friends. The traditional bunch of pals that simply and affectionately ask each other day after day …”Are ya gonna be at coffee in the mornin’?

GEOLOGICAL SEQUESTRATION OF GREENHOUSE GASES:OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDUSTRY ACADEME RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

Release Date: 2 January 2001

Source: Houston Geological Society

Abstract
The causes, effects, realities, and projections of global warming are currently highly contested and controversial issues. One of approache under consideration by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the international community that has the potential to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations is injection of CO2 into the subsurface (geologic sequestration). Input from environmental and petroleum geoscientists is needed in order for society to clearly understand the costs and benefits of geologic sequestration.
Geologic targets for CO2 sequestration include brine-bearing formations (those containing nonpotable waters) and mature or abandoned oil and gas reservoirs. Two possible benefits of geologic sequestration include safe storage of large volumes of CO2 over long periods of time using existing technologies and also economic benefits from value-added approaches. Value-added approaches include enhanced oil recovery (EOR) through CO2 flooding as well as injection of CO2 for pressure maintenance, which might allow simultaneous production from oil legs and gas caps. Sequestration risks include (1) leakage of injected CO2 through natural pathways (e.g., faults and fractures) over tens or hundreds of years; (2) pressurization of brine-bearing formations, resulting in leakage of brine into shallow, potable water sources; and (3) leakage through improperly abandoned or cemented well bores that could create asphyxiation hazards.
Research projects to identify constraints on successful geologic sequestration have been undertaken, as have initial studies on the economics of using CO2 from power-plant exhaust streams in EOR. Further research is needed to plan and carry out field-scale pilot projects in both brine-bearing formations and oil and gas reservoirs. Such pilot projects would allow evaluation of engineering, safety, and economic issues.
Introduction
About 85% of U.S. energy comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. On the basis of current economic factors, these fuels are expected to continue to dominate energy sources well into the 21st century. Greenhouse gases, volumetrically dominated by carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released by energy production (electricity generation, transportation, etc.), are an unavoidable byproduct of this process. In response to evidence suggesting a link between CO2 emissions and global warming, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sponsored research into technologies that might reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Why should geologists and oil and gas companies be interested in these activities? Because one of the potential solutions to the CO2 emission problem is to capture CO2 from power-plant and refinery emissions and inject it into the subsurface, thereby "sequestering" the gas. Likely subsurface targets include brine-bearing formations adjacent to or under existing oil and gas reservoirs, brine-bearing formations that regionally underlie fresh-water aquifers, abandoned or mature oil and gas reservoirs (enhanced oil recovery EOR), and unminable coalbeds (enhanced coalbed methane production). Now is the time for interested groups to provide input toward understanding these sequestration methods in order to guide safe practices and to evaluate the potential economic benefits of CO2 sequestration.
Available Funding - The Carbon Sequestration Program, established by the DOE (U.S. Department of Energy, 2000), published anticipated requirements in funding to achieve its goals through 2015. The purpose of this funding is to build scientific understanding of the geologic sequestration process, upon which a national carbon sequestration policy could be built. To reduce the costs and risks, federal agencies (such as DOE) are partnering with industry, academe, foreign countries, and international organizations. The Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, has been involved in past partnering projects that have evaluated controls on geologic sequestration in both brine-bearing formations and abandoned or mature oil and gas reservoirs (through enhanced oil recovery involving CO2 flooding). Future DOE partnerships regarding geologic sequestration will focus increasingly on modeling and design of field-scale pilot projects to demonstrate technologies and evaluate safety issues. Monitoring of air and aquifers around pilot sites is needed, as is investigation of impacts of CO2-associated corrosion on pipelines and well casing and tubing and documentation of economic constraints on successful sequestration/EOR projects.
Current and proposed DOE funding supports partnering opportunities that target a combination of method assessment and public outreach, conceptual research and development, bench-scale prototype development, field-scale pilot testing, and large-scale project operation and monitoring. Funding will increase from about $9 million in 2000 to a maximum of $85 million in 2008, tapering off to $40 million in 2015. This funding will address research, not only in geologic sequestration, but also in CO2 capture and separation technology, terrestrial and oceanic sequestration, advanced concepts, and crosscutting activities.
Sequestering CO2 in the Subsurface
Benefits - Using existing technology, large volumes of CO2 can be injected into the subsurface and effectively isolated from the atmosphere and potable ground water for long (geologic) periods. Between deep brine-bearing formations and depleted oil and gas reservoirs, as much as 1,000 years' worth of CO2 emissions could be safely sequestered in an environment that is likely to remain stable over long periods (hundreds of thousands of years or more). And because of past activities in deep-well injection of waste and oil-field injection of CO2 for EOR purposes, the mechanics and impact of these activities are well understood. Brine-bearing porous and permeable formations are an attractive and economic target for many CO2 sources such as power plants because they underlie many parts of the United States. This allows injection at the site of the emissions, removing the need to construct a pipeline to transport the gas to another location for injection, such as an oil field. Because brine-bearing units are largely unused, subsurface rights to such formations should be available.
Where opportunities for injection into mature or abandoned oil and gas reservoirs exist, economic benefits can be derived from the injection of CO2. Additionally, a study is being undertaken at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories to investigate whether injection of CO2 at the gas-water contact of producing gas reservoirs might effectively maintain reservoir pressure and prevent edge-water influx. Success in this study may raise the question of whether injection at a gas-oil contact might allow simultaneous production of oil and an overlying gas cap while maintaining reservoir energy and preventing edge-water influx. Such a method may allow faster production of hydrocarbons, potentially increasing near-term cash flow and ultimate field economics.
Risks - Risks associated with subsurface sequestration of CO2 center main

2000 MEMBER REMEMBRANCES

Release Date: 1 January 2001

Source: HGS Bulletin

2000 Member Remembrances

Beeler, B. Michael
March 6, 2000

Boyd, Don R.
December 20, 2000

Hanson, Bernold M. “Bruno”
April 13, 2000

Kimes, Lloyd Albert "Goldie"
February 14, 2000

Mann, Hugh T.
February 17, 2000

McFarlan, Edward Jr.
July 17, 2000

McKinlay, Philip F
April 21, 2000

Menzel, Ronald Martin
November 8, 2000

Montgomery, John A. Jr.
October 14, 2000

Moody, Evelyn Wilie
September 17, 2000

Nagle, James Stuart Jr.
Septemeber 26, 2000

Neale, Reginald N.
November 5, 2000

Otell, Harry Edmund
May 11, 2000

Rees, Forest B.
March 4, 2000

Rolf, James E. Jr.
May 28, 2000

Steenland, Nelson C.
December 3, 2000

Thornton, Robert C.
September 6, 2000

Voigt, Harold Edward
December 20, 2000

Watkins, Robert M.
July 10, 2000

Wurth, Robert H.
July 15, 2000

B. Michael Beeler died March 6, 2000, at the age of 75. After serving in the US Marines during World War II, Mr. Beeler attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1950 with a BS in Geology. He later earned his MBA from the University of Evansville. He founded and operated the Mike Beeler Oil Company for over 30 years. Mr. Beeler was a member of the HGS and the AAPG. A donation will be made to the Scholarship Fund of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.

Don R. Boyd died December 20, 2000 at the age of 66. Mr. Boyd earned a BS from The University of Texas in 1958 and a Masters from LSU in 1959, both in Geology. He began his career with Pan American Petroleum and Texas Eastern before becoming an independent petroleum geologist. Mr. Boyd served his profession well as an active member of the HGS, an honorary member and Distinguished Service Award recipient of the AAPG, and a past president and honorary member of both the Corpus Christi Geological Society and the GCAGS. The highest honor bestowed by the GCAGS, the Don R. Boyd Medal for Excellence in Gulf Coast Geology, was established this fall. A donation will be made to the Geology Foundation of The University of Texas at Austin.

Bernold M. “Bruno” Hanson died April 13, 2000, at the age of 71. Mr. Hanson graduated in 1951 from the University of North Dakota with a B.S. in engineering geology. He then received an M.A. in Geology from the University of Wyoming in 1954. After working for Magnolia Petroleum Company and Humble, he started Hanson Corporation as a consulting geologist and independent oil operator. Mr. Hanson had a life-long association with the Boy Scouts and served his profession as the President of the AAPG and the WTGS. A donation to the HGS Undergraduate Scholarship Fund will be made in his memory.

Lloyd Albert "Goldie" Kimes died February 14, 2000 at the age of 86. Mr. Kimes was a 1935 graduate of Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University. He began his career with Petty Geophysical. He became a partner in Taylor Geophysical and later worked for Westland Oil. Mr. Kimes was a member of the AAPG and a fifty year member of the HGS. A donation will be made to the Alzheimer''s Association.

Hugh T Mann died February 17, 2000, at the age of 75. Mr. Mann was a 1949 graduate of Texas Christian University with a BA in Geology and a 1951 graduate from the University of Texas with his Masters in Geology. He retired after a 41 year career with Gulf / Chevron Oil Company. Mr. Mann was a member of the AAPG and the HGS. A donation will be made to the Houston Humane Society. <

AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ALERT: 9-11-00

Release Date: 11 September 2000

Source: Houston Geological Society

IN A NUTSHELL: The science community is making a final push to boost funding for research and development (R&D) in the fiscal year (FY) 2001 appropriations process. Constituent letters from scientists, copies of op-ed pieces, articles, and ads on R&D will be bundled together and delivered to the House and Senate leadership as well as officials at the White House later this week. Below is information on the current situation and a sample letter that you can use as a template. Please send a letter today and e-mail or fax us a copy to include in the bundle! Letters will be most valuable if sent by Wednesday, September 13th. If you have already written a letter on this issue, please send us a copy of that too.
September marks the beginning of the end of the appropriations process. With less than three weeks to go before the end of the current fiscal year, none of the major bills that fund civilian R&D have passed the Congress. The House and Senate will meet as early as this week to conference on the Interior bill -- home to the U.S. Geological Survey, land management agencies, and Department of Energy (DOE) fossil energy programs -- and the Senate will act soon on the VA/HUD/Independent Agencies bill, funding the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Bills funding DOE basic research programs and NOAA are also still in play.
Despite the growing budget surplus, the allocations for these programs are all well below the President''s request. For example, the House provided a 3.8 percent increase for the National Science Foundation, well below the 17.3 percent increase in the budget request. But all indications suggest that additional funds will be made available in the coming weeks as Republican leaders in Congress work to find a compromise with the president. Members of Congress are eager to get home and campaign -- each day they are in Washington is another day that their opponent is home alone with their constituents! As additional funds become available, it is imperative that R&D investments are part of the mix.
Now is the time to advocate for the importance of science research to your senators and representative. Because there is strength in numbers, AGI is working with a broad coalition of other science, mathematics, engineering, and technology groups to make the case for R&D investment. These groups are calling on individuals to write to their congressional delegation highlighting the importance of R&D - not only for universities and industry, but also for society and the economy.
To participate in the letter campaign:

Please write a brief letter to your senators and representative. A sample letter is provided below as a template. Feel free to cite specific programs or agencies and to use examples of the value of investment in the geosciences. A roundup on the current status of geoscience-related appropriations is located at www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/appropsfy2001.html
Address the letters to your senators and representative. For contact information or if you need help identifying your congressional delegation, visit the House http://www.house.gov/writerep/ or Senate www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm websites. Although handwritten letters still have the most impact, time is of the essence so e-mail is acceptable.
Mail the originals to your congressional delegation.
Fax or e-mail a copy to AGI at Government Affairs Program, 4220 King Street, Alexandria VA 22302-1502; fax 703-379-7563; email govt@agiweb.org. For maximum impact, please send us a copy by this Wednesday, September 13th.

Many thanks for taking the time to be an active citizen-scientist!
How to Address the Letter to Your Congressional Delegation
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name) United States Senate Washington DC 20510
Dear Senator (last name):
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name) U.S. House of Representatives Washington DC 20515
Dear Representative (last name):
Sample Letter to Support Science Funding
I am writing to request that you support a strong, balanced investment in science in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 appropriations bills. Past investments in science are responsible for as much as half of our current economic growth. Without adequate support for research today, we cannot expect to enjoy budget surpluses in the future. Please join your colleagues in the bipartisan effort to increase allocations for the Interior, VA/HUD, Energy & Water, and Commerce appropriations bills so that we can make adequate investments in science programs and agencies.
Federal investment in the geosciences generates new knowledge about our home planet, helping us to responsibly develop our nation''s resources, better protect the environment, and reduce our vulnerability to natural hazards. This investment also helps to train the next generation of scientists and to provide all citizens with a better understanding of their world.
[Specific agency examples: Fundamental research supported by the National Science Foundation has fueled our strong economy and contributed to improvements in our health, safety, and quality of life. Please support the foundation''s FY 2001 request, including the exciting new Earthscope initiative, which will take advantage of new technology to systematically survey the structure of the Earth''s crust beneath North America.
OR
The central mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to provide reliable, objective earth science data and analysis from a national perspective. The USGS is widely recognized for providing unbiased data to better manage the nation''s resources. In order to offset previous declines, the USGS has requested a significant increase in FY 2001. Please support the increase so that this agency can fulfill its important mission.]
Thank you for your consideration of my request. If you would like additional information on geoscience programs and their impact on this district/state, I would be happy to be of assistance.
Alert prepared by Margaret Baker and David Applegate, AGI Government Affairs Program.
Sources: American Institute of Biological Sciences, Council of Scientific Society Presidents, and materials prepared for SET Congressional Visits Day.
This alert goes out to members of the AGI Government Affairs Program (GAP) Advisory Committee, the leadership of AGI''s member societies, and other interested geoscientists as part of a continuing effort to improve communications between GAP and the geoscience community that it serves. Prior updates can be found on the AGI web site under "Government Affairs" (www.agiweb.org). For additional information on specific policy issues, please visit the web site or contact us directly at govt@agiweb.org or (703) 379-2480 x212.
American Geological InstituteGovernment Affairs Program4220 King Street, Alexandria VA 22302-1502(703) 379-2480 ext. 212 (703) 379-7563 faxgovt@agiweb.org www.agiweb.org

TEXAS SIGNS NEW LAW: GEOLOGISTS'' WORK MUST BE APPROVED . . .. . . BY ENGINEERS

Release Date: 1 May 2000

Source: Houston Geological Society

On March 7, 2000, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) held a public meeting in Austin on the proposed new 30 TAC Chapter 230. Three members of the HGS Environmental and Engineering committee, Glenn Lowenstein (chairman), Arlin Howles, and Henry Wise, were among those who attended. The public meeting was conducted to receive testimony for and against the new law regarding Groundwater Availability Certification for Platting. The proposed rules to implement this law, Senate Bill (SB) 1323, were posted in the February 11, 2000 Texas Register (25 TexReg 1028 to 1140 and 1164 to 1166.) You can view them on the internet at http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/curris.html. OK, so what does this have to do with me, you may ask? The answer is: everything. Bruce Darling, president of the AIPG, has called this new law, "the most offensive piece of legislation I have ever seen in my life." The new law requires that certification of adequate groundwater supplies to a subdivision must be prepared by a Texas licensed professional engineer (PE). Information that must be included in the study includes projected water demand, groundwater resource information, aquifer testing, lithologic and geophysical logs, and determination of groundwater quality and availability. Reviewing the new section's language reveals such words as aquifer, lithology, strata, and structure, to name a few. Words missing are geologist, geology, hydrogeologist, and design. What this means, essentially, is that all new subdivisions that require water wells need to have all of this work performed by a professional engineer. Geologists, hydrogeologists, and other groundwater professionals are excluded. The TNRCC has said that the reason for this is to provide accountability. PEs are accountable because they are licensed. If they make a mistake, they can lose their license. Geologists, hydrogeologists, etc. aren't licensed and therefore aren't accountable. What does this mean for the future? In Houston, where there are municipal utility districts (MUDs), and in other areas of Texas that are within designated priority groundwater management areas, nothing yet. However, this law sets a very dangerous precedent. It excludes those people with the most expertise and who traditionally performed this type of work, geologists, hydrogeologists, and other groundwater professionals. This is only the beginning of a slow erosion of the geological profession and is the direct result of our inability to get a geologist registration law passed. We have only ourselves to blame. It will be another year and a half before the Texas legislature meets again. This time, get involved. Write to your representative and senator when the time comes. Take a day off from work to show your support when the Geological Registration bill comes up. The time has come when we must have registration of geologists, or look forward to playing a technician's role in the environmental and groundwater fields, and remain underemployed and undercompensated (or even unemployed). PostScript While Texas Representative Joe Nixon was able to send a letter to the TNRCC in support of tabling SB 1323, Senator Wentworth did not. The Senator claimed it would not make a difference since the bill had already become law. However, his office has promised to support a bill for the registration of geologists so that the exclusion of geologists in this type of service may never happen again. Now is time to gather the troops to support such a bill. We look forward to your help.

A LESSON IN SEISMIC DATA ACQUISITIONSMITH RIVER VALLEY, MONTANA

Release Date: 7 February 2000

Source: Houston Geological Society

In 1979 I had the exciting responsibility of supervising the acquisition of the first seismic data ever shot in the Smith River Valley in Montana. What a thrill for a young geophysicist out to prove his worth! Armed with books on "geophone array responses" and "seismic data acquisition", I headed for the mountains, full of confidence, knowledge, and enthusiasm.
The tiny town of White Sulphur Springs was our headquarters. It sits in a broad valley of cattle pastures and farmland surrounded by beautiful mountains. Our Pac West crew was experienced in mountain seismic acquisition and included a hardy seventy-year old man who was a wood-carver, and two women who liked to work bare-chested in the remote mountains along, with their proud and protective male counterparts who encouraged that feminist experience.
Dick Poulson, a delightful bear of a man from Salt Lake City, was the field geologist. He and I were the "technical team", while jovial permit agent Lee Crawford made good buddies of the local ranchers, to whom he had to explain what seismic was. They treated us to an incredible fishing experience and showed us an arsenal that was ready to take on the Communist threat looming from Canada.
Upon arrival of the crew, I directed the layout of the spread for noise tests, determined to find absolutely the best geophone array possible to cancel all the noise that we would find. I wanted the first data in the valley to be the standard by which all later data would be shot. Shot holes of various depths were loaded with shots of various sizes, and different patterns were laid out along a long seismic line. All was made ready for the big day.
We spent the entire first day testing. The first shot produced total noise, as did the second, third and fourth. Total noise made no sense. Things were changed. More noise. More changes, and still more noise. Disappointment grew into despair. My seismic education under Dr. Smithson at Wyoming and my geophysical training at Exxon had not considered the possibility of unequivocal failure. I headed for one of White Sulphur Springs? several bars, bewildered and stung.
Dick Paulson came out of the mountains and found miserable me. It must have been clear that I did not want to speak to anybody, but he was not the type to hold anything back. He said, "Hey, from up on the mountainside I could see you shooting that seismic line, walking around like little ants. But why did you lay the line out along the surface fault?"
"What are you talking about?" I replied. He pulled out his maps. "From up on the mountain, you can see the expression of a surface fault running through here and you were laid right along it." Despair turned to hope that maybe the fault was dispersing all the energy.
The next day we rotated the line 90 degrees and, sure enough, we got data- primaries, multiples, and noise trains. Glorious noise trains. I could put my book learnin? and trainin'' to work. The first seismic data in the Smith River Valley was useable, and eventually a well was drilled. (It was a dry hole, but that must have been the geologist?s fault!)
How unlucky we had been to lay the line right along the fault. (It probably must have looked like a good place to run a straight line.) How lucky we were to have a knowledgeable geologist on the mountain- and communication. Lessons in work, luck, and expanded thinking.
There is an epilog to this story, another lesson learned. On the second day, after examining the data and studying the array responses, I determined that a particular pattern of geophones arranged in a "star" would cancel most of the noise. So the juggies were gathered, and I demonstrated how to lay out and maintain the star. Everyone seemed willing and off they went, arranging and stomping the phones. I followed. The first array was excellent, the second less so, the third was a bit wobbly, and then real deterioration set in. By the sixth station the star design pattern was unrecognizable. The "geophone array response" book might be good science, but in real life, with real juggies, the KISS rule reigns.

1999 MEMBER REMEMBRANCES

Release Date: 1 January 2000

Source: Houston Geological Society

1999 Member Remembrances

Appel, Kenneth Reed
December 12, 1999

Berry, John
February 15, 1999

Bowman, Edward Lawrence
May 16, 1999

Carter, Craig Allen
May 22, 1999

Christian, Fred H., Jr.
March 29, 1999

Cooley, Gerald A.
May 19,1999

Craig, Jack Wilson
July 5, 1999

Curran, James Michael, Jr.
October 21, 1999

Dally, Jesse L.
February 7, 1999

Hagen, Cecil V.
October 1, 1999

Hartwig, Victor E.
September 30, 1999

Lindsey, Pamela Kay
September 18, 1999

Moyer, James Russell
September 19, 1999

Shockley, Dorman
August 19, 1999

Simmons, Benjamin T.
April 7, 1999

Suderman, Collis P. (Peter)
January 29, 1999

Welsh, John L.
October 4, 1999

Wiman, W. David
January 9, 1999

Wolfe, Joe Oddis
April 10, 1999

Kenneth Reed Appel died December 12, 1999, at the age of 48. He graduated in 1975 from the University of Cincinnati with a B.S. in Geology. He was a consulting geologist for 25 years and an active member of the HGS. A memorial donation will be made to the Cody Appel Scholarship Fund at the Southwest Airlines Credit Union.

Mr. John Berry of ESP consulting passed away 2-15-99. No further information has been located.

Craig Allen Carter died May 22, 1999 at the age of 44. Mr. Carter received a B.S. in Geophysics in 1977 from Texas A&M University. He was employed as an independent geologist. A donation will be made to the HGS Scholarship Fund.

Edward Lawrence Bowman died May 16, 1999. Mr. Bowman received a B.S. in Geology in 1950 from Louisiana State University. He spent over forty-five years in Houston as an independent Geologist exploring in Texas and Louisiana. He was an active member of the HGS and the AAPG. A donation will be made to the American Heart Association.

Fred H. Christian, Jr. died March 29, 1999. at the age of 73. Mr. Christian received a B.S. in Geology in 1950 from LSU. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he was employed by Sun Exploration, Maxus Energy, and CMS Nomeco. Mr. Christian was a member of the AAPG and the HGS. A donation will be made to St. Francis Episcopal Church.

Gerald A. Cooley died May 19,1999, at the age of 73. Jerry received a B.S. in Geology in 1946 and a M.S. in Geology in 1947, both from the University of Michigan. He retired from Phillips Petroleum in 1985 . Jerry was an Honorary Life Member of the HGS, past- President and a current Committee Chairman. In honor of his thirty years of service to the Boy Scouts, the Jerry Cooley Memorial H.G.S. Explorer Scout Fund has been established.

Jack Wilson Craig died July 5, 1999 at the age of 81. Mr. Craig received a B.S. in Geology in 1940 from Texas A&M University. After serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he was employed by Gulf Oil Corporation, Lenoir M. Josey, Inc., and as a consulting geologist. Mr. Craig was a member of the AAPG and the HGS. A donation will be made to the HGS Scholarship Fund.

James Michael "Jimmy" Curran, Jr. died October 21, 1999, at the age of 86. He graduated from Princeton University in 1935 with a B.S. in Geology. Mr. Curran spent 64 years in the Houston oil and gas business, initially with Tidewater Oil Company, Indianola Oil Company, and Eastern States Petroleum and later as a consulting geologist. He was an active member of the HGS. A donation to the Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania will be made in his memory. Although not a current HGS member, Mr. Moyer was well known in the Houston oil and gas commu

HOUSTON GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S2000 - 2001 ANNUAL REPORT

Release Date: 1 January 2000

Source: Houston Geological Society

Executive Board
            President                     Craig Moore
            President-elect             Paul Hoffman
            Vice-president               Denise Stone
            Treasurer                     Bill Osten
            Treasurer-elect Craig Dingler
            Secretary                     Greg Gregson (thru 2/14/01)
            Editor                           Chuck Sharpe
            Editor-elect                 Wendy Hale-Erlich
            Director 2002             Tom McCarroll
            Director 2002             Paul Babcock
            Director 2001             David Fontaine
            Director 2001             Sharie Sartain


Highlights of the Year
            This year saw a renewed confidence in the petroleum industry as gas prices soared from $3.50 at the beginning of the year to a high of $10 before eventually retreating to $3.20 by fiscal year end. Oil prices during this time, traded within the mid-$20 to the low $30 range. As it has been in the past, HGS is directly affected by the optimism and bottom line of the various oil companies throughout the area. This year was no exception as reflected by the surge in personnel placement ads (162 in 99-00 vs. 345 in 00-01), the strong increase in profits from continuing education courses, the debut success of AIPEX and the slight increase in membership.
            Several milestones were celebrated this past year. Steve Hill organized the recognition of the 100th anniversary of Spindletop as 200 people filled four buses on a road trip to the original site. The 50th meeting of the GCAGS was hosted by HGS under the leadership of Larry Bartell. Finally, after several years of defeat, the state legislature finally passed a Texas Geoscience Registration bill.
            New business and activities started and/or accomplished include starting a Legal, Office and Personnel Policy ad hoc committee to put in place an office manual for HGS employees; forming an international continuing education subcommittee; using e-mail as a tool for mass mail outs; the Environmental Committee hosting a road rally in the Houston area; print

DECEMBER, 1999 HGS SEMINARS, COURSES AND FIELD TRIPS

Release Date: 1 December 1999

Source: 1999 HGS Website

December, 1999Seminars, Short Courses, and Field Trips

Buying and Selling Production

Description:
Buying and selling production requires different focus and skills than exploration and development activities. Both novices and experienced production traders will learn from this course, featuring the following presentations:
This course is intended for any upstream energy professional – geoscientist, petroleum engineer, petrophysicist, or landman.

AGENDA

8:00 - 8:30
Registration

8:25 - 8:30
WelcomeSandi Barber, HGS Continuing Education Committee

8:30 - 9:00
Merger, Acquisition, and Divestment Transactions OverviewDavid L. Bole, VP Corporate Research & Development, Randall & Dewey, Inc.

9:00 - 9:30
Exploring Vs. Buying ReservesDan Olds, Manager, Petroleum Engineering Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers

9:30 - 9:45
Break

9:45 - 11:15
Structuring the Deal - Who Does What, WhenGeoff Roberts, President, Madison Energy

11:15 -11:30
Q&A

11:30 - 1:00
Lunch at Plaza ClubKeynote speaker: John Walker, President & CEO, Enervest Management Company

1:00 - 1:45
Financing the DealPaul Riddle, VP Finance, First Union

1:45 - 2:30
Auctions vs. Negotiated SalesKen Olive, President, The Oil & Gas Asset Clearinghouse

2:30 - 2:45
Break

2:45 - 3:30
Acquisition Case StudySusan Howes, Sr. Staff Engineer, Operations Engineering, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

3:30 - 4:15
International Acquisition Case StudyRon Harrell, President, Ryder Scott, Consulting Petroleum Engineers

4:15 - 4:30
Q&A

4:30 - 6:00
Networking Reception at Plaza Club

"Success in the Oil and Gas Insutry: New Rules, New Roles, New Technologies, and New Opportunities".

eia@ou.edu

ywalschap@ou.edu

DECEMBER, 1999 HGS MEETINGS CALENDAR

Release Date: 1 December 1999

Source: 1999 HGS Website

December, 1999HGS Meetings

Environmental / Engineering Dinner Meeting
"Environmental pilot testing technologies and methodologies "

Click here

?SUBJECT=Dec8EnvEngDinnerMeet">Reservations:

Abstract:
The presentation will consist of a technical discussion of environmental pilot/feasibility tests. Various technologies and methodologies, such as Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE), Enhanced Vacuum Recovery (EVR), also referred to as Vapor Extraction-Groundwater Extraction (VEGE), Dual-Phase Vacuum Extraction (DPVE), Air Sparging (AS), and SVE Quick Tests (QTs) will be presented. The results of a recent pilot test will be discussed to point out the many variables and outside forces that can affect precision testing.
Biographical Sketch:
Since 1957 Jim Sadler has been associated with oil refining, marketing and environmental remediation following his graduation from the University of Texas with a degree in mechanical engineering. After his first job with Ethyl Corporation as an automotive engineer, he was employed by Tenneco in the Refining and Marketing department, where he was directly involved in developing the "convenience store with gasoline" concept and became VP of marketing.
He later decided to start his own marketing company, primarily involved with developing the concept of self-service gasoline. In eight years, Autotronic Systems Inc. was built to 750 self-service stations in 23 states. After the company was sold to Sigmor, he became a consultant for Coral Petroleum to develop its marketing in upstate New York and Pennsylvania. This was his introduction to environmental problems associated with USTs.
In 1991, Jim's wife Leiselle Mathews started a marketing company for the S.A.V.E.(trademark) remediation system. Jim and Leiselle recognized a developing trend and demand for pilot testing, and the company rapidly became a service company. The company developed the methodology for the reporting of accurate and useful data for CAP plans. Since 1991, AcuVac Remediation, Inc. has conducted over 1,500 pilot tests. Mr. Sadler has over 10,000 hours of on-site testing.

International Dinner Meeting
Timor Sea (Australia/Indonesia) Discoveries, 1994-1998

Click here

?SUBJECT=Dec13EnvEngDinnerMeet">Reservations:

Goto Poster Session:
Talk Abstract:
INTRODUCTION
The Timor Sea (Australia/Indonesia) has had a remarkable string of successes beginning with the discovery of oil in Elang field in early 1994. Oil discoveries in an area that was previously thought to be mainly gas prone have captured the interest of the industry, and new geological concepts and better seismic technology have lowered exploration risks. New significant gas pools are also being found or actually re-found in the case of one discovery. Gas development plans will rely on the synthesis of various LNG projects and the improvement of South East Asian economies.
SYNOPSIS of REGIONAL TECTONICS
The discoveries examined in this paper are situated within the northeastern Browse Basin and in the Bonaparte Basin. (See Figure One) In this region, Late Jurassic rifting formed a horst/graben topography in the basin centers and tilted terraces on basin margins. The Kimmeridgian through early Valanginian rift sequence is represented by alluvial to submarine fans shed locally off intermittantly active basin margin faults and by restricted marine shales of good source rock quality in the basin centers. The last crustal extension of the Mesozoic produced the mid-Valanginian unconformity that represents the final separation of Australia and India. Post rift thermal sag marine shale deposition then predominated until a Mid Cretaceous regional lowstand produced erosion on the margin of the Londonderry High and subsequent deposition of clastics. The early Tertiary was mainly tectonically quiescent, with passive margin carbonate marine shelf sedimentation predominant; however, inversion events have been recognized locally in various parts of the basin. Oblique collision of the northern Australian margin and the Indonesian plate began in some areas in the mid-Oligocene, and culminated in regional major reactivation of older faults in the late Miocene. This collision resulted in the beaching of numerous oil and gas pools in the Timor Sea and re-migration of hydrocarbons. Rejuvenation along faults occurs at present; for example, pre-drill presence of hydrocarbons in the Cornea area was indicated by a seismic amplitude anomaly, by radar imaged oil slicks and by positive results of a water bottom "sniffer" survey.
RESERVOIRS
With the exception of Cornea field all the pools discussed in this paper include some part of the Bajocian to mid-Callovian Plover Formation and/or the mid-Callovian through early Oxfordian Elang Formation. These reservoirs are interpreted to have been deposited in an overall transgressive setting ranging from fluvial channels to tidally influenced estuarine shoreline sediments to upper shoreface units. Cornea field reservoirs are Early Cretaceous alluvial to fluvial sands deposited on the southern margin of the study area.
STRUCTURAL STYLE
The majority of the Jurassic accumulations are pooled in three-way closures against faults. Laminaria and Bayu/Undan fields are exceptions in that they are large regional highs with four-way closure. Cornea field consists of a four way closure created by drape over a basement high. 3D seismic has been helpful in confirming fault presence and extent. Seismic resolution of the surface of Jurassic objectives is often difficult and interpretation must include identifying truncations at unconformity surfaces.
TIMOR SEA FIELDS

ELANG/KAKATUA
The Petroz Elang 1 was the

THE HGS ADVISORY COMMITTEEREPORT 2000. HGS' THINK TANK LOOKS AHEAD.

Release Date: 29 November 1999

Source: Houston Geological Society

The HGS Advisory Committee is charged with considering the long-range future of the HGS. Last year the Advisory Committee prepared a review of membership trends and evaluated the future of the organization and its members. Their report, prepared last spring (1999) by Committee Chairman Dave Fontaine with committee members Paul Britt, Dan Smith, and Ann Martin, is presented here, followed by an update by Dave Fontaine.
Introduction
In 1992, an ad hoc committee of the Houston Geological Society (HGS) developed a Long Range Advisory Report directed towards a critical review of key organization functions and their long-term relevance to the future of the Society. In late 1998, the present members of the HGS Advisory Committee elected to review the original report and briefly update those aspects that may have change significantly since 1992. Unfortunately, the original report is no longer available in its entirety so, by necessity, the Committee truncated the coverage of its companion review. Those missing sections of the original report were replaced with recent trend information pertaining to the geological profession, HGS membership, and suggestions about key elements driving HGS programs in the future. As background, the Committee drew upon information contained in the report of the AAPG 21st Century Review Committee. HGS membership, and its implication for the future of the Society, became the central focus of the Advisory Committee's review. The Committee also touched upon career management and continuing education.
Membership Trends 1992—1999
HGS membership has remained more or less stable since 1992, despite fluctuating employment conditions within the profession. The original report sought to assess membership as a function of employment. The report concluded that, while membership is affected by employment levels, HGS membership fluctuations tended to be dampened by an influx of new members, many of whom arrived in Houston as a result of the closure of regional petroleum company offices in provinces outside of the Upper Gulf Coast. An additional factor supporting membership levels is the belief that the benefits of belonging to the HGS tended to offset uncertain employment conditions. The HGS provides a very low cost venue whereby geologists can maintain contact within the profession, can enhance training through continuing education, and can stay alert to cutting-edge topics covering energy, the environment, and technology. The following graphs illustrate HGS membership trends from 1992—1999.
The Committee considered two questions stemming from the membership review.

Will these membership trends continue into the foreseeable future?
Are there any "hidden" factors that could negatively impact future membership levels?

Two factors the Committee examined closely were a) student membership in the HGS and the AAPG, and b) the age of geologists in the HGS. These were deemed important because the number of new entrants into the profession will at some point, impact HGS membership. Age also tends to drive one's view of the world, how information is gleaned, and how one values work and associations.
Student membership in the HGS is, and apparently has traditionally been, relatively low, about five people out of roughly 4500 members. Student membership in the AAPG has risen from about 400 in 1992, to about 1750 in 1998; however, this higher level is nearly 1000 less than the high of 1984. The Committee has no clear understanding as to the meaning of these changes. No strong positives are indicated for the HGS.
A second factor that could impact membership or, perhaps more accurately, membership participation in HGS activities, is the age distribution of members within the Society and the profession as a whole. The following graph shows the age distribution of HGS members.
The age distribution indicates that nearly 70% of members are 40 or older, with the largest subgroup, 36% of HGS members, being 40 to 50 years of age (the Baby-Boomers, b. 1946-64).
The next largest subgroup is those members in their 30s, comprising about 20% of members (Generation X, b. 1961-1972). Members in their 20's comprise only about 5% of the HGS (Millennialists). What do these age distributions portend for the immediate and longer-term future of the HGS?
The most obvious projection is that membership is headed for a decline as the older members give way to fewer and fewer younger members. This will not have an immediate impact, though without a steep reversal in the declining number of entrants into the profession and the HGS, the reality of a smaller organization seems inevitable. The Committee pegs the first significant membership drop concurrent with the first Boomers reaching their early 60s, about 2010. By 2020, two-thirds of the Boomer members will be 65–75. The current membership of this age group is only about 6% of total membership. If the Boomers that today comprise 36% of current membership ultimately comprise only 6% of membership in 2020, total membership will have declined by about 1350 people. Attrition in other groups may exacerbate the decline.
Such a simple conclusion belies other influencing factors, such as members maintaining their membership beyond their working years or a significant business cycle change that results in new entrants into the profession. Numbers alone do not tell the whole story. There are other implications in these demographics — moods, attitudes, and undercurrents that are not easily illustrated on a clean graph. These factors can, and will, influence the future of the HGS.
HGS Members by Generation — Boomers
Ripped by the 1960s, Boomers are a bridge generation rooted in part to the ethos of the 1950s. They are generally aware of, though not strict adherents to, earlier values such as loyalty given - loyalty received, the traditional family, and the relationships of corporate life. The latter traditionally were based upon fraternities of colleagues forged from real socialization-slow and always building from years of close work with a stable group of peers. Organizational pull and support were based upon a shared sense of ideals and mutual obligations. Forward progress moved generally at a rate concurrent with life stage and somewhat predictable.
For 30 years, this stability has been under assault, and the intensity of the attack is accelerating. The culprit is time compression and an ever-increasing rate of change in the physical world and the world of work. Speed, efficiency, innovation, technology, and cost-cutting are the order of the day—doubly so in the commodity world of the energy business. Loyalty is out and experience is discounted—who needs them in a world changing so fast that "what was" is almost instantly "no longer"? The traits that are most commonly desired today are flexibility, adaptability to change, and independent problem solving with a fast and highly profitable result.
Boomers are under heavy pressures to share children-rearing responsibilities with a working spouse, to maintain hefty mortgages, and to prepare for looming college expenses as their children grow up. At the very moment that traditionally they would be secure and well positioned in their careers to face these responsibilities, they are under siege to spend less time with family. The mantra is to work more—a lot more—work quicker, and work smarter. In spite of rising to the tough challenge, in a 1998 survey reported in Fortune magazine, 773 CEOs seemed to question the suitability of Boomers in today's business world. They stated that they felt peoples' productivity peaked at an average age of 43. That's typically a long way off from the downside of life's hump.
How the HGS meets the needs of this group is

REPORT 2000—ONE YEAR LATER

Release Date: 29 November 1999

Source: Houston Geological Society

I am delighted that the Bulletin has published the essence of the Advisory Committee''s work for 1998-1999, its Report 2000 . The Committee attempted a far-forward look at the HGS and its membership. This was tempered with a mix of immediate issues, such as joint meetings among diverse groups in the earth sciences, and a hot topic like "mid-career management." The technique used to weave these subjects together is known as "STEEP," an acronym for Social, Technology, Economics, Environment, and Politics. One scans the horizon for emerging trends in these areas and then attempts to develop a future view from the findings.
The subject of mid-career management has been building steam since the report was developed in late 1998. The AAPG is going to subsidize mid-career training for geologists with money raised by a registration premium attached to the upcoming conference commonly known as "Pratt II." The Gulf Coast Chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers has begun a series of mid-career management courses. This training tracks some of the courses recommended in our Report 2000. Other organizations are beginning to inject mid-career training into their education programs. What exactly is "mid-career management"?
I am not sure if a universal definition exists. The HGS Continuing Education Committee recently ran two courses that may qualify as mid-career training. One covered tax and accounting issues pertaining to the oil and gas business, the other covered buying and selling production. Why might these be considered mid-career training? Presumably, to be of immediate practical value, one would need a degree of sophistication in the energy business. An experience level more likely found in a mid-career geologist rather than in the newly hired or someone purely technical in their focus.
A second view might be that mid-career management is the acquisition of special nontechnical skills and abilities that may compliment a geologist''s work. These are subjects that enable a geologist to more effectively project their technical talents and that add value to the geologist in the workplace. Some of the possibilities mentioned in Report 2000 and elsewhere include sharpening presentation skills, project management, administering a budget, time management, and negotiating. Being knowledgeable in these subjects and competently using them in daily work should add value to a geologist. Of course, in this business there are no absolute assurances that these skills will protect your job during ''a layoff or guarantee a position in a hiring cycle. The question is, "Do you stand a better chance with these skills than without them?"
I am reminded of a football analogy. When your team is down and about to lose, would you like to throw a Hail Mary for the winning touchdown and get carried off the field as a hero? Of course you would, but how many games are won with a Hail Mary? Most are won in a grinding struggle for the last few inches on the field. I think mid-career management is about "inches."
Are you up to grind? Here is a quiz. Where do you drop out?
Your boss says to you that the company wants you to attend some non-technical training, and will fully pay for it. Go / No go? You tell your boss you''d like to take this training, and the boss tells you that it is not in the budget, but if you pay for it the company will give you time off with pay. Go / No go? You know the negative environment and decide that the only way to get this training is to quietly pay for it out of your pocket and do it on weekends or vacation time, borrowing the money if necessary. You also realize that there may not be an immediate reward for your efforts and financial risk, and that to get well rounded will take a few years. Your spouse thinks you''re nuts for spending money under such uncertainty and thereby threatening the annual family outing to your in-laws. The scrutiny is intense. Go / No go?
There is no correct answer. These decisions are always a complex mix of pressures involving time, money, and hard personal choices. I bring this up because as I scan the landscape, I have made some unsettling observations.
Mid-career management and training have been available for many years. It is not new. I''ve noticed that good training programs are packed to capacity with people looking for the edge—but few geologists are among them. People laid off from energy companies after many years are now signing up for technical and computer courses. Shouldn''t we know these subjects already? We''ve had years to learn them. It appears that our mindset is that if one acquires training with the right buzzword attached to it, better times will follow. That is wishful thinking rooted in the pleasures of technical work. It is not mid-career management, it''s a Hail Mary.
Where does all this leave us? I''m still looking for a solid trend. Please e-mail me with your thoughts at david.fontaine@engelhard.com . Observations to date tend to indicate that mid-career management is not a front burner issue to geologists. Whether efforts by the AAPG and local societies can shift thinking about this issue is yet to be seen. Personally, I think there is value in mid-career management. Borrowing again from football, specifically Buddy Ryan, "If you ain''t the lead dog, the scenery never changes."

NOVEMBER, 1999 HGS SEMINARS, COURSES AND FIELD TRIPS

Release Date: 1 November 1999

Source: 1999 HGS Website

November, 1999Seminars, Short Courses, and Field Trips

EASTERN GULF REGION PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER COUNCIL
Announces a Technology Workshop,
"Miocene Deposition and Petroleum Geology, Northern Gulf of Mexico"

Email: bbearden@wgs.geo.ua.edu

egrpttc.geo.ua.edu

Description:
The Eastern Gulf Region of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council invites oil and gas producing and related companies operating in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to participate in a Technology Workshop entitled, “Miocene Deposition and Petroleum Geology, Northern Gulf of Mexico.” The purpose of the workshop is to transfer recent research advances in depositional sequences and petroleum geology of Miocene reservoirs to pro-ducers operating in the Eastern Gulf Region to facilitate exploration of oil and natural gas in the area.
PROGRAM:

8:30 - 8:45 Welcome and Introduction Brian Sims, PAG Chair
8:45 - 10:00 The Miocene, A Global Perspective, Richard Fillon, Exploration Texaco Deep-Water
10:00 - 10:15 Break
10:15 - 11:30 Lower Miocene Sequences and Depocenters in the Gulf of Mexico, Richard Fillon and Paul Lawless
11:30 - 12:30 Lunch
12:30 - 1:30 Upper Miocene Sequences and Depocenters in the Gulf of Mexico, Paul Lawless and Richard Fillon
1:30 - 2:30 Reservoirs and Exploration Strategies in the Miocene of the Gulf of Mexico, Paul Lawless, CNG Producing, South Louisiana Exploration
2:30 - 3:00 Summary, Ernest A. Mancini, The University of Alabama

HGS Course: Development Geology: Reservoir Characterization and Reservoir Management

Description:
The objective of this course is to provide a working knowledge of reservoir pore space and flow barrier distribution and procedures used to develop, characterize, and manage reservoirs for the purpose of optimizing recovery.
Many practical exercises and case studies provide insight and experience in development. Determination of net pay and reserves is reviewed. Deterministic and stochastic modeling techniques, especially for reservoir simulation, are discussed.
Who Should Attend: This school is for geologists, geophysicists, and supervisors involved in field development from appraisal and development drilling , reservoir characterization and management, to redevelopment.
Biographical Sketch:
John S. Sneider, an exploration and development consultant, has over 12 years experience in E & P projects in the North Sea, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad, Gulf Coast, and the Permian Basin. He received a B.S. and an M.S. from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. from Rice University.
Robert (Bob) Sneider, President of Robert M. Sneider Exploration, Inc., previously worked 18 years for the Shell companies. He has spent the last 25 years in worldwide exploration, production, property acquisition, research, training, and management. He has a Ph.D. in geology and mining engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

International Association of Geophysical Contractors Conference on Current Issues in Non-Exclusive Geophysical Data

iagc@wt.net

Description:
The conference will examine legal, financial, political, and other matters affecting current issues in "spec" geophysical data, including:

legal issues in transferring non-exclusive data
fiduciary issues in handling non-exclusive data
security issues
disclosure
structuring license agreements
brokering oil company proprietary data

FROM THE EDITOR - NOVEMBER, 1999

Release Date: 1 November 1999

Source: HGS Bulletin, November, 1999

Just when you thought you knew the language! By Gail BerganNovember, 1999 I thought I would share with you how my work is going these days. I am surrounded (haunted might be a better word) by foreign languages. I must have "glutton for punishment" written on my forehead. In the past year or so I have become a magnet for some tough editing projects—documents that were either translated from another language into English, or were written by someone with English as their second language. I thought I would share some snippets from these projects with you, since they are far enough in my past that I can finally laugh about them. First there is "Japlish." I occasionally subcontract from a client in Japan who runs an editorial service for Japanese scientists who wish to get their research published in English-language journals. The following comes from one of the papers I edited recently: "The parallel arrangement like comb structure of clinoptilolite are observed at the pinched-in part of cast-off volcanic glass shards. And some clinoptilolites filled the vesicle are also observed K-type clinoptilolite is formed although precursor volcanic glass did not abundant in K or pore water related to clinoptilolite formation did not rich in K such as remained geological record." Then there is "Spanglish"—software manuals from my South American client. It seems the software developer thought manuals were simply overhead (can you believe it?), so they hired a grad student to write them, getting them done as cheaply as possible. The original was written in Venezuelan Spanish, but was later translated into English by an Argentinean, to accommodate their English-speaking foreign offices who would also use the software. Could I clean them up? "You mean, without even seeing the software?" I ask. "Yes, we don't have the budget to pay you to rewrite them from scratch." "OK, sure, no problem," I said. Subsequently, my days were filled trying to decipher about 250 pages filled with statements such as: "Loading of data which is a prerequisite exclusive of production is analyzed, such as Production Time Framework, based on the Production Module Time Framework, which is detailed monthly in this case." "The program will ensure that the loaded starting date is less than the period starting date; except in the Fall-off type of periods where historical flowing rate data loading is allowed." Some of them even brought tears to my eyes: "There are fields that allow saving the corresponding unit and this one has to be valid. No matter the unit the data is loaded with; this one will be saved in the base transformed to the corresponding unit according to each field by means of a mathematical calculus." Then I landed a client in France who wanted help with their Web site ("Frenglish"). They run a string of hotels throughout France and wanted to attract more American clientele, but their Web site read like this: "A sophisticated space, a complete harmony between colours and antiques, will charm you. A warmly welcome, smile and courtesy, for successful stay. Standard room or Duplex, all rooms are spacious, bright and comfortable. Bathroom made of marble from Portugal are an invitation to take care of yourself. the flowered courtyard isolates the guest rooms from the outside animation."If your room doesn't overlook the courtyard, then you may contemplate the patio planted of trees and flowers". ' Well, at least it's not technical. So, just when I am at my most self-righteous, quite proud of my command of the English language, I decided to take a refresher course in French in preparation for my upcoming trip there this summer. Having only taken one year of French in high school, I decided to start over in the beginner's class. Learning a foreign language as an adult has to rank right up there with some of the most humiliating experiences a person can have. I am spending two evenings a week at the L'Alliance Francaise de Houston, struggling with sentences like: "Yes, I have one cat, but no dog," and "I like to go to the cinema." My instructor bursts out laughing when "I know my name" comes out in French as "I know my man." My hearing is no better than my pronunciation. When translating an audio tape, and the guy says "J'adore la nature" (I love nature), instead I hear "J'ai un ordinateur" (I have a computer). Taking this class has given me a new appreciation for those among us who are bilingual, and who would even dare write a technical document in English. I officially apologize to all of you for every bad thing I've ever said about your English-language skills. You are all geniuses, and you have my utmost respect. o Gail Bergan is a contractor specializing in technical writing and editing, desktop publishing, and electronic publishing in the Houston area.

NOVEMBER, 1999 HGS MEETINGS CALENDAR

Release Date: 1 November 1999

Source: 1999 HGS Website

November, 1999HGS Meetings

HGS Dinner Meeting
"Structural arrays and depositional geometries in hydrocarbon provinces: a view from orbit"

Abstract:
Exploration success, whether for resources on Earth or on neighboring planets, depends on an explorer's skill in three-dimensional visualization and pattern recognition. In some provinces, fault and fracture patterns replicate from the scale of an entire orogen down to the scale of a thin-section. In repeatedly and complexly deformed regions, the challenge becomes one of discriminating among superposed patterns—critical for evaluating trap integrity and predicting porosity/permeability distribution. Three-dimensional relationships between structures, basin configurations, sediment-body geometries, and volcanic vent distribution are readily observable in photographs by astronauts. Photographic data can be registered to maps and plots of other data and co-displayed using off-the-shelf computer programs. Such displays reveal details of source-reservoir juxtapositions and variations in fracture networks over a basin.
The pattern of rifts, for example, is one of long, straight, steeply dipping faults bounding basins that are longer than they are wide. Basins are generally half-grabens, and the flanks with greatest structural relief are depositional sites for coalesced alluvial fans. Axial lakes with evaporites, abundant algae, and fine-grained, low-permeability sediments provide oil-prone source beds. Half-grabens are separated by transfer zones, across which the tilts of grabens reverse. Volcanic vents occur at rift/transfer-zone junctions and, less commonly, along basin-bounding faults; thermal effects on surrounding strata are minimal. Most of these attributes can be examined in single synoptic frames captured from orbit.
Geomorphologist Hoover Mackin observed that geology is rarely a science of brilliance; it is a science of wisdom. The best geologist is one who has observed a lot of rocks from every possible vantage point. Orbiting spacecraft provide an exceptional vantage point for viewing rocks at the scale of an entire tectonic province, for the eyes and minds of informed observers.
Biographical Sketch:
Pat Dickerson was born at a very early age in Waukegan, Illinois. She has worked as a geologist, editor, photographer, writer, dancing instructor and apricot cutter for a California fruit-packing firm (not in that order).
For the past two years, as a scientist in the NASA Office of Earth Sciences, she has been training Shuttle, Mir and Space Station crews in global tectonics and drawing from their photographs in her tectonics research and publications. She is creating electronic handbooks on global tectonic topics for crew use—handbooks that will eventually become resources for public education—and has received an award from the Astronaut Office for those efforts.
The Rio Grande Rift of west Texas and New Mexico—particularly the Big Bend province—has been the subject of much of her geological/geophysical research, field work, and her publications over the past 30 years. She returned to the rift this spring to stage, in collaboration with colleagues at the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, the first field geophysical training exercise to prepare astronauts for planetary exploration.
In addition, Pat has worked in Argentina, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Belize, northern Mexico, the Adriatic region, the gold mines of Nevada, the Rocky Mountains, and the Midcontinent.
Attempts have been made to educate her in geology and archaeology at various institutions, among them California State University at San Jose and the University of Texas at Austin, where she received a bachelor's degree in geology/Greek archaeology (1970), a doctorate in geology (1995), and held a postdoctoral fellowship in tectonics (1996).

Environmental / Engineering Dinner Meeting
"Best kept secrets of field monitoring equipment"

Abstract:
The talk will consist of a "show and tell" explaining the differences between various kinds of air monitoring equipment. The discussion will include the following issues:

differences between a FID and a PID
how a PID and a FID function
how to choose the appropriate detection device
calibration techniques
care and maintenance.

Here's a great opportunity to delve into the black boxes that we curse and kiss, and demystify them.
Biographical Sketch:
Mr. Beyer is a graduate of Purdue University with a major in Forestry. He worked with Heath Consultants for 28 years partly as a Regional Manager in Houston responsible for sales and operations in an eight-state area. In 1992, Mr. Beyer became manager of Milco Safety Rental (MSR), a water and gas leak detection equipment rental business servicing utility companies. He now is the owner of MSR.

International Dinner Meeting
"Play and prospect diversity, a platform for continued success at Totalfina"

Abstract:
Total (now Totalfina) experienced rapid growth in production and reserves during the last decade, fueled by a variety of fields in different parts of the world.
These fields exhibit great geological diversity, from complex thrust structures in Colombia, Venezuela, and now Bolivia, through the challenges of very different types of traps in carbonates in Iran, Myanmar, and Libya, to the multitude of (often thin) fluvio-deltaic sands of the Mahakam Delta and Gulf of Thailand.
Over this period, assets in both the Far East and Latin America have become important contributors to the performance of the company. Illustrations of a selection of these fields will demonstrate their extraordinary diversity. It is also interesting to try and trace some of the exploration decision points leading to the steps in the growth of the portfolio of producing assets in these areas.
This geological diversity has ensured that both our geoscientists and exploration management are offered excellent opportunities to gain experience, which is essential to enable the right decisions to be made. This experience will give the company a good chance of maintaining its growth in the future and of adapting to the abrupt changes that the coming years are likely to bring.
Biographical Sketch:
Andy joined the oil industry in 1969 armed with an honours geology degree from Reading University, England. After 4 years with Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company in the Emirates, he joined Total in 1974 and transferred to Paris for a few years (which enabled him to become fluent in French.) He was promoted to Exploration Manager in 1984, first in the UK and then in Indonesia until the end of 1990. After another spell in the Paris head office, he moved to Nigeria in 1994 to open up the E&P office in Lagos, and moved on from there as General Manager of the Singapore New Ventures office in 1997 until its closure in April 1999. He is currently assigned to

OCTOBER, 1999 HGS SEMINARS, COURSES AND FIELD TRIPS

Release Date: 1 October 1999

Source: 1999 HGS Website

October, 1999Seminars, Short Courses, and Field Trips

HGS Class: Tax, Trade & Legal Considerations Seminar

Click here

?SUBJECT=Oct14TaxClass">Reservations:

Description:

HGS Field Trip: A Basic Introduction to Barrier Island Sedimentation as seen at Galveston Island State Park.

jmcombes@msn.com

Description:

Galveston Island and the bay system immediately landward of it may be simplistically divided into two regimes. On the seaward side, there is the beach and dune system, generally dominated by physical processes. On the landward side, there is the marsh and bay system, generally dominated by biological processes. Both of these regimes are overprinted by the fact that the environment is almost always calm and collected (if not cool nor humidity free), but is periodically punctuated by brief periods ranging from mere disaster (read Tropical Storm Francis) to sheer terror (read the Great Galveston Hurricane).
In this trip, we will start by examining sediment types and sedimentary structures on the beach and dune side of Galveston Island. Weather permitting, there will be some brief wading in the Gulf to experience the topography and sedimentary structures of the foreshore. Family members accompanying may wish to help with a trench on the beach. Following this, we will cross to the bay side of the island and walk along the meandering nature trails to see the interfingering of marsh and bay environments. We will conclude the examination of the island with a discussion of how the sediment accumulates to create a sedimentary package that might be encountered in an oil field or a road cut, emphasizing the potential impacts of variations in sediment supply, subsidence rate, and climate.
Your $3 per person entry fee to the park will allow you and your family to do a picnic lunch in one of the shelters near the beach (bring charcoal if you plan to cook) and to do whatever comes naturally on the beach after the more organized part of the field trip is over. I will stay around for much of the afternoon if there is any desire to have the discussions continue. For those less interested in outdoor recreation, or if the weather is not conducive to fun in the sun, a good climax to the day might be to view the film about the great Galveston hurricane in the theater on the second floor at Pier 21 in Galveston.
Note that drinking water is available at the park, but if you are likely to want more extensive refreshments, you should plan to bring them with you.
Directions to Galveston Island State Park : coming south on I-45, take the exit for Galveston Island State Park (Exit 1A) and follow the signs. This route takes you about 2 miles across the island (traffic lights) to Seawall Boulevard, then right (west) along Seawall for about 9 miles to the park. Entrance to the park will be on the left. I will meet everyone at the park headquarters at about 9 :00 AM.
Pier 21 (for the Galveston Hurricane movie) is at 21st St and Harborside on the bay side of the city of Galveston. From the state park, the easiest way to get there is to return eastward on Seawall until reaching 21st St, then left on 21st St until it ends at Harborside. There is lots of parking right there, but most of it is pay as you go. There may be the possibility of getting your ticket validated by the theater, just as there is for the restaurants in the area. The cost for the movie is $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for students, children under 6 years old free.

HGS Course: Introduction to Logging While Drilling

Description:
The purpose of this course is to introduce geoscientists to logging while drilling (LWD). Geoscientists will understand the different ways that logs are measured while drilling as well as how to perform quality control. They will understand how LWD differs from wireline logging, what tools are best to run under which conditions, and see the different logging tools available from the different LWD companies. Topics will include data acquisition, LWD resistivity, sonic, and nuclear measurement tools, geosteering, environmental effects, and future technology. Some case studies may be presented.
LWD experts from several companies that specialize in formation evaluation while drilling will give the presentations. Four lecturers are currently scheduled to present:

Chris Bilby - Sperry Sun
Paul Boonen - Pathfinder LWD Services
William Carpenter - Schlumberger-Anadrill
Frank Hearn - Baker Hughes Inteq

Each company will have a display to showcase the different logging tools and types of LWD available as well as to answer additional questions.

HGS Course: Super Networking, 2nd Session

Description:
Ever needed a contact for information, advice, or job referral?
Most professionals build contact networks, but some are better at it than others. How do they do it?
This course provides information on effective networking using the phone, Internet, and day-to-day interactions and then reinforces the concepts with practice sessions. A systematic exploration of the three elements of successful

OCTOBER, 1999 HGS MEETINGS CALENDAR

Release Date: 1 October 1999

Source: 1999 HGS Website

October, 1999HGS Meetings

HGS Dinner Meeting
"New exploration plays for Edwards and Sligo Cretaceous margins: untested opportunities in onshore Texas"

Abstract:
We examine the petroleum potential in onshore Texas of the most prolific reservoirs found to date in the Gulf of Mexico Basin, Cretaceous carbonates, particularly the Edwards and Sligo Formations. Combining 2-D and 3-D seismic data with lithologic and biostratigraphic information enabled the generation of a detailed sequence stratigraphic framework that led to a concentrated effort in Lavaca County, a redefinition of the Edwards shelf margin, and confirmation of a major sequence boundary in the Sligo Formation. Extension of the favorable stratigraphy of the Edwards Formation beyond the commonly recognized margin presents abundant opportunities for future exploration in the Edwards. Our work also shows the Sligo Formation to be a well-defined aggradational margin that underwent a major period of exposure, resulting in deposition of a series of downslope debris wedges. To our knowledge, the deposits have not been drilled in the United States and present exciting exploratory possibilities.
Introduction
Our analysis of exploration concepts focused on the Early Cretaceous Edwards and Sligo margins in an area of east central Texas proximal to the San Marcos Arch (Figure 1a). The area was chosen for its structural configuration, which could potentially focus petroleum. Margins of the Edwards are coincident in a few areas but diverge repeatedly along the Sligo trend (Figure 1b). Although the Edwards margin is commonly mapped as coincident with that of the Sligo in the study area, our work clearly demonstrates that the margin actually progrades seaward (southeast) 3 or more miles (>5 km) beyond the Sligo margin.
An interpreted 2-D seismic line illustrates the architecture of the Cretaceous shelf and margin in the study area (Figure 2). Nine sequences occur in the interval from the Cotton Valley Formation to the top of the Edwards. The sequence boundary at the top of our Sequence 5 in the upper Sligo Formation is equivalent to the 112 MY sequence boundary of Goldhammer et al. (1991) and marks a key period of erosion and possible deposition of coarse debris downslope. The boundary between Sequences 6 (uppermost Sligo) and 7 (Pearsall) is interpreted to be a drowning unconformity. At the top of the Edwards, the Sequence 9 boundary coincides with the 98 MY sequence boundary of Goldhammer et al. (1991) and is interpreted to be a time of dissolution of coarse backreef grainstones.
The Edwards - An Underdrilled Opportunity
An arbitrary line through a 3-D seismic volume and a corresponding geologic cross-section show the progradational nature of the Edwards Formation (Figures 3, 4). Three wells are included (Figure 3): the Mobil Kahanek #1 (Bebout and Kupecz, 1985) is projected 13 miles (21 km) along depositional strike from Word Field, while the Chevron Coby #1 and Exxon Joe Zaruba #1 are on the arbitrary line. Sonic or density logs and synthetic seismic traces tied the wells to the seismic data. Four seismic reflectors, labeled 1-4, are interpreted as sequence boundaries from stratal geometries. Three Edwards sequences defined by the four boundaries occur within Sequence 9 on the 2-D seismic line (Figure 2).
Four key seismic reflectors in the Edwards Fm. (Figure 3) were used to assist in correlating the wells on the cross-section (Figure 4). Reflector 1 is a high-amplitude event downdip that diminishes in strength updip (Figure 3). It occurs at the top of a section of deeper water argillaceous wackestones (Upper Tamaulipas) and is equivalent to the sequence boundary '' at the top of Sequence 8 (Figure 2). Reflector 1 is immediately overlain by a prograding reef and bank complex of the Edwards margin as observed in cores from the Kahanek well and distal slope wackestones described from cuttings of the Coby well (Figure 4).
Reflector 2 (Figure 3) is a weak event that ties lagoonal packstone/grainstones in the Kahanek cores to a reef and bank complex in the Coby cuttings (Figure 4). We infer that this reflector ties to forereef and slope deposits in the Zaruba well.
Reflector 3 (Figure 3) ties backreef wackestone/packstones of the Kahanek cores to reef and backreef grainstones in the Coby cuttings (Figure 4). We interpret from the logs of the Zaruba well that a reef and minor forereef succession occur in the interval.
Reflector 4 (Figure 3) ties backreef deposits in the Kahanek well (inferred from logs and observed in the equivalent interval in other Word Field cores) to backreef packstone/wackestones in cuttings from the Coby well. The same deposits are correlated to reef and backreef grainstones in cores from the Zaruba well. Reflector 4 is equivalent to the sequence boundary at the top of Sequence 9 (Figure 2). Clearly, the top Edwards interval between reflectors 3 and 4 represents a progradational package that ultimately culminates seaward of the Zaruba well. Correlations on figures 3 and 4 delineate prospective grainstone packages 3 miles (4.8 km) or more seaward of the published Edwards margin.
The impact of our findings is considerable. We have defined a virtually unprospected area of the Edwards with significant potential for new gas reserves. The highly progradational nature of the Edwards margin places prospective backreef and reef grainstones well seaward of the recognized margin. Comparison of the 2-D seismic expression of Edwards Sequence 9 (Figure 2) with the three Edwards sequences identified on the 3-D data (Figure 3) allowed us to develop a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic framework that reveals the location of favorable facies. Combining these data with the likelihood that faulting (Figure 3) can create avenues for development of secondary porosity in the Edwards and charge the system with petroleum from deeper source rocks (Fritz et al., in press), it is evident that numerous opportunities for exploratory drilling exist. In Lavaca County alone, the new fairway of opportunity is over 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and 25 miles (40 km) long.
Sligo Forereef — An Untested Opportunity
A Sligo debris play is based on a sequence boundary recognized in the upper part of the Sligo in outcrops in Mexico (Goldhammer et al., 1991). We interpret the same sequence boundary on seismic data and recognize a wedge geometry downslope from the Sligo margin (Fritz et al., in press). Base-level change about the sequence boundary would have caused coarse carbonate debris- and grain-flow deposition seaward of the Sligo shelf margin. Data from analogous reservoirs confirm that downslope carbonates can retain reservoir-quality porosity, e.g., Poza Rica Field in east-central Mexico (Figure 1a) described by Enos (1985). Facies variation and slump-faulting on the foreslope create potential for trapping in proximity to deepwater carbonates, setting up a petroleum source and migration pathway.
Figure 5 is a 3-D seismic line illustrating the major sequence boundary in the Sligo margin. The same boundary is identified on 2-D (sequence boundary at top of Sequence 5, Figure 2) and 3-D seismic lines (Figure 3). Several events on the seaward side of the margin have onlap and downlap reflector terminations (Figure 5) and display the proper architecture for part of a downslope debris wedge in excess of 1000 ft (300 m) thick. The Sligo debris wedge (Figure 5) is also visible on the 2-D data (Figure 3; downslope portion of sequence 6).
Existence of a Sligo downslope wedge between the sequence b

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