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Since 1963, the industry's only database that is created from original source documents; the result is the most accurate, complete and consistent database available today.
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■ General Well Data
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■ Formation Tops (correlated by IPL)
■ Formation Tops (correlated by IPL)
■ Fluid Analyses (oil, gas, water)
■ Fluid Analyses (oil, gas, water)
■ Core Analyses
■ Core Analyses
■ Directional Surveys
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■ Production/Injection
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■ Oil Well BHP
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Please submit RESERVOIR articles to the CSPG office. Submission deadline is the 23rd day of the month, 2 months prior to issue date. (ie: January 23rd for the March issue)
To publish an article, the CSPG requires both hardand electronic copies of the article, including details of its electronic file format (ie: Word 6.0).
COORDINATINGEDITOR &OPERATIONS
Jaimè Croft
CSPG
Tel: 403-264-5610 Fax: 403-264-5898
Email: jaime.croft@cspg.org
Technical Editor
Marc Charest
Canadian Discovery Ltd.
Tel: 403-269-3644
Email: charm@telusplanet.net
ADVERTISING
All inquiries regarding advertising and technical specifications should be directed to Macdonald ColeInc. Submission deadline is the 23rd day of the month, 2 months prior to issue date. All advertisingartwork should be sent directly to: Macdonald Cole Inc.
912 Lake Twintree Crescent SE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2J 2W3
Tel: 403-271-6908 Fax: 403-278-6892
Email: cspg@macdonaldcole.com
The RESERVOIR is published 11 times per year by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists including a joint issue for the months of July/August.
Advertisements, as well as inserts, mailed with thepublication are paid advertisements. No endorsementor sponsorship by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists is implied.
The CSPG Rock Shop is an attractive and affordable way for advertisers to present their services to the CSPG Readership. Spaces are sold at a business card sizes (3.5” wide by 2” high) and will eventuallyfill an entire Rock Shop page. For more informationor to book a space please contact: Steven MacDonald at Macdonald Cole Inc. Tel: 403-271-6908
Email: cspg@macdonaldcole.com The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the publisher.
Design & Layout by Macdonald Cole Inc. Printed in Canada by Sundog Printing
Additional copies of the RESERVOIR are available at the CSPG office for $3.00.
CONTENTS ARTICLES
DEPARTMENTS
division Talks
Past President’s Page - “Pete” Sanderson
Company Profile - POGO
CSPG ETF HONORARY ADDRESS
A special address by Simon Winchester, best selling author of "The Map that Changed the World" and the New Book "Krakatoa - the Day the World Exploded" at the Jubilee Auditorium, Monday, November 4, 2002, at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available through Ticket Master startingOctober 1st, 2002 $10.00/Adult, $5.00/Student
403-232-0615 "Discovery - Maps that have changed our world."
A special address by Simon Winchester, best selling author of "The Map that Changed the World" and the New Book "Krakatoa - the Day the World Exploded" at the Jubilee Auditorium, Monday,
Viking Field, Alberta - Drill floor scene at the site of Viking No.
You’ve already started production - but the question is,where do you drill next? At Core Laboratories Reservoir Technologies Division,we can
CORPORATE MEMBERS
THE CSPG GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES ITS *CORPORATE MEMBERS
ABU DHABI OIL CO. LTD.
ARCHEAN ENERGY LTD.
BURLINGTON RESOURCES CANADA ENERGY LTD.
CALPINE CANADA
CANADIAN FOREST OIL LTD.
CONOCO CANADA RESOURCES LIMITED
DEVON CANADA CORPORATION
DOMINION EXPLORATION CANADA LTD.
ECL CANADA
EL PASO OIL & GAS CANADA INC.
ENCANA CORPORATION
HUNT OIL COMPANY OF CANADA, INC.
HUSKY OIL OPERATIONS LTD.
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
PROVIDENT ENERGY LTD.
REEVES WIRELINE
SAMSON CANADA
SECURITY DBS.
SHELL CANADA LIMITED
SPROULE ASSOCIATES LIMITED
SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
TALISMAN ENERGY INC.
TOTALFINAELF E&P CANADA LIMITED
TUCKER WIRELINE SERVICES CANADA INC.
UPTON RESOURCES INC.
*CORPORATE MEMBERS AS OF SEPTEMBER 24, 2002
AAPG CANADA REGIONVOLUNTEERS WANTED!
The Canada Region of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) needs you - if you are a member of the AAPG and interested in volunteering please consider how you can assist.
Members of the Canada Region are wanted to serve on various committees, and if you are an Active, Honorary or Emeritus Member of the AAPG you are also eligible to take advantage of one or both of the opportunities below.
(Note that all members of the AAPG who reside in Canada are members of the Region, unless they have specifically elected to belong to another Region or Section of the Association. Members resident elsewhere may also opt to belong to the Canada Region.)
1) Call for Nominations for Officers for the Canada Region
The two positions of Vice President/Treasurer and Secretary/Foreman, each of which has a one-year term, will be falling vacant for the 2003-2004 term. Both officers serve on the Region's Executive Committee, a body that helps promote AAPG services in Canada and provides feedback to AAPG HQ, amongst other responsibilities.
Current Officers are: John Hogg (President), Debra Nishida (Past President), Warren Workman (Vice President/Treasurer), Marty Hewitt (Advisory Council Representative) and Paul English (Secretary/Foreman).
2) Call for Nominations for Delegates, AAPG House of Delegates
The Canada Region is currently represented in the AAPG House of Delegates by fourteen Delegates from the Region, and there will be four or five vacancies in these 3-year positions for the coming term of office (2003-2006). There are also additional opportunities to serve as Alternate Delegates.
The House of Delegates of the AAPG is responsible for all legislative functions of the Association, within the scope of the AAPG's Constitution and Bylaws. As a group, the HOD is an influential body and serving as a Delegate is a great way to get involved in the workings of the AAPG. Canadian Region Delegates also participate in the Executive Committee of the Region.
Current Delegates from the Region are: Wes Bader, Katherine Bergman, Michael Clegg, Bob Dick, Paul English, George Eynon, Bill Haskett, Chris Heath, Marty Hewitt, John Hogg, Deb Nishida, David Scott, Tony Tankard and Warren Workman.
Interested?
Want more information?
Want to submit your name - or that of another candidate?
Then for any of these opportunities please contact one of the following (as soon as possible and no later than December 20th):
Debra Nishida
Past President, and Chair of Nominations & Elections Committee
In the animal world, interdependence is often essential for survival. Trust is also an essential component of Sigma's successful business relationships. For 36 years, we have been looking out for our clients' best interests by becoming technical leaders in seismic data delivery.
In the animal world, interdependence is often essential for survival. Trust is also an essential component of Sigma's successful business relationships. For 36 years, we have been looking out for our clients' best interests by becoming technical leaders in seismic data delivery.
Sigma exercises leading edge technology in offering clients their free web-based browser SigMAP, a virtual approach to identifying and ordering Quality Inspections of seismic data.
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www.sigmaex.com offers real time Quality Inspections of Sigma library data using full SEG-Y images.
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SIGMA - Leaders in ■ DATA BROKERAGE ■ DATA MANAGEMENT ■ SEISMIC SURVEYS
SIGMA - Leaders in ■ DATA BROKERAGE ■ DATA MANAGEMENT ■ SEISMIC SURVEYS
November again already! Time for the outgoing CSPG Past President to reflect upon a three-year term on the Executive of the top geological society in Canada. Like most Past Presidents, I am extremely grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve, and almost as grateful that I now have the opportunity not to serve for the next while.
Since my first turn on the Executive in the mid1980s, it has evolved from a group dealing with day-to-day operational tasks to one devoted primarily to strategic planning. The results are really beginning to show, as we have progressed tremendously in many areas. A few of the key developments: our Educational Trust Fund Board is revitalized, we have a committee dedicated to planning meetings with various partners around the country (in addition to our annual convention in Calgary), there is a new Outreach committee to foster our relationships with university students, there are new technical divisions, and we are diving into online and digital services. Just as important, if not as interesting, our business, planning, and financial functions are running smoothly, ensuring the best value is obtained for each member's dollars.
Despite these successes, I must share a message with you that you've seen many times before. The CSPG succeeds only by the efforts of its many volunteers. We have been extremely fortunate in the past few years in having some of our more experienced members step forward to lead the ETF, committee on conventions, and new divisions. I am also particularly pleased at the number of first-time volunteers we have on the Outreach committee. However, I have spent the last few months trying to put together a qualified slate of candidates for the 2003 Executive, and have found it a very frustrating task. Almost everyone I talked to is too busy. Nobody from the general membership has put a name forward. We've got a great organization, and some of you really busy people would make great leaders, so please give it a shot next time you're asked.
a message from the PAST PRESIDENT
My final thoughts are about the CSPG's evolving role in speaking on behalf of its members. We have traditionally stayed away from taking positions, particularly on political issues, but these days, we find ourselves obligated more frequently to speak up. We protested the attempted re-naming of Mount Logan, in defense of one of the fathers of Canadian geology. We once again belong to the Canadian Geoscience Council, a multi-societal lobbying voice. As I write this column, we are initiating a CSPG position on the global warming/ Kyoto debate, because we think that the actual science behind the issues has been drowned out by the political noise. By the time you read this, there should have been some progress made in enlightening the general public as well as our members.
As all successful organizations do, the CSPG is changing with the changing times. Please help us continue to do so by participating in the process.
Brad Hayes Past President
The Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists is in the process of developing and publishing a position on the Kyoto Accord. In order to do this we need to hear from you - the membership, on this all important issue.
Email us at feedback@cspg.org and tell us what you think. The ratification of Kyoto has the potential to affect us all so everyone's input is important!
NOVEMBER LUNCHEONS
The Athabasca Oil Sands Project
speakeR
Neil Camarta
Shell Canada Limited
11:30 am Thursday, November 14, 2002
Telus Convention Centre Calgary, Alberta
Please note:
The cut-off for ticket sales is 1:00 pm, Monday, November 11th, 2002. Ticket price is $22.50 + GST.
When Shell Canada produces its first barrel of synthetic crude from the oil sands sometime next year, it will join a very small group of companies. If a 'club' for synthetic crude producers existed, Shell's efforts would have earned its membership by virtue of decades of work, billions of dollars, and more than a little of the proverbial 'blood, sweat and tears'.
Shell's story and experiences in the oil sands are not only a testament to tenacity, but also a good example of the myriad challenges developers face. "Oil sands projects are not 'slam dunks' and certainly not for the faint of heart," says Neil Camarta, Senior Vice President, Shell Oil Sands, and leader of
Structural and Stratigraphic Controls on Production from Tight-gas Sandstones from the San Juan Basin: Integrating 3-D Seismic, Log, Outcrop and Engineering Data
speakeR
Bruce Hart
Earth and Planetary Sciences
McGill University
11:30 am Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Telus Convention Centre Calgary, Alberta
Please note:
The cut-off for ticket sales is 1:00 pm, Wednesday, November 20th.
Ticket price is $22.50 + GST.
the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP). "It takes courage, deep pockets, staying power and experience in the building and operation of mega-projects."
Specific focus during this presentation will be given to:
■ The Athabasca Oil Sands Project, associated expansion and proposed Jackpine Mine (which could provide up to 25% of Canada's oil requirements.)
■ Mega-project development. Oil Sands projects are world scale in every dimension - including some significant risks that must be carefully managed, including large capital investments, high execution risk, product market availability and pricing, operational, financial market support and fiscal take.
■ The stakeholder support needed for oil sands mega - projects, including consultation and commitments required around greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. Shell Canada Climate Change Advisory Panel).
BIOGRAPHY
Neil was born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1953 and grew up on a farm in the northern area of the Province. He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1975 with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
He joined Shell Canada as an engineer in 1975 and has held various technical and management
Low-permeability gas reservoirs (matrix permeability < 1 md) are an important resource in the United States, with some estimates suggesting that approximately one half of future U.S. natural gas supplies will be produced from these technologically challenging reservoirs. Similar advances are probable for Canada. Natural fractures are commonly considered to play an important role in enhancing bulk permeability of these tight reservoirs, thus enabling wells to produce at commercial rates.
Work undertaken on Cretaceous sandstones in the San Juan Basin suggests two important controls, one structural and the other stratigraphic, on production from tight-gas sandstones. First, "fracture-swarm sweet spots" (associated with wells that produce at higher rates/and or have higher cumulative production than most wells) are associated with subtle structural features that may be identified in conventional (P-wave) 3-D seismic data. Horizon attributes (e.g., dip, azimuth, shaded relief, curvature) may be
roles - primarily in gas production. In 1987 he became Manager of Oil and Gas Business Development with responsibilities which included the development of Shell Canada's frontier oil and gas reserves.
In 1989, Neil became Manager of Planning for Shell International Gas Limited and Shell Coal International Limited in London with responsibility for the strategic planning of Shell's global gas and coal businesses.
In 1991, Neil transferred to South Africa where he was responsible for running Shell's coal and natural gas businesses in southern Africa.
In 1994, Neil returned to Canada to take on the responsibility of managing Shell Canada's Corporate Strategies group. In March 1996, Neil took on the additional responsibility of pulling together a major new oil sands mining project on Shell Canada's oil sands leases in Fort McMurray.
In late 1999, Shell and it's joint venture partners, Chevron Canada Resources and Western Oil Sands Inc. gave the go-ahead for the Athabasca Oil Sands Project. First bitumen from the multi-billion dollar joint venture is expected in late 2002.
Neil was named Senior Vice President, Oil Sands, in December, 1999.
very helpful in this quest. Second, outcrop and subsurface observations suggest a link between lithology and fracture density. Clean sandstones are more highly fractured than adjacent shaly sandstones, and will therefore produce better (better fracture permeability, more storage capacity). It is possible to combine log data and attributes derived from conventional 3-D seismic data in order to predict lithology, thereby defining the extent of the relatively more highly productive clean sandstones.
The concepts presented here are illustrated using examples from the Cretaceous Mesaverde Group and Dakota Formation. Both are basin-center gas accumulations away from major structures, and matrix permeability is less than 0.1 md. Together, these stratigraphic intervals had produced over 13 TCF of gas by the end of 1997, and estimates suggest that nearly twice that volume will be produced once the fields are fully developed.
The technologies and concepts used here: a) are considerably less expensive than "advanced" seismic methods used to detect fractures (e.g., multicomponent surveys), but b) need to be undertaken in conjunction with stratigraphic, structural and engineering analyses of the play in question.
DECEMBER LUNCHEON BDR
The Quest for Oil - Stories from the History of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists
speakeR
David Finch
11:30 am Thursday, December 12, 2002
Telus Convention Centre Calgary, Alberta
Please note:
The cut-off date for tickets is 1:00 pm, Monday, December 9th, 2002
Ticket price is $22.50 + GST
What happens when human history and geological history meet? One result is the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists. The story of the CSPG is the story of Canada's quest for hydrocarbons.
Seventy-five years ago, in December 1927, a dozen men met and decided to form a society to further the interests of exploration and development of oil and gas in Canada. Spurred on by the discoveries in Turner Valley, they searched the Canadian west for petroleum during the 1930s and 1940s.
In addition to finding oil, the members of the Society also developed a vital organization. Over the decades its members have spoken out on many issues - scientific, economic and political - giving voice to the opinions and perspectives of Canadian geologists; in 1949, 1973 and 1980 Society representatives addressed important issues of the day.
BIOGRAPHY
Bruce Hart received his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario. He held positions with the Geological Survey of Canada, Penn State and the New Mexico Bureau of Mines prior to joining McGill University in 2000. Since 1993 his work has focused on the integration of 3-D seismic and geologic data for reservoir characterization. In March 2003 he will receive the Southwest Section AAPG's Distinguished Educator Award. Interested parties are encouraged to arrange meetings prior to his talk via email at: hart@eps.mcgill.ca.
# 48 - 9520 Bonaventure Drive SE Calgary, AB Canada T2J 0E5
NHCs thermally generate, migrate and accumulate in traps?
Are created to give us energy?
Greenhouse gases cause global warming?
No to all of the above is the correct response. To know why, contact us, and we will tell you why!
The Society's history has not been without controversy. Its operations have changed over the years to reflect the changing nature of the role of the geologist in the oilpatch. In the early days it worked to safeguard against "inadequately trained and unscrupulous men posing as petroleum geologists." Professionalism is still important to the Society, but its responsibilities reach into many other areas as well.
But most of all, the story of the CSPG is the story of geologists, the men and women who scrambled up mountains, rode horses and canoes, bumped around in bushplanes and helicopters, always in the quest of black gold.
"The Quest for Oil" builds on the recently published history of the Society, “Field Notes: The Story of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists”, and is presented by its author, historian David Finch.
BIOGRAPHY
David Finch holds the M.A. from the University of Calgary in Canadian History and is the author or more than a dozen books on the history of the Canadian west. His recent biography, R.M. Patterson: A Life of Great Adventure, documents the fascinating life and exploits of the man who made the South Nahanni famous and went on to become an early Canadian adventure travel writer.
Over 30 years of research led us to the Electro-synthetic Origins of NHCs, that are rewriting Petroleum Geology (more exploration land, less risk, and much more). Four hours introduce you to what others only started to look into.
CORE AND SAMPLE DIVISION - A PROPOSAL
To: Neil McCrank, Chair, Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB)
From: Bruce McIntyre, President, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Re: Recommendations for Construction (or Acquisition) of a Heavy Oil Core Storage and Research Facility
The AEUB Core Research Centre is a World-Class facility, and has proven to be a valuable resource housing the largest single collection of core and drill cuttings in the world, and is used extensively by the Oil and Gas Industry, the Post Secondary Education Community and Government Research and Regulatory Departments in Alberta.
Access to the Geological material stored here has allowed un-parallelled efficiency in the development of Oil and Gas resources in Alberta and an irreplaceable resource to Post Secondary Education Geology study. Ongoing collection of core is now at the point where, with current projections of core submission, the facility will be filled to its maximum capacity within 5 to 7 years. Given that the majority of core currently being submitted is predominantly heavy oil core, and that the heavy oil sector of the industry will continue to submit more core (at the same time as conventional oil and gas core declines in Alberta) it is the recommendation of the CSPG that the AEUB build another Core storage facility in the Calgary area, primarily for the storage and research of heavy oil core. This would allow transfer of existing heavy oil core currently at the Core Research Centre, and free up space for continued conventional core storage extending its projected storage for at least 15 years and possibly as far as 35 years.
Recent examples of the critical value of this material was demonstrated at the AEUB hearings of the Gas/Bitumen inquiries at Surmount and Chard-Leismer. Core stored at the Core Research Centre has in many cases provided the definitive Geological information necessary to determine reservoir continuity and geological correlations to resolve disputes in these hearings. It is felt that a separate facility is the most logical solution to the current space problem faced by the Core Research Centre. This will provide a research facility of adequate capability, which will assist in the exploitation of the Oil Sands resource in an efficient manner. It is felt that the current submission requirements
for Oil Sands core of one core per quarter section is adequate spacing to fulfill the AEUB mandate of providing public assess to the geological record in the province without imposing an unreasonable regulatory or financial burden upon the operators, and as such the regulations do not need to be changed.
The building should be of adequate size (preliminary estimates suggest approximately 50,000 square feet based on projected heavy oil activity) to accommodate the current material in storage at the Core Research Centre and the material to be accumulated over the next 20 years. It should be located on a sufficiently large property (approximately 4 acres) to permit future expansion as the Oil Sands material is expected to continue to accumulate over time. Viewing facilities are considered paramount because of the specialized requirements to view the large volume of core recovered from each well and the potential danger to the integrity of the material if it is transported repeatedly to an offsite viewing facility.
Time is of the essence for the initiation of this project. The growing interest in the development of the Oil Sands resource will only increase the volume of material submitted to the AEUB. The sooner a dedicated facility is created, the smaller the volume of material which will have to be transferred from the existing Core Research Centre, thus reducing administrative, handling and transportation costs.
Bruce McIntyre
A proposal to be presented to the AEUB recommending the creation of a Heavy Oil Core Storage and Research Facility
The space available for core storage at the AEUB Core Research Center in Calgary is limited and cannot be expanded in the current location. The large volume of core submitted from Oil Sands projects will result in the maximization of the available space within the next five to seven years. It is in the interest of the oil and gas industry as a whole to find a solution to this dilemma.
The CSPG Core and Sample Division brought members from industry and the AEUB together to create awareness of the storage space challenge and to initiate movement towards a solution. A list of stakeholders from the Oil Sands industry was compiled with representatives from industry, research interests, service companies
and the AEUB. This group was encouraged to contribute opinions and to participate in four discussion sessions held to obtain stakeholder input on a range of solutions to the problem.
Solutions discussed included:
a) changing the regulations to increase the spacingrequirement for core submission thus reducing the amount of core being accumulated.
b) culling core from the existing facility based on a selection criteria related to the age of the core, the viewing history of the material or the completion of bitumen production from the area the core represents. Core culled from the research center would either be destroyed, returned to the current operator or stored in a regulated manner under government contract at private storage facilities.
c) removal or reduction of core obtained from the Oil Sands mining projects.
d) replacing the core collection with photographs and a broader range of analysis data. e) the creation of a separate building to house the Oil Sands core. The new facility could be either government-owned and run as is thecurrent Core Research Centre, or it could beprivately run under guidelines established by the AEUB.
After extensive discussion the CSPG Core and Sample Division, Oil Sands Discussion Group strongly recommends that the AEUB create and run a core storage and viewing facilityin the Calgary area, which would be dedicated to the long-term retentionof material relatedto the Oil Sands resource in this province.
The greatest challenge presented by this option is that of securing funding to establish and maintain a new facility. The current facility is funded through user fees and from general AEUB revenues.
Suggestions for funding include:
a) joint participation between the Alberta government and the Oil Sands operating companies for the capital cost of property and building.
b) increased user fees for Oil Sands core in the current facility to establish a fund for future expansion.
c) increases in general licensing fees to all oil and gas companies or only to Oil Sands operatorsto meet the costs involved.
As part of our effort to create awareness of the issue we are presenting a draft proposal herewiththe hope of reaching a larger group of geologists who may be interested
enoughto comment on the topic. Once our proposal is finalized it will be presented to management representatives of the Oil Sands operating companiesto confirm their support, then the proposal and the results of the industry survey will be presentedto the AEUB for consideration. When the proposalis presented to the operators, it will be in the form of a question, requesting formal corporate support for the concept. We will also include a question on their suggestions or ideas for meeting the costs of construction and maintenance.
This proposal is a recommendation from the technical users of the services provided by the Core Research Centre. Discussion and decisions on cost and funding for such a venture are the responsibility the AEUB, who is the custodian of the public geological material, and the stakeholders who will derive benefit from the facility, the Alberta government, oil and gas companies in general, Oil Sands operators as well as academic and research interests. Funding and implementation will be the next phases of this initiative, that is why there is no mention of costs or funding in our proposal.
PALAEONTOLOGY DIVISION
The Life and Death of a Graptolite:
Paleoecology and Taphonomy of the Cape Phillips Graptolite Fauna, Arctic Canada
Speaker
Dr. Jen Russel-Houston Geologist, Frontier, Sable Development Shell Canada Limited
7:30 pm Friday, November 15, 2002
Mount Royal College, Room B101 Calgary, Alberta
Graptolite-bearing concretions of the Cape Phillips Formation, Arctic Canada were lithified during shallow burial, preserving the three-dimensional shape of the graptolite rhabdosomes and the character of the sediment before physical compaction. The graptolites and the sediments captured by this unique preservation give insight into questions unsolved in the studies of flattened graptolites preserved in shale. Every graptolite sample is a record of the original planktonic community and the taphonomic events that altered that original graptolite population. This talk will show how the exquisitely preserved graptolites have aided our understanding of the preservational history (taphonomy) of graptolites and how these observations are used to interpret the composition of the original graptololite communities. I will also discuss some of the modern views of this ancient animal, including colonial communism, graptolite mass mortality, fantastic Silurian predators, swimming graptolites, and colonial sex.
SEDIMENTOLOGY DIVISION
Fine-Grained Submarine Fan Settings: Paleoenvironments & Paleoecology of the Upper Campanian Cedar District Formation, Southwestern British Columbia
SPEAKER
Kevin Treptau
Imperial Oil Resources
12:00 Noon
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
2nd Floor, Suite 202, West Tower Fifth Avenue Place
237 Fourth Avenue Place 425 - 1st Street, Calgary, Alberta
Fine-grained submarine fan settings may not offer the most prolific of reservoirs, but often some of the best paleoenvironmental evidence is preserved there.
Within southwestern British Columbia, the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group provides a significant
For summaries of the discussion meetings or for more information on this topic please contact topic chairman Allan Melnychuk at 403-250-1806 or at amelnychuk@mcleay.ab.ca
Your comments are strongly encouraged so that we receive input from a wide range of interested parties.
Allan Melnychuk Topic Chairman
Biography
Dr. Russel-Houston received her B.Sc. from Queen's University in 1995, a B.Ed. from the University of Ottawa in 1996, and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Dalhousie University in 2001. Her thesis subject involved the study of the taphonomy, paleosynecology, biostratigraphy, and taxonomy of Silurian graptolites. Dr. Russel-Houston began with Shell Canada in 2001 and is currently a geologist on a team that is developing the Sable Gas Field off the coast of Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, the rocks of the Sable reservoir are too young for graptolites, and for now her graptolite reasearch is delegated to weekends and evenings.
Information
Talks are free and are jointly presented by the Alberta Palaeontological Society, Mount Royal College and the CSPG Paleontology Division. For details or to present a talk in the future please contact APS Program Director Philip Benham at 403-691-3343 or visit the APS website for confirmation of event times and upcoming speakers: www.albertapaleo.org/.
view of late Mesozoic siliciclastic sedimentation. Deposited in an elongate, northwest-trending peripheral foreland basin, there are eleven conformable and laterally intertonguing lithostratigraphic formations within the Nanaimo Group. The lowermost formations reflect a mix of alluvial and shallow marine environments, whereas the upper two-thirds of the Nanaimo Group represent submarine fan deposition.
The Upper Campanian Cedar District Formation comprises a succession of finegrained, thin-bedded siliciclastic turbidites,
SEDIMENTOLOGY DIVISION
comprised predominantly of mud-rich Bouma CDE and CE cycles that are episodically intercalated with BCDE and BCE cycles. Within the overall sanding, coarsening, and thickening-upward succession, the vertical progression of facies records an upward shift from lower and distal submarine fan settings to middle fan settings, deposited in a prograding submarine fan system.
The trace fossils preserved represent a post-turbidite suite, and record an upward progression from predominantly sessile deposit feeding and mobile grazing behaviours in mudstones, to mobile deposit feeding and
lesser semi-permanent dwelling behaviours in sandstones. These ethological changes mirror the lithofacies changes, and correspond to the abrupt shift of one fan lobe to the next in an extensive prograding submarine fan complex. Graphoglyptids, typical of pre-turbidite trace fossil suites, are notably absent.
In order to preserve both the facies and trace fossils observed, deposition of the Cedar District Formation must have occurred under conditions of high-frequency event bed deposition, which is atypical of lower submarine fan settings. This resulted in a paleoecological setting that precluded the
continued from page 11
existence and/or preservation of typical deep-sea behaviours.
This field-based study brings to question some of the common assumptions of the paleoenvironmental and paleoecological conditions along the fine-grained portions of submarine fans.
INFORMATION
Talks are free - don’t forget to bring your lunch! For more information about this talk, or about presenting a talk, please call Scott Leroux at 403-645-2419, email Scott.Leroux@EnCana.com.
STRUCTURAL DIVISION - NOON TALK
Dipmeter and Borehole Image
Interpretation
SPEAKER
Paul Heffernan
HEF Petrophysical Consulting Inc.
Bruce Wrightson GAIA Resources Ltd.
12:00 Noon Wednesday November 20, 2002
+30 (3rd floor) Conoco Conference Centre (inside Sunterra Market) Gulf Canada Square 401 - 9th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta
Paul Heffernan will give an overview of dipmeter and borehole image technology. The improvements over the past forty years will be summarized. Solutions to solve difficult environments such as small or large wellbores, wells drilled with water, air or invert, will be presented.
Bruce Wrightson will discuss some techniques which are used to analyze and interpret structural geology from dipmeter data. Easilyrecognizable dip anomalies are indicative of various structural features. Bruce will outline these and present a number of examples.
HYDROGEOLOGY DIVISION
Geophysical Mapping of Groundwater Potential in a Rural Water Supply Project: Malawi, Africa
Speaker Paul Bauman
Komex International Ltd.
12:00 Noon Thursday, November 21, 2002
Encana Amphitheatre 2nd Floor, Above CP Station 9th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta
The East Mangochi District of Malawi is perhaps the poorest corner of one of the most impoverished countries in the world. Despite pandemic bilharzia, malaria, and HIV, and not withstanding atrocious infrastructure and educational facilities, the local population of about 250,000 determined that greater accessibility to dependable and good quality drinking water was their highest priority need. Over a three month period, a unique combination of borehole geophysics, terrain conductivity, frequency domain electromagnetics, and electrical resistivity tomography were applied. The project may represent the most intense application of geophysical surveys to rural water supply exploration in deeply weathered crystalline basement terrains. These data have been processed and interpreted in conjunction with previous hydrogeological
BIOGRAPHY
Paul Heffernan, P.Eng. has specialized in evaluating dipmeter and borehole image logs for the past 16 years.
Bruce Wrightson, M.Sc., P.Geol., is a structural geologist with 20 years of industry experience. He is a Calgary-based consultant.
INFORMATION
There is no charge. Please bring your lunch. Desserts are provided by Norwest Laboratories. Beverages are provided by HEF Petrophysical. For details or to present a talk in the future, please contact Luc Lalonde at 403-233-4831, email luc.lalonde@conoco.com or Mazhar (Maz) Qayyum at 403-231-6156, email mqayyum@talisman-energy.com.
reports, and satellite and airphoto interpretations, to produce over 480 targets for low yield village hand pumps. Such a detailed geophysical survey was considered necessary in the region because of the highly irregular distribution of aquifers and the low success rate (less than 30%) of past drilling programs. To date, 212 wells have been drilled, with 197 having been successfully completed with village hand pumps for a 93% success rate. The approach used in this program could be duplicated in most of the highly weathered crystalline terrains of central and eastern Africa.
INFORMATION
The luncheon talks are free. Please bring your lunch. Refreshments are provided by Norwest Laboratories and Encana. For more information, or to present a talk, please contact Stephen Grasby at 403-292-7111.
CSPG PAST PRESIDENTS“PETE” SANDERSON: A SOLID WESTERNER
"Pete" Sanderson
The son of a pioneer family in the Canadian West, "Pete" Sanderson stowed away on a CPR railcar as a young teenager and wormed his way into the first Calgary Stampede in 1912. There Guy Weadick gave him a box stall to sleep in while he guarded the tack in the barn. Everything to do with the rodeo intrigued the young manhis nickname came from his bronc-riding days.
James Owen Gresham Sanderson was born in Medicine Hat in 1898 and completed his B.Sc. and M.Sc in geology at the University of Alberta in 1922 and 1923. While in school he conducted field work in the quest for oil and coal for the Research Council of Alberta, with the GSC and Imperial Oil. He concluded his academic studies at Yale where he received the Ph.D. in 1928 and then went on to work for Imperial Oil until 1931.
Pete was the fourth president of the ASPG, in 1931, and recalled the purposes of the young
group. "Our Society was set up to promote the study of the geology of western Canada, to encourage the interchange and discussion of ideas, theories, and information pertaining to that geology, and to support the best interests of the science and its exponents in this country. It was not intended that it should be organized as an industrial group or institute with its efforts and findings to be specifically dedicated to the benefit and profits of commercial companies."
Tough times hit the oilpatch in the 1930s and the Society almost collapsed. "One temporary low-point was exemplified in 1931. Only one major oil company (a subsidiary) was then exploring for oil and gas on a comprehensive scale in western Canada. In March of that year a management - geological department conference was held and the geological staff was reduced to two geologists. The conference had reached the conclusion that the geological department had 'looked over' the best prospects for oil and gas fields in Alberta and that little remained to be done. It has subsequently been demonstrated that the words - looked over - had been well chosen but were used wrong-end-to."
When the Alberta government established the Turner Valley Gas Conservation Board in 1932, it chose for field staff men well respected by the
rambunctious oilpatch; respected oilman Charles Dingman headed the bunch that also included G.R. Elliott, F.W. Shelton, R.V. Johnson - an ASPG founder, and Pete Sanderson.
In 1933 Pete launched out on his own as a consulting geologist, a career path he continued until his death in 1963. He worked for Home Oil and Bata Petroleums as well as other companies and in the late 1940s argued before the Conservation Board on behalf of small producers and their investors who could not afford to wait for years for a return on their capital.
But first and foremost Pete was a cowboy and a lover of the out of doors. The smell of the campfire and reading the rocks were his passions, though he was also good at such sports as baseball, basketball and trick horse riding. Among his prized possessions was a fine C.M. Russell collection of western art.
David Finch is a consulting historian based in Calgary. His most recent publication, Field Notes: The story of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, was released in June, 2002 as part of the Society's seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations.
Net income totalled $87,954,000, or $1.72 per share, on revenues of $605,500,000, compared to $87,255,000, or $2.16 per share, on revenues of $497,991,000. Discretionary cash flow in 2001 was $377,329,000, up from $316,114,000 a year earlier.
Pogo replaced an estimated 134% of its 2001 worldwide production. New reserves discovered in Thailand in 2001 offset 115% of Thailand's production, and new reserves added in the United States reflect a 144% domestic production replacement rate. Pogo's year-end estimated equivalent proven oil and natural gas reserves rose to 1.534 trillion cubic feet, while 2001 equivalent daily production of all hydrocarbons was 71,344 barrels per day, a 28% increase from 55,733 barrels per day of equivalent production in 2000. In 2001, average daily production of liquid hydrocarbons (crude oil, condensate and plant products) was 31,707 barrels per day, up 12% from 28,298 barrels per day in 2000. Daily natural gas production in 2001 averaged 237.8 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d), up 44% from 164.6 mmcf/d in 2000.
For all of 2001, natural gas prices averaged $3.71 per thousand cubic feet (mcf), compared to $3.16 per mcf averaged in 2000. Natural gas prices fell late in 2001, however, and in the fourth quarter Pogo received just $2.92 per mcf, down from $4.36 per mcf averaged in the final quarter of 2000. Average oil and condensate prices received by Pogo in 2001 dropped to $23.99 per barrel, from $28.92 per barrel in 2000.
In the second quarter of 2002 Pogo produced record levels of liquid hydrocarbons, including crude oil, condensate and plant products, at an average rate of 51,400 barrels per day, up 66% from an average of 31,028 barrels per day that Pogo produced during the second quarter of 2001. Second quarter 2002 natural gas production increased to a record 285.6 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) from 271.1 mmcf/d in the second quarter of 2001.
in
• At December 31, 2001, Pogo had estimated proved net reserves of 1,534 billion cubic feet equivalent of gas or approximately 119.2 million barrels of oil and 818.8 billion cu ft of natural gas.
• Over the last 10 years, Pogo has consistently grown its reserves base by replacing more than 175% of its hydrocarbon production annually.
• Pogo acquired NORIC Corporation and its subsidiaries, including North Central Oil Corporation, effective as of March 14, 2001, the largest acquisition in Pogo's history, which added over 537 billion cubic feet equivalent of gas.
• As of year-end 2001, Pogo owned interests in major oil and gas producing areas offshore and onshore in the United States, offshore in the Gulf of Thailand, in Hungary, and in the United Kingdom and Danish sectors of the North Sea.
• Pogo's market capitalization was approximately $1.4 billion on December 31, 2001.
In July 2002, Pogo authorized an increase in the 2002 capital and exploration budget of $50 million, bringing the authorized budget to $390 million, compared to approximately $412 million expended in 2001. Pogo plans to drill 179 gross wells, including 61 in the Gulf of Thailand. Accelerated Benchamas field production in the Gulf of Thailand is expected in the next two years, and domestic production is expected to rise markedly in 2002 and 2003.
P O G O P R O D U C I N G C O M P A N Y
In Hungary, Pogo will study 140,000 acres of new 3-D seismic data, in preparation for an active exploration programme beginning early in 2003. 164,600 141,600 159,000 181,700 237,800 1,534,000 750,478 845,299 847,354 941,909
Early in 2002, Pogo began producing from the big Main Pass Blocks 61/62 field when the large "A" structure platform came on-stream. Elsewhere in that field, the "B" platform top-side will be set, development wells will be drilled and production will begin late in 2002.
By year-end 2001, Pogo's two subsea-completions at the new Mississippi Canyon Blocks 661/705 field began producing. Production rates from that field are now increasing.
In March 2002, Pogo successfully bid on six tracts at the federal oil and gas lease sale. The sale covered areas in the central part of the outercontinental shelf, offshore from the Louisiana coastline. In addition, Pogo announced that it has been awarded two lease blocks, West Delta Block 54 and West Delta Block 83, in the Louisiana state waters lease sale held in March 2002. Pogo is also the sole owner of both of those new state lease blocks.
U S O n s h o r e
For Pogo, the 12-year long Permian Basin drilling success rate of 96% continued in 2001. Of 29 Permian wells drilled, 28 of them were successfully completed during the year, and three more were drilling or testing at year-end. During 2002, Pogo will begin exploring its 6,000 gross-acre Kiowa prospect in Pecos County, Texas. Pogo, a two-thirds owner, will operate this new Devonian/ Ellenburger exploration play, to be drilled to a depth of approximately 15,000 feet. Early drilling success could lead to several more exploration and delineation wells.
Thibodaux, the company's 47%-owned and operated 60-square-mile 3-D seismic project in southeastern Louisiana, has already resulted in four good wells.
In south Texas, four rigs are running in Pogo's Los Mogotes field. Twelve such wells were successfully completed in 2001 in the Asche/Charco/Lobo pay intervals. Several of those wells tested at rates of as high as 8 to 10 mmcf/d. Pogo operates and owns 65% of Los Mogotes field, and expects to drill about 20 new wells per year for the next few years.
In Wyoming, five shallower Madden wells, drilled to the lower Fort Union sands, resulted in four successful completions.
T h a i l a n d
Twenty-nine gross wells were drilled on Thailand license concession Block B8/32 in 2001, including two exploration wells and 16 development wells in Benchamas field, six wildcat wells in the Jarmjuree area, three exploration wells in the Chaba exploratory area, an appraisal well at the newly-producing Maliwan field, and a development well in the Tantawan field.
During 2002, some five dozen new wells should be drilled across Block B8/32 to explore and develop current and future production areas.
Pogo owns a 40% working interest in Block 13/98 located in the Danish sector of the North Sea, which is comprised of 80,900 gross acres. Recent discoveries in the area have made this a promising area for Pogo and there are plans for an exploratory well to be drilled during 2002. O
Pogo owns various ownership interests in 82 federal and state Gulf of Mexico lease blocks offshore from Louisiana and Texas (88 lease blocks if, and when, the lease blocks on which Pogo is the high bidder are awarded to Pogo). Pogo also owns approximately 760,000 gross leasehold acres in various oil and gas provinces onshore in the United States, approximately 714,000 gross acres in the Gulf of Thailand, approximately 782,000 gross acres in Hungary, and approximately 113,000 gross acres in the United Kingdom North Sea and approximately 81,000 gross acres in the Denmark North Sea.
For a Free trial review of ‘Oil Company Key Facts’, contact Chris Pettit at Online Data Ltd: Email: cp@online-data.co.uk / Telephone +44 (0)1932 228451 This profile is one of 200+ featured in the web publication:
JACK PORTERvignettes of canadian petroleum geology
Continued from September Reservoir, 2002...
The commercial mining of bitumen from the Athabasca bituminous sand and its subsequent upgrading to hydrocarbon components was realized some 38 years following the first mining attempts. It could be considered an understatement to claim that those formative years were fraught with disappointments and frustrations for those involved in attempting to exploit this potential energy resource.
The Research Council of Alberta constructed a hot water extraction pilot plant on the bank of the Clearwater River, near Waterways, in 1929. Karl A. Clark was designated overseer and was assisted by Sidney M. Blair. The separation method employed was modeled after the successful process that Clark and Blair had perfected in 1923 while conducting experiments at their first pilot operation, which was housed in their laboratory at the University of Alberta. Prior to the construction of their Clearwater plant, a
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previous one, installed in 1924, had operated from the Dunvegan railway yards northeast of Edmonton.
The Dominion Mines Branch, in collaboration with the Alberta Research Council, was the supplier of bituminous sand to the Council's pilot plant. A small quarry was prepared on the Clearwater River in late 1929 and the bituminous sand it excavated was delivered to the plant's site during its operation in 1930. That year eight hundred tons of sand was tested and the pilot plant produced “15,000 gallons (485 barrels) of bitumen containing a few tenths of a percent of water and from two to three percent of silt, clay and very fine salt” (Oil Sands Scientist - The Letters of Karl A. Clark, 1989, p.222). The Council's plant operations were curtailed in 1931 due to the financial repercussions following the onset of the 1930s' depression.
It was not until September 30, 1967 that Great Canadian Oil Sands' Tar Island plant went on stream to produce the world's first barrel of commercial synthetic oil derived from the Athabasca bituminous sand.
Prior to 1954, two companies, International Bitumen and Abasand Oils were the only privatelyheld mines engaged in extracting bitumen from the Athabasca bituminous sand and upgrading it on site. The former plant, headed by R.C. Fitzsimmons and situated at Bitumount, commenced operations in 1930, while the latter, operated by Max Waite Ball, followed in 1936. His plant was located two miles south of Fort McMurray, in proximity to Horse River. Both pioneers were unsuccessful in bringing their respective plants into economic fruition. Although the two plants produced mediocre quantities of bitumen, some of which was refined on site to produce diesel fuel, both were plagued with design problems relating to their respective mining technologies, extraction processes and refinery modifications. International Bitumen's original 1930 plant was either modified or rebuilt at least twice during its 12 years of intermittent operation and required refinancing on those occasions pending its acquisition by Oil Sands Limited. Abasand Oil's plant was destroyed by fire in 1941. It was rebuilt the following year but, once again, it had the misfortune of being consumed by fire in 1945, never to be rebuilt. Basically, such early mining operations would prove to be inordinately capital-intensive at a period when the costs of mining bitumen to process a barrel of synthetic oil far outweighed the finding costs of a barrel of conventional oil. The first of the two entrepreneurial visionaries, R.C. Fitzsimmons of Edmonton, commenced an investigation of the Athabasca bituminous sand
Arny Rivett
Neil MacKeith
as early as 1922. That same year he acquired the assets of Alcan Oil Company who held 600 acres of Dominion leases located 50 miles down the Athabasca River from Fort McMurray. The site was later designated Bitumount. Alcan Oil had been organized by a New York policeman who presumably had been apprised of the bituminous sand's potential for exploitation by S.C. Ells of the Dominion Mines Branch (Pioneers... p, 19)
Early in 1925, Fitzsimmons drilled two close spaced shallow wells on his acquired leases near the shore of the Athabasca River, which were named R.C. Fitzsimmons No. I and No. 2 (Lsd. 6, Sec. 1, Twp. 97, Rge. 11,W4). His objective was to attempt to produce bitumen, which he anticipated would seep from its sand reservoir into the open borehole. A nearby well, drilled in 1917 by the Athabasca - Spokane Company, was located 550 feet to the north of the two Fitzsimmons' wells. According to S.C. Ells (Bituminous Sands of Northern Alberta, 1926,p.26), “the Athabasca Spokane well, after penetrating five feet of glacial drift; it passed through approximately 100 feet of rich bituminous sand." In contrast, Fitzsimmons No. 2, although penetrating the equivalent stratigraphic section, encountered "only minor
partings of bitumen." The disparity of bitumen content in the two wells was to portend the variablefacies of the McMurray Formation to host bitumen.Fitzsimmons No. I well was reportedly drilled to an insufficient depth of 42 feet.
In the summer of 1925, Fitzsimmons turned his attention to experimenting with both steam and water methods to extract bitumen from the bituminous sand associated with his leases. The same year he constructed a rudimentary hot water
separation contrivance and was "able to extract a few barrels of pure bitumen" (Pioneers... p. 27).
Test drilling continued on Fitzsimmons' property in the late 1920s in order to define the optimum body of enriched bituminous sand. He had hoped, like others before him, that the application of steam to separate the bitumen from the sand in situ would prove efficient but to no avail.
To be continued...
MATH AND BUSINESS SKILLS NEEDED BY CANADIAN PETROLEUM GEOSCIENTISTS
Introduction
The previous articles in this series focused on the key components of a petroleum geoscientist's skill profile: non-technical and soft skills, computer competency and the core geoscientific subdisciplines. While important, these are not the only abilities needed by petroleum geoscientists today. The rapid expansion of computer and statistical operations in exploration and production makes it mandatory that geoscientists have some understanding of the mathematical concepts that underpin these disciplines. Corporations have also demanded that geoscientists become more aware of the business consequences of their work. This final paper assesses the importance of these issues and outlines the possible implications of the survey's findings.
Math education
In the 1996-7 study of technical and other skills needed by geoscientists in Canada's geosciencebased industries (Heath 2000a, 2002), participants were asked for opinions on the number of years of university level math education geoscience students should receive. The reaction of the 60 respondents is shown on Table 1. With the exception of 13 mining companies, most firms
wanted students to have two years. However, four large mining companies preferred more than two years of math training as did three geophysical consultants surveyed and an oil company.
Pursuing this issue in the current survey Canadian companies were asked to assess the importance of eleven math topics that could be included in a two year program. Table 2 shows the results. Although few scores were high, the supergiant / giant companies favored geoscientists receiving training in applied math, calculus and linear algebra. Canadian firms preferred geostatistics, followed by classical statistics and applied math. One year of calculus came fourth. Respondents to the British study (Heath, 2000b) held similar views but favored applied math over classical statistics. In most cases, American class scores were significantly higher than those of their Canadian or British counterparts. They also preferred geostatistics but gave equal value to applied math and one year of calculus. Unpublished survey results of geological and geophysical consultants provided additional insights. Geological consultants matched Canadian preferences. Geophysical consultants overwhelmingly preferred applied math together with two years of calculus and a
by Chris Heath
year of classical statistics. Unfortunately, neither the British nor the consultant surveys included linear algebra or advanced calculus as options.
The inter-group arrows (see first article for description and calculation) indicate that scores for all of the most important math skills increased as companies became larger. This might reflect a greater use of computers and statistics by these firms as suggested in the review of computer skills. American data showed similar trends although they were less well defined because their scores for math skills were higher. The British derived data showed no trends.
Business skills
In the same 1996-7 study, the author asked companies for their reactions to a suggestion that short business courses be introduced into geoscience undergraduate programs (Heath, 2000a, 2002). As Table 3 shows, there was overwhelming support for this idea, particularly amongst oil companies and public sector organizations.
In the current survey, participants were asked to evaluate nine topics that might be included in such a program. Some of these can be found in
Table 2. Math education skills preferred by Canadian oil companies.
Table 4. Business skills preferred by Canadian companies.
Note: (•) = All companies in the industry considered the level of competentcy required was ‘very high’, ‘high’ or ‘reasonable’ in their business.
Table 3. Company support of business skills being introduced into undergraduate programs.
General Awareness Only
Notes:- Skills ranked according to averaged scores of supergiant and giant oil companies.
- 65 = Important scores (60 or higher)
- (•) = All companies in class considered the level of competency required was ‘very high’, ‘high’ or ‘reasonable’ in their business.
M.B.A. curricula while others were known to be useful in certain phases of corporate business. The results are set out in Table 4. The five key topics favored by Canadian firms are ranked in the right hand column while those valued by the supergiant / giant oil companies are shown on the left. All respondents agreed that it was important for geoscientists to be aware of general business but opinions diverged as to specifics. Canadian firms preferred economic analysis followed by project management while the supergiant/giant group favored geoscientists taking some business courses and project management; possibly because the very larger companies would have staff dedicated to carrying out economic analyses whereas project management is a universal skill. American firms also preferred project management and economic analysis although most scores were lower than those of their Canadian counterparts.
As the inter-group arrows attest, four sub-disciplines scores increased as company size decreased: presumably reflecting the importance of business skills to those geoscientists working in smaller companies. Britain-based company data show similar characteristics although they also supported planning/strategy (Heath, 2000b). American firms showed inter-group trends in the other direction but only for the less specific business awareness and business courses.
Research limitations
This study only considers the needs of Canada's oil industry while earlier surveys address the needs of other geoscience-based industries. Scores for several foundation courses can be found elsewhere (Heath, 2000a, 2002). The rankings also ignore the teaching sequence followed by geoscience departments. While the material presented here presents the needs and expectations of relatively few Canada-based oil companies, they do seem to represent a cross-section of the industry community. In addition, they often mirror the views of oil companies located in Britain and America who are our competitors.
Possible implications of the survey's findings. The survey data presented in this study reflects the oil industry viewpoint. If they favor geoscientists over geologists and geophysicists what skills should the more specialized geologist or geophysicist possess? To find out the author then evaluated the data submitted by geological and geophysical consultants. Table 5 compares the top 15 geoscience sub-disciplines required by each with the industry rankings. While each class has its own needs and preferences, it is clear that all require skills in both geology and geophysics: although geophysicists are more focused on geophysics. This finding tends to support the geoscientist concept. Consequently the findings set our below hold widespread implications. Specifically:
Table 4. Business skills preferred by Canadian companies.
1.Skills in geoscience comprise about 55% of the total skill set that geoscientists need.
2.Geoscientists, whether oriented towards geology or geophysics, need to have familiarity in both disciplines. Today, oil companies need geoscientists rather than mono-disciplinary scientists.
3.Increased competition, bought about by both internal and external pressures, may result in a Canadian bachelor degree in either geology or geophysics becoming an insufficient qualification for employment in the larger oil companies.
4.Computer competency is essential. While general computer operations skills are transferable to alternate careers and job opportunities geosciencespecific skills may not.
5.The important role that non-technical and soft skills now play in the workplace cannot be over emphasized.
6.Employers also want their geoscientists to have a good foundation in math and to possess some business knowledge.
Comparing these results with university curricula and regulatory requirements proved somewhat difficult: principally because of the inconsistency in terms used to describe sub-disciplines, policies and other issues. However, several issues emerged: Business EducationInter- Supergiant & CanadianJuniorsCanadianOverall
MATH AND BUSINESS SKILLS NEEDED BY CANADIAN PETROLEUM GEOSCIENTISTS
Table 5. Key sub-disciplines required by the Canadian oil industry & geological and geophysical consultants.
1.Very few universities offer good petroleum geoscience education
2.The university curricula for geology and geophysics degrees are often in near isolation. Consequently, it might be difficult for students to obtain a good balance of geology and geophysics education for petroleum geoscience. Inflexibility in professional registration programs and policies are also problematic.
3.Very few curricula contain multi-disciplinary topics.
4.Some curricula retain certain sub-disciplines whose importance has declined over recent decades. At the same time, certain new sub-disciplines have not been introduced. (Heath, 2002).
5.While the teaching-learning cycle does develop some non-technical and soft skills in students, there remains insufficient emphasis on 'practical' ethics and teamwork. In reality, many of the critical skills in this area are innate and therefore beyond the professional competency of academics and regulators in terms of measurement and evaluation
6.To some degree possible redesign of curricula may have been inhibited by local regulatory authorities: particularly those having separate
geology and geophysics registration programs. In many cases this barrier will prevent graduates, whether inexperienced or not, from acquiring the right mix of geological and geophysical skills they now need. This can reduce their job prospects and inhibit the career flexibility needed today.
7.Viewing the apparent discrepancies between industry needs, the skills delivered by geoscience departments and content of regulatory professional requirements, left the author with the strong impression that communication between the three affected parties, but particularly between employers and the bureaucrats and academe, was often inadequate.
Conclusions
The evidence presented in these articles identifies the diverse skills needed by petroleum geoscientists working in Canada's energy sector. Some adjustments need to be made in both curricula and registration requirements. New courses may need to be introduced while emphasis on certain traditional topics should be reduced. This would be best accomplished if educators, employers and regulators were to work together to establish clear-cut goals, effective strategies and suitable policies regarding funding, geoscience education and professional registration. For their part, regulators need to institute policies that
better meet the needs of employers who must have properly prepared geoscientists needed to succeed in today's very competitive global economy. Finally, if employers want their geoscientists to be capable of meeting both corporate needs and legislated professional standards, they must be prepared, or allowed, to help departments develop well-designed degree programs and also ensure that their own staffs receive appropriate training throughout their employment.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for the financial support they provided to cover some of the costs. This study could not have been carried out without the cooperation the oil companies who participated in the survey.
CSPG ANNOUNCEMENTS
2002 CSPG Executive Election
Due to the acclamation of all officers, there will be no ballot election this year. Please watch www.cspg.org and your December Reservoir for details on your new Executive Committee Members.
New Reservoir Technical Editor
The CSPG has found a volunteer to replace Marc Charest as Technical Editor. Please welcome Ben McKenzie who will be assuming his new responsibilities with the December 2002 issue of the Reservoir. Ben can be reached at bjmck@telusplanet.net
Congratulations to Mark Cooper!
The Executive Committee of the AAPG has approved its list of Honors and Awards for 2003. Mark Cooper is to be honoured with the George C. Matson Award at the Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, May 11-14, 2003. Congratulations, Mark!
The George C. Matson Memorial Award is given each year at the annual convention of the Association in recognition of the best AAPG paper presented the previous year at the annual convention. This award was established in 1957 and continues to be made possible each year through the generosity of the Matson family, in memory of George C. Matson.
Mark and his co-author Richard Harris, both with EnCana, presented two papers on Structural analysis using remote sensing data in Eastern Yemen at the 2002 AAPG in Houston. Since a significant part of the scoring is based on quality of presentation, only the individual presenting the paper receives the award.
The name of each recipient is engraved on the beautiful, large silver Matson Cup, which is retained at AAPG Headquarters. The recipient is given a plaque on which an engraved miniature replica of the silver cup is displayed.
CSPG VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity within the CSPG, Blythe will be happy to help you find your volunteer niche.
She can also provide information about any of the Society’s numerous committees if you require it.
Blythe will also assist with finding replacements for current committeevolunteers who need a change and help them to find different volunteer opportunities in the Society, if desired.
Blythe Lowe can be reached in Calgary at 403-290-3516. Give her a call!
Limited Time Offer on an Essential Reference!
A must-have textbook for training and an essential reference for your library.
Whatever your role in the adventure of finding and developing oil or gas resources—as a geologist,geophysicist,engineer,technologist,manager,or investor—the tools presented in this book can make you significantly more effective in your daily technical or decision oriented activities.
HUMOUR FOR THE GEOLOGIST
Gneiss n’ Lite
In the absence of good geological humor contributions, one has to resort to some general type humor to make up this month's column. Here is hoping that as you geological types read this, something twigs an idea in your brain that will prompt you to make a contribution. Send it or them along to bob.robson@shaw.ca
For The Unmotivated Types:
■ Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
■ Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
■ If I worked as much as others, I would do as little as they.
■ Half the people you know are below average.
For Folks Who Might be Beneath The Law:
■ Two wrongs - are only the beginning.
For The Metaphysical Crowd:
■ Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
■ All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.
■ I almost had a psychic girlfriend, but she left me before I met her!
■ If you must choose between two evils, then pick the one you have not yet tried.
■ If at first you do not succeed, then destroy all the evidence that you tried.
■ To steal ideas from one person is plagarism; to steal from many is research.
by bob robson
For Those Of You With Not Much On Your Mind:
■ Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have any film.
■ What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
■ The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
■ Monday is an awful way to spend one-seventh of your life.
■ Why do bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks?
■ Just what is the speed of dark?
■ 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
■ I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
With all those words of wisdom above, it seems like a good time to leave you, and hope that you will send me something for Gneiss and Lite.
2002 AND 2003 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Date: November 13-15, 2002
Event: Murmansk International Geological Conference, "Oil and Gas of the Arctic Shelf 2002"
Location: Murmansk, Russia
Information: Sponsored by the Arctic Shelf Association, Russia. For more information please visit www.arcticshelf.ru or email arcticshelf@smng.murmansk.ru.
Date: March 12-13, 2003
Event: History of Geophysics, The Geological Society
Location: The Geological Society Burlington House, Piccadilly, London
Information: The History of Geology specialist group of The Geological Society, London, UK, is holding a meeting on History of Geophysics at The Geological Society Burlington House, Piccadilly, London on 12-13th March 2003
Offers of papers should be sent to the convenor, Professor Richard J. Howarth, Department of Geological Sciences, University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT, England Email: r.howarth@ucl.ac.uk
Date: April 6-10, 2003
Event: SAGEEP 2003
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Information: The Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS) invites you to submit a paper for presentation at the 2003 Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems (SAGEEP 2003). In addition to world class oral and poster presentations on the application and recent developments in applied geophysics, there will be a suite of workshops, as well as an exhibition showcasing geophysical products and services. For more information on EEGS please visit our site at www.eegs.org. Please submit abstracts electronically to the SAGEEP 2003 Technical Chair, Cathy Skokan at cskokan@mozart.mines.edu.
Date: May 11-14, 2003
Event: AAPG Annual Meeting
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Information: For more information please visit www.aapg.org
Date: June 2-6, 2003
Event: 2003 CSPG/CSEG Annual Convention“Partners in a New Environment”
Location: Round-Up Centre, Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta
Information: For more information please contact Lori Humphrey-Clements
Tel: 403-264-5610
Email: lori@cspg.org
Date: August 10-14, 2003
Event: Geoscied IV: Earth Science for the Global Community
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Information: The fourth international meeting for earth science teacher from elementary to university level, and for earth scientists who deliver educational outreach programs through their communities, museums or science centres. The purpose is to share ideas and concepts in earth science education and in the development of programs that lead to an integrated understanding of the Earth.The innovative technical program will include keynote addresses, workshops, oral and poster sessions. Field trips will visit many world-renowned sites of interest including the Rocky Mountains, the Burgess Shale, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, the Frank Slide and the Athabasca Glacier. Please visit www.geoscied.org for details.
Please visit www.cspg.org to download or print the monthly version of the Calendar of Events.
ROCK SHOP
Research Associate & Team Leader
Lithospheric Extensional Processes
Oceanography Department
For a full job description and information on the Dalhousie Geodynamics Group visit our website at: http://adder.ocean.dal.ca
Applications to: Dr. Chris Beaumont Department of Oceanography Dalhousie University; Halifax, NS B3J 3J1 E-mail: chris.beaumont@dal.ca; Fax: 902-494-3877
