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).
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COORDINATING EDITOR & OPERATIONS
Jaimè Croft
CSPG
Tel:403-264-5610
Fax:403-264-5898
Email:jaime.croft@cspg.org
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Ben McKenzie
GEOCAN Energy Inc.
Tel:403-261-3851
Email:bjmck@telusplanet.net
ADVERTISING
Kim MacLean
Corporate Relations,CSPG
Tel:403-264-5610,Ext 205
Email:kim.maclean@cspg.org
Advertising inquiries should be directed to Kim MacLean.The deadline to reserve advertisingspace is the 23th day of the month, two months prior to issue date.All advertising artwork should be sent directly to Kim MacLean.
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/August.
Advertisements,as well as inserts,mailed with the publication are paid advertisements.No endorsement or sponsorship by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists is implied.
The CSPG Rock Shop is an attractive and affordable way to target the CSPG readership. Spaces are sold at business card sizes (3.5” wide by 2” high).To reserve space or for more information,please contact Kim MacLean at 403-264-5610,ext.205.
The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the publisher.
The CSPG’s Balance Sheet,with net assets of approximately $1.4 MM,continues to remain healthy. Our long-term investmentis bookvalued at $647,000 with capital assets at $65,000 and current assets at $682,000 of which just over $200,000 are in a short-term moneymarket account.
Our long-term investment portfolio,split between income and equity vehicles (70/30), continues to trend upwards (See graph below). We expect to exit the year with a net increase of $45,000 which translates to a 7% return on investment.This is a respectable yield,given that the bulk of our portfolio is in income.
successful when a Corporate Relations Committee is installed.
Under the directive of Programs,Technical Luncheon had a robust performance this year with a net income of $71,000.We co-hosted a well-received and financially successful I.C.E. 2004 Conference,with an outstanding net profit of $320,000.The Dolomite Core Conference and the 2004 Gussow Conference performed well,particularly since they were inaugural events,by posting modest surpluses.
The income statement tracks the revenues and expenditures from Programs,Services, Communications,and Operations.Our total revenue came to $1,996,638 against a total expense of $1,936,754.Initiatives undertaken to diversify our revenue stream and manage cost are still in the early stages.Despite having to take on a considerable write-off for Men’s Golf,higher than anticipated billings for web-hosting,and revenue adjustment for the Reservoir,I am pleased to report that our pre-audited income statement reflects a surplus of $63,000.
The Convention and conferences,Technical luncheons,and the Reservoir account for 72% ($1.4MM) of the gross revenue.Whereas Operations,Technical luncheons,Reservoir, Convention and conferences,and the Bulletin account for 75% ($1.5MM) of the total expenditure.
Our operating expenses came to $430,000; this covers rent,staffing,donation to the ETF, finance,amortization,and administration.The initiative to increase corporate membership fell below expectations;however,the corporate membership drive may be more
Services weathered through the closing of the Men’s Golf bank account and term deposit, with a total write-off of $17,000.Increases in expenditure for web-hosting,software additions,and upgrades were necessary to improve the quality of our services on a go-forward basis.All the social committees operated at breakeven or reported a marginal income.A revised business plan for the upcoming year should help manage costs in social functions.
Revenue from Communication is below expectations due to several factors.Sales have declined,mostly due to a lack of new publications.Electronic Communications is still struggling on the earnings side.However,a major overhaul to improve the website layout is underway.This initiative will set us up nicely for the future,allowing us to target a larger market and attract more traffic and advertisers to our site.Despite incurring a slight increase in cost to publish a thicker volume,the Reservoir shows an overall profit of $33,000.Another key goal this year was to get the Bulletin back on track and,thanks to the efforts of the Bulletin committee,it is now on schedule and under budget.
With a sound business plan,astute Executive steering,and a group of dedicated staff,I am pleased to report that our Society is well positioned to succeed both operationally and financially in 2005 and the years beyond.
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THE CSPG GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES ITS
*CORPORATE MEMBERS:
ABU DHABI OIL CO., LTD. (JAPAN)
ARCHEAN ENERGY LTD.
BAKER ATLAS
BURLINGTON RESOURCES CANADA LTD.
BG CANADA EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION, INC.
BP CANADA ENERGY COMPANY
CALPINE CANADA
CANADIAN FOREST OIL LTD.
CONOCOPHILLIPS CANADA
CORE LABORATORIES CANADA LTD.
DEVON CANADA CORPORATION
DOMINION EXPLORATION CANADA LTD.
DUVERNAY OIL CORP.
ECL CANADA
HUNT OIL COMPANY OF CANADA, INC.
HUSKY ENERGY INC.
IHS ENERGY
IMPERIAL OIL RESOURCES LIMITED
LARIO OIL & GAS COMPANY
MJ SYSTEMS
MURPHY OIL COMPANY LTD.
NCE RESOURCES GROUP INC.
NEXEN INC.
NORTHROCK RESOURCES LTD.
PENN WEST PETROLEUM LTD.
PETRO-CANADA OIL AND GAS
PRECISION WIRELINE
SAMSON CANADA
SHELL CANADA LIMITED
SPROULE ASSOCIATES LIMITED
STARPOINT ENERGY INC.
SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
TALISMAN ENERGY INC.
TOTAL E&P CANADA LIMITED
*CORPORATE MEMBERS AS OF OCTOBER 24, 2004
TECHNICAL LUNCHEONS
DECEMBER LUNCHEON
New insights into the exploration potential of deep-water carbonate slope deposits and their application to the Devonian in the subsurface of Alberta
SPEAKERS
Nigel Watts,Ian McIlreath, and Jeremy Philips EnCana Corporation
11:30 am Thursday,December 9,2004
TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE CALGARY, ALBERTA
Please note:
The cut-off date for ticket sales is 1:00 pm,Monday,December 6th. Ticket price is $28.00 + GST
One of the more impressive carbonate environments is the slope and basin facies of
many carbonate complexes.Although typically ignored by industry,no geologist can fail to be in awe at the sight of massive, randomly oriented,individual limestone blocks of carbonate margin sediment or in debris flows interbedded with finer lime mudstones when they are seen in outcrop.
Often our understanding of the genesis and nature of this carbonate facies is hampered because modern slope deposits are not easily accessible (i.e.,deep water).Ancient occurrences of slope deposits are sometimes misinterpreted as tectonic breccias or melanges.Isolated carbonate bodies in basinal settings are easily mistaken for pinnacle reefs or downslope mounds.Further,slope deposits occur at depth and are therefore impacted by major changes in pressure, temperature,and oxygen levels,the effects of which are poorly understood.
Yet,this unique environment,where our sedimentological knowledge is lacking,is an area that hosts hydrocarbon reservoirs of
major economic importance (e.g.,the Poza Rica Field in Mexico – a giant oil field). Using examples from modern slope deposits in the Caribbean and ancient examples from, primarily,the Devonian of the Southern Canadian Rockies and the West Texas-New Mexico Permian Reef Complex,we will show that you can develop play types for this environment based upon recognizing certain facies and associations.
For the last decade or so,industry has been extensively exploring deep-water clastics worldwide while similar deep-water carbonates have been largely ignored. However,with increased recognition of this facies,many new examples of potential exploration targets from carbonate slopebasin settings could be identified and existing reservoirs could be reinterpreted and better optimized.The deep slope and basin should not be dismissed as a feasible exploration area and may house new play trends if the long-standing practice of stopping
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CONTOURING
Faulted contours
Isopachs
Volumetrics
Grid operations
New flexing options
CROSS SECTIONS
Digital and/or Rastor
Geocolumn shading
Multiple rasters/well
Stratigraphic/Structural
Shade between crossover
Dipmeter data
MAPPING OPTIONS
Bubble maps
Production charts
Log curves
Posted data
Highlighted Symbols
CROSS PLOTS
Log crossplots
“Z” crossplots
Lithologies to facies
Pickett plots
Regression curves
User defined overlays
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JANUARY LUNCHEON
An integrated geological, geophysical,and oceanographic analysis of the Flat Island coarsegrained barrier complex on the west coast of Newfoundland:a new analogy for clastic reservoirs
SPEAKERS
Dr.Laurence Davis and Dr.John D.Harper
Fugro Jacques GeoSurveys Inc.,St.John’s and ConocoPhillips Canada Ltd.,Calgary
11:30 am
Tuesday,January 11,2005
TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE CALGARY, ALBERTA
Please note:
The cut-off date for ticket sales is 1:00 pm,Thursday,January 6th. Ticket price is $28.00 + GST.
Analogies of high-energy,coarse-grained, boulder to pebble-grained coastal sands are few in the published literature;yet,coarsegrained sediments are a common occurrence in the geologic record.Many of these ancient deposits have economic significance in terms of the occurrence of oil and gas.Western Canada examples include the Falher,Belly River,Viking, and Cardium reservoirs.This study of the modern Flat Island Barrier Complex in St. George’s Bay,Western Newfoundland, illustrates many significant aspects for interpretation that may be encountered in such coarse-grained sediments.These are directly applicable to the western Canada reservoirs.In addition,the significance of isostatic rebound in combination with continuous sea level rise and sediment supply volume is well documented, thereby providing insight into relative sea level change and implications for sequence stratigraphy.
The Flat Island Barrier Complex consists of the main barrier of twelve-kilometer-length which separates a three-kilometer-wide embayment,open to the northeast,from a one-kilometre-wide shoreface platform.The platform breaks at the 25m depth margin to a slope with relief ranging from 20 to 60 m to the St.George’s Bay seafloor.The embayment is receiving sediment from barrier washover as well as from the Flat Bay River bayhead delta.This barrier is unique in the respect that it is prograding into the 60+ m “deep water” with attendant slump failure, submarine canyons and fans,and turbidites. The main basin attains depths of 100m.The
coastal lowlands,about ten kilometres wide, rise to fluvially dissected highlands over 300 meters high.
Characterization of this complex as a potential reservoir will be presented in the context of defining those criteria necessary to recognize a similar environment in the ancient record. Although this complex occurs in a stormdriven,high-energy,mid-latitude setting sheltered from the open ocean,it should not be interpreted that this setting is the only place where one might expect such a complex to occur.With the proper combination of sea level rise,tectonic movement,sediment source and supply,topographies/bathymetries,and climatic conditions such a complex could have occurred in many places throughout time.
The barrier has been studied using shallow seismic,multi-beam sonar,seabed video transects,seabed grab sampling,offshore wave and current measurements,17 drill core,aerial imagery covering a span of several years,and pit and trench sampling.
This presentation will provide an overview of the complex from the basin floor to the bayhead delta.It will illustrate the nature of the facies interrelationships,considerations of sealevel change,and implications for ancient reservoir analogies.
BIOGRAPHY
John D.Harper,Ph.D.,P.Geol.,FGSA,FGAC: Presently employed full time with ConocoPhillips Canada Ltd.;Retired Full Professor,Petroleum Geology,and the first Director of the Centre for Earth Resources Research at Memorial University of Newfoundland to Jan 1,1998,and most recently Adjunct Professor;formerly with Shell Development,Shell Oil,Shell Canada,and Trend Exploration.He has operational,management and research credentials over the past 34 years in reservoir characterization and basin analysis for Canadian,US,and International onshore and offshore basins.He and his students engaged in and published on international petroleum research including major studies related to the Hibernia oil field and the Jeanne d’Arc Basin of the Grand Banks.Dr.Harper produced the Hydrocarbon Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (a 4-D analysis of hydrocarbon distribution in Alberta, British Columbia,and Saskatchewan).His most recent activities include work in the Mackenzie Delta,the Scotian Shelf and Deep Water,the West Coast of Newfoundland,and the Grand Banks.
Laurence Davis,Ph.D.,(Memorial University of Newfoundland):Presently employed as a senior project geoscientist with Fugro Jacques GeoSurveys
Inc.,St.John’s,specializing in offshore 2D and 3D geohazard assessment and related marine geoscience investigations.He was previously affiliated with the Centre for Cold Ocean Resources Engineering (C-C0RE),Memorial University,where he was a project manager and research scientist involved in a joint industry-government funded Marine Minerals Research Program.His recently completed doctoral research involved a multidisciplinary investigation of a modern coarsegrained barrier system and its application to the interpretation of analogous ancient systems.
TECHNICAL LUNCHEONS
JANUARY LUNCHEON
Revisiting the Early Cretaceous Paleogeography of N.E.British Columbia – Important stratigraphic controls on large gas fields
SPEAKER
Brad J.Hayes
Petrel Robertson Consulting Ltd.
11:30 am
Tuesday,January 25,2005
TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE CALGARY, ALBERTA
Please note:
The cut-off date for ticket sales is 1:00 pm,Thursday,January 20th.
Early Cretaceous paleogeography has been mapped in exquisite detail in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.In particular,relief on the preMannville unconformity shows a remarkably intricate drainage system,characterized by three major trunk valleys – the Spirit River,Edmonton, and St.Paul / Assiniboia valleys – and intervening highlands.However,the northwestern terminus of the Early Cretaceous drainage system is relatively poorly understood,as illustrated by significantly different maps drawn by Jackson (1984 AAPG Deep Basin Memoir) and Smith (1994 Geological Atlas of Western Canada).
Detailed study of uppermost Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous strata in northeastern B.C.and adjacent Alberta allows us to tie this area into the basin-wide drainage system with a high degree of confidence.The key lies in distinguishing Aptian/Albian fluvial valley-fill sandstones (Gething Formation) from uppermost Jurassic and lowest Cretaceous deltaic strata (Buick Creek sandstone).Mapping out these relationships also leads us to a better understanding of stratigraphic controls on hydrocarbon distribution and exploration/ development potential.
Buick Creek strata consist of moderately to poorly sorted,highly quartzose sandstones, containing coals up to a few metres thick,and bay-fill shales up to ten metres thick.It was deposited in a broad deltaic system lying along the eastern edge of the foredeep,and sourced from the northeast.It is equivalent to the Nikanassin Formation of the Deep Basin and to the Minnes Group in outcrop,and clearly predates the pre-Gething unconformity.Westward, toward the foredeep,the Buick Creek interfingers with prodeltaic upper Fernie shales. Lower Gething strata comprise stacked fluvial
fining-upward successions,grading from sandy chert-pebble conglomerates and lithic sandstones,up to interbedded fine sandstones and mudstones with coaly material.Mineralogy, distribution,stratigraphic succession,and lack of substantial coals distinguish the lower Gething from the Buick Creek,although the two units can be difficult to distinguish where sand-on-sand contacts occur.Lower Gething strata were deposited along the axes of pre-Gething valleys, during the earliest stages of Aptian/Albian relative sea-level rise.
Upper Gething strata are more heterolithic, consisting of interbedded fine sandstones and shales deposited in floodplain and channelized settings.Lithologically,they are very similar to the lower Gething,but are finer-grained,except in channel bodies containing coarser sands locally eroded from the Buick Creek.The upper Gething completely infilled pre-Gething topography during a period of Early (?) Albian highstand.
Post-Gething,pre-Bluesky relative sea-level fall and valley incision can be mapped in the Aitken Creek / Nig North / Wargen areas by linking isolated bodies of valley-fill strata assigned to the Bluesky Formation.Fluvial conglomerates and estuarine sands filled these younger valleys,but were eroded and reworked in most areas to form Bluesky transgressive shoreface complexes.The pre-Bluesky drainage system paralleled preGething drainage topography closely,likely as a result of differential compaction of the Gething valley fill.
Using these stratigraphic observations,we can map two converging northwesterly-directed regional valleys.The northeastern valley links to the Edmonton / Peace River valley system of the central and western Alberta Plains,while the more southwesterly valley correlates to the Spirit River and Cut Bank valley systems of westcentral and southwestern Alberta.Both are filled with lower Gething fluvial strata,while the regional interfluve between the two is capped by Buick Creek sandstones.Upper Gething heterolithic strata complete the pre-Gething valley fill and cap the interfluve,and pinch out to the northeast on the flank of the Keg River Highlands.Pre-Bluesky valleys occur only in the far west,but Bluesky transgressive shorefaces are much more widespread.
Buick Creek,Gething,and Bluesky strata host up to two TCF of gas reserves and tens of millions of barrels of oil in northeastern B.C.Today,they are still active exploration and development targets. Most production to date has been from highquality,stratigraphically continuous Buick Creek deltaic sandstones and from Bluesky valley-fill and
shoreface sandstones and conglomerates. Tremendous productive potential remains in lower-quality Gething fluvial sandstones, undiscovered Bluesky valley fills,and bypassed opportunities in the Buick Creek.Improved understanding of Jurassic/Cretaceous stratigraphy and paleogeography will assist in converting this potential to economically-recoverable reserves.
BIOGRAPHY
Brad Hayes is Executive Vice-President of Petrel Robertson Consulting Ltd.,where one of his major areas of interest is mapping Mesozoic petroleum geology of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. This presentation has been developed from four regional exploration evaluation studies of the Lower Cretaceous of northeastern B.C.and adjacent Alberta, done at Petrel Robertson over the past several years. Brad graduated from the University of Toronto in 1978 with a B.Sc.(Honours) in Geology,and from the University of Alberta in 1982 with a Ph.D.in Geology. In addition to regional exploration studies at Petrel Robertson,he is leading a systematic evaluation of unconventional (“tight”) gas opportunities in Western Canada.Brad also has extensive experience in field assessments and geological modeling,in Canada and internationally.Brad is a Past-President of the CSPG, and is currently an Associate Editor with the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.
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exploration at a carbonate edge is resisted. Historically,industry has used slope deposits as “proximity indicators” showing how close they are to platform margins. Perhaps as explorationists we are going the wrong way! Maybe there are a number of new conceptual plays in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin that have not been truly exploited!
BIOGRAPHY
Nigel Watts,a geologist with EnCana Corporation,has over twenty years of experience in the exploration for and production from carbonate reservoirs.He has developed exploration plays in most of the carbonate sequences in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.For several years he was involved in the geological characterization of Devonian reefs for EOR schemes.Nigel has also studied ancient carbonate sequences in the US,Canadian East Coast,Indonesia,Angola,Great Britain,and Europe as well as modern carbonates in Jamaica,Mexico,and Belize.He has taught inhouse short courses on carbonate sedimentology,field seminars on the Devonian reefs in the Canadian Rockies,and modern carbonate field seminars.He has published papers and given talks,on carbonate sedimentology,carbonate diagenesis, stratigraphy,structural geology,and reservoir characterization.
Ian McIlreath,Technical Advisor at EnCana Corporation,has worked a number of separate stints during his 30-year career on carbonate margin to basin transitions in outcrop and in the subsurface in Canada,the U.S.,southeast Asia, and in the Middle East.He utilizes detailed outcrop field studies as analogs to model subsurface cases in exploring for hydrocarbons. He has studied many of the Upper and Middle Devonian margin-to-basin transitions in outcrop, from just north of Waterton National Park,along the Front Ranges to just south of the Yukon border.His interest in carbonate slopes began with his Ph.D.thesis on the Middle Cambrian carbonate margin to basin transitions exposed in the Main Ranges in Yoho National Park. Dr.McIlreath has received a number of technical and major service awards from the CSPG and was President in 1983.
Jeremy Philips graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.Sc.Specialization Geology in 2000.After graduation,he went on to join PanCanadian working a variety of projects from regional carbonate exploration to reservoir modeling in carbonates and clastics.He currently works for EnCana developing exploration plays in the Devonian and Cretaceous of Central Alberta.
DIVISION TALKS
HYDROGEOLOGY DIVISION
Geostatistical modeling of aquifer heterogeneity
SPEAKERS
Daniel Khan and Ben Rostron Earth and Atmospheric Sciences University of Alberta
Clayton Deutsch Civil & Environmental Engineering University of Alberta
12:00 Noon Thursday,December 16,2004
Encana Amphitheatre, 2nd Floor East end of Calgary Tower Complex, 1st Street and 9th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta
Predicting the heterogeneous distribution of permeability in aquifers is a fundamental problem in hydrogeology.To predict the flow field,we need some way to populate our numerical models with hydraulic parameters
(e.g.,permeability,porosity,and storativity).
To construct these parameter distributions, we can use various data types,such as “hard” measurements of the primary parameter (e.g.,core analyses and well test-derived permeability),as well as important physically related quantities like hydraulic head measurements (hard secondary data) and well log responses (soft secondary data). Integrating these different types of information is difficult due to the differences in the “scale of the data”,for example, between the core scale and well-test scale. We are also challenged with finding practical methods to resolve complex relationships between these primary and secondary data types.
The use of geostatistics addresses many of these challenges.A number of tools and methods have been developed and successfully implemented by practitioners and researchers over the last decade. Geostatistics account for the scale of the data,the geological context of the data,and
the spatial relationships between the data as a means to infer the underlying “structures” of heterogeneity.
Geostatistical tools and methods were used to map heterogeneity in key aquifers studied in the IEA Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project.Regional permeability maps of the Midale aquifer (Mississippian) to the Newcastle/Viking aquifer (Cretaceous) were produced to delineate the spatial variability of permeability and groundwater fluxes.These maps were also used as distributed parameter (permeability) models for environmental risk assessment.
This presentation will outline some the challenges listed above and demonstrate the use of some geostatistical methods used to characterize aquifer heterogeneity.The objective is to present some concepts and practical tools for (hydro)geologists to deal with heterogeneity and associated uncertainty.The level of detail is intended for the non-geostatistical practitioner.
INTERNATIONAL DIVISION
International E&P strategies in a “post-peaking” conventional oil and gas world
SPEAKER
Keith Skipper Antrim Energy Inc.
12:00 Noon
Tuesday December 7,2004
Encana Amphitheatre, 2nd Floor East end of Calgary Tower Complex, 1st Street and 9th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta
BIOGRAPHY
Keith Skipper,P.Geol.is a seasoned explorationist and executive whose early career was with AMOCO, subsequently Bridge Oil Limited and PanCanadian. He is presently Executive Vice President of Antrim Energy Inc and a non-executive director of Avery Resources Inc.Keith has a keen interest in global petroleum issues - besides trying to find oil and gas at a profit.
INFORMATION
There is no charge.Please bring your lunch. Refreshments are provided by EnCana and ECL Canada.For more information or to give a talk in the future,please contact Geoffrey Say at 403 263 0449 or e-mail at g.say@ecqc.com
KEEPING TRACK
DEAN BULL
New: Senior Geologist,Glaceir Energy
Previous: Geologist,Kaiser Energy
Trent Rehill
New: Senior Explorationist
Murphy Sarawak Oil
Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
Previous: Senior Geologist
Chevron Texaco Overseas Pet.
Kuwait – Partioned Neutral zone
STRUCTURAL DIVISION
Large displacement cryptic thrusts,triangle zones,and gravity slides in the Fernie area of the southern Canadian Rockies
SPEAKER
Kevin Root Nexen Inc.
12:00 Noon
Thursday,December 16,2004
Petro-Canada
West Tower room 17 B/C
150 6th Ave SW Calgary, Alberta
The region around Fernie,British Columbia is one of the most structurally complex regions in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountain Belt.A new structural interpretation of the area is proposed,wherein significant displacement (tens of kilometres) has occurred on two thrusts in the region,the Bourgeau Thrust and Moyie-Dibble Thrust. The importance of these faults has been underestimated in the past,partly because both are interpreted to be floor thrusts associated with triangle zones.The only surface expressions of the thrusts over extensive regions are west-verging bedding glide zones that constitute the upper detachments of the triangle zones.
The Bourgeau Thrust is a major fault that has been mapped from 53º degrees latitude southward to 49º 55’ latitude,but cannot be recognized further south in the Fernie area based on outcrop relationships alone. Seismic data indicate,however,that the thrust has significant (perhaps >50 km) of displacement near Elko,B.C.,and likely continues south into the northern USA.The thrust forms the floor thrust of a triangle zone located within Jurassic strata along the western side of the Fernie basin,and thus is not exposed in the Fernie area.
The Moyie-Dibble Thrust is well defined at surface in the Purcell Mountains and westernmost Rockies,and has been interpreted in previous studies to terminate eastward in the Bull River – Lime Creek region as a minor tear fault within the Hosmer Thrust Sheet,thereby implying only minor displacement within the Rockies.In the current interpretation,the Moyie-Dibble Thrust is interpreted to continue further east and north as a blind thrust within a major triangle zone that has the Moyie-Dibble Thrust as the lower detachment and the Gypsum Fault as the upper detachment. Although the Moyie-Dibble Thrust is interpreted to have > 30 km of displacement, the only surface expression of the fault north of Lime Creek is the Gypsum Fault,which is a west-verging detachment within a Middle Devonian gypsum interval.
PALAEONTOLOGY DIVISION
She sells sea shells - a short biography of Mary Anning
Dan Quinsey
Alberta Palaeontological Society
7:30 pm
Friday,December 10,2004
Mount Royal College Room B108
4825 Richard Road SW Calgary, Alberta
The life work of Mary Anning (1799-1847) greatly benefited the dawn of palaeontology. During a time of immense hardship and misfortune,she managed to overcome many obstacles and accomplish feats that amateur palaeontologists would only dream of today.
Mary Anning uncovered numerous significant fossils in the cliffs of Lyme Regis,a small seaport on the English Channel in the southwest corner of the county of Dorset. She touched the lives of many men who would rise above her in the new and evolving science of palaeontology.However,Mary did not gain the recognition she richly deserved until much later in life.
Though poor,Mary Anning was rich in spirit and had formed friendships with wealthy collectors and geologists.Uneducated,she had aided in the development of palaeontology as a science.She never left Lyme Regis but was known everywhere.
The presentation will be held in conjunction with a Christmas Social, please bring a snack.
Previous studies described the Hosmer Thrust as the major thrust in the Fernie region,and concluded that the Moyie-Dibble and Gypsum faults are subsidiary splays associated with the Hosmer Thrust.The present study interprets the Trinity and Hosmer segments of the Hosmer Sheet as superficial gravity slide klippen that developed when portions of the Bull River triangle zone roof succession slid off of the structurally elevated,south-eastern and eastern regions of the triangle zone.
BIOGRAPHY
Kevin Root is an exploration geologist who works in the West Africa New Ventures Group at Nexen.Since 1980 he has also worked at the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board,Shell Canada,Shell International in The Hague, Alberta Energy Company,and EnCana Corporation.He has a Ph.D.from the University of Calgary,and is interested in a variety of aspects of hydrocarbon,structural,and sedimentary geology.
INFORMATION
Talks are free;please bring your lunch.Goodies and drinks are provided by HEF Petrophysical Consulting.If you would like to be on the Structural Division e-mail list,or if you’d like to give a talk,please contact Elizabeth Atkinson at (403) 296-3694 or eatkinso@petro-canada.ca.
BIOGRAPHY
Dan Quinsey is currently working towards a Certificate in Palaeontology at Mount Royal College Continuing Education.Everything else he knows about palaeontology is self-taught.Dan has held many executive positions with the JAYCEES and currently holds the position of President of the Alberta Palaeontological Society.
INFORMATION
This event is jointly presented by the Alberta Palaeontological Society,Mount Royal College and the CSPG Palaeontology Division.For information or to present a talk in the future please contact CSPG Paleo Divison Chair Philip Benham at 403-691-3343 or programs@albertapaleo.org.
Visit the APS website for confirmation of event times and upcoming speakers: http://www.albertapaleo.org/
EMERGING PETROLEUM RESOURCES DIVISION
Fracture Analysis in Low Permeability Reservoirs
SPEAKER
Bradley Andrews
Komex International Ltd.
12:00 Noon
Tuesday,December 14,2004
ConocoPhillips Auditorium
3rd Floor – west side of building) 401-9th Ave SW (Gulf Canada Square) Calgary, Alberta
Since 1993,very shallow (less than 100 m depth) Quaternary gas reservoirs have been known to exist in northwestern Alberta. These reservoirs are Quaternary glacial meltwater channels with a till or lacustrine clay trap.The reservoirs have been produced only since 1998.Presently,two fields are being developed.Individual wells in the Sousa field have reached flow rates of as high as 4.4mmcf/d (5-13-112-24W5).Cumulative production in wells in the Rainbow field have exceeded 1 bcf.Due to the extremely shallow nature of the prospects,seismic reflection has been unsuccessful in exploring for these gas-charged channels.Since 1999, cost-effective two-dimensional (2-D) geoelectrical imaging techniques have been applied to this prospect with spectacular results,not only in imaging the channels,but in directly detecting economic gas deposits. The product of a 2-D imaging survey is a true geoelectric section,that is,a cross-section of true resistivity versus true depth.Since 1999, over 3,000 km of this type of data collection has been carried out in northwestern Alberta.Over 1,000 km of these surveys have been carried out elsewhere in Alberta in search of a similar play concept.
INFORMATION
All luncheon talks are free – please bring your own lunch.If you would like more information about future EPRD activities,please join our email distribution list by sending a message with the title “EPRD list”to caddelem@bp.com.
SEDIMENTOLOGY DIVISION
DIVISION PROFILE
The Sedimentology Division’s mandate is to provide a forum for CSPG members that are interested in sedimentology and sedimentary processes in order to showcase what is new and current in sedimentology.Topics are wide-ranging and include both clastics and carbonates. Speakers for the luncheon talks are sought from industry and academia to include topics in sedimentology and other subjects pertaining to sedimentary processes.Cross-discipline talks are encouraged including sedimentology in relation to diagenesis,biostratigraphy,and sequence stratigraphy.Field trips and short courses may be organized periodically.
The division aims to provide informal brownbag talks every month throughout the year.The lunch-time talks start at noon and finish before 1:00 pm.Talks
typically average about 45 minutes followed by a short question/discussion period.Currently,our talks are held at the Nexen Annex Theatre,+15 level,north of C-Train station,801-7th Avenue S.W., Calgary,Alberta.
If you are interested in joining the Sedimentology Division e-mail listing which currently provides luncheon reminders,or if you care to suggest a technical topic or present a talk to the division,please contact Scott Rose at (403) 699-4780 or scott_rose@ nexeninc.com.
CANADIAN SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS ... the Source
A Source of Pride and Professionalism
The Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists was founded in 1927. Now, 77 years later, the CSPG has grown from an Alberta organization into a national body representing petroleum geolo g y across Ca n ada. With m ore tha n 3000 m e m bers, 45 co mm ittees, a n d over 400 dedicated vol un teers, the CSPG is o n e o f Canada’ s most successful and enduring non-profit professional societies.The scope of its activities within the in d u stry a n d its co mm it m e n t to the hi g hest sta n dards o f service to the profession it represents have been a hallmark of the Society from the time of its inception and form the foundation of its mandate today.
Our Mission: To Be The Source
The CSPG strives to be the source of opportunity and activity for life-long learning and professional development, networki ng , and public awareness for both its members and their employers. Its Mission is to advance the science of geolog y, promote the technolog y of exploration, foster the spirit of scientific research, advance the professional development of members, promote awareness of the role of petroleum geologists, and develop a sense of community and purpose.
Become a Corporate Member - Become a Source
Contribute to the advancement of the profession and the strength of the largest geological society in Canada.
n Participate in the Technical Luncheon Program
n Advertise in the Society’ s many mediums
n Sponsor technical programs
n Support University Outreach initiatives
n Contribute to the CSPG Educational Trust Fund
n Present a paper at a luncheon or at the annual Convention
n Submit an article to the Reservoir
n Submit a paper to the Bulletin
Date:
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Title:
CSPG - The Source of ...
n 19 Technical Luncheons
n 50 to 60 co m pli m e n tary
talks presented through 11
Technical Divisions
n Support to the Geoscience
Professional Development
Centre
n An annual CSPG Convention, providing papers, posters, field trips, short courses, exhibition, core conference, an d social eve n ts for 25006000 delegates
n 6 social events
n Co mmun icatio n s n etwork i n cl u di ng the Reservoir magazine, quarterly technical CSPG Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum
Geolog y, www.cspg.org, and publications
n Services and benefits tailored to the needs of all members
n The CSPG Educational Trust Fund, K-12 and university outreach programs, community geoscience programs, the Honorary Address, and the Student Industry Field Trip all foster a national awareness of the geosciences and promote the profession.
CSPG Corporate Membership Application
Please mail completed form and cheque for $1000.00 + $70.00 GST = $1070.00:
Corporate Relations
Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists 160, 540 - 5 Ave. S.W., Calgary, AB T2P 0M2
JACK PORTERVIGNETTES OF CANADIAN PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
Continued from the November Reservoir
Martin Frobisher’s Third Voyage to his “Frobishers Streytes” to mine for gold
Despite the polarized opinions amongst the English and German assayers regarding the actual presence of gold and silver associated with the 200 tons of “ore” freighted to England from Anne Warwick Island (Kodlunarn Island) in “Frobishers Streytes;” Michael Lok and his aristocratic shareholders of the Company of Cathay convinced themselves that a third expedition was warranted.At best it appeared premature, since the varied results of Jonas Schultz’s clandestined assays of “ore” samples placed his credibility under question.The ten-ton bulk sample of the “ore” which Frobisher had suggested be conveyed to northwest England and smelted in the large furnaces used to smelt copper at Keswick,had not been initiated.Instead preliminary plans were being formulated for the construction of large metallurgical furnaces which would,through a proper smelting process,resolve the question of the worthiness of the Meta Incognita “ore.” Nevertheless,Michael Lok,the enthusiastic advocate of Frobisher’s second voyage was prepared to become the principal investor in order to secure the funding necessary for a third expedition. Unfortunately,as we shall learn later,his actions were to lead to his financial ruin with its attendant dire consequences.
The site selected by Frobisher,Lok,and Schultz for the construction of the large furnaces was to be at Dartford,Kent in southeast England.The location,being a grain mill town,offered a ready supply of water from the Darent River.Following a consultation with both furnace and bellows makers,Schultz prepared the plans and submitted them to the commissioners for their approval.The estimated cost of the project,amounting to £1,900 was to be borne by the Company of Cathay shareholders,contingent on the plan being approved.Michael Lok was requested by the commissioners to levy a 20% assessment fee against the Company’s shareholders,which contribution was to be prorated according to the number of shares held by an investor. Following acceptance,building of the furnaces and coexisting structures,which were supervised by the Queen’s Privy Council’s appointed commissioners, commenced in late April,1578,a month before Frobisher’s fleet of 15 ships departed
from England.They were completed in late September,just prior to his return.The completed works consisted of five large furnaces,two water mills,coal repositories, and warehouses (2001,McDermott,James: Martin Frobisher – Elizabethan Privateer; pub.Yale University Press,New Haven and London,pp.200,202 & 245).
The cost of Frobisher’s second voyage to “Frobishers Streytes” resulted in the Company of Cathay overspending the original subscribed monies of £2,500 by an exorbitant £3,910.This financial encumbrance was anticipated to be,at least in part,liquidated by the gold and silver expected to be extracted from the 200 tons
of “ore” shipped to England and secured, pending its processing in the Company’s furnaces at Dartford.
The estimated cost of a much more enterprising third voyage was deemed to amount to £8,939.Jonas Schultz’s prevaricated conclusion,based on his doctored assay of an “ore” sample made in March,1578,that a yield of £23 of gold and silver could be obtained from a ton on the “ore,” from which a net profit of £5 could be realized after deducting smelting costs and sundry expenses,was sufficient to convince the commissioners to sanction a third voyage.Because of the onset of spring,they encouraged Frobisher to expeditiously commence the mobilization of a
fleet and personnel.There were sixteen subscribers to this new venture,all being members of the aristocracy,with exception of Michael Lok.An amount of £6,952 was raised from both former and new subscribers,with Queen Elizabeth providing in excess of 50 percent of the forementioned sum.(1971, Morison,Samuel Eliot:The European Discovery of America – The Northern Voyages – A.D.500-1600;pub.,Oxford University Press,New York,p.531).
The commissioners,at the urging of Queen Elizabeth,had instructed the Company that a temporary colony,to consist of 100 volunteers,be established for a period of 18 months,on Anne Warwick Island where the “ore” had been mined during Frobisher’s second voyage.The concept for a scheme of such duration displayed,in particular on the part of the commissioners,their unawareness of the severity of the arctic winters and the inaccessibility to such a remote region for much of the year.Their rationale was for England to confirm by settlement,however transitory,its possession of the area with the hope of eventually establishing a permanent colony.
The colonists were to be comprised of 40 seamen – including shipwrights – 30 soldiers, and 30 miners.Three of the fleet’s vessels were to be left at the settlement;the barques Gabriel and Michael as well as the Judith.The latter was commanded by Edward Fenton, who as Frobisher’s second-in-command of the expedition,had volunteered to remain with the colonists as their director.The retention of the small fleet was a means of safeguarding the colonists should,for any unforeseen circumstance,they be required to abandon their settlement and sail back to England.They were,as well,ordered to conduct further exploration up “Frobisher’s Streytes” in search for the Northwest Passage.The Company of Cathay had mandated Frobisher to mine a minimum of 800 tons of “ore” in Meta Incognita.Six of the most sturdy ships of his fleet of 15 vessels were to be utilized to freight the “ore” back to England.The miners associated with the proposed colony were expected to mine 2,000 tons of “ore” during Frobisher’s absence.Instructions were given to Captain Fenton,as the designated leader of the colony,to assess and record all physical aspects,as well as both human and natural resources,of Mega Incognita within a 200 mile radius of the proposed settlement.In particular,he was to record:“what tyme of the yeare the Straight is most free from eysee.” Such a compilation of data pertaining to Mega Incognita was meant to determine its suitability for the establishment of a permanent colony.
Accommodation for the 100 colonists,who volunteered to remain over the winter,had been carefully planned in England before Frobisher departed on his third voyage.It consisted of a large prefabricated building which,when erected,would provide in excess of 5,500 square feet of living and storage space.Its component parts,including squared timbers,brick and mortar,were to be conveyed in several of the fleet’s ships and unloaded for assembly at a desirable site on the forementioned island.The three vessels, which were to be left at the colony,were to be towed onshore before freeze up to prevent their hulls being crushed by ice movement (Ibid.,2001,McDermott,James – p.211). Undoubtedly,they were to afford a measure of protection,including additional lodging space for some of the colonists.
The involvement of Queen Elizabeth and her Privy Council’s appointed commissioners in all aspects pertaining to the planning stage of Frobisher’s third voyage was disconcerting to the Company of Cathay.Frobisher was particularly annoyed with the commissioners intent of establishing a colony,albeit transitory, asserting it to be an encumbrance to his
mining operations in such a harsh environment.Furthermore,he had strengthened his objectives by implying that the French were harboring designs of encroachment and fortification of England’s “gold bearing” Meta Incognita.Apparently, because of his own self-aggrandizement,he imagined the fame he achieved by his discovery of Meta Incognita might be surpassed by his Lieutenant General,Captain Fenton,his subordinate,who as designated leader of the proposed colony would,in the end,attain greater recognition (Ibid.,2001, McDermott,James – p.210).
Provisions for the seamen,as well as those to be provided for the colonists,were passable for the times and conditions.Preserved meat, in the form of salted beef,pork,and bacon as well as a fish diet of boiled salted cod,were served alternately and invariably supplemented with boiled dried peas as the solitary vegetable.Cheese,bread,and salted biscuits complemented the daily allotment of beer,the latter being the staple beverage.The flavour of their edibles was enhanced by the addition of salt,vinegar,and oil (Ibid.,2001, McDermott,– pp.211.212).“Such as it was
and what there was of it!” would succinctly express an Elizabethan mariner’s opinion of his monotonous diet.
The commissioners had prompted Frobisher to depart on his third expedition by May 1, 1578.However,it was not until May 27,due to the logistics and corresponding escalated costs,that his fleet of 15 vessels was mobilized at the port of Harwick,Essex,northeast of London.Here Captain General Frobisher,after conducting a tally of personnel and recording a manifest of the fleet’s provisions,issued to each of his captains a list of orders pertaining to the onboard behavior of the fleet’s seamen as well as navigational procedures to be strictly adhered to during the course of the fleet’s time at sea.The first article,directed at the seamen,was a ludicrous affront to their lifestyle in as much as they were:“to banish swearing,dice,card playing,and filthy communication;and to serve God twice a day with the ordinary service of the Church of England,and to clear the glass according to the old order of England (“glass” being a 16th century nautical term implying a one-half hour
(Continued on Page 44...)
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Editor(ial) Reviews
The following are some memories shared by a few of the past Reservoir editors.For the ones we could not get in touch with or who were unable to provide something on short notice,we have included some comments from their annual reports.Aside from the obvious major changes like going to color and changing to the large-page format,it is interesting to see the amount of “tweaking”the Reservoir has undergone through the decades.
The Reservoir has always had a ‘technical’editor.Sometimes this position was handled by one person,other times there were several people working as a team to produce the publication.The people identified below were either the individual editor or were the chairman for the editorial committee;or,in the case of Richard Thom and Ray Featherstone,were co-editors.Incomplete records precluded an exact chronology of all the volunteers that have contributed their time and knowledge over the years.However, congratulations and gratitude for a job well done go to all of them and to the many other members that have provided occasional contributions to the Reservoir.
Ben McKenzie Current Technical Editor
W.Wayne Shepheard,Editor 1974 – 1977
The Reservoir is approaching its 31st year and the progress and changes over that time period have been vast and outstanding.It was my privilege to be the newsletter’s first editor under the new banner and I served in that position for four years,each one incorporating new changes,mirroring the progress of the society as a whole.
My predecessor,Don Basso,who had been the editor of the society’s newsletter for several years prior to 1974,suggested the name.He also did the groundwork with the printer to develop the new format. As I said in my first Editorial,we wanted to tap into the reservoir of talent in the society to bring new ideas and contributions to the publication,to use the pages of the Reservoir to voice concerns and make comments,both positive and negative,on the affairs of the society and on the profession in general.
The new format,with its booklet style and glossy pages was a major departure from the previous newsletter presentation,although it pales in comparison to the present day slick and professional publication.I still remember spending hours,before the use of computers,cutting and pasting articles,in order to get everything to fit into the new pages,prior to getting a final “blueline” from the printer.
Among innovations in content were the introduction of:the COMMENT page,intended for letters to the Editor and/or Executive; the EXECUTIVE page,where members of the management team of the society could report regularly on its affairs;regular pages devoted to the various division meetings and conventions;and the EDITORIAL page,designed to offer unique comment by the Reservoir Editor.Some may remember that a few of these innovations were considered “outrageous” and “provocative”,but they did their job of stimulating feedback from members.
The new changes also allowed us to incorporate quality photos and illustrations for the first time,giving recognition to individual activities
and members.Most of the early photos used were taken by the new Photo Committee head,Alasdair Fergusson,who tirelessly attended many of the CSPG’s events,camera in hand.
The first advertisements were in the form of inserts, for courses and publications.Their inclusion helped offset some of the costs of publication. Advertisements were not immediately accepted by some as being something a professional society’s newsletter should be accepting – to the point that suggestions were made from at least one member of the Executive that the Editor could find himself replaced if the activity continued.
But we persevered and established what I hope was a groundwork of new ideas upon which the current publication’s editors continue their efforts on behalf of the CSPG.I am pleased that I was able to contribute to the growth of the society through the Reservoir in its inceptive period.
Peter Hews,Editor 1978 – 1979
While I was working at BP Canada,Don Glass (then the editor of the Bulletin) suggested that I would be a good candidate to take over the editorship of the Reservoir.I’m pleased that I was ‘volunteered’ for the two-year period from 1978 to1979 (Volumes 5 and 6).
I continued in the short tradition that the Reservoir had set and presided over the editions that celebrated the CSPG’s 50th year. Commercial Printers in Calgary continued to print the publication with an archaic but efficient typesetting contraption that fed individual lead alloy raised typeface into a jig or galley which would then be inked and printed,one page-pair at a time.After use,the metal type in the galley was melted down and recast into type for the next print job. Proofreading was by keen eye,(as it still should be,even with spellchecking tools) and corrections made by replacing or inserting individual letter type.
We did experiment with offset printing for some of the larger issues such as the Society election editions which probably set the stage for the wholesale upgrading of the printing techniques employed in future Reservoir volumes.At the same time,the Reservoir also started to include advertising inserts (mainly courses of interest to the geological community) that were not endorsed or sponsored by the CSPG but did pay for their portion of the printing and also for the mailing of the newsletter.
(Continued on Page 26...)
The Reservoir was either 8 or 12 pages back then but it was sometimes tough (without advertising slots) to fill the available space.A few of you might remember the three editions that saw me pen a strip cartoon, featuring the antics of the drilling crew at ‘Rusting Rig One’.
Because of my field commitments with BP Canada,some editions of the Reservoir would not have been printed without the valuable help of several colleagues at BP.The editorial team effort had begun!
Good luck with Volume 32 and beyond!
Fred DeWiel,Editor
1980 – 1982
The Reservoir,the next-to-monthly newsletter of the CSPG,appeared the customary 11 times,four times with 8 pages,four times with 12 pages,and twice with 16 pages and once with a record 20 pages.The number of copies printed went up from 3,900 in 1980 to 4,100 in 1981. As usual,the published material consisted primarily of abstracts, announcements,reports and comments from the Executive,Committee Chairmen and event organizers.Feedback from the grass roots was minimal,confirming that the huge majority of Active Members are passive.The response to the plea for pictorial contributions for an exceptional twelfth issue,which was published November as a Photo Supplement.was meager.The editors do not recommend a repetition of this effort unless a more complete selection of material is available. Committee Chairmen of major functions should include a photographer in their planning.Much of the credit for the timely mailing of the “Reservoir” must again go to Commercial Printers Ltd.and the CSPG office staff.(The above is a reprint of Fred’s comments in the 1982 Annual Report)
Rory C.Hankel,Editor 1983 – 1985
the Reservoir.The February edition saw the initiation of a new format for the Reservoir. Besides the non-glossy finish of the paper,which was immediately obvious,the paper is of a lighter weight.This has permitted mailing costs to be held to approximately half what they would have been using the old style paper.Additionally,the Reservoir is slightly smaller than previously to facilitate printing by the offset method. Also the type is now set by a fancy printer’s version of a word processor.This allows more choice in type size and style,both of which have been experimented with during the year.(The above is a reprint of Rory’s comments in the 1983 Annual Report)
Hans Speelman,Editor 1986 – 1987
The CSPG “Reservoir”,the Society’s newsletter,appeared in its typical 11 editions in 1983, one per calendar month,except for the summer edition which incorporated both July and August.The average size of the 1983 Reservoir was 12 pages,the same as 1982, although the variance in size was smaller in 1983.The number of copies printed per edition increased to 4,300 in 1983,from the previous year’s printing of 4,100.The published material consisted primarily of technical abstracts,announcements, comments from the Executive,and information related to sister societies,CSPG courses and publications.Few letters were received from the membership-at-large.Co-operation with committees and their Chairmen was exceptional and most ‘copy’ received was incorporated in
The newly created Advertising Sales Committee,headed by William Haskett,became involved with RESERVOIR advertising during the course of the year.The format and content of RESERVOIR from previous years was largely maintained.Abstracts for the Technical Luncheon Program received prominent coverage.Biographies of the Luncheon speakers were added,starting with the September issue.Members of the CSPG Executive provided a monthly column of commentary on the direction of the society and on new initiatives.A gratifying number of “Letters to the Editors” were received,especially in the latter part of the year.Topics discussed included accreditation,British Columbia core storage,the role of technologists and technicians in the CSPG,and payment for prospectation.General Announcements and reports from divisions and committees formed the core for the remainder of the Reservoir.These related to short courses, field trips,the June convention and manpower developments,among other topics.The Publication Sales Committee faithfully contributed a column on CSPG publications.CSPG news was complemented by announcements from sister societies and of general industry or scientific interest.A Calendar of Events had been started half-way through the previous year and was maintained through 1986.As with previous volumes,Volume 13 of RESERVOIR was published monthly with the exception of a combined JulyAugust issue for the slow summer period.The average size increased to 17.5 pages,excluding advertising inserts,up from 13.8 pages for the 1985 volume.In the first seven issues,40 pages of advertising inserts were included.A change of policy took effect in September giving advertisers the option to mail loose inserts or brochures with RESERVOIR,an initiative of the Advertising Sales Committee.Three such inserts were included.In addition RESERVOIR agreed to accommodate smaller advertisers by allowing color screened single and half page ads within the regular pages. A final major change that was implemented concerned the mailing system. Third Class Bulk mailing within Alberta was started in September.As was pointed out in editorials in the January and July-August issues,mailing costs
formed a disproportionately large part of the cost of producing the Reservoir (about 50 percent).Third class mailing could reduce this cost by half.Slower mail delivery could be accommodated by moving the submission deadline up one week.It was decided to try this for six months. The experience so far has been very positive.The mailing class change also allowed us to return to a heavier paper type.In the coming year we hope to consolidate the changes we implemented this year.A few problems arose with the mailing of the inserts and more time is needed for the advertising changes to catch on.No major new initiatives are planned, therefore,for 1987.(The above is a reprint of Hans’ comments in the 1986 Annual Report)
Ian Moffat,Editor 1988 – 1990
Happy Anniversary Reservoir! Thirty years fly by quicker than one might imagine.Coincidently,I believe this next year I will join the illustrious LongTime Members of 30 years or more,so I guess the Reservoir and I have something in common.
When the Reservoir Volume 1 Number 1 came out I remember it as being a smallish,“newsprinty” kind of publication.The format remained that way until 1987 the first year I became involved as assistant editor of the Reservoir.At that time the decision was made to change to glossy paper and change the logo.Back then the Reservoir was a 6” x 9” black and white format and there was considerable resistance on the part of the CSPG Executive to move to the larger color format a la AAPG EXPLORER. During my tenure with the Reservoir,CSPG Presidents Clay Riddell,Mike Cecile,Bill May,and Ed Klovan were steadfast proponents of managing costs in order to keep membership fees at a low level and in 1987 the Reservoir was definitely a “cost center”.The Reservoir’s financial status gradually changed,however,thanks to the advent of the CSPG Advertising committee and the hard work of Bill Haskett and Peter Harrington. Through their placement of paid advertising not only did the Reservoir manage to break even but it also saw its first addition of color in the way of blue screening to the advertisements.Of course the Reservoir today is a far cry from its meager beginnings…much larger,new logo,and full color to boot.Those of us who were involved with the Reservoir in the late eighties would never have predicted the change.The topic of predictions brings me to conclude this stroll down memory lane by quoting from an abstract for one of the luncheon talks that appeared in the December 1988 Reservoir.The talk was entitled Stability within Uncertainty:Evolution of the World Oil Market.The authors,who will remain nameless to protect the innocent suggested “…however,the Institute’s research suggests that the price risks lie entirely on the downside.In the extreme,if OPEC’s unity is shattered in the next year,prices could fall below $10.00 and remain below $16.00 per barrel through the remainder of the century.” Sure glad they got that one wrong.
Lisa-Henri Kirkland,Editor
1991 – 1993
1991 was a year of change for the Reservoir.both in the production process and in content/format.A number of steps were taken to alleviate
production problems which had been recurring over a number of years. A change of printer was effected in order to better meet the publication’s needs.Typesetting was separated from the printing function, so that the editor might have control over the quality and timing of typesetting rather than working through the intermediary of a printer. These changes resulted in improved production and more timely distribution of the Reservoir.While the content and format of the Reservoir remained similar to that of past years,some new features were introduced during 1991.Abstracts for some division meetings were included in order to provide members with more detail on presentations and in order to increase interest in division meetings. “Theme” issues in which articles/editorials and advertising focused on specific areas of petroleum geology,were also introduced in 1991.It is hoped that theme issues will encourage submission of material and provide an organized forum for various topics.(The above is a reprint of Lisa’s comments in the 1991 Annual Report)
Blythe Slater,Editor 1994 – 1995
The Reservoir took on a new look in January 1994. Color screening was added to the front page to highlight the logo and title of the publication.A different screen color was used each month.In addition,print style and size was changed and artistic logos were added to some of the regular columns like “Executive Comment”, “Keeping Track”,and “Letters to the Reservoir”.The November,1994 issue was the first published color issue of the Reservoir.In this issue color advertisements and a color photograph were introduced.The “Letters to the Reservoir” column was a great success this year.Many members wrote articles,commentaries and letters containing information of interest to the general membership.In 1995, the Reservoir committee will continue to improve the look and overall quality of the Reservoir.A color photograph from the 1995 calendar will appear on the cover of each issue beginning with the January issue and the title print will be changed.(The above is a reprint of Blythe’s comments in the 1994 Annual Report)
Richard Thom,Editor 1995 – 1998
A Geological Events Calendar highlighting the date and time of CSPG events was a new addition,first appearing in the February ‘96 issue.Many members have reported photocopying this page and pinning it beside (Continued on Page 28...)
their desk for reference. Informative articles regarding APEGGA registration and services provided by the GSC to the geological community have received positive comments. Photographs of the contributing Executive are now included in the “Executive Comment” so that these individuals are now recognizable to the general membership.
From September 1997,the Reservoir has undergone radical changes,incorporating a larger (8 1/2 x 11) format,colour capability throughout and many new design features.Three new regular columns include:Pro-Files by Denise Hodder (University of Calgary),which highlights prominent and successful people in the oil patch;Aubrey Kerr’s Historical Snapshots,giving historical insights on important oil patch figures:and Oil Company Key Facts,providing a “first stop” overview of oil company international exploration and production activity.“One-off”,technical and non-technical articles have also been included in the Reservoir,adding to the readability of the publication. The 1997 Reservoir has a new format involving the use of grey highlighted text to provide a less cluttered,more readable appearance. (The above is a reprint of Richard’s comments in the 1996 and 1997 Annual Reports)
Ray Featherstone,Editor 1995 – 2000
The monthly Reservoir magazine is a CSPG vehicle for communication. The Reservoir Committee,by coordinating with other committees, strives to keep the membership informed of upcoming events on a timely basis.The Reservoir has,for example,with the help of the Technical Luncheon Committee,been publishing the technical luncheon abstracts up to two months in advance.Other regular contributions include Technical Divisions lunchtime talks,Executive Comments, Continuing Education opportunities,the Education Trust Fund and its beneficiaries such as the SIFT Program,Historical Snapshots by Aubrey Kerr,and the CSPG Bookstore Bulletin.Articles of special interest, whether they be technical or perhaps human interest (from CSPG members),are also published to educate or encourage discussion among CSPG members.(The above is a reprint of Ray’s comments in the 1999 Annual Report)
Marc Charest,Editor 2001 – 2002
Unfortunately,Marc was unable to provide us with some comments in the short lead-time we had available.However,his contribution to the Society as Reservoir Technical Editor is gratefully acknowledged.
Ben McKenzie,Editor
2003
– present
Two years ago,I volunteered to serve at Technical Editor for the Reservoir.At that time,there was serious consideration about going to an electronic-only version.Costs of preparation,publication,and mailing were far outweighing the small amount of revenue generated from the Reservoir.
Since then,the viewpoint has rotated 180°.Thanks to the amazing efforts of Kim MacLean,the CSPG Corporate Relations Manager,the Reservoir is no longer the money-drain that it was.In fact,her ability to bring in advertising is limited largely by the fact that there is not enough technical content to maintain the 50/50 split between the two,as mandated by the Executive.
A significant amount of non-advertising (technical) material is available monthly in the form of abstracts for the luncheons and division talks. As well,announcements and reviews of the Society’s technical conferences and social events contribute to fulfilling the Reservoir’s mandate.However,there still remains room for many other technical / news-related articles.Although there are a few members that contribute frequently,there is rarely enough material internally generated to meet the demand – keeping in mind that this is all strictly a volunteer effort.As a result,we have been attempting to fill the gap by reprinting articles from similar associations (AAPG,Houston Geological Society,etc.) and by broadening the scope beyond just Canadian petroleum geology in the search for material that will be of interest to the members.
Over the past year,we advertised for additional volunteers to assist with the Reservoir.After a long search,a few stepped forward (Donna Burden,Penny Colton,Rachid Hached,Shaheen Khan,Wasim Paracha, Ashley Sinke,Jianbo Zhang) and their assistance has been greatly appreciated.There are several initiatives underway to expand our contacts with government agencies,universities,and industry,but this is a long,slow process.Hopefully,over the coming year,these initiatives will elicit more input from a wide variety of sources.As an aside,many of these initiatives are ideas that have been successfully carried out in the past.But,for a variety of reasons,they have fallen to the wayside over the years.In addition to the volunteers mentioned above,we are always on the lookout for anyone willing to volunteer some time to help with the Reservoir or write an article (yes,that is a plea!).
Although there hasn’t been a major change in the Reservoir format recently,there are always ongoing minor changes.These are aimed at making the publication more consistent,more readable,or just plain more attractive.And,the page count has been growing over the years. The average number of pages is currently well over 40 (full-size) pages per issue – a far cry from the eight (small) pages of the early years.
Finally,as in previous years,mention must be made of the work done by Jaimè Croft,the CSPG Communications Manager and coordinating editor.The Reservoir benefits greatly from her dedicated efforts.
Coalbed Methane: Back to Basics of Coal Geology
2005 Gussow Geoscience Conference
March 9-11, 2005
Get fired up for a discussion on one of the hottest topics in the industry while relaxing at the Radisson Inn, nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountain setting of Canmore, Alberta. The 2005 Gussow Geoscience Conference will focus on geological aspects around Coalbed Methane (CBM)/Natural Gas from Coal (NGC) reservoirs.
Early-Bird Registration
Early-bird registration will open on December 1, 2004. Register before February 1, 2005 and save $100 off the registration fee!
Call for poster abstract submissions
Interested delegates are invited to submit abstracts for poster presentations on the topic of CBM/NGC. For more information, or to submit an abstract, please contact gussow.conference@gmail.com. The deadline for abstract submission is January 15, 2005.
For additional information regarding the conference schedule, keynote speakers, registration or abstract submission, please refer to the CSPG website.
Simply go to http://www.cspg.org, click on Conventions in the menu bar and follow the links to the 2005 Gussow Conference!
To sponsor this high energy conference, please contact Bill McDougall, Obann Resources Ltd., 403-540-8610, email: obanres@shaw.ca or Kim MacLean at 403-264-5610, extension 205.
The Last Thirty Years
The following is a selected overview of the thirty years in which the Reservoir has been in operation.The intent is to highlight some of the significant events in the CSPG (as seen through the Reservoir) and some in the Canadian Petroleum industry that have impacted our profession.
The Reservoir Editorial Committee
Donna Burden,Penny Colton,Shaheen Khan
Ben McKenzie,Wasim Paracha,Ashley Sinke
1974-1978
Thirty years ago in January 1974,the CSPG newsletter underwent a major reincarnation,with a brand new eight-page,tabloid format and a new name – “The Reservoir”.The first editor of the new publication was W.W.Shepheard,who in his first editorial credited a past editor – Don Basso – for instigating and naming the Reservoir.It was hoped that the new,more professional style,which could now include illustrations and photographs,would encourage members to get more directly involved in a dialogue on Society issues as well as those outside events that impacted the geological profession.To this end,a dedicated letters section and a guest editorial column were given prominence.
The invitation to dialogue was enthusiastically accepted.The pages of the early Reservoir saw much heated debate on the role of the CSPG itself. As a technical society,was it appropriate that the CSPG hold opinions on matters such as national energy policy and professional status of geologists or merely provide a forum for members? Should the executive publicly represent the Society? Is the Society truly Canadian as its name implies,or merely a “large provincial geological society with only its name hinting of national scope?”
The backdrop upon which the early Reservoir found its inception,was a time of turmoil in the world oil industry,which was to have implications for the Canadian oil patch,and indeed for the whole federal-provincial balance of power in the country.The first “OPEC crisis” occurred during the winter of 1973-74.Egypt and Syria had invaded Israel,and the Middle East oil-exporting countries decided to use oil as a weapon to force Israel out of what they considered to be Arab lands.Amid production cutbacks and a Middle East export embargo to the U.S.,oil reached $11.65 a barrel by January 1,1974,a quadrupling of world oil prices in the space of three months.
In an atmosphere of uncertainty about Canada’s future petroleum selfsufficiency,the federal government decided to impose controls on oil exports to the United States.In addition,the price of those exports was to be brought up to world levels,ostensibly to offset the higher prices needed to pay for oil imports to eastern Canada.A windfall for sure,but for whom? Each determined to reap the lion’s share,Ottawa and Alberta battled for control,and political acrimony reached new heights.The imposition of a federal oil export levy and more aggressive taxation and royalties by both levels of governments,saw companies almost immediately slashing their exploration budgets and threatening to leave Canada altogether.Fearing for the effects this would have on the geological profession in Canada,the CSPG took a proactive stance during this period and lobbied for more favourable tax policies.The governments backed off somewhat,domestic prices were allowed to rise and Alberta instituted
generous exploration incentives and tax credits.These measures,along with burgeoning world demand for petroleum,began a period of prosperity in the Canadian oil industry,which was to last through the last half of the 1970s.During this time Petro-Canada was created in 1975,the Interprovincial Pipeline was extended to Montreal in 1976,in 1977 Chevron discovered the 200 million-barrel oil field in Nisku reefs at West Pembina,and Syncrude began development of the oil sands at Fort McMurray in 1978.Canadian frontier exploration flourished.
So too,it was a golden time for the CSPG.The pages of the Reservoir documented a growing vibrancy in the organization.In one Reservoir Executive Comment,it was observed that the tremendous breadth of activities undertaken by the CSPG,relative to a much larger organization such as the AAPG,was due to the fact that over 10 percent of members were vigorously active in Society projects.Numerous initiatives were undertaken during this period.In 1974 area representatives from associated geological societies were appointed to ensure closer ties with members outside Alberta.From 1974 to 1976 six new divisions of the Society were added to deal with structural geology,geochemistry,geomathematics,computer applications,sedimentology,and coal.
In 1974 the CSPG hosted a symposium entitled “Canada’s Continental Margins and Offshore Petroleum Potential” attended by 1,100 delegates. That year the new Calgary convention centre opened.The executive briefly considered moving the popular noon luncheon meetings to the larger facility from its then current location at Penley’s,but could not justify the whopping increase for the luncheon meal from $3.50 to $5.00! The year 1975 marked the first joint CSPG/CSEG Exploration Update, which was held in the new Convention Centre.1,455 delegates attended that year.No convention was held in 1976,but planning began for the Society’s fiftieth anniversary in 1978.
In 1976 the Link Award Tour was established and the first Tracks Award was presented for significant contributions by members to the Society. The Society formed the Speakers Bureau to coordinate the various tours and talks.In 1977 a new award was created for the best student paper at the Atlantic Universities Geological Conference.
In 1978 the CSPG celebrated its 50th Anniversary in great style,and was another year of many firsts.That year the Society produced the first geological calendar with a print run of 3,200 copies.The first annual National Geology Day,christened Logan Day,was celebrated in the form of a family picnic at Sibbald Flats – 127 people attended,“not including kids and dogs.” It was a rousing success,and continued for nearly 20 years in southern Alberta and other locations across the country.Many of us have fond memories of the camaraderie engendered,not to mention the delicious “pig roasts.”
A highlight of the 50th anniversary year was a special convention,Facts and Principles of world Oil Occurrence.The three-day meeting attracted 1,894 people including 62 speakers.The keynote speaker was His Excellency Sheikh Yamani,the Saudi Arabian oil minister.
Less prestigious perhaps,but no less important,members continued to enjoy lively social events,including a golf tournament,the Annual Dinner, the Past President’s Dinner.
By 1978 the Society membership was over 3,000 members.
1979-1983
A new format for the Reservoir incorporated the story of the John A.Allen (1884-1955) Memorial (Geological) Hammer – depicted in the CSPG logo.The “Allan Gavel”,a symbol of CSPG authority,had been bequeathed by his estate to the ASPG in 1955.He was appointed in 1912 as the first Professor of Geology and Head of the Department at the University of Alberta,where he remained until he retired in 1950.He was one of the 12 founding members of ASPG in 1928 (serving as first Vice President) and was also a member of the APEA at its start in 1920 (serving as APEA President in 1930).Mt Allan in the Banff area was named after him.
1979 was a tragic year for the geological community as four geologists died in a helicopter accident in the Clearwater River area of the Alberta Rocky Mountains.Also that year,RJW Douglas passed away. Among the accomplishments of Dr.Douglas’ long-time tenure at the GSC,was the organization and editing of the 850-page Geology and Economic Minerals of Canada,and its accompanying geological maps. The CSPG the following year created the RJW Douglas Memorial Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canadian geology.
In 1980,another stalwart of the geological profession,Dr.Ted A.Link, passed away in Victoria,BC,where he had retired in the early 1970s.Dr. Link had been second President of the Society (1929) and is memorialized by the Link Award.In addition to his contributions to Canadian geology,he also served as President of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in 1956-57.His career was marked by the Norman Wells oil discovery in 1919-1920.Later,he returned during WWII to head up the Canol Project.His Doctorate in Structural Geology (Chicago,1924) prepared him for subsequent contributions at Turner Valley.As well,he was involved with the discovery of Leduc.
In October of 1980,the National Energy Policy was announced.This program was to cause major havoc in the petroleum industry.The following month,the National Energy Policy Committee was formed to investigate the impact of the NEP on the Society’s membership.Also in October,the CSPG and the CSEG held a joint meeting (800 in attendance) to discuss professional registration through APEGGA. (with two brief presentations by Roy Lindseth and Albert Jacobs).In the following months,an eight-man committee headed by Gordon Williams of the University of Alberta was formed to examine the issue and reported back in spring of 1982.Their report was accepted by the CSPG and CSEG executives and printed in the July 1982 Reservoir.
In 1981,a number of educational events occurred and several important publications were released.The Geomathematics Division held a two-day seminar on “Petroleum Resources Evaluations” with 200 in attendance,while the Core Conference held in January attracted 800 geologists.The publications going on sale included the first two volumes of the Lexicon of Canadian Stratigraphy.An additional 25,000 copies of the Highway Map of Alberta were reprinted.Committees were working on the publication entitled Oil and Gas Pools of Canada,as well as a book for the layperson entitled Calgary’s Geological Setting.
Ron McKenzie of Mobil toured ten universities across the country with his Distinguished Lecture talk – The Hibernia Structure.In
Calgary,the Joint CSPG/CSEG luncheon meeting in February on Hibernia attracted attendance of over 1,200.Also that year,the Honorary Address,entitled The Rings of Saturn attracted 1,600 people.
On the regulatory front,the professional registration issue continued with the “The Engineering,Geological and Geophysical Professions Act” being given a first reading in the Alberta Legislature on May 5,1981.
In 1982,the AAPG and CSPG joint convention and core conference in Calgary attracted 8,000 delegates.That year also saw the CSPG move into new offices in the Herald Building.Office renovations had been organized by Ian McIlreath and included display shelves for publications.As well,the CSPG hired its first full-time employee.
The CSPG held two workshops on the Alberta Petroleum Incentives Program.This program paid up to 35% of eligible geophysical, geological,and geochemical exploration expenses and was widely embraced by the industry.
The issue of professional registration was still creating debate in 1983. The outgoing editor in the January issue of the Reservoir stated:
Marcus Cato the Elder never closed a speech before the Senate of Rome regardless of subject matter without adding “and therefore I believe that Carthage must be destroyed”. Applied to my favourite irritant,that would be “ceterum censeo Apegganem esse delendam”,well not quite that far … but why is Professional capitalized in the title? Have you ever heard of a Professional Lawyer,a Professional Accountant or a Professional Physician? If we earn our living geologizing,we are all professionals (as opposed to student and amateur) geologists whether the Alberta Legislature likes it or not.
The professional societies recognized the problems and the CSEG, CSPG,and APEGGA formed a joint committee to resolve registration problems (permits,portability,etc.).
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Rusting Rig One,from the September 1979 Reservoir
On the CSGP home front,the membership list was computerized, which made contact with the members much easier,and the CSPG archives were moved from the University of Calgary to the Glenbow Museum and Archives.The Technical Luncheons also moved,from the Convention centre to the Westin Hotel.
During this time period,two additional technical divisions were added to the roster.The Petrology Division was added in 1982,and the International Division came onboard in 1983.These were in addition to the previously existing seven divisions (Paleontology,Structural Geology,Geochemistry,Geomathematics,Coal Geology, Sedimentology,and the Woman’s Group).The Woman’s Group had helped to arrange several functions in previous years – but was not reported on in 1982 and seems to have died off quietly.
1984-1988
Still reeling from the Ottawa’s 1980 National Energy Program and falling world oil prices,companies in the Canadian oilpatch continued to reduce their exploration programs during the mid-1980s.The Western Accord,signed by a Conservative government and the western producing provinces in 1985,did much to alleviate many of the taxes and restrictions imposed by the NEP.Membership in the CSPG, which had fallen from 3,100 members in 1980,revived and rose during this period to an all-time peak of 4,077 in 1985.However,world oil prices during this time had dropped to half of their 1980 value,and the Canadian oilpatch continued to suffer cutbacks as oil companies let go staff and reduced their funding support for societies like the CSPG. Reflecting these hard times,Society membership had dropped to about 3,800 by the late 1980s.A five-year forecast conducted by the Executive in 1985 showed that,with continued loss of membership revenues and expenses that were out of control,the CSPG would be
bankrupt by 1987.The 1986 Executive addressed this problem with a cost-cutting program,a corporate reorganization,and several fundraising initiatives.After a series of deficits,the policies and procedures put in place during the mid-1980s finally resulted in a profit for the Society in 1988.With oil prices starting to rise by the late 1980s,the oilpatch also began to look forward to a turnaround.
The most significant oil and gas discovery during this period had to have been Shell’s Devonian Swan Hills gas/condensate field at Caroline. In a story filed with the CSPG Reservoir in March 1988,an excerpt from The Roughneck reminisces how in 1981,Shell started with a blip, or a what they called just another “one-line wonder” on seismic at Caroline.The company started to build a geophysical picture and then a land base,and by 1986,held about 50% of the mineral leases along the seismically-mapped reef edge.The company began to drill the prospect in 1986,and managed to hold information on the discovery well,7-18-34-4W5,confidential until February 1987.Once it was delineated,it soon became obvious the two tcf Caroline Field was to be one of the most significant finds in the WCSB in the last 20 years.
The CSPG Reservoir during this period notes that Technical luncheons,which used to be at the Al-San space at Penley’s Dance Academy would be moved to the Westin Hotel,which could seat 1,000 people.CSPG conferences during this time were not always a standalone annual event:1984 saw a CSEG-CSPG Joint Convention in June (no theme was announced but the event did include a Spring Ball held in MacLeod Hall in the Convention Centre);1984 also saw the first core conference held in the new ERCB Core Research Centre Facility; in 1985,the theme for the CSPG-CIM Conference was “Energy Challenges and Opportunities”;the 1986 CSPG conference was held on “Canada’s Hydrocarbon Reserves for the 21st Century”,and included discussions on frontier areas,enhanced oil recovery,
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hydrogen,and helium;1987 included a CSPG Short Course entitled “Principles and Concepts for Exploration and Exploitation of Reefs in WCSB”;also in 1987,the Second International Symposium of the Devonian System was held at the Core Research Facility;in September 1988,the CSPG hosted a conference on “Sequences,Stratigraphy, Sedimentology:Surface and Subsurface;and in October 1988 the theme for the 25th anniversary of the Banff Conference was “Geology and Petroleum Markets”.
On the social side,the 25th annual CSPG golf tournament,which was held in June 1985,drew 144 participants including some special invitees who had participated in the original 1960 tournament at the Canyon Meadows Golf Club.The first ladies CSPG golf tournament, which was held in 1986,was a success and also became an annual event.An annual CSPG squash tournament was also initiated during this period (1984).Subsequent squash tournaments continued to draw a lot of interest even though ticket prices rose from $15 up to $20 for the event,which included a buffet dinner! A far better deal was the annual Logan Day family camp-out,hot wine toasts,and pig roast at the Sandy McNabb campground.Ticket prices,which were held at $7 during this period,enabled you to participate in the pig roast (as long as you brought your own sweet wine for the toasts!). Festivities for this event included horse-shoe matches,a soccer freefor-all,campfire singing,and “toasts to the past”.
1989-1993
Clay Riddell (CSPG past president,1989),when asked why he had agreed to become president of the CSPG,made the comment that he had gotten a lot out of being a geologist and everyone should give something back.Based on the activity of the Society throughout its history,he wasn’t the only one to think that way.
Bill May,then CSPG president,positively bubbled enthusiasm as he predicted the end of the current down cycle in the next year or two. His main reasons were that demand for oil was rising at unanticipated rates and because reserves were being depleted at an accelerated rate since the low prices had resulted in less drilling.The industry didn’t actually start out of the doldrums until 1992.
On the Reservoir side,Ian Moffat,then editor,remarked that the publication “…suffered from a paucity of informative articles concerning present industry activity,oil industry history and ongoing activities of the many committees and divisions that comprise our grand society.” While Ian might lament the lack of technical articles,at least the National Liaison Committee of the CSPG seemed reasonably active with several lengthy activity updates from across the country being published in the Reservoir.The year was very productive from a publications standpoint as the Society completed four proceedings volumes and several special publications.These were the results of symposia on basin-forming mechanisms,reefs,the Devonian system, and sequence stratigraphy that had taken place over the preceding three years.As well,the Geophysical Atlas and the Basin Analysis textbook were published.As Hans Speelman,the CSPG Senior Managing Editor stated,“This (the number of publications) is a testimony to the energy and enthusiasm of the hundreds of volunteers who are involved in these publications and who manage to keep CSPG vibrant,even in a period of industry slowdown.”
On the national scene,Canada and the U.S.negotiated a Free Trade Agreement,part of which dealt with the liberalized entry requirements for persons in professional and commercial services with activities that crossed the border.Unfortunately,geologists were not included in the list of professions recognized by the Agreement.This led the Canadian Geoscience Council to lobby long and hard to correct this oversight. In addition to the hardships posed by the industry slump on the working professionals,there were flags being raised about the lack of graduating geologists.A study published by the GSC indicated a 60% drop in undergraduate geology majors since the peak enrollment period of 1985 – the boom and bust cycle of the industry also was affecting the universities.
As 1990 dawned,the industry was still in a slump.So,naturally,thoughts turned to parties.The CSPG continued promoting networking via socializing with a wide variety of social events,such as the Logan Day pig roasts,golf tournaments,10k run,etc.There were also the individual technical division gatherings and the infamous Carbonate Liars Club (led by Jeff Packard and Steve Switzer).Back at the Reservoir office,outgoing president Bill May urged the members to submit technical articles for publication so that the membership could keep abreast of new developments,concepts,and ideas.And there was the proud announcement that the Society had purchased a new stateof-the-art computer – with 1Mb RAM,and a 40 Mb hard drive.
Related to the industry problems,CSPG treasurer – Sheila Hinton –made comment as to the difficulty in collecting membership fees compared to previous years.She also warned of the looming GST and that the CSPG would probably have to tack it on to its activities. Elsewhere,the declining enrollment in university geology departments continued to raise concern and several programs were initiated to address the situation.One such was the project (code name – Monkey Business) launched by the University College of Cape Breton, University of Calgary,and U.B.C.targeting grade 8 and 9 students.The CSPG also published the results of a forum on education trends which, among other things,predicted a coming staff shortage and recommended a number of initiatives to promote earth science in the public schools and to society in general.
On the professional side,mergers and acquisitions continued to take a toll on the number of oil companies.As Gordon Gray pointed out, many of these sales and re-sales of assets were being forced by opportunists who weren’t traditional oil people.Their goal was to drain the oil companies of their assets and they had no interest in reinvesting anything for the long-term viability of the industry.Gordon ended his discussion with an appeal to geoscientists to become more politically active in order to lobby for changes that would help the industry back to its feet.Along the same lines,Grant Mossop reported on the activities of the Canadian Geoscience Council,which had once again been lobbying.This time it was to ensure that geoscientists were represented on the technical council recently created to advise the federal government on subterranean disposal of nuclear waste.
In 1991,the CSPG started the Environmental Geology Division.This partly arose from the shifting of geologists from the oil industry into the environmental,hydrological,and engineering fields.Later that year, the Geological Society of America met in San Diego with just that connection at their annual meeting.On another front,to address the
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Proposed Study Area
R1W4M
poor public image of the geosciences,the Society agreed to lend substantial financial support to the EdGeo program of the Canadian Geoscience Council.That year also saw the initiation of the Science Hotline,where local teachers could access information,resources, speakers,etc.from a variety of scientific fields.
The Society continued the production of major publications with the release of the special issue of the Bulletin on the Peace River Arch.This report featured a significant amount of research done by the GSC and the Alberta Geological Survey.In the Reservoir,a new series began with the “Focus on” theme.The goal was to have articles a bit more indepth and concentrated on a particular topic than the usual Reservoir issue.Several of these overviews were published in the following months on topics such as exploration software,wireline logging,etc.
Elsewhere,the Ocean Drilling Program,which was launched (no pun intended) in 1985,was scheduled to investigate the Juan de Fuca Ridge off the west coast of B.C.This was also the period of significant growth in computing power at the desktop level.Mainframes running petroleum industry-oriented software had been around for decades. Now,however,the individual user could access powerful programs relatively (!) easily and cheaply.
Also in the early 1990s,natural gas began to gather more interest.At the time,Canadian regulatory agencies required companies to have a reserves dedication level of 100% in their export contracts.This was one of the factors affecting natural gas costs for the producers.In comparing the reserves/production ratio used in the U.S.and Canada, Jim MacDonald (1990 CSPG past president) encouraged the establishment of a committee that could provide a reliable estimate of the potential supply of natural gas for use in long-term planning.The Canadian Gas Potential Committee was established to conduct such reviews (and has published two major reports of its findings to date).
In 1992,the industry remained at a low.Attendance at the CSPG technical luncheons was down 15% and the lack of a vision-for-thefuture remained a major concern as short-term management drove the company business.That year’s Manpower report showed that the number of geologists was down 40% from the levels in 1986.
Some new initiatives were being developed however.The Canadian Continental Drilling Program began that year with the CretaceousTertiary Boundary Drilling Project.The intent was to investigate the reasons behind the major extinctions of that time.Closer to home,the Environmental Geology Division of the CSPG,the International Union of Geological Sciences,and the Canadian Geoscience Council teamed up to create a brochure and poster on ‘Planning and Managing the Human Environment – The Essential Role of the Geosciences”.This was in time for that year’s joint CSPG/AAPG convention and was well received.Also in 1992,the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada and the Canadian Petroleum Association merged to form the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) in an effort to create a louder and more focused voice in lobbying policy-makers for the good of the industry.
Geology got a bit of a boost in 1993 with Canada Post’s introduction of Dinosaurs as a stamp series.At SAIT,the Wellsite Production
Education Centre opened after eight years of preparation.It included a service rig,a natural gas production facility,and an oil production facility.
Universities still were at record low geoscience enrollments and new grads were having hard times finding employment.In 1993,the CSPG tried to help by publishing the Directory of Consultants and Services and by sponsoring continuing education courses on starting oil and gas companies.Another initiative was the SIFT summer hiring program, where the CSPG partly sponsored the cost of summer students at cooperating petroleum companies.While it appeared the bottom had been reached,it would still take the industry a while to climb out of the hole.
1994-1998
Attracting new members was still a problem going into 1994.But,the outlook began to improve as membership levels started to stabilize and profits increased.Technical programs became more active and the annual conventions were providing more support to the Society’s finances.The Society installed new accounting software,which helped keep better track of the monthly financial situation of the Society.
Dr.Cindy Riediger was sponsored by the Society for three years at the University of Calgary.Also,in response to the oil companies’ cutback in hiring and training new graduates,the University announced the Geology and Geophysics Co-operative Education Program.This program benefited both the oil companies and the students..
Hard times in the oil patch continued to affect CSPG members as oil companies scaled down in-house training programs.In the beginning of 1997,the Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC) formed with an initial 25 oil companies.Their purpose was to promote conventional oil and gas industries through research and technology development. Also during 1997,the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists (CCPG) was initiated.Its purpose was to assist its member associations across the country by providing a national focus for their activities and concerns.
Other noteworthy items that were discussed in the pages of the Reservoir included:
• In 1994,the 510-page Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin was released and met with great approval and interest
• In 1995,the CSPG President proposed hiring a Business Manager and Executive Director to better handle the increasing CSPG workload.
• In 1995,the CSPG BBS (Bulletin Board System) Committee changed its name to the CSPG On-line Committee and created the Society’s first informative and educational website.
• In 1996,the Society approved some changes to the By-laws – for example,a quorum of 25 could pass any agenda item (at that time, there were 3,500 members).
• In 1996,an outreach program for funding Calgary Science Centre’s Invent An Alien Contest was approved.
• In 1997,the Society moved from the old Calgary Herald building to its present location.
• In 1997,Society changed the format from black and white,coatpocket size,no frills newsletter into a colour magazine with more information in it,which helped improve contacts and communication.
• In 1997,first-time increase in luncheon price,raised to $20 while membership fee went from $50 to $65.
• In 1997,the joint convention with SEPM (now Society for Sedimentary Geology) was a success,especially with the feature event “Core Meltdown” at AEUB Core Storage Centre which later becomes Society tradition.
• In 1998,the Annual Convention made a net profit of $319,000 – the best ever in history.
• In 1998,due to advertisement revenue,new Reservoir printing assigned to McAra printing.
1999-Present
Since March 1999,world energy equities have experienced a bull market (an uptrend in the energy index of 25% or more).In the past (1980s and 1990s),bull markets typically lasted 18-20 months before world oil price volatility would cause a bear market lasting from 12 to 14 months.The world has been experiencing the highest sustained oil prices since the end of the 1970s over the 2000-2003 period.Average natural gas prices have been double the average of the 1986-1999 period.Natural gas spot prices have soared in three of the past four winters.World demand for crude is growing by 2% per annum (77 million barrels per day in 2003), while supply from major oil-producing countries such as Iraq,Nigeria, and Venezuela is continually being disrupted.
In North America,supply and demand for oil and gas has changed a fair amount over the years.Canada has been a significant exporter of energy for the past two decades.Throughout the 1990s Canada and the US operated under the impression that cheap,abundant natural gas would always be available in North America due to low natural gas prices at the wellhead.This resulted in strong demand growth.In Western Canada,production levels in the 1990s were actually higher than export pipeline capacity,creating an abundance of natural gas supply.Producers selling gas to the local Alberta market received a low netback price.Frustrated by their inability to receive higher netback prices through export sales,producers initiated the development of the Alliance Pipeline Project.This pipeline was completed in 2000 and added approximately 1.5 Bcf/d of new pipeline capacity to the region.Since the completion of the Alliance pipeline,export capacity from the WCSB has exceeded basin deliverability and our natural gas prices now correlate more closely with North American market prices.
In 2001,Canadian natural gas production stopped growing and has declined marginally.Overall deliverability in the WCSB has been flat for the past few years despite record levels of drilling activity,industry cash flow,and capital spending.This heightened activity and spending has focused on in-fill development drilling and shallow gas wells.Many of these natural gas wells have low initial rates and steep initial declines. Overall,3-4 Bcf/d of incremental production must come on each year to replace production lost due to declining rates.
As the supply/demand situation in Canada changed over the past five years,so has the face of the industry.There have been mergers,
acquisitions,and the rapid growth of trusts.The trust sector has ballooned from a few in the mid-1990s to over twenty today.This has had major impacts on the oil industry.Energy trusts do not invest in exploration;they avoid the high-risk end of the business in order to maximize cash distributions.This strategy has reduced the level of reinvestment of cash flow,in particular for exploration of new reserves.Trusts also offset depletion of reserves and maintain cash flow by aggressively purchasing oil and gas reserves and production from other companies.
In 2001,U.S.firms purchased over $35 billion in Canadian oil and natural gas assets,including ConocoPhillips’ purchase of Gulf Canada for $8.9 billion and Devon Energy’s acquisition of Canada’s Anderson Exploration for $7.1 billion.In 2002,two of Canada’s largest companies,Alberta Energy Company and PanCanadian Energy Corporation,merged to create EnCana Corporation,the country’s largest non-integrated oil and natural gas producer.Now the U.S.firms are beginning to retreat from Canada,particularly from assets held in Western Canada.Recently El Paso,ChevronTexaco,Marathon Oil, ConocoPhillips,Vintage Oil,Hunt Oil,and Murphy Oil have made moves to divest conventional hydrocarbon assets (mainly natural gas), largely because many of these assets are mature or no longer economically viable for such large companies.
Conventional crude oil production,like natural gas production,is beginning to decline in Western Canada.However,Canada’s total oil production has actually been increasing since 1999.In 2003 total oil production increased 7% over 2002 to average an estimated 3.1 million bbl/d.This increase is due to new oil sands projects and production off the coast of Newfoundland.Alberta’s oil sands have an estimated total reserves of 174.4 billion barrels (as of January 2004),while conventional crude oil and condensate stands at an estimated 4.5 billion barrels.This makes Canada’s total proven crude oil reserves an estimated 178.9 billion barrels.With the inclusion of the oil sands,Canada currently trails only Saudi Arabia,which holds the most proven oil reserves in the world.In the 2002 ranking by the Oil and Gas Journal,Canada does not even come in the top 20 of countries with the most proven reserves without inclusion of the oil sands.
Analysts predict that oil sands production will increase significantly in the future and offset conventional decline,becoming Canada’s major source of oil.The oil sands are a huge resource for Canada and the EUB is keeping a close watch on them.In 2003 the Board ordered 938 natural gas wells in the Wabiska-McMurray region to be shut-in to ensure maximum recovery of 100 billion barrels of crude bitumen that is planned to be produced with SAGD technology.
In Dec 2002,the Kyoto Protocol was ratified and signed by Prime Minister Jean Chretien.This had a major effect on the development of the oil sands.Uncertainty about the potential impact of implementing the Kyoto Protocol prompted companies such as Petro-Canada, Nexen Energy Inc.,Husky Energy Inc.,TrueNorth Energy Corp, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.,and ConocoPhillips to announce that they may delay oilsands investment if the agreement drives up operating costs.In January 2003,TrueNorth Energy deferred construction of its $3.5 billion Fort Hills Oil Sands Project.CNRL also (Continued on Page 38...)
postponed its giant Horizon project due to the potential costs of reducing emissions.
CNRL decided to go ahead with the project only after the Canadian government assured oil sands companies that they would not be hindered by the associated costs of limiting emissions. The Kyoto Protocol will require Canada to cut its carbon emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. Since emissions have grown since 1990,and are predicted to continue growing,Canada’s reduction target of 6% equates to a 30% reduction from predicted emission levels by about 2012.This reduction target may raise production costs as companies would most likely have to invest in emission-reducing technologies or acquire carbon credits to offset emissions resulting from production. The government has temporarily placed a cap on the price of the credits in Canada that may have to be purchased to allow the companies to emit CO2.
Over the past five years,there have been many highlights in the Canadian oil and gas industry.What follows is a brief summary,divided by region:
EAST COAST OF CANADA
Crude oil production off the coast of Newfoundland has increased significantly in the past few years.Terra Nova began production in January 2002 with Petro-Canada as operator.From January to October 2003 the field averaged 131,882 bbl/d.
At the Hibernia field,production has increased rapidly since startup. The field averaged nearly 200,000 bbl/d from January to October 2003. An additional reservoir,Avalon,came onstream in May 2000 and has averaged 5,668 bbl/d over the same time period.The area also contains natural gas,which currently is being re-injected into the Hibernia reservoir to maintain pressure.ExxonMobil Canada is the operator;its joint venture partners Chevron Canada,Petro-Canada,Canada Hibernia Holding Corporation,Murphy Oil,and Norsk Hydro.
White Rose is another project currently under development. Discovered in 1984,the White Rose field,which is operated by Husky Oil Operations,is expected to begin oil production in 2005 or early 2006.The field could reach an estimated 90,000 bbl/d at peak production.According to Husky,the White Rose field also holds an estimated 2.5 Tcf of natural gas that could be produced eventually if proven economically viable.
In February 2002,development of the Hebron/ Ben-Nevis area was suspended by the operator,ChevronTexaco.The companyindicated
Note:
that the field was not economical due to difficulties in developing its scattered deposits and because of high production costs related to the viscosity of the oil.In October 2003, ChevronTexaco,along with its partners ExxonMobil, Norsk Hydro,and PetroCanada,indicated that they have been reconsidering the project and could put its development back on track.The Hebron/Ben Nevis field was discovered in 1981 and contains estimated resources of approximately 400 million barrels of oil.
On December 17,2003,the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board auctioned 14 exploration concessions in the Orphan Basin.Eight of these were purchased by ChevronTexaco,ExxonMobil,and Imperial Oil.Orphan is located in deep waters north of the Jeanne d’Arc Basin. According to a recent seismic study,there are four potential oil reservoirs.Exploration activities for oil and gas are also being conducted onshore in both New Brunswick,Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
Recently,there have been a number of setbacks to development off the east coast of Canada and many analysts are skeptical of the offshore potential.
In early June 2003,Petro-Canada and partners,EnCana and Norsk Hydro,abandoned exploration activities in the Flemish Pass Basin after the exploration well,Mizzen L-11,did not produce enough oil to make the well commercially viable.In the relatively unexplored Scotian Basin offshore Nova Scotia,investors have been discouraged recently because costly exploration efforts have not been successful. EnCana’s Deep Panuke project is unlikely to be developed in the near-term.In December 2003,EnCana announced that it decided to withdraw its original applications for the development of the Deep Panuke reserve.Despite encouraging results from two recent exploration wells,EnCana stated that the original development plan was no longer appropriate,but would consider potentially developing a smaller production facility.
There has also been reevaluation of other offshore projects.Shell originally estimated reserves of the Sable Offshore Energy Project (SOEP) at 1.1 Tcf and production began in December 1999.In January 2002,the company revised their estimate to 800 Bcf,and in 2003,they further revised it to 700 Bcf.
In the downstream,LNG has been making the headlines on the East Coast.Irving Oil has plans to build a LNG import facility at Canaport,near Saint John,New Brunswick.Regulatory work and environmental assessment has recently been approved for the
proposal and work is underway.The facility is expected to be inservice in 2007,with an expected capacity of 500 mmcf/d.
Access Northeast Energy announced plans in August 2003 to construct a LNG regasification facility in Nova Scotia on the Strait of Canso.Access Northeast Energy was acquired by Anadarko on Aug 12,2004.Anadarko continues to go ahead with the project,with expected capacity between 750 mmcf/d and 1 bcf/d.The facility is expecting to begin operation in fall 2007,assuming full regulatory approval.ANE would connect the facility to the Maritimes and Northeast pipeline to transport natural gas to Canadian and U.S. markets.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
The largest natural gas find in the past five years was the Ladyfern field,discovered in 2002 when Murphy Oil drilled a well that tested at 100 mmcf/d.This find prompted a lot of competitor activity and over-drilling.The field production peaked at approximately 700 mmcf/d in 2002 and is declining rapidly.In April 2003,Canadian Superior Energy reported two new discoveries at the East Ladyfern field,22 miles southeast from the main Ladyfern field.
Also of note is a package of royalty credits announced in May 2003 by the BC government in an attempt to attract new investment to the region.The BC government would like to double the current natural gas production by 2008.They are also pushing to lift a 30year-old ban on offshore exploration.According to BC Ministry of Energy and Mines,Queen Charlotte,Tofina,Winona,and Georgia basins are estimated to hold 43.4 Tcf of natural gas while the area near Queen Charlotte Basin is estimated to contain 10 billion barrels of oil.
WESTERN CANADA
Companies are stepping up exploration for unconventional resources in Western Canada.Coalbed methane (CBM) production is still in its infancy,with the first wells having been drilled in 1997 and actual commercial production beginning in 2002.EnCana and MGV were the first companies to produce commercial natural gas from coalbed methane,with a large number of companies following suit with pilot projects.The Mannville of the Alberta Plains represents the bulk of Canadian CBM production.Reports on reserve estimates vary,listing reserves from 150 Tcf to 500 Tcf.
Other unconventional natural gas resources recently being explored for in Western Canada include shale gas.The Milk River,Medicine Hat,and Second White Specks Formations,all consisting of organicrich shales and sandy shales,have seen huge amounts of development in Southern Alberta in the past few years.The shales are too tight to be economically productive;however,fractures and sand stringers act as effective conduits to produce gas at low,but sustained yield over may years.These reservoirs are considered unconventional because the gas is produced from the tight shales rather than the actual sand stringers or faults that are completed.Although recovery from a single well is fairly low,the relatively shallow reservoir depth, widespread occurrence,and existing infrastructure make shale gas economical in the contest of existing high prices.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
In May 1999,Chevron and its partners announced the discovery of the Nahanni gas field north of Fort Liard in the Northwest Territories.The discovery well began production in April 2000 and has produced an average 75 Mmcf/d.This makes it Canada’s most prolific on-shore producing gas well.The field now produces from four wells with a combined total of 24 Bcf in 2003.Cumulative field production to the end of 2003 was 113.6 Bcf.Exploration in this area was inspired by the Pointed Mountain gas field,located 15 km to the west.Pointed Mountain was discovered in the 1970s and produced 310 Bcf of gas before being suspended in 2001.
Also of note is the Cameron Hills field,located in the southern Northwest Territories.This field was discovered in the late 1980s. Gas production from the field started in 2002,and in 2003 six new development wells were drilled by Paramount.By the end of 2003, four wells were producing gas.Annual gas production in 2003 was 3.49 Bcf with cumulative production from the field at year end standing at 7.88 Bcf.Sustained oil production from the field started in March 2003 with total year-end production at 179,146 barrels.
Unconventional gas hydrates are also being explored for in the Northwest Territories.Gas hydrates are ice-like substances composed of water and natural gas that form under conditions of low temperature and high pressure.Gas hydrates also are highly concentrated – one solid cubic meter converts to 5,792 cubic feet of natural gas.It is estimated that gas hydrates contain more energy than all other hydrocarbons in the world combined.Experts believe there are massive reserves of gas hydrates throughout the world, mainly located under marine continental shelves.
In December 2003,an international partnership,including the U.S. Geological Survey,the U.S.Department of Energy,Canada,Japan, India,Germany,and a number of energy companies successfully proved that it is technically feasible to produce natural gas from gas hydrates.The group conducted test drilling at the Mallik field,a site in the Mackenzie River Delta of the Northwest Territories.
CENTRAL CANADA
In Ontario,drilling has increased over the past five years,with Talisman Energy being a large player.This increase in drilling is largely due to the current high prices.Companies produce both oil and gas and are focused on Ordovician formations.As well as being a producer of oil and gas,Ontario has a large natural gas storage capacity of six billion cubic meters,representing 60% of total storage capacity in Canada.
In summary,the past few years have been exciting and turbulent for the petroleum industry.But then,we’ve seen that before.
Canadian Drilling Trends 1974-2003
The following graphs show the Canadian drilling trends over the course of the Reservoir’s 30-year life.The number of wells drilled generally tracks the price of oil and gas,with the notable exception of the period following the NEP in the 1980s (Figure 1).
The breakdown between development wells and exploratory wells is seen in Figure 2.Through much of the time period,the number of exploratory wells drilled has remained relatively constant,with a slight increase in the last three years.Development drilling has been generally on the rise since the early 1990s.
Figure 3 illustrates the number of completions for oil and for gas.Again, the rates have been generally constant up to 1998 when gas completions took a significant jump.Not surprisingly,this correlates with the sharp gas price increases since that time.
Generally reflecting the pattern of wells drilled,Figure 4 shows the number of meters drilled for development and exploratory wells.Since the early 1990s,development drilling has greatly outpaced exploratory drilling.This supports the common viewpoint that there is less interest in exploration as companies try to take advantage of high prices by developing known reserves.
And lastly,Figure 5 depicts the average TVD for exploratory and development wells.Both categories have remained fairly consistent over the past thirty years.Considered with the total meters drilled and the
total number of wells drilled,this also implies that exploratory drilling has not been aggressively pursued.
What do these trends imply? One obvious statement is that our industry is a commodity and its fortunes and activities follow market prices,except when artificially interfered with (e.g.,the NEP period). Another observation would be that there is not a lot of exploration going on,as known reserves are preferentially being developed.As an optimistic (for the industry) viewpoint,the infrastructure built by developing existing reserves does two things – it deflates the cushion of known reserves,which affects the supply and demand balance,and it makes it easier to develop exploratory discoveries.Both of which bodes well for the industry’s health.
This material was compiled from material provided by the Daily Oil Bulletin and CAPP.Their contribution is gratefully appreciated.
Figure 1.Drilling versus Price
Figure 2.Development versus Exploratory Drilling.
Figure 3.Oil Completions versus Gas Completions.
Figure 4.Development versus Exploratory Meters Drilled.
Figure 5.Average Well Depth.
Crude bitumen production – the new driving force in Alberta’s economy during the next thirty years.
by J.W.Porter
The graph above,illustrates the rapid decline of conventional oil produced in Alberta.However,the conventional oil is being replaced by an accelerated production of mined and in situ-produced crude bitumen.The annual production for 2001 of these combined entities surpassed the corresponding production of conventional crude oil for the first time.During 2003,the production of mined crude bitumen alone had overtaken that of conventional crude oil.The daily production of synthetically derived crude oil should eventually exceed by a significant margin the maximum daily production of conventional oil obtained during its peak years.In the next few decades,it will essentially replace the vestigial production of conventional crude oil originally derived from Alberta’s oil fields.Between 1974 and 2003,a 47% reduction in the production of conventional crude occured.Daily production averaged 216.4 e3m3 (1,362x103 bbls) in 1974,but a steady decline has brought that down to 101.6 e3m3 (639.4x103 bbls) in 2003.
The surface and near-surface mining of bitumen deposits,flanking the Athabasca River,will continue to expand as new megaprojects come into operation.The search for natural gas,the handmaiden for industry’s energy requirements in the exploitation of bitumen and its conversion to synthetic crude oil,will continue unabated.This augers well for sustaining Alberta’s “rosy” economy.Notwithstanding,the unpredictable vicissitudes of the market forces,vis-à-vis the fluctuating prices of world oil,will determine the commencement or abandonment of such proposed projects.
Dr.Robert Bell,explorer-geologist with the Geological Survey of Canada during his field seasons of 1882-1884,was the first scientist to study the Athabasca bituminous sand exposures.He had been mandated to investigate the “mode of occurrence of petroleum and asphalt” in the region.As a consequence,Robert Bell was the first to conceive of a method of separating the asphalt (bitumen) from its sand host.The following extract from his report of 1885 is illuminating:“A furnace or stove might be contrived so as to burn this material (bituminous sand).Perhaps a grate constructed on the plan adopted for burning sawdust,with additional contrivance for removing the sand, would be found to succeed,and,if so,the banks of the Athabasca could furnish an inexhaustible supply of fuel – yet the material (bituminous sand) occurs in such enormous quantities that a profitable means of extracting the oil and paraffin which it contains may be found.”
Robert Bell was born 82 years too soon and thus did not witness an event that would have seen the accomplishment of his vision.On September 30,1967 the Great Canadian Oil Sands’ (Suncor) Tar Island plant went on stream to produce the world’s first barrel of synthetic crude oil derived from bitumen extracted from the Athabasca bituminous sands.In retrospect this event,although not as heralded as Imperial’s Leduc oil discovery on February 13,1947,should serve to mark the historic significance and economic impact that the production of bitumen and its conversion to synthetic crude oil has and will continue to have on the province of Alberta.
CANADA’S SEDIMENTARY BASINS
How many named sedimentary basins do you figure there are in Canada?
a.45
b.120
c.>200
d.Depends how you count
If you guessed 45 you’re with me,for that’s about what I’ve always intuitively felt.Cast your mind over the Canadian basins you’ve worked in,add the other ones you can think of off the top of your head - onshore and offshore - and the total comes to somewhere in the forties,right? Turns out it’s wrong.
If you said 120,you agree with the Geological Survey of Canada,for that’s the number (not including an additional 20 named “subbasins”) that appear on the newly published Sedimentary Basins of Canada*.But as explained in the “notes” that accompany the map,there are all kinds of equivocations.First,the map embraces “Phanerozoic sedimentary basins only” (yes, the GSC knows that there are lots of Precambrian basins in Canada,but they’re not included here).Second,it is acknowledged that “not all of the depicted sedimentary domains conform to a strict definition of the term ‘basin’.Some are erosional remnants or outliers.Others are defined more by their physiographic or bathymetric extent than by surface geological expression.“ That last phrase alludes to the third major constraint.In order to appear on the map,a subject basin must be defined by a polygon that intersects the land or seafloor surface.Buried sedimentary basins do not factor into the count (at least at this stage).So the LowerMiddle Devonian Elk Point Basin of the WCSB does not appear.Neither does the Cynthia,Karr,or Wild River basins of the Winterburn,for example.The list goes on and on.There must be scores of ancient basins that are effectively blind to a map that can depict but two dimensions on the face of it.
So if you guessed >200,you’re probably right. If you said ‘d’,you’re also right.It all depends how you count them up.
The Sedimentary Basins of Canada map is a preliminary product of a GSC project to summarize what is known about the geoscience that controls Canada’s fossil fuel resource endowment – natural gas,crude oil, bitumen,and coal.The Energy Synthesis Project,under Dr.Martin Fowler,will in
BY GRANT MOSSOP, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA
future release a digital version of the map with linked access to associated data (in the third and fourth dimensions).A printed and electronic report summarizing all of the findings of the project will also be released at some future date.
The Sedimentary Basins of Canada map is available at a cost of $15.00 from: GSC Calgary Bookstore,3303-33 St.N.W., Calgary,AB T2L 2A7,Phone:403-292-7030
poscal@nrcan.gc.ca and from GSC sales outlets in Ottawa,Dartmouth,Quebec City and Vancouver.An online catalogue of all GSC publications can be found at www.nrcan.gc.ca/ess/esic/geoscan_e.html.
*1 Mossop,G.D.,Wallace-Dudley,K.E.,Smith, G.G.and Harrison,J.C.(comp.) 2004: Sedimentary Basins of Canada;Geological Survey of Canada Open File Map 4673.
The Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Calgary invites applications for a full-time tenure track position in PetroleumGeoscience at the rank of assistant professor. This position will begin July 1, 2005.Applicants must have a PhD degree in petroleum-related geoscience and be enthusiastic about contributingto teaching,research and university service. The successful candidate will have expertise in some or all of the following:sedimentology,sequence stratigraphy,reservoir characterization, subsurface mapping,play assessment,basin analysis,and petrophysics.Duties will include developing and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of expertise.Supervision of graduate students and development of an independent research program,that complements the existing petroleum-related research groups at the University of Calgary,are also expected.The successful applicant will join other members of the department in collaborative research and pursue the development of strong ties with the petroleum industry through the initiatives of the Institute for Sustainable Energy,Environment and Economy (ISEEE) and the Geoscience Professional Development Centre (GPDC).Further information about the department,ISEEE,and GPDC is available at www.geo.ucalgary.ca.
The closing date for applications is January 15,2005.Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, list of publications,statement of research interests and teaching philosophy,and the names,mailing addresses and email addresses of at least three referees,to: Dr.L.R.Lines,Head,Department of Geology and Geophysics,University of Calgary,2500 University Drive N.W.,Calgary,AB T2N 1N4 Canada.Fax: (403) 284-0074.Email:lrlines@ucalgary.ca.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. The University of Calgary respects, appreciates and encourages diversity.
To see all University of Calgary academic positions,please visit www.ucalgary.ca/hr/career
www.ucalgary.ca
Assistant Professor in Petroleum Geoscience
duration,i.e.,the time for the sand to drain the upper chamber).Another article,relating to the close passage of an indiscernible ship during the night,instructed the seamen on watch to shout in the ship’s horn the Messianic message:“Before the world was God.” If a seamen in the proximal vessel was to cry out the password:“After God,came Christ,his Son.”;it was an acknowledgement that the ship in question was a member of Frobisher’s fleet (1975,Kenyon,W.A.:Tokens of Possession – The Northern Voyages of Martin Frobisher;Royal Ontario Museum, pub.University of Toronto Press,pp.77,78).
On May 31,1578,Martin Frobisher ordered the weighing of anchors and the fleet set sail. The first stop was,as protocol dictated,a courtesy call at Elizabeth’s Court at Greenwich.She graciously received Frobisher and his fellow captains,presenting the Captain General with a gold chain.Prior to departing to their respective ships,each captain bowed and kissed Elizabeth’s hand.In her acknowledgement,she wished them a successful venture and safe return.(1975, Kenyon,W.A.– p.77).
To be continued ...
Now available for impor t into ACCUMAP and other mapping programs:
1) New 2004 Version: Glauconitic Channel Trends - Southern and central Alberta, West-central Saskatchewan
2) Mississippian Subcrops and Devonian Reef Edges - Alberta, NE BC, NWT and Saskatchewan
3) Colony/Sparky Reservoir Trends - East - central Alberta
4) Bluesky-Dunlevy Reservoir Trends - NE BC
5) Halfway-Doig Shoreline Trends - Peace River Arch, NE BC
6) Charlie Lake Siphon, Cecil and North Pine Reservoir Trends - NE BC
All edges are formatted as map features for use in Accumap and ESRI Shape files for other programs. For more information contact:
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Only ECLIPSE gives you the power to generate fast, robust, and accurate production forecasts for all reservoirs encompassing all degrees of complexity.ECLIPSE offers the full spectrum of engineering tools you need for your specific field operations and tactical planning.
To experience the whole spectrum of options, contact your local Schlumberger Information Solutions office or e-mail: sisinfo@slb.com for more information.
The 16th Annual 10K Road Race and Fun Run took place on September 15th and by all standards was a successful event.
The race began and ended in the beautiful Eau Claire area and was attended by over 170 participants who were keen to put their training to the test in the company of coworkers,family,and friends.Others were there just to have some fun,wind down from a busy summer,and enjoy the annual fall classic and favorite that the race has become.Weather conditions were perfect.What looked to be a threatening rain cloud at the start dissolved into a stunning visual backdrop to the event.
A new attendance record was set and race times were fast in comparison to previous years with many more sub-40 minute finishes for example.The strong showings were correlated with it being an Olympic year and all the afterglow of ancient Greece.Many congratulations are in order to all the finishers in the race and those who achieved the goals set out for themselves.
In honor of past participation levels,this year featured a special invitation to the CSEG to become official co-owner of the race and also a special invitation to members of CAPL to join in the fun and become a division with a traditional place in the race.
The post-race celebration dinner and race awards were held at the Old Spaghetti Factory which proved a popular venue and quickly swelled to the bursting point with 190 attendees.Society trophies and medals were handed out to all those superbly conditioned athletes who competed for them with many of the rest of us looking forward to trying to closing the gap next year.Many great award and door prizes were featured with the highlight being the Adidas sock barrage which was conducted safely and without incident.
BY GREGORY HAYDEN, COMMITTEE CHAIR
Services
- High resolution aeromagnetics, electromagnetics and airborne gravity with our fleet of fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and the new 'FUGRO GEORANGER' U nmanned A utonomous V ehicle (aeromagnetics)
- Non-exclusive data and proprietary surveys for:
Petroleum exploration
Oil sands exploration and delineation
Environmental and engineering site investigation
Paleochannel mapping
*OUR CALGARY OFFICE IS MOVING!*
Effective January 1, 2005 the new address will be: Suite 610, 600 - 6th Avenue SW Calgary, AB, T2P 0S5
Phone: 403-777-9280
Fax: 403-777-9289
Over 40 major and minor sponsors contributed financially or in the form of gifts in kind to the success of the many segments of the event.A major Thank You on behalf of all participants and members of the Race Committee to the many sponsors is clearly in order.
An equally large note of appreciation goes to the many Race Committee and race-day volunteers who contributed their time and effort to put on the event and ensure the safety and enjoyment of all the participants.
The 2004 race and division winners included:
Fastest male:Teles Kananga(34:19)
Fastest female:Ashley Sinke(42:30)
Fastest CSPG male:Tim De Freitas(37:05)
Fastest CSPG female:Ashley Sinke(42:30)
Fastest CSEG male:Don Gee(38:56)
Fastest CSEG female:Lorna Hawley(46:53)
Fastest CAPL male:Dave Bracey(38:45)
All race results are available at the CSPG website at:http://www.cspg.org/body.
Race Director for the 17th Annual Road Race will be Fiona Katay of Husky.Please welcome Fiona to the position and provide her with the support to make the 2005 edition a big hit.
Thank you
Greg Hayden
MAKE A DIFFERENCE –VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Challenging opportunities are available for experienced explorationists to contribute to the next Canada-wide natural gas resource assessment by the Canadian Gas Potential Committee (CGPC).The Committee’s previous two reports have been used by a wide variety of government and public agencies,as well as private companies to assist them in long-term planning and exploration strategies.
Skills and interests that we are looking for include:
• Broad experience with WCSB and/or frontier exploration plays and activities
• Interest in modern resource assessment methodologies
• Computer and report layout and editing skills
• Familiarity with government databases
For information on the Committee and some of the opportunities,please visit our website: www.canadiangaspotential.com or contact Vic Mroszczak,Phone:403-297-7222, fax:403-297-6986 email:cdngaspotential @shaw.ca
2004 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
DATE: December 7-10,2004
EVENT: Offshore Southeast Asia (OSEA)
LOCATION: Suntec City,Singapore
INFORMATION: For more information visit http://www.osea-asia.com/
DATE: December 10-12,2004
EVENT: PETEX
LOCATION: London,England
INFORMATION: For more information please visit http://www.pesgb.org.uk/pesgb/system/default.asp
DATE: May 15-18,2005
EVENT: Halifax 2005 - a Joint Meeting of the Geological Association of Canada,the Mineralogical Association of Canada,the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists,and the Canadian Society of Soil Sciences.
INFORMATION: Extensive seacoast exposures and a diverse geological history provide the backdrop for a rich technical program.The “Building Bridges” theme of the meeting is both symbolic of the harbour bridges that distinguish our Halifax – Dartmouth skyline, and a metaphor for the multi-disciplinary program that is designed to bridge the gaps within geoscience,and between geoscience and society. We look forward to providing you with the opportunity to discover the charms of our beautiful city and renew the ties that bind our geoscience community.For more information please visit www.halifax2005.ca
DATE: December 16-19,2004
EVENT: CSEG National Convention 2005, “Evolving Geophysics through Innovation”
LOCATION: Calgary,Alberta
INFORMATION: For more information please visit http://www.cspgconvention.org
DATE: August 8-11,2005
EVENT: Earth System Processes 2
LOCATION: Calgary,Alberta
INFORMATION: Sponsored by the Geological Society of America and the Geological Association of Canada Web site:www.geosociety.org/meetings/esp2 Theme Session Proposal submission deadline: September 15,2004.
Abstract submission deadline:April 26,2005
Description:International meeting with an interdisciplinary focus on Earth’s surface environment as a complex web of feedbacks among the biota,oceans,atmosphere,lithosphere,and cryosphere.ESP 2 will discuss advances made in the last four years toward better understanding the nature of these feedbacks in the modern world, how they have emerged and evolved over the Earth’s history,and how they will respond to human perturbations in the future.
For more information,contact:Diane Matt, P.O.Box 9140,Boulder,CO 80301-9140, 1-303-357-1014 (phone)1-303-357-1074 (fax)dmatt@geogociety.org (e-mail)
Dear CSPG Volunteers,
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS!
2004 has been a wonderful year due to ALL of CSPG’s hard working and dedicated members!
We want to celebrate 2004 by inviting you to the 2nd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day Social sponsored by Baker Atlas and geoLOGIC.
When: Tuesday January 25th, 10:30am - 1:30pm
Where: Telus Convention Centre
Mark your calendars! January 25th is also when the Volunteer Awards will be presentedat the Technical Luncheon. So come out and support your peers and friends.
For more information visit www.cspg.org and click on VOLUNTEER SOURCE! This is a site specifically tailored for CSPG volunteers or for people who are interested in becoming a volunteer.
Jump in... and get involved!
We wish you and your families a very happy and safe Holiday Season!
Best Regards, The Volunteer Management Committee
ONLINE RESOURCES FOR CSPG MEMEBRS
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Now that the Bulletin collection has been digitized,we are moving on to our collection of CSPG Memoirs and Special Publications.The Communications Committee is currently asking for donations from the Memoir series. If you have copies of Memoirs 1-18 that you are willing to donate to the digitizing project,please email jaime.croft@cspg.org.
(Please note that publications cannot be returned.)
Your continued help on this project is greatly appreciated!
A number of wonderful resources have recently come online for members of the CSPG.This includes E-Source – the members’ only portion of the CSPG website,as well as on Online Index of Publications,and access to electronic Bulletin papers through both Datapages and GeoScienceWorld.
WWW.CPSG.ORG
The CSPG Website made its debut in 1995,at a time when the World Wide Web was in its infancy.The original site was developed and maintained by CSPG member Glenn Karlen who spent many nights writing code at his home computer.As the value and importance of the web grew,so did our website.In 1998, Jaime Croft - CSPG Communications Manager took on the job of maintenance and expansion and has done a terrific job for the past six years.Glenn and Jaime have played an instrumental role in bringing the CSPG into
ROCK SHOP
the technology age and we sincerely thank them for all of their efforts.
As we have watched the web evolve over the last 10 years the importance of this medium for communication with our members has increased exponentially.Our annual convention websites have proven to the CSPG how valuable this resource can be and we hope the CSPG.org site will follow suit.
In 2005,we will start the overhaul of our current site to bring a new look to the online CSPG.We hope to make our site faster to download,more intuitive to navigate,and bring on-line access to pretty much everything we can think of! We hope to improve access to the oodles of information currently on our site and plan to expand and grow in the future.Watch the Reservoir in 2005 for more information on what you can do and find on the new CSPG website.
Things currently available Online that you may not have know about…
• Membership Renewals
• Access to all Technical Luncheon Webcasts
• Access to the current Reservoir
• Member’s only access to the CSPG Membership Directory
• Abstract Archive from 2001-2004 Conventions
• CSPG Index of Publications (a detailed search engine on all CSPG published materials)
Things to look forward to…
• Registration for Social Events & Continuing Education Courses
• Improved Membership Services
• Downloadable wallpaper from our current Calendar
• Special Student Section
• Access to all CSPG Bulletins online (through members-only section in 2005)
E-SOURCE AND CAREERSOURCE
E-Source,which is housed on the CSPG website (www.cspg.org),allows members to access a number of services and information direct from their computers.(E-Source may be accessed via the Membership page or via the quick links,currently located directly below the main navigation bar.) Once logged on,you can update your contact information, search for other members,register for the annual convention,and access CareerSource – another members-only service.CareerSource allows you to post your resume and search for available jobs online.Job postings include positions listed direct on CareerSource,as well as all other positions currently advertised on BrainHunter.com.As you may have noticed on your 2005 Renewal Form,you can also pay your dues online via E-Source.Coming next year,CSPG members will have access to all Bulletin papers from 1953 onward via our Site.This is due to a partnership with AAPG Datapages who have been actively digitizing the entire Bulletin collection over the past two years.Again,all of these services are available to CSPG members only.
ONLINE INDEX OF PUBLICATIONS
The online index to CSPG publications is now available through the CSPG website,and provides a complete and up-to-date listing of all CSPG papers,bulletins,memoirs, guidebooks,and special publications.This online index not only replaces previous indexes published in 1978,1984,and 1995 and the December Bulletin for subsequent
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Education
Courses include:
- Reservoir Engineering for Geologists
- Geochemical Exploration
- Tight Gas Sands
- Risk Analysis for Development Applications
- Giant Oil and Gas Fields
- Well Log Analysis
- Assessment, Classification & Reporting of Reserves
- Practical Salt Tectonics
- Essentials of Subsurface Mapping
- Permeability in Carbonate Rocks
Toll-free (U.S. and Canada) 888-338-3387or 918-560-2621 Fax 918-560-2678
years,but also allows retrieval of CSPG papers that meet two or more criteria (e.g.,papers on the Lower Cretaceous in NTS area 082O).
The CSPG has published approximately 5,000 papers since its inception.Note that papers published by the Saskatchewan Geological Society and the Edmonton Geological Society are also included since they are associated with the CSPG.The Index can be accessed via the main navigation bar at www.cspg.org.
Lists of papers can be retrieved by keyword (i.e.,subject),author,or NTS area.Keywords include formation names,areas,geologic ages,and subjects such as hydrodynamics, paleocurrents,sequence stratigraphy,RockEval analyses,etc.A list of all available keywords and the number of papers in which each keyword occurs is also available on the CSPG website.Authors’ names are included under keywords and can best be retrieved by enclosing them in quotation marks (e.g.,“Krause,F F”).
Retrieval of papers according to NTS area (National Topographic Index) is also provided. Maps showing available NTS areas for Canada and for Alberta are available on the Index website.Note that the NTS system only applies to Canada,and that foreign papers are included under the name of the country or individual state in the U.S.A.Also note that all retrievals are listed in timewise-backward sort,i.e.,most recent papers first,followed by progressively older papers.
Retrieval of this CSPG indexed data is now available online to all CSPG members and to the general public at no cost.However, retrieval of lists of CSPG papers of interest is but the first step,and it is up to the researcher to find the actual paper,either at company or private libraries,Gallagher Library at the University of Calgary or online via GeoScienceWorld and AAPG Datapages. Links to these online services are provided within the Index.
GEOSCIENCEWORLD
Point and click – information at your fingertips.In recent years,instead of digging through my file cabinets,looking for a paper or map that I know I have somewhere but can’t remember what I filed it under,I’ve often used the on-line GeoRef database,to which we have access at the GSC.I quickly find the item,go up to our library,and check it out.For older items I haven’t used in a while,this is much more efficient than burrowing through my own files.Even better, our library now has electronic access to
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CSPG/CSEG 22nd ANNUAL SQUASH TOURNAMENT
This year’s tournament will be played at the WORLD HEALTH EDGEMONT CLUB, 7222 Edgemont Blvd. N.W., Calgary, on February 3 - 5, 2005. The emphasis is always on having fun, but there is keen competition for the serious players. From beginners through to provincially ranked players in both the men’s and women’s divisions. We expect the same this year, so there is sure to be a level of play suited to you. Please register now while you are thinking of it!
MAXIMUM OF 125 PLAYERS, SO GET YOUR ENTRY IN EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!
EVENTS: Men’s & Women’s A, B, C, D, and Novice.
Open only to members of the C.S.P.G. (or an affiliated society) and their spouse or equivalent.
ENTRY FEE: $50.00 includes GST ($40.00 Students)
• Fee includes two guaranteed matches (Saturday teams tourney), shirt, beer (please drink responsibly) and food during the tournament, Saturday night dinner (Please specify Chicken (C), Beef (B), Salmon (S) or Veggie (V)), and draw prizes. Saturday’s dinner will be held at the Edgemont Club.
• Pre-tournament registration social will be at Bow Valley Racquet Club (3 Street and 5 Avenue S.W.) on Tuesday, February 1 at 5:00pm. Pick up your tournament kit and first draw time, and enjoy a free pint of Ale with munchies.
• All door prize draws Saturday evening - must be present to win.
• Extra Dinner Ticket: $35.00 for non-playing guests only. (Will be limited to 15 due to venue space.)
ENTRY DEADLINE:
January 20, 2005. EARLY BIRD DRAW PRIZE for entries received prior to January 6, 2005. (No refunds after January 20,2005) FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT: Colin Thiessen 650-0086; Alan Rutherford 861-2643; Jessie Gould 873-8150; David Caldwell 265-8987; Chris May 645-5193; Randy Smith 263-0449; Jolene Wood 243-0820; Ryan Barnett 781-1712; Travis Brookson 261-9290.
REGISTRATION FORM:
NAME: __________________________________ q M q F Email: q CSPG q CSEG q
PLAYING SPOUSE NAME: ____________________________________________
Phone: ______________(Day) _______________(Evening) Shirt Size: q S q
of
(A-E): ________
WILL YOU ATTEND THE DINNER: q YES q NO
ADDITIONAL DINNER TICKET: q YES q NO (for non-playing guest)
NOTE: Games commence Thursday, February 3, 2005. All participants must be available to play after 4:30pm Thursday, Friday afternoon, and all day Saturday.
ADDRESS REGISTRATION TO: Hycal Energy Research Laboratories Ltd. 1338A 36 Ave. NE Calgary, AB T2E 6T6
Please make cheques payable to the CANADIAN SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS, RE: Squash Tournament. (No cash). No refunds after January 20, 2005.
2004 CSEG/SEG DISC COURSE AND APPEGA RED DEER GEOSCIENCE MIXER
Dr.Paul Weimer of the U of Colorado presented the 2004 SEG/EAGE Distinguished Instructor Short Course (DISC),entitled Petroleum Systems of Deep-Water Settings,in Calgary on Wednesday,September 29,hosted by the CSEG (who honoured CSPG membership in determining an attendee’s fee class).This course will be held at 24 places worldwide,with Calgary and Houston as the largest venues.For a nominal student fee, about fifty Alberta university students attended this world-class course in Calgary.
The total DISC attendance of 160 people included CSEG and CSPG members from industry,approximately 10-15 students from the University of Calgary,and 33 students from the University of Alberta.The course started at 8 am,included a 300-page book,and was an opportunity for both learning and catching up with industry colleagues.David James of Anadarko introduced the instructor. The attendees were treated to a broad worldwide overview of the petroleum systems in deep-water settings.
The 33 University of Alberta geology and geophysics students attended the DISC by boarding a bus at 5 am (with yours truly) from the University of Alberta in Edmonton for the
three-hour ride to Calgary.The bus was sponsored jointly by CSEG Educational Services,CSPG Student Outreach,and APEGGA.The U of A students included both undergrad and graduate,with 12 from geophysics and 21 from geology programs.
The instructor,Dr.Paul Weimer,professor and Director of the Energy and Minerals Applied Research Centre at the U.of Colorado, received his Ph.D.from the University of Texas.His research focused on the petroleum systems of deep-water continental margins; and he has published more than 100 papers on various related topics.He has also coedited eight books on petroleum systems of deep-water,sequence stratigraphy,3D seismic interpretation,and North Alaska Geology.Dr. Weimer has worked for BP and Mobil Oil as both a research and exploration geoscientist. There were several interesting questions from the audience and interest in talking to Dr.Weimer during the breaks.When the course ended at 5 pm,Larry Mewhort,CSEG Director of Educational Services,and Satinder Chopra,CSEG RECORDER Editor,thanked and presented Paul Weimer with the traditional CSEG Speaker’s Geophone.An interview with Paul will appear in an upcoming Recorder.
BY PENNY COLTON, P.GEOPH.
On their return bus ride,the U of A students stopped in Red Deer (7-9 pm) for the annual APEGGA Red Deer Geoscience Mixer,which included pop and pizza and a further chance to talk to those in the industry.The Mixer in Red Deer (where APEGGA-sponsored buses from U of A and from Calgary meet halfway) provides an opportunity for the geology and geophysics students at the University of Alberta to talk to their industry counterparts who primarily live in Calgary.(More than 90% of Alberta geologists and 98% of the geophysicists reside in the Calgary area).A separate mixer was held on October 13th for University of Calgary students.In both cases, the student societies promote the event to students,and APEGGA and technical societies encourage participation from industry.
Heather Frantz,APEGGA’s Communications Coordinator in Calgary,loaded the “professional” bus at the Fairmont-Palliser with more than a dozen members from the Calgary geoscience community.The CSPG was represented by Kris Jewett and Brad Molnar, both Geologists-In-Training,as CSPG Outreach volunteers who set up a CSPG booth and distributed 2004 Convention bags to the students,with assistance by Kim Maclean,CSPG Corporate Relations Manager. CSEG was represented by Peter Cary (P.Geoph.),CSEG President;Perry Kotkas (P.Geoph.),CSEG President in 2000;and Satinder Chopra as the CSEG RECORDER Editor.APEGGA Councillor Julie Aitken (P.Geoph.) and Len Shrimpton (P.Eng.), APEGGA’s Director of Internal Affairs joined the bus to Red Deer.
The Red Deer APEGGA Branch and community was represented by Dr.Grant Nielson (P.Geol.),Hydrologist with Alberta Environment,Central Region,and Dr.Arun Mishra (P.Eng.) from Red Deer College,who brought three students interested in the geosciences.
The Edmonton evening bus brought other U of A geoscience students,and a few professionals,including Roger Paulen (P.Geol.),the Past President of the Edmonton
(Continued on Page
Figure 1:Awards:L-R:Larry Mewhort,CSEG Director of Educational Services,Dr.Paul Weimer,U of Colorado, Satinder Chopra,CSEG RECORDER Editor.
ORDOVICIAN OF EAST CENTRAL ALBERTA
There are few places in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) as extensively explored as East Central Alberta.In a region of 25,000 square miles west of the Fourth Meridian between Township 25 and Township 50,over 76,000 wells have been drilled.Yet, despite this extensive exploration effort,the region holds only 128 wells that penetrate deeper than the Devonian.
In this review,the Ordovician of East Central Alberta is examined as a potential oil and gas target.Although the meager information gathered to date suggests that there is little chance of making big discoveries in this zone, it also implies that there is still a lot to learn. After all,it is worth remembering that the Ordovician of Alberta is comprised of the Red River Formation,which in southeastern Saskatchewan has had significant success only in the last ten or so years.
Distribution and paleogeography of the Ordovician are shown on the above map of
Ordovician Red River Paleogeography (after Kent - CSPG/ARC Geological Atlas)
LakeEscarpment
Western Canada (Figure 1).The Ordovician in the WCSB occurs in two broad areas.The western package was deposited along a marine shelf at the edge of the North American continent and its adjacent marine environments.The eastern package includes the central region of the Williston Basin.
Deposition of the Ordovician throughout the East Central Alberta prospect area was unconformably on top of the Cambrian Finnegan and Deadwood formations (Figure 2).Throughout the East Central Alberta region,the Ordovician is composed almost exclusively of poorly bedded to rubbly, massive,and fine-crystalline dolomites of the Red River Formation.Extensive erosion before the deposition of Early Devonian Elk Point sediments removed much of its original thickness.
The first Ordovician strike occurred in 1957 with Imperial’s Hummingbird 6-13-2-19W2. Results were less than spectacular,yielding
Lake Alma Minton Ordovician Pools / Shows
Hypersaline
Hummingbird Weir Hill Browning Midale Froude Tyvan Hartaven Chapleau Lk. Bemersyde Mansur Bromhead West Oungre
only 16 bopd for 8 months.The first true success came six years later with the completion of the Central del Rio (now EnCana) 1-14-1-17W2 well at Lake Alma. That well produced an eventual yield of 253,000 bbls of oil.Not much activity occurred until the end of 1989 when Mark Resources discovered the first sizable Ordovician oil pools at Minton,which –after a brief flurry of activity – was followed by another hiatus in drilling.The discovery of Ordovician oil at Midale by Berkley Petroleum in 1995 turned the situation around again,with over 150 wells successfully completed in the region during the late 1990s.
To predict the likelihood of finding oil in the Ordovician of East Central Alberta,a number of factors need to be considered.Firstly is the historical performance of a zone.In this case, the Ordovician comes out as a noncontender - it has never produced oil or gas. The only indication that there might be
Figure 1.Ordovician (Red River) Paleogeography of Western Canada
hydrocarbons is from reports of oil staining on core samples (e.g.Gulf Spiers 11-15-3415W4 as described in Nowlan et al.,1995, CSPG and CWLS Core Session).On the other hand,the lack of production might also be viewed as a result of extremely limited sampling from a very large region.
Next,the structure and stratigraphy of the zone must be considered.Overall,the structural trend is far from ideal for
hydrocarbon accumulation as the formation dips towards its erosional edge to the west. Yet,even in this situation,various stratigraphic and structural features could lead to reservoir development (Figure 3).First,re-entrants or small outliers that developed along the length of the erosional edge could allow the development of an updip contact with the overlying Devonian rocks.Similar situations might also occur away from the erosional edge,where irregularities in the upper or the
lower surfaces truncate a porous zone of the formation.Secondly,faulting which is known to occur in the region,might also produce a trap. Thirdly,permeability barriers updip of porous zones could allow seal development.
Last but not least,a possible source rock needs to be identified.The problem for the Ordovician in southeast Alberta stems from the fact that the only sedimentary rocks below the Red River are Cambrian in age,which lack any obvious source beds.This would leave lateral migration as the most likely way of charging the traps.
An overall assessment of the Ordovician in East Central Alberta might paint a bleak picture for exploration prospects:there has been no historical production,the overall structure does not suggest widespread trap development,and there is no obvious source. On the other hand,the zone is poorly understood and certainly has some potential based on the existence of suitable porosity and permeability as indicated from logs and tests,and from production elsewhere.For now though,efforts in the Ordovician are firmly focused on the Red River of Saskatchewan.Maybe the lessons learned there will one day prompt a new look at the Ordovician in Alberta.
INFORMATION
This article is condensed from a more in-depth review by Canadian Discovery Ltd.For the full report or information on products offered by CDL, please visit www.canadiandiscovery.com or call 269-3644.
Figure 3.Schematic sections of possible reservoir types of the Ordovician in East Central Alberta
Figure 2.Correlation Chart of Pre-Devonian (left);Schematic Cross-Section across Southern Alberta Basin (right).(Modified from: Nowlan et al.,1995,CSPG and CWLS,1995 Core Sessions)
Geological Society and Reg Olson (P.Geol.), both from the Alberta Geological Survey.The Edmonton riders included Nancy Toth, APEGGA Manager of Professional Development and Flo Primeau,Coordinator of Professional Development who coordinated the facilities,food,and the evening bus.
Everyone dined on pizza after professional members introduced themselves briefly –allowing students to find and talk to someone specializing in their favorite topics.Participants enjoyed an Ice Breaker Bingo with winners eligible for a draw on prizes,which included four copies of “Redwater”.The book by Aubrey Kerr (P.Geol.),a geologist with Imperial Oil who was on-site at Leduc in 1947, relates the geology,geophysics,and people involved in the 1948 discovery of the Redwater oil field,N.E.of Edmonton,(with
three times the reserves of Leduc). Participants mingled for another hour and just after 9 pm buses departed for Edmonton and Calgary with many sleepy travelers on the former bus!
The University of Calgary Geoscience Mixer on Oct 13th was organized by the student societies and APEGGA (through Heather Frantz Elizabeth Muir as Outreach Coordinator and yours truly).The attendance by 44 geology and geophysics students and 24 from industry was an increase from 2003 –which had been the first trial of the format. Many of the same attendees from Red Deer represented the geoscience community. APEGGA Councillor Darcie Greggs (P.Geol.) attended and enjoyed the gathering.CSPG’ Student Outreach,headed by Nadya Slemko (P.Geol.),along with Brad and Kris who had
gone to Red Deer,handed out more CSPG bags,and signed up members for the first CSPG student section at the U of C (with U of A to follow).Additional bags,prizes and information were provided courtesy of CSPG (Kim Maclean),CSEG Managing Director Jim Racette,and CWLS representative Louis Chabot (P.Eng.).
As APEGGA’s Manager of Geoscience Affairs and a member of CSEG,CSPG,and CSWLS,I enjoyed the enthusiasm and extend thanks to everyone involved for their cooperation and fellowship in organizing the bus trip from the U of A.That includes the support of several U of A professors who promoted the benefits of the course (starting with two contacts on the Board of Examiners);the sponsorship and support by CSEG,CSPG,and APEGGA for the bus;SEG,EAGE,and CSEG for offering the course at nominal cost to students;Dr Weimer for his preparation of the course;the assistance from the U of A staff;and the work of the geology and geophysics student societies in gathering registrations and spreading the word. It was an honor and pleasure to associate with the U of A students on the ride to the Calgary and at the Red Deer events.The energy, knowledge,and enthusiasm of university students – our discoverers of the future – can remind us all why we chose these scientific endeavorsas our profession.
many of the journals to which we subscribe, making things that much easier:I simply download the pdf document,then read it, print it,and/or file it.Easy! Of course,older material is often not available electronically, but this is rapidly changing.
Enter GeoScienceWorld! GSW is a nonprofit corporation founded by a group of seven leading geoscience organizations for the purpose of making geoscience research and related information easily and economically available via the Internet. Among the founding societies are AAPG, SEG,and GSA.GSW’s online service starts in January 2005.Called the GSW Millennium Collection,it will include articles and other materials from about 30
high-impact geoscience journals – and one of those journals is the Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology.All these journals will be updated continuously with the most current issues,will have a minimum of one back year,and most will start in the year 2000.In addition,there will be a literature archive of pre-2000 articles for many journals.Additional journals will be added annually,and over time there will be access to other research information such as monographs,maps,data sets,and more pre2000 journal content.A principal feature of GSW will be the ability to search full text in a completely linked collection,allowing you to find other relevant articles instantly! This capability is provided by integration with GeoRef.
DepartmentofGeology
Brandon Universityinvitesapplicationsforatenure-track facultypositionintheDepartmentofGeologyinthe area ofCarbonateSedimentology/Stratigraphy,Invertebrate Paleontologyand/orHydrogeology,subject to budget.The DepartmentofGeologyhasastrongresource-based programwith excellent linkagestogovernmentand industry.Weoffera4-yearhonoursdegreethatprepares studentsfor registrationasa ProfessionalGeoscientist. Candidatesmusthave a Ph.D.inGeologyandastrong commitment toundergraduateteaching.Thesuccessful candidatewillberequiredtoteachinthe areaof Sedimentology/Stratigraphy, InvertebratePaleontology, Hydrogeology,IntroductoryGeology andcoursesin hisor herareaofinterest.The candidateisexpectedto developa researchprogramwithintheirareaofexpertise. Experienceinindustryand/orgovernmentwillbe anasset.
What does this mean to you? As a CSPG member,beginning January 2005,you will have electronic access to the BCPG with full text search capabilities for 2000 to present,and archive pdf’s back to 1992.Via the CSPG website,and through arrangement with AAPG/Datapages,you will also have access to pdf’s back to May 1953 when the BCPG was the “A.S.P.G.News Bulletin”! If you or your organization becomes a subscriber to GSW, then you will have access to all journals in the collection – about 30 to start with and anticipated growth to over 50 journals by 2009.The subscription costs will be a small fraction of the total for individual journals, largely because GSW is a nonprofit organization,and only the publications of nonprofit societies are eligible for membership. What does this mean for the BCPG and for CSPG? Through GSW we will have greatly increased international exposure,leading to an increase in circulation and society membership.The BCPG will be accessible to a much wider audience,especially in developing countries.In addition,we will attract a much broader spectrum of authors,exposing all of us to a wider range of ideas and geological settings.
It will all be just a point and click away.For more information,go to www.geoscienceworld.org.
Allqualifiedcandidates are encouragedtoapply;however, Canadians and permanentresidentswillbegiven priority.
IMAGES OF THE FUTURE
And now for something completely different…
Since we have spent most of this anniversary issue looking backwards,we thought it was important to end with a glimpse of the future.We turned to the children of Mrs.Lynn’s 1st and 2nd Grade class,from W.H. Cushing Workplace School in Calgary,to help us out.We asked them to picture what life will be like thirty years from now,and the following is what they saw.
Mario – “I lived in the clouds. I will drive a spaceship.”
Amy – “In the future I will have my own house.”
Heather – “I think it will be old-fashioned and the food will be delivered. The boys will fly and the girls will ride in carriages.”
Julian – “This is the future,a computer wakes me up.There are going to be some aliens and some people.Cars are turning into submarines. Houses are made of brick.Trees are going to grow on wells.”
Mathew – “This is me in front of my house in the future.This is my truck.In the other house lives my friends and there are two brothers. I can drive the truck.”
Elizabeth – “In the future the cars will be the same,but my house will be in the sky. Some buildings are in the sky and some are not.”
Sarah – “There are houses in the future, the sky is brown and blue.
This is my house with my mommy and baby sister. They are playing in the backyard. My little sister is playing go and hide seek.”
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Merrick – “I think the Calgary Tower will be on fire again like when the Flames played hockey.”
Brenden – “This is in the future when I will be an adult and I am sky diving with my mom and my son.” (And perhaps a future earth scientist considering his wonderful mapping skills!)
Sequoia – “In the future we will have a litter free world.The trees will be beautiful.”(We just had to finish with an eternal optimist.In an industry full of ups and downs,it is always nice to find someone who sees the future “glass”as half full.)”
Christian – “This is my house and airplane is flying in the sky.There are cars on the road.”
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