July 2018 outcrop

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Volume 67 • No. 7 • July 2018

2018 Summit Sponsors Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

NORTH RANCH RESOURCES

OUTCROP | July 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

OUTCROP The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

910 16th Street • Suite 1214 • Denver, CO 80202 • 303-573-8621 The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists (RMAG) is a nonprofit organization whose purposes are to promote interest in geology and allied sciences and their practical application, to foster scientific research and to encourage fellowship and cooperation among its members. The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the RMAG.

2018 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT

2st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

Terri Olson tmolson8550@gmail.com

Sophie Berglund sberglund@raisaenergy.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT

TREASURER

Tom Sperr tsperr@bayless-cos.com

Robin Swank robin.swank@gmail.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT

TREASURER-ELECT

David Katz davidkatz76@gmail.com

Eryn Bergin eryn.bergin@aec-denver.com

1st VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT

SECRETARY

Heather LaReau heatherthegeologist@gmail.com

Anna Phelps aphelps@sm-energy.com

2nd VICE PRESIDENT

COUNSELOR

Tracy Lombardi tracy.lombardi@inflectionenergy.com

Jim Emme jim_emme@yahoo.com

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rates and sizes can be found on page 47. Advertising rates apply to either black and white or color ads. Submit color ads in RGB color to be compatible with web format. Borders are recommended for advertisements that comprise less than one half page. Digital files must be PC compatible submitted in png, jpg, tif, pdf or eps formats at a minimum of 300 dpi. If you have any questions, please call the RMAG office at 303-573-8621.

Ad copy, signed contract and payment must be received before advertising insertion. Contact the RMAG office for details.

RMAG STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Barbara Kuzmic bkuzmic@rmag.org MEMBERSHIP & EVENTS MANAGER

Hannah Rogers hrogers@rmag.org PROJECTS SPECIALIST

Kathy Mitchell-Garton kmitchellgarton@rmag.org LEAD EDITOR

Cheryl Fountain cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Kira Timm kira.k.timm@gmail.com Ron Parker ron@bhigeo.com Holly Sell holly.sell@yahoo.com DESIGN/LAYOUT

Nate Silva nate@nate-silva.com

DEADLINES: Ad submissions are the 1st of every month for the following month’s publication.

WEDNESDAY NOON LUNCHEON RESERVATIONS

RMAG Office: 303-573-8621 | Fax: 808-389-4090 | staff@rmag.org or www.rmag.org The Outcrop is a monthly publication of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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Outcrop | July 2018 OUTCROP

Save the Dates!

June 30, 2018 Mineral Collecting - Calumet Iron Mine Location: Salida, CO

July 1, 2018

July 14, 2018

!

T U O SOLD

Mineral Collecting - Sedalia Copper Mine

Leadville Mining District Tour Location: Leadville, CO

Location: Salida, CO

August 4, 2018 Ammonite Fossil Trip

Location: Kremmling, CO

August 25, 2018

September 8-9, 2018 Upper Arkansas Valley

Horseshoe Cirque

Location: Salida, CO

Location: Fairplay, CO

October 27-28, 2018 Picketwire Canyonlands Dinosaur Trackways Location: La Junta, CO

Trip details, pricing and registration information can be found at

www.rmag.org.

email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

OUTCROP | July 2018

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

follow: @rmagdenver

OUTCROP Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

CONTENTS FEATURES

ASSOCIATION NEWS

18 Lead Story: Human activities are overwhelming natural processes

2 RMAG 2018 Summit Sponsors

34 Horseshoe Mountain Field Trip

7 RMAG July Short Course

36 On The Rocks: Upper Arkansas Valley Field Trip

9 RMAG Dinner: Scott W. Tinker

DEPARTMENTS

15 2018 Sporting Clay Tournament

6 RMAG June 2018 Board of Directors Meeting

17 RMAG Field Trip: Permian Basin

4 On The Rocks Field Trips, 2018

11 Women in Geology: Documentary Viewing

10 President’s Letter

21 Call For Papers – RMAG/ DWLS Fall Symposium

32 In The Pipeline

23 RMAG Core Workshop

38 Welcome New RMAG Members!

25 2018 Rockbusters Bash

44 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Ali Jaffri, Ph.D. 46 RMAG Luncheon Programs: Michael Holmes 47 Outcrop Advertising Rates

27 Thank You 2018 RMAG Golf Sponsors!

29 2018 RMAG Golf Tournament Results

COVER PHOTO This photo is looking upstream above Hance Rapid, located at river mile 77 in the Grand Canyon and was taken in October 1987 during a GSA preconvention field trip. Thirty three geologists rafted from Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch and then hiked out on Kaibab Trail. Photo by Dan Cox. Ektachrome Film.

30 RMAG Foundation: New Changes In Fundraising

48 Advertiser Index 48 Calendar

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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OUTCROP | July 2018

RMAG JUNE 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

By Anna Phelps, Secretary aphelps@sm-energy.com

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success, raising more money than recent years and was in fact a little boisterous, just as I hinted it might be in my summary last month.

The Continuing Education Committee hosted Fundamentals of Borehole Imaging Applications in Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs in May and a Spotfire Course in early June. Upcoming this summer is the Geostatistics Course June 18-19. The Publications Committee continues to work on the

OUTCROP | July 2018

however you feel moved.

The June meeting of the RMAG Board of Directors was held on June 20, 2018 at 4:00 PM. All board members except David Katz and Tom Sperr were present. Treasurer Robin Swank reported that May was a good financial month for RMAG with high revenue from the Golf Tournament. Executive Director Barbara Kuzmic reported that there were 55 new memberships and membership renewals at the AAPG ACE membership drive.

The Golf Tournament was a huge

Hello fellow rock lovers. And heeellllo summer! Hello wildflowers, afternoon thunderstorms, and long days. And you know what long days mean: you don’t have to point your vehicle at the outcrop with your headlights blaring to see the rocks until after 9 PM. That means 16 hours of daylight for fieldwork a day (if you’re an academic) or 8 hours of daylight for fieldwork and 8 hours of enjoying cold beverages (if you work in industry). I hope everyone is enjoying the season and outcrops

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

RMAG July Short Course

July 18-19, 2018 | 8:30am-4:00pm

The Denver Place (999 18th Street, Denver, CO 80202) Register online at www.rmag.org Member Price: $300 Non-member Price: $350 Student/Unemployed Price: $150

Geostatistics Course MICHAEL J. PYRCZ, Ph.D., P.Eng - University of Texas at Austin Class will be accessible to geoscientists and data scientists with no previous experience with geostatistics. We will build up from data integration to spatial estimation and simulation along with uncertainty modeling to support decision making. After completion the students will understand: (1) the benefits and uses of geostatistics, (2) the common spatial and uncertainty modeling workflows, (3) how to better integrate their domain knowledge into the geostatistical model.

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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Short Course

| July 2018 fax: 888.389.4090 OUTCROP web: www.rmag.org

follow: @rmagdenver

RMAG JUNE 2018 BOD MEETING

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two Special Publications that will be published in 2018. All of the On the Rocks Fieldtrips for this summer have registrants and some are filling up quickly, so sign up soon to enjoy a Colorado geological adventure this summer! The On the Rocks Committee is looking for new volunteer members next year, so if you love being on the outcrop, talking about the outcrop, and planning outcrop trips, consider joining. The Science Educational Outreach Committee is getting ready to unveil their PowerPoints and rock kits to take into schools. The Committee is also looking for volunteers to talk in schools.

Alright team, did anyone guess last month’s Name the Formation from Gate Canyon, Duchesne County, Utah? The marginal lacustrine section outcrop is the upper Douglas Creek Member of the Green River Formation. It doesn’t take much searching to find gar scales in this outcrop. Check it out if you haven’t!

This month’s Name the Formation comes from Box Canyon, outside the small, historic Colorado mining town, Ouray. This iconic angular unconformity has steeply dipping Precambrian quartzites and slate below and Devonian sandstone and shale above. Name the Formations! (Photo courtesy of unconformity enthusiast Nate LaFontaine.)

If you have an inspiring outcrop photo from the Rocky Mountain Region that you’d like to see in the Name the Formation game, please email it to me with a short description. Thanks in advance!

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

R M A G D I N N E R

S C O T T W. T I N K E R

email: staff@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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The Chophouse Denver, CO

Register online at www.rmag.org Price - $55

Is Renewable Energy “Good’ and Fossil Energy “Bad” There is a narrative in the US and Western Europe that suggests renewable energy is clean, green and good, and fossil energy is dirty, black and bad. But is any form of energy, at scale, really good or bad, and is that even a useful construct when considering energy? That depends, of course, on what is meant by good and bad. If good means limited emissions at the generation source, then renewables, and nuclear, are good. On the other hand, if good means more land for nature, then the mining, manufacturing, capture and equipment disposal of intermittent, low density renewables and associated backup batteries is not so good. Perhaps good means lifting humans from poverty and maintaining healthy economies to keep the workforce employed and allow for economic investment in the environment. In that case, good is any form of energy that is available, affordable, and reliable, such as coal and oil. But that is changing, slowly. The future energy mix will vary by geopolitical region and be driven by economics, resource availability, politics, technology, and sustainability.

Dr. Scott Tinker's passion—bringing academe, government, industry, and NGOs together to address major societal issues in energy, environment, and the economy—has led him to nearly 60 countries where he has presented 700 keynotes and invited lectures to government, industry, academia, and the public. Dr. Tinker is an AAPG Halbouty Leadership Medalist, GCAGS Boyd Medalist, a Fellow of the Geologic Society of America, and has been broadly awarded

by AIPG, AGI, AAPG, and TIPRO for his successful efforts to engage the public in science.

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fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | July 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

By Terri Olson

RMAG made a good showing at the AAPG Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) in Salt Lake in May. We had a booth in the Exhibition showcasing our activities and publications, past and upcoming. Barbara Kuzmic and Kathy Mitchell-Garton staffed the booth, which provided excellent exposure for the association and garnered some new members. RMAG also sponsored a short course on Petrography of Mudrock Hydrocarbon Reservoirs. Several of the five instructors are members of RMAG: Lyn Canter, Mark Longman, and me. Joining us were David Hull (Devon Energy) and Joe Macquaker (ExxonMobil). The course was well-attended and well-received; we are planning to offer it again in the Denver area early in 2019.

Your 2018 RMAG President in good company, during the Night at the Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake.

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OUTCROP | July 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

in Geology Women

Documentary Viewing “Rock Stars—Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology” Introduction and Q&A session with Robbie Gries

Price - $20/person

Includes 1 drink ticket and light appetizers

Register online at www.rmag.org "Rock Stars" is an engaging video that examines and celebrates the century-long history of achievements, advancements for women in exploration geology.

August 21, 2018 5:30pm-8:30pm

The American Mountaineering Center

Her (Robbie Gries) most recent publication is the book: Anomalies—Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology: 1917-2017. This culmination of four years of research beginning with the archives housed in Tulsa by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and continuing until the book was complete as well as the Documentary “Rock Stars—Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology” were debuted at the 100th anniversary of AAPG in 2017.

email: staff@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org

OUTCROP | July 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

RMAG Treasurer Robin Swank with past RMAG presidents Matt Silverman and Larry Rasmussen with a hostile audience.

The annual meeting had lower than average attendance, rumored to be around 4000, not surprising due to the location away from industry hubs and following several years of belt tightening. Nonetheless, the exhibit hall was full, the mood was upbeat, and the quality of the talks and posters was high. There seemed to be a lot of young professionals and students in attendance, reflecting the fact that the “great crew change” we’ve been anticipating is well underway.

The Geo Train Trip to Salt Lake went very well,

OUTCROP | July 2018

according to organizer Ben Burke. Sixty-five folks embarked and were treated to excellent scenery and several talks of geologic interest as well as networking opportunities. Feedback during the trip and at ACE was very positive. The train left Denver about 2 hours late and was 1-1/2 hours late arriving in Salt Lake, which was out of RMAG’s control.

Ideas for future geologic train trips are under consideration, so let us (Ben, RMAG staff, and/or the Board of Directors) know what you think.

Rocky Mountain plays and presenters were

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Above: Award winner Anita Thapalia with RMS Past President Cat Campbell at the museum night in Salt Lake City.

Top right: RMAG Executive Director Barbara Kuzmic and President Terri Olson in the RMAG booth at ACE. Bottom right: Rich Bottjer arm-waving while chatting with another awardee, Justin Ahern, and Ted Matheson.

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER

sm-energy.com

SM ENERGY IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

Look beyond the obvious to see how our products make up your world

LookBeyond.org

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well-represented in the poster sessions at ACE. We are planning to hold a poster session of our own in Denver soon to enable RMAG members in the Front Range a chance to see the posters and interact with the authors. Look for announcements about time and location for this new type of event, being organized by our dedicated Continuing Education Committee.

Several members of RMAG got awards from the Rocky Mountain Section (RMS) of AAPG during the social Night at the Museum, held in the fabulous Natural History Museum of Utah. Don Stone was awarded the Robert J. Weimer Lifetime Contributions Award, which he accepted remotely; there will be a local (Denver) awards ceremony at an upcoming RMAG Luncheon. Rich Bottjer received the Julie A. Lefever Memorial Award for the exceptional job he has done in sharing geoscience knowledge.

I got the John D. Haun Landmark Publication Award for editing and contributing to AAPG Memoir 112: Imaging Unconventional Reservoir Pore Systems. Anita Thapalia received the Outstanding Young Professional Award. Justin Ahern was awarded the Steve Champlin Memorial Award by the Wyoming Geological Association for the best poster presentation on the Heath Formation at the RMS-AAPG meeting in Billings last year. Thanks go to Andy Hennes and Cat Campbell, past presidents of the Rocky Mountain Section, for their efforts in recognizing these contributions and presenting the awards.

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

The Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

2018 Sporting Clay Tournament

Registration is open! www.rmag.org

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September

Kiowa Creek Sporting Club • Prizes for individual high score and team 1st, 2nd and 3rd flights.

• Includes one round of 100 sporting clays, lunch, and door prizes.

• Does not include ammunition (please bring enough ammo for 100 clays or you may purchase ammo at Kiowa Creek).

• You may also rent a gun for $20 onsite.

5 Person Team (member): $425 5 Person Team (non-member): $500 Individual (member): $85 Individual (non-member): $100

email: phone: 303.573.8621 Vol.staff@rmag.org 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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fax: 888.389.4090 web: OUTCROP | www.rmag.org July 2018 follow: @rmagdenver

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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We’re focused on some of the most prolific natural resource plays in the continental United States. These include two world-class crude oil provinces — the Permian and Williston Basins and two premier natural gas assets — the Haynesville Shale and the Uinta Basin.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, QEP is an S&P MidCap 400 Index member company (NYSE: QEP).

Learn more at www.qepres.com.

OUTCROP | July 2018

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve been confused about the difference between RMAG and the Rocky Mountain Section. As President of RMAG, I was invited to the RMS Executive Council Meeting, held at ACE. So I now have a much better idea of what RMS does. The RMS is comprised of all the affiliate societies in the Rocky Mountain region, of which RMAG is the biggest. These affiliates host the annual RMS meeting, unless ACE is held in the geographic region and the section and national meetings are combined. The annual section meeting and the annual award giving are the major activities of the RMS. Another point of interest about the RMS is that its officers serve for five years, rotating through the positions of Secretary-Treasurer Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, President-Elect, President, and Past President. Officers are selected based on where the section meetings will be held in the year that the incoming officer would be President. The current Secretary-Treasurer (20182019) is Peter Bucknam, who will be President in 2020-2021, when the annual meeting will be held in Denver. Anna Phelps (also current Secretary of RMAG) is the current Secretary-Treasurer Elect of RMS; she will be President of the section in 2021-2022, when the section meeting is to be held in Denver.

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

Dr. Rick Sarg, Research Professor Department of Geology & Geological Engineering Colorado School of Mines This field trip will introduce participants to a series of some of the finest outcrop exposures of carbonate and deepwater siliciclastic rocks in the world. Two principle themes of the trip are: (1) to observe the characteristics of a wide variety of sedimentary environments and lithofacies in the Permian section of the Permian basin, including examples of conventional and unconventional siliciclastic and carbonate reservoirs, and organic-rich mudrocks; (2) ) to observe sequence stratigraphic architecture at seismic scale; and (3) to observe reservoir flow unit architecture. Continuous outcrops in West Texas and New Mexico expose the majority of the Paleozoic rocks which are producing both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons in the Permian basin of West Texas.

The field trip will begin in El Paso and will encompass four days in the field focusing on the Permian rocks of the Guadalupe Mountains, including the deepwater basin filling siliciclastics of the Brushy and Cherry Canyon formations, and the stratigraphy, lithofacies, and reservoir architecture of the San Andres and Grayburg formations. The San Andres is the most prolific conventional reservoir in the basin. The basin floor sandstones, carbonate debrites, and organic-rich siltstones comprise the facies involved in the unconventional Wolfberry play of the Delaware basin. The field trip will end with a visit to the world famous Carlsbad Caverns that contains karst features analogous to the ancient karst developed during major Paleozoic unconformities in the region.

The physical demands for this trip are MODERATE. Hikes will range from roadside stops, short traverses of less than ½ mile, to 2-3 mile roundtrip hikes over the span of a day.

Off-road hikes are on well-maintained Park Service or National Forest trails and encompass relief of 100-600 feet. Weather conditions will be cool to warm, and generally dry. Temperatures typically range the 70-80’s0F. Wind and rain are possible. Layering up is a good idea. The field area is at elevations of 3,000-4,500 feet. A day pack, water bottles (2), hand lens, colored pencils and eraser (we will do several outcrop exercises on photopans), hat, sunscreen, and good hiking boots are necessary.

email: staff@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org 910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

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RMAG

Field Trip

Permian Permian

Basin Basin September 24-28, 2018

Register online at www.rmag.org Double Occupancy Room: $2,100/person Single Occupancy Room: $2,500/person

All Inclusive of

Roundtrip Airfare from Denver, CO to El Paso, TX 4 Night Hotel Stay • 1 Night in El Paso, TX • 3 Nights in Carlsbad, NM Transportation from El Paso to Carlsbad and back to El Paso Breakfast and lunch are included

fax: 888.389.4090 web:| www.rmag.org OUTCROP July 2018 follow: @rmagdenver

LEAD STORY

Human activities are overwhelming natural processes Pieter Tans, Lead Scientist, Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, Earth System Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

THE CURRENT EXPLOSION OF CO2

This newsletter has been printed and transported to your home, and you may be reading it by lamp light in your home that is heated or cooled depending on the season. You may also be enjoying a snack made from ingredients coming from a thousand miles away. We almost never think about the energy and other resources used to give us these comforts, and in any case the Earth is vast compared to my and to your individual consumption. But there are 7.3 billion of us, and collectively we are emitting 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere every year, with the U.S. currently responsible for 14% of it, and China for more than twice that.

Figure 1 shows the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2) as observed at the Mauna Loa Observatory at an altitude of 3400 m on Hawai’i. It is called the Keeling Curve, after Dave Keeling who started these measurements in 1958, with support from the U.S. Weather Bureau, the forerunner of NOAA. Its most outstanding feature is the accelerating rise of CO2. The average annual growth rate during the first 10 years was 0.8 ppm/ year; during the last 10 years 2.3 ppm/year.

The next eye catcher is the annual cycle. It is caused by terrestrial plants removing CO2 from the atmosphere during the

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Since 1985 Pieter Tans has been the Chief Scientist and Lead at NOAA’s Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases group.

He discovered the existence of a very large “sink” (uptake) of CO2 by terrestrial ecosystems at mid-latitudes in the northern hemisphere, partially offsetting the emissions caused by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Over four decades the carbon cycle group has maintained what we now call NOAA’s Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, producing the most widely used data of atmospheric CO2, CH4, and several other greenhouse gases and supporting measurements.

He obtained his PhD in 1978 from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. In 2010 he was awarded the Roger Revelle Medal by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The medal is for “outstanding contributions in atmospheric sciences, atmosphere-ocean coupling, atmosphere-land coupling, biogeochemical cycles, climate, or related aspects of the Earth system. Pieter has authored, or co-authored over 150 publications on the subject.

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Monthly average CO2 observed under “background” or “clean air” conditions that are representative of air over hundreds of miles.

FIGURE 1:

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LEAD STORY

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growing season, May-September, and then returning most of that net uptake during the rest of the year. The full peak to trough amplitude of the cycle is currently ~7 ppm from peak to bottom, which is actually a good average of the observed seasonal cycle in the northern hemisphere from the surface all the way through the stratosphere.

It takes 26 billion metric tons of CO2 to change the entire northern hemisphere by that much.

We have now encountered the stunning fact that global annual emissions of CO2 from the burn- FIGURE 2: Comparison of rates of change of CO2. The range of both vertical axes is 100 ppm, from 180 to 280 on the left and from 310 to 410 on the right panel. The 70-year range of ing of coal, oil and natural gas (“fossil fuels”) and from cement the time axis on the right panel corresponds to the thickness of a line on the left time axis. production are larger than total net growing season uptake by all crops, forests, grasslands, tundra, etc. in the entire TRUSTWORTHINESS OF MODERN hemisphere. No wonder that CO2 has increased every MEASUREMENTS OF CARBON DIOXIDE year since 1958 and that it has accelerated over time.

Any errors in the Keeling Curve are smaller than The comparison also illustrates that biofuels will not the thickness of the lines in Figure 1. Keeling’s methbe able to replace more than a small fraction of the fosods revolutionized CO2 measurements in 1958. He sil fuels. made use of the fact that CO2 is a greenhouse gas.

This picture is reinforced if we put the modern inHe quantified its concentration by slowly pumping a crease in a geological perspective by comparing with stream of air through a measurement cell. A beam of the ice core record of ancient air which goes back infrared light goes through the cell and CO2 absorbs 800,000 years. Over that long time span CO2 varied a portion of it, so that more CO2 corresponds to less between ~180 and ~280 ppm, lower during glacial transmitted light. At regular intervals, instead of outperiods, and higher during warm interglacial interside air, gas mixtures from high pressure cylinders vals. Today it is well above 410 ppm, not seen on Earth with extremely well known amounts of CO2-in-air or CO2-in-nitrogen were flowed through the cell in order for 800,000 years and likely not for several million to link (“calibrate”) its absorption response to a known years. Today’s rise is exceptional in another way. It is CO2 level. The cylinders were known because he had much faster than the changes observed in the ice core developed a very accurate technique to determine the record. Figure 2 illustrates that by comparing how ratio of CO2 to all air (or to nitrogen) in each cylinder. long it took for CO2 to increase by ~75 ppm when the His second crucial innovation was to take weekly sets Earth climbed out of the last ice age, between 17,000 of air samples at Mauna Loa in bottles that were sent and 11,000 years ago, into the Holocene warm perito his lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for od that we are in today. The average rate of increase measurement. Thus he had introduced duplication of was ~0.01 ppm/year whereas today we observe more the measurements made at Mauna Loa by a different than 2 ppm/year. “Explosion” is indeed an appropriCONTINUED ON PAGE 22 ate description.

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

RMAG DWLS Fall Symposium What have we learned from unconventional reservoirs that could be applied in any petroleum system?

The American Mountaineering Center

Email abstracts to

Ginny Gent

ginny_gent@eogresources.com

Sam Fluckinger

10 02 18

suckiger@sm-energy.com

email: sta@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol.16th 67, No. 7 #1214, | www.rmag.org 910 Street Denver, CO, 80202

fax: 888.389.4090 21

web: www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

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method. Careful calibration and duplication are still the hallmark of modern greenhouse gas measurements. Almost all international laboratories making such measurements compare their measurements with others on a regular basis. The calibrations themselves are compared with multiple national metrology labs, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. The calibrations used for the most important greenhouse gases are accepted by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, France, the coordinating body for all national metrology labs which ensures FIGURE 3: The increasing difference indicates growing sources in the northern hemisphere world-wide uniformity of mearelative to the southern hemisphere. surements traceable to fundamental units, such as the meter, kilogram, mole, etc. When we higher than at the South Pole and the difference has insay that CO2 at Mauna Loa is 400.0 ppm we know that creased over several decades. This implies that there its true value will be between 399.9 and 400.1 ppm. are annual mean sources in the northern hemisphere, Furthermore, the increase that we see in the Keeling and much smaller ones, or perhaps negative emisCurve is replicated by a few dozen international laborasions (removals) in the southern hemisphere, such tories everywhere on Earth, without exception. as CO leaving the atmosphere by entering the South2

ern Ocean. The increasing latitude gradient shown in Figure 3 is roughly proportional to the increasing rate of fossil fuel burning, which takes place mostly in the northern hemisphere. Several decades of chemical measurements in the oceans also show patterns. They show that the oceans’ CO2 content has increased, and the extra CO2 has entered from above, making surface waters more acidic. In 1896 the Swedish Nobel Prize winning chemist Svante Arrhenius called CO2 “carbonic acid in the air”, when he estimated the amount of globally averaged warming for a doubling of CO2.

A completely different type of evidence is offered by isotopic ratios of carbon. 98.9% of carbon is carbon-12 (also written as 12C), 1.1% is 13C, and an extremely small fraction is 14C which is called radiocarbon. The latter is produced in the upper atmosphere by

ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FOR HUMAN DOMINATION OF THE CARBON CYCLE

Accurate measurements allow us to see patterns of CO2 in space and time that are the result of recent emissions and removals. The annual cycle in the Keeling Curve is one example. The CO2 “signal” of emissions is spread by winds and atmospheric turbulence from the continental surface layer to higher altitudes and over the oceans, which takes time, and also dilutes the signal into progressively larger amounts of air. Therefore the annual cycle at higher altitudes is delayed compared to the surface and has a smaller amplitude.

It takes about one year for emissions from any place in the world to be spread (and diluted) everywhere in the atmosphere. An example of a large scale pattern is shown in Figure 3. Annual mean CO2 at Mauna Loa is

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

November 5-6, 2018

USGS - Denver Federal Center Register online at www.rmag.org Price: Member - $350 Non-member - $400 Student/Unemployed - $175

p o sh

k r o W

e cription onate r o C Carb Des G

A M R

ore C f o

c & on i t s icla erizati c i t l r i A n S aract i e h g T nin oir Ch i a r n T eserv o s rR nd o a f H n Day criptio 2 A es D e Cor

Junaid Sadeque & Ali Jaffri This is a 2-Day course in which participants will learn the technical specifics of core-description evenly distributed between siliciclastic and carbonate environments. The primary objective of this hands-on core workshop will be to help participants learn how to identify facies and depositional environments from core-interpretation, and predict reservoir geometry and connectivity. The training will be accomplished through a combination of class-room lectures and hands-on core description sessions.

Participants will learn the best practices/workflows for tying core-derived stratigraphic data with porosity-permeability, fluid properties, XRD and other relevant data for comprehensive reservoir characterization.

email: staff@rmag.org

phone: 303.573.8621

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

23EMAG v e n t Workshop Core

fax: 888.389.4090

web: www.rmag.org

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follow: @rmagdenver

LEAD STORY

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

cosmic rays coming from space, and decays with a half-life of 5730 year. Our measurements of 12CO2, 13CO2, and 14CO2 in the atmosphere show that, without a doubt, the source of the observed CO2 increase in the last century has to be very old carbon of organic origin; it cannot have come out of the oceans, nor from volcanic sources.

The observed decrease of atmospheric oxygen (O2) requires that a huge and well defined amount of something is being oxidized. Volcanic and oceanic CO2 are already fully FIGURE 4: Looking back from space toward Earth at infrared (“IR”) wavelengths. oxidized, they do not consume Specialized instruments are required, like FLIR cameras that slow heat loss from buildings. any atmospheric O2. So, what Our own eyes are not sensitive to IR wavelengths, and so we cannot directly see the is being oxidized in such large energy emanating from heat sources that have temperatures much lower than the sun. amounts? Fossil fuels provide approximately the required rocks send the heat radiation straight to space; the atamount of oxidative demand. mosphere hardly affects it in these regions. However, We know of course that our civilization burns huge at many wavelengths, much less heat radiation escapes amounts of coal, oil, and natural gas for transportation to space. The dips are indicated in Figure 4 with the and manufacturing, heating and cooling, and to make gases that are mostly responsible. Details in the shape electricity. Therefore anyone who claims to have an of the spectrum are well understood. In 1996-1997 a explanation other than fossil fuels for the current CO2 similar instrument was flown on the Japanese ADEOS explosion needs to also explain what happened to the satellite. The spectra almost 30 years apart have been CO2 that is being emitted from fossil fuel burning. No compared, and the more recent one shows increased “hypotheses” have been offered that are even remoteabsorption consistent with the known increases of CO2 ly plausible. and other gases. From laboratory measurements of ab-

sorption by gases and from data similar to Figure 4, the additional global heat retention caused by the enhancements (since pre-industrial times) of greenhouse gases can be calculated. Other factors such as distribution of clouds, snow and ice, etc. are kept equal, so that the enhanced greenhouse effect is isolated. These calculations result in what is called “climate forcing”, and it stands currently at 3.0 Watt per m2 averaged over the entire Earth. This is equal to 1.25% of total absorbed solar radiation, the engine of our climate. The 1.25% is enough energy to melt 0.5% of all ice sheets on earth, or to heat the upper 100 m of the oceans by

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT IN ACTION

Figure 4 shows the spectrum (intensity as a function of wavelength) of radiation leaving Earth as measured on the Nimbus 4 satellite as it flew above the Sahara desert on a cloudless day in 1970. The dashed lines show the intensity expected at different temperatures of the Earth surface if there would be no atmosphere. At the wavelengths at which greenhouse gases do not absorb much (the “window” regions) the radiation intensity is characteristic of ~120 degrees F (~50 degrees C) which is the temperature of the Sahara rock and sand, warmer than the atmosphere above it. The

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

Rockbusters Bash 2018 Professional Awards Celebration

Join the RMAG for an evening of heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, a live auction, and most importantly, honoring professional award winners.

Ticket Price

$45/Person

11 08 18 4:30pm - 7:30pm | The Maven Hotel at the Dairy Block Details and registration can be found online at www.rmag.org. email: sta@rmag.org phone: 303.573.8621 Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

910 16th Street #1214, Denver, CO, 80202

25

fax: 888.389.4090OUTCROP web: www.rmag.org | July 2018

follow: @rmagdenver

LEAD STORY evaporation caused by a warmer surface effectively doubles the climate forcing of greenhouse gas enhancements. Water vapor is an integral part of the climate system but it cannot control climate on its own. For that we need the longterm staying power of the greenhouse gases.

0.32 degree C (0.57 F) in one year.

Of course our civilization has also increased the amount of aerosols (small particles, or “haze”) in the atmosphere which reflect some of the solar radiation and they influence cloud cover, both of which provide a cooling influence. Air pollution to the rescue, one might say. Furthermore, the Earth has in fact warmed, so that more infrared radiation is emitted to space in the atmospheric window regions which provides additional cooling. Therefore, on balance only 1020% of the excess heat of 3.0 Watt per m2 is available to warm the oceans and to melt ice.

It is often said that water

vapor is the most important greenhouse gas because it also absorbs infrared radiation and there is much more of it in the atmosphere than the other greenhouse gases. However, the amount in the atmosphere is controlled by the temperature of the surface, increasing with higher temperatures. Activities like irrigation, or water produced from the combustion of gasoline, are minuscule contributions compared to evaporation from the oceans. Global annual evaporation is ~50,000 times as much as the carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning, but water vapor’s residence time before it falls out as rain or snow is only about a week. The increased

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

THE LONGEVITY OF MANMADE CLIMATE CHANGE

CO2 contributes 2.0 of the 3.0 W m-2 of climate forcing caused by all greenhouse gases. Unfortunately the added CO2 does not disappear from the atmosphere-ocean system by natural processes for a very long time. The increased acidity of the oceans (remember Arrhenius used the term carbonic acid in the air for CO2) will cause some calcium carbonates on the ocean floor to dissolve, with the calcium ions neutralizing the carbonic acid. One could say that calcium and carbonic acid will then have combined into a form of (environmentally quite benign) sea salt. This increases the capacity of the oceans to hold on to more carbon, eventually pulling the added CO2 out of the atmosphere. The down side is that it will take natural processes thousands of years.

Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) have photochemical lifetimes of ~10 and ~100 years respectively. In that time they stop being greenhouse gases, but in the mean time CO2 keeps cycling back and forth between the atmosphere and oceans while continuing to accumulate. A fraction of the added CO2 may end up as additional organic matter after

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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Thank you

2018 RMAG Golf Sponsors!

Meal Sponsor

Driving Range Sponsor

Golf Cart Sponsor

Hole Sponsors Hole 2

Hole 1

Hole 10

Hole 11

Hole 13

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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LEAD STORY

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively we are carrying out a massive experiment with Earth’s climate and with the ecosystems we all depend on. Loss of biological species is irreversible. In most cases we do not even know what we have lost and will lose. As our global experiment progresses we might learn much

Thank you to the RMAG July Short Course room sponsor!

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about how the climate system works, but also that is irreversible on the time scale of our civilization. We are now aware that we are not observing natural changes, but that we are responsible.

Therefore, we have a moral duty to minimize the enormous risks from climate change and from biological impoverishment that will be borne by future generations. This is a truly grand challenge as well as a great opportunity. Our energy system will need to be revolutionized, an investment that will create many jobs. We need to go deeper; however. How can we develop an economic system in which success is not synonymous with growth?

Continuing exponential growth in any biological system leads inevitably to collapse. In medicine we call it cancer. Instead, success would be the preservation and restoration of our ecological heritage, full recycling of all manufactured goods including packaging, minimizing resource extraction and pollution, the provision of food and shelter, and health care and educational opportunity to all. “Wealth” has to be re-defined in a way that includes our ecological heritage. There is enough work for more than a few generations.

Satisfying work, because it contributes positively to the common good which appeals to the altruistic and community aspects of human nature. A solution to our current climate problem requires global cooperation. Typically that has been regarded as a major difficulty, but we can also treat it as an opportunity to create trust instead of conflicts.

photosynthesis, but it is a type of carbon storage vulnerable to being oxidized back to CO2 through respiration, fires, and human uses.

We ignore it here.

The longevity implies that the amount of climate forcing by CO2 depends primarily on the total cumulative emissions since the 19th century, not on whether it takes us 100 years or 500 years to emit the same amount. It also implies that there is ample time for slow climate feedbacks to come into play. One example: Arctic warming could lead to uncontrolled emissions of CO2 and CH4 from the thawing of the large amounts (several times cumulative emissions

from fossil fuel burning) of organic matter that are now frozen yearround in soils. We do not know how much and at what pace such emissions might be. Nor do we know how fast and how far sea level might rise from the loss of ice sheets, but it is likely there will be surprises.

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

Thank you

Golf

Tournament

For attending the 2018 RMAG Golf Tournament.

Results 1st Place, 1st Flight: Score of 58

Derek Hargrave Beau Judge Kyle Reed Joe Lawson

1st Place, 2nd Flight: Score of 68

Annika Otness Matt Romero Mike Lo

Thank you volunteers!

Volunteers Megan Dubose Kelsey Kidd Tracy Lombardi Michelle Rigsby Anne Steptoe Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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RMAG Foundation

New Changes In Fundraising The RMAG office will no longer be handling contributions for the RMAG Foundation, allowing a reduction in processing fees for both organizations.

As of July 1, 2018, there will be two ways to donate to the RMAG Foundation: 1: Use the “Donate” button on the Foundation website (www.rmagfoundation.org) and pay by credit card. A link to the Foundation website will be provided on the RMAG website (www.rmag.org)

2: Mail a check to: RMAG Foundation Independence Plaza, B-180, 1001 16th Street, Box 165, Denver, CO 80265 and specify which fund(s) you are supporting: • General fund (for publications, geoscience projects, undergraduate geoscience student awards, and support of RMAG geoscience programs) • Gary L. Babcock Scholarship for geoscience graduate students • Dudley and Marion Bolyard Scholarship at CU for geoscience graduate students • Robert M. Cluff Scholarship in Petrophysics and/or Reservoir Characterization for geoscience graduate students • Colorado School of Mines Scholarship for geoscience graduate students • Norman H. Foster Scholarship for geoscience graduate students • Michael S. Johnson Scholarship for geoscience graduate students • Philip J. McKenna Scholarship for rising geology majors at Colorado College • Stone-Hollberg Scholarship for structural projects by geoscience graduate students • Veterans’ Memorial Scholarships for geoscience graduate students who are veterans or currently serving in the armed forces

Thank you!

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IN THE PIPELINE JULY 1, 2018

JULY 18-19, 2018

RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip.

Trip leader: Don Bray. “Mineral CollectingSedalia Copper Mine.” Salida, CO.

RMAG July Geostatistics Course.

Instructor: Dr. Michael J. Pyrcz. The Denver Place - Atrium Conference Room (999 Eighteenth Street, Denver, Colorado 80202)

JULY 11, 2018 JULY 26, 2018

RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker: Ali Jaffri. “Virtual Field Trip to the Modern Indus Delta.” Maggiano’s Little Italy in Denver. Contact: staff@rmag.org

RMAG July Dinner.

Speaker: Scott W. Tinker. “Is Renewable Energy ‘Good’ and Fossil Energy ‘Bad’”? The Chophouse (1735 19th St #100, Denver, CO 80202).

JULY 13, 2018 DIPS Luncheon.

Members $20 and Non-members $25. For more information or to RSVP via email to kurt.reisser@gmail.com.

AUGUST 1, 2018 RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker: Michael Holmes. “Methodology to Make Quantitative Estimates of Variable Reservoir Wetting Properties in Unconventional Reservoirs Using Triple-Combo Well Log Data.” Maggiano’s Little Italy in Denver.

Contact: staff@rmag.org

JULY 14, 2018 RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip.

Trip leader: Fred Mark. “Leadville Mining District Trip-Biking the Mineral Belt Trail and Core from the Matchless Mine Site.”

Formation Evaluation • Petra® Projects Reserve Reports • Drilling Engineering • Well Plans

Bill Donovan

Geologist • Petroleum Engineer • PE

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

LEADERS IN PETROLEUM GEOCHEMISTRY

Oil Geochemistry for the Geoscientist 2-Day Short Course Learn to describe the origin and history of individual oils!

Wednesday/Thursday, 9&10 May 2018 Grand Hyatt Denver Harold Illich / Dr. John Curtis

CONTACT GeoMark FOR MORE INFORMATION

REGIONAL STUDIES - GEOCHEMICAL DATABASES – ANALYTICAL SERVICES WWW.GEOMARKRESEARCH.COM / DENVER - DR. JOHN CURTIS (303) 619-0372

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Well Site Geology Geosteering - On site & Remote Rock Analytics Geologic Prognosis/Mapping Oil Field Safety Training - PEC Regulatory Representation

sunburstconsulting.com

406.259.4124 Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

33

OUTCROP | July 2018

Horseshoe Mountain Field Trip Saturday, August 25, 2018 Mosquito and Sawatch mountain ranges in which most exposures of the sedimentary cover were eroded.

Dr. Paul Myrow, Professor of Geology at Colorado College, has studied Horseshoe Mountain with an emphasis in regional Cambrian and Ordovician paleogeography and stratigraphy. His worldwide expertise in Lower Paleozoic strata will give participants a truly regional perspective.

Pleistocene glaciation has exposed a spectacular section of Cambrian to Mississippian sediments resting on Precambrian granite. This glacial cirque, located northwest of the town of Fairplay in South Park, CO, reaches a height of 13,898 feet and is among the 100 highest peaks in Colorado. The cirque is unique in that the steeply dipping strata, formed during the Laramide Orogeny, are preserved in contrast to the nearby Precambrian-cored

Fig. 4 from Kellogg, K.S., Shroba, R.R., Ruleman, C.A., Bohannon, R.G., McIntosh, W.C., Premo, W.R., Cosca, M.A., Moscati, R.J.,and Brandt, T.R., 2017, Geologic map of the upper Arkansas River valley region, northcentral Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3382, pamphlet 70 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:50,000, https://doi. org/10.3133/sim3382.

Photograph by Karl Kellogg, 2011

Sign up at www.rmag.org to reserve your spot.

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

Summer PTTC Workshops Spotfire Workshop

Thursday, August 2, 2018, Location: Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 201 Fee: $250, includes snacks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Bryan McDowell, Colorado School of Mines, Geology Dept.

This hands-on course will introduce TIBCO Spotfire features relevant for oil and gas professionals.

Participants will learn the fundamentals of importing data, creating visualizations, calculating custom properties, and exporting results by building a simple production database and interactive bubble map of the Niobrara Formation in the DJ Basin. By the end of the course, participants will be able to create: (1) Rate-Time and Cum-Time bar, scatter, and line charts; (2) summary tables by well, operator, township, and county; (3) IP and Cum Volume bubble maps with GOR indicators; and (5) rules-of-thumb for exporting quick, readable visualizations for Microsoft PowerPoint.

Volumes and Risks Assessment for Conventional and Unconventional Plays and Prospects

Tuesday-Thursday, August 7-9, 2018, Location: Colorado School of Mines, Berthoud Hall rm. 403 Fee: $750, includes snacks, class notes, and PDH certificate Instructor: Dr. Alexei Milkov, Colorado School of Mines, Geology Dept.

The course enables participants to transform qualitative geological descriptions of plays and prospects into quantitative success-case and risked volumetric models. Obtained learnings will help participants to evaluate the geological probability of success (PoS) for exploration plays, segments, prospects, wells and portfolios and to assess the range of prospective petroleum resources in exploration projects. Examples and case studies come from both conventional and unconventional plays and prospects around the world. The learning objectives are achieved through well-illustrated lectures, numerous hands-on exercises and active class discussions. By the end of the course participants will be able to 1) Use Play Based Exploration approach, tools and products (Common Risk Segment mapping, Field Size Distributions, Creaming Curves, Yet-to-Find etc.) to locate sweet spots in and define remaining potential of conventional and unconventional plays, 2) Assess and justify ranges and probabilistic distributions for input parameters used in volumetric calculations, 3) Assess geological risks and probability of success (PoS) for conventional and unconventional exploration prospects, 4) Use industry software (GeoX) to run MonteCarlo simulations and estimate success-case and risked probabilistic volumes for exploration plays, segments, prospects and wells, 5) Recognize biases and logical fallacies common in exploration assessments and know how to correct them, 6) Aggregate segments into a prospect, use dependencies between segments to calculate PoS and volumes for prospects and wells, 7) Aggregate prospects and wells into exploration portfolio. Predict the outcomes of portfolio drill-out, 8) Evaluate drilling results, establish main reason(s) for well failure, use learnings from successes and failures in future projects.

Class Descriptions and Register Online: www.pttcrockies.org For more information, contact Mary Carr, 303.273.3107, mcarr@mines.edu

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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RMAG On The Rocks Field Trip Upper Arkansas Valley Field Trip – September 8 & 9, 2018 Karl Kellogg and Cal Ruleman — USGS geologists

SPEND TWO DAYS WITH KARL AND CAL EXAMINING DIVERSE GEOLOGIC FEATURES OF THE BEAUTIFUL UPPER ARKANSAS VALLEY: • Proterozoic sedimentation, volcanism, and plutonism • Laramide Orogeny structural features • Northern Rio Grand Rift and Upper Arkansas Valley magmatism and tectonism • Pre-rift intrusive rocks and Oligocene and Eocene volcanic rocks • Glacial history and deposits including catastrophic outwash floods • Mineral deposits (gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, fluorspar, and others) • Landslide, alluvial, mass-movement, eolian, and wetland deposits OUTCROP | July 2018

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

RMAG ON THE ROCKS FIELD TRIP

Regional structure map of the Upper Arkansas Valley Kellogg, K.S., Shroba, R.R., Ruleman, C.A., Bohannon, R.G., McIntosh, W.C., Premo, W.R., Cosca, M.A., Moscati, R.J.,and Brandt, T.R., 2017, Geologic map of the upper Arkansas River valley region, north-central Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3382, pamphlet 70 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:50,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3382.

Report and map can be downloaded from the USGS.

THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! Sign up at www.rmag.org to reserve your spot.

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Bryan Anderson

is a Geologist at BP in Houston, Texas.

Ryan Gates

is a student at Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado.

Paul Baclawski

Kathryn Goodman

is a Partner and Geologist at Select Exploration Group in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

is a Sr. GeoTech at QEP Resources in Denver, Colorado.

Debra Baukus

Cory Grady

lives in Longmont, Colorado.

is a Geologist at Discovery Natural Resources in Lakewood, Colorado.

Robert Brooks

is a Reservoir Engineer at KH & S Energy in Lakewood, Colorado.

Ralph Habben

is retired and lives in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Sebastian Cardona

Stefan Higgins

is a student at Colorado School of Mines in Lakewood, Colorado.

is a Sr. Staff Geoscientist at Camino Natural Resources, LLC, in Denver, Colorado.

Charles Clawson

Isaac Hinz

is General Manager, Geosciences at Samson Resources in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

is a student at University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.

Roger Dickinson

Jack Holton

lives in Centennial, Colorado.

is a Geoscience Advisor at Wavetech Energy Inc. in Lone Tree, Colorado.

Tom DiGrappa

is Owner of Great Northern Gas in Denver, Colorado.

John Hornbuckle

is a Development Geologist at BP in Denver, Colorado.

Timothy Drexler

is a Consultant Geologist in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Leah Houser

Amanda Eddleman

is a student at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Andrew Eilers

is a Geoscience Manager at BP America Production Company in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

is a student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Kjetil Jansen

is an Associate Professional at SCS Engineers in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

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WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38

Sierra Melton

Laurie Jeffrion-Montgomery

is a student at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Sean Kelly

is a Geophysicist at Discovery Natural Resources in Denver, Colorado.

is an E&P Consultant in Littleton, Colorado.

is a student at University of Nevada, Reno in Reno, Nevada.

is a Geoscience Technologist at BP - Lower 48 Onshore in Denver, Colorado.

Ryan Miller

is a Geologist at Anadarko in Lakewood, Colorado.

Justin Milliard

Barbara Keusch Steve Ladner

Caroline Nazworth

is Director of Geoscience at BP Lower 48 in Norman, Oklahoma.

is a student at University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.

Otto Lang

Annabelle O’Neill

is a student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

is a student at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Beau Langla

Justin Overacker

is a Sales Advisor at Stratagraph, Inc., in Spring, Texas.

is a student at University of Nevada, Reno in Reno, Nevada.

Larry Lens

Zachary Palmer

is an Independant Contractor in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

is a student at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Alan Lindsey

Ashley Provow

is CEO of PetroDE in Broomfield, Colorado.

is a student at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Rachel Lohse

Chris Pulec

is a student in Grand Junction, Colorado.

is Regional Sales Manager at Canamera Coring in Denver, Colorado.

Leah Macey

is a student at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Natalie Rush

is a Geologist in Jenks, Oklahoma.

Thomas Martin

»»CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

is a Graduate Student at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

Improve recovery at minimal cost using tracers in your surveillance toolbox.

Know more, recover more with Interwell measurement.

A Tracerco interwell chemical tracer study gives you critical data to help you optimize field development.

• Determine well connectivity • Evaluate cross flow of faults and layers • Calculate pore volume swept • Measure sweep efficiency • Determine remaining oil saturation

Flood smart, recover more with Tracerco technologies.

www.tracerco.com/reservoir-characterisation 41

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

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WELCOME NEW RMAG MEMBERS!

Robert Tucker

»»CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40 Laura Savalli

is retired and lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

is a Geologist at Anadarko in Denver, Colorado.

Fausto Vazquez

Clayton Schultz

is a Borehole Geologist at Schlumberger in Denver, Colorado.

is a student at University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

is a Geological Advisor at Oxy in Denver, Colorado.

is a Geologist at SM Energy in Houston, Texas.

Anna Stanczyk

Rachel Williams

Conrad Woodland

Dana Stright

is a Geologist in Frisco, Colorado.

1 and 2 man Mudlogging Summit Mudlogging Services Mark Yoder

is President & CEO of Skye Analytics, Inc., in Littleton, Colorado.

Gas Referencing™ Geosteering

lives in Denver, Colorado.

Mike Barber

Christopher Tincher

Manager Serving the Rocky Mountain Region

is Vice President, Development and Geology at Nickel Road Operating LLC in Denver, Colorado.

Ryan Zernis

230 Airport Rd. Ph (435)657-0586 is a Geologist at LT Environmental, Unit D Cell (435)640-1382 Heber City, UtahInc., 84032 email: mbarber@summitmudlog.com in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Kevin Toeneboehn

www.summitmudlog.com

is a student in Boulder, Colorado.

Neil H. Whitehead, III Consulting Geologist PhD

CPG-AIPG

PG WY

Rocky Mountain Basins Wellsite to Petroleum Systems ArcGIS 303-679-8573

fax 303-679-8574

31634 Black Widow Way

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Conifer, CO

neil3@q.com 80433-9610

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• • • • •

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Geological Wellsite Supervision Supervised Remote Geosteering Integrated Petrophysical Analysis Oil and Gas Geological Studies Conventional and Unconventional Expertise

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RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Ali Jaffri, Ph.D. |

July 11, 2018

Virtual Field Trip to the Modern Indus Delta Ali Jaffri, Ph.D.

The Indus River drains the Himalayas and creates one of the largest deltas and deepwater fans in the world. The delta is often used as a “classic� example of a tide-dominated system. The first part of this presentation will take the audience on a virtual journey through the Indus Delta. We will compare the upper and lower delta plains of abandoned versus active lobes and will finally reach a terminal distributary mouth bar in the delta front. The second part of the talk will go over some lessons from the Indus Delta we can import to local sandstone reservoirs.

Ali Jaffri, Ph.D. is the founder of Applied Stratigraphix LLC, and has eighteen years of experience in sedimentology and stratigraphy projects. He has worked several onshore US Basins, North Sea, Lower and Middle Indus Basins, Barents Sea, Offshore East and West Africa, Taranaki Basin, Offshore Mid-Norway, and Kohat-Potohar Basin. He has a doctorate from Colorado State, Masters from Oklahoma State and Bachelors from University of Colorado. Equally proficient in carbonates and clastics, he has trained over 500 oil and gas professionals from 30 companies in 7 different countries.

Experience Experience truly truly integrated integrated 3D interpretation 3D interpretation with truly integrated truly integrated with industry's most industry's most advanced advanced 3D with 3D interpretation interpretation with geoscience geoscience system industry's most industry's system most advanced advanced geoscience system geoscience system GVERSE Geomodeling 2017 GeoGraphix 2017 GVERSE Geomodeling 2017 GeoGraphix 2017

GVERSE

Anthony Ford Account Executive, LMKR GeoGraphix

Email: aford@lmkr.com P: +1 (303) 996-2153, C: +1 (720) 210-8889

Anthony Ford Account Executive, LMKR GeoGraphix

GVERSE

Email: aford@lmkr.com P: +1 (303) 996-2153, C: +1 (720) 210-8889

OUTCROP | July 2018

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R TM

R TM

www.lmkr.com www.lmkr.com

Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

NETWORKING EVENTS IN THE UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY NETWORKING EVENTS IN THE UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY NETWORKING EVENTS IN THE UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY Technical Education Series

& BEER&LEARN BEER&LEARN

BEER LEARNSeries Technical Education

Follow us Follow us Follow us

With Jason Harms from Total Depth Geosteering Technical Education Series With Jason Harms from Total Depth Geosteering The Wright partner of Appaloosa Grill Total • 535 16th Street Mall at Welton • Denver, CO WithRoom, Jason Harms from Depth Geosteering

Thursday, July 5th l 3:30 to 5:30 pm The Wright Room, partner of Appaloosa Grill • 535 16th Street Mall at Welton • Denver, CO

Thursday, July 5th l 3:30 to 5:30 pm The Wright Room, partner of Appaloosa Grill • 535 16th Street Mall at Welton • Denver, CO Blue River ANALYTICS

Blue River

A N A L Y T I C S Our

Blue River

Thursday, July 5th l 3:30 to 5:30 pm

events are graciously paid for by our members thus free for attendees

ANALYTICS

Our events are Space graciously paid for by our members Limited  RSVP: www.leeds.group thus free for attendees Our events are graciously paid for by our members Limited Space  RSVP: www.leeds.group thus free for attendees Limited Space  RSVP: www.leeds.group

Proudly developing Colorado’s energy potential through innovation, safety and a commitment to our community l e a r n m o r e at : w w w . c r e s t o n e p e a k r e s o u r c e s . c o m

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OUTCROP | July 2018

RMAG LUNCHEON PROGRAMS Speaker: Michael Holmes | August 1, 2018

Methodology to Make Quantitative Estimates of Variable Reservoir Wetting Properties in Unconventional Reservoirs Using Triple-Combo Well Log Data

By Michael Holmes

OUTCROP | July 2018

exponent (n). For the interpretation presented here, values of the changing slope can be calculated to define, point-by-point, the changing value of “n” (“m” is kept constant), to be used in calculations of water saturation. Profiles of “n” are constructed to show changes in wetting characteristics.

Examples from a number of unconventional oil-bearing reservoirs are presented. Some are unequivocally oil-wet in the effective organic porosity fraction (Bakken and Wolfcamp), and others are interpreted to be of mixed wetting (Niobrara and Eagleford).

The results show that mixed reservoir wetting characteristics can be estimated from readily available petrophysical data. Implications as to fluid flow behavior are significant.

In many unconventional oil-bearing reservoirs it is generally recognized that the system has mixed reservoir wetting properties. Part of the porosity system is water-wet and part is oil-wet. Unless specialized analytic techniques have been applied to rock samples, it has not been possible to define wetting characteristics. Additionally, there are no readily-available methods to address the issue of fluid flow in mixed wetting environments.

In a previous publication (Holmes 2017), the authors described a technique to quantify effective organic porosity in the shale fraction as compared with the effective inorganic porosity in the clean fraction using triple-combo well logs. Porosity/resistivity cross plots were also presented to demonstrate the effective inorganic porosity is water-wet and the effective organic porosity is frequently oil-wet.

This publication expands on the 2017 findings to include examples where the effective organic porosity is interpreted to have mixed wetting characteristics. The degree of wetting can be quantified.

For unconventional oil reservoirs, careful examination of the porosity/resistivity cross plots for the effective organic porosity indicates that the data for water saturations less than 100% often align on non-linear trends. In standard petrophysical analysis, linear alignment is interpreted to honor the Buckles relationship (porosity x irreducible water saturation = constant) and the slope of the data is a direct measure of the difference between the Archie cementation exponent (m) and the Archie saturation

Michael Holmes has been involved in oil and gas exploration activities for 47 years. He started his career with British Petroleum working in England, Libya, East Africa, and the North Sea. He then joined Shell Canada, working the west coast offshore Canadian Basin. Subsequently he was with Marathon Oil Company, research division, and Berry Wiggins, UK. For the past 30 years he has been in all aspects of exploration and exploitation activities worldwide, with particular emphasis in petrophysics. In 1994 heformed Digital Formation, Inc., a consulting and software development company, with his two sons as partners.Dr. Holmes has a BSc and PhD degrees in geology from the University of London, and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org

Are You a Photographer?

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists would like to invite you to submit your digital images that capture the geology of the Rocky Mountain region.

Pore Throat to Outcrop, Modern Analogs, Oilfield Activity (Rigs), Dinosaur Trackways.

These images will be used on the cover of the Outcrop and a select number will be used in a forthcoming RMAG Calendar.

• All images will be accredited to the photographer • A brief description of the image (location, formation, significance) • The file size must be 300dpi or greater and be in TIFF or JPEG format.

• Limit 10 images/person

Submit images to: Cheryl Fountain, cwhitney@alumni.nmt.edu

OUTCROP ADVERTISING RATES 1 Time

2 Times

6 Times

12 Times

Full page (7-1/2” x 9-1/4”)

$330

$620

$1,710

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2/3 page (4-7/8” x 9-1/4”)

$220

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$2,100

1/2 page (7-1/2” x 4-5/8”)

$175

$330

$930

$1,740

1/3 page horizontal (4-7/8” x 4-7/8”)

$165

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1/3 page vertical (2-3/8” x 9-1/4”)

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1/6 page (2-3/8” x 4-7/8”)

$75

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Professional Card (2-5/8” x 1-1/2”)

$20

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$144

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OUTCROP | July 2018

ADVERTISER INDEX

• COGA: The Energy Summit ���������31

• FieldGeo Services ��������������8 • Geostar Solutions ������������42

• SM Energy �����������������������14

• Crestone Peak Resources ������������������������45

• Goolsby Brothers �������������43

• Spancers & Associates ���32

• Leeds Group (The) �����������45

• Sunburst Consulting ��������33

• LMKR �������������������������������44

• Thomas L. Davis Geologist �������������������������42

• Crown Geochemistry �������32 • Daub & Associates, Inc. ��32 • Denver Earth Resources Library ������������28

• Confluence Resources �����39

• Geomark ��������������������������33

• Sinclair Petroleum Engineering, Inc. ��������������42

• Neil H. Whitehead, III �����42

• Tracerco ���������������������������41

• PTTC ��������������������������������35

• Discovery Group Inc. (The) ���������������39

• QEP Resources ����������������16

• Donovan Brothers Inc. �����32

• Schlumberger ������������������10

• Tracker Resource Development �������������������26

• Raisa Energy ��������������������43

CALENDAR | JULY 2018 SUNDAY

MONDAY

1

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

10

11

12

13

14

RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip: Salida, CO.

8

RMAG Luncheon.

Speaker: Ali Jaffri.

15

16

17

DIPS Luncheon.

18

RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip: Leadville Mining District

19

20

21

26

27

28

RMAG July Geostatistics Course.

22

23

24

25

RMAG July Dinner.

Speaker: Scott W. Tinker.

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OUTCROP | July 2018

30

31

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Vol. 67, No. 7 | www.rmag.org