June Reservoir 2015

#110, 333 – 5th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3B6

Tel: 403-264-5610

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Please visit our website for all tickets sales and event/course registrations Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm The CSPG Office is Closed the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month.

OFFICE CONTACTS

Membership Inquiries

Tel: 403-264-5610

Email: membership@cspg.org

Technical/Educational Events: Biljana Popovic

Tel: 403-513-1225 Email: biljana.popovic@cspg.org

Advertising Inquiries: Emma MacPherson

Tel: 403-513-1230 Email: emma.macpherson@cspg.org

Sponsorship Opportunities: Candace Seepersad

Tel: 403-513-1227 Email: candace.seepersad@cspg.org

Conference Inquiries: Candace Seepersad

Tel: 403-513-1227 Email: candace.seepersad@cspg.org

CSPG Educational Trust Fund: Kasandra Amaro

Tel: 403-513-1234 Email: kasandra.amaro@cspg.org

Accounting Inquiries: Eric Tang

Tel: 403-513-1232 Email: eric.tang@cspg.org

Executive Director: Lis Bjeld

Tel: 403-513-1235, Email: lis.bjeld@cspg.org

EDITORS/AUTHORS

Please submit RESERVOIR articles to the CSPG office. Submission deadline is the 23rd day of the month, two months prior to issue date. (e.g., January 23 for the March issue).

To publish an article, the CSPG requires digital copies of the document. Text should be in Microsoft Word format and illustrations should be in TIFF format at 300 dpi., at final size.

CSPG COORDINATING EDITOR

Emma MacPherson, Communications Coordinator, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists

Tel: 403-513-1230, emma.macpherson@cspg.org

The RESERVOIR is published 11 times per year by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. This includes a combined issue for the months of July and August. The purpose of the RESERVOIR is to publicize the Society’s many activities and to promote the geosciences. We look for both technical and non-technical material to publish. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the publisher. Additional copies of the RESERVOIR are available at the CSPG office.

No official endorsement or sponsorship by the CSPG is implied for any advertisement, insert, or article that appears in the Reservoir unless otherwise noted. All submitted materials are reviewed by the editor. We reserve the right to edit all submissions, including letters to the Editor. Submissions must include your name, address, and membership number (if applicable).The material contained in this publication is intended for informational use only.

While reasonable care has been taken, authors and the CSPG make no guarantees that any of the equations, schematics, or devices discussed will perform as expected or that they will give the desired results. Some information contained herein may be inaccurate or may vary from standard measurements. The CSPG expressly disclaims any and all liability for the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third-party user of information contained in this publication. Under no circumstances shall the CSPG and its officers, directors, employees, and agents be liable for any injury, loss, damage, or expense arising in any manner whatsoever from the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third-party user.

Designed and Printed by McAra Printing, Calgary, Alberta.

CSPG BOARD

PRESIDENT Tony Cadrin president@cspg.org Tel: 403.303.3493

PRESIDENT ELECT

Greg Lynch • Shell Canada Ltd presidentelect@cspg.org Tel: 403.384.7704

PAST PRESIDENT

Dale Leckie pastpresident@cspg.org

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Astrid Arts • Cenovus Energy directorfinance@cspg.org Tel: 403.766.5862

FINANCE DIRECTOR ELECT

Scott Leroux • Long Run Exploration directorfinanceelect@cspg.org Tel: 403.802.3775

DIRECTOR

Mark Caplan • Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. mcaplan@atha.com Tel: 403.975.7701

DIRECTOR

Milovan Fustic • Statoil Canada Ltd. publications@cspg.org Tel: 403.724.3307

DIRECTOR

Michael LaBerge • Channel Energy Inc. memberservices@cspg.org Tel: 403.301.3739

DIRECTOR

Ryan Lemiski • Nexen Energy ULC youngprofessionals@cspg.org Tel: 403.699.4413

DIRECTOR

Robert Mummery • Almandine Resources Inc. affiliates@cspg.org Tel: 403.651.4917

DIRECTOR

Darren Roblin • Kelt Exploration corprelations@cspg.org Tel: 587.233.0784

DIRECTOR

Jen Russel-Houston • Osum Oil Sands Corp. Jrussel-houston@osumcorp.com Tel: 403.270.4768

DIRECTOR

Eric Street • Jupiter Resources street@jupiterresources.com Tel: 587.747.2631

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lis Bjeld • CSPG lis.bjeld@cspg.org Tel: 403.513.1235

Message from the Board

A message from Greg Lynch, CSPG President-Elect

Planning in a Rapidly Changing Energy Landscape

“Stick to the plan”, we’ve all heard that one before. With vision, a roadmap, and dogged determination success will follow? Certainly history is full of great examples of goals attained through persistence, commitment to a plan, creativity, and proper execution, not the least of which are some great examples in oil & gas exploration. I do marvel at reading about some historical cases, but you only have to look at the last few years and what’s happening in our own backyard to realize that major shifts are occurring at an ever-increasing pace. Seemingly, the current lull in the economic state is only momentary; we are sitting somewhere in the infrastructure gap, caught between discovery, delineation of massive reserves, and our ability to do something with them. That will all change, and we will be needing geologists aplenty again when the time comes. In the mean time we can perhaps draw on some of the wisdom proffered by our network of CSPG Past-Presidents; recently at the March AGM of the CSEG, the crowd was addressed by CSPG and APEGA Past-President Colin Yeo who suggested that during downturns it is important to (1) stay current, (2) stay connected, and (3) stay positive. The inherent wisdom in this seems clear, but the point was also made that it is the professional societies to which we are a members that will help us stay current, connected, and positive within our careers. Actually, staying current is what we do here at the CSPG, its part of our mission. The myriad of publications, conferences, technical presentations and meetings bring you the latest. And some are free, such as CSPG Division lunch hour talks, covering a whole range of specialized fields; the attendance at these meetings has been excellent lately and the quality of the presentations has been world class, not to be missed. Important contacts can be made through all CSPG activities, anywhere

people meet, whether at designated networking and social events such as Mixed Golf or Squash tournament, or on the technical side networking happens when hundreds meet at CSPG Technical Luncheons, or when thousands gather at Geoconvention. Positive, well maybe you’re a bit more on your own with that one, but chances are that if you’re meeting people and learning, things will be brighter. Also, volunteering at CSPG is another good way to stay in the mix – maybe the pay’s not great, however the in-kind benefits can be huge, so check-out the possibilities through the CSPG office and website.

Of course it is essential for complex organizations to have a sound business plan and a longer term strategic plan in place. According to one famous oil-man (T. Boone Pickens) “A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius with no plan any day”. However sticking to the plan is only good in so much as the plan is solid and the context is stable. In the modern setting where rapid change is the norm, a common, possibly misguided pattern features a meticulous planning period in the fall, followed by changing conditions and unforeseen circumstances early in the new year, culminating with the shredding of the business plan by Q2. In response a new direction is then mappedout through “change management” and “adaptive strategy”, or what most of us refer to as “Plan B”. In any case plans and strategies are now seen as malleable business tools that need continuous upkeep, static fixed plans are a thing of the past, out of necessity. Here, at the CSPG it is the role of the incoming President-Elect to bring together board members in the early fall for a planning session, which will set the agenda for the new year. All of the groundwork and consultation leading up to that point begin in the months before.

(... Continued on page 7)

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Major changes are afoot within the CSPG, involving decentralization of the annual convention as well as outreach programs, opening the doors to focus on other core program items which can be raised to higher standards. We can do better in many areas, and with a clear vision, flexible strategic plan and commitment from both staff and volunteers great things can be achieved, despite the tumultuous external factors.

In making plans it’s also important to understand who we are. To this effect, in a nutshell, the elevator-pitch might go something like this: “The CSPG is a non-profit national organization which promotes the advancement of petroleum geology through its professional members.

The Society is largely a volunteer run organization supported by a small staff headquartered in Calgary. The Society was formed in 1927 and presently has in excess of 3300 members. Core activities include running major conferences each year, publishing technical journals, organizing technical luncheons and Division meetings, as well as providing networking and social gathering opportunities. CSPG uses an ever expanding variety of digital communication tools and databases to support its Mission.” If you then happen to be going up a few more floors, you might have time to add the following: “Activities of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists are of critical importance to Canadians, the

geological sciences, and to the earth science professions across Canada. The petroleum industry is a cornerstone of the Canadian economy, and the effectiveness of this sector is greatly impacted by members of the Society and how they perform. To this end the CSPG has long provided a nucleus helping members do their jobs better, attain expert levels of knowledge, and become world leaders in their disciplines.” Anyhow, these are axioms that I believe most of our members can abide by, with the CSPG’s track record of delivering a well established and evolving program enabling advancement of the science while providing value to its members. The challenge ahead resides in making wise choices of how to mold and adapt that program in a rapidly changing energy world, where the economic regime cycles through its up-and-downs, and the next technological or scientific paradigm shift has not been revealed. So, as the saying goes change is constant, and the task at hand for the CSPG Board is to generate a plan that can adapt to change, and be continually renewed to maintain the CSPG as an effective and relevant society where members can grow with the future. The CSPG Strategic Plan 2020 will be unveiled this fall.

TRACKS AWARD

Kyla Poelzer

Kyla Poelzer has been a CSPG member for almost 10 years. She started as a student member and was later introduced to the industry through the CSPG Educational Trust Fund’s “100 Jobs Initiative”. Kyla started her volunteering with CSPG through the Kids

In Science Program which later evolved into Earth Science for Society; she was also part of the Honorary Address committee for two years. Kyla was then introduced to the CSPG Foundation (when it was known as the Educational Trust Fund) in 2011 by Claus Sitzler who was a trustee at the time.

Kyla has shown an outstanding commitment and dedication to the Foundation over the last five years and most notably since becoming Vice Chair last August. She has initiated many of the projects that have made the Foundation stronger, more focused and more effective. These initiatives include consulting with a fundraising consultant to help formulate strategy and tactics to increase donation levels, initiating a strategic planning session for the Board, initiating a review of board governance, creating a roles and responsibilities document for trustees, driving the Mission and Vision to conclusion, acting as a liaison between the Foundation and the CSPG Board of Directors, initiating the restructuring of the Foundation Board, identifying the need for positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Council, interviewing

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

and recruiting a Treasurer and initiating and drafting a brochure for the Foundation.

Kyla was involved in just about every aspect of the Foundation in 2014, willing to share her views openly and positively. She was tireless in her efforts on strategy, finance, and general administrative duties. Her attention to detail, particularly administrative and financial, is remarkable. Kyla always shouldered additional work without complaint and her initiative and energy are as strong as her ability to collaborate with key stakeholders (both past trustees and current members, trustees and CSPG directors). Kyla has set the bar very high for herself, and as a consequence has raised the standards of all of the other trustees she serves with.

The picturesque Sheep Falls west of Turner Valley in Kananaskis Country, the Sheep River falls over the Cardium formation. The Cardium here is flaggy weathering sandstone in a shallow marine storm dominated Cretaceous seaway.

BIOGENIC GAS ACCUMULATIONS IN CANADA AND CHINA: GEOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND NEW INSIGHTS

An Introduction to the New Special Issue of the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology

| By Zhuoheng Chen | Geological Survey of Canada, Shuichang Zhang | Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry China National Petroleum Corporation, Stephen E. Grasby | Geological Survey of Canada, Yanhua Shuai | Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry China National Petroleum Corporation

Biogenic gas fields in Canada and China: Characterizations and new insights

of CANADIAN PETROLEUM GEOLOGY

Volume editors: Z. Chen and S. Grasby

Generation of biogenic gas occurs under environmental conditions different from those of thermogenic gas (Rice and Claypool, 1981; Whiticar et al. 1986; Shurr et al., 2003).

Microbial activity takes place at shallow depth

ISSN

in a semi-open system where sediments are not fully compacted, seal integrity is not well developed, and accumulation and leakage of microbial gas are competing processes. Thus the formation of a commercial biogenic gas

field needs both sufficient microbial activity to maintain gas supply and an efficient entrapment mechanism to minimize gas leakage. This depends on not only the temperature and other microbial growth conditions, but also on the characteristics and internal architecture of both source and reservoir strata.A better understanding of the essential controls and optimal conditions for critical microbial activity, and for the efficient entrapment of gas generated, is important to successful exploration for biogenic resources.

The Special Issue of the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology contains nine thematic research articles on microbial gas resources and their characteristics in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and selected Chinese basins. The nine articles are based on the results and findings from a comparative study of shallow biogenic gas resources in Canadian and Chinese basins conducted under a collaborative research agreement between PetroChina and the Geological Survey of Canada during 2010–2013.

The agreement provided a unique opportunity to study shallow biogenic gas fields with different origins and characteristics in the two countries.The primary objective of the project is to better understand the critical geological controls on biogenically derived natural gas resources in shallow strata and their resource potential. The characteristics of the biogenic gas fields and available data for describing and quantifying the biogenic gas fields in the two countries are complimentary. The long production history and large amount of public data make the Southeastern Alberta Gas Field (SAGF) a unique and well documented case for defining essential elements of a biogenic gas accumulation and characterizing the production of low permeability reservoirs.

With an early biogenic gas generation in the Upper Cretaceous succession, the SAFG provides an excellent example for studying

(... Continued on page 12

the critical elements of efficient entrapment and preservation of ancient microbial gas systems. In contrast, thanks to a granted access to industrial data and a large volume of public literature, the Sanhu Sag Quaternary biogenic gas fields in the Qaidam Basin of northwestern China provide a unique case for studying a currently active microbial gas generation system. This permits an evaluation of hypotheses concerning microbial generation and accumulation dynamics for biogenic gas systems using modern microbiological techniques.

The nine research articles in this special issue cover various aspects of geological, geochemical and geophysical characterizations of the biogenic gas fields in the two countries. New insights revealed by this study include unique features of the reservoir and source rock, possible additional lateral trapping mechanisms, and architectural characteristics of the source and reservoir rocks. This special issue will be beneficial to professionals and researchers who work in the field of biogenic gas resource exploration and production. The new findings and ideas from this study may shed light on future exploration for similar microbial gas fields in existing basins and elsewhere.

Overview of the Contributions

Three research articles in this special issue are on the characteristics of natural gas resources in Canada with microbial origins. Chen et al. (2015b) reports that the previous resource assessments may have severely underestimated the natural gas resource potential in the Upper Cretaceous succession of the southeast Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan because those assessments have been based on methods designed for discrete conventional accumulations. Revealed by tens of thousands of production wells drilled during the past 100 years, the giant biogenic gas field appears to be of unconventional characteristics with mixed reservoirs and varying resource density spatially.

By treating the field as a geographically continuous but stratigraphically discrete set of unconventional accumulations, the authors used a production performance-based method to assess the natural gas resource potential in the field. The new assessment suggests a much greater resource potential within the Upper Cretaceous succession. The remaining technically recoverable biogenic gas resource ranges from 14.9 to 58.0 TCF (P90 to P10) with an expected remaining of 34.8 TCF.

Huang (2015) presents geochemical evidence for the microbial origin of natural gases associated with the oilsands and heavy oil deposits in the Western Canada Sedimentary

Basin and discusses the key geological controls and general characteristics of this type of gas accumulation. It is shown that paleo-temperature appears to be the primary factor controlling the lateral variation of the biodegradation regimes and water-leg size is a critical local control on the vertical variations of biodegradation degree and physical properties of the oilsands and heavy oil deposits in WCSB.

Although the total amount of secondary methane associated with the biodegradation is very large (close to 5000 TCF in place), only approximately 24 TCF (in place) were preserved as gas accumulations and the vast majority of the methane generated during biodegradation has migrated into the overburden, dissolved in formation water, or escaped into the atmosphere. By examining the critical geological elements of the giant microbial gas accumulations of SAGF, and by comparisons with the largest biogenic gas fields in the Quaternary successions of the Sanhu area in the Qaidam Basin, NW China, Chen et al. (2015a) finds that giant biogenic gas fields occur in mudstone-dominated stratigraphic successions, in which thin siltstone and finegrained sandstone reservoirs are interbedded with or encased in organic-rich mudstone beds (source rock), and form self-sourced and self-contained systems.

This type of system is inferred to be highly efficient for microbial gas accumulation although cap rock integrity is low.The vertically stacked multiple thin sandstone/siltstone units serve as reservoir by providing an efficient storage mechanism to accommodate weak top and lateral seals. Low relief structural traps and lithological variations that form lateral seals by relative permeability barriers provide efficient trapping mechanisms for gas accumulation within this type of system.

The other six research articles focus on biogenic gas fields in China. Zhang and Shuai (2015) provide a review of the geochemistry and distribution characteristics of the known biogenic gas accumulations in China. Two types of biogenic gas accumulations are recognized: a) primary biogenic gas composed of predominantly methane and generated directly from organic matter in the sediments through microbial processes (mostly through CO2 reduction); and b) secondary biogenic gas (methane plus heavier hydrocarbon gases) generated by biogenic degradation of existing oil accumulations at shallow depth commonly associated with fresh water infiltration.

This paper discusses differences and similarities of primary and secondary biogenic gas accumulations in China. In addition to well-known compositional and isotopic differences, the authors found that: a) thin or

lenticular reservoir beds and lack of lateral continuities are common features of these biogenic gas accumulations in China; and b) a mixture of type II and III kerogens or the presence of coal measures are also common characteristics of primary biogenic gas accumulations source rocks.

The study by Li et al. (2015) suggests that grain size and permeability of the biogenic gas host strata, as a function of their depositional environment and diagenesis, may play an important role in primary biogenic gas generation. Small pore throat and low permeability diminish space availability, impede meteoric water circulation, limit nutrient transport, and thus restrict bacterial movement and activity. Based on these considerations, it was therefore inferred that in the Songliao Basin, biogenic gas generation in the immature source rock is restricted to near surface strata. Elsewhere in the same stratigraphic succession, methanogenesis is suggested to have ceased due to reduced pore throat and permeability, thus resulting in significantly reduced potential for biogenic gas in this basin.

The article by Shuai et al. (2015b) discusses the geochemical characteristics of biogenic gas, and the relationship between biogenic gas generation and formation water geochemistry in the Sanhu Sag of Qaidam Basin. Data analysis indicates that microbial activity and biogenic methane generation rates are highest where formation waters are the least saline. Based on estimated age of the infiltrated meteoric waters, the authors deduced that most of the present biogenic gas was generated after the onset of the regional meteoric water infiltration during the latest major tectonic episode in the basin.

Depending on the characteristics of background geological setting, gas accumulations at shallow depths may come from different sources with various origins. Shuai et al. (2015a) shows examples with supporting evidence of secondary biogenic gas mixed with thermogenic gas from deeper hydrocarbon accumulations in areas with deep-seated regional faults in the Baise Basin of southern China. In contrast, in less faulted western slope of the same basin, methane in the shallow gas pools is predominantly of secondary biogenic gas that originated from biodegradation of oil accumulations in deeper traps. Hu et al. (2015) finds the presence of low molecular weight hydrocarbons (C6–C7 LMWHs) in gas samples from three giant gas fields in the Qaidam Basin.

The C6-C7 cycloalkanes in samples from the Tainan and Sebei 2 gas fields are interpreted to be generated by catalysis at low temperature; whereas the isoalkane components in the

gas samples from Sebei 1 gas field is believed to be of bacterial origin. The catalysis origin of the C6-C7 cycloalkanes is contrary to a commonly accepted interpretation of thermogenic origin from thermally mature source rocks. Although the authors cannot rule out the possibility of thermogenic origin, it provides an alternative interpretation for the origin of cycloalkanes of C6-C7 LMWHs.

Previous studies suggested that it is challenging to identify gas-bearing intervals from seismic data using parameters such as impedance, Poisson’s ratio and porosity in shallow unconsolidated Quaternary sediments, such as those in the Sanhu area of the Qaidam Basin. Liu et al. (2015) has presented a workflow for quantitative seismic interpretations of biogenic gas accumulations through a constrained seismic inversion that integrates petrophysical data, geological knowledge and seismic attributes by using the Constrained Simultaneous Inversion (C-SI) and Bayesian-based Support Vector Machine (B-SVM).

The case study has demonstrated that the proposed workflow may provide useful information for quantifying the gas bearing zones at shallow depths, and the petroleum pore-volume parameter could be a better predictive reservoir property for quantitative seismic interpretation.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank PetroChina for allowing publication of the results from the project of collaborative research agreement and Natural Resource Canada through the Geosciences for New Energy Supply Program for support of additional efforts on organizing and preparation of the contributions in this special issue. We thank all the manuscript reviewers for their efforts and valuable comments and suggestions, and editor in chief Dr. D. Morrow for his help, support and editorial work. We thank our internal reviewer Dr. C. Jiang of the Geological Survey of Canada for his helpful comments for the improvement of this introduction. This is ESS contribution 20140578 and PetroChina Project (2008A-0608).

References

Chen, Z., Shuai,Y., Osadetz, G. K., Hamblin, T. and Grasby, S. (2015a, this issue). Comparison of microbial gas fields in Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and Qaidam Basin: implications for essential geological controls on large microbial gas accumulations. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Chen, Z., Shuai, Y. and Wang, Z. (2015b, this issue). A reassessment of gas resources in selected Upper Cretaceous biogenic gas accumulations in southeastern Alberta and

southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Hu, G., Li, J. and Hu S. (2015, this issue). The origin of low molecular weight hydrocarbons associated with the biogenic gas from the eastern depression in Qaidam Basin, China. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Huang, H. (2015, this issue). Recognition and sources of secondary biogenic gases in the oil sand areas, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Li, N., Feng, Z., Huang, H., Wang, X. and Dong, Z. (2015, this issue). Lithological and diagenetic restrictions on biogenic gas generation in Songliao Basin inferred from grain size distribution and permeability measurement. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Liu, Y., Chen, Z., Wang, L., Zhang Y., Liu, Z and Shuai, Y. (2015, this issue). Quantitative seismic interpretations to detect biogenic gas accumulations: a case study from Qaidam Basin, China. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Rice, D.D. and Claypool, G.E. 1981, Generation, accumulation, and resource potential of biogenic gas. AAPG Bulletin, v. 65, p. 5–25.

Shuai, Y., Peng, P., Zou, Y, Zhang, S. and Huang, L. (2015a, this issue). Geochemical Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of

Shallow Gas in the Baise Basin, Southern China. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Shuai, Y., Zhang, S., Ma, D., Wang, L., Jiang, G., Xu, Z. Huang, L. and Xu, Y. (2015b, this issue). Quaternary Biogenic Gases in the Qaidam Basin, Western China. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Shurr, G.W. and Ridgley, J. L. 2002. Unconventional shallow biogenic gas systems. AAPG Bulletin, v. 86, p. 1939–1969.

Whiticar, M.J., Faber, E. and Schoell, M. 1986. Biogenic methane formation in marine and freshwater environments: CO2 reduction vs. acetate fermentation; isotope evidence. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 50, p. 693–709.

Zhang, S. and Shuai, Y. (2015, this issue). Geochemistry and distribution of

ISSUE CONTENTS

Introduction: Biogenic gas accumulations in Canada and China: geological characteristics and new insights

Z. Chen, S. Zhang, S.E. Grasby and Y. Shuai

A reassessment of gas resources in selected Upper Cretaceous biogenic gas accumulations in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada

Z. Chen, Y. Shuai and N. Wang

Recognition and sources of secondary biogenic gases in the oil sand areas, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

H. Huang

Comparison of biogenic gas fields in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and Qaidam Basin: implications for essential geological controls on large microbial gas accumulations

Z. Chen, Y. Shuai, K. Osadetz, T. Hamblin and S. Grasby

Geochemistry and distribution of biogenic gas in China

S. Zhang and Y. Shuai

Lithological and diagenetic restrictions on biogenic gas generation in Songliao Basin inferred from grain size distribution and permeability measurement

N. Li, Z. Feng, H. Huang, X. Wang and Z. Dong

Quaternary biogenic gases in the Qaidam Basin, Western China

Y. Shuai, S. Zhang, D. Ma, L. Wang, G. Jiang, Z. Xu, L. Huang and Y. Xu

Geochemistry and origin of shallow gas in the Baise Basin, southern China

Y. Shuai, P. Peng, Y. Zou, S. Zhang and L. Huang

The origin of low molecular weight hydrocarbons associated with biogenic gas from the Eastern Depression in Qaidam Basin, China

G. Hu, J. Li and S. Hu

Quantitative seismic interpretations to detect biogenic gas accumulations: a case study from Qaidam Basin, China

Y. Liu, Z. Chen, L. Wang, Y. Zhang, Z. Liu and Y. Shuai

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CONTINUING EDUCATION

Upcoming CSPG Field

Seminars

The Athabasca Oil Sands Area from Basin to Molecular Scale – 4D Observations from Inside the Reservoir

June 16

INSTRUCTORS Rudy Strobl, Milovan Fustic & Daryl Wightman PDH Credits 17 Hours

Topic(s): Oil Sands, McMurray Formation

Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta

Vehicle(s) Used: Field vehicles and jet boat

Who Should Attend: This course is recommended for geologists, geophysicists, geomodelers, reservoir and production engineers and technical managers who wish to gain insight into in -situ oil sands operations.

Why Should You Attend: Developing a 3D view of representative oil sands deposits, understanding the impact of reservoir heterogeneity on steam chamber growth and identifying challenges with associated production are important considerations for developing optima l recovery strategies?

Pre-requisites: It is recommended that participants attend the associated short course SAGD Fundamentals.

Objectives: This two day field study focuses on integrating SAGD fundamentals with reservoir characterization of the McMurray Formation.

Course Content:

Stops include outstanding 2D to 3D exposures illustrating a range of depositional environments including open estuarine, larg e scale single and stacked channel point bar deposits, multiple cut and fill channel deposits; a variety of IHS deposits; different reservoir co nfigurations including continuous, and laterally and vertically compartmentalized reservoirs as well presence and/or absence of bottom water, top ga s, top water and multiple gas and/or lean zones throughout the reservoir column.

At each stop participants will discuss risks for SAGD development and group exercises will define SAGD top and base and optim al well pair placement. Applicability and limitations of a variety of tools for subsurface interpretation and mapping will be demonstrated with a focus on geophysical logs, dipmeter, FMI, seismic, and geochemical logs. Additionally, at most stops outcrop exposures will be compare d to nearby well data. At each stop leaders will identify an existing production analog and analyse public production data in context of SAGD risks.

Additional Information:

Lunches and a group dinner are provided. Participants are responsible for their own flights and paying for their hotel room f or 2 nights in Fort McMurray. A block of rooms at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Center, has been put aside under the name CSPG for the nights o f June 15th and 16th with discounted rates. When booking return flights on June 17th, please book them for after 6:00 PM to ensure enough tim e to finish the second day activities. Please be prepared for variable weather conditions, hiking on steep slopes and wearing appropriate fi eld clothing with sturdy hiking boots. An evening seminar on the first evening, beginning at 7:30 PM at the hotel provides an opportunity for a field safety briefing, video coverage of outcrops that will be visited, recap of SAGD fundamentals and a venue for questions and discussion.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18th

SPEAKERS:

DOORS OPEN: 4:30 PM

APPETIZERS/CASH BAR: 5:00 PM EVENT: 6:00 PM

ARTS COMMON

205 - 8th Avenue SE Calgary AB

Adults: $25.00 Students: $10.00 Children (12 & under) FREE www.cspg.org

MEDAL OF MERIT AWARD

Best Paper Related to Canadian Petroleum Geology

As specified in CSPG bylaws the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Medal of Merit is awarded annually for the “best paper related to Canadian petroleum geology” published during the previous publication year, in this case for peer reviewed papers published in 2013.The medal is important recognition of excellence in Canadian petroleum geoscience research and writing and has been awarded since 1952. The paper chosen this year was written by Jennifer Adams, Steve Larter, Barry Bennett, Haiping Huang, Joseph Westrich, and Cor van Kruijsdijk and is entitled “The dynamic interplay of oil mixing, charge timing, and biodegradation in forming the Alberta Oil Sands: Insights from geologic modeling and biogeochemistry”. The paper was published in AAPG Studies in Geology 64, “Heavy-oil and oil-sand petroleum systems in Alberta and beyond” edited by F.J. Hein, D. Leckie, S. Larter, and J.R. Suter, pages 23-102.

This paper describes a regional case study of the Peace River Arch area to delineate the contribution of oils from different source rocks and the impact of in-reservoir biodegradation on these oils. Geochemistry of the oils was mapped using pre-existing public data and new analyses of of produced oils and core samples from the Bluesky, Gething, Pekisko and Debolt Formations as well as various Triassic units. Greater than 150 new oils were collected.The study shows that oil fields in the Peace River Arch area show substantial and complex mixing of oils derived from the Jurassic Gordondale Member and from the Devonian to Carboniferous Exshaw Formation and to a lesser extent oils derived from the Devonian Duvernay Formation. Mixing is locally facilitated by faulting, thinning of seal facies above source rocks, and pinching out of migration pathways. The geochemistry of the Peace River oil sands bitumen shows oil charge from the Jurassic Gordondale Member in the west along the Montney and Gething Formations, mixing with vertical charge from the Exshaw Formation east of the Debolt Formation anhydrite facies pinchout. Significantly, the Peace River oil sands fields that contain substantial Gordondale Member sourced oil are able to be cold produced, but the oils which are dominantly sourced from the Exshaw Formation are too highly degraded for cold production.

This work is an important contribution as it provides new data and interpretation of a complex multiple source system and is an excellent example of complex mixing. This paper illustrates the strategic and economic

benefits which can come from detailed regional scale geochemical sampling and analysis carefully integrated with geologic and stratigraphic controls. In addition, the paper is very well documented and illustrated, and effectively integrates data from multiple sources.

Biographies and Photos

Jennifer Adams earned a BSc in Geology from the University of Waterloo, an MSc in Hydrogeology from the University of Alberta, and a PhD in Organic Geochemistry from the University of Calgary. Since 2009 Jennifer has worked with ConocoPhillips in Houston, first performing reservoir and exploration scale geochemistry and basin modeling worldwide and is currently the Permian Basin Exploration Manager. Jennifer worked previously with the Alberta Geological Survey and with Gushor Inc.

Steve Larter is Canada Research Chair and Professor of Petroleum Geology at the University of Calgary, Department of Geoscience and the Scientific Director of Carbon Management Canada Inc., supporting Canada’s academic research in the area of decarbonising the fossil fuel supply chain.

Steve’s research has focussed on organic and petroleum geochemistry and more

recently on studies of the deep subsurface biosphere, as well as on new technologies for reduced emission energy recovery from oil and gas fields and for capturing and sequestering carbon at large scale. More recently, Steve is studying the chemical basis of corrosion and large scale innovation processes. Steve cofounded Gushor Inc. (now part of Schlumberger), a reservoir fluid characterization and technology spinoff company that specializes in oil sands and heavy oil recovery technologies in 2006, Profero Energy Inc, a petroleum biotechnology company in 2008 and Aphorist Inc., a mass spectrometry company in 2012. Steve is a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), a Fellow of the Geological Society (FGS) and a Foreign Member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Arts (DNVA). Steve has been awarded numerous academic and civil awards.

Barry Bennett received a BSc in Geology from the University of Aston in Birmingham, an MSc in Organic Petrology and Organic Geochemistry from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and in 1991 a PhD in Organic Geochemistry from the University of Bristol. He has 28 years research experience in petroleum geology, geochemistry and analytical chemistry. Barry was formerly the Director of Geoscience and Technology at Gushor Inc. until the company was acquired by Schlumberger and is currently the Schlumberger Geochemistry Global Domain Champion. Barry is a member of APEGA and is an associate editor of the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology and the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.

Haiping Huang obtained his MSc in Petroleum Geology from China University of Geosciences and his PhD in Petroleum Geochemistry from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Haiping is an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary and a professor at China University of Geosciences. His research interests focus on the geological origin of unconventional resources including heavy oil, oil sands, shale oil and shale gas and using geochemical tools to facilitate the unconventional resource development.

Joseph Westrich is the team leader for Subsurface Emerging Technologies in Shell research, and he is the Principle Technical Expert for Production Geochemistry. Joe received his PhD in Geochemistry from Yale University, and after working for Getty Oil for 2 years, he joined Shell Research in Houston in 1984. For the next 14 years, he worked on a wide range of exploration and production research topics, with a focus on integration and the development of multi-disciplinary technology solutions. Starting in 1998, Joe worked overseas for 12 years (stationed in Rijswijk and Calgary) in a number of research and business support assignments. He moved back to Houston in 2010 to join Shell’s new Emerging Technologies organization.

Cor van Kruijsdijk is the technology and reservoir engineering adviser in the Enhanced Oil Recovery group in Shell Innovation R&D, located in the Netherlands. In addition in Shell he is a Principal Science Expert in physics as well as a (part-time) full professor in reservoir engineering at Delft University.

As a native of the Netherlands, Cor was trained as an atomic physicist and joined

Shell E&P Research in the Netherlands in 1985. There he worked in recovery processes for conventional oil and gas. In 1989 he was transferred to Shell Canada’s E&P laboratory in Calgary where he worked on various reservoir engineering topics. In 1993 Cor was appointed to the chair in Reservoir Engineering in Delft University in the Netherlands, a position he held for 12 years. Here his main field of interest was “Smart Fields” technology, developing recovery methods that were based on a measurementand-control paradigm. In 2005 Cor re-joined Shell and soon was transferred to Shell Canada’s laboratory in Calgary as a research consultant for in situ recovery of (extra) heavy oils. During his time there he also was an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary.

(Ian Kirkland, on behalf of the CSPG Medal of Merit Committee, February 9, 2015)

LINK AWARD Best Presentation – Technical Luncheon Series

The CSPG Link Award committee has been evaluating technical presentations at society luncheons since 1958. The mandate of the committee is to select the best oral presentation from each program year. Previous

recipients of the award and the geotechnical subjects presented serve as a history of Canadian petroleum geology since the days of Leduc, including many famous geologists and their discoveries. Additionally, the Link Award recipient has the option of participating in the CSPG Outreach program which organizes a speaking tour of Canadian universities.

The Link Award committee has selected Dr. Allard W. Martinius as the winner of the 2013-2014 Link Award for his November 5, 2013 presentation, “Holocene Sediments of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt estuaries as aids to interpret tidal and fluvial-tidal deposits in outcrop and core”.

Dr.Allard Martinius is a clastic sedimentologist specializing in fluvial and shallow marine sedimentology and stratigraphy, faunasubstrate relationships and static & dynamic reservoir characterization for hydrocarbon production. He received his MSc from Utrecht University in 1988 and a PhD from Delft University of Technology in 1995. He is employed by Statoil and has mostly been employed in the research centre in Trondheim

(Norway) with four years in the technology implementation centre (both production as well as exploration) and five years (combined) in extra heavy oil production expatriated to Venezuela and Canada. Currently, Dr. Martinius holds the position of Discipline Advisor - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy at Statoil field development and production worldwide.

Leduc #1 on February 13, 1947.

Photo courtesy of Glenbow Museum and Archives

PLAYMAKER FORUM 2015

The inaugural CSPG/AAPG Playmaker Forum was held at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary on March 31, 2015 and was very well received by the attendees. The forum consisted of eleven speakers, each of whom were provided with 35 minutes to speak on topics that included, exploration creativity, professionalism, unconventional exploration workflows, emerging plays and discovery thinking case histories.

The concept of the Playmaker Forum is simple, to focus on the both the commercial

and scientific/technical elements that are required to successfully move a play from an idea, to a prospect and ultimately to discovery.

Our thanks to the sponsors; CNOOCNexen, Paramount Resources, Nalcor Energy,APEGA, and Mundiregina Resources whose support helped us to bring our keynote speakers and provide our AV requirements, all greatly appreciated by the organizing committee.

We would also like to thank the CSPG staff, in particular, Candace Seepersad for her work

on logistics, Emma MacPherson for capturing the webcasts and Kasandra Amaro and Lis Bjeldv for all of their help organizing the Forum.

We are currently developing the program for the next Playmaker Forum in Q2, 2016. If you have ideas, views, comment or a wilingness to volunteer to help, please let us know.

John Hogg - Chair

Marty Hewitt

Dave Dolph

Bill Haskett

GO TAKE A HIKE

Wood Buffalo National Park: Peace Point, Fort Vermilion and Slave Point Formations

| By Chris L. Schneider and Andres Altosaar

Peace Point in Wood Buffalo National Park is an excellent location to observe an outcrop of the Nyarling Formation gypsum underlying the intertidal and brecciated Slave Point Formation. These strata outcrop intermittently along the Peace River upstream and downstream of Peace Point for a total of approximately 22 km.

Outcrops were described and analyzed in detail by Norris and Uyeno (1983) and Park and Jones (1985), but interest in the “gypsum cliffs” has been long and great. Early explorers of the river noted the gypsum and limestone. An increase in the use of gypsum before 1930 led to exploration of these outcrops as a potential source, with Camsell (1917) estimating a large, minable volume of nearly 200 million metric tons and Cameron (1930) reporting nearly 97% purity in gypsum samples. Both Camsell and Cameron, and later, Govett (1961) emphasized that subsurface mining to the south would be more economically feasible than surface mining and transport from the Peace River. The establishment of Wood Buffalo National Park in 1922 restricted resource exploitation within park boundaries, but outcrops along Peace River have served as a proxy for understanding subsurface evaporites and the effects of evaporite-related karst.

Anhydrite hydration and expansion, and later, gypsum dissolution resulted in karst and deformation of Devonian strata. Minimally three episodes of karst can be observed in the outcrops: syn-depositional karst during the early stages of Slave Point deposition, post-Slave Point karst resulting in the filling of paleosinkholes with Waterways Formation shale and Cretaceous sand (observed in outcrops to the west of Peace Point), and modern sinkholes dispersed across the landscape where the Nyarling Formation is near the surface. Karst history and brecciation has been described by Norris (1963), Norris and Uyeno (1983), and Park and Jones (1985).

Many of the outcrops contain folded strata and, less commonly, small faults. Norris (1963) and Norris and Uyeno (1983) mapped the structure of outcrops along the river. Folds are best observed along the south bank of the Peace River opposite Peace Point, or upstream by boat or helicopter.

Trailhead: At the end of Pine Lake Road, a well-maintained gravel road, where it meets the Peace River. Park near the trail head at the river, but stay away from the helicopter refueling area, in case a helicopter needs to land.

Distance: Approximately 1 km along the riverbank.

Elevation Loss: Zero; essentially flat, except for scrambling up occasional talus to observe the outcrop closely.

Figure 2: An outcrop along the Peace River. 1. Nyarling Formation; 2. Slave Point Formation; 3. till; 4. fluvial sediment.

Figure 3 (above): Folds in the Nyarling Formation gypsum and Slave Point Formation dolostone. Note that the dolostone is not as tightly folded as the gypsum.

Figure 4 (left): Photo of the Peace Point outcrop, facing west.

Figure 1: Map of the trailhead.

Outcrops along the Peace River contain collectively the Nyarling, Slave Point, and Waterways formations. The unconformable relationship between the Nyarling and Slave Point formations can be observed at several outcrops near Peace Point. Outcrops to the west display the angular relationship between karsted Slave Point strata and karst-filling Waterways strata.

The Nyarling Formation contains Muskeg through Fort Vermilion formation strata. Because subsurface geology has not been cored in the park, and because the siliciclastic Watt Mountain Formation has not yet been found in outcrop along the Peace River, the two evaporite formations were combined into the Nyarling Formation. This formation name remains useful when the two anhydritic and gypsiferous formations cannot be separated.

The earliest description of the gypsum along Peace River is by Macoun (1877), which is of 3 to 5 metres of gypsum “as clear and white as snow.” Nyarling strata vary between laminated, crenulated, “chicken-wire,” nodular, and chaotic. Because the subsurface history of the formation have included alteration to anhydrite, structures are not necessarily primary. Camsell (1917) observed thin beds of satin spar, selenite, and dolostone. Cameron (1930) noted the highly variable nature of the rock between and within outcrops. The texture varies between dense and hard to coarse but soft and saccharoidal, as described in Norris and Uyeno (1983).

The Slave Point Formation in the Peace River outcrops is a beige to brown, often laminated dolostone of intertidal origin. Laminae often have cryptalgal to stromatolitic textures. Park and Jones (1985) reported dessication cracks and low-angle crossbeds, and suggested these features as evidence for subaerial exposure early in the depositional history of the Slave Point Formation. Perhaps the most striking feature is the near-pervasive brecciation of the carbonate strata at some outcrops, or within zones of a single outcrop. Even in early descriptions, brecciation was attributed to the expansion and dissolution of evaporite minerals during hydration (Camsell, 1917).

Upstream, lower Waterways Formation (Firebag Member-equivalent) green-grey shale and limestone fills paleo-sinkholes in the Slave Point Formation. Norris’s (1963) report named the shale as the “Peace Point Member,” but similarities between the faunas and lithology at these outcrops and those of the Athabasca Oil Sands mining region support the assignment of the strata in the Firebag Member. At some places, the shale contains abundant brachiopods, with conspicuous Independatrypa (Desquamatia) sp. Norris (1963) also reported an unusual occurrence of stromatoporoids in thin limestone beds within the Waterways shale. Placoderm plates have also been recovered from the Waterways shale at an island upstream from Peace Point.

5: Cartoon of the Slave Point – Nyarling – Waterways relationships. 1. Nyarling Formation gypsum, structure not shown. 2. Original bedding of the Slave Point Formation. 3. Folds in the Slave Point Formation. 4. Breccia in the Slave Point Formation. 5.Waterways Formation shale fills a paleo-sinkhole in the Slave Point Formation.

Figure 8 (above, right): Breccia within the Slave Point Formation at Peace Point.

Figure 9: The angular relationship between tilted Slave Point strata below and nearly horizontal Waterways shale and limestone within a paleo-sinkhole at an outcrop upstream of Peace Point.vv

Figure 7 (above, left): Small caves and recesses are infrequent but conspicuous in the Nyarling Formation gypsum.

Figure 6: A tight chevron anticline on the south bank of the river opposite Peace Point that can be observed with binoculars.

Figure

Northwest of Peace Point: If you are fortunate to have use of a helicopter or boat, the gypsum cliffs upstream of Peace Point become much taller and steeper. Paleo-sinkholes in the Slave Point and Nyarling formations contain Waterways Formation (Firebag Member) shale and limestone.

Other features of interest are related to Pleistocene and recent processes. Beige till often overlies the Gypsum Cliffs and can be difficult to distinguish from gypsum debris at a distance. Mass wasting has eroded some points along the river banks, and may have been aided by dissolution of subsurface evaporites and karstification of bedrock. Where massive gypsum is exposed along the river bank, river-carved gypsum boulders can look like sculptures from a modern art gallery.

Take-away: Gypsum Cliffs on Peace River retains observable evidence of several episodes of paleokarst: 1. the exposure-related brecciation between the end of the Nyarling and initial Slave Point deposition, which is often overprinted by 2. paleo-sinkholes post-Devonian karst, which contains both collapsed Waterways strata and sand grains from the Cretaceous McMurray Formation. 3. Modern karst processes within the park and along the river cause sinkholes and contribute to the erosion of the river banks.

At Peace Point, the evidence of early karst processes is strong. Slave Point strata are locally brecciated above Nyarling gypsum, but where intact, Slave Point beds are often gently tilted or discontinuous. These features resulted from early subaerial exposure, changes in evaporite mineralization, related deformation from expansion or contraction of evaporites, and rock dissolution during and after Slave Point deposition. Nyaling texture is locally bedded, laminated, crenulated, nodular, chaotic, and brecciated, a result of the history of changes in the evaporite minerals.

The Peace Point outcrop is a good example of evaporite dissolution-related karst. The stratigraphic relationships and geological features seen at Peace Point and along the full 22 km extent of Gypsum Cliffs is a good analogue for karst-related brecciation and deformation in the Beaverhill Lake Group in the Athabasca Oil Sands mining region.

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank M. Grobe (Alberta Geological Survey) B. Collins (University of Alberta), P. Vermeulen (Suncor), and J. Bever (Suncor) for field assistance and photos.

References:

Cameron, A.E. (1930): The gypsum deposits on Peace River; Tenth Annual Report, Alberta Science and Industry Research Council, p. 39-47.

Camsell, C. (1917): Salt and gypsum deposits in the district between Peace and Slave Rivers, northern Alberta; GSC Summary Report 1916, p. 134-135.

Norris, A.W. (1963): Devonian stratigraphy of northeastern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan; GSC Memoir 313, 168 p.

Norris, A.W. and Uyeno, T.T. (1983): Biostratigraphy and paleontology of Middle-Upper Devonian boundary beds, Gypsum Cliffs area, northeastern Alberta; GSC Bulletin 313, 65 p.

Park, D.G. and Jones, B. (1985): Nature and genesis of breccia bodies in Devonian strata, Peace Point area, Wood Buffalo Park, northeast Alberta; Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, v. 33, p. 275-294.

Figures 10 (left) and 11 (right): Examples of texture in the gypsum of the Nyarling Formation at Gypsum Cliffs on the Peace River.

Figure 12: Gypsum Cliffs north of Peace Point on the Peace River.

Figure 13. Mass wasting along Gypsum Cliffs on Peace River north of Peace Point.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD

Outstanding Service by a CSPG Member

The President’s award is the highest CSPG volunteer honour. It is awarded for sustained and distinguished service to the Society. Recipients are selected by the President at the end of their term. Past winners share the traits of providing exemplary leadership in a variety of roles and capacities that the Society recognizes as a model of service and achievement to be emulated. Many recipients continue their contributions to Society programs and events, such that this award often provides a milestone in a distinguished career of exemplary membership.

The 2014 recipient of the President’s Award as chosen by 2014 CSPG President Dale Leckie is Peter Hay. Peter’s most notable contribution to the CSPG was the formation and maintenance of the CSPG Publications Index over the past forty-plus years.

The CSPG Publications Index was started in 1972 by Peter Hay as a co-operative project between the CSPG and the federal government; it formed part of GEOSCAN, the Canada-wide index to geological data, supported by the federal government, all 12 provincial and territorial governments

and the CSPG (the only non-governmental member). The government was very strict in its rules on indexing and out of the desire for consistency Peter followed the same principals. Unfortunately, the CSPG was asked to withdraw from GEOSCAN in the early 1990’s because of government austerity, so Peter and his committee have maintained the index in Calgary on the CSPG server ever since. Peter was chairman of the committee from 1972 until 2013 (there was a brief stint from 1986 until 1993 when Bruce McIntyre took over the role). The index was published three times, namely in 1978 with co-author Cathy Dixon, in 1984 with Cathy Dixon, Bruce McIntyre, Paul Petras and Gord Stabb, and in 1995 with Bruce McIntyre, Gord Stabb and Marc Charest. Since then it has been maintained online for easy update and access by CSPG members. Peter insisted that the index be available at no charge via www.cspg. org (under the Publications tab).

The CSPG Publications Index contained approximately 300-400 publications in the early 1970’s. Today it references over 6,000 CSPG publications, maps, papers, articles and memoirs. It indexes everything CSPG has

ever published and is searchable by subject (keyword), author and National Topographic System (NTS) area. It also includes publications of the Saskatchewan Geologic Society, the Edmonton Geological Society and Palaeontographica Canadiana. The Index Committee usually has three to five members for as much different input as possible. The committee reviews all newly published CSPG material and meets once per month to decide on the keywords specific to each publication. The CSPG Publications Index is much more detailed than other indexes and has about 40 keywords per article when others have only 10 to 20 keywords.

Peter joined the CSPG (then Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists or ASPG) in 1968 and has dedicated significant time to the Society over the past forty-plus years. He has served on various committees including Graduate Student Awards, Link Award, Circulation, Stanley Slipper Award, Convention Committees (Technical) for 1979 and 1989, and the Executive Committee (as a Director). He also chaired the Membership Directory for several years and served a term on AAPG’s House of Delegates and APEGGA’s Editorial Committee. Peter still sits on the Publications Index committee and wishes to remain active for as long as he can.

Peter holds a B.A. (Honors) in Physics and Geology (University of Toronto, 1959), a M.Sc. in Geology (Queen’s University, 1963) and a Ph.D. in Geology (Stanford University, 1965). He started his career as a geological assistant with the Geological Survey of Canada in the summers of 1956 to 1965. He has worked for such companies as New Brunswick Mines Branch, Amoco Canada Petroleum Co., Unocal Canada (formerly Union Oil), Canadian Stratigraphic Services, Husky Oil and SB Associates before becoming a consulting geologist and now retired.

He contributed the chapter on “Oil and Gas Resources” as well as lists of the top ten oil and gas producing fields for 19 major formations in the 1994 Geologic Atlas of the WCSB. In addition, he co-authored with Duncan Robertson the articles on “Oil and Gas Discoveries in western Canada” from 1978 to 1985 for the AAPG and CSPG.

To paraphrase Peter, the Index has been a labour of love for him. He is honoured to receive the CSPG President’s Award and be among the many gifted and motivated members of the CSPG.

RACE AND FUN RUN

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

On your mark! Get ready! CSPG and CSEG will be running our annual Road Race and Fun Run this September.

On your mark! Get ready! CSPG and CSEG will be running our annual Road Race and Fun Run this September.

Once again we are offering both a 10km and a 5km race. We have secured Winning Time

July 6-12

July

Aug 3-9

Aug 10-16

Aug

Aug

Sep

Sep 14-20

to provide chip timing and the CSPG will be providing easy online registration.

The run will take place on Wednesday, September 23, 2015. Start time is 6:00pm just north of the Eau Claire YMCA. The route will take you on an out-and-back course along the beautiful Bow River pathway, finishing at the Eau Claire YMCA. Following the race all racers, volunteers and guests are invited to

gather at the Calgary Curling Club, just north of Princess Island for awards, draw prizes, refreshments and some friendly camaraderie. If you are looking for a competitive race or just want to have fun, come join us!

The race is open to all members of the CSPG and CSEG as well as the general public. Space is limited to 200 participants so register early to avoid disappointment! There will be NO registration on race day. For more information or to register visit the CSPG Events website www.cspg.org/ cspg/events. For sponsorship opportunities please contact: Dan Cicero 403-531-7711 dcicero@huntoil.com , Shirley Fleming 403806-3212 Shirley.Fleming@Penngrowth. com or Jocelyn Frankow 403-708-6404 jocelynfrankow@gmail.com

To help you, Gord Hobbins of Gord’s Running Store has developed a 10km race training guide for novice runners. Try it out and benefit from some expert advice; you may be surprised how easy it can be to gently get yourself into condition for your first race.

Gord’s 12 Week Training Guide for Novice Runners Minutes of running per day:

Sep 21-23 - Rest 10 KM RUN Week Mon

Guidance/Tips: For novice runners who wish a do-it-yourself program at your leisure.

-Run for short durations between 3 and 5 times per week according to schedule, with your long run days being the key to your training program.

-If your running shoes are giving you some problems, get some which fit and match your gait.

-Guide allows for a gradual increase to a comfortable load; your legs may need some conditioning at first.

-Yes, times are in minutes. The secret is to be regular and not beat yourself up.

-Wear a hat and cool shades. Keep well hydrated. It really helps.

-Gently stretch those calves and quads afterwards.

-Take along a friend and convince them to sign up for CSPG, CSEG and the RoadRace as well.

Many thanks go out to our sponsors and volunteers who make this event possible each year!

We hope to see you there!

Armin Schafer, Race Director.

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

CL Consultants

Exova Canada Inc

Big Guns Energy Services

Earth Signal Processing Ltd.

McDaniel & Associates Consultants Ltd.

Pulse Seismic Inc

Canada Brokerlink Inc.

Energy Navigator

Golder Associates

Nalcor Energy

Paramount Resources

EDGE Technologies

Canadian Discovery Ltd.

Compass Directional Services

EV Cam Canada Inc.

Lee Energy Systems

Roke Technologies Ltd.

Petrocraft Products Ltd.

Sigma Explorations

Canacol Energy Ltd.

Explor

Japan Canada Oil Sands Ltd.

Target Data Ltd.

Birchcliff Energy Ltd.

Cabra Enterprises Ltd.

Cougar Consultants, Inc.

Waterline Resources

Serpa Petroleum Consulting Ltd.

National Oilwell Varco

Signature Seismic Processing Inc.

Sensor Geophysical Ltd.

Cossack Land Services Ltd.

Deloitte Petroleum Services Group

EPI Group

GeoTir Inc.

Hurry Hydrocarbons

NExT- A Schlumberger Company

Spectrum

Mundiregina Resources Canada

Mcleay Geological Consultants Ltd.

HEF Petrophysical Consulting Inc.

Enviro-Tech Surveys Ltd

Caracal Energy Inc.

Regent Resources

SAExploration

3e Royalties

Bounty Developments Ltd.

Brasoil Corp.

DualEx Energy International

Franconia Geoscience

Gran Tierra Energy Inc.

Jenner Geoconsulting Inc.

Korean National Oil Company

Long Reach Resources Ltd.

Lorne LeClerc & Associates

Madison Petrogas Ltd.

Petroamerica

Sherritt International Corporation

Tretio Exploration Ltd.

Valeura Energy

Company Patron

Journey Energy Inc.

Rife Resources Ltd.

The Canadian society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG), Canada’s Energy Geoscientists to

the Board of Directors 2016

CSPG is a not-for-profit corporation registered under the NFP Act. Our mission is: To advance the professions of the energy geosciences – as it applies to geology; foster the scientific, technical learning and professional development of its members; and promote the awareness of the profession to industry and the public.

Directors hold office for two years; commencing January 14 th, 2016. Nomination forms are available on www.cspg.org/Society/Governance . Nominations for Directors close September 15 th, 2015.

CSPG is calling for nominations for the Executive Committee:

President Elect – who will continue to serve a total of three (3) years comprised of the first year as President Elect, the second year as President and the third year as Past President.

Finance Director Elect – who shall serve a two (2) year term comprised of the first year as Finance Director Elect and the second year as Finance Director

Three Directors At Large – each year CSPG elects Directors to fill portfolios. For 2016, CSPG is interested in attracting three new Directors to cover such portfolios as Outreach, Member Services and Digital Media and Publications. Please express your interest on the Nomination form.

Please not that only FULL Members of CSPG can be nominated. Candidates can be nominated by completing the online forms and submit to Lis.Bjeld@cspg.org to the attention of Past President, Dr. Dale Leckie.

The Nomination Process:

CSPG Nominating Committee recruits for potential directors. You may submit your nomination for their consideration. Alternatively, if you support your nomination with 25 Full Member signatures, you can stand for election.

The Nomination form and Nomination Signature form must be submitted by September 15th, 2015 to Lis.Bjeld@cspg.org to the attention of Past President, Dr. Dale Leckie.

Please direct any questions to Lis Bjeld, CSPG Executive Director at 403-513-1235.

Medal of Merit

Call For Nominations

Each year the CSPG awards the Medal of Merit to authors of the best peer-reviewed paper published during the previous year on a subject related to the petroleum geology of Canada. A sterling silver medal is presented to each of the authors. The list of previous winners can be seen under awards on the CSPG website.

The Medal of Merit Committee searches the literature for potential candidates and selects the best paper, favouring well written and illustrated papers with novel ideas that have relevance to Canadian petroleum geology and/or the broader practice of petroleum geology. The committee will be evaluating papers published during the calendar year 2014 for the 2015 award. In addition to papers from academic journals, papers which form part of a special publication are also eligible. If you know of a 2014 peer-reviewed paper that the committee should consider, please submit the details by July 31, 2015 to:

MAPPING STANDARDS: A CORE COMPETENCY OF EVERY GEOSCIENTIST

In exploring the subsurface, maps serve a number of important purposes; recording and storing information; supporting the analysis of a range of subsurface data; and presenting and communicating information and understanding. Map creation should be a core competency of every geoscientist, used to express complex situations to help support difficult decisions.

Our consultants can help E&P companies define and implement appropriate mapping standards that will help geoscientists present a clear, consistent and concise suite of maps for a variety of purposes where having defined mapping standards has enabled the geoscientists to spend more of their time focusing on the technical content.

Petrosys is a powerful sub-surface mapping system that brings all your critical knowledge together on one mapping canvas, our approach to surface modeling enables you to resolve complex challenges and to communicate geological information necessary for decision makers to take the right action. Learn more at www.petrosys.com.au/transcend